Nope, it's Cancelled ... not Coronavirus

If there is one word which best describes what has happened worldwide in the first 90 days of 2020 ... it is "cancelled!"

Since December 31, 2019, when Wuhan, China announced they had a crisis on their hands in the form of a virus they called COVID-19 the world has been struggling to cope with a pandemic like never before. Nationwide, schools, restaurants, gyms and bars are closed … non-essential employees are encouraged (ordered) to work from home … curtains are down on Broadway’s Great White Way … major sporting events, including the 2020 Summer Olympics are postponed … production of movies and TV shows has stopped until further notice … the stock market has tanked … guards are stationed at the front door of businesses to prevent more than a few customers at a time from entering … weddings and funerals (Jay Ence and Elsie Barney) are limited to no more than 5 ... and all of us are asked to avoid shaking hands and hugging and encouraged by government leaders and healthcare professionals to practice “social distancing” which means staying at least 6 feet apart in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.

Churchwide, all of our 168 temples are closed all around the world and we are attending church at home, thanks to the vision of President Russell M. Nelson who, in April 2018, introduced the “family-centered, church-supported” Come Follow Me Sunday School program for living, learning and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And on the weekend of April 4-5, 2020, we celebrated the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s First Vision at the 190th Annual General Conference, which for the first time in church history, will be presented without an audience in the 21,000 seat Conference Center. But President Nelson gave us a hint of things to come when he said in his closing remarks in October 2019, “General conference next April will be different from any previous conference” after he had aleady encouraged us to "Wait till next year, and then the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. Get some rest. It's going to be exciting."

Travel-wise, borders between countries are closed, leaving vacationing tourists self-isolating in hotels far from home and on cruise ships for at least two weeks. Planes are flying virtually empty and hospitals in nearly every country are running out of common medical supplies, such as ventilators and face masks while thousands around the world are being hospitalized ... or buried.

In Rotary, the Pan America Rotaract Conference in Puerto Penasco, MX was cancelled in the first week of March, along with several Global Grant projects around the world. Last week, the cancellation of the RI Convention in Honolulu was announced, and District Conference in Park City became a casualty of the coronavirus. All 36,000 clubs have decided not to meet until there is an end to this difficult situation even as I am preparing to be Rotary District 5420's first ever "virtual" District Governor.

In the marketplace, Walmart and CostCo seem to have been the only winners in this healthcare war, but both are struggling to stay ahead of empty shelves and mobs of people fighting over a single role of toilet paper, bottled water and fresh vegetables while looking for nearly 50,000 employees.

Family-wise, we started the year with plans to attend high school or college graduations for 7 family members (Kendi, Kaler, Taisley, Erin, Kole, Stephanie and Simeon). Today it appears these important milestones have been cancelled for all seven of our kids and grands.

And just when we were certain things couldn't get any worse, on March 18, 2020 there was a magnitude 5.7 earthquake centered in Magna where our granddaughter Whitney lives. And, two weeks later on March 31, there was a 6.5 quake a few miles outside of Boise, ID which Kaytee and her family felt in Anaconda, MT. A 5.7 isn't a serious trembler, though there was some damage, but coupled with the possibility of harm to our precious family members, its a good reminder of how fragile we all are.

Through it all, we have stayed calm because we have been obedient in heeding the counsel of church leaders who have encouraged us to prepare, because “If ye are prepared, ye have no need to fear.”

I am so grateful to know we have a living prophet on the earth and a Heavenly Father who loves us.

I'll Always Have Denver

We completed our trip home to St. George – by car and loaded to the rooftop – but for most of the trip and for several days afterwards,  my thoughts remained in Denver.  I am even still a little emotional about the amazing success of High Country PETS (Rotary Presidents-elect Training Seminar).  

When I think back to last year and the pushback I got from district leaders about my idea of taking our PEs/Presidents-elect Nominees and Assistant Governors to Denver for some excellent training on how to lead their clubs, I realize what happened this weekend was nothing short of a MIRACLE!!! (one district leader even asked, “why would you want to start your District Governor year with a certain failure? We can’t even get our incoming officers to Salt Lake for PETS”).

When district leaders began discussing PETS in Denver, I was the only one who had – until this weekend - had the HCP experience.  Then and now, only a few of our clubs or our district had a budget for an additional and unexpected $1000+ expense for each of their presidents, so there was a “financial issue”… and many of our club leaders didn’t know Linda Sappington enough – or at all - to trust me on this huge change to the way we have done things for decades (though many have said the level of training club leaders had in the past has fallen short for years).  

Still, they came (though one admitted he had come to Denver “under duress”) to join the more than 450 club leaders from Colorado, Wyoming, Montana, Nebraska and Idaho.  The feedback I have received so far has been absolutely and completely positive as demonstrated by these great reviews:

                      ·      “Why haven’t we done this before?” 

