Erik and I arrived on Tuesday, March 25, 2025. As I entered the apartment, I noticed that it didn’t seem cleaned between the last tenants and us. While Erik unloaded the car, I started cleaning. We have two shelving units in the kitchen that serve us well. It is a one bedroom, one bathroom apartment. My Princess Self wasn’t thrilled about sharing a bathroom with my husband (I know, I know, it’s ridiculous). But we are making it all work. The bedding had been washed from the last tenants but as I made the bed, I found that the pillowcases were missing.

We started a shopping list to take to Wal-Mart. The Temple Recorder told us that Wal-Mart may be our best resource to get set up. During the pandemic, my daughter, Kaitlin and I did a house cleaning course on-line. We learned about tips and tricks for cleaning everything well. I have become a bit OCD about the cleanliness of everything. Thus first on my list was laundry soap, Borax, CIF Cream cleaner, hand soap, Fabuloso, garbage bags, Scrub Daddy dish wand, and Power Paste by Scrub Daddy. Erik was shocked to see that the bedroom had light filtering sheers and we knew that we need a dark bedroom, so, black-out drapes was added to the list. Off we went to Macedon to the Wal-Mart.

On Wednesday, we headed to Rochester to go to Costco. It’s about a 40 minute drive from our apartment. What a scenic drive, going through the small towns and seeing the beautiful homes. Sister Wall told us to go early to Costco because it is the only one in the city and it gets VERY busy. The parking lot was immense and we got there about 10 am. The set up was completely different than our Alberta Costco’s. Erik became overwhelmed with all the selection and trying to decide what we needed. We didn’t stay long, got our necessities and headed back to Palmyra. Interesting fact, the Costco chickens in Canada are not gluten free but we were able to buy them in Rochester Costco for only $4.99 each. Plus, they were much larger than the Canadian chickens. I was desperate for some beautiful veggies and did find brussel sprouts, etc.

Thursday took us for a little walk along Main Street. “Around the Block” quilt shop is only 2 blocks from me. We stopped in and I bought an apron pattern.

Then we headed towards the E.B. Grandin building. This magnificant block of stores were quite the feat in the 1800’s. This is where we had a tour of the printing business that printed the first edition of the Book of Mormon. The Lord’s hand was definitely in this venture to bring the sacred records to all of the world.

After lunch we decided to head south to the Peter Whitmer farm. This is in a Mennonite farming community and it was a beautiful tour. This is a very special place because this is where the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized, on April 6, 1830. It’s amazing to think that in 5 years, it will be the 200th anniversary of the event. The church is preparing to commemorate the event there with plans not yet unveiled to the general public. There were only 4 of us in our tour, a Grandpa and his teenage grandson, Erik and I. The grandson was amazing with his knowledge of church history.

We were told about the Sauder store in Seneca Falls. My heart was so happy being in that store. It is a Mennonite run store and they sell quilts there. The prices are very good. My new friend, Susan Wall happened to be there when a Cathedral Window quilt (king size) was on display. The window panes had shades of purple, which is significant to Susan. The workmanship was outstanding and I am so happy that she was able to purchase this heirloom.

I was able to buy red lentils, popcorn, beeswax cream, locally made apple cider, and the treat of the day was gluten free, triple chocolate ice cream. In the summer months, Curtis Wall told us that Sauder’s is brimming with produce and it’s amazing!

Friday brought us to trying out a little bit of a schedule. I brought my rebounder so that I could continue my workouts that I love. While I bounce, Erik goes for a walk. The Erie Canal trail is right behind us and he goes venturing about to see the area. We were invited to the Walls apartment for supper. This is the apartment that we will be moving into in the middle of April. We will be stationed there for the year. They had sent us some photos of the place but it was fun to see it in person and to meet them in person and get information about the area. This evening is when I got to see the Cathedral Window quilt that Susan bought. There is a lot to explore in this area. The temple will get much busier during the tourist season as well.

As well, our neighbors, Rick and Tonya Gurr arrived from Utah. They will also be moving next door to us when we move. They will have the front half of the house and we will have the back half. Like everything else here, it is an old home that has had some updates done to it. We were thrilled to learn that Rick and Tonya served a mission in Samoa with Scott and Pam Cameron. We have known Scott and Pam from our Olds Ward time and have been friends for over 30 years.

Saturday arrived with a winter warning forecast of freezing rain. It was only about 2C and rained in the afternoon. Our plan was to go south to the Priesthood Restoration Site along the Susquehanna river. It is in Pennsylvania and would be about 2.5 hours one way. With the weather forecast, we cancelled our plans and did some local shopping. While we were shopping, Erik’s cell phone rings and it’s the Temple President checking in with us and letting us know where we are being assigned to attend Sunday meetings. I got really excited when Erik told me the news. We are going to the north side of Rochester to attend the Spanish Branch!!!!!!!! As we were finishing our evening prayer, Erik turns to me with a chuckle. “Did you pray for this!?!” I replied, “No, but I think it’s only fair that you got your prayer answered by wanting to serve in the USA. I checked off the Oaxaca Mission on our application and the Lord’s answer to me is being able to attend a Spanish Branch!” Side note, while we were in Huatulco in February, I received direction that I was to buy a Spanish Book of Mormon. While at the distribution center in Omaha, I purchased a Spanish edition of the Book of Mormon. Then the missionary leaders told me that on Amazon, you can purchase a side by side Book of Mormon with English and Spanish. So, I love that the Lord was preparing me to continue in Spanish.

I purchased a couple of books today. One I needed because my days of seminary (Doctrine & Covenants) are long past. That was my first year of seminary and it was home study. I need maps and I need to know why the Latter-Day Saints moved from this spot to that spot. It was first published in 2012 and this was an updated book, called, Mapping Mormonism. Plus I purchased, “Insights from a Prophet’s Life.” Erik has grabbed onto that is over half-way through already.

