There and Back Again: Week 29 FAMILY FROLIC GALORE!!!

OH MY GOODNESS, THIS WEEK! FULL OF MOVING, A BAD BACK, and a GREAT FAMILY VISIT! The Happiest thing I have ever done was be a mother. This week I was super grateful that my children loved their brother in law, Aaron so much that they all came out to celebrate his graduation from medical school... ALL four of my kids and their kids and spouses. But then sadly, Aaron had to attend an emergency funeral of his best friend in Missouri! So we were there and he was not! We will be cutting and pasting him into our family photo!! He is doing OK.

That same week we had moved to Carthage. So Thursday we upacked our last box, I made four loaves of bread, and Friday we went up to Iowa City, then everyone came home with us to Carthage Friday night except Autumn and Aaron who left early Saturday morning for Greece. We took their boys home to be with cousins.

Due to the new chores of taking care of carthage, my lower back went out with the weeding and push mowering...so while it heals, I'm consigned to scrubbing the bird dung off the paver bricks with a wet broom, cleaning the statues and monuments sweeping the parking lot, picking up sticks with the "picker upper thingys" and driving the tractor mower while Elder Cullen works the mower, weed whacker, and blower. It's a big big job.

The grand kids helped! And shouted and cheered Grandpa as he drove back and forth mowing the lawns across the parking lot. I just have to share some of the peaceful, joyful times we had. It's such a miracle that on this mission we are seeing our children more than we do at home! It's truly an unexpected miracle.

OK you made it this far...if you know my kids these pictures will delight you, if you don't, I hope they still delight you. I will leave you with these two thoughts. Marriage is ordained of God, and when both partners keep their covenants it can truly be wonderful, even with all the irritations and learning experiences. ALSO a quote from Gerrit W. Gong (Apostle) "You may wonder if your Heavenly Father loves you. The answer is a resounding, absolute yes!"