October Odyssey

Danica has lived life for a  fourth of a century as of October 1st. She's 25 years old, and has lived much, grown much, endured much and loved much. Happy Birthday Danica! We love you!

I had the opportunity to serve in the Youth Center at the temple. I was with a 12 year-old girl that had been in foster care and the couple adopted her. My helper and I were able to visit with her and got to know her a bit. What a sweet girl. When she was in the sealing room you could tell that she felt the spirit and after the sealing she had tears in her eyes. They didn’t have anyone other than temple workers there as witnesses, the other sister in the Youth Center, and myself in the room. No family, and no ward members. There was a different feel in the room, but the spirit could be felt. One of the rewards of serving in this calling is seeing the love and joy the families have for each other, and the peace and spirit the temple holds.  

I also helped sort through books at Jensen’s Books with The Friends of the North Logan Library group. We filled up boxes of books that Jensen's Books weren’t going to use and picked out books we thought would sell in The Book Buggy to earn money for the library. Then I went and helped with the last Book Buggy sale at the Farmer’s Market in Logan. We set up tables and put out books for sale on them as well as had the books in the Book Buggy (a trailer with shelves built along the walls).   Their are some wonderful, caring people in our community that serve so willingly for great causes. I feel blessed to help in some small way for some of these organizations when I can. 

Dale and I were given tickets to go to the morning session of General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by Amie and Matt who had gotten 8 tickets from Matt’s brother, Sheldon, who couldn’t use them.  So, we met up with Amie, Matt, Jaxson, and Kennlyn at the Conference Center. 

What a wonderful feeling to see our prophet, Pres. Russel M. Nelson, and his apostles walk into the room. 

This conference session was one for the history books because Pres. Nelson announced a big change that would be starting in the church as of January 2019. The three-hour church block is being changed to a two-hour block. We will have a 60-minute Sacrament Meeting, a 10 min. break, and then Primary will be held for 50 min. each week, Sunday School for the youth and adults will be taught on the 1st and 3rd week, with Young Men’s, Young Women’s, Priesthood, and Relief Society being taught on the 2nd and 4th week. On the 5th week the Stake President or Bishop will decide what will be taught in a Combined Lesson. Primary will be for during the last hour.  

 

Their will be a new study manual called, Come Follow Me, that we’ll be using to teach our lessons from and as a resource for members to use at home for family and personal gospel study. 


Pres. Neilson also announced twelve new temples that would be built (This was the biggest number that has ever been announced). They will be in:  Mendoza, Argentina; Salvador, Brazil; Yuba City, California; Phnom Penh, Cambodia; Praia, Cape Verde; Yigo, Guam; Puebla, Mexico; Auckland, New Zealand; Lagos, Nigeria; Davao, Philippines; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Washington County, Utah (St. George area). 
Last conference Pres. Nelson announced that seven new temples would be built in:  Salta, Argentina; Bengaluru, India; Managua, Nicaragua; Cagayan de Oro, Philippines; Layton, Utah; Richmond, Virginia; and a major city yet to be determined in Russia.

Then he announced that they were going to change the Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching to more of a Ministering program where there will be no lesson or monthly reporting. The Melchizedek Priesthood is now one group, with the Elders and High Priests meeting together for lessons like the Relief Society does. Pres. Neilson hasn’t wasted any time in implementing changes that have been in the works for five or more years.  It was a great conference session and so neat to be there to hear it and see it live. Modern day revelation 
by our prophet is evident. 

Matt had a friend that sent him this picture while we were waiting to walk out. He found out that we were on the front page of the Salt Lake Tribunes online paper. Matt, Amie, Kennlyn, Jaxson, and half of my face are seen in the picture above the article that talked about all the changes that the church made. I loved the caption, because it so doesn’t go with the expression on the faces of those in the picture!! 

We also took advantage of the nice weather and got some pictures on the balcony of the Conference Center.

After we got back on the road we met up with Danica and had lunch at Iggy’s in Centerville with the group. Then Amie, Kennlyn and I jumped in with Danica and we went and did some shopping with her, and then went to Clearfield for Jaxson’s soccer game. We went back to Danica’s and listened to the General Women’s Session of conference Matt took the kids home, and Dale went and picked up Andrew at the airport in Salt Lake. He’d been working in Arkansas and South Carolina. 

On Sunday, we joined up with the Mallory’s, and the Hassell’s at Andrew and Lindsay’s for dinner and to listen to the last session of General Conference. They got settled into their new house and wanted to break it in. It was a nice way to spend Sunday.