Sunday dawned with more rain but the temperature was going to 16 C. We attended the Palmyra Ward today. There was a large number of people attending and the Bishop stood up to conduct the meeting and said, “He loves spring when the crocuses start appearing as well as the visitors.” There had to be at least 250 people in attendance. I think between Spring Break and senior missionaries finishing their missions, a lot of families were visiting. Plus there were all the newbies, like ourselves who are starting their missions. We are meeting so many people and new missionaries who are trying to find their way. I do know that the Lord will uphold us all and give us the strength to do His work.

We usually go for a walk on Sundays and so, we togged up in rain gear and headed out for a stroll. Erik lead us along the canal path. It’s a path that the mules walked as they pulled the barges up and down the canal. There was a bridge that was closed to vehicle traffic. I’m not a fan of heights and I chose the paved sidewalk over the mesh bridge. I kept telling myself, “You’re going to be okay, you’re going to be okay. You can do this! You’re almost over the bridge!” We met a couple walking their Bernese Mountain dog. They also filled us in on information about the town and area. I asked what industry feeds the tax base and they responded with, “Well, the Mormons come here in the summer!” Hahaha…well, here we are!

We awoke at 6:30 am to the sound of the semi-trucks leaving. They had been stacked up like cordwood the past night. Erik and I were recommended to go to a Roadhouse/Saloon for supper. It was full of truckers and they were a friendly lot, sharing road conditions and what the situation probably was. We were asked if we had a hotel room for the night because it was going to become crazy with all the people waiting for the highway to open. Someone knowledgable said that it was probably Nebraska who closed the highway. The winds were incredibly strong, combined with blizzard conditions made for a dangerous situation.

It’s interesting to listen to people’s stories about their lives and understand that most people are simply trying to live a good life with peace and basic comforts. I met a gentleman who with his wife were moving out of California to come to Wyoming. Wyoming is the least populated state in the US. The state capital is Cheyenne. It’s not an easy state to live in because of the weather and the terrain. Much like Alberta, it’s western side is composed of the Rocky Mountains but the eastern half is high elevation prairie. Wyoming has an rich history with lots of explorers from the Spanish Empire and even French Canadian trappers who entered the area to trade with the tribes.

We had driven through Casper on the way to Cheyenne and there is a brand new temple there, built as one of the new modular systems. It was closed that day and we were feeling anxious not to be stuck in a blizzard so we didn’t even stop to see it.

After heading south easterly for the trip thus far, and after Cheyenne, we were heading east. Our next destination was Omaha, Nebraska. It is on the eastern side of Nebraska, so it was a 7-1/2 hour day of driving. Along the way we lost count of the number of semi-trucks in the ditch as well as a number of other vehicles. At first as we left Cheyenne, there was no snow and we wondered why the highway had been closed. Soon enough, the picture became evident with the huge amount of snow in the ditches and the fields. Again, we were blessed with good road conditions to drive on.

Erik and I went to an Indian restaurant for supper and then we met a family who are members of the church. They had a son serve a mission is Toronto and currently have a son serving in Scotland. I simply asked the dad a question that sparked the whole conversation. It was such an uplifting visit!

We had booked an appointment in the Winter Quarter’s temple in Omaha (which is actually in the old city of Florence). This temple has a lower entrance and then you climb stairs to enter the next floor where the change rooms and ordinance rooms are. The interior is based on the time frame of the 1800’s with dark wood finishings. Afterwards we headed over to the Winter Quarter’s visitor center. It was simply amazing to see the history of the Mormon Migration across the United States. Winter Quarter’s was a temporary settlement as the saints prepared for their journey. There is also a Mormon Pioneer Cemetery for the pioneers who died at Winter Quarters. There was illness that spread through the encampment and took a lot of lives. I could tell you a lot about this area but I feel that you could also look it up and read more than I can tell you. It was incredibly emotional to be in the area where so many people gathered and prepared to go to Salt Lake City via handcarts, wagons, train and sailing ship.

I went for a workout in the hotel pool and met a cute couple of boys, 6 & 8, while their mom rested on a deck chair. The boys and I started a pool ball game (like the size of a hackey sack) throwing to each other in the pool. Later the mom told me she was so grateful because she was exhausted and it was nice to have someone else entertain the boys. Then a crazy thing happened; an exit sign exploded and a big piece of metal was sent flying through the air. Then it started on fire and flames were shooting out of it. The smell of electrical fire was permeating the pool area. The little boys ran to the front desk to tell the tale. The front desk attendant came to see what was happening. It was a new hotel, so this was a little shocking!

The main crops grown seem to be corn and soy beans in these midwestern states. While driving through Montana and Wyoming, I was always checking my compass to see our elevation and direction. The highest I saw was 2900 meters.

After leaving Omaha, we drove across the Mormon Bridge into Iowa. There were still many vehicles in the ditches. Amazing how far reaching the blizzard was! We stayed on the I-80 until Des Moines and then we turned southeast. Our next destination was Nauvoo. As we stopped for gas, we discovered some stations wanted a zip code to process a credit card…hmmmm. They recommended that we try another gas station.

We wanted to stop for a little break (our car likes to tell us to stop and take breaks). We reached a little town called Pella in Iowa. It was founded by immigrants from the Netherlands and it’s a wonder of windmills and tulips and everything Dutch. As we started walking around, I stopped a lady to ask her where the visitor information was. Then we spotted a Pella factory and the light went on! We know all about Pella windows and doors from our construction experience. This is where the company started and continues. What a lovely surprise! This lady I met was Dutch and she told me that if anyone is around in April, the tulip festival is in full swing and a sight to behold. Erik and I start driving through town and he spots a quilt store…hahaha. He asks if I want to stop there; do leopards have spots? The Quilted Windmill was delightful and I ended up buying a tulip table runner kit. What a lovely respite from the drive.

We continued south east to Nauvoo. For a while we thought that our GPS had lost it’s mind because we left the interstate and were ding dong ditching through rural roads with no markings on the roads. We even came upon a farm truck parked at the top of a hill on our side of the road.

