Day 1 - Run Arizona Miles 360-333

Ryan is doing his run across the state and my job is to update the website and I am struggling mightily with my job. He has meanwhile trekked across 18 miles of wilderness, so I guess we all have our trials. But I do know how to update this dealie so here’s this and eventually I’ll learn to do hard things. 

Above is the starting line. The New Mexico/Arizona border along the I-40 aka Route 66. We are going to be getting so many kicks. Ryan plans to run about 50-60 miles every day for the next week or so. This part of Arizona is expecting big rain from hurricane Rachel the next couple of days so that should add some fun difficulties. 

Ryan’s youngest brother, Justin is running this first day with Ryan and we are so grateful that he took time away from his family and duties to run two marathons and a 5k with his brother.

They have seen more than one tarantula. We watched Arachnophobia with the kids a week ago so it is especially meaningful. 

This was a nifty bridge.

So here’s the real for real: I have not been super excited about this experience at least not as excited as a loving supportive wife should be when her husband breaks the news to her that his upcoming plans are to run across a western style beefy state. But here we are on day one and it’s not as scary as I thought it would be. Let’s talk later when it’s dark outside and he still has miles to run… But for now it’s lovely and breezy and cool outside with light rain showers occasionally. We’ve visited with several of the local residents who clearly think we are kind of nuts but are also very pleasant and kind. 

We live in a beautiful world with lots of wonderful brothers and sisters. 

 

Elder Livingstone

Peter has been serving in the Rio de Janiero South Mission as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He headed out on July 14th and has been loving his mission experience so far. 

    We get to talk to him on Mondays and I'm noticing that he has been growing in lots of areas. Peter's first companion was a tough one for sure. Peter said he wasn't a hard worker and had a tendency to inflate his numbers and not be strictly honest in the work he was doing. It was disappointing for Peter to have such a hard time right out of the MTC. He said he remembered that President Squire told him a few times that he would be given difficult companions because Peter could handle it, he is mature, cheerful, willing to work, sees the good in others, all the excellent qualities a missionary needs and his patience would be tried. Well, President Squire was right and its been that way. 

    Peter said his first companion didn't speak English so when they would have disagreements they would have to type it out in google translate and kind of argue with each other that way since Peter's Portuguese wasn't up to the task. He said it took forever and was very frustrating. I think it was probably good they had to sit and type and cool off a little while they fought. We should all fight that way. 

    Peter learned that he would need to step in and gently take the lead even in a companionship where he was the junior companion. He would need to continue to wake up and do his morning routine and get his companion up for companion study at the appointed time whether his companion was ready or not. 

    His second (and current) companion has been much more suited to his personality and style. He is a hard worker and has big goals and just wants to teach and do the work. Peter sounds much happier when we talk and he is enjoying the work a lot. 

    I've noticed that Peter has settled into his mission better and feels more confident in the language, his teaching, and he is really enjoying being a missionary. 

    Peter bought a guitar shortly after he arrived in his first area and he has been teaching himself to play. He is very much enjoying it. He told me something interesting on Monday. He said that, as a missionary, he has a special ability right now to learn. He is learning Portuguese and learning to teach the gospel and how to work, etc. and that ability to learn is in all areas, including the guitar. He said it so confidently and with so much assurance - he knows he is being blessed in that way because he sees it every day and he relies on that heightened ability and assumes that it will help him in all areas. 

    I think that is beautiful. He knows that he is set apart and given capacity above his usual levels and he really is doing well with the language and in his ability to teach and even in his ability to learn and play the guitar. I love getting to watch him confidently do the work, knowing he is and will be given help because the work his is doing is God's work and God will help him. I've asked for Jefferson to be his companion as well and I know that he is there with his brother. Helping with inspiration, teaching alongside him, protecting him, and being a comfort to him. 

    I am grateful. I've taken a bit of a leap of faith by telling myself and letting myself believe that Jefferson's death is the plan and that things are as they should be. Letting myself look for blessings and good things that have come because of it has been so comforting and has helped ease some of the fear, guilt and pain. All is well. 

This is Peter meeting Elder Dale G. Renlund, apostle who came to speak to his mission a couple of weeks ago. Peter said it seemed like he was looking into his soul. Also, he didn't like having to stop working for the day to go to mission conference. 

Newly arrived in mission.

Peter and President and Sister Paz, mission presidents.

First companionship.

New guitar!

Out on splits, teaching.

Happy missionary.

One of many baptisms.

Second companion.

2014 to 2026 Time Warp

This has been a good year.  Hard.  But Good.  Probably just hard for me.  Here's what's been going on:

Ryan has continued with his position at Knight Transportation doing all the logistics for two companies.  He has been enjoying the challenge and their department has exceeded expectations and been quite successful.  They should know that when they get Ryan on a project it will be a huge success.  Because he is wonderful.  Also he is cute.  He has had fun working with the deacons and doing scouting.  He lost a fairly silly deacon to the teachers quorum last December (Jeffy turned 14), but the other boys have kindly upped their weirdness so Ryan won't miss Jeff too much.  Ryan has very much enjoyed his first born son's starting High School sports and all the shouting, coaching, weight lifting and training that goes along with it.  Ryan got to be a Captain for the Temple Dedication Cultural Celebration and be in charge of a group of kids and help out at practices and he was wonderful doing that.  It was an amazing experience.

