Pre-Christmas Blog (posted Post-Christmas...Post New Year... and Post Birthday

I began this post before Christmas (December 23). Much has happened since (it's now January 11) but I need to get it posted before I can include additonal posts. Also, I've failed to take many photos during this time period...

On Friday, Kannesha arrived from Virginia. While it has only been a short time since she was here for Thanksgiving, it seemed like quite some time since she was with us. 

That night we also had the Goodrich Christmas Party at Jim & Beth's (Tyson and Laura are currently living there). Michelle, Tyson, and Noell's families represented the Goodrich family. It was a great time to visit, play games, and eat. We had many of the usual activities (including playing the bells - made from electrical conduit). To make it feel more normal, almost all the meal, treats, and deserts were the items that Beth traditionally cooks. With the great food, the house even smelled like the Goodrich Christmas Party.

On the ride home we mentioned Myranda's soccer practice. Evidently we'd not informed Kaneesha that Myranda was selected to play on a girls soccer team for Shooters Soccer Club (the same club Kaneesha played for). I'll put it here in case we've not informed others. The coach seems like a great lady, and although most of the players are older than Myranda, she fits right in. Most of them are on the Payson High School soccer team and I suspect she'll play with the school next year (she's currently an 8th grader). This should be a great experience for her. Her team is considering playing in the Ice Breakers Tournament in St. George in February or March. I hope the team does well in their future games.

Recently, I have spent much of my time working on family history. With changes to FamilySearch.org, they have made it possible to add photos and stories about relatives. Throughout my life, Mom has made certain I have been given copies of family history stories and books (when they were in a price she could afford -- for 10 children). I felt a strong desire to post some of these stories online so that my children, future grandchildren, and other relatives will have access to them. 

While I know that the fastest way to get the stories online is to scan them with the computer, I've chosen to type them. For most people, scanning a story and then quickly reading to correct errors is the best method. I type them, for several reasons: I am a slow reader and therefore don't find great joy in reading (even things I want to read). As I read, I often quickly fall asleep and forget where I read to (and hate to re-read what I already read). By typing, I am engaged in the story and know exactly where I left off (even when I fall asleep). I also feel a drive inside me to keep going, to get things online. I also have grown closer to my ancestors through this work.

After church, I enjoyed spending time with the family. Our home teachers visited. I watched the movie The Incredibles with Myranda and Tanner. After that, I played the game Ticket to Ride with Kaneesha, Myranda, Tanner, and Adonnis (Kaneesha's boyfriend). I was still relaxing when Bishop Wall called and asked me to visit a family and give a blessing to a person who is been struggling with some emotional issues connected to some poor life decisions. 

After getting home from the blessing, I received a text from Mauricio Ramondini, a brother we are working with to get to the temple. He was baptized last year and has remained quite active. As a Ward Missionary, I'm going with Mauricio and his wife to Temple Preparation Class. His wife, Nicole is endowed and has a current recommend. Mauricio and I had the opportunity to teach primary together for a few months this year. He was very good with the children, but never felt comfortable enough to teach the children (although he bore testimony and shared great personal experiences).

Mauricio's text asked me to visit them. Nicole has been struggling with shingles for several weeks and Mauricio has also been fighting bronchitis. While they're quite faithful in attending church, they have been gone since Thanksgiving. I know that they need the visit, so I called them back and offered to take something for them for dinner. I would also spend some time visiting with them.

As I was preparing to visit Mauricio, Kaneesha called to let us know that on the way to Salt Lake they were in an accident. Adonnis was driving. They were going to see the lights at Temple Square and then Kaneesha was going to drop off Adonnis at the airport to catch his flight back home to New York. She would then drive his car back to our home.

As they reached Spanish Fork, the roads were covered with freezing rain with a layer of sleet between the lanes on the freeway. The car slid and hit the back side of a semi truck. The truck was not even aware it was hit and continued down the road. Adonnis' tire took most of the blow. The rim was bent out of shape and the tire went flat. They were able to get off the road safely and Kaneesha changed the tire (Adonnis wasn't sure how to do that, he got his driver's license this year). Kaneesha then drove to the next exit, Springville, and called me. 

In visiting with Kaneesha, it was decided that I'd take my car to them so they could drive it to Salt Lake (it has a spare tire). A few minutes later, Noell asked Kaneesha if she would like me to drive them to Salt Lake and ride home with her. She was quick to agree to that. 

I quickly took some dinner items to Mauricio's family, then drove to Springville. The roads were fairly good until Spanish Fork. Within a half mile of the Springville exit, there were four cars off the road (two of them were dented, probably hit each other). Kaneesha and Adonnis got in with me and we drove to the next Springville exit for gas. There was another car off the road. After getting gas, we got back on the freeway and enjoyed clear roads. We were so thankful for the good roads and the safety of Kaneesha and Adonnis.