But eventually, we ended up in Fort Madison and headed for a bridge that crossed the Mississipi river. That was another interesting experience because it was a toll bridge but that day, we were given a temporary pass and didn’t have to pay.

I wondered how on earth Nauvoo was in the middle of podunk nowhere. In 1844, it rivaled Chicago for population. Erik and I rented a room in the Nauvoo Villas and from there it was only a 2 minute drive into Nauvoo. The town is so small that there is no grocery store but there is a Dollar General. The history of this town is mind blowing. I had never studied church history and even though I have read a couple volumes of the Saints series, it still didn’t register in my brain. But now, seeing all these sites in person is cementing the knowledge in my mind. We went to the temple the following morning and again the style of the building was that of the 1840’s. This temple is a replica of the original temple which was destroyed by fire, then by a tornado after the saints left Nauvoo.. The saints had left Nauvoo because of persecution and were leaving for Salt Lake City. 11,000 saints left the area. We saw the flats of Nauvoo with a few remaining buildings. A pair of sister missionaries toured us through the Red Brick Store and the Mansion House. Seeing the Red Brick Store was amazing because our General Relief Society broadcast was given in part in the top floor of the Red Brick Store.

I met wonderful ladies in the temple. One was a lady who had built harps and does furniture construction. She married a Samoan gentleman and they had 14 children. Irene was a delighful lady, full of joy. Then I met Nina, who with her husband is serving a mission in the Nauvoo temple. Again a very special lady, who I can call an eternal friend. I saw Nina the next day at church. We chose to attend the early 9 am Ward because our plan was to drive to Carthage.

Driving to Carthage was a gloomy, cloudy and rainy type of day. It suited my mood for visiting Carthage. I really didn’t want to go because it is the place of Joseph Smith’s and his brother Hyrum’s martyrdoms. Irene said that I must go and it is so important for me to see and experience the site. We arrived as it was opening for the day along with other members who I had previously seen at Nauvoo. The tour started out as a tear-jerker with the video presentation of Elder Holland and his stirring address about Carthage. We then moved on to the jail and our guides explained everything so well. As we moved upstairs in the jail, we first went to the criminal cell and saw how dark and miserable it was. The jailor could see that Joseph, Hyrum and their friends were not hardened criminals, so he moved them into his own bedroom. We sat and listened to the events that followed on that day of June 27, 1844. The door is still the original and has the bullet hole from where a musket ball went through and killed Hyrum. To walk in the same place as these pioneers was so moving.

Getting back in our car, we headed north to Indianapolis, Indiana. We found an amazing grocery store called, Market Garden. I could finally get some good fresh fruit. The hotel was really iffy which was surprising considering that Hilton owned it. We said, “It’s only for one night!”

In the morning we drove to the Indianapolis temple. The landscaping crew were there changing out all the seasonal plantings. I even got to speak Spanish with some of the workers. We took our picture and headed out to Kirtland, Ohio.

Arriving in Kirtland it was easy to locate the temple and the visitor’s center. We toured the temple as it is not an operating temple for the church. The saints sacrificed much to build this temple in 1833. This was the first temple built by the church. After our tour we drove the couple of blocks to Historic Kirtland and met a senior missionary who asked us if we wanted to see the N. K. Whitney store. It was an amazing store; very large for it’s time. Joesph also received revelations here in the upper room called the school of prophets. We met a couple who were visiting from Brazil. It’s still early in the season and full hours and visitors have not yet arrived, thus giving us a much more personalised visit in these sites.

Driving into Mentor we found a hotel for the night and then found a Mexican restaurant that had their own horchata. Muy delicioso!! The hotel was decorated in the style of the 1800’s style and was quite comfortable. Some of our hotels seemed to have rooms that kept shrinking the further along our journey went but this one had plenty of room.

We headed northeast the following morning along the I-90. Occasionally we saw glimpses of Lake Erie and eventually decided to take a secondary road to see if we could actually stop somewhere and get a full view of the lake. We deviated onto highway 5, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail. Along that trail we did ditch into a little village and found a tiny park with picnic tables. We bundled up because the weather was only 3C and with a strong wind coming off of the lake. It was brutally cold but we had to step onto the sand and take photos.

Interesting observation I had was about the state of the freeways and the cleanliness. We were only in Pennsylvania for a tiny bit. The ditches were so dirty with a lot of debris and garbage. Once we entered New York state, the highways were pristine again. Some states are better than others at cleaning up.

Continuing along the I-90 we drove until reaching highway 21. This put us south of Palmyra. I could feel excitement building because we were on the final stretch; the last half hour. After 11 days on the road, we were definitely ready to stop driving. We drove past the Hill Cumorah and the excitement continued. Soon we were going to be “home”. Driving into Palmyra was surreal because we had been dreaming and planning for months and seeing it in person was very exciting.

We found our temporary apartment and started unloading the car. Knowing that we needed to get some supplies, we headed out for a shopping trip. Everything is close by in nearby towns. Unfortunately, Palmyra does not have a grocery store, but within 10 minutes there are stores to be found.

Road trip complete and now it will be day jaunts to visit other sites. The apartment wasn’t cleaned but I got right to work and started cleaning, while Erik was unloading the car. It reminded me of when Braeden went to Africa and the housing hadn’t been lived in for months and was left dirty too.

Time to do laundry and try and get some semblance of order back into our lives.

We headed out after a last minute mad dash to pack what we think we will need in the coming year. For those of you who know how much I like to be prepared, this was a little overboard (even I will admit that). I have my big Breville food processor, my Instantpot, my air fryer, sewing machine with embroidery module, to name a few things. I know how I need to prepare food so I packed what I thought was neccessary. People kept saying, “Just buy what you need when you arrive!” But for those of you who know the value of our Canadian dollar, I just can’t bring myself to buy it in New York. Our SUV looks like it’s loaded for bear!

Erik & I stopped in Calgary for a short visit with our daughter and to see her three children. What a joy to spend a few minutes with those toddlers & baby. We then carried on to Lethbridge to see our son and his family. I am known as Grandma Cheryl by my two year old grandson. We went to church in the snow in Lethbridge and watched it fall all day, hoping that the roads were going to be passable the next day. Jasmin & I attended the world wide Relief Society broadcast which was a celebration of the anniversary of our dear Relief Society. It was spectacular!

