Ann's Words

Anticipation has been growing as our mission reunion approached.  Today was the day we all were reunited.  It was glorious!

It’s been 10 years now since we arrived in Yakima.  That’s a long time.  This morning I looked through our book of missionaries with their photos and names to remind myself.  Many of the Sisters now have married names to remember.  And the Elders have wives and many have kids.  Our mission family is growing.

John spent the day in the yard setting things up.  I vacuumed the pool.  Our 3 Amigos (reunion committee: Allsop, Harman and Connor) came at about 3:00 to help put out the tables and chairs.  John had put up a tent and umbrellas and we had a TV to show photos on that I’ve collected since our return–more than 800 of “post missionaries” that I’ve found and shared on FB.

We had no idea how many to expect.  We set up about planned for about 80-100.  We had J-Dawgs come cater their famous Polish and beef dogs.  We told the missionaries to come at 4:00 and food would be served at 5:00.  At 3:00 they started coming, and they kept coming all night long!

We had a really fun evening and were thrilled that so many came. I think they grilled about 85-90 dogs. The missionaries brought desserts and sides.  I added watermelon, grapes and pumpkin pie.

The yard was full of good old friends and everyone seemed so happy to be here. It really was wonderful.  I have to say that it feels really good to be home and to be near these missionaries again.  Lots of them are ending up in SL and UT Counties.  I love that.  What a blessing that we all got to serve together.  We had such an outstanding mission experience with them.

Many stayed until it got dark, not wanting to leave.  We were happy. It was a huge success. We are reconnected now with so many loved ones.

Below are their beautiful faces.

My dear friend, Karen Ashton shared a ticket to the Garden of Quilts with me and I enjoyed spending the day wandering in the gardens and listening to special guest speakers.   Last night several of us came to hear Lori Holt speak and show her quilts.  I’ve made a couple of quilts designed by her (Snowmen and Christmas Trees).  I like the way she publishes her patterns with the same block in 3 different sizes, so you can choose or mix and match blocks.

This morning I came to hear Amy Smart and then Sandy Klopp, two of my favorites.

This is Amy Smart, a local quilter and friend.  I really enjoyed listening to her and seeing all the quilts she brought to show.  I’ve just finished making a quilt she inspired (Red and White Irish Chain).

I really love this one!

These next quilts are from Sandy Klop, designer and owner of American Jane Patterns and Fabric in California.  I LOVE her work.  In fact, I’ve been working on her Americana Album Quilt for 10 years now!  Here’s a pic of the last block I’m finishing now:

Sandy was here with her son.  It sadly became apparent that Sandy has suffered a stroke or something that has slowed her speech and her mind.  She was able to speak slowly and read words, but her son did most of the talking for her.  She leaves an incredible quilting legacy as you will see below.

Sandy’s quilts are breathtaking.  Her legacy will live on through her patterns.

Next I went to listen to a very interesting presentation about Jane Austen by Cindy Cloward, owner of Riley Blake Fabric Company.  Cindy showed us a new pattern for a 250th Anniversary Quilt commemorating Jane Austin, designed by Lori Holt with a wonderful line of Jane Austin reproduction fabrics.  Cindy described the process they went through to reproduce the fabrics.  It took about 10 years!  You can hear her talk about this quilt in a really fun video found here.

 This is a replica of the Jane Austen quilt that now hangs in the Jane Austin Home in England:

I spent the rest of the afternoon wandering and enjoying the gardens and the quilts.

I spent the rest of the day wandering.  There were readings in The Secret Garden (by a descendant of Frances Hodgson Burnett.

I ended up in the Bard where all the vendors were and happily ran into my dear friend, Nina Caldwell, from Vernal.  She and her husband are serving as the President and Matron of the Vernal Temple right now.  What a gloriously fun day!