·      “I really enjoyed PETS. After attending last year in SLC and again in Denver I’d describe the difference between the two in one word … ‘Energy’.”

·      “HCP was elevated training” 

·      “I enjoyed this wonderful training … and I am excited to pump new life into our club!”

·      “I feel energized and better prepared to take on my year as president.”

·      “Why has it taken us so long to realize how much we needed this?”  

·      “I had a great time and learned much about Rotary.”

·      “Was a wonderful weekend, thank you all.”

·      “THANK YOU ALL for an amazing experience. This PETS was 100X better than anything our standalone PETS has ever delivered. Our PEs, PENs and AGs were energized, inspired, informed, connected – a bit overwhelmed – but in a good way. They are excited to start their leadership role and move their clubs in new and meaningful directions for service and fellowship.”

No matter what the rest of my DG year looks like, I’ll always have Denver!!! 

Sappington Family Top Ten List for 2019

2019 has been a particularly crazy, busy year for our family.  Here is my Top Ten list of Sappington family stories ranked from #1 to #10:

1.     Two granddaughters were married – Kendi Hansen married Taylor Dunkley and Danielle Welch married Kale Porter – both in hot, but beautiful outdoor ceremonies.

2.     Ed and I spent the month of June in Europe, traveling with Bob and Katie Beecher, who took our place as missionaries in Guyana, South America.  While seeing amazing and wonderful sights in Germany, Italy, France and Spain, we walked 110 miles, and climbed 217 flights of stairs.

3.     We welcomed a new family member on Monday, December 23 when Selwin and Brianna brought Ayah Fay Lovell into the world.  Ayah (pronounced A-ah) means "miracle" in Hebrew. 

4.     Selwin graduated magna cum laude from Dixie State University with a degree in Communications Studies.  He is now working on a Master’s degree.

5.     Selwin and Simeon – identical twins from Guyana, South America – completed the process and were sworn in as naturalized citizens of the USA.

6.     Kaytee and Josh have started a concrete business in their hometown of Anaconda, MT while he continues to work at Montana State Prison where, as a fulltime employee, he has health insurance in anticipation of a kidney transplant due to kidney failure. He asked for a kidney from Santa but hopes to be the recipient sometime in early 2020.

7.     8-year-old Skylar Postma was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

8.     Rick Welch was named fire chief in a small Southern Utah community of Gunlock.  He and Stacy have purchased property in this tiny southern Utah community and hope to begin construction on a new house soon, but the Gunlock community couldn’t wait to recruit him.

9.     I am gearing up for my year as District Governor of Rotary District 5420 (the state of Utah) which will begin on July 1, 2020.  I’m both terrified and excited to take on this monumental role.

10.  We got snow in St. George in February and in November we broke a longstanding record for no rain for 155 days – 34 days longer than the previous record set in 1893.

Other news:  

Kelly, Kris and David changed jobs this year.  Kelly had worked for the Utah Office of Education for about 18 months, but after a particularly difficult week (long story) she resigned and has been rehired by the US Air Force.  Kris accepted a new position as an underwriter for the company for which she has currently worked as a loan processor. David left Cabela’s and is now managing a new Black Diamond store in downtown Denver. 

Ed and I traveled to Pasadena, CA to help decorate the Rotary International float for the Rose Parade on New Year's Day.  What fun!!!

Many Sappington family members met again at Yellowstone for a week of fun, games and sightseeing.  Ed and I also traveled to Branson, MO, this time with our friends Bob and Katie Beecher and Jim and Mary Andrus.

Decorating Rotary for the Pasadena Rose Parade

What a trip! For a couple of years Jose, Martha and Stephanie Velasco (who have now volunteered for this project for 8 years) have been telling us how much fun it is to help decorate the RI float for the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade (held annually on New Year’s Day – except if it falls on Sunday - since 1890). They weren’t wrong! Nothing you see on TV can compare with the real thing. Every inch of every float must be covered with flowers or other natural materials, such as leaves, seeds or bark. Each is mind-blowingly stunning, made particularly so up close!

The 2020 parade theme was “The Power of Hope” and RI’s float (our 40th entry) featured a penguin with dreams of seeing the world from high above the ground … even though we all know penguins can’t fly!

This year’s float – at a cost of $150,000 with an additional $30,000 budgeted for marketing – was one of 40 in the parade and created by hundreds of Rotary friends and family and paid for through donations from individuals, businesses, clubs and such other organizations as Optimists International. It will be seen by more than 700,000 people along the parade route, another 45 million TV viewers in the U.S. and 28 million more in 200 countries around the rest of the world.

And our float – entitled “Hope Connects the World” – was awarded the Tournament Volunteer Trophy for “most outstanding floral presentation of parade theme (under 35 feet).”