Monday morning brought us a stoppage of snow so we loaded and decided to try our luck. The day started ominously with heavy fog. The roads were wet and slushy for a while but then the slush was melting as the sun was trying to burn through the fog. Within an hour we arrived at the border. It was less than 15 minutes processing time to process our visa and permit us to enter the USA for a year. Our goal for the day was to get to Billings, Montana. I’ve decided to call Montana the “Black Cow State”. All the herds were black cattle. It was fascinating!

From Great Falls, we took the I-87 to pass by Geyser, Stanford, Moccasin & Hobson. While I am passing through remote looking areas I always wonder, “What brought these people here? What do they do for a living? How many generations have lived here?” It’s very pretty countryside through the mountains. We came to the Little Belt Mountains and that was fascinating too.

As we turned south onto the I-191, we entered the Judith Basin. It’s a huge basin for growing crops and cattle, surrounded by mountains. We stopped to refuel in Judith Gap. Of course, I needed to know how these people settled here. We met a lovely couple who run a mom & pop service station and mechanical repair. Jeff tells me that his dad started the business and recently retired so Jeff & his wife purchased the station from him. It might have been the cleanest station I have ever stopped in. They told me that they usually don’t get a lot of snow (except for this year) but they get a lot of wind. The wind whistles through the gap at quite the velocity. This is an historic town situated in the small gap between the Little Belt Mountains and the Big Snowy Mountains. The gap was used by settlers and Native Americans for centuries, including Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce during their famous flight to Canada in 1877. The railroad brought many people there to settle and in 2005 they had a bit of a boom because of a major wind farm being constructed. Ask questions and you can find out a lot of information.

We carried on to Harlowton and turned east for a spell. Then at Lavina, we turned south to Billings on the I-3. Billings is situated on the Yellowstone River. As we drove in we were driving along the rimrocks which gave a spectacular view of the city. They are sandstone cliffs along the north side of the city. Pausing at a viewing spot across from the airport, we were able to enjoy quite the vista.

We plugged in the address to the Billings temple and went to see it. On Mondays, temples are closed for cleaning, but we took photos and Erik got an amazing shot of the sun behind the spire with angel Moroni. I messaged my friends (Elder & Sister Hanson) who live in Billings but are serving a mission in Oaxaca Mexico right now. I wanted them to know that we made it to their hometown.

The weather took a turn for the worse and blizzard conditions started on our route for the next day. The highway was closed due the conditions so we opted to spend another night in Billings. It gave us the opportunity to go to the temple and preform some work for our ancestors. I may have met the nicest ladies in that temple. They had true characters of disciples of Jesus Christ; full of love and kindness. The temple is now 26 years old. It is absolutely stunning! The layout is all on one floor (no stairs or escalators needed). What a wonderful stop over this turned out to be!

Of course, I met people in businesses and helped people with their shopping, always asking about their lives. I had cooking discussions in the grocery store with a couple of people. One of the things I love is seeing the cultural makeup of areas. The Native Americans here are from the Crow Nation and there is a reservation towards Cheyenne. This is where the Little Bighorn Battlefield is. It’s so wonderful to be in historic areas and feel the energy of the past. This is also known as Custer’s Last Stand. Lots of controversy with that subject.

Erik is always checking the weather reports and it didn’t look good to head to Cheyenne. We considered going northern routes through the Dakotas. But in the morning we decided to go south after all. The roads were great, only wet in some places and a little hard packed snow just south of Sheridan. I prayed for sunshine to follow us throughout the day and we were blessed with that gift.

Alas, another storm system has the highway closed (I-80) going to Nebraska. The semi trucks are stacked up here everywhere waiting for the road to open. Hopefully the morning will bring sunshine and the highway will be open.

I have spent the better part of the past year working on our Mexican condo project and some things have been left to slide, such as my vast amount of sewing and quilting projects. But, hey, swimming and snorkeling are pursuits that I have enjoyed immensely and feel so much better for doing them. While in Mexico my fingers became itchy for hand work; crocheting, sewing, knitting, quilting. What kept my sanity was painting. I discovered at a lovely papeleria (stationery store), some paints, canvases, brushes and an easel. I started with a simple floral painting with a butterfly, and moved on to other techniques as well.  The opportunity for creativity is very important to my feelings of self and happiness.

Being back in Canada for a short time has given me the gift of sewing again. My husband’s sister-in-law has gotten into quilting this past year and we like to send photos to each other of what we are working on. Yesterday, her comment was on how perfect my sewing was. I never thought much about that until today as I was sewing more pieces together for the next block in the quilt. I realized that over the years I have gained skills in piecing and sewing to be able to have my quilts look pretty good, everything matches, points still stay pointy, and blocks lay flat. If you are a quilter, you can appreciate what I am saying!  Did this skill come immediately? Certainly not!

My friend, Wendy, is a piano teacher and also volunteers in the community as a pianist for events. She says that people always come up to her to tell her how wonderful her talent is and that they wish that they could play the piano as well as she does. She immediately tells them that they absolutely could be as good as her if they dedicated the amount of time that she did to be where she is.

One of my sons-in-law, had the desire to change his life. He has accomplished an incredible feat of being clean and sober for over a year now. He set some very honorable goals of becoming educated in fitness and health. It has brought such a feeling of joy to see him make changes and progress. After 10 years of drug use, he marvels at how much better he feels and thinks now. He had to get up and do it again and again to get to where he is today.