Tonight on the eve before our WYM Mission Reunion, we gathered with many of our missionaries for a session in the Orem Temple.  When we arrived, just before 6:00 p.m., we found missionaries waiting outside the temple and a note on the large doors explaining that the temple was closed because of a power outage.  What a surprise!  We all stood there, thinking, “How could this happen on this very night?”  The temple windows were dark.  People who had come to the temple had gone home.  The parking lot was quite empty.

We stayed, visiting with friends we’d not seen in a long time, and just about as we were to say goodbye until tomorrow’s reunion, someone came out to tell us that the power was working and we could come in!  We were thrilled.  It turned out that we had almost the entire session to ourselves, with our beloved missionaries.  It was such a sweet feeling to be there with them.

Afterwards, John (no surprise) suggested that anyone able should join us at Taco Amigo for their famous peach shakes.  What a fun and perfect evening.

Six months ago a miracle happened in Switzerland.  As we were traveling through Switzerland visiting friends during the last week of our mission, I got a message from Sariah Knabe, who found me in a sort of find friends group associated with RootsTech.  The night she messaged me happened to be the night we were staying about 5 minutes from her home.  We are cousins.  Her father is a Degen.  My 3rd Great-grandma, Elizabeth Degen came from the town where Sariah lives (which we were going to spend the next day visiting).  The fates brought us together.  You can read about it below.

Another Mission Family History Miracle–Discovering the Degen Family

This week Sariah came to Utah for a doTerra conference and we made plans to meet at the Lehi Cemetery to visit Elizabeth Degen’s grave.  Seeing Sariah again brought big tears to my eyes.  We don’t know yet exactly how we are related, but we know we are.  Elizabeth  Degen’s son Jacob (my 2ggpa) did the temple work for her ancestors.  We feel we are absolutely connected and our hearts are drawn to each other.  It’s a remarkable feeling.

After visiting the cemetery, we went to see Elizabeth and Martin Bushman’s home in Lehi.  I’m sad to see it hasn’t been kept up much since I was last here.

There is more about her home written here:

Sometimes Heaven Smiles Down on Us: Elizabeth Degen Bushman, My 3rd Great Grand-Mother

Today the world celebrates with Pres Nelson!

Here is the message he posted today on Facebook:

Brothers and sisters, I feel truly humbled to be celebrating my 101st birthday with my children so close—whether in person or forever in my heart. Even though those pictured are all adults with children, grandchildren, and even a great grandchild of their own, I still feel the tenderness I felt for them when they were small enough to rock in my arms.

then to now, I’ve done my best to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. The glad tidings I have taught them are the same lessons I have often shared with you.

God is our Father. We are His children. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. This is His Church, which is reflected in the name He gave it. It is only through Jesus Christ’s Atonement that we can repent of our sins and return to God’s presence.

We will find joy in life as we “think celestial” and follow the covenant path that begins with baptism and leads us to The House of The Lord. God speaks to us when we make the effort to hear Him. The world needs peacemakers, so please be kind.

Thank you for your faithfulness. Thank you for expressing gratitude. Thank you for your prayers. You inspire me to strive to become a better disciple of Jesus Christ.

Russell M. Nelson

Claire sent these few pics of Caleb, taken while she is setting up a portable photo studio she can take into homes to do her photography.  What a sweet little boy!

At the end of May, I noticed a post on FB by my friend, AnnDee Ellis challenging friends to take The Book of Alchemy challenge this summer.  This book contains 100 essays followed by 100 writing prompts.  AnnDee taught a Memoir class at BYU.  It was because of her class assignment that I started this blog.  Again, I determined to do what she asked.

I invited my writing friends, Julie and Shelley to join me.  For the last 100 days or so, we have been determined to keep up with this challenge.  The book has followed me to Alaska, St. Louis and Newport Beach and this week I am finishing the prompts.

Can I just say that I LOVE a good writing prompt.  This book is divided into 10 themes with 10 prompts for each theme:  On Beginning, On Memory, On Fear, On Seeing, On Love, On the Body, On Rebuilding, On Ego, On Purpose and On Alchemy.  Each prompt is preceded by an essay by a different author.  Some were excellent containing real gems, some were good, and some were fair to not-so-great.  When I got to a prompt I didn’t really care for or relate to, I wrote my own prompt, and carried on, and that was good.