I've been busy with the kids, especially Dinah who is one and a half now and a busy little climber.  I've also been producing another baby.  Little Gwendolyn joined our family in October and has been a darling little baby.  Being pregnant during the summer was a challenge and having seven children is a bit exhausting, but it is wonderful.  I sang with the Glendale Community Choir Chamber Singers during the spring and had a great time.  It was my third semester in the choir and I very much enjoyed it.  I didn't audition last fall because of Gwen but I will probably try again next fall, once the girls are a bit bigger.  I miss the music.  I'm helping out at the kid's elementary school in my "spare" time and on a couple of committees there.  I'm also working with the Activity Days girls at church and enjoying working with the 8 and 9 year olds.  They are cute. 

Jeffy started High School!  He is going to Apollo which is where both Ryan and I graduated from about 20 years ago so it is pretty fun for us to be back at Apollo in a slightly removed way.  He is enjoying his classes, loves Seminary, adores after school sports and has a great fondness for the ladies.  He made the comment to me on the way to Seminary during the first week of school that he wished he could go to school every day, it was that much fun!  (I'm pretty sure having that written down will come in handy in a couple of years).  He played football on the freshman team in the fall and loved learning the game better and making friends on the team.  He and Ryan began a workout program about three months ago and both of them became quite a bit more bulky in the arms and shoulders and got a lot of definition and strength.  This has come in very handy for his current sport of wrestling which he is doing really well in.  We are looking forward to school starting again in January for him to have more meets.  Ryan is LOVING teaching him wrestling and Jeff is soaking it all up.  They are good buddies and that is fun to watch.  Jeff had the once in a lifetime opportunity to participate in the Cultural Celebration for the opening of our new Phoenix Temple back in November.  He and Leah and Tessa practiced for months with the other youth to learn dances and music to be in the performance.  Jeff even got to be a rifle spinner, he went to extra practices to learn that and did a great job and loved participating.  He loved learning the dances and was heard to say that he loved learning it so well so he could just dance and enjoy himself without fretting about the steps.  It also helped quite a bit that there were pretty girls to dance with and visit with everywhere he turned.  He is loving going to all the dances and meeting girls and being a social butterfly.  He is just a great kid and has really grown this year in all good ways.

Leah Bug is finishing up her last year in elementary school and is continuing to get fantastic grades and being a lovely girl.  She was fantastic in the Cultural Celebration and loved learning the dances as well.  The Temple dedication was a huge event and Leah really enjoyed participating and meeting new people.  She surprised us a bit by being very outgoing at the all day Saturday practice where she was introducing herself to boys she didn't know and probably setting their little hearts pitter pattering with her lovelyness.  She is normally a little shy.  She gets to start attending the dances in February when she turns 14 and will be quite the sensation, we are sure.  She is a sweet and darling girl and has been a huge help with Gwen and Dinah here at home. 

Tessa is very involved in her school activities, she applied to be a member of the National Junior Honors Society and was accepted!  She gets wonderful grades and tries to be perfect in everything she does and is successful most of the time.  She has qualified to go on a trip to Disneyland in June with a select few kids and has been carefully saving money towards this goal.  She was so happy to turn twelve this year and get to participate in the Cultural Celebration with Leah and Jeff.  She enthusiastically learned the dances and was so darling to watch.  I got to attend the Celebration (luckily) and it was so neat to see them do their parts.  At the end when all of the thousands of kids were on the field for the last number cousin Samantha put Tessa on her shoulders and Tessa was dancing and singing and just glowing with happiness to be apart of such a wonderful performance and celebration and to be so close to our beloved prophet, Thomas S. Monson and to feel the spirit that was there.  It really was so special. 

Alana is a darling little girl, she has become the very middle child and though she is tiny and quiet, she is not overlooked too very often, I don't think...

That's where I gave up on writing my blog 12 years ago. I think it was a good time to stop and switch to a personal journal. The next part of life became complex in ways that didn't need to be public. The kids were teenagers and that part of your life doesn't need to be published by your mom. Then we had the tragedy of Jefferson's death in 2017 which was so jarring it made me forget that all of this happened.

So Ryan found this blog a few days ago and I've been reading and looking at photos and watching videos I thought were lost forever and remembering things that I didn't even think to notice I didn't remember anymore. Grief does funny things. It's like this life was mine but also someone else's. 

In any case, it is good for me to remember and I think the timing is just right. So I'll start writing the blog again. I have a bunch of possibly blog worthy stuff (as long as we are quiet about it) from my journal that I'll possibly transcribe here to help bridge the gap (especially since they aren't teaching handwriting in school and my kids won't be able to read my journal much longer) for posterity. 

Also, Ryan will be running across Arizona in a few weeks so we will put updates here somehow and let people see his progress.