Letter from Grandma

Here is a letter that grandma wrote about her trip to Cedar city and asked me to post for her.

March 18, 2008

Dear family members,

I thought you might like to know a little about Nathan’s missionary preparation activities. Grandpa and I and Vanesa drove to Cedar City on Thursday, March 13. We were in a great deal of traffic before and through Las Vegas, so Vanesa was a little late for a recital she was going to attend with Elise. Originally Vanesa hoped to attend a rehearsal for Elise’s opera, but it was cancelled for that night. Grandpa and I visited a short while with Spencer and Joanel and family, then went to our bed and breakfast to get a good night’s sleep.
On Friday morning we traveled to Manti, sometimes in snow flurries. Nathan wanted to go through the Manti Temple for the first time. He liked the idea of the Jensen/Sorensen/Madsen family history and the live ceremony there. We checked into our motel across from the temple (to the south) and went to the 3 p.m. session. Grandpa didn’t go to the session because there are many steps to climb, and he would not have been able to do it. While in the temple I asked about wheelchairs, and they said they accommodate them, but they must be carried up the stairs by several men. However, I enjoyed being there and remembering our marriage over 50 years ago. Elise took care of Jonathan, and Andrew took care of Celeste and probably some other children.
The session was very nice, and we were surprised to find Wendy, Karen’s former companion from Taiwan, there. She had come down from the Salt Lake Valley to meet us in the temple. Joani was also in the session, as well as Nathan’s friend, Jenny, who was also a teacher in China and lives in the SLC area. Nathan’s bishop and the family’s good friends, Tiffany and husband, were there, too. After the temple session and spending quite awhile in the Celestial Room, we went to the motel, changed our clothes and ate dinner at a very good and inexpensive Italian restaurant in Ephraim – pizza, pasta and salad. Later, some of us watched the movie “Amazing Grace” in Vanesa’s motel room (great movie), and Nathan and Elise took a walk around the temple in the cold night air.
On Saturday, after an early morning temple session for Nathan and Spencer, we returned to Cedar City. Nathan wanted to go through Mt. Pleasant and see some of the family homes. He said he didn’t get to see them before. He had already visited the farms, however, and the house we still own. He and Elise rode with us, and we also went through Moroni to see the childhood home of Grandma-great (Ethel Olsen) Read – then on through Nephi where we went on the freeway back to Cedar. The others in our party went on highway 89 to 70 and over to I-15.
Lois Ann and Sara drove to Cedar on Saturday to join us. They picked up Paul at BYU on their way. Nathan and family were busy preparing talks for Sunday and other preparations for an open house on Sunday evening. Vanesa, Elise, Paul, Grandpa and I went out to dinner with Lois Ann and Sara. We had a very nice visit while eating and then went to their motel room for more visiting. Vanesa slept the first night with Elise, but Saturday night she and Paul went to the Spencer/Joanel Read house to help with preparations.
Sacrament meeting was at 11 a.m. All of us attended, including Joanel’s brother Darrin. His wife and children were in San Diego. The invocation was given by Spencer. McKenna and Andrew gave the youth talks. Nathan spoke. Then there was about 10 minutes left for the high council speaker. All of the talks were great. The subject was about how the Spirit of the Holy Ghost can help us understand the mysteries of the gospel. Nathan talked about how the Spirit has personally helped him decide what kind of person he wants to be – not his profession, but his character. He did well. Joanel gave the benediction. The prayers were beautiful. Lois Ann and Sara had to leave right after sacrament meeting because Sara had a meeting in the evening in SLC. They were worried about the snow coming down, but later reported it stopped soon after they left Cedar. Paul went back with Jenny, who dropped him off in Provo. They stayed for dinner and most of the open house.
Vanesa prepared chicken chili verde for our Sunday dinner. I had brought bread and fruit to fix a fruit bowl. We cleaned everything up to get ready for the open house. Joanel planned all kinds of breads for refreshments. Karen Tran had sent some persimmon bread. Vanesa made some banana bread, and Joani made several loaves of various breads. Joanel’s friends also brought some breads. I had enough fruit for a big fruit bowl. Then each guest was offered a cup of fruit-flavored sherbet. It was very nice. There were many who came – and lots of the guests were girls. We teased Nathan about that, but he claimed many of them were there to see Andrew.
There was no music, except the opening and closing hymns, for sacrament meeting. But during the open house, a trio of Elise and a couple of friends sang a nice arrangement of “How Great Thou Art.” They sang it twice at different times so different people got to hear it.
We were concerned about getting to St. George because it snowed most of the day on Sunday. It was very cold and windy, too. We had plans to stay in Mesquite Sunday night so we could get an early start for San Diego. Grandpa had an MRI scheduled for Monday evening at 7 p.m. The open house was from 4:30 to 7:30. We left at about 7 p.m. for Mesquite, but Elise left the open house at 8 p.m. and said it was still going on. The snow had stopped falling and the road was mostly dry by the time we left.
The three of us left Mesquite at about 7 a.m. (California time) on Monday. We traveled very well and with little traffic. We made it home in about seven hours – Grandpa was even able to take a nap before his appointment. He did very well with the MRI. I got to see the machine. It was a huge cylinder, with a much smaller cylindrical place for his body to go inside. His head fit in a hood-like case. He said it didn’t hurt but was really noisy. Enough of this message, but I thought you’d like to know about our adventures.

Love, Grandma Read

P.S. Just wanted to let you know that Grandpa had a doctor’s appointment yesterday (the 19th) with a pulmonary specialist. The doctor said the fibrosis in his lungs is peripheral, mild and stable. That was a big relief. To help with his getting-out-of-breath, the doctor wants him to lose weight and exercise 20 minutes every day. He also wants him to do knee bends (holding on to the counter) every day to strengthen his legs.
Also, little Elijah was in the hospital Monday night with an infected toe that included a red streak up to his ankle. He was given intravenous antibiotics and came home yesterday afternoon. He was not willing to take the nasty medicine prescribed, so Kim went back with him and they got something better tasting. I understand he’s taking it in pudding or yogurt.