MISSION REUNION 2021
We found that most of the people were more interested in seeing each other than needing food. With that said, they ate a lot of food and had a fun time visiting and photo shoots. We were treated with a presentation by The Brown's and it was so good to listen and participate in the wonderful spirit they bring.
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| Vienna Group |
Saturday was a real treat! We had a Senior Breakfast and we got to just be together and visit and no work. This group of people are the cream of the crop and we are so lucky to have them as new friends. We are all experiencing adventures and challenges at this time of our lives and it is wonderful to share with them and support each other. We truly missed those who were not able to be with us. Looking forward to the next time we meet.
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Senior Missionary Group Brit and Michael We served with this cute group in Vienna.  I am sure there will be many more of these events in the future. It is great to be able to share this special time with them.  After 6 months of waiting our contractor arrived and began the excavation for our walk out - our new front door. It has been a month long process and is still in progress. It has been interesting watching the process.      Rebar installed for the walls. Inspection completed and ready for the forms. They are in the process of putting in the forms. It has taken 2 days and still working on it. We have another inspection on Wednesday morning and hopefully the cement will arrive in the afternoon. They are hoping to have all of the concrete poured by Friday. Then the fun begins when they will cut the door in where the window currently is. I was hoping to have competed pictures by the end of the month, but it is good that progress is being made. While the work is being done on the house, Russ and I have been working very hard on the back yard landscaping.  We have had a jungle in the Oak Trees. The vines have not been trimmed in years and had grown into the trees. We have worked for several days removing the vine and the roots so that the trees can be healthier and we can have more light in the yard. It is amazing the difference it is making. You can now see the garden and the gazebo at the top of the yard. There is still a lot to do, but we are tackling it a day at a time. It has been a lot of work for the two of us. It is worth it as we sit and enjoy the beauty of the mountain.    This is outside of my kitchen window - Oh how I love flowers! This month has been filled with FOOD - I have had several opportunities to serve and share my love of cooking with others. The Reunion was just the beginning.  I have been asked to serve on the Stake Humanitarian Committee and we are having a Day of Service in October. I was asked to be the head of the Brunch for the day. I had a meeting and had to present what I had planned to serve. I came up with individual containers for each participant due to Covid and less food handling. It will have a choice of homemade cinnamon roll or Pumpkin muffin, apple slices with caramel dip, antipasto skewer and a chocolate candy. I think it will be great. We are planning on about 200 to participate.     We served a savory green salad Chicken cordon bleu rice pilaf broccoli hot rolls with honey butter  ROAD TRIP to Coeurd'Alene Idaho and Spokane Washington Emily has dealt with endometriosis since she was 16 years old. It has been a long road finding help and dealing with a lot of health issues and pain over the years. She was finally able to find a Doctor that specializes in endometriosis and scheduled her for surgery. With Covid increasing and hospitals full we were worried it would be cancelled. Gratefully, she was able to have the surgery and start on the long road to recovery. We knew the trip home would be rough but we had a great adventure on the trip there and took advantage of the time we had together - just the two of us.  We stopped for lunch and gas and on the road again. The drive just got more beautiful the further we went North.  Grabbed some dinner and on the road again. The most beautiful part of the drive was the final two hours. It was surreal as we drove with the Sun and it stayed light even into the night. The mountains were magnificent and I have to say it felt like I was driving in Germany again on the mountain roads at high speed!    Below is the Freedom Tree originally planted to stop development on Tubbs Hill. In October of 1972 it was rededicated as a Freedom Tree to honor Captain Fred McMurray who was shot down by the North Vietnamese and held as a Prisoner of War. This carving is from the trunk of the original tree.    We were so fortunate to have family close to Spokane that we were able to stay with. Amber and her boys were so welcoming and made our stay so comfortable and just like home. They live about 10 minutes out of the city up on a mountain that was so peaceful and quiet. We saw a deer with its fawn, birds, fall foliage and clean mountain air. We were able to catch up with family that we do not see very often and remember fun times together. Tender Mercies happened all along the way.  As a mother who has watched her daughter suffer and not be able to get the help or care she needed for many years, it was so nice to be with her on this part of her journey. We knew from the moment we arrived this was where she needed to be. When she delivered Preslee 10 years ago, she had a heart attack minutes before her scheduled C-section. They could never give her any answers and as a result she has been afraid to have surgery or other tests fearing what might happen. We talked with the anesthesiologist and she had reviewed her records and was able to explain for the first time what most likely happened 10 years ago and put her at ease to have this surgery. It really made a difference for her.  I stayed with her the whole day and spent the night in the hospital as well. They were so accommodating and even had me sleep on a hospital bed and not just the couch in the room. Emily was the youngest patient on the floor and the nurses really liked her. They took really good care of her. She had her appendix removed and a complete hysterectomy as well as removal of the endometriosis. We then went back to my nieces home and stayed the night. She did really good and we decided to start the drive back to Utah.  We drove a different way home so that we could stay with my Sister in Ontario, Oregon and give Emily a rest. Brooke and Kirt always make it a fun time. Emily rested, we had a delicious meal and then Brooke, Kirt and I played games. We stopped at a Country Market in Oregon and they had amazing caramel apples so we shared the apple and had a fun time laughing, relaxing, eating and enjoying the competition of the games.  