October 26, 2022

 Kona has had an interesting week as she has not only healed from her spay surgery but dealt with a significant change in the weather. We have had a very dry warm summer that has continued into the fall months. Kona is used to having the back door open and it being pleasant when she ventures outdoors. Not so much this week. The rain has returned, the temperature dropped and the puppy is in shock. Not only has she not been feeling well but she was having to deal with this further weather shock to her system. It has affected her inclination to do her potty business outdoors. I have kept her little shirt on most to the week to prevent her from licking her wound and Sam kindly came to be with her on Saturday while I served in the Temple as I didn’t want her too distressed with my being gone. She loves Sam and was happy to be with him. She is healing well and I have left her on her own in recent days.

I have been on the phone correcting some Telus concerns and adjusting the home insurance to my name. We have been also working on my flights to Kelowna in November and getting Kona on as an in cabin pet. I am still working on getting her set up on the return flight. Liza has a course to take in Colorado and I am going to assist with Sayde coming and going to school. Getting things taken care of on the phone can be a long and tedious process with extended waits on hold.

Nora Jensen, from the London Temple, contacted me to help a sister who recently relocated here with her husband. The sister tried to meet me at the Temple on Tuesday but misjudged the bus times and arrived after I had left. I have made contact with three individuals from the Vancouver Stake that I think can help her get settled and I am hoping that is beneficial. I will follow up. It must be so daunting coming to a new country without family, friends or a plan in place for employment and housing.

Joanne and Dave came over on Monday to visit Camille and her two little girls who are staying at Ronald McDonald House while her toddler Presley is receiving treatment for her leukaemia. She is responding well but will be here for several more months. Joanne and Dave came to spend the night with me afterward and we went to the Temple on Tuesday morning before they headed for the ferry and home. It was nice to have their visit.

I have been watching and reading YW material to try to get oriented myself and be prepared to inform others. It is daunting, excellent but daunting. There is so much online information and I need to try to simplify it for my simple brain. 

Liza and family are coming this weekend to do baptisms and for the kids to attend a Stake Halloween dance and activity at the Christensen farm. I will be there with Sam, Breya and Keaton. I hope they are happy with Gramma being part of their activity.

October 19, 2022

 Kona has had a busy week. I took her for grooming on Monday and in her eyes that should be enough for the entire week but Tuesday, which was yesterday, she went to the vet for her spay surgery. She was shaking before she left home. I think she knew this was not going to be a joy trip. She doesn’t like riding in the car period but she doesn’t usually shake before we even get going. Things went well. I took her in about 8:30 am and picked up a very groggy puppy about 2:30 pm. I went to the Temple while she was in her surgery and picked up a few groceries. I took care of some business as well. When she was being groomed I picked up a lab test at the lab and went to the notary for some business. I have planned on being home for most of the week to keep her settled and healing. Her favorite place is on my lap and I tucked a shirt in my pants last night and put her down my shirt while I made dinner. She was acting a little drunk and trying to walk so I thought it best to confine her. She is on pain meds and has a little red “cat” onesie on to keep her incision safe generally and her from licking it. She woke up once fussing last night and I took her out to bathroom and get a drink but she is eating and was even wanting to eat yesterday.

My new calling is daunting and Cathy asked me to take her place at the Tri-Stake YMYW leaders’ zoom meeting on Sunday evening. I knew many of the people in the meeting. Kona was upset and barking and they put me on mute for awhile, probably where I should always be. I have been reading the YW manual and other material connected with the calling. The current program and recent changes are all good. Navigating the digital aspect of everything is new for me and proves a challenge. I keep wanting paper copies of things, something I can hold in my hands.

