Waning Days of Fall and the First Taste of Winter

The last of our trees have shed their leaves and our neighbors are again visible through the bare branches. We have entered late fall and Thanksgiving has come and gone. Yesterday we cut and hauled home our Christmas tree from the tree farm and today winter is announcing its arrival with the first snowfall of the season. Here are some highlights since our last blog:

Trip to Utah

The first weekend in October, Dad and I were able to enjoy a great conference weekend in Utah which was really our excuse to visit Nicole and Jeff and Ashley and Ryan. Arriving mid-day on Friday, we got our first look at Nicole's and Jeff's sweet nest in the married student housing just a block from the Provo temple in Wymount Terrace. We were able to get tickets for the BYU-Utah State football game that evening and as we waited at Brick Oven for our pizza order, we clearly saw from all the blue t-shirts that we were definitely in Cougarville. As usual, our high-priced tickets landed us with choice seats in the end zone five rows from the top of the stadium but at half-time, Nicole led us to some empty seats in the student section next to her, Jeff, Ashley, and Ryan and close to the field. It's always fun to see BYU win and we were proud to see Jeff and Nicole have the honor of shooting off the ROTC cannon (appropriately named "George Q.") to celebrate the fifth BYU touchdown.

Saturday we were off to the Conference Center where we met up with Dave and Michael and had a chance to visit with Dave's parents. While Dad and Jeff attended the priesthood session, Nicole and I did some grocery shopping to stock her pantry a bit and for our Sunday dinner.

Sunday morning found us all again at the Conference center, this time with the addition of Ashley, Ryan, and Ryan's brother Spencer. Afterward, we returned to Provo and were able to put together a credible Sunday dinner at our Residence Inn suite and sit cozily together to take in the last conference session.

Football Season

As a true-blue Cougar fan, Dad schedules his Saturdays around BYU's football schedule. Each Saturday game day finds us in front of the television either at home or at Holly's, depending on which of us receives the cable station broadcasting the game. Dad has been known to express wonderment that any ward event or wedding reception could possibly have been scheduled to conflict with such an important event as a BYU game.

Holly and Dave Go to Las Vegas

With Holly taking the opportunity for a brief vacation while Dave did some business in Las Vegas, Mom and Dad got to have Reed and Sadie as house guests for four days. What fun! But what changes in our routines! We were fixing kid-oriented meals rather than adult food, driving kids to school, picking them up, mopping and picking up the house far more frequently, playing games, supervising bedtime routines, and then dropping our weary bones on the sofa at the end of the day. How did we ever do this full time? Of course, the reward was in having the pleasure and company of two extremely sweet-faced, charming, and cheerful children to love and to care for.

To Holly's credit, it took several adults to manage what she does daily: besides us, a caretaker for Molly, helpers to put Molly on and take her off her schoolbus, and the Daly family that hosted Michael.

Brett runs another marathon

Brett took a quick trip to New York City to complete yet another marathon (number 9) -- this one (with apologies to Boston) he declared a most spectacular venue in which to run. While this was not his personal best, we all think his running time of 3:54 was very impressive.

Sara and Ian are homeowners

After a long process of much searching and interminable paperwork, Sara and Ian closed on their first home at 2622 Longfellow Avenue and now have the joys of home ownership. After a month of carting over many boxes, moving heavy furniture, and working with contractors to remodel the kitchen and bathroom, they were able to complete the move by December 1st.

Dinner with Sisters Stephens, Lant, and Dalton

Dad tends to be rather low-key about church assignments and I tend to be oblivious to what is going on. He had mentioned that on November 13 we had the responsibility to be the host for a general Relief Society board member who would be coming to teach some training meetings for all the stakes in our mission. Finally, the day before Mom pinned Dad down what our schedule would be: we were to pick up Sister Carol Stephens, who would be coming from Philadelphia, at the BWI train station, take her to the stake Relief Society president's house for lunch, participate in a focus group meeting with her at our stake, and then drive her to Frederick stake for more meetings where she, Sister Cheryl Lant (the general Primary president), and Sister Elaine Dalton (the general Young Women president) would be giving training meetings. As we pulled up to the train station, I asked Dad, "Will you be able to recognize Sister Stephens?" Dad answered, "Sure, she'll be with Sister Lant, and Sister Dalton." (Fortunately, just a few minutes later, Frederick stake President and Sister Suhaka drove up to escort those sisters to their meetings).

Later that evening, we had the enjoyable privilege of sharing dinner with all of the aforementioned and Elder Ralph Hardy of the Seventy. All three sisters were delightful to meet and we marvel how well they manage their exhausting schedules.

Ward boundary change

We will be moving into the new Clarksville chapel within the month and last Sunday, we had a long-awaited four-ward special meeting to announce the boundary changes. The Catonsville ward received a new name -- the Ellicott City ward and gained our members who lived in the Centennial and Running Brook neighborhoods -- the Spencers, Crosbys, Moessings, Frenches, Heisers, Hendersons, Beada Hill, and Elmores. Our ward, Columbia First, picked up a small area portion of the Olney ward in Howard county along Mink Hollow Road and a several families from the Savage Mill ward -- Brain Meshkin and family and Alex and Jeff Franco family among them. Boundaries were also realigned between Columbia Second, Ellicott City, and Savage Mill. Mom had not considered how sad it would be to see dear friends moved to new wards. Dad came home from church about five hours later and said he had fewer tears to dry than expected. In his talk, Dad emphasized the great amount of prayer and study that went into the changes.

Another Fine Thanksgiving

This year we enjoyed another fine feast that included Dave's uncle Dee and aunt Nadine and their son Jeremy and his wife Valerie. As always, we wish we could have had Brett, Lisa and Brian and family, Sara and Ian, and Nicole and Jeff.

We were especially blessed in having Ashley and Ryan here for the holiday. We wish we could keep them here always and were very sad to see them return to Provo.

First Snow

Our first snow of the season fell on December 5. According to the forecast, it will be shortlived and will be all gone by morning.

A Thought From Dad

On Thanksgiving day I gave thanks as I was thinking about how grateful I am to be your father and grandfather. I am really blessed to have such a wonderful posterity. Our family was really blessed this year with the addition of Ian and Jeff. Thank you all for warming my heart. I love you all with a love which is eternal.

Here we are again

After an extended absence, we return to update our family doings from the last several months.

Nicole's Summer

Wedding preparations for Nicole and Jeff were our primary occupation during the spring months. In addition, Mom was also able to see Nicole graduate from BYU twelve days before the big wedding day -- wearing the cap and gown Mom had worn the year before. Besides being able to be the proud parent, Mom also had the pleasure of camping out in Nicole's apartment while in Provo (many thanks to Ashley for supplying a sheet and towel). Then, with one short week at home, Jeff arrived from Utah, the ward sisters generously gave Nicole a lovely bridal shower, and we had the sweet and sacred afternoon at the temple for Nicole to receive her endowment.

Thanks to all our family and to Jeff's family, the wedding and reception in Utah was perfect -- even the weather smiled on our bride and groom. Jeff's family were incredible in all they did. We were also impressed with the efficiency and speed with which they did everything.

Thanks to family and kind friends, the reception in Maryland was beautiful. Thanks to Holly, we have many beautiful photographs to relive our memories.

What have we done this summer?

Dad is now semi-retired -- working three days a week with Thursdays and Fridays off. In the first weeks of being home, he single-handedly took down three mature trees, taking numerous trips to the dump with the branches, and creating an impressive stack of firewood. With the extra time, we are now able to attend the temple together each Friday.

Mom was called as a temple worker and now spends each Wednesday in the temple. One duty that was unexpected is the occasional assignment to be at the temple switchboard and take incoming calls. While Mom received very careful training in her other duties, the telephone training consisted of a five-second demonstration of which button to push to answer an call, and being handed an instruction manual -- the first page instructing what to do in case someone calls in a bomb threat. Fortunately, Mom's hour at the switchboard was uneventful.

Fun with Some Grandchildren

In July, Dad traveled to Oklahoma to bring Lindsay and Hannah to spend ten days with us. What fun! How nice to have children in the house -- and what charming and sweet grandchildren these two are. Of course, one of the biggest attractions was the opportunity to play with their cousins so there was great fun with overnights, picnics, beach, pie-making, and water park.

This year we did not attend Education Week at BYU as we usually do, which was a little sad, but we were home for once to harvest a bumper tomato crop. Wendy and Steve were in California and Hawaii at the time, we also got to harvest theirs.

New York

At th end of August, we brought Michael with us to New York to visit Grandma Morris. Now 89, Grandma looks wonderful, fixed us delicious dinners (over our protests that we would take over meals), and moves with impressive agility. We are glad Grandma has had a chance to get to know Michael better, and wish she could have this with all the grandchildren. We spent one day touring the Church historical sites in Fayette and Palmyra. We think Michael enjoyed climbing the Hill Cumorah and walking through the Sacred Grove but he really enjoyed the pizza we bought in Palmyra.

Mom has filled the freezer with blackberries, tomatoes, raspberries, and peaches. The Larriland peaches have been heavenly, as usual -- it's a little sad for the summer season to end.

Dad monitors the progress of the Clarksville chapel closely and we are excited to anticipate going to church there before the year's end. The interior walls are finished now and each week shows more progress.

A Brief Word from Dad

Nothing is more important to dad than family. He appreciates the words of the Apostle John who said, "I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth." (3 John 4) May we all walk in the truth.

Some pictures of our New York trip

Michael at the Whitmer log cabin in Fayette





















Michael at the Smith log cabin in Paymyra




























Michael and grandpa in the Sacred Grove

















The Palmyra Temple

Sara's Wedding, Nicole's Recital, Shower, Fire

Congratualtions to Sara and Ian!
Sara and Ian are married! We are so happy to welcome Ian to our family. We had a wonderful time in Fajardo, Puerto Rico meeting Ian's family and celebrating the wedding. Sara did a fantastic job in finding a beautiful site, arranging a great reception, coordinating countless details to make such a memorable occasion.

We loved being together as a family to be with Sara and Ian. We managed a little sight-seeing, too. This iguana is posing on the walls of the old San Juan fort.

Holly and Wendy pose by a collection of cannonballs.


We drove up, up and over the mountain over interminable switchbacks and spectacular vistas to reach the El Yunque rain forest. We hoped our trek through the rain forest would be worth the lurching we felt in our stomachs from our dizzying drive! With Brett as our guide, we hiked the trails to the beautiful falls -- a fantastic experience we will never forget. Here are Wendy, Lindsay, and Dad.

Here we see Brett and Wendy at the pool at the bottom on the falls.


The day after the wedding, we spent the day at 7 Seas beach in Fajardo. Mom and Dad rested in lounge chairs under the palms and watched the younger generation enjoy, as Jane Austin would say, some "sea bathing."

Watching Lindsay was so much fun! Here she models a seaweed hairdo.


What a contrast! One day we were basking in soft tropical breezes and then we returned home to the biggest snow of the season. March roared in like a lion!

Nicole's Recital

We were home just a few days and then we were off to Utah to be with Nicole for her senior piano recital. Nicole's performance was fantastic -- as her teacher said in congratulating her, "Phenomenal!" Nicole played an hour long program: Piano Sonata No. 3 from Dello Joio, French Suite No. 6 from Bach, Chopin's Scherzo No. 4, Sonata in D Major by Mozart. Ashley joined her for the final number, Suite No. 2 for Two Pianos by Rachmaninoff. We could not have been prouder of Nicole and Ashley. We were happy to see the family members who were able to come to the recital: Percy and Clara, Larry and Judy Payne, cousins Doug, Brent, and Christine Johnson. We thank Doug for taking these pictures afterward. Here we see a very happy Nicole and Jeff.

Ashley and Nicole, who have been playing together since they were five years old.


The next day we devoted to wedding preparations. The morning activity was a trip to the bridal shop for the fitting of Nicole's wedding gown. That afternoon Jeff took us to meet his grandparents -- a sweet and memorable occasion for us. Then it was on to Centerville where Jeff's Aunt Pam was hosting a bridal shower for Nicole. The theme of the shower was a "wedding gone wrong" that the the guests were invited to correct. Here we see Jeff's Aunt Gayle, Aunt Pam, and Grandmother Packer as Nicole models a gown from the 1980's (compliments of Deseret Industries).


