Dinner Appointment

We do enjoy having the Elders over for dinner once a month (or more often if we like the guys serving) and have really loved getting to know Elder Pyle a little better while he's been serving in our ward for the past few months. Elder Pyle and Evanson stopped by last night to tell us Elder Pyle was packing his bags for a transfer, so I told Elder Evanson to make sure and bring the new elder over to meet their favorite family. [That's right, Bermuda ward readers, we petition to be the favorites . . . Neener, neener!] I'm excited for the new area Elder Pyle will be serving and hope he doesn't forget us when he comes back to visit the Thanksgiving after he's released (I think that's the plan, right?!) One of the coolest things was getting a chance to meet Elder Pyle's mom and sisters a few weeks ago when they were here for a dance competition. Bless all their hearts, they never saw or spoke to each other, but I have to think it was still fun visiting places they had been just hours before. And, yes, Elder Pyle was sure to stop by our house and Bishop Olds' after his family had been there to get a report. Anyhow, Elder Pyle's mom thanked us for looking out for him and said she believed it would come back to our boys one day when they serve somewhere in the world. I hope so. Seriously, Brock will need some real love! I think because my brother is serving in West Virginia that it means more to have these young men into our home to interact with my kids so they'll remember a little bit more about their Uncle Mike. Heavens knows we're not the best missionaries in the world, so very rarely to we have people for the missionaries to teach in our home, but I have learned that the Elders also appreciate cold water and popsicles about as much these days. It's nice, too, to have a good rapport with them for beyond their missions. There were some missionaries serving several years ago and last week we got an email from Elder Rammel (who's now married and nearly done with school) checking in. Others have stopped by to crash on the couch and I get such a kick out of my associations with them. It's funny, I don't feel THAT much older then them, but I am beginning to feel the transition from their equal (like when we were first married) to more of a caretaker (which, I guess, is what happens since I'm now more than a decade older than they are!)

Anyhoo, farewell to Elder Pyle and good luck in wherever, NV (Hope you got the ghetto!)

Yes, you have to shuck your own corn at the Barlow dinner appointments:

And yes, my children climb on the missionaries like they would their uncles or a jungle gym: