A Family Home Evening with the Jones

Jay and Connie with Bob and Jana Miner (the Miners are on the outside).

Jay and Connie Jones invited us to dinner with a few other couples to see some of our pictures of Russia and hear a little bit about our mission.  The Miners, Crofts and Mannewitz families joined us.  We started dinner at 6:30 and came home around 11:00.  Not quite missionary hours!!  It was great fun.  The Mannewitz's have already been on two senior missions.  Jay is a counselor in the Stake Presidency.  Jay and Bob (Minor), and Bill (Mannewitz) are all former bishops of our ward.

We had some technical difficulties showing our slides. I needed a special adapter to run from my Mac to the Jones TV. We got close, with the ones I purchased, but didn't quite make it. So, it is back to Best Buy today to see if I can't get the right plug. This will be the third trip to get this connection right. The guy at Best Buy commented that he hadn't been too successful recommending cables and adapters (There had been other trips to exchange cables last week). Wait until he sees me tomorrow!!! Murmur, murmur!!

This morning when I woke up I dicovered we had a few visitors in our pool.  I guess when you try to build a park for a backyard, you have to expect a few drop ins from time to time.



Today will be busy. Hopefully, I will get all of my vehicles back. The Shed Man is supposed come out this afternoon to replace my doors. In a few minutes the Pool Man will come and inspect our crazy time clocks and see if he can offer a reasonable solution. The time clocks just go on and off whenever they want to presently!!!

Tomorrow, I have a doctor's appointment for an annual checkup. Then it is off to Alabama to see Nick and Abby. We are going to take the motorhome, just to give it a little run and to make sure everything is working, before we get on the road for a real trip!! It will take 10 hours by car to get there.

Greg Turn's 60

Yes, I am 60 years old. I can't believe it but it is true. Yesterday, day we had a big celebration. All of the kids except Nick and Abby and Lore. It was great time to get together with all of the family again. I got many wonderful gifts, including lots of books, clothes and a new high-tech driver, by Taylor-made called Bombs Away!!

Chris with her grandkids!!
Greg with his new club, being assisted by Savannah!!
Grandkids playing with balloons and having fun upstairs!!
Benj on his Mac.  I learned alot about my computers with a few tutorials from Benj!!

The weather cooperated and it didn't rain. We bar-b-qued hotdogs, had some wonderful salads and three cakes, Chocolate, Lemon and pineapple upside down cake.

Today, we finally reported to the high council. We did well until we began to speak about the people we came to know and love. We sure miss all of you in the office and all of the senior missionaries. After reporting to the high council we drove our son, Ben, to the airport. He leaves tomorrow from Salt Lake for a 10-day musical tour of Japan. Then it's back to school.

At church, we were invited to the Primary and they sang us a welcome back song, which they customize with the word for hello, in the language of your mission. I taught Sister Meldrum how to say Zdrasvouche last week. The kids said it just about perfectly. The song required them to say it about 25 times!! Each time they just pronounced it like it was an old friend!!

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday celebration complete.

Used Car Blues

Today, I took the Lexus in for an estimate...$2,000 for a power steering motor, to rebuild the rack and pinon steering, for new valve cover gaskets, front break disk brakes, and an air conditioner recharge...Then I took the RV in...new batteries (4), and the generator isn't getting gas. It works when the RV dealer gives it gas, but not from the system. So, my father-in-law is going to help me look at it tomorrow at the dealer...

On a brighter note, I finished painting the front door. With the new hardware and fresh paint job, it looks like new!! Chris is still cleaning...She has her own standard!!

Tonight, Benj will join us. He has been with Jessica's boys today and Joy's girls this afternoon and evening. He is probably looking forward to a quiet night with mom and dadd.

Good News

We finally got the word on my mothers PET Scan: All Clear. No other cancers!! That's the best we could have hoped for, so we are now full speed ahead to get the insurance changed over and get them to Dallas. Yesterday, they had a tour of realtors go through their home. Now maybe they will start to get a little action on their listing.

Yesterday, I was so proud of how my windows looked! Then the sun began to shine on them in the late afternoon. They looked horrible!! So I got out the glass cleaner and made a second attempt. Not much better. I told Chris, "Just don't schedule any parties for the late afternoon." They look great in the morning and evening!!

Last night I played my first game of racketball in 19 months. I hadn't been on the court but a few minutes, just warming up, when I had strained my knee! So I had to favor it most of the night. It still feels a little weak this morning, but it should be OK if I don't over do it. I did manage to humble two of my sons though, 4 games to 0!

Last week I played around of golf with Jason, but it was more like a game of hockey. We quit counting our score after about the the 6th hole and decided to count just pars and bogies as a point, highest score wins. I had parred the 2 hole and we never saw a par or bogie again!!

Today is the rest of the front door project. It is time to sand, caulk and paint. I am off to Home Depot to buy some sandpaper!!

Spring Cleaning and Pins and Needles

I have busied myself today washing all the windows in the backyard (inside and out). Chris is off on a leisurely lunch with her sister-in-law, Terri. Often I have commented on how a little fairy takes my dirty clothes from the hamper, cleans them, folds them and neatly restocks my dresser drawers. Well, while the fairy was on holiday today, a friendly troll stepped in...I hope she is happy with his work!!!

We have been waiting for over a day now for the results of my mother's PET scan. Hopefully will hear today from somebody, but these doctors are really busy, so who knows? The PET scan helps determine if the cancer has spread to any other parts of the body. We are praying for a clear report!!

It is a beautiful day in Dallas today; 72 degrees, no wind, clear until just a few minutes ago. Maybe we will get a little shower before the day is through. While I was washing the windows, I discovered a friend who had made herself at home on my outdoor patio speakers. I guess I will have to keep the sound down for a while.

Mission Blessings Keep Rolling In!!

Just had to drop a quick to note on some repairs we have had to do since just before and after arriving home. I think I already mentioned the microwave repair for $350 that we discovered was still under warranty. Then I had to replace the door hardware for our front door, about $150. I was talking to the customer service representative about the installation and discovered that the door assembly has a life time warranty, for the original owner. Guess who is an original owner. The check is in the mail!! Also, my doors on my shed have rotted out, everything else is just fine. I have owned the shed for about 41/2 years. The doors are under warranty and they will send out a repairman to install them next Tuesday.

Just in case you hadn't noticed...I am having a good day today!! Hope things are going well for you.

PS: I even installed the door hardware properly!! This may not seem like a lot to you, but for one who is mechanically challenged, this was a big victory!!

Happy Easter

We had a great day yesterday with our family. It started early with a visit to the Stake Center for our report to the High Council. Unfortunately, they cancelled their meetings due to Easter Sunday, so I guess we will report next week!! But it did give us an early start and I was able to get one session of conference in that we had missed the previous week due to our visit to my mother's in California. We had a wonderful block of meetings at church and ended the day at my son Jason's home for Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt with the grandchildren. Benj will join us from Salt Lake, later this week for my 60th birthday celebration. We will head for Alabama the following week for a short visit with Nick and Abby. That will complete the immediate family circuit!

Last week was a bit stressful, as we tried to navigate through the world of insurance, retirement associations, and the transfer of healthcare from one state to another. The week came to a wonderful conclusion though, when we received word that the insurance from my father's retirement association can be switched to a another company that will provide coverage in Texas, with no pre-existing conditions. Also, the move to Texas constitutes a qualifying event that allows my parents to switch their insurance immediately, instead of having to wait until November, the normal time for enrollment. We also found a doctor in Texas, who specializes in my mother's condition. We are grateful to Britt Barrett, our friend and CEO of Medical City in Dallas, with helping us find the doctor and guiding us through the process.

As of now, my parents will fly to Dallas on the April 30, meet with the new doctor the fist week of May and, if all goes well, have the necessary surgery the same week. They will stay with us during the recovery period, while we look for a home for them to buy in Heritage Ranch, a retirement community just a couple of miles away from where we live. Once the house has been purchased, we will send for their household goods and I will probably drive their car back to Texas.