Wanna be part of the nearly 1000-volunteers who will make up the decorating committee during the next holiday season (and, why wouldn’t you want to be)? Watch for more information about when and how you can sign up at www.rotaryfloat.org or contact Randy Pote at rotaryrandy5@gmail.com.

Also part of the Pasadena Tournament of Roses festivities is a 3-day band competition featuring those musical groups scheduled to march in the parade … an equestrian competition, a dinner hosted by the Glendale Sunrise Rotary club and of course, an amazing parade along the 5 ½ miles of Colorado Blvd. There’s lots to see and do!

It’s a great way to end the old year and kick off the new one. Come join us.

Welcome, Ayah Fay Lovell

 

 

Ayah Fay Lovell, firstborn child of Selwin and Brianna Bair Lovell, came into the world weighing 7 lbs. 3 oz. at 6:25 a.m. on Monday, December 23, 2019 at Dixie Regional Medical Center. Early reviews of her adorable little round face say she is a “spitting image” of her grandpa Bair but with her daddy’s nose. Ayah is the first grandchild – and the best Christmas present ever - of Mike and Lori Bair.

Her name “Ayah” (pronounced A-ya) is Hebrew for “miracle” and Fay is her paternal grandmother’s middle name (Sonia Fay Wickham passed away when her identical twin sons Selwin and Simeon were only 6-years-old).  

Welcome to the world … and the family, Ayah!

PS:  This little cutie came in just under the wire to make the Sappington Family’s 2019 Top Ten list.

A Lovely Weekend in December

We had a lovely weekend in early December.  It started with a call from Taisley telling me she has been 

accepted to study at SUU (in Cedar City) AND to Dixie State University (in St. George) where they offered her a $6000 scholarship ($750 a semester – about 30% of the cost of tuition for 4 years).  “I was so excited 

to share the news with you, Grandma.”

The following morning we drove to Cedar City and completed a dozen sealings before leaving for Ogden 

where Kelly had arranged a “mystery trip” for us.  We found out later it was tickets to see A Christmas 

Carol at a nearby community theater.  What a fun evening, followed Saturday morning by Christmas 

shopping with Kelly.

Later in the afternoon we drove to Spanish Fork where we took up residence at Michael and Jessica’s house.There was hugs, kisses and a riotous game of Scattergories with the kids before leaving for Jessica’s choir 

performance of Benjamin Britt’s “A Ceremony of Carols.”

What a lovely weekend … made even better when everyone invited us to stay longer.  It is such a 

remarkable experience to see family members succeed and to feel welcome in the homes of our 

children.

Happy Thanksgiving 2019

KSL-TV reported on a survey conducted before Thanksgiving which had some interesting results:

·      75% of those surveyed felt “4 hours or less” was more than enough family time around the dinner table.

·      35% of those surveyed admitted they had found a place to hide out while family was visiting for the holiday.

·      25% of those surveyed reported they had seen a fight break out between family members (usually around the hot topics of politics, religion or the “right way” to cook something.

Thanksgiving 2019 was a pleasant time with Kris and Erin, Rick, Stacy, Taisley and Danielle, Simeon, Stephanie, Selwin, Brianna, Ed and me where together we enjoyed chicken (the turkey hadn’t thawed), dressing, potatoes and gravy, ribbon salad and pies.

A few minutes after dinner, the doorbell rang and we were happy to welcome Tiffany and Bob Nelson and all seven of their kids and Ben’s wife Hannah.  It was noisy fun and sweet to all be together.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!

PS:  I inadvertently deleted the original of this post so the pictures aren't exactly right but they're all I could find,

FAMILY STORY: Kendi's Abduction

It was Cuz’N Camp, 2003.  As always, we had selected a location which included water, shade, and interesting and/ or fun places to go on at least three “mystery trips.”  Along with my Cuz’N Camp assistant, Kaytee, the kids we had with us were Allysa, Whitney, Tylre, Zac and Kendi, all potty-trained and able to be away from Mom and Dad for 4-5 days.  This was the year we set as our base camp at Wasatch Mountain State Park, not far from Park City, UT.

Not sure what day of Cuz’N Camp this was, but Kendi – and probably a few of the other kids – had her shirt turned inside out because it was dirty, so it was probably Day 2-3 (this is significant because child abductions were common in this day and time – and most of the children abducted had their clothing altered so they were momentarily unidentifiable). 

The mystery-trip-of-the-day was a ride on the Alpine Slide, one of the longest slides in the world with over 3000 feet of track. Kendi, who was then about 5, happily joined her cousins on the ski-lift to the top of the mountain and enjoyed the exhilarating ride down the hill on her own sled. At the bottom, all the other kids wanted to ride the Alpine Slide one more time … Kendi did not. Tickets were handed out to all the other cousins for a second run, while Kendi selected something else to ride … until she saw the kids heading towards the ski lift. At that point she realized she may have made an error in judgment and wanted to trade her ticket for another ride on the Alpine Slide – except by now it was already on its way to the top with all her cousins on board.  She began to cry, howl, gyrate, scream, shout, bawl, weep … and, nothing could calm her.  