The Temple opened again last week and I attended a session on Friday morning and my shift on Saturday. I am still dealing with my cold and Shauna Humphreys gave me a short assignment list on Saturday. Kona can stay in her crate while I do a session but a shift is too long and Cindy and family came over to take her for a walk and wash their new car at the same time. They got a hybrid. It was nice to attend the Temple yesterday with my usual Tuesday morning workers and patrons. The gold leafing on the ceilings of the sealing rooms that Tom had worked so hard to have completed while we were in, has been done. Brother Smith, our FM fellow from Seattle. had promised Tom that one day he would look up and it would be there. That day has arrived and I am sure Tom and other angels were rejoicing in Heaven. He worked to get approval for the perimeter fence and that gold leafing and received approval for both before our release in November 2018, as well as approval to have a local FM fellow called (Sean Sugden). Now finally all are in place. I see the Savior everywhere in the Temple. It is all about Him but He has allowed Tom’s fingerprints to be there too, blessing me and others too.

President Nelson, his wife and the Renlunds were to come to Lethbridge this past Sunday and do a devotional for Alberta and BC. They were unable get here but broadcast instead from Salt Lake. We shortened our meetings on Sunday and then either stayed at the church to watch or went home to watch online. I came home. It was very good. Both the wives have Alberta connections. Wendy Nelson is from Raymond and Sister Renlund has family from Alberta - Cahoons and Lybberts. Sister Nelson said the leaders had experienced extreme opposition before October Conference and she would tell us all about it in the next world. Satan is working hard as he knows his time is short.

I work at trying to get business items completed that I need to keep a handle on. When you live together for 52 years you develop a life dance and when your partner steps away, you tend to stumble, falter and misstep. I never have wanted to be a soloist. I don’t operate at my best but I am trying and I miss my partner on every level.

October 12, 2022

 I am late writing this on Friday but am still dating it as this past Wednesday. 

Liza’s race was last Thursday and Brendon and I got up in the early hours to drive into Kona with her. There was a steady stream of cars going in at that time and I am certain most cars were filled with athletes and the entourages. The highway shut down shortly after we got to town as the race itself took place largely on that Queen K highway - the biking and running. We dropped her off, got parked and made our way thru the crowds to get a view of the bay where they would do the swim. It was electric with excitement. The Hawaiian drums were going and so was my heart. We ended up standing by Liza’s age group. I moved my way down so she could see we were there and when she looked up to see me, she got a little emotional. They swam out, then lined up treading water until the starting horn blew. They swam into the oncoming ocean swells and out in front of our beautiful hotel where Tom and I started our honeymoon. Who would have guessed we would have our baby girl out on that ocean doing this swim 52 years later. So glad Tom could experience this with her. He loves Hawaii, he loves adventure and most of all he loves Liza and I am certain he didn’t miss a minute of the excitement. 

We moved to another location so we could see her start the bike portion of the race. Her swim was ten minutes longer than usual which they said to expect. We were able to see her go passed us twice as she moved thru town and headed for the highway. She had done a short swim in the bay, a short bike on the highway and a short run on the route. She and I had driven up to Hawi on the mountain where the bikes turned to come back. She was acquainted with what was to come and I knew the highway and area well so somehow that calmed me a little. It was the heat and sunburn potential that I feared. We picked up Ted and Alyssa’s boys and brought them back to our place and kids and all the children played at the pool and the pool area. I made them lunch and we drove down to the highway to see her pass by on her return bike ride to the town.

We packed everyone up and taking the back roads, due to the highway closure, made our way closer to town and another location to see her on the run. She passed us and the kids ran along beside her for a bit and then she was off out onto a flat hot area. When she returned she was walking but got running again as we cheered her on. We took Ted and the kids home and made our way back into the middle of town and the finish.

We parked again and walked thru streets and then thru crowds to reach the finish line. It was not long before we saw her coming, still running, and we cheered her in. So exciting and well done. She had thrown up near the finish which dehydrated her but she made it to the end, requiring IV to get fluids back into her before she could get to us. She was burned and she was dehydrated. The Hawaiian sun and heat had done their thing but she was in good spirits and finished in the 50 percentile of her group. A great feat at the world level. We were all exhausted.

