Contrasts

We had another great weekend! On Friday night, Roy and his son Samuel showed up from Colorado. Doug bought a used Ford 12 passenger van in Colorado, Roy checked it out, bought it and drove in to Salt Lake. He slept over on Friday. Saturday we split for the morning. He went down to BYU to have a "Daddy Daughter Date" with Lexie who is at the "Y".

Mom and I drove up to the Ogden Temple and went to a wedding of one of our Sister Missionaries. It was very sweet and moving and I was surprised as to the depths of my feelings. As Mission President and wife, you sometimes, somehow adopt these young missionaries and look after them during a critical time in their life. This was one I looked after. We had not seen her for four years but the reunion was joyful and very moving. We were so proud of her and shared the happiness of the family. It was a wonderful wedding.

Then to the more arcane, we motored back to Salt Lake, Roy came back and of course it was off to the shooting range where we experimented with various rifles and handloads. That is always fun. Roy brought his special Blaser sniper rifle. Little Sam did some shooting. He hit a "charging milk container" full of water with the 410 shotgun. It is just plain fun. I agree with what President Teddy Roosevelt advised, "Every young boy should learn how to ride and shoot!"

Afterward it was again contrasts. Mom and Al went to the church Women's Conference. I took Roy to the U of U football game and we sat in the box. One goes there to watch football but mainly to see friends from all over and just chat and have fun.

Sunday, Roy returned, I went to Paul's ward and taught Cheryl's marriage preparation class. I gave one couple a private session as how the suitor talks to the future Father in Law. Ahhh the memories.

Love, Dad











Here is Sam taking a bead on a target 100 yards away with Roy's Gourmet sniper rifle

Sundays Are Busy

We seem to stack up a lot of activity on Sunday. It is a busy day almost as busy as in the mission field in Germany and Austria.

It started out at 7:30 AM with a Stake PEC. Then from 9:30 to 12:30 I attend Paul's ward and that is always interesting. Cheryl gave the marriage prep class on the importance of families eating together. Bunch of kids are engaged to get married in that class.

Then I took Paul F. with me to speak in another singles ward from 1:00 to 2:10. He does a nice job telling how he joined the church.. we like to emphasize missionary work.

Then back home only to drive back again at 4:30 for a stake missionary meeting. Then back home and at 7:00 PM a missionary fireside in which David and Ann W. spoke on their experience as president of the Nauvoo temple. We belong to two missionary groups: one when I was a younger missionary 53 years ago and a second group of missionaries who came as I was leaving but many of whom I picked up at the Basel Bahnhof as they arrived on their missions.

It is interesting when they come up to you (and I have not seen them for 50 years) and say, "Hey do you remember the time when you took us tracting in Linz, Austria?" "Ahhh seems to have slipped my mind" and then there are bone numbing details that proved I got through to them at the time. It is amazing how these men remember the details of their missions and talk about them like it was yesterday. "Remember the great meal we had in Salzburg after zone conference? Gemischtes Fleisch mit Pomme Frittes fuer zwei for a dollar?" I well remembered that one and the meal for two was eaten by single missionary. It was a mixed grill with all sorts of grilled meats in the center with piles of French Fries on each end. We had to fast for zone conferences in those days.

"Remember our Hausfrau... Frau....? She used to cook our meals, shine our shoes, draw our bath water and even offered to come in and scrub our backs but we said no to that one!" Those were the days.

Many of these men went on to do interesting things in life and several returned as Mission Presidents. One is serving as Mission President for the second time and is currently Temple Square Mission President. This is a mission with all Sister Missionaries and only sisters. They come from all over the world and are great. He told me they had one there from mainland China. They had about 20 - 30,000 visitors from mainland China last year. They had about 20,000 from Germany and there are German, Austrian and Swiss Sister missionaries. They send out 30,000 referrals each year.

These Sister Missionaries wear the flag of their country on their name tag. Once James F (age 6 at the time). went up to one and asked what it was like to live in Zambia. "How did you know I come from Zambia?" "I memorized the flags of all the countries on CIA.com".

Forgot to mention that on Saturday night, we drove to North Ogden and gave a stake fireside on Joseph Smith's surgery...