We continued on our trip and made a stop in Twin Falls, Idaho. We stopped and visited my brothers wife for a quick visit. He was not home - it has been almost three years since I have seen them or talked with them and it was a great reunion with Irene. Another Tender Mercy that came out of this trip. Emily and Irene's granddaughter, Raeley Our 6 hour drive was getting longer and longer, but it was good for Emily to have some breaks from driving. The weather was changing quickly and we got back on the road and hoped to make it home before the storm hit. The setting sun with the smoke and dust storm of Idaho was a sight to behold. As it was behind us we drove into the dark with the light of a full moon and it made for a beautiful drive. We were so glad to arrive home safe and to get Emily in the comforts of her own home.  So what do you do with a box of the best honey crisp apples I have ever had? You turn it into Apple Butter, Apple syrup, Apple butter snickerdoodles and caramel apples! It was a busy week, but the house sure smelled good. This is a very easy recipe and DELICIOUS! The nice added benefit to this is to take the peels and cores from this recipe and make the apple syrup. SLOW COOKER APPLE BUTTER 4 pounds Apples (10-14 apples) Mix together: 1 cup Sugar 2 Tbl. Cinnamon 1/4 tsp. Cloves Peel, core and slice apples (I use my apple peeler, corer) Add Apples, Sugar and Spices mixture to slow cooker. Cook on low for 4-6 hours. Blend with immersion blender or put in blender in small batches. Prepare jars: 8 oz. jars Fill hot jars with hot apple mixture. Process in water bath for 10 minutes. Let sit for 5 min. And then remove from pot. Cool, check for seals.  APPLE PEEL SYRUP Place peels and cores in large Pot. Cover with water. Cook until cores are mushy. Place a bowl or pot under strainer that is lined with cheesecloth. Pour contents of apples in strainer. Press all liquid out of mixture. Place liquid back on burner on high heat. Add 4-5 cups sugar for every 10 cups of liquid. Continue to heat, bring to a boil and heat to 218* ONLY!  Pour into hot jars (1/2 pint or pint) Seal with lids Water Bath for 20 minutes. Cool, check for seals. Uses: 3 Tbl. syrup to 1 cup hot water Add 2 Tbl. to pumpkin pie filling Hot Cereal Pancake syrup - heat with a little corn starch Use in homemade salad dressing using 1/2 apple syrup in place of vinegar   Russ finished his morning workout on the rowing machine and went into the bedroom to get ready for the day and had a run-in with the carpet on the floor. He fell so hard the end table - solid wood - lost its edge. Russ got the bad end of the deal. His back was pretty beat up and bruised. He is healing, but has had to take things a little easy this past week. As my Dad would say, "Growing old is not easy". I am so glad he did not hit his head and that it was not worse. Falls can be so fatal.   There is so much to fill in between the lines. So many people have reached out and been so kind and accommodating to us. Family that opened their homes and let us stay with them, fed us amazing meals and made us feel welcome. When we arrived back home 3 friends brought dinner in and that was so appreciated. On top of all that has been going on this month, Preslee tested positive for Covid last week. We have her isolated and Russ and I have quarantined in our own home. It has been hard for her to not have contact with Emily and we just leave her meals outside her door and she gets them when we leave. We have all tested negative this week and hopefully will continue to be clear. She was only visibly sick for two days and is doing well. Life continues to be an adventure and every day brings new surprises. We do not take our good health for granted and are grateful for every day that we have together. We have had so many friends experience accidents, illness, surgeries and loss in the past few months. We continue to keep you in our thoughts and prayers and hope to be able to see some of you in the near future. We have planned a trip to Texas next week and hope to see a few of our friends. I was also called to serve as one of the Gospel Doctrine (Sunday School) Teachers in our Ward. I taught my first lesson and I have to say it was so enlightening to be back in the classroom teaching. It is one of the things I truly love and teaching the Doctrine and Covenants as we finish up this year of study is such a blessing to me. I love teaching the scriptures and learning from others. I am a little intimidated with those in my class and the thought of teaching The Old Testament next year, but I know I will be blessed and we will learn together. I am grateful to have been tutored by some of the best teachers along the way. |
One of my favorite places in Germany were the ruins in Lorrach where you could climb to the top of the tower and see a 360* view for miles and miles. I was reminded of the parable in Isaiah 5 and also Doctrine and Covenants 101:42-62 that tells of a certain nobleman that had a spot of land, very choice, and said unto his servants to go into the vinyard and plant twelve olive trees. Set watchmen all about them and build a tower that one may overlook the land round about to be a watchman upon the tower, that mine olive trees may not be broken down when the enemy shall come to spoil and take upon themselves the fruit of my vineyard. The story continues that they beganto build the tower and then began to question the need. They asked, why does the Lord need a tower? The Lord did not need a tower - they did for their protection. They began to consult among themselves no longer listening to the watchman (Prophet) and ignoring the council they had been given. They were good people who were obedient in most things. They got hung up on one or two things - like building a tower for protection. "The enemy came by night . . . and destroyed their works and broke down the olive trees." They asked why did this happen to us? The Lord said, "Ought ye not to have done even as I commanded you" I am so grateful for a living Prophet on the earth today who speaks for the Lord and guides and directs His Children on the earth. I am grateful for his council for us at this time in my life. I am grateful for experiences in my life that help me to ponder and reflect on the need for a Prophet like standing at the top of a tower in Germany and being reminded of this parable and asking myself if I am following the Prophet and taking the Lord's corrections when I need it. I am grateful for this coming week as we have an opportunity to listen to General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I invite all of my friends and family to take some time to listen Saturday and Sunday to Conference and the words of our Prophet. Much Love, The Grimmett's
always awesome
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