“Fool me twice,…OK, I’ve been shamed!”

Sunday was our Stake Conference. The session didn’t start until 10 am but I had an early morning meeting to get to. I was to meet at the church at 7:30 am so the stake presidency could drive together to the Central Point Stake Center. The meeting would be with the other stake's leaders where we were to be taught more about our missionary responsibilities.

I awoke with plenty of time. According to the clock it was only 6 am so I laid in bed for several minutes thinking about what I would do prior to the meeting. I’d get up, shower, other stuff, and, since I probably wouldn’t be home until around 2 that afternoon, I thought a good hearty stack of pancakes would help tide me over quite nicely.

As I talked a little with Jan about the upcoming conference session I noticed the blinds in the bedroom seemed to have some light coming in behind them. Light? There shouldn’t be any light. I looked at the clock again. 6:15 am. Just the day before I had been out jogging around 6:45 am and there was no light. I began to panic. Oh no! It’s déjà vu all over again! I remembered a year ago getting up, taking my time to get to a meeting then discovering that modern technology hadn’t listened to or cared much about the act of Congress that set the switch to standard from daylight savings time a week later.

Our alarm clocks were set to automatically switch to standard time each fall then back to daylight savings time in the spring. Trouble is that I don’t remember that these clocks do this all on their own without consulting us.

I jumped out of bed and ran to the front door to get the paper. The sun was beginning to rise behind Roxy Ann. I quickly began checking all the other clocks in the house. They all read 7:15 am. Nothing gets the blood that’s settled in your back side flowing like realizing you not only are not going to get your pancakes, you only have 15 minutes to get ready for a church meeting.

I ran down the hall, stopping at the hall closet to grab a couple of towels. Even in a panic I was still thinking of my wife. (The extra towel was for her.) I fumbled for the shaving cream and then hastily applied the foam to my face. Gasping for air I discovered I’d covered both nostrils with the shaving cream. Poking holes with my finger where I thought the nose should be I guided my triple bladed razor over my face just like a Ferrari takes to the winding roads of the Italian Alps. I went so fast that I’d thought I’d shaved my eye off but realized it was just soap that caused the eye to sting and not an amputation.

At this point my drowsy little wife asked what was going on. My staccato reply as I sprinted into the shower went something like: “Clocks-fall-back-too-soon!AHHHHH!!!”

With water pouring from the shower head I jumped in and began to sling soap as quickly as I could. I was going fast! I was amazed at how quickly this was going even if there is more to me to hose off than in years past. The lack of hair makes the shampooing quicker and shortens up the difference I suppose. Grabbing for the towel I accidently dumped the towel for my wife into the garbage, (sorry Jan). Semi dry and totally stressed I combed the hair (singular) and began putting on my clothes as if I was a fireman getting dressed while the third alarm sounded.

I didn’t know if the shoes matched or if the tie was on backwards but I was flyin’! Racing out the door I prayed the car that hadn’t been driven in two months would get me to the church on time. It started so I backed up and I was off. I kept glancing at my watch. President Woodley wanted to leave by 7:40 and I was pushing time like never before. Screeching into the parking lot the Woodley van was running with the back up lights on. I leapt from the car and flung the van door open with such power it about knocked my teeth out.

Time on the van clock? 7:41!

I wondered why I couldn’t get ready this fast all the time. It was quite the rush. This sudden surge of adrenaline power was greater than any triple mocha espresso could ever give. I had discovered a new power aid…it’s called late.

Halfway to Halloween?

