Good Bye Martin's Cove!

Well today is the day we leave from the Wyoming Mormon trail Mission back to home in New Mexico. We have finished working on getting things done and training the Criddles as the new FM’s. I was a little worried as it got closer to the end that I might not get everything done but I barely slid under the wire finishing typing a document on the road home and emailing pictures of the document while driving. I will later email the whole document when I get home.

We had many express their love and well wishes as we got ready to go. Last night the Pace’s asked what time we would be leaving and we told them 7 a.m. Then Elder Sigmon asked if she would have the water heated for him. She told him she would. It is a joke between them but not really. She usually showers before him. When they were gone for about 3 days Karl said he really missed not having the Pace’s home because it took a long time for the water to heat up and she would have it already done for him. When I told that to Sister Pace she laughed and said “Yeah I turn it on and then do a few other things before I even come back.”

This morning when the alarm went off. True to her word I could hear the shower running. As we went out with the first last items we needed to pack I could see the Pace’s door wasn’t tightly shut. After a bit on one of the trips out they came out and Sister Pace said “you can’t escape are you leaving now?” When I told them we had some more things to pack she said “just knock on the door before you go.” Just a few minutes later my phone was ringing and Sister Bowden was asking when we were leaving. When I told her 7 a.m. she said not to leave before they came up.

We managed to get everything in comfortably into the bed and cab of the truck. We had the bikes on the car hauler trailer and Elder Hysell’s handcart sign screwed down to the trailer floor. We visited with the Paces for a bit. I told her we were one of her kids now and we expected Sunday phone calls! Sister Pace and I went and did one final walk through to make sure I hadn’t forgotten anything. When we came back to the kitchen she asked about the cabinets there. I said I thought I had gotten everything but to humor her I started opening cabinets and drawers. Then when I opened one drawer there were 3 things I would have forgotten. My power cord to my griddle, my canning funnel, etc. I couldn’t believe I would have left those things! Glad I looked! Thanks Sister Pace.

The Pace’s left and Elder Sigmon was going to load the car hauler and I was going to the FM office to print off a couple documents. Then the Bowden’s came up and we took a few pictures with them. Then Elder Bowden went to help load the car hauler and Sister Bowden came with me to print the documents. We talked about how we could get together again sometime in the future. So we will see each other again. Maybe in Hawaii.

Sister Bowden and I

Even the deer were out early to say good bye once more.

I couldn’t ask for a better send off. Visiting with the Paces and then as we drove away the Lashers and Bowdens waving and then going through the flags on either side of the road. 

This is the car hauler. We did manage to ride our bikes twice. We just were much busier this year with our duties. The handcart sign is a piece of Elder Hysell we got to take home and put in our garage. We will treasure his beautiful work.

As we have been driving you have a lot of time to think and talk. One thought I had was how long it has been since we retired. We figured out it has been 2 years and 3 months. Then I mentioned we served 2 missions in those 2 years. Crazy. Then Karl said and we bought, fixed up and sold 4 houses too. So it actually works out to we did 4 houses in 1 year and 3 months and served a mission in 1 year. No wonder we have been so busy since Karl has retired!

It is funny as I look back at how scared and uncertain I was about retirement and to see where I am now and how great it has been. It was a good thing for us. No regrets! Now we are starting another chapter in our life and only the Lord knows where it is going to take us but with him in charge I think I am ready. I am ready now!

If you have a chance to serve a mission as a senior couple, even if it is scary or hard, DO IT!!!! It will not be easy and it will be hard BUT IT IS WORTH IT!!!!!

I know serving in the Wyoming Mormon Trail Mission has been like nothing I will experience anywhere else ever again. I am excited to serve another mission somehow someway but I know it will be very different and not like this one. But that’s okay. I have lifelong friends, brothers and sisters, from these last 2 years. One of the things that makes me happy is that 3-4 of the couples from this year live in New Mexico with 3 of them in Edgewood and Los Lunas. The other couple is from Farmington but still doable for a get together now and then. We talked about maybe going to the temple and then to lunch or dinner. I like it and I don’t have to say goodbye.

Sunday, September, 24, 2018

We met with President Saxton who officially released us. This picture is the last time we will wear our name tags.

Good bye for now and we hope everyone is well.