Dale and I finally took Kennlyn out for her “Birthday Date”. We went to see Four Seasons put on the production of the Adam’s Family at Sky View. She loved it and so did we!  We tried to get her to take her picture with some of the kids in the cast after but she didn’t want to, but memories were made. 

Dale’s mom celebrated her 87th birthday by having family (her kids and spouses that could come) over for cake and ice cream. Dale’s brother, Bryan, brought sparklers to put on the cake and when he lit them it made the smoke alarm go off!! I went up and down the halls telling those that were wondering what was going on all was well until it went off. They doused the sparklers and put in real candles, and she blew those out. Happy Birthday Mom Hansen aka Grandma Hansen!! 

We also joined up with Jason and Danica at the Ogden temple where I had the honor of being Danica’s escort as she received her own endowment, and went through the temple. 

Jason’s family was there as well as all of those from our family that could be there. Jason’s cousin’s fiancée, also received her endowment in the same session. It was neat having so much family support there for her. She looked so happy and I even had couple of people tell me what a beautiful daughter I had and how she looked so happy and glowing. My heart was full and so happy for her and the decision she made to turn to the Lord and let Him in her life again. I’ve waited 25 years to see her take this step. Jason and Danica both looked so in love and genuinely happy.  The matron that talked to the gals that were going through the temple for their first time was so cute with them and gave them some great advice. It was a wonderful evening. To top it off, Jason and Danica joined us for dinner and visiting after. 
 

I ushered Camelot at the Eccles, and went to see Jaxson, Kennlyn and Langston finish off their soccer season.  Kennlyn’s team took first in their District, Jaxson’s team took third, Langston’s team, which Amie coached, learned the basics of soccer and Langston helped quite a bit with scoring, so he’s getting it!!

During the school’s fall break Dale and I caught a flight out of the Salt Lake International Airport and headed to Orlando, Florida. 

Day 1: We got in late, and even later with the 2 hour time change. After getting our rental car and with Dale’s driving skills and a GPS we found our condo, got settled in, and crashed for the night.

Day 2: After breakfast, we headed to Disney World to meet up with Garrett, Zandra and the kids to celebrate Jorie’s third birthday where dreams come true. 

We kicked off the first day by spending it in the Magic Kingdom. We joined in on the Move It! Shake It! Dance & Play It! Street Party before meeting up with Garrett, Zandra and the kids.  Disney World is so big you can only catch one area at a time, but oh, what detail and fun! 

We went through the Swiss Family Treehouse, on the Jungle Cruise, to the Enchanted Tiki Room, and on the Pirates of Caribbean rides in Adventureland. Jorie took every possible opportunity to see the characters.

 

Frontierland thrilled us with Splash Mountain, the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and the Country Bear Jamboree.

We caught a ride in Liberty Square in the Haunted Mansion in honor of Halloween upcoming. 

Garrett and Zandra spent most of their time in Fantasyland with the kids and we were able to ride some of the rides with them. Oh, the joy of seeing their excitement and joy that they felt. We went on the famous It’s a Small World ride, as well as the Under the Sea-Journey of the Little Mermaid, spent some time in the Casey Jr. Splash ‘N’ Soak Station, rode The Barnstormer, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and the famous Mad Hatter Tea Cups Ride while in Fantasyland. 

It was a fun, full day. The weather was great and the company was even better. We stayed in a condo that was about 10 min. away from the park. On our way back to the condo we stopped and bought some breakfast foods for our stay. It was nice and the bed was very inviting after our first full day in Disney World.

Day 3: We explored the world at Epcot. I’ve never been to Epcot, so this was a new adventure for me. The Epcot International Food & Wine Festival was going on so we got in some tasty vittles to stimulate our pallets as well as our other senses.

We started our day’s journey in the Future World West by joining up with Garrett and Zandra and the kids. We got to see Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy while there. Jorie was wearing her Princess Belle dress and both Jorie and Luke got their pictures taken with the characters. They were so cute giving them hugs and just in awe.

We rode on The Seas with Nemo & Friends ride, went to a Turtle Talk with Crush show, rode on the Soaring Around the World ride, boarded boats and saw the Living with the Land presentation, checked out the Journey into Imagination with Figment area, and watched the 4-D attraction at the Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival.

We ate lunch in the World Showcase in the Norway Dining area at the Akershus Royal Banquet Hall. It was like we were eating a buffet in a castle. The food was great and we got to see a lot of the Disney Princesses. Jorie was thrilled when she got to hold Snow White’s hand and walk in a parade around the Hall. She was in heaven!! She was so excited to see Snow White, her most favorite princess!! It was pretty cute. 

