Saying Goodbye

The week before Christmas was a very emotional seven days of saying goodbye to friends and family members. We enjoyed dinner with Merrill and Melinda Barney, as well as with Rex and Vicki Lewis. We also had many people stop by the house to wish us the best. Kaytee was with us when we spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday, December 19 and wept openly as people shared their feelings about us leaving. Allysa and Stacy stopped by - along with their kids and boyfriends - to give us hugs and kisses and to collect food from our pantry and freezer.

A day or so before Christmas we drove to Ogden for two delightful nights with Kelly, Gary and Whitney. We ate, played games and enjoyed our time together before traveling to Pleasant Grove for an evening with Michael, Tara and Lilly. David, Jan’L, Kaler, Kole and Kyle, Kris, Zac and EJ arrived on Sunday to see us off. Every available inch of floor space was occupied with blow up mattresses and bed roles - to the point it looked to an uninformed observer - like a refugee camp!!! There was a great deal of laughter as four of our six offspring caught up with their siblings - some who hadn’t seen each other in a very long time.

Then came the morning of Monday, December 27, the day scheduled for our arrival at the MTC. Our two strong sons laid their hands on our heads and pronounced a sons' blessing asking for our safe keeping and return in 18 months. There was a torrent of tears from everyone and Kris hugged us both and sobbed, “you’d better come back!!!” We look forward to being able to hug our precious loved ones again on or about June 27, 2012.

Missionary Checklist

1. Submit a grundle of paperwork to the Missionary Department . . . then watch the mailbox every day for five weeks for a letter from President Thomas S. Monson issuing our call to the West Indies Mission

2. Tell the boss, my staff and my volunteers I am leaving (while weeping uncontrollably) then help find my replacement at the Volunteer Center of Washington County

3. Find an unsuspecting Rotarian willing to serve as secretary of St. George Rotary Club

4. Raise my hand to sustain someone new as ward blogger / information specialist / historian

5. Find a home for Sophie, our adorable and much loved Yorkie

6. Sell our cars

7. Shop for the lightest possible summer clothing in the dead of winter

8. Order sandals from Zappos (yeah!!! open-toed and which do NOT have to be worn with pantyhose)

9. Get an assortment of shots for every kind of disease and fever known to the medical world

10. Clean every drawer, closet, cabinet, “nook and cranny” in the house

11. Take a load or two to the Deseret Industries / city dump

12. Finish Roy Nisson’s book

13. Get a new drivers license and temple recommend (because they will expire before we get back) and change the name of my blog to http://sappingtonmission.blogspot.com/

14. Speak in Sacrament meeting

15. Have lunch / dinner with many friends wanting to say "goodbye"

16. Enjoy my very last nail appointment and pedicure by Michelle Graham, my wonderful friend and longtime nail lady, who weeps during the entire process.

17. Turn off the utilities, cancel the newspaper and forward our mail to Kaytee

18. Pack a maximum of 100 lbs. of my earthly belongings to take on our Caribbean adventure

19. Say goodbye to our precious kids and grandkids

20. Enter the MTC

How Does It Happen?

At my recent Rotary Club Christmas party (which I chaired, of course, because . . . well, I am retired and have time on my hands), I was recognized for my 20 years as a Rotarian. My club members presented me with a new digital camera to take on our mission to the West Indies; but, in order to receive my gift, I had to sit on Santa’s knee. Kaytee found it a bit odd to think of her mother sitting on the lap of her brother’s best friend from high school. Under the beard is Greg Childs (who, by the way, has a son who is getting engaged on Christmas Day)!!! How does it happen that everyone around me is growing older . . . while I haven’t even finished growing up?!