It was a busy weekend

Alles Gute, Dad

THIS ONE DID NOT GET SENT

This is the family exactly 20 years ago. The occasion was a family Christmas photo. To keep all together, I allowed a funny face shot.

The only ones who could not make a funny face were Cheryl and Mom.

Mary is there with a shiner and facial scrapes from a spill on her bike. This picture was not sent as the official family photo and I found it in a pile of old pictures. I believe it shows how they all truly felt at the moment.

They are all married now with children of their own. What a joy.

Alles Gute, Dad

BALANCING CHURCH MEETINGS, DRIVING AND EVERYTHING ELSE

The pace seems to be brisk. There have been many church meetings the last two days as we have had regional conferences, stake conferences and leadership training meetings.

Yesterday, Saturday morning, there was a regional leadership meeting at the Conference Center for 73 stakes. Chris, one of the members of Paul's ward took me down through all the traffic and we attended a great meeting. Elder Hinckley, Ballard and President Monson spoke and I took so many notes that I ran out of ink. I saw many people I knew.

That afternoon, another family event was planned in the last minute. Following the BYU, UCLA football game (BYU shellacked UCLA 59 - 0), we heard Mike and Emily and their families were having a barbecue at his home in Mapelton. Doug has two Doctors from China visiting him and he thought they might like to go to a barbecue and he invited us as well. More food was purchased and we all drove down in Doug's van. The kids were hollering, there was a fast and spirited conversation going on in Chinese and it reminded me of old times.

Doug is going to China and taking Douglas and Becca with him on about the 12th of October.

He will also be taking Mom and me as we have decided to visit Beijing for a week and tickets and hotels have been ordered. More about that later.

This Sunday, it was split and divide again. Mom got up to take Mike to the Airport (he is going to Johns Hopkins for a meeting) and then she came back and picked up Doug's kids, took them to church in their ward and back home (Doug went to Minneapolis to a training meeting).

I went to a stake conference in Taylorsville where Jon H. was on assignment and he took Elder Wirthlin with him and I wanted to hear them both speak. When I got there, it was a full meeting and local leaders and youth took up the first hour. Then Karen H. spoke, followed by Jon H., Elder Wirthlin's son in law and daughter, then he asked me to speak as well and then Elder Wirthlin. It was a surprise and I did not have a prepared talk but all did well and there was a good spirit there. A bunch of Armenian members came up afterward to greet Jon H; one that I had met a few years ago in Armenia had moved to Utah.

Then I went to the broadcast of the regional conference in our home ward and that was terrific with Elder Hinckley again, Elder Ballard and President Monson. It was just a wonderful Sunday.

When I got home, Doug's kids were watching Mom who passed out for a bit. We had a great Sunday dinner; Doug's kids, Lexie came up from the "Y" with her roommate and then Cheryl and Paul came with their family and it was an old fashion Sunday feed.

It is wonderful to have things going on and this weekend was another corker. Church was absolutely wonderful... we feel blessed

Alles Gute, Dad

SOCCER MOMS, BALLET MOMS AND FOOTBALL DADS

With the start of school, the frenetic driving has started for all our families. There are those that drive for soccer. Now however we have a Ballet Mom! Madeline and Annabelle won spots in this years Nutcracker ballet. Cheryl has to drive to the Capital Theater everyday for practices. That is in addition to all the other driving for the other events. Emily's kids are still in soccer and Rachel as well in Mapleton.

Paul Jr. plays little league football. I watched his team win 51 to 0 on Saturday and he ran one in for a touchdown. Doug in addition to his busy surgical practice has decided to be an assistant football coach for Douglas's junior high school football team. There he has a chance to teach life's lessons couched in football perspective: teamwork, focus, giving it your best, take a hit and get up, and accomplishment. Douglas is a scrappy player and his Dad has checked out of life until the end of the football season.

Mom and I went to the U of U football game on Saturday. We were in the box right next to the University of Utah big wigs box. It is such a pleasant way to watch a football game. They serve food at the beginning of the game. We sat at a table and then were joined by Elder Wirthlin, his son and my cousin Gwen. So much fun and Elder Wirthlin is still a great football fan.