 The weather was pretty good, but rain was predicted, and rain it did. We got soaked to the bone!!! We never let that stop us though. We just headed over to  Future World East and went on Spaceship Earth and Mission SPACE.  

                                          

The kids were great sports and had a full day, so they headed out to go stay at their place in the park. Dale and I stayed to see the night show -- Illuminations: Reflections of Earth. It was a show with lights, lasers, and pyrotechnics. Very entertaining and enchanting. We were glad we got to see it.

After the show, Dale and I headed for the shuttle train with the rest of the crowd to head home. It was amazing at how detailed, planned and just amazing everything was. I can see why they call Disney World a dream come true. We stopped and ate at the India House on our way back to the condo to finish off our Epcot Day. Another fun, full day behind us.

Day 4:  Animal Kingdom, here we come!! Wow, what a place too!! We walked through Dino-land U.S.A, to get a feel what it might have been like in those Prehistoric times. Then, we walked through Asia, and rode on the Kali River Rapids, and walked the Maharajah Jungle Trek. It was another sunny day and there was a water fountain area that the kids loved playing in as well. A great way to cool off.

In Africa we went to the Festival of the Lion King show and saw characters from The Lion King.

We went on a safari ride through the African savanna and saw elephants, giraffes, lions, and more on the Kilimarjaro Safari Ride, we checked out Rafiki’s Planet Watch exhibit, rode the Wildlife Express Train, and checked out the Conservation Station and Affection Section. 

We got to see Mickey and Minnie Mouse, see the 3-D film; It’s Tough to be a Bug, and we ate lunch in Discovery Island. 

Jorie and Luke got to see Donald Duck and Goofy, then Garrett and Jorie got to dance with Chip and Dale at Donald’s Dino-Riffic Dance Party! Again, the kids faces showed pure joy!! Fun for all. 

We also got to see this cool huge tree that was in the park. Pretty awesome!!

Garrett and Zandra left the park at dusk and Dale and I went to see the River of Light show. It was a show on the Discovery River and had music, lights, fireworks, lasers, and pyrotechnics as well. Pretty cool.  

 Walking out of the show we took advantage of the smaller lines and went on Expedition Everest-Legend of the Forbidden Mountain ride in Asia, and the Avatar Flight of Passage ride in Pandora-The World of Avatar. We waited in line for that ride for an hour, but it was well worth the wait. What a breathtaking and exhilarating ride that was!! So cool!! We exited the park on a high. The last three experiences we had were what totally topped off the whole day!! Wow!! 

Day 5:Dale and I got up and went to Sacrament Meeting, which ended up being a mini Stake Conference because they combined three wards into one meeting. A lot of the people had gone to South Carolina to help out with the clean-up from the aftermath after Hurricane Florence had hit there.  They had speakers from each ward speak, and one of the wards was a Spanish ward so they spoke in Spanish and then translated. It was a good meeting.

We met up with Garrett, Zandra, the kids, and Zandra’s parents, John and Gloria Dennis at Hollywood Studios in Disney World. We went to For the First Time in Forever-A “Frozen” Sing-Along Celebration show, saw the Indiana Jones-Epic Stunt Spectacular, ate lunch at the Backlot Express, and went on Star Tours-The Adventures Continue, in the Echo Lake area.

We saw Darth Vadar & the Storm Troopers parade, and went on the Rock’n’ Roller Coaster – Starring Aerosmith ride, which gave us a thrill while Garrett and Zandra were having dinner with her folks.

Then we met up with Garrett and Zandra and the kids and went to Toy Story Land where we went on a 4-D mid-way style shooting game with the Toy Story figures. We loved that ride and went on it twice!! 

                                                 

The area was all decked out with Toy Story things. So whimsical and fun. We didn’t get to spend much time there, but enough to get a glimpse of it. If we go again, I’d like to go on more rides in Toy Story Land for sure.  

It got dark and we were tired, so we all headed back to our home away from homes. Garrett and Zandra are staying two more days. They’ve got one more day at Disney World and then are going to spend a day with her folks that live about 1 ½ hours away and go to the beach. We have definitely made the most of each day and got a good vibe for all Disney World has to offer.  We hit the sack and had no problem falling asleep.

 

Day 6: We finished off all we had for breakfasts, got our bags packed, loaded up the car, and found our way back to the Orlando International Airport. It was our good-bye to the sunshine state, with lots of fun memories when we loaded the plane and took off into the blue sky. After a layover in Denver, we landed in Utah and headed home to find all well. Thanks Garrett and Zandra for getting us out on a new adventure. It was fun, but there’s no place like home.