This is the "wedding buffet" (aka the shower refreshments) prepared by the guests.


Nicole models her updated gown.



Of course, opening presents is a very fun part of a shower! Nicole is opening Ashley's and Wendy's gift here.


A Sobering Day in Our Neighborhood
The morning after we returned from Utah, Mom had just finished a phone call when she heard sirens, and noticed smoke drifting by the window. Our neighbor's house behind us was in flames. Mom ran outside and stood with our neighbors as we all watched in sober fascination as the fire consumed the house. At first, flames could be seen through the first floor windows but in a matter of moments the fire raced through the second floor and through the roof. High winds fanned the blaze and the air was thick with smoke. Fortunately, all the family members had left for work and no one was hurt but the contents of the house were totally destroyed. We later read in the local paper that estimated damage was over $700,000.



Only a few seconds elapsed between these two photos.



A Word from Dad:

One of the most precious gifts I possess is the gift of knowing that God is my Father and He is your Father. I know that he is my Father. I know that we knew Him before we were born and that after we die, we will be surprised when we look upon His face to see how familiar He is to us. I know that.

In the scriptures we learn that our faith will grow if we nourish it. It is best nourished by reading the scriptures and by prayer. We also learn that our faith will wither if it is not nourished. As I study the word of the Lord and as I speak to Him in prayer, my faith and understanding have grown and continue to grow.

I know that God lives. I know that He knows us and that He loves us.

Stake Conference, a Birthday and Dishes

Stake Conference

For us, stake conference always falls the second Sunday after the New Year. Dad always has his own preparations, but for Mom, this means a serious house cleaning in preparation for a general authority house guest. Mom washes windows, scrubs floors and woodwork, cleans light fixtures, rubs polish on the furniture, and vacuums places that have not experienced a suction hose since January last year. If conference came more often, we would have the cleanest house in Howard county. This year our guest was Elder Clayton Christensen and his wife Christine. Elder Christensen is 6' 8" tall and had to duck for his head to clear our foyer light fixture. This fine man with such intimidating credentials (a Harvard Business School professor and former Rhodes scholar) and his lovely wife were the most charming, humble, and delightful guests you can imagine. Our stake conference was truly a spiritual feast -- memorable both for Dad giving one of his most touching talks ever and for the great warmth and gentle power that Elder Christensen conveyed with his inspiring words. Mom received more than ample compensation for all her scrubbing.

Another Birthday

January is also birthday month for Mom. In honor of the occasion, Mom and Dad, Wendy, Holly, and Sadie enjoyed lunch together at the Cheesecake Factory.
And this is what Dad and I saw across the table, two wonderful daughters. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say Mom, Dad, Wendy, and Holly enjoyed lunch but Sadie was not pleased with the menu. Each selection on the child's menu was a la carte -- Sadie wanted milk and chicken fingers and she insisted on noodles. When her order came, she turned up her nose at the chicken and was distressed that her noodles were in the shape of bow-ties. Finally, Holly ordered strawberries and whipped cream which pleased her. Of course, when Sadie comes anywhere with us, she is also the entertainment. Hopefully, others in the Olsen family enjoyed the boxes of leftovers that came home.



New Dishes!

We are retiring the dishes that have served our family well for more than thirty-five years. Back in the mid seventies, on one of our trips to visit Aunt Robin and Uncle Dick in New York we stopped at the Syracuse China outlet. Huge bins of restaurant china filled the floor of this authentic factory outlet. Workers would come and replenish the bins by literally dumping china (you would jump at hearing the crashing china) and none of it broke! And the prices were incredible! We bought twelve plain white dinner plates at 50 cents each and twelve matching salad plates at five cents each and brought them home to Michigan. These practical dishes have graced our table while surviving hard, everyday use as Wendy, Brett, Holly, Lisa, Sara, and Nicole have grown up.

