A NEW 'DO AND OUR FIRST GOODBYE

Wow!! April has stayed like a meek lamb, and we're so grateful!! For a while there, we thought we were going to be living in eternal winter, but April brought Spring. You can see the first blooms on the cherry maple tree in the backyard.

April has also brought a change of assignment for our mission. Beginning April 25, our assignment is The Dalles Stake!! This new assignment brings all sorts of possibilities for the last few months of our mission. There are very few young single adults in the stake, since there is not a lot of opportunity for higher education or high paying jobs. Our role will be to survey the stake for that information. The stake president also has some responsibilities for us concerning senior missionaries and potential senior missionaries, which he hasn't yet outlined for us. So, we've been weaning ourselves from our Portland students. It's difficult to imagine that one can become so attached to students in ten months, but we have. We said our first good-bye to Eric Chou, shown here with his girlfriend, Gemarie. Eric is a computer tech guy with a gas company, and Gem has about a month left of culinary arts school. Eric is a new convert, and Gem is an Idaho farm girl with a big heart. There are rumors of a wedding not far off, but nothing official. Eric waved us a nonchalant farewell as he will be in training for the next two Thursdays.

I've fooled with these pictures for a while and can't really get them organized, but you can see what our big project has been--a re-do of the upstairs bathroom. It has filled a lot of time and provided lots of frustration, as such projects usually do. Dad is so antsy from being cooped up inside that he is now ready to head outside for a while. There's still lots to do inside as well to prepare for the arrival of Marie and her family in a few weeks. We're excited for the possibility that all of us will be together this summer. Every day we have a discussion about some aspect of the summer plans. I'll send out a reminder on the reunion soon with some of our ideas soon.

On another note, Grandma is doing much better. She explains that she is just weak, and she is. That doesn't stop Grandma though, of course. Some workers left small bits of debris around her condo when they replaced some damaged siding, and she tried very hard, supporting herself with her cane, to get it all cleaned up!! Fortunately, Dad came to the rescue before she could injure herself. Although we have been visiting her each week to help her, she insists on fixing our meals and doing the dishes. It has to be frightening for her to feel that she can't continue to be mom, so we don't want to take over her role. Since the last "episode" two weeks ago, she has accepted help a bit more readily. She admitted that our visits cause her some anxiety, even though she enjoys them tremendously. This is something for each of you to consider as you now plan summer visits to her. Don't plan an overnight stay with her or an all-day visit. Try to arrive at a non-meal time and remember that she's not well enough to go out to dinner. Grandma's such a kick. She's been regaling us with family stories and family pictures. So fun. I found this quote which seems to sum up what's going on: "Not only is the end not in sight, the pace is not slackening. We have many future joys."

Dad and I are well , planning not to slacken our pace, and looking forward to many future joys. Happy Spring. Love, Mom