Saying Goodbye

This last week we sent Elder Walker on his way. On Sunday he had his mission farewell talk and then we had an open house after wards. Then on Wednesday we took him down to the MTC. Both them were wonderful experiences and I am glad to have been a part of them.

Last Sunday morning we were all running around the house setting up the last minute things for the open house and making sure that we had everything ready to go. We knew that we would be having around 100 or so people in the house that afternoon and we wanted to make sure that they would all have a place to go. As we were getting before the meeting at one, people started coming over to the house. They wanted to make sure that we had what we needed and were just dropping off a little something extra. Everyone of them said something great about Chris and all that he has done for the ward. Everyone of them was happy to be a part of his life and the things that he was doing. It was great to hear and to know that so many people loved and supported my brother in all that he is doing with his life.

At the church family and friends arrived to listen to the words that Chris had to say. His talk went really well and the feeling of the spirit was strong and happy. He did a great job talking about sacrifice and keeping his cool throughout it. Afterwards we all headed over tot he house for some great food and even better company. The house was packed full with people who were there to show there love to Chris and to tell him goodbye. It was an amazing thing to watch all of the people that came to support my brother and our family. We are truly blessed and grateful to all of those who came. It meant a lot to us to have you there and it meant a lot to Chris to be able to see all of you before he left. So thank you for coming!

On Tuesday night Chris was set apart as a Missionary. The stake president and his counsels gave him some great words of advice about staying close to the savior and standing up for what he knows to be right. After he was set apart we went home and started to pack his bags. My mom was worried about all of the stuff fitting into the two suitcases and not being over weight. but being the amazing packer that she is, she was able to get the weight evenly distributed to the two cases. In the end each of them weighed about 45 pounds. And that is with the heavy winter coat and boots in them. Then on Wednesday we took Elder Walker down to the MTC.

I ended up going to class that morning to turn in some papers that were due, but I was able to get away and meet every one for lunch. We all meet at Applebee's at 11 to eat and spend time with Chris before we said goodbye. The food was great but the company was even better. I love spending time with my brother and it was great to eat with him for one last time.





After lunch we headed down to the MTC in Provo. We got down there just in time to take some pictures before we had to drop him off. We all gathered at the park across form the MTC and took our photos with him. Then we walked him across the street and into the MTC parking lot. That was as far as we were allowed to go. From there they had another missionary come over and get Chris. We all gave him our hugs and sent our good luck wishes with him. Then we stood and watched as the two elders went walking into the doors of the MTC. And that was goodbye.

I will miss my brother with all my heart. He is a great guy and an even better friend. But I know that he will do well in the mission field. He cares so much about people and loves to help them succeed. I know that he well love the people that he comes to met and teach throughout the next two years. He will be a great missionary and he will be able to bless the lives of many. And knowing that makes me happier than anything. I am proud to call Elder Walker my brother.

Making Dinner

Si tonight i got home after a long day at the elementary school. I never realized how much drama ten year old's can have in their lives. Trust me, if you do not think that they can have a lot going on, you are wrong. Anyway, after i came home i just sat on the couch for awhile and watched T.V. At about 6 i figured that i should go and make myself dinner before i went to institute. I also figured that i could make enough for lunch tomorrow. That way i would not have to buy anything and i wouldn't starve while i was at school. The next thing to do was to decide what to make.

I wandered into the kitchen and after a look through the fridge and cupboards i settled on my fall back plan. spaghetti and chicken. easy and quick to make. I started to get the things out to make my meal. I proceed to turn on the oven and place a pan of water on the stove to heat up. i then went to sit on the couch and wait for the water to boil. I was watching T.V. and on the next commercial i looked over to check how things were coming along. I saw some steam rising and thought it was time to put the spaghetti in the pot. When i got to the oven i started to realize that the steam i was seeing was not steam at all. What it really was was smoke coming from the oven. This is the oh crap moment.

After a quick inspection of the stove top i knew that the smoke was not coming from the burner but from the inside. I couldn't think of what would be burning because i had not put anything into the oven yet. I pulled open the door and a huge burst of steam came pouring out. And it stunk! It smelt really bad. But i knew this smell. I had smelt it before. It was the same smell of plastic melting in the dishwasher. Know why would that smell be coming from the oven you ask?? Well that is what i wondered. Once the smoke cleared a little i was able to look inside and see what was burning. Expect that it was really burning. It was melting. And what is it that was melting you ask?? well, it was a kitchen tile. Yes, a kitchen tile. One of those linoleum kind that you can just pill off the paper and stick to the floor. now why this was in the oven, i do not know. But there it was. Sitting on the rack melting away and starting to drip down onto the bottom. for the life of me, i couldn't figure out what i was supposed to do next. So, i called for chris. He's smart, he could figure it out. So chris come running and after looking into the oven starts laughing his head off. I mean, who wouldn't. There is a tile melting in the oven. He ended up grabbing it with a towel and pulling it out. We took it out to the front porch so that it would no longer stink up the house.

So now the chicken was no longer an option. I figured that i could still have the spaghetti. the water wasn't boiling yet so i went back to the couch to wait for it to do so. Once i got to the next commercial i went to check on the water again figuring that it should be ready by now for the pasta. Well i got over there and the water was not ready. In fact it was not doing anything. No bubbles at all. not even a flicker of a bubble in the water. So i checked the burner. Not even hot. Not even warm. In fact, it was still cold. So i then checked the knobs to make sure that i had turned the right one on. I had. I proceed to check the other burners and it turns out that they were not working.

That is about the moment that i gave up on dinner. I figured that at this point it just wasn't worth it. so in the end, i had toast instead with a cookie on the side. I think from now on that will be my fall back plan for dinner.