Now that it's just Mom and Dad at our table, Mom has wanted to feather our nest with something a little prettier, a little nicer, but still casual. Thanks to her shameless specificity when family members asked what she would like for a birthday present, Mom has directed them to the Wedgwood website that sells the pattern she has chosen. We now have a starter set of "Queen's Plain" that we are enjoying each day.

The Clarksville Chapel

For years the hope of a church meetinghouse in Clarksville has been a frustrating process made difficult by finding a satisfactory property, changes in architects, and securing county approval after many delays. Finally in December, workers manning heavy equipment broke ground and began clearing the twelve acre site at Brighton Dam and Ten Oaks roads. Now that the scrub trees and brush have been cleared away and the elevation prepared for footings, we see what a beautiful site we will have for our new chapel. Best of all, we will be able to get to church in half the time and half the miles it now takes us.

Sleepovers

We love having Michael, Reed, and Sadie spend the night. The sleeping place of choice is a nest of comforters, quilts, and pillow on the family room floor. The assembly of a beanie baby parade and construction of some fine block structures provided entertainment for the most recent visit.

Br-r-r!

It's been a cold, icy winter! Although Mom and Dad like to start each morning by circling around the pond a few times, when the temperatures have dipped into the teens and the wind is howling, we want to retreat under the covers instead. We have had some lovely mornings after a fresh snowfall when the first human footprints on the path were our own and we had the pleasure of following the tracks made by the deer, rabbits, and fox.

A word from Dad

I am so grateful for our family. I love each and every one. I am also grateful for the Gospel. It is such a wonderful experience to read the scriptures and obtain the peace and wisdom of God. It is such a great privilege to know that God is literally our Father and to pray and speak to Him.

Since it's been a while since we've updated our posts, this post doubles as as family history as well as family news.

A Visit to Grandma Morris

After trick or treating on Halloween night, we brought Michael home with us to spend the night in order to facilitate an early morning get-away to visit Grandma Morris in New York. Although we have been on other trips with Michael, this was the first time we have had him all to ourselves. Michael proved to be an entertaining and congenial travel companion. We were happy that Grandma -- who is doing very well after her pacemaker surgery -- could have a nice visit with this engaging grandson.

As is our custom, we departed from I-81 at Great Bend for a side trip to along the Susquehanna river to pay our respects at the historical marker that commemorates the restoration of the priesthood in Harmony, PA. We also made our usual stops to drive by the farm and through the village in Fabius. It saddens us to see many of the once fertile dairy farms with their cultivated fields and well kept pastures abandoned and the lands returning to wilderness.

We enjoyed our Sunday visit to the Fayetteville ward in their new chapel and were happy to recognize a few long time members -- David Richards (now in the stake presidency), the Marquarts, Wayne Wolsey and his family, the Chamberlains. The chapel is barely a five minute drive from Grandma's house in Manlius and in that short time, Michael had managed to wrestle himself out of his Sunday clothes and into his comfortable travel clothes.

Thanksgiving

Our usual Thanksgiving holiday was brightened with Ashley's presence and by having Brother Barron from Columbia 2nd ward as our dinner guest. The best thing about this holiday is that it changes so little from year to year -- having achieved perfection with the menu many years ago, we simply enjoy our traditional feast and the warm feelings of family and gratitude that permeate this day.

Ashley

Sister Marsh and Sister Suhaka took advantage of Ashley being home to host a lovely bridal shower for her. Each invitation contained a tag printed with an hour of the day and the guests were invited to bring a gift appropriate to that time. Many thoughtful gifts that Ashley received had obvious application but one that was puzzling was the box tagged for 7 am containing a tupperware container and a blanket. The giver explained her clever gift: the tupperware was to pack Ryan's lunch in and the blanket was for Ashley to go back to bed with. With a demanding school schedule of two to three semesters before graduation ahead of these newlyweds, this scenario will not likely be realized for some time.

Grandma Johnson's Passing
When Dad called Grandma Johnson to wish her a happy thanksgving, he was concerned that Grandma did not seem her normal alert self. Not long afterward, Uncle Harvey called to say that he expected the end was near for Grandma. We were all very aware that the next day, November 30, marked the 27th anniversary of Grandpa Johnson's death. Grandma passed away on the morning of the first of December 2008.

