La Gran Aventura Day 79: BYU beats Kansas

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Today I woke up determined to get everyone’s packs squared away. I’m certainly being a bit obsessive about this, but with weight and space being such a priority, I really think it’s worth it. I’m also becoming a world-class labeler of stuff. It makes everything so much easier when things are labeled.

That project ended up taking up nearly the entire day. But I’m feeling quite good about where we stand right now.

I’ve had to do some rearranging of our itinerary because the Rome temple is going to close for the second half of the month, and the Netherlands temple is closed in the first half. So we will still go Paris to London, but from there we will likely head down to Italy for at least a few days to make it for our temple appointment there.

This whole thing is crazy.

Tonight the kids and I watched BYU beat Kansas in Lawrence in one of the craziest games I’ve ever seen. This team is so fun to watch. It was a really magical night.

La Gran Aventura Day 78: One week to Paris

Monday, February 26, 2024

This morning I woke up and realized that in one week we will be on a plane to France. There is still so much to do.

I was feeling really desperate because we still hadn’t secured lodging in Paris, but then David Sluss, a friend of the Aburto’s, contacted me and said we can stay with them. I was so grateful I nearly cried. We got all the kids together and said a prayer of gratitude. His wife Dinah is from Mexico, and she and Betty have connected. That has helped Betty feel more calm. It’s all coming together, and my heart is full.

We also packed Betty’s backpack today. We got it down under 20 pounds, and I think it’s in pretty good shape. Now we’ve just got River to do tomorrow. She should be the easiest.

This afternoon I had a department meeting in which we discussed the schedule for next semester. It went really smoothly, and things are ready to go there.

The day ended up with the Bells. Matt made his famous pizzas. They are such good friends, and we all get along so well. We have missed them, and we will miss them again.

Now it’s time for bed. I’m tired, and I’ve just got a massive amount of work to do tomorrow.

La Gran Aventura Day 77: Back in Church

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Today it was great to get back on church in Jonesville. I love our ward so much. We had good morning meetings, and then Betty and I went up to Battle Creek where I had a meeting, and Betty was able to interview with Pres Christensen. And we also gave her a blessing. It was good for her. She wants to go on this trip, but she is really struggling because she doesn’t want to ruin the trip for me. She’s afraid she just won’t be able into do it physically or emotionally.  I just keep telling her that I love her and that she is going to be OK.

La Gran Aventura Day 76: Pack Check

Saturday, February 24, 2024

Today I spent most of the day going through packing lists -- first my own and then those of the bigger kids. We have misplaced some things, but for the most part we are in good shape. My pack is a bit heavy, and I even pulled the extendable legs from my tripod to make it lighter. I need to be as light as possible.

Last night Betty and I had a long talk about this trip. She feels so exhausted, and she’s really worried that she won’t be able to make it. I read to her some sections from “Cast Not Away, Therefore, Your Confidence.” I know she has had spiritual witnesses that this is good. Today she seems more involved in things. We are going to be OK.

La Gran Aventura Day 75: Worry

Friday, February 23, 2024

This morning Betty and Kimball and I went out for a little walk. It was nice. We also said hi to the Parkers. They are such great people.

I’m really in high gear on finding a place to stay in Paris right now. I’ve struck out with the bishop of the ward around Versailles and the temple housing is all booked. So today I emailed the Aburto’s friend David Sluss as well as all of the French faculty at Hillsdale. Oh, and the bishop of the ward in the center of Paris.

Something’s going to work out.

La Gran Aventura Day 74: Faith

Thursday, February 22, 2024

Youth activities last night were a success. They all got together and had a massive game of volleyball. We’ve got so many youth right now. It’s awesome. And they seem to be doing so well. I’m really happy for them. Ian’s group of friends are such a welcome addition to the young men.

I got the battery replaced in the KIA, and it runs great. We should probably find someone who can drive it around for us while we are gone. That would be a blessing. The same for the Sequoia.

Today I plan to just keep working through things. There is so much to do between now and when we leave. I need to just stay focused and keep moving down the list.

BYU had a big win over Baylor on Tuesday, and this morning I listened to Mark Pope’s postgame stuff. It was inspiring. He talked about Come, Follow Me, and how the Lord is teaching Lehi and his family about the difference between doing something and becoming something. He also talked about faith. I want to have more of it. More faith and more confidence.

Betty is terrified of this trip to Europe. I’m trying to help her, but she is really having a tough time with it.

La Gran Aventura Day 73: It’s good to be back

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

This morning I took Kimball on a little run with me. Betty is totally exhausted. I’ve decided that I need to write for myself in these journals, and maybe just use any highlights I have for public consumption. It’s too much for me to write a big entry for the whole world. I’m basically a month behind at this point.

The KIA battery is dead, so I’ll have to work on that.

The kids were super excited to attend seminary in the morning. Crystal and Ashley were so happy to see us. I was really looking forward to getting into my office to work, and now I’m finally here -- after conversation table.

Betty and I had a good talk last night. She's worried she just might not have the physical stamina to walk to Santiago. I think she can.

I also need to get classes sorted for the fall. I’m just going to keep moving forward with it. It’s all I can do.

And I’m looking forward to attending youth activities this evening.

Update:

Youth activities were super fun. It was great to be back in the ward. It feels like just where we belong. I’m so grateful for this little hiatus in our journey. We need to recharge our batteries a bit before this next really amazing but really tough stretch.

La Gran Aventura Day 72: North Platte to Jonesville

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

We made it home!

It was a long drive, but it didn’t feel terrible. I had good audiobooks -- including Brainstorm (which I finished) and Rhythm of War (which I also finished). The hardest part is that Betty is really freaking out about the trip to Europe. She and I had a long talk when we got back, and I think she is going to start feeling better. It was tough for her to be staying in other peoples’ homes for so long. We really need to address that and how to help her get on stronger emotional footing. We need to all learn to communicate better. I feel so driven to do this trip, but we’ve got to do it in a way that helps build our family.