We got home, unpacked the car and jumped right back into reality by going to The 10th West Scare House with the Mallory’s that night. The next day Dale headed back to work, and I served at the temple in the clothing area. After I got home from serving, I put on my witch costume and had Shanna Buhler come and put on my make-up to transform me into the last witch for the Pumpkin Walk this year. I had a lot of people that didn't recognize me until I started talking. It was fun to see the kids reactions too. 

I ushered at the Eccles for the Cache Valley Civic Ballet’s production of Dracula to get me in the Halloween spirit as well as went to the Logan Married Student 17th Wards Halloween Party with Dale where we dressed up as Dracula and his bride. 

The Mallory’s had us over for dinner and to carve pumpkins for Family Home Evening. I helped Langston do a T-Rex with a sun, tree, and grass. All the kids got pretty creative. It was a fun night.

We had the Mallory’s, and Andrew & Lindsay’s family here for soup and cinnamon rolls and then they hitched up the Mallory’s trailer onto the Razor and the kids went Trick-or-Treating around our neighborhood. Titan stayed home with me to keep me company. It was a bit chilly, but they had fun and got plenty of candy to satisfy their sweet tooth.

Nate’s been busy building up his business and gets outdoors when he can. 

Kim’s been looking for a new job and is holding the fort down. She took a mini vacation and headed to Colorado to visit her folks for a bit.  While there she found her violin and decided to try it out and see if she could still play. Looks like she's still got what it takes. We never knew she had even played the violin!  

Rue is good to just roll with the day and looks forward to when Nate takes her out and throw the ball or goes on a run and takes her with him. 

The Mallory’s have been busy with soccer. Amie’s been helping to coach both Jaxson and Kennlyn's teams as well as being the main coach for Langston’s team.

They headed South for school break by going to St. George and spending some time in Zion’s National Park by going on a few hikes and doing some sightseeing. The weather was warmer than home and they got in some good exercise as well as some fun. In fact, they had so much fun they wore the kids out each day.

For Red Ribbon Week at the Elementary school where Kennlyn and Langston go, they had crazy hair day and joined in on the fun for that.

The Mallory’s went to the Pumpkin Walk and got to see me as the witch as well as enjoy the scenes. 

 

Amie and Danica also went to their cousin, Maria Potter King’s baby shower. I showed up later and got in on the fun as well. 

Andrew and Lindsay have been working on getting their basement framed, sheet rocked, taped, mudded, and ready to paint. It’s definitely coming along and will be so nice to not have all three girls in the same room. 

They took some time off and took the kids to North Logan's Pumpkin Walk and carved pumpkins with Larry and Leslie, their adopted grandparents and friends.

 

They also got two kittens. Nora is thrilled about it and chases them around. Arwyn isn't so sure about the new furry creatures in the house quite yet however.

Things are shaping up nicely and their home is looking more and more homey. They sure haven't let the dust settle. Busy, busy.

Garrett received the Academy Mortgage Torch Bearer Silver Program Jacket because of all of the hard work and loans he’s been able to get this month. Pretty exciting for him!! 

They celebrated Jorie’s 3rd birthday twice; first in Orlando, Florida at Disneyworld with both of her grandparents and then at home by hosting a Halloween/Birthday party with friends and family. She’s growing up way too fast!! 

They took the kids out to a big pumpkin patch and let them pick their pumpkin out of the patch. The kids loved carving them as well.

Family pictures were taken too. I'm looking forward to having some in frames at our house.

Danica and Jason had a banner month by starting it off and having Danica receive her temple endowments, then they went to Hawaii and went to Jason’s cousin’s wedding and did an endowment session in the Laie, Hawaii temple with his cousins and family. 

They made the most of their time in Hawaii by getting in some snorkeling, hiking, good food, a lot of sun, and they even went para-sailing!!  

With Danica working full-time now and both of them being gone so much they decided to give Willow to a friend. The family tended Willow while they were in Hawaii to see if they’d want her and their kids loved her, so Danica felt good about the exchange. They can visit Willow whenever they want still though. 

Danica got her graphic design job from home up and going. She’s also got a guy that she does some work for. It’s looking like it’s going to be keeping her busy in her spare time. I wish her the best on this new adventure.

It’s been another month full of hard work, fun, and time with friends and family. It's also been a beautiful fall and we even got a dusting of snow on the mountains with temps in the low 20's for a couple of days, but I've loved every minute of it.