It was good to all be together to honor Grandma and make our goodbye to her for her funeral. We are especially grateful to Holly's in-laws, Dan and Nadine Olsen, who took us in and were so very hospitable to us while we were in Utah.

I think what we miss most of all is the way Grandma always expressed her love and appreciation so freely and generously to each of us. To use one of her own oft-used expressions, she was "a great lady."

Family picture at the funeral with the addition of Jeff, the first on the left and Ryan who is not a member of the family, next to the end on the right.

Dad and Lisa at the funeral with the cemetery in the back.

What a Wonderful Christmas!

The only thing that could have made our Christmas any better would have been to have Brett and Sara with us. Somehow, the whole season seemed pure joy. Maybe it was because we were together more than usual. Nicole and Ashley were home from BYU. We were anticipating Lisa coming from Oklahoma (and hoping against hope she would tuck Maggie into her bag). We were excited about Ashley's temple endowment the day after Christmas, and then her wedding the next day. Every day seemed a perfect day.

The Wedding

The wedding party -- Ryan's parents, Paul and Eva Smith, and younger siblings, his grandparents, aunts and uncles, (nineteen of them in all), arrived in Baltimore on the afternoon of Christmas Day. The next day, they invited the Johnson/Johnston family to a pre-wedding lunch at the Cheesecake Factory in White Flint. We ll enjoyed a wonderful lunch but especially enjoyed getting to know this very nice family. Ashley is very blessed to be marrying into such a kind family.

At a little past noon on Saturday, we began gathering at the temple for the wedding. What a perfect day it was for a wedding, especially on December 27. The ceremony was sweet nd sacred, performed by President Abernathy. The temperatures were in the comfortable sixty degree range and so our beautiful bride and handsome groom could linger for pictures very comfortably. Holly, Lisa, and Mom had the privilege of joining Wendy and Ashley in the bride's room of the temple after the ceremony to "help" Ashley arrange her dress and veil, but mostly just to admire our bride and bask in the moment.

Soon it was on to the reception at the Johnston's home. We will remember the loveliness of the evening -- the vases of tall calla lilies, the swags of cedar and trailing ribbons, the candle light, the jazz pianist, the attraction of the table filled with the syrups for the Italian ices, the warm hors d'ouvres, and especially the many friends and family who filled the house. After the guests departed, both families squeezed into Christopher's bedroom for some special last moments together to watch Ryan and Ashley open their gifts. Then it was some some quick hugs and kisses goodbye, and the bridal couple were off to start their life together. Wendy and Steve would see them in California for their open house at the Smith's home in Merced, but for the rest of us, we were saying our farewells with hopes we'll have many frequent visits back and forth.

Ryan, welcome to the family.

At the temple.

The Sequel to Our New York Trip with Michael

At our Relief Society Christmas party early in December, Mom remarked to Holly that she had noticed Michael had been wearing his dad's shoes (sized a little on the large side) to church for the past three weeks now. Had he found his lost Sunday shoes yet? No, Holly responded, she kept forgetting to do a serious search for his shoes during the week. In fact, she hadn't seen his shoes since he came back from New York. Aha! The mental light bulb came on -- tucked and hidden well under the Honda's car seats Grandpa found Michael's shoes. Now the epilogue: the next Sunday, Michael walked into sacrament meeting again wearing his dad's oversized shoes. In the intervening weeks, his Sunday shoes had become too small.

What's Ahead

Mom and Dad put Nicole on the plane back to BYU on Saturday, January 3rd. Now Mom shifts into overdrive to ready the house for our presiding authority for stake conference next week, Elder Clayton Christensen. Elder Christensen is a Harvard professor and former Rhodes scholar and although his credentials are imposing, we expect he will be as charming and kind as have been our former conference visitors.

Just a few weeks from now, we will gather in Puerto Rico for Sara's wedding. Then, two weeks later, we will be off to Utah for Nicole's senior recital at BYU.

We have just four months ahead to prepare for Nicole's wedding on May 6th and we expect that labor of love will consume up our time in the coming months..

Thanks Holly for the pictures.