April 2015 Odds-n-ends

Dad got to go through the Payson Temple  Open House with 
Neldon and Brenda’s family.   They had Grandpa Marvin 
and Grandma Anna with them.  Dad said it was especially fun
 to have Neldon point out all the work his crew has done.   

It is “curious workmanship” of the highest order.

Baby Gabe grows and grows!

Leia and Grandpa

Daniel Albert Shirley got baptized on April 18, 2015

Andy and Daniel

Back row: Janna, Ammon, Grandpa and Grandma Shirley,  Aunt Vicki, Andy

Front row: Bradley, Danile, Eliza, Nathan and Abby.

Karrie replaced Janna in this shoot.

Ammon and Eliza and the guinea pigs. 

Wilkins got their first family pictures.

Gabriel Lane Wilkins

LEVAN HOMESTEAD NEWS:  APRIL 2015

Dad:  On April Fools’ Day, we took Andrea to Provo to deliver some thank you cards and drop her off at the mission home. When we pulled up to the stop sign by her apartment, we looked out the window and what did we see?  Not popcorn, but Andrea’s roommate going to class. Andrea was able to say good-bye to two of her roommates and also to Jonno. We meet Katie and kids at the Provo, Temple parking lot to take some last minute pictures and say our final “good-byes.” Things were timed just right for her to see her friends at BYU and make it to the MTC on time. On the second I went to work for the first time in 9 days. I had Good Friday off and went into my next 11 days off. We met Jason and Laura and went to the morning session of conference at the conference center. Some of the brethren have aged sense the last conference. Conference was good, and being with the Mitchells and watching the kids was a lot of fun…..especially Ben at Sweet Tomato. He really enjoyed himself.  We came home and watched the priesthood session at home on the big screen. For Ben’s birthday we [Jason, Ben, Ethan and I ] went to Miller Motor Sports Park in Tooele and drove go carts. I did pretty well on the first heat, but could tell that motion and tight corners were starting to get the best of me. Two laps into the second heat I pulled into the pit and just got out of the car and lost it right there.([That would be my Subway sandwich!). I was sick most the way home. On the 10^th while Laura and Jason went to the Hale Theater, Mom stayed with Luke and Leia while I took the Mitchell children bowling at BYU.  We had a good time while they were here and didn’t want them to go. It was really hard to go back to work after having all that time off.  Another event of the month was being put in as the first assistant to Terry Stephenson in the High Priest’s group.

Mom: My journal has become my letters to Andrea.  For my part of the newsletter I will just share some passages from those letters. J

                “Conference in the Conference Center was awesome yesterday.  Being with your grandchildren at a conference center is one generation better than being there with your own children.  It is an indication that the legacy of faith and torch of testimony has been passed to the next generation.”

                “By the end of the conference, all six of the questions or concerns I had written down had been addressed.  It always feels like a miracle to me, but I know it works!”

                “The time in the MTC went fast for me.  I guess it was because Jason and Laura’s family was here and little Gabriel was born. I haven’t had much time to be sad with all those great things happening.” 

                “Laura and family are on their way back to Washington.  It was super sad to see them go.  I've enjoyed this trip more than any other I can remember.  In my heart I know it was their last trip as a whole family and that made the time extra precious.  I tried to savor every minute.”  

                “We were able to sell Chica (Cherokee’s Shadow) for Bethany on Saturday. (4/11/15) The buyers are definitely horse people and the 16 year old daughter is a “horse whisperer.” 

                “I’ve been working on the 40 day challenge to re-read all the recent conference addresses in 40 days.  I decided to make a collection of my favorite “one liners” and my favorite “power quotes.”  I’m now wondering why I haven’t done this every time.”

                “There was a bomb threat at the Jr. High first thing Tuesday morning, so the students were evacuated to the North Stake Center and the parents and buses went there to pick them up and take them home.  They presume it was a student, but they have to respond as if it were real. “

                “Dad got to go through the Payson Temple with Neldon and Brenda’s family.  They had Grandpa Marvin and Grandma Anna with them.  Dad said it was spectacular.  It was especially fun to have Neldon point out all the work his crew has done.  It is “curious workmanship” of the highest order.”

                “Dad and I finally got to see Les Miserable at the Hale Theater.  The plot and music never grow old.  In fact, I think this production gets better with each viewing. I was astounded that they were able to pull it off in that amount of space.  I had wondered how they were going to depict Javert plunging to his death.  It was creative and very effective!  Our Marius was the cutest RM.  I loved his BIO.  He said the three R’s to success are reading, running and repenting! J”

                “We had two days of wonderful rain storms. Dad got the potatoes planted just before they came and I got the lawns mowed and my four-o’clocks planted.  It is amazing what the soft rain has done for the fields and our yard.” 

                “Dad and I went to Juab’s production of “Shrek the Musical” for FHE.  Savannah Hanks was in it, so we sat with her extended family.  Linda’s mom asked about you and I mentioned you were in Muncie, IN.  She lit up like a candle and said, “That is where Daddy served his mission.”  Good Ole Legrand Mangelson served in Muncie many years ago.  He found a family with the last name of Menard that he fell in love with. They stayed in touch through the years and Legrand and Reba ended up naming their youngest son, Menard. Small World!”

                “We parked the Taurus at the park on Monday (May 4) with a for sale sign in it.  We had a call within the hour, but we sold it to a local buyer on Thursday.  It was a little old lady from Nephi (Jessi Hagerman) who came out to have her dog groomed. (Corgi Cross)  She had been saving for some time, hoping to find a car in her price range that was reliable.  Her car was really a piece of junk…Duck Tape kept the driver’s window up.  She was so excited to have automatic locks and windows.  She actually teared up.”

                “Tuesday,( April 28) was our Ward Day to help with the Payson Temple Open House. Just gathering in the chapel full of faithful people from Levan for prayer meeting was exhilarating! We started out greeting those in wheelchairs and covering the tires to keep the carpet clean. Soon a lady came and asked me to follow her… I ended up ushering in the Celestial Room for the next 90 minutes. I can’t wait for you to see it.  It is very different from others I have seen and incredibly gorgeous. The repeating pattern is apple blossoms!  I finished up my shift by greeting people at the top of the Grand Marble Stair case… There were people from every walk of life and I couldn’t help but sense how pleased Heavenly Father was to have so many of His children in His lovely home.  At one point, a woman about my age came out of the nearby elevator, pushing her mother in a wheel chair.  I teared up a little because I knew Mom and I would have come together if she were still here. For a split second I felt a twinge of sadness, but it was replaced by a sweet confirmation that Mom had seen the temple and I sensed her presence more strongly than I have for a long time.  It was wonderful.”

                P.S. Happy Birthday Luke, Ben and Gabriel, Daniel Jake and Jason! Congrats on your baptism and confirmation, Daniel!  Love to you all! Mom