As we were sitting there, we were joined by President Uchtdorf and his wife. He is quite a man, very social, greeting everyone and just having a good time with this American pastime. I was surprised that he knew me and spoke to me in German. I do not believe I had met him before.

We talked about Germany for about 20 minutes. They had lived in Augsburg and we talked about the missionary work there. I told them the story of John and the Chinese fireside we had in Augsburg. He has a grandson in the Taiwan Taipei mission. We talked about the Chinese and just had a great time.


During the game, Mom had this get together with the other gals there and it was like a mini Relief Society meeting. I had fun watching them as well as the game. Here she is with Bonnie P., Gayle P. and Karen H. all decked out in University of Utah crimson.

Here is to Sport and Ballet Moms, and Football Dads supporting their kids in school!

Love Dad

BACK TO SCHOOL...HIGH ANXIETY

The kids are back in school and it is interesting to observe all the concerns. Mary put David into Conant Elementary in Bloomfield Hills where she had gone. The Kindergarten teachers do not sound the same. Paul Jr. is in a different private school, "because I want an education" that he did not think he would get in the public school... which is admirable. Madeline is in public Junior High and seems so much happier. Jeff sent a bunch of pictures of Tammy seeing Julius and Zander off on the school bus looking wistfully on. I passed Doug's kids all walking to school the other day and they waved and hollered as a group

Mom of course was a great battler with the schools and she was well known at the PTA and all the schools and did it in such a way that she was loved and appreciated by all. I went to one high school evaluation night after I retired and the teachers said, "Oh Dr. Wirthlin.. so nice to finally meet you!". I was known by the people who dealt with sports as I went to all the sports activities and worked as the Doc for the football team but did not do battle with the teachers.

It is hard not to think back to when I was a kid going to public school in Flushing, New York. My Dad was busy with his surgical practice and Mom did not drive (or have an extra car) so we walked from 159Th Street to 171st street to PS 132. That was of course all the time, rain, shine sleet or snow. People hate hearing this but it does not seem like so long ago and there were not a lot of choices then. We just went and did what the teachers asked without evaluating their performance or whether they liked us or not. You just went and tried to do your best...my mother never went to a PTA meeting or student review...I do not think they had them.

We all survived and thrived. There may be too many choices in life now days and the variety of choices in all aspects of life makes it harder to move forward. Like trying to walk past a 12 foot smorgasbord table with tons of goodies to choose from.

Here is to mothers and the opening of school!

Never Ending Summer

The grand kids are back in school. Doug is an assistant Junior High School football coach and has checked out of life until the end of November. And with the Labor Day holiday over maybe this great summer season is over.

It has been one of constant family activity all over the map.

For the Labor Day holiday, Al and her family went up to visit Jeff and Rob and their families in Spokane, Washington. Paul, Rob and Jeff watched the Univeristy of Utah versus the University of Michigan football game on Rob's plasma TV screen.

After the U of M loss, little James wondered if Rob's living room was cursed as that was the second time the Fredenbergs watched the U of M lose a football game while watching it in Rob's living room. Rob said they had 13 little kids all the same age running around. They had a riotous weekend.

We went to Bear Lake with Mike and Rayanne and their kids. It was so much fun! Rayanne brought food she put together from her bounteous garden. We drove the kids around the fields on ATV's and the Induna safari car. Mike did some electrical work. We of course watched Mr. Bean clips and Mr. Beans Holiday.

We went to church in the St. Charles ward where there were 1000 gathered. The Bishop approached me at the beginning and said that their main speaker had not arrived and would I be prepared to speak if he did not show up. Love that ward and luckilly the High Councilman showed up.

We came back via Deer Valley where Cheryl hosted another feast and family get together. Doug, Cathy, Rebecca and their kids were there as well as Cheryl and Paul and all their gang. I think there were 21 kids there. Paul was at the barbecue and had flank steak, planked salmon, hamburgers and hot dogs. Dips, salads, grilled corn on the cob and it was a most excellent feast. Cheryl reported that her baby, Jonathan, has the Wirthlin eating gene yet another family gene but generally shared by all around.

When we said goodbye, it was like the never ending summer of family activities had actually come to an end... what a great summer it has been and how richly blessed we are as a family.

Love Dad