Our last post was the end of September and here we are nearly half way through October already! What has been going on? We took a quick trip to Utah again for General Conference last weekend. Thanks to Joe and Kelly for letting us hitch a ride, it was a lot of fun and I didn't have to drive at all. One of the rental car commercials says "Leave the driving to us" and that 's what we did. We took off around 4:00AM Friday morning and arrived that night at the Hampton Inn where Joe and Kelly were staying.
Heather and Jason picked us up Friday evening and took us down to Orem to stay with Brittany and Clay (which I must admit made me just a little nervous considering our last stay in August-not wanting any repeat performances or early morning ER visit by ambulance in Provo, if you know what I mean.)
We got a call from Brittany on the way down saying that she had been sick with a fever off and on the past few days and had been instructed that if it spiked again she was to report to Labor and Delivery at the Orem hospital to check things out. She was laying on the couch when we arrived, feverish and definitely not feeling well. She was really burning up. Within minutes Clay, Brittany, and I were on our way to the hospital. (What is it with Utah and hospitals lately?) It was kind of exciting thinking that this is where Brittany will deliver in a few more months, but too soon for now.
The nurses hooked Brittany up to fetal monitors and tried to draw blood for lab work, but her veins weren't very cooperative. She seems to have spaghetti veins that dodge out of the way of the needle. Three different attempts up and down her left arm left Brittany feeling like a pin cushion and the nurses frustrated before they finally tried her right arm, which was successful. I told her don't even bother offering her left arm anymore, it just doesn't work. We spent several hours in labor and delivery while they checked her out and hooked her up to an IV drip to treat her for dehydration, then sent her on to ER to have a doctor check on the pain she has been having just below her rib cage. She thought it was a pulled muscle, although the ER doc was treating her for bronchitis and gastritis. By the time we left the hospital for home it was nearly 2AM Saturday morning and I had been wearing my contact lenses for nearly 21 hours straight. We were exhausted and all ready for bed. Good thing we didn't have tickets for the Saturday morning session, we would have missed getting there on time.
Heather and Jason came down Saturday morning and we prepared a great General Conference breakfast with blueberry muffins, bacon, juice, pancakes and hash browns. We watched Saturday's sessions from Clay and Brittany's apartment. Dad took us to Applebee's after the afternoon session and Clay, Dad and Jason attended the Priesthood Session from the chapel just up the hill from Brittany and Clay's. Heather, Brittany, and I watched a chick flick while they were gone: "Sleepless in Seattle." I had wanted to see it since Dad and I actually saw the Empire State Building while in New York City with Jordan and Christina's family this summer.
Sunday morning we were out the door extremely early to make it to Music and the Spoken Word before the Sunday morning session of General Conference. And it was pouring down rain. I wasn't prepared for the change of weather. Good thing Brittany had a gray jacket she could let me wear which helped keep the rain off me. As usual, it is always a bit of a challenge to find a parking space around the Conference Center, Clay and Dad finally let Brittany and I out on the west side while they continued to search for a parking spot. Heather and Jason were meeting us there.
Our stake had tickets for the balcony on the left side (nosebleed section). And was the first time the entire stake presidency had attended a General Conference session there together. What a treat! Watching conference there is different from watching it on tv because there are a lot of behind the scenes you would most likely miss from tv, like the audible countdown before the broadcast begins. I noticed a lot of the choir members get their wiggles out right before the recording begins to cough or adjust their hair or just brush their hand across their face. There is kind of a buzz or hum as people enter and find their seats, greeting friends and family with anticipation, but when President Monson entered the Conference Center the entire audience immediately and reverently fell silent. It was amazing how quiet the Conference Center was then. Our Stake President Woodley said if they can do that with 21,000 people in the Conference Center, surely we can do that with 300 or so in attendance at our ward meetings.
We only had tickets for the Sunday morning session so when that session was over we went back to the car for sandwiches and snacks. To our surprise, it was no longer raining and the sun had come out, hooray! Our family went to see the Reflections of Christ exhibit in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building between sessions and then stayed to catch the last session of October General Conference from the Legacy Theater, where we had nice comfortable seats and more room than we had in the morning. Too soon conference was over and we had to say goodbye to Heather and Jason. When they come out next month, it will be right before their wedding! Clay and Brittany took us bright and early Monday morning to meet Joe and Kelly in Salt Lake for the ride back home to Oregon. It was a quick weekend, but a wonderful trip! And the best part will be all of our children coming home to be here for Heather and Jason's sealing next month! Can't wait to see you all then!