Finishing up

I guess it's appropriate to post today. I wanted to post some pictures of the people we especially hate to leave. The folks in the top left are Arnold and Karen Davis, who very kindly treated us to Leatherby's last week, and not only that, but they bought me a jar of Leatherby's caramel sauce, which is a food I really, really hope they have on the other side of the veil. The next photo is President Jerry Hatch, 2nd counselor in our mission presidency and one of our all-time favorite human beings, and the husband of our other all-time favorite human being, Kay Hatch, who is in the center of the bottom left photo. The other two in the bottom photo are Maaike and AJ Kingsford, who are replacing us in the publications department. The photo to the left of that is the group of missionaries we're closest to, and part of the group that we came in with. The couple in the middle are Shanna and Skip Bradley, our home teachers. We love them all!!! The two young elders are great fun. All the red neckties are because the Elijah choir sang that morning -- it isn't a uniform!

We're basically camping out in our apartment right now. Our phones quit working last night, for some strange reason, but won't be officially disconnected until tomorrow, after which we'll leave here and head for Texas. We are pretty much all packed up and only have to finish washing the bedding in the morning and load the car. We've had our last meal in the apartment because the food is all gone. We're going to the Hires drive-in for lunch (root beer floats) and will hang out at Liberty Park for a while, and then we're being taken to dinner by another of our favorite couples, the Sorensons, whose picture I neglected to post.

It's been a glorious 16 months. If we ever serve another mission we will sure try our hardest to come back to this one. I would love to work in the Church History library, or even the Family History one; but the Mission Office where we did work was the best of all.

We sure appreciated the visits, the phone calls, the e-mails, the refrigerator pictures, and the love and prayers. We can't wait to see everyone. We're bursting with love and so anxious to hug everyone, and then do it again.

I've enjoyed blogging; I just haven't had a lot of time to do it. Maybe that will change when I get back home. Keep checking back, but don't expect miracles!