La Gran Aventura Day 77: Back in Church

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Today it was great to get back on church in Jonesville. I love our ward so much. We had good morning meetings, and then Betty and I went up to Battle Creek where I had a meeting, and Betty was able to interview with Pres Christensen. And we also gave her a blessing. It was good for her. She wants to go on this trip, but she is really struggling because she doesn’t want to ruin the trip for me. She’s afraid she just won’t be able into do it physically or emotionally.  I just keep telling her that I love her and that she is going to be OK.

La Gran Aventura Day 76: Pack Check

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Today I spent most of the day going through packing lists -- first my own and then those of the bigger kids. We have misplaced some things, but for the most part we are in good shape. My pack is a bit heavy, and I even pulled the extendable legs from my tripod to make it lighter. I need to be as light as possible.

Last night Betty and I had a long talk about this trip. She feels so exhausted, and she’s really worried that she won’t be able to make it. I read to her some sections from “Cast Not Away, Therefore, Your Confidence.” I know she has had spiritual witnesses that this is good. Today she seems more involved in things. We are going to be OK.

La Gran Aventura Day 75: Worry

Friday, February 23, 2024

This morning Betty and Kimball and I went out for a little walk. It was nice. We also said hi to the Parkers. They are such great people.

I’m really in high gear on finding a place to stay in Paris right now. I’ve struck out with the bishop of the ward around Versailles and the temple housing is all booked. So today I emailed the Aburto’s friend David Sluss as well as all of the French faculty at Hillsdale. Oh, and the bishop of the ward in the center of Paris.

Something’s going to work out.

La Gran Aventura Day 74: Faith

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Youth activities last night were a success. They all got together and had a massive game of volleyball. We’ve got so many youth right now. It’s awesome. And they seem to be doing so well. I’m really happy for them. Ian’s group of friends are such a welcome addition to the young men.

I got the battery replaced in the KIA, and it runs great. We should probably find someone who can drive it around for us while we are gone. That would be a blessing. The same for the Sequoia.

Today I plan to just keep working through things. There is so much to do between now and when we leave. I need to just stay focused and keep moving down the list.

BYU had a big win over Baylor on Tuesday, and this morning I listened to Mark Pope’s postgame stuff. It was inspiring. He talked about Come, Follow Me, and how the Lord is teaching Lehi and his family about the difference between doing something and becoming something. He also talked about faith. I want to have more of it. More faith and more confidence.

Betty is terrified of this trip to Europe. I’m trying to help her, but she is really having a tough time with it.

La Gran Aventura Day 73: It’s good to be back

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

This morning I took Kimball on a little run with me. Betty is totally exhausted. I’ve decided that I need to write for myself in these journals, and maybe just use any highlights I have for public consumption. It’s too much for me to write a big entry for the whole world. I’m basically a month behind at this point.

The KIA battery is dead, so I’ll have to work on that.

The kids were super excited to attend seminary in the morning. Crystal and Ashley were so happy to see us. I was really looking forward to getting into my office to work, and now I’m finally here -- after conversation table.

Betty and I had a good talk last night. She's worried she just might not have the physical stamina to walk to Santiago. I think she can.

I also need to get classes sorted for the fall. I’m just going to keep moving forward with it. It’s all I can do.

And I’m looking forward to attending youth activities this evening.

Update:

Youth activities were super fun. It was great to be back in the ward. It feels like just where we belong. I’m so grateful for this little hiatus in our journey. We need to recharge our batteries a bit before this next really amazing but really tough stretch.

La Gran Aventura Day 72: North Platte to Jonesville

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

We made it home!

It was a long drive, but it didn’t feel terrible. I had good audiobooks -- including Brainstorm (which I finished) and Rhythm of War (which I also finished). The hardest part is that Betty is really freaking out about the trip to Europe. She and I had a long talk when we got back, and I think she is going to start feeling better. It was tough for her to be staying in other peoples’ homes for so long. We really need to address that and how to help her get on stronger emotional footing. We need to all learn to communicate better. I feel so driven to do this trip, but we’ve got to do it in a way that helps build our family.

La Gran Aventura Day 71: Orem to North Platte

Monday, February 19, 2024

This morning we packed in record time. It was great. Unfortunately, Betty had quite an upset stomach and just wasn’t feeling great. I think she’s just exhausted and stressed. It all kind of boiled over towards the end of the day in a pretty spectacular blowup just a few minutes outside of North Platte. I had spent most of the day listening to the book Brainstorm, which is all about how to work with adolescents. We broke all the rules. We just need to figure out how to communicate. We have had so many awesome days and great experiences on this trip, but today we are all out of sorts.

Thankfully, we made it to North Platte, and we are going to get a good rest. I hope tomorrow can be better. If we can’t get this figured out, I’m not sure we will be able to continue this trip.

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La Gran Aventura Day 70: The Perfect Sunset

Monday, February 18, 2024

This morning I’m looking at my list and realizing that I’ve got a bunch of things to take care of today. I’ll just do my best with them. It’s our last day in Utah. That makes me a bit sad. It’s been a good visit here.

We went to church at the Lakeridge Spanish ward again. The kids wouldn’t hear of going anywhere else. Then we went to America’s house for dinner. She and Betty have been friends since our Cedar City days. America dyed Betty’s hair, and she looks great!

We had to leave America’s house in a hurry, because we had to get to Annie’s house for dessert. But the light on the mountains, oh that light! I couldn’t take my eyes off it. It was one of the most spectacular things I have ever seen. It was exactly the conditions I had been waiting for during our entire time in Utah. Thankfully, I knew right where to go to get the photo I wanted.

America lives in Spanish Fork, so we headed back towards Orem, and I pulled off on Center Street, racing all the time against the sun. Thankfully, miraculously, I made it to the spot I had scouted out that first Saturday here. Right on the road that connects Lakeview Drive and Utah Lake State Park. I was kicking myself for not having my big camera, but I think the pictures I got with my phone will be great. It is a picture I will always cherish with the pink of the sky over Timpanogos and reflected on the marshy water.

It was nice to have one last goodbye with Lamon’s and Annie’s families before we hit the road again. This time to Anna-Lisa and Juan Carlos’s house. They have been our friends since the MA at BYU. Anna-Lisa works at BYU now, and she and JC are just awesome. They spent time in Europe with their kids not long ago, and they really gave us a shot in the arm.

Tonight we realized that it’s really late, and we just aren’t ready to hit the road as early as we had hoped tomorrow. Betty is feeling frustrated, and she and I decided to just rest tomorrow so we can leave really early on Tuesday. But the kids didn’t like this idea. Mom stepped in and encouraged us to leave in the morning, but I'm not sure that's best. Everyone just needs to get some rest, and we will do our best tomorrow.

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