Moving Day

May 13, 2013

Be still my heart!  I can't believe today is the day.  We have spent weeks sorting through things and putting them in piles of things we want to take to Italy, things we want to pack away, and things we want to throw away.  Bailey's Moving and Storage told us to put everything we wanted shipped to Italy in one room.  We did that and we had things piled on the bed and in piles on the floor and the closet was bulging.  But it's all gone now.  If we ever want to have clothes to wear again, we'll have to go to Rome to get them.

It's a strange sensation now that everything is gone.  There's no second guessing ourselves and wondering if we have everything we need because it's too late now.  I'm not a big fan of change, so this is difficult for me.  Michael just sees it as one step closer and he's so excited he can hardly stand it.

Arrivederci!

Stuck in an elevator . . . that's a new one!

May 6, 2013

Associate Italian Consul Michael Homer, Michael and Anna Kay Waddoups

We got stuck in an elevator.  It wasn't on my bucket list, but now that it's happened I'm going to write it down and then cross it off.

We had an appointment at the Judge Building in downtown Salt Lake City to meet with the Associate Italian Consul so we can get our Visa's to go to Italy.  Pres. and Sister Dibb, who will be going to the Italy Milan Mission and seven new Italian missionaries who have only been at the MTC for four days were all there.  Katy from the Church Office Building met us there with all the paperwork.  We signed papers and answered questions.  Everything went like clockwork--until we tried to leave.

When we got on the elevator to go back to the main floor, three men were already on the elevator.  We joked and said we hoped we didn't have too much weight.  Halfway between the second and first floor the elevator stopped.  We forced the door open and came face to face with solid concrete.  We found the emergency phone and called the operator who assured us she would get someone there immediately to help us.

It was pretty crowded on the elevator.  Pres. and Sister Dibb and Katy also got on the same elevator with us.  With the other three gentlemen, that made eight of us.  All the young missionaries got on the other elevator.

Twenty minutes later, the elevator started to move and we were free.  Unfortunately, there was no sign of the missionaries.  Katy was still searching for them when we left.

No doubt the fact that we got stuck in an elevator will be all over the mission before we arrive because the missionaries will be there for two weeks before we get there.

Does anybody know any good elevator jokes? 

April Conference

April 7-8, 2013

I love General Conference.  I feel so uplifted and ready to be a better person after listening to the wonderful messages.  Michael and I attended conference at the Conference Center on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.   The Sunday afternoon session is my favorite session.  When President Monson gives his closing remarks, my heart melts.

Called to Serve...Rome, Italy

February 16, 2013


It will be a long time before we forget this day.  We finally received our mission assignment.  We are going to Rome, Italy.

Skyping with Heather's family as we read mission call

We knew our assignment was eminent.  It was just two days later than we anticipated.  Steve Allen, director of the missionary department and our former stake president, had called to tell us congratulations and that we could expect it in the mail in a day or two.  Because it was being sent by FedX and we were in Salt Lake, we figured we would get it the next day on Valentine's Day.  Nope.  It didn't come.  I personally was okay with that because I had oral surgery that day and don't remember anything that happened for the whole day.  I was glad it didn't come on a day when I wouldn't remember anything about it.

We went to the MTC for training the next day and figured it would be there when we got home.  We did our training at the Provo MTC and then stopped at the Jordan River Temple and did the iniatory work on some of the family names that needed to be done.  We were so prepared to finally get home and find our assignment on the door step.  We had talked to the other couple that is learning Italian and knew they had received their assignment the day before.  The instructions said not to tell anyone where they were going prior to February 16th, so they didn't tell us where they were going.  We were so disappointed when we got home and it wasn't here.  Michael called the missionary department and they tracked it on the FedX website and told us it would be here by noon on Saturday, Feb. 16th.

We went to the health club to work out about 10:30 am and it wasn't here when we left, but when we returned shortly before noon it was on the doorstep.  It must have just come before we got home.  Wendi and Brian and their kids came right over.  We called Heather and had her family on skype when we opened it.

ROME, ITALY

We had always assumed we would be going to Italy, but we didn't know for certain.  When Michael was there on his mission 45 years ago, Italy was all one mission.  It was later divided into 4 missions and then consolidated into two missions--the Milan Mission and the Rome Mission.  Both missions are due to receive new presidents in July.  We kept thinking we would be called to the Rome Mission, but really didn't know.  After opening the letter, I was so relieved to know that our impressions had been correct.  It would have been a real downer if we had been wrong and hadn't received inspiration.  Michael told me Bruce R. McConkie would have been proud of me.  Several years ago when my brother, Layle, was called to be in the Stake Presidency in Afton, Wyoming, he called me in Salt Lake late on a Saturday night and asked if I could have my mom who was staying with me in Afton by 9:00 am the next morning.  It's a four hour drive.  We made it.  When we went to the setting apart performed by Elder McConkie, I asked him if he could just call and give us a little advance warning next time.  He looked right at me and told me I should be in tune with the spirit enough to know next time.  I'm glad I was listening to the spirit and knew we would be going to Rome.