This adage goes for whatever skill we wish to be proficient at. Where do you spend your time? Do you have a goal to become skilled at something? I think back over the past 20 years and specifically about the goals that I had. I wanted to open a quilt store and share my love of quilting with others. Well, that did happen and I did have the opportunity to share quilting plus many other avenues were opened to me through this venture. I learned to use both sides of my brain to be both analytical and creative. I am a big believer in education and I loved to take courses to learn and be better at what I was doing. There was a constant drive to learn and grow and make progress. My day usually started at 5:00 a.m. and I sewed for 3 hours. Then I went to my store and worked there for an average of 8 hours.  Those who run a business know that working on your business can be a 24/7 venture. I came to the point where I had to tell myself, that I wasn’t going to finish what needed to be done and it was time to go home and decompress. My husband half jokingly called the store the “Black Pit of Time”. It seemed to be never ending. But…I developed so many skills running that business and I am always grateful for that opportunity.

Some days it feels like I am making progress and then BAM! Three steps backward, I go. Two days ago, I was singing the frog song, “Rip it, Rip it, Rip it out!” I wasn’t used to making sewing mistakes. I stopped and thought about it. Maybe 20 years ago, I would have said, “Oh, well…carry on”. But, I’ve learned that one mistake will compound into a larger one unless taken care of. Quilt blocks do not fit nicely together when they are different sizes than they should be. So, it is with our lives. It is easy to feel discouraged when we continue to make mistakes. When you start changing and doing better, you can feel amazing. Remember that saying…doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results is just insanity!

A few years ago, I was thinking about my life and what I needed to do to have a better relationship with God. A simple way is to read the scriptures. I thought, well, easier said than done. How many people start reading the scriptures, feeling gung ho and then two weeks later something disrupts their schedule and they fall off their track? So, I decided that I needed a concrete goal with a schedule to stick to. To read the entire scriptures in a year and do it every year, I read the Old Testament in 6 months, the New Testament in 3 months and the Doctrine & Covenants and Pearl of Great Price in the last 3 months. Simultaneously, I read the Book of Mormon 4 times each year. It sounded like a lot and a little crazy, but I thought about where I dedicate my time to the Lord and this seemed like a way to accomplish my goal.

It is pretty easy to get up in the morning and check emails, social media, the news, etc. I decided that I was going to study my scriptures first thing in the morning instead. In exchange for this fantastic life that God has given me, how could I not give Him at least 30 minutes in the morning? 30 minutes out of an entire day…seems reasonable. Well, my goal did not run perfectly all the time. On a out of ordinary day (flying at 6:00 a.m., leaving the house at 3:00 a.m.), I would say, “Oh, I’ll catch up later in the day…or tomorrow”.  That was a slippery slope! The adversary does not want us to read our scriptures or become closer to the Lord, so implanting those thoughts into our minds, is a great detraction from our goals. I quickly realized what was happening and then worked harder to do what I needed to be successful. Life is certainly not smooth sailing all the time. The storms and ills come our way. But the more we get up and try again, the stronger we get. As we continue to strive for worthy goals, the Lord will bless us for our continued efforts. Sometimes it feels like those blessings are blowing in the wind somewhere else and not towards us, but I can tell you that they are definitely there.

No matter the goal or the changes you want to make in your life, it can happen with a sincere desire. If support is needed, it will be there. I love how God puts us each to use in other’s lives. We can be the angels of hope and love to each other. Then we have our legion of ancestors who have passed on and act as our angels from heaven, wanting us to be better than ever and wanting to help and support us. All we have to do is get up and do it again, making progress within our lives.

 

As we have been preparing ourselves for our move, I’ve been living between “Headquarters” and the “Big Blue Cabin”. At the lake, we are surrounded by provincial park. Thus in the off-season, there are many pathways to explore and enjoy. Each morning at 8 am, Maxwell Smart and I head out the door for an hour of walking. There is walking on my part and running on the dog’s part. I figured that for every mile that I cover, the dog must get in a least 2.5 miles. Being able to experience the wildlife in central Alberta is outstanding. As we have been walking along the shoreline, the migrating birds are gathering and convening in their “chat groups”. I wonder at their conversations. There are literally hundreds of Canada Geese on the lake. There are also small groups of Trumpeter Swans, as well as ducks, gulls, & Loons. The geese can be quite noisy some mornings. I imagine the conversations that they are having. The ganders may be discussing how many they can lead in a formation, whether to leave today or tomorrow, whether the “teenagers” should be allowed to fly in their own posse. The “ladies” are wondering if the “teenagers” will be ready to go, what the pit stops will be like on the journey, and will the grass and lakes be plentiful. The excitement builds and the practice flights start to take place. Part of the life of a Canada Goose is called loafing (generally, hanging out and relaxing). The honks are getting louder as instructions are called out. I watch as a “V” of teenagers are following behind a “V” of seasoned veterans. When they fly directly over my head at an approximate altimeter reading of 75 feet, the whir of their wings beating sounds like a hockey card in the spokes of my bicycle wheel. Such synchronization! The geese give honks of encouragement and praise, “Good wing span!” “Excellent speed!” “Keep up your strength!”
As I walk each morning observing and trying to take photos with my cell phone, I think of the life of geese as something very symbolic that we could take heed to and process in our own lives. Geese mate for life and usually wait until they are mature birds before choosing their mate. They are extremely loyal and have very low “divorce” rates. The young geese will generally return to the same nesting sites as their parents. There is caring for those who are weaker. I loved hearing the geese having discussions in the mornings.
Watching the Trumpeter Swans gives me so much joy. They are so elegant and graceful. Because they are snow white, they stand out from the crowd. They truly do sound like a trumpet blowing when they are flying overhead. They remind me to know who I am, stand apart from the crowd, live up to my standards as a daughter of God and get along with others.

Erik & I are in the midst of our own journey. Both of us are feeling the same right now. Last week, as I was driving to a massage appointment, I started my own pity party because my whole life that I knew was gone. I’ve had to give up everything that was familiar to me. Erik is now acknowledging that he too, is feeling the same way. But….I had to sell my motorcycle and he did not! See, that pity party is creeping in again. I had to stop myself and say out loud, “Your life is NOT gone, your life has changed!” True, our life is just different now. Everything that was comforting and was our routine is gone. Those things were just things…material things. Our relationship with God has strengthened. Our relationship with each other has strengthened.