In complete frustration with the whole situation, Grandpa took her by the hand and began heading back to the camper.  The more he tugged, the more loudly she cried, wriggled and squirmed to get free of his grasp.  At this point he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder completely disgusted and muttering under his breath.  Suddenly from every side, concerned people encircled him and the child – still sobbing and carrying on. Now a crowd had gathered and some of the men pulled Kendi from her grandpa’s arms to try to determine her situation. They separated the two and began asking her questions. Was she being abused? Kidnapped?  Did she know this man?  Why was her t-shirt turned inside out?  When she realized the trouble she had caused for her Grandpa, she quieted down and admitted she was throwing a tantrum because her Grandma wouldn’t let her ride the Alpine Slide a second time when all her cousins got to go.

Eventually, the security guard returned his gun to its holster, the crowd dissipated and Grandpa and Kendi completed their trip back to the camper. Though Kendi hates hearing this story, it grows more fun and colorful with each telling and Grandpa is always pleased to report his police record remains unspotted.

The rest of the story is, Kendi Hansen has grown up to be a beautiful young woman and has apologized numerous times for her antics which nearly put Grandpa in jail.

FAMILY STORY: Skiing with the Scouts

Home after a day on the slopes:  Ed's brother Bob Sappington,
Bob's son Todd Sappington and our oldest daughter Kelly Sappington 
with Linda's grandmother Verda Bradford Howell and Ed and Robert's mother
Mina Sappington Carson (see Grandpa Owen Carson in the back).
This appears to be the only picture among our family photos
relating to skiing.

Ed began skiing as a young kid and became quite exceptional at the sport. When his kids were old enough, he enjoyed some amazing times on the slopes with Kelly, David, Michael and Kaytee (neither of us remember him skiing with Stacy or Kris) and is pleased to know, at least Adyn, Skylar and Thoryn, are following in his snowy trails.  

Outside the family, he rarely tells people how really good he was so when he volunteered to go along on a ski trip to chaperone scouts from the Bloomington 7^thWard, it was obvious the young men couldn’t imagine what fun it would turn out to be skiing with “this old priesthood leader.”  

In the end, it was probably more fun for Br. Ed because when he strapped on his skis and took off “at lightning speed” down the runs at Brian Head, he left behind many shocked young men!  Those who were along that day, spoke - for weeks - in absolute reverence of Br. Ed’s amazing skills on the slopes.  Lesson learned:  “Never judge a book by its cover!” 

Return to Branson, MO

 We traveled back to Branson, MO for our semi-annual week in our 3-bedroom timeshare.  This trip we took along Bob and Katie Beecher of Lehi and Jim and Mary Andrus from St. George – both couples with whom we have a connection to the West indies Mission.

It was another delightful vacation.  In our week together we saw 8 shows. My favorite was unquestionably “Million Dollar Quartet” with the Hughes Brothers Show a distant second.  I was also pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed “Yakov Smirnoff.”  We have seen his show before, so I didn’t expect to enjoy it a second time.  For the second time, I loved the Texas Tenors; followed by the Andy Williams Christmas Show with the Lennon Sisters and David Osmond.  We also saw SIX again and the Dolly Parton Christmas Stampede.  My least favorite – although we really did enjoy  it, too - just not quite as much as the others – was the Dutton Family Show.  

What was most interesting was to see a performer in an evening show, then be standing behind them in the morning at Walmart buying groceries. On Saturday night, we saw the Hughes Family on stage … then on Sunday morning, at one of 3 LDS wards within the city limits – in the state which had an extermination order against the Mormons - one of their teenagers prepared the Sacrament and another said the meeting’s closing prayer.

We also spent most of a full day at Top of the Rock, which everyone agreed was the highlight of our time in Missouri. For those contemplating a trip to Branson, Top of the Rock is a ‘MUST!”

As always, the time goes by way too fast, but it was 8 days of fun!

Interesting side notes: Branson has a fulltime population of only 10,500 (give or take) and millions of visitors annually, so there are plenty of jobs available. 

With millions of visitors in Branson from March to December, several people told us this little city becomes a veritable ghost town from Christmas Day until March 1 when all the performers take vacation and /or work on new elements for their next season.

Andrus’ son arranged for a car and booked our hotel stay in Kansas City.  I didn’t recognize it from the outside, but when I got inside, I experienced a little Déjà vu because it was the exact same hotel in which I attended a Youth Volunteer Corps annual conference when I was at the Volunteer Center.  Small world, huh!

And flying out to Branson and back to Las Vegas reminds me of a little ditty I heard recently:

“West to east is a beast … east to west is the best.”