Give thanks!

What a great time of year to remember my blessings and be thankful. Thanks dear friends and family for your love and support. I love hearing from you by post or email. I'm still in the same apartment, 1319 8th St. NE, N-1, Auburn, WA 98002.
I seemed to have failed for most things to remember to take pictures, but I can share some of the happenings...just not pictorially.. We've done a lot of "seeking" but not always finding. I am a real believer in keeping good records of names and addresses, but people here seem to move a lot and often. A lot of the people are related, so one week they may be with family and the next they'll be with an "auntie".

Another thing I find interesting is the number of last names you find in the family. It comes from one or both of the parents or partners being previously with someone else and having lots of children. Another thing they do is "give" children to other relatives. One sister felt sorry for a family that had about 9 boys but no girls, so she "gave" one of her children to them a little girl...no adoption, mind you, so not very legal...just very confusing trying to sort out and get a handle on who belongs to whom, and so forth.

I attended my first ever party hosted by Marshallese. They are really big on celebrating children’s first birthdays, so this was a party planned by the grandmother and her family for the first birthday of one of her granddaughters.They held it at some church hall (not LDS) in Pacific. They have lots of food and they serve it in take-out containers. There is always lots of rice and I was glad I could tell them to put in just a little or none at all, especially when it came to the fish heads and fish. There were lots of people there (I really don’t think they knew everybody because if there is a party all the Marshallese come) and we all sat around big round tables enjoying the musical entertainment and just visiting. Then the birthday music starts…a version of happy birthday sung over and over and over and over. They sing as long as there is a line of people waiting to greet the “honored” guest. I really think she probably would have preferred to go to bed…but then maybe she is a party one-year old. At any rate, you get in a line and when you get up to the mother and dad and the one year old, there is a container of sorts and you drop in dollars and in exchange they give you gifts. I think I received a box of chocolate covered macadamia nuts and later on a nightgown (sort of a mumu). We didn’t stay too long, about 2 hours…but I know they did some singing and some dancing and just had a really good time. It was fun to see how they do things.

A YW Preach My Gospel Meeting at YW President's home

We finally drove to where we could see "THE MOUNTAIN"

A pastoral view of Mt. Rainer

A view we have of Mt. Rainer as we're headed to church

Last District Meeting with this group, transfers next week

Elders in District, one in middle (grey suit) had been a student in daughter Sue's class at Alta High

Missionaries, Branch Mission Leader and his wife who is the RS President, the Avery's

Food display for a birthday party for Marie and Ronald's granddaughter, newly arrived from Philippines

The Cook, Maria

Getting things ready to celebrate

Maria likes to collect teddy bears

and frogs

and pigs with another picture of food and hosts

October Mission Report Plus

President Crowe, Alexander and Peterson at my setting apart on Oct 13th

 I'm now in the Washington Federal Way Mission and the work has begun. It's wonderful to get acquainted with all the people around us, especially the Marshallese. We're trying to get to know them and understand a little bit about their culture. It's amazing to me. It's hard to keep track of all the families as they are continually changing locations and you may find a child of one is now living with someone not their birth family, but a "cousin"  of some sort. Interesting. I understand it can be a real challenge doing family history because of all the "give away" customs.

I had a great week at the MTC and was able to finally connect with my companion, a wonderful woman from Oklahoma. She loves and misses her family so much but is anxious to help the Olympic Branch and all the people that had been found, but now are somewhat lost. And so am I. Thus far, we've done a lot of visiting and trying to locate less active branch members. We also attended a family home evening with one family (well, actually about 3 different families all living together), a trunk or treat potluck to celebrate Halloween, a Fiddler on the Roof production (took a newly baptized member, her daughter (9) and granddaughter (7)). Today was the Primary Sacrament Program and it's always a bit entertaining as the children sing and perform their parts. We're soon off to a Young Women activity to study Preach My Gospel.

We had a wonderful lunch and orientation by President and Sister Eaton upon our arrival in Washington. He seems to be very caring and kind and is excited for us to interact with the Marshallese.

My friends, Joanne and Carl Byers really made an impression with the Olympic Branch. Their picture is up on the bulletin board at church and everyone remembers them and loves them. They really helped the branch a lot and we hope to do the same.

Here are some pictures most recently taken of Octobers adventures.

Fun friends: Janie, me, Mary Kaye, Trell, Karen, Judy, Ginger

We enjoyed lunch at the Olive Garden just before the MTC for me

Reuniting with Armenian missionary couples: Dutsons and Dows

District at MTC with our Teachers, Brother Zundell and Sister ?

Sister Henderson and Patti pointing to our Mission headquarters

Sister Henderson and Sister Peterson with the world map at MTC

District at MTC with afternoon Teacher, Brother Copans

Emily and me just as I was leaving John and Julie's

Sisters Henderson, Peterson with Pres and Sister Eaton at the Mission Home

Family Home Evening with Kalles Family

My downhill bedroom, another story, bed now on blocks

Sister Henderson in our Living room

Our kitchen...all electric...darn, miss the gas.