Our daughter, Meaghan was talking to us at the end of August and said, “Mom, don’t worry about the house being perfect, just get it listed and on the market!” It struck a chord with me; that I knew that the Lord was sending another message to us.  I read a little blurb about humans being natural collectors. I think that stems from our hunter/gatherer days. Unfortunately, we have collected a lot of “stuff” over our 33 years of marriage. Sorting through it all is exhausting! In mid November, I was walking the dog one morning. The solitude is a perfect opportunity to commune with God and have a discussion about how life is going and what He wants me to do. I said to the Lord that we were about to put our house on the market. I asked Him if this selling was going to be a long drawn out process or would things move quickly along. He answered me with, “You will be out of your house before Christmas, by December 18.” I said, “Wow, we have a LOT to do!” He replied, “Yes, you do, now go home and get to work!” We listed our home and within 3 days it was sold. The closing date is December 18! I still get a thrill and a giggle out of how the Lord knows everything. Now, we are working our little hearts out, to sell our belongings and pack what we think we should keep.

We’ve had an opportunity to meet with the new owners of our property and I am so thrilled to know how their lives have synced with ours in this whole process. The Lord’s hand has been involved in both of our lives to make this happen. They too, have a love of the Lord and recognize His influence in their lives. I cannot overemphasize the tender mercies of the Lord and His deliverance of joy and caring in our lives. I know that He has important work in these latter days for His disciples. As Christians, we need to band together and strengthen each other, uplift and share the goodness that happens from having Christ in our lives. It is through His Atonement that we have a hope for the eternities. I will stand firm and in holy places to receive the blessings that I know will be forthcoming to those who follow the Lord and proclaim His goodness and mercy.

We keep hearing, “Well….good luck with everything!” I know that people are well meaning but in my mind, we don’t need luck. The Lord has us in His hand and He will provide all that we need. We will do the work that needs to be done for our progress and the Lord allows us the opportunity to continue in our learning process. I always think of the scripture Matthew 6:26, “Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are you ye not much better than they?” He loves us because we are His children and will provide. Sometimes we need help from others and this helps us to have humility. Most importantly, we need to have faith, unwaveringly. Somedays, Erik and I feel very inadequate because of all that needs to be done. One chore after another and soon it will be done. Go forth and have faith. We are trying our best and hope all of you may do the same. Be of good courage and help to strengthen one another. Give service and help others to feel a little better. This season of the year certainly reminds us of having the spirit of love within us. To carry it throughout the year is to better ourselves and become closer to God.

We had been so focused on the task at hand for months. Closing the quilt shop turned out to be a VERY exhaustive process. Even Erik, said that he didn’t realize how much energy it was going to take to close the store and deal with everything there. By the end of June we had closed the store and had rented a sea can to store all the inventory. Erik had been extremely worried about the inventory regarding where it’s final destination was going to be. I had been sitting at church one Sunday and was asking the Lord if He had a buyer for the inventory and he said that He did. At that point I quit stressing about it. As sometimes in life, we feel like we just live from one crisis to another; it is exhausting to live that way or to have that mindset. We did have other goals that needed to be met and needed to shift our focus from the store to our home and job search.

BUT….as life goes, it’s not all about moving and finding a job. Erik was booked into the West Coast Trail for the second week of August. This hike is 77 kilometers long and takes about a week for the average hiker. The preparation that goes into doing this feat is enormous. It’s enormous if you want to be successful (clarification needed). Everything that is packed in must be packed out. Only a certain number of people are given permits each year to hike the trail. Members of our family had done the hike in 2006 and wanted to do a 10 year reunion of the trail, but Erik said that this was the year to do it. Thus the preparations began and the progress slowed on our move. There were many phone calls between Dad and the Trail kids giving pep talks and figuring out equipment. We had a cousin coming from Germany to do the trail as well. The excitement was building and it wasn’t for the task at hand.

This is Erik preparing a tent for hiking.

One of our children, her husband and our grandchildren made a move at the end of June and left Calgary to go to Victoria. They were moving for the west coast lifestyle, sold their home and bought another on Vancouver Island. It was sad to see them go, as we tend to be a close knit family, having family dinners each month to celebrate birthdays, and to catch up with what is going on in everyone’s lives. Another distraction….

A dear friend was getting married and I decided to attend the wedding. Erik headed to Vancouver Island for the hike and I headed to the airport for a flight to the wedding.  All of this was eating into our time that we probably should have been working on our move.  After the wedding, I had a couple of days at the lake before flying to Victoria to meet up with my husband. While on the Island, we had to opportunity to visit with both family and friends.  Up to Comox to see Erik’s mother, then on to Qualicum Beach to visit my dear friend Julie and her husband Dave. From there we went to see Erik’s sister who lives in Cowichan Bay. Her husband took us out boating to go crabbing. We caught a mother lode in the trap and had quite the feast.

Then we headed back to Victoria to see our daughter’s family again. There is something about that West Coast lifestyle…no screens on the windows because they don’t have weird bugs trying to get into your house to eat you. Although, the first night in Victoria, I got up at 4:30 am and decided to visit the biffy. As I approach the bedroom door, I hear a soft meow and then another. I said to Erik, `Do they have a cat?” “No!”, he replied. I opened the door and there was the most gorgeous long haired, tuxedo cat standing there looking up at me. I bent down to pet the cat and it started purring right away. I’m wondering how the cat got in the house! Open doors…open windows….hmmmm.  Erik got up to take the cat outside and we settled back down again.

We didn’t seem to be in any hurry to head back to the mainland. Usually, Erik is the antsy one and ready to head home but he wasn’t making any indications that he was ready to go. More days went by and finally we decided to make the trip back to Alberta. We thought that we would catch the noon ferry, but that came and went while we were at the beach with our grandchildren. Then the one o’clock ferry came and went….finally, Erik said, “We better get moving to catch the two o’clock ferry.” We drove straight onto the ferry with no wait time. Kamloops was the place to rest our head that night. Everyone on the Island wanted us to move there and so when we got home I went online to look at real estate. We got the idea in our heads that maybe we should sell everything in Alberta and buy property on the Island. I did find a beautiful ocean front property in Cowichan Bay that brought tears to my eyes with the view to the ocean. Now we had questions…what to do?

