We rented a car (since Gaye and I have decided that one car is all that we need because we commute to work together) and we were off at 5:00 am after a late night (11:00 pm) finishing up work and a really early morning (2:00 am) to do some work tasks before leaving. We took the Lee's Ferry route rather than the Page or Las Vegas routes because Google suggested it and because I don't usually go that way. The view from the west of Lee's Ferry back toward the east was splendid and so we made a quick stop to take the shot and see what was at the local roadside stands there.
When we arrived in Provo we had some time after checking into our Residence Inn to grab something to eat. We chose a place about a block west of the hotel. It was named Zupas and they are a gourmet sandwich, soup and salad place. I chose the Lobster Bisque and a Turkey, Bacon and Avocado sandwich with Honey Mustard dressing and a couple of strawberries covered in chocolate. Q had the same sandwich with a salad. He did not miss out on the extra strawberries, either. The soup was to die for and the sandwich was simply fantastic. It is a good thing that there is not one of these places in Mesa or Gaye could retire from cooking. But she'd have to get a second job to pay for my new addictive habit. It was really yummy-good.
The party/reunion was wonderful with one minor exception: not a single companion of mine was able to attend. I did see many people I know and loved from the mission but I missed those who I worked with. I imagine that Harry Payne would have been there if he could have made it and perhaps was. He always loved a good gathering and a good laugh.As you can see, President and Sister O'Brien are looking great - healthy and happy. It was wonderful to talk with each of them again and hear their thoughts about the mission. It is said that no other mission president has been so successful in that mission as President O'Brien was.
John Lewis, one of my zone leaders, was there (on the left) and Rick Steadman, our mission musician, was also there. Rick, along with Carol Sanders Cluff and Roger Johnson and some others, master-minded this gathering. Thank you!
Chris (Millet) Kirschbaum also attended. She has lived for many years in Alaska and has recently moved to Utah again. She was one of the great sisters who was in my district. She and her companion had an exciting incident at their apartment in St. Gallen. They had to heat their hair curlers by boiling them in a pan on the stove to get them hot and moist so their hair would curl. They got forgotten and burned uo leaving this horrible residue all over the walls of their apartment. It would not scrub off. They called us and we came over from Herisau and we spent our P-Day helping them re-paint their apartment kitchen. That was a blast and so funny. It was the district humor for sometime after that.
Lynn Fredrickson (center) was one of those elders that was a bit earlier in the mission than I was and seemed elusive because I saw him at mission conferences but never worked with him. He was a great elder and worked hard but, unfortunately, I never got to know him well. He has been back to Switzerland more than 40 times since his mission, mostly on business with Hewlett-Packard. He also lived in Belgium for a while. The Elder on the left (Elder Stewart?) was another that I heard about but never got to serve with. I guess that you can't work with everyone. Too bad!
The grand-children of the O'Brian's performed some musical numbers for their grandpa. It was very fun and funny. One was a rendition of, My Favorite Things from the Sound of Music but with adjustments to make it personal to their grandpa.
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