The First Third of 2020

What a year 2020 is turning out to be!  Although not one we hope to repeat with it's unpredictable challenges; surprisingly, it has been filled with a multitude of precious family joys.  This is the year that will be remembered for the Covid 19 pandemic and the riotous "Black Lives Matter" movement.  For me, personally, it will also be thought of as the time for needed surgeries.

Our New Year began with all of our children gathered around for a few days until the call of responsibility lured them back to their homes.  I continued to try unsuccessfully to heal from foot surgery.  My incision became infected and my body was rejecting the metal hardware holding some bone in place.  I turned my focus to my church responsibilities as the Conroe Stake JustServe Specialist.  Through this calling, I had developed a good relationship with an organization in Conroe by the name of God's Garage.  They are a wonderful non-profit organization which helps provide cars and transportation to single ladies, widows, and wives of deployed military Veterans.  They were invited to be featured on the "Kelly Clarkson Show".  Because of the volunteer service provided by our missionaries and members, God's Garage reached out to me to see if we would be willing to bring about 25 missionaries and/or members to support them as they gave away a vehicle during filming of the show.  After rounding up a crew, including President and Sister Peterson, our Houston Mission President and his wife, we headed to downtown Houston for the filming.  Wearing our JustServe T-shirts opened up some discussion with others who were there.  Another plus that came from being there was the opportunity for me to see some iconic Houston artwork.

Michael and Kristin had been saving up to go on a cruise once Mike graduated, found a job, and settled into a home.  Conveniently, this all happened in Houston, where Grandma and Grandpa could help watch their two children.  They found a deal on a cruise from Galveston which departed on February 2 until the 9th.  Eve and Brady came and stayed at our house where we kept busy with lots of simple activities.  They especially enjoyed visiting their Jonson cousins where they could drive around in their razor.  They were also intrigued with the new "trails"which Grandpa constructed that completely circle our house.

A surprise visit one evening from my cousin Scott and his wife Joni, who live in Utah was a sweet treat for all of us!

It seems Michael and Kristin timed their cruise just right, because the Covid 19 virus began reaping havoc within the cruise industry shortly thereafter.  I was also fortunate to have my foot operated on, March 16, to remove the metal staple that my body was reacting negatively to.  Houston began shutting down surgery centers and businesses just after that due to the rapid spread of the virus. That borrowed Knee-scooter was my best friend (Thank you, Shelly)!  As we quarantined at home for the most part, I took up trying to finish an embroidery project started long ago!

The latter part of March, our Houston kids came by for a visit, and then Bob and I went to visit the Bosen's in Temple.

A circus came to town while we were with the Bosen's ... an opportunity we couldn't let pass us by.  Dinner at the Gin and a little rock throwing in the river finished off our fun visit.

 

Bob spent the first quarter of 2020 working in the yard every spare moment.  He first spread 12 yards of compost over our entire lawn, and then spread another 30 yards of mulch on our flower beds and perimeter of our yard.  Whew!  It was nice to get a helping hand from the Johnsons occasionally.  We caught Bennett squealing with delight (yes, he LOVES bugs) when a large leaf-leg bug was felt crawling up his neck!  Grandpa even helped the grand-kids construct a fort in our woods.

Bob and I decided to go visit Michael and family for Easter. Eve and Brady had a blast searching for eggs!  We received cute Easter photos of Stephanie and Bobby's families (how did Jill escape being photographed?)

 Stephanie's birthday nicely finished off the first third of the year for us.

By the end of April, the worldwide Corona Pandemic was having a devastating impact on lives of people and the economies of big cities everywhere.  Schools and churches had closed and people were working remotely from home  Unemployment soared and hospitals were struggling to keep pace with the growing patient needs.  Life had become dramatically different, and growing uncertainty about the future added stress to everyday life.  But through it all, we proudly watched our children rise to the challenges of home schooling their children, working at home, distancing from friends and religious associations, and worthily conducting authorized Sacrament Meetings and teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ in their homes.  While the world seemed to stand still, we began to cling more tightly to family and personal faith.  Perhaps our society will begin to understand our dependence upon God.  Welcome to our new world with 6-foot social distancing and masks ( - thanks for the cute homemade ones, Jill)!