While at the temple, I sat and pondered our situation. I asked the Lord what we should be doing. He replied, “Stay the Course! No more distractions, do what I asked you to do.” Well, that was pretty clear! We came home with a renewed fervor to make progress. Our original goal was to have our house ready to sell by June 1. That date came and went and then we thought maybe we could get it done before the West Coast Trail trip…nope! So here we are in the middle of September and still working away. The weather is starting to turn against us as far as the outdoor work; fickle Alberta weather.

I’ve discovered that I’m very good at “work distraction”. I can find very good and worthwhile activities to do instead of doing the job that most needs to be done. In this whole process, we’ve discovered that despite this huge change happening in our lives, laundry still needs to be done, meals still need to be cooked, toilets still need cleaning, and I’m thankful that the Lord knows that too. Focus, focus, focus…

I love how the Lord brings people into your life to help you with learning. While in Lacombe for church, I introduced myself to a gentleman that had worked in Dubai and had taken his family with him. He introduced me to his wife and she was so excited to tell us how wonderful it is there and how amazing the church is there with all the members. It touched my heart so deeply because it was another witness as to the Lord’s plan for us. While we deal with our distractions, it helps to know of the love that God has for us to keep us moving forward.

In mid July, I was worried that I didn’t seem to be progressing very well on the sorting and packing of our home. I felt like I was slogging through mud each day instead of being my usual cheery self. Then one day I took a trip into Calgary to do a few errands. I met some amazing people on that journey and by the last errand at Costco, I was helping the girl doing demonstrations for pressure cookers. I was talking to people and drawing them into the demonstration. As I was getting to know the demo girl, she asked me about what I was doing in my life and so I told her about how God has directed us to move to the middle east. She got so excited and told me that she too prays for guidance and that she could feel that I was surrounded by spirits who were protecting me. Amazing, who you run into! As I was driving home, I came to the realization that I missed people. After 15 years of having a retail business and talking to people, I missed talking to people and getting to know them.  That brought peace to my soul to discover why I had been feeling a little blue and that I needed to get out and visit with people.

I think that a bit of a break from renos and packing was good, but it is definitely time to focus and get crack-a-lackin’ along. We are so close to a breakthrough that I can nearly taste it. Do you have distractions in your life that are preventing you from reaching your potential? Sometimes we need to work just a little harder to go around or even through some of the obstacles that are thrown at us. Some obstacles are of our own making but we need to persevere to achieve great blessings. One of the thoughts that always comes to my mind is to think of how much you love your children and grandchildren and how you would do nearly anything to ensure their happiness. How much greater is our Father in heaven’s love for us! He who is of infinite love, wants most especially for us to experience joy and love. Sometimes the greater joy comes after great adversity but only if we learn to rely on the Lord for all. Knowing that He wants the best for us will ultimately help us to overcome if we rely on the arm of the Lord. Wallowing in self pity doesn’t get us very far and remember the Lord doesn’t want us to muck about feeling bad but the adversary certainly loves it when we feel rotten and spread that little black cloud of gloom around. Life is to have joy and to make progress to become the best that we can be. So…spread your sunshine and go forth being sunny and bright!

After receiving confirmation that the Lord did indeed want us to go to Dubai, we considered how and when that was going to happen. In our naivety, we thought that we might be able to consolidate our lives in approximately two or three years.  The thought of moving was still like a mustard seed; very tiny but with great potential. Late in November 2014, I was driving home from work and received an urgent feeling that I needed to start sorting out my sewing supplies and getting rid of household items. Being a dutiful daughter of God, (but can procrastinate like the best of them), I thought that I would start with the front entry closet. There are NO sewing supplies in that closet!  I sorted through everything and gathered a huge bag of shoes; many hundreds of dollars worth of footwear. I donated everything except my motorcycle boots and my sandals. I thought that I was off to a rocking start. Not much more happened after that. It was inventory time at the store and Christmas was soon upon us.

By early January, we were at the temple and enjoying our time with close friends. I sat and asked the Lord how we were doing with His plan. Were we moving fast enough? He immediately responded with, “No, you’re not! Move faster!” Then He showed me two more visions; one was of the bow of a boat moving through water. It was a closed bow boat that I had never seen before. Then He showed me my husband walking along wearing a long light colored tunic and long light colored trousers. I marveled at these vistas, wondering what they could mean. When I returned home, I started searching online for Dubai websites and saw people wearing the clothing that I had seen Erik wearing in my vision.  My heart expanded and wonder filled my mind.

I had to decide about a trip to Florida for the end of January and thought that I probably shouldn’t go due to cost and expense for my store. As I prayed about whether to go, the Lord affirmed to me that, yes, I needed to go.  So, after some legwork, I was able to share the cost with a fellow shop owner and prepared to attend this seminar. The first two days that I was there, I received a distinct feeling that we were not going to live in Olds for even the remainder of this year. This was a little unsettling as we thought we had some time to make our changes. After the second day, I asked the Lord, “When are we moving?”  As I sat quietly waiting for an answer, He showed me a pie chart, which had January at the bottom. As I looked at it, there was an arm that started at January and worked itself around to past half way. I said, “That’s August!” He replied, “Yes, it is.” WELL….it was actually very comforting to know that we had a definite timeline.  The next day, my husband had been trying to get me on my phone. I wasn’t answering because of being in the seminar. After I turned on my ringer and saw all the missed calls, I went to the lobby to phone him. He said to me, “I’ve been trying to reach you all day! Do you remember how God said that I needed to change jobs?” “Yes,” I replied. Erik then said, “Well, today I lost my job!” All I could say was, “Oh, boy!” Erik replied, “He’s kicked His plan into high gear!!”  My adrenaline rush hit me hard, as I contemplated what this meant for us. I wasn’t feeling fearful that my husband had no work, because I knew that the Lord had a plan for us. I was feeling like I needed to be home to just be in the same room as my husband and start working on the future.