Liza’s sunburn was the main thing bothering her the next day but we went shopping for the children to get the things they had hoped for on their trip. Liza and Brendon took Breya and Keaton to swim with the manta rays later that night. You have to wait until dark and they take you out in the ocean.

Liza and Brendon were up early again to see Alyssa’s Patrick off on the men’s race Saturday morning and the kids and I stared packing up and trying to eat up all the food. We got to the airport, again on back roads and following a lineup of cars. We checked in separately as we are on different flights. I stayed with them after checkin until they left and I then went to my gate to wait for a few hours. I had to help a confused little lady who had missed her flight and was now taking mine. I sat by two young adult girls to Denver, one from Toronto and one from Salt Lake. I changed to my Vancouver plane in Denver and sat by another young adult girl. I felt like the Lord blessed because I was feeling lonely and those three girls were alone as well.

Cindy was there to pick me up in Vancouver. I didn’t go to church as I had only a half hour to get ready. I unpacked and showered and Ross and Sarah brought my puppy on their way to Sarah’s father’s. Kona was so excited to see me so that made me happy. Cindy, Paul, Sam and Bryson brought Thanksgiving dinner over to my house later which was so lovely. Bryson is here for Thanksgiving. Paul set me apart for my new calling.

I have been trying to get business and other things done this week. I had my first meeting with with the Stake YW Presidency on Wednesday. I have so much to get up to speed on - all the changes in the program, all the digital information available etc. I will do my best. Breya and I both have colds this week. I guess it came from sharing a room and bathroom.  What a week!

October 5, 2022

 

I am in Hawaii this week with the Burgess family for Liza to participate in the World Championship Ironman Race. We are on the Big Island of Hawaii as the race headquarters are in Kona. I love this island as this is the first place Tom and I came on our honeymoon and we have returned a numerous times since the Temple was built in Kona. Tom loved Hawaii. It was where he felt at home but it has certainly changed a great deal since his family came in the ‘50s and ‘60s when he was a boy and since he started bringing me here. Kona was a sleepy little town in 1970 and our beautiful Kona Hilton was the landmark of the area. It was the most romantic place I had ever seen. Who would have guessed at the time that we would have had a remarkable little girl swimming in the ocean just off our hotel balcony 52 years later and biking and running all over this side of the island. Amazing and she is amazing! 

Tom and I have been here and all over this island but Liza has managed to find beaches, waterfalls and donut shops that we have never seen and known about. Our children are curious and explorers like their father and constantly seeking for the next adventure. I probably have held Tom back a bit and he always sought to please me. I gave him roots and he gave me wings and certainly did push me. The Burgess children have enjoyed boogie boarding and snorkeling and the older children and Brendon hiked into a waterfalls to swim. They hiked to see other falls and crawled into a lava tunnel. We have spent time at the condo pool and the older children have been playing games at the pool site. Alisa’s boyfriend Patrick is racing as well so Ted, Alisa and her boys are here with him. The children have done some activities with them but Alisa has the flu and has remained isolated at the place where they are staying.

I spent last week trying to get things in order and ready for the trip. I took Kona over to Ross and Sarah’s later on Thursday and got her settled. I went for an interview with Junki Huang on Thursday evening at the church. Junki is serving as a High Councillor and he called me to be a counsellor in the Stake Young Women presidency. I said yes immediately and am happy to serve and hope I can be of help to the young women and the leaders. I am old BUT I will do my best and I think this is what I need to do.

This trip is a bittersweet experience for me. I am grateful to be here but miss Tom. I have never been here without him but I do feel okay because he taught me how to get around and to feel at home here. I miss him but see his handprint and feel his influence everywhere. I know he is excited because, for this particular race, he can be with Liza the whole time and not only is she in the World Championship but she is racing in Kona!  He loves his daughter and he loves Hawaii! What more could he ask for! I am so happy for him and so happy for her!