My mother's spirits are good. She is still a little out of breath. She had a PET scan this weekend to determine if the cancer is completely contained in the lung, which is what we are hoping for. We'll get the results today or tomorrow. I am also hoping that we will be able to tell if the Coumidan is working its miracle on the clots she has on her lungs.

Between phone calls, I have managed to do quite of bit of yardwork. I have been trimming bushes and trees mostly. I have quite a pile of trimmings alongside of the house to take to the dumps this week. We have quite a to-do list on our new Mac's to keep us busy for quite some time!

Chris and I also went to the doctors and had a Tine Test to check for tuberculosis. We get re-examined today. I think we both are OK. She is completely clear and I have what I think is only a slight bruise and not a reaction to the test. We will know for sure this morning.

I apologize for not getting back to some people earlier this week. I will try to do better in future.

I know the Ireland's must have begun the countdown by now. We sure miss you guys (and all of the rest of the seniors), and will be glad to see your safe return to the states. We hope you have a great last couple of weeks. Try to get in one more Big and Tasty, with a chocolad cocktail, before you go. Chris is taking our granddaughter Eden to McDonalds today...I wonder what she will have!!??

As for the other of you senior missionaries wherever you are, begin thinking about November in earnest...Branson, Missouri, our first Russian Senior Missionary Reunion. (Browns, will you be back from China?) We'll get a email out on this event soon.

Acia, I haven't been successful yet skyping you, so try to skype us, as we are all set up to go at this point. Tell everyone in the office hello. PS: Congratulations EEA on your new Area Seventy, Dimitry Marchenko. Keep up the good work.

We have been invited by many of our friends for a report on our mission, so I have been putting together a little slide presentation (about 100 slides from nearly 5000 photos) and prepared a movie (about 10-minutes in length) from over 150 video clips that I had taken. Anyone that knows me, will know what a challenge it was for me to pare it down to this amount. As I began to review the photos and the videos, I realized just how little I had actually shared on the blog, if that is even remotely possible!! As soon as we get my parents settled, I will begin working on finalizing the blog book. That will be the conclusion to the most documented period of my life.

In California!

We arrived in California about 1 hour late due to equipment problems with our plane. We were very thankful that the Crofts were able to take us to the airport. Steve had offered on Sunday, but we had already arranged for one our kids to take us, thinking we had a morning flight. But then we discovered that we an evening flight that would have required our kids to take time off from work, so Steve's offer was gratefully recieved.



My sister Cindy and my dad picked us up. Our luggage was right on time, so we were off to Penn Valley. Mom was waiting for us, though asleep on the couch. Here Prince Charming (me!) gave here a kiss on the forehead and she awoke from her slumber. We were all pretty tired so we went right to bed, anxious to catch up in the morning.

The next morning was a beautiful clear day. We ate breakfast, then Chris and I went on a walk to conquer the hills of Wildwood. We succeeded. I guess all of that walking in Moscow paid off.

Later that afternoon, we took my sister back to the airport, but not until she had cooked a spaghetti dinner and backed an apple pie. With my sister safely at the airport, we returned home for our traditional game of Pedro. Mom and I won the first two games handily. Dadd and Chris pulled out all of the stops and won the third game. Nobody knows who will win the overall until we are packed up and ready to head for the airport. This duel will continue throughout the week!

Yesterday we took a little day trip to the Napa Valley. We look around some shops. The weather was absolutely gorgeous. We breakfast at Ihop in the morning, on our way, and then at a place called the Rutherford Grill, later in the afternoon. Dad and I had a full rack of babyback ribs. It was a feast!

Later on the streets of Calistoga, we had an ice cream. Then before we returned home, we bought a stick of italian dry salame and some Casper hotdogs to take back to Dallas!

My mom and dadd looked good. We take my mom to the doctors today to see the doctor and tomorrowwe go back to the hospital to do the bloodwork up. 120 miles round trip each day!



Today, we need to do some investigating about transferring their insurance to Texas. We have many questions that still need answers. Hopefully, there will be no unpleasant surprises.