While in Florida, one of my sisters, phones me one night. We start talking about all the things that are going on and to be honest, I felt like all of a sudden, life was zooming right along and was what I had experienced real. Did the Lord really show me these things? Does He really want us to move halfway around the world? It started to feel a wee bit overwhelming. My sister has not been active in church for 35 years and has never been in a temple. Then words come out of her mouth that stun me, because I never thought that I would hear her say what she did. She says, “Cheryl, you know how sacred the temple is, right?” “Uh-huh,” comes my reply (dubious thoughts about where this is going). Then the zinger….”Cheryl, you have to know that whatever God shows you or tells you in the temple is absolute truth.”  I was gobsmacked!  I contemplated her words and by the next day, the Lord confirmed to me that my sister was His messenger for letting me know that, yes, indeed, life was about to change and that He had a plan for us. From then on, I had no doubts at all.

By early February, we sit down with realtors to get some advice on where to start and what to do with all of our properties. I felt like we received some sound advice and we proceeded to make lists of what needed to be done.  Erik started figuring out the budget for renovations. We have an amazing house with great bones and a lovely layout, but it was definitely time for an updated kitchen and bathrooms.  By mid February, the realtor phones us to ask if he can show our building the next day. We ask, “What building?” “The one where your store is,” came his reply. I simply shrugged and said, “Why not?” We didn’t have it listed but knew that the Lord was pushing us along. The gentlemen came the next day and then placed an offer on the building. Okaaaay….now we have to deal with the business.  The economy was in the toilet with thousands laid off from the oil patch, how was this going to happen?  I did feel a surety that everything would work out, no need to panic. But the human side of us kicks in, and I remember going to the store one morning and seeing the $275,000 (my cost) in inventory, I sat in my office and cried. You can only cry for so long before a headache will appear, so practical Cheryl says, “Pull it together, Woman! You have a job to do, and remember the big Guy is on your side!”

Erik was working on renovations all winter and into spring. He wanted to get the basement renovations done first. Two years ago, we ripped out all the cedar tongue and groove paneling that lined two basement walls (intermingled with mirrored glass tiles sections, very 70’s!). The paneling was glued on, thus that led to all the drywall being torn out. As Erik was looking for drywall installers, he finds a son of a church friend who says that he could do the job because none of his drywall contractors wanted to do such a small job. He came on the following Tuesday and then a drywaller called to say that yes, he actually would take the job of mudding. The drywall was hung on Tuesday and the mudder came the next day. It is not an easy feat to get contractors to come right away and get the job done. Tender mercies!

In April, I started to get antsy about the kitchen renovation. One day, while standing there looking at the kitchen, the Lord says to me, “You don’t have time to do the kitchen renovation that you want to do.” My whiny voice appeared, “Well, we’ve already ripped out half the sunshine ceiling. What do you want us to do?” The Lord instructed me to call Greenwood Furniture. I’ve known Jack and his family for years and know of the quality work that they produce, so I went to their website and saw what they did to some kitchens. Erik agreed to call them. He called them on a Wednesday. By Thursday, they were at our home, doing preliminary measurements and a photo shoot. By Friday, they had a quote ready. By Saturday morning, we were sitting in their office going over the quote and then Jack shows us his calendar and explains that they had a family booked in for Monday but they’d had a delay in their project and they could start our job by Monday! By Saturday afternoon, we agreed to the contract and they came out to do final measurements. By Monday all the materials had been ordered.  On Sunday, Erik and I were sitting in Sacrament meeting and we slowly turn and look at each other and start grinning. Erik says, “Of, course that family had a delay….”  Everything was falling into place in the Lord’s time frame.

While cabinets were in preparation, we needed to tear out all the light fixtures in the kitchen and take out the drywall. Our drywall guy said that he couldn’t get to us for 6 weeks because he was doing a big job for his brother. Now what?  Two days later, he phones us back and said that his leave that he applied for came through and that he could come in two days to do the ceiling. It’s seems to be one miracle after another!  We made a run into Calgary to go look at granite and quartz for the counter top. A more glorious sight, I don’t think I’ve ever seen. If you ever want to see the hand of the Lord at work, wander through a granite warehouse.  I made a choice and we were off to the races. The quotes came from two different businesses. While I was at a Rotary conference, Erik calls to ask what we should do. One company could install by that Thursday; the other would be two weeks off. I said to take the soonest possible as the Lord’s time seems to be quite precious. When I came home, I had the big reveal…I laid my face on the granite and inhaled. I daresay, I licked it too! You know that saying, “Once you lick it, it’s yours!” I heard that courtesy of Kaye England and use it to my advantage.

Many people have said to me, Why go to all this work, only to sell it to someone else?” There are many reasons, but according to my Papa, “Always leave a place better than when you found it.” Yes, it looks stunning, but I know that the Lord has a need for us to be somewhere else. I don’t feel anxious about doing all this and leaving it behind. There is a purpose for it, probably more than one. One of my friends came into the store one day and said, “Don’t worry about WHEN something will happen, because down the road, you will see that certain things had to happen first before THAT could happen. True words, my friend! All will be revealed in the Lord’s time and right now it feels like we are on a roller coaster zooming along.

Everyday is not a bed of roses filled with happiness. We all experience anxiety to some degree. Some days, Erik is in panic mode and I am the calm one and on other days it is reversed. I have suggested that when we get up in the morning that we look at each other and ask whose day it is to be in panic mode, because only one of us at a time is allowed.  Starting the day with prayer and scriptures definitely calms our souls and minds and prepares us for what He needs us to do that day.  So, from our little baby steps, we have progressed to giant leaps. My husband looked at me recently and told me how he appreciates my surety in the Lord and my faith. I know that the Lord will not fail me but I must constantly be on guard against the adversary who does not want us to progress. Who do I choose to follow? Definitely and without a doubt, the Lord!