Outside view of apartment, first floor right is ours

View out the sliding glass door of the backyard

Marshallese sisters at Relief Society making plaques

Here we are with our night's work

Pre-Mission post, August and September 2013

Well, it's interesting about waiting...now I'm waiting to leave. Earlier, I was waiting to learn where I was going on my mission. It seemed like the call would never get here and finally it arrived and I was going to Washington, Federal Way to serve as a Women's Auxiliary Specialist, reporting on September 16th. Then that date was changed to October 14th. Now I'm waiting also to learn what I will do as a WAS. My next posting will probably be when I'm on my mission. It's exciting to contemplate and also some anxiety comes along as I wonder who my companion will be and what our living circumstances will be like.

But now, back to the present...or should I say, recent past. I should also comment that I didn't have my camera at the ready, so must rely on others efforts to document my travels and experiences.

August seemed to go by in a flash, but did manage a visit to Park City for a week with the three youngest girls, Jana, Alisa and Sue and their families. Other than a few pictures of kids swimming, the rest are just of the delicious things we ate. Alisa and I have been trying to eat more healthfully, so lots of green smoothies and green vegetables.

Jana, JaneAnne, Alisa and me at "Girls' Camp" end of July

Anders swimming at neighbor's pool

Davis enjoying the water

Leif enjoying pool

Stuart relaxing with a noodle; he really enjoys swimming

Merit, an undecided pool fan?

Davis and Me after 18 holes! Fun!

Playing games at Park City with the Maughan family

Park City view from hotel window

Fresh pesto pizza, delicious!

When I was in Oregon, I found a "fish banner" that I thought would be appropriate to place by the graveside of Rog, the ultimate fisherman. I can't believe he's been gone a year. Surely do miss him.

My long-time friends had been planning that for our 70th birthday, we'd go to Las Vegas and see the Donny and Marie show. Our first attempt ended up with them cancelling the show when we already in St. George, so we rescheduled for a few months later. Would you believe they cancelled for the whole month of August. We were now mostly 71 and we decided to attend Tuachan to see Mary Poppins and then headed over to Cedar City for Anything Goes and Peter and the Star Catcher. We had a wonderful time, so there Donny and Marie.

Trell, Patti and Janie

Janie, Mary Kaye and Ginger

Just after Labor Day, I headed for Oregon to visit with friends and family and attend the baptism of another grandson, Leif Hamar Olsen. I was also able to attend the funeral of a long-time friend and former walking buddy, Pat Youngberg.

Leif was baptized by Joseph Peterson

The Olsen Family at Leif's baptism

I have wonderful friends that I walk and talk with nearly every day. They were kind enough to take me for a pre-mission lunch and send off.

Lunch at Molly's with Edgemont 5th Ward friends

I love to get together with the missionaries who served in Armenia, especially when the occasion is their wedding and in this case it was Bruce Wainwright's turn.

Sister Kohler, Justin and Jordan Jonas, Gerber, Fergie, and Garner

I've enjoyed having my daughter, Alisa, staying with me for the summer, but now she is trying her hand at the European circuit and has moved to Germany to begin an audition tour. Hopefully, her singing abilities will land her an opera role. We had a send off dinner for the both of us as I'll be mission bound fairly soon.

Mike, me, Alisa, Zach, Sue and Jana at Pizza 712

Alisa and I both left on the 17th of September, only I wasn't going nearly as far...only as far as Houston. My sister and I decided we'd do a quick trip to visit our cousin, Janette Bowers, to see if we could get any more family stories of our ancestors or any family history information. It was a fun trip and we were able to meet some of Janette's family, see some areas of Texas where our dad spent some time and just build some family bonds.

Mammy Watkins' (our grandmother) pie safe

Kathi and Janette with the pie safe

Janette, Kathi, me, Casey (son of Janette's) and Susan Cornett

Janette with Mammy's butter churn

Kathi, Janette, Cole Cornett (Janette's son) and me

Grandma Watkins' (Mammy) Tombstone

Grandpa Watkins tombstone

I was able to drive from the airport to a missionary reunion in Salt Lake. There were still some missionaries there in spite of the fact I arrived about 4-1/2 hours after it started.

Patti, Eva Jean and Reese Carter

And the cycle continues: mission, marriage and family

The next day found me in Salt Lake City once again to attend the blessing of Megan (my niece) and Bodie's new little boy. Such fun and rubbing shoulders with my brother and his children is always a wonderful thing. All five of his children (Allyson, Melissa, Amy, David and Megan) were there and it was Megan's birthday, so a doubly wonderful event.

Patti, Megan, Bodie and Wyatt

Patti, Megan and Wyatt, Peg and Bob (my brother) Watkins

Life is wonderful and I think it's friends and family, especially, that make it so. I'm excited to be able to share the message of the gospel of Jesus Christ; that there is a plan of happiness; and that families can be together, forever.

Sending much love and hugs your way.