I am coming away from this challenge with almost 100 pages of my own words, and I’m happy about that.

Here’s a sampling of some of the prompts I enjoyed writing about:

Identify two turning points in your life. Describe what led up to them, why you chose the path you did, an how they led to now.

Write a letter from a burning building. You are trapped and will not be able to escape. No rescue. You know this is the last thing you will ever write. Whom will you write to? What will you say?

Who taught you about work? What lessons did they pass down to you? How do you balance your labors with rest and reward?

Write about what drives you – not what you get paid for, not what others want you to do. Write about the thing you can’t stop doing.

Write about something you once took for granted but no longer do.

Write about the last time you felt someone was truly listening to you. What was it like—emotionally, physically, and energetically—to be heard?

I’m just here to report that I’m still doing it, every day.  I missed a lot of miles in August, but I’m back again, and loving it!

This month was my turn to host the ladies here at our home.  I’ve been away for so many of the last few years, we haven’t come here in a long time.  Each month we go to a different home, somewhere between Utah County and Salt Lake County.

Below is our reading schedule with selections for this year.  I’ve posted the last several years’ worth of lists below, in case you’re looking for a good book.  I was out of the country and missed reading many of these.

I do keep  track of all the books I’ve read, along with my reviews on Goodreads.  I love that site and I love keeping track.  You can find my reading history here.

Here’s a really good recipe for the salad I served with cranberry walnut artisan bread and pumpkin pie for dessert.

2020-2021
The Indigo Girl Natasha Boyd
Once Upon a River Diane Setterfield
The Book Woman of Troublesome CreekKim Michele Richardson
American Sherlock: Murder, Forensics, and the Birth of American CSIKate Winkler Dawson
50 Things That Aren’t My Fault:  Essays from the Grown-up YearsCathy Guisewite
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks Rebecca Skloot
Slave Stealers: True Accounts of
Slave Rescues Then and NowTimothy Ballard
We the Living Ayn Rand
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell
You She’s SorryFredrik Backman

2021-2022
The Sweet By and By Todd Johnson
The Secret Lives of Color Kassia St. Clair
Leadership in Turbulent Times Doris Kearns Goodwin
Sherlock Holmes (choose your own) Arthur Conan Doyle
The Last Days of Night Graham Moore
All Things New Fiona & Terryl Givens
News of the World Paulette Giles
Being Mortal Atul Gawande
Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet,
SpyEric Metaxas
My Name is Mary Sutter Robin Oliveira

2022-2023
Bomb: The Race to Build – and Steal the World’s Most Dangerous Weapon Steve Shienkin
The Lincoln Highway Amor Towles
The Paris Architect Charles Belfoure
We Are All Paralyzed Brandon Sulser
The Rose Code Kate Quinn
Someone Knows My Name Lawrence Hill
West with Giraffes Lynda Rutledge
Project Hail Mary Andy Weir
The Ride of a Lifetime Robert Iger

2023-2024
In Order to Live Yeonmi Park
Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life Amy Rosenthal
In the Hands of the Lord Amy Rosenthal
Remarkably Bright Creatures Shelby Van Pelt
Moonstone Wilkie Collins
The Silence of God Gale Sears
The Day the World Came to Town Jim DeFede
The Woman of No Importance Sonia Purnell
Katherine Anya Seton
Miss Buncle’s Book D. E. Stevenson

2024-2025
The Thursday Murder Club Richard Osman
Unselected Journals of Emma Lion Beth Brower
Second Coming of the Lord Gerald N. Lund
The House of 7 Gables Nathaniel Hawthorne
Letter to the American Church Eric Metaxas
Three Men in a Boat Jerome K. Jerome
Flight of the Wild Swans Melissa Pritchard
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan Lisa See
The Ride of Her Life Elizabeth Letts
The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store James McBride

He just can’t bear to throw them away.