Sunday, Nov 23, during our priesthood meeting at the Vineyard Ward in Mesa, Jeff Ward, 1st Counselor in the Ward Bishopric, extended a challenge to all of us, beginning Thanksgiving Day, to write down something we are sincerely thankful for on that day and continue making daily entries in our personal journals, writing down one or more things we are thankful for throughout the Month of December.

I remember attending a football game at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado and watching as the cadets unfurled this huge American flag, before the playing of the National Anthem and a fly-over of 3 F-16s. This is a great country!

Monday, Nov 24, 2008

Monday, Nov 17, after several pre-op visits and consultations, etc, with her doctor, Ron Burton, MD, of Mesa, Linda underwent bladder repair surgery at the Banner Desert Hospital. They kept her in the hospital overnight. She came through the operation just fine. The recovery should take about 6 weeks. She expects to be ready for travel to the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah by January 3, 2009 for the preliminary training before our missionary assignment in the West Virginia Charleston Mission.

During our stay at the hopsital, she was visited by a woman Chaplian; a very nice lady, who is serving others as a part of her committment to an inter-faith ministry. She goes from patient to patient in the hospital, offering comfort, prayer and her expressions of faith and love.

We had a nice visit together and we told her of our service as senior missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and our call to a second mission, beginning in January. She congratulated us on our mission call and spoke of her positive experiences with Mormon Priesthood leaders and Home Teachers who she is often in contact with as a result of her chapliancy here in Mesa. While Linda was temporarily out of the room the Chaplian remarked that she could tell that Linda was a woman of great faith because of her quiet and cheerful demeanor and her lovely smile. She said, "Your wife's faith can be seen in her eyes."

I believe that to be true. We are all praying that Linda will continue to make a successful and complete recovery from her surgery and that she will be blessed with all that she needs to go forward in fulfillment of her sacred missionary calling. This is the sincere desire of our heart, that we can continue to go forward in our committment to fulfill our missionary call, overcoming any health or other difficulties that may beset us from time to time.

Melissa began employment last week as a new dental assistant for Dr. Larry Adams, DDS, of Mesa. Dr. Adams has been our family dentist for a good many years and we are happy that Melissa has found work with such a good guy and a good office staff.

There she was to greet us at the dentist's office when Linda went in this morning for a follow-up appointment!

Life is never dull when you are involved with this family!

Doesn't she look cute in her "scrubs?"

Saturday, Nov 22, we were in our upstairs bedroom at Melissa and Russell's, visiting with Melissa and we start getting bombarded with marshmallows, incoming through the open bedroom window which looks out upon the front yard of the home.

We look out and who do we see? Garrett and another grandson Rhett Ricedorff, firing at us with their homemade marshmallow guns! Kids!!

Friday, Nov 21, several family members, spouses and children, joined our daughter Amy and her husband Gary Funk in the stands at Mountain View High School Football Field to help cheer the Mt View Toros on to a 29-8 victory over Corona Del Sol of Tempe.

Amy and Gary's oldest son, Dallin, is a starter on Special Teams, even though he is a Junior. I wasn't close enough to get his photo, but he is fast and a hitter. We look forward to seeing Mountain View in the State 5A semi-final game the first Friday night in December, against Brophy High School, Phoenix (It was Brophy that our grandson Scott LeSueur's Highland High team went up against this same night. They played well, but lost). The winner of the Mt. View/Brophy game qualifies for the 5A championship. Way to go Dallin, and the Toros!

Nov 14-15, 2008, Highland Football & Flame Soccor

Another shot of Drew and his team getting close to scoring a goal!

This morning, our grandson, Drew Dalton, played in a soccor game with his team, "The Flame," over at the Cross Roads athletic field in Gilbert. This is 3 on a team, played on a smaller field. These little guys give it their all. It was so great watching Drew playing with his team and making good kicks and passes and scoring the final point! Way to go, Drew!