John's Mission Pics, September 2025

 John continues to thrive on his mission, even (or especially) in one of the 'hoods of Denver. This is the closest he's lived to the city (he can see the stadium where the Broncos play from his apartment), there are a lot of people there who are open to hearing about the gospel, the ward is nutty (ha ha), and he's with Elder Reed, his favorite companion so far. I'm so thankful that things are going well. It's certainly not a cakewalk, and there are sometimes challenges and discouragements, but his faith has become strong and resilient, and he has a sense of enduring joy to a degree that he didn't have before. This is so much of what the gospel of Jesus Christ is all about!

He still goes to Taco Bell a lot. 😆

😂😂😂

The Grand Junction Colorado Temple open house was held in September. This was the first area John served in.

Hmmmm.....

He had a mishap with the garage at the apartment when he first moved there. Evidence:

Social media is a good way of finding people, so they do a lot of these simple Facebook Stories.

With his favorite companion, Elder Reed. I really wish they'd quit with the horrible energy drinks!

Check for typos before posting! 😄

I think that's Mile High Stadium in the background.

Less than ten months left!

August 2025 Randoms

I love the shelving David installed for me this summer in the basement closet at the Cape house. It's much easier to keep it organized now.

Just a week or so after getting back from my Montana trip, it was neat to see this picture of Glacier National Park (one of the places we visited) in The Wall Street Journal.

I need to read this one. This might be the next Poirot movie with Kenneth Branagh.

A pleasant scene at the library.

😍

I've got a great lineup of owls and family in front of this window! The afternoon light comes streaming in and lights them up really nicely.

Selfies at the desk, with and without my blue-light-blocking glasses.

I'm glad I took this picture of the drugstore because it was demolished the following week. It's the end of an era! The drugstore holds special memories for me from growing up, and I'll miss it.

😞

A pretty scene on my walk around the apartment complex.

Really pretty and sweet owl cards that I've had for years. I used the last of them up in August/September.

Meredith and I took Beth to the temple for the first time! 

😍

Sam's first day of sophomore year! This is the best year of high school!

Fall + a bit of summer

I went to this, and, as always, it was a lot of fun, and I got some good things!

Internet Pictures of My Wedding Dress!

 I didn't have very much time to get a wedding dress with my short engagement, but I found a really good one from a designer on Etsy. It fit the bill: modest, simple, long-sleeved, pretty, not too expensive, great reviews, and, perhaps most importantly, it would get here at least a few weeks before the wedding. That last point, however, turned into a bit of a fiasco because the dress got stuck in shipping in Poland, so they made me another dress and FedExed it to me directly with less than a month to go before the big day (at no extra cost to me). It went from Kazakhstan to Dubai to France to Boston, and it arrived a little less than two weeks before the wedding, with just enough time for me to have alterations done. 

Phew! It all worked out, and fortunately, I loved the dress. I'm going to have it made into a temple dress so that I can wear it several times a year for the rest of my life. I'll post pictures of me wearing the dress on my wedding day in a month or two, but for now, here are the internet pictures I saved on my phone after buying it in early August.

I thought the sash on the back was so pretty and unique.

It's been so fun to be a bride again!

Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in August 2025

 Good advice to follow with my honey buns (😄)

I find the habits, routines, and lifestyles of successful people to be so interesting.

This is so true 😂

Yeah, do it! (My anti-CA attitude continues!)

In all seriousness, I'm still hopeful that Trump will be able to help negotiate peace between Russia and Ukraine the way he did with Israel and Palestine.

David sent me this. The Bible is wonderful but it sure has some nutty things in it. 😄

This is no bueno. Keep reading!

This is how I feel my relationship is with my Savior.

I've been trying to!

It's a weird decade, but I'm loving it so far!

I think this is so funny. 😂