No Access to Post a Picture Yet, But...

We met President Uchtdorf today!! That's right, President Uchtdorf.

We were walking on Temple Square on our way to the Lion House for lunch. Suddenly my sister spotted a distinguished looking silver haired gentleman in front of the old Church Office Building. Sure enough, it was President Uchtdorf. He spoke to us briefly, and told Jeffrey to work hard on his mission. Then he took one picture with Jeffrey, and one picture with me, my sister, and her friend. Sadly, I forgot my cords, so I can't post the pictures. But I will post them when I get back!

Tomorrow is the big day! Jeffrey is so excited and ready. I know he's going to be a great missionary.

Elder Clutter

It's 1:36 A.M. and I am still up. I have been busy. I've been doing last minute laundry, washing dishes, hemming pants, and packing. Getting organized for tomorrow.

Tomorrow. The day Jeffrey and I leave for Salt Lake City. Only he's not just Jeffrey anymore. Now he's Elder Clutter, having been set apart as a full-time missionary by our Stake President. Having been set apart to serve for 24 months. That's one of the things that has to be said during the blessing. 24 months. 2 years. That's a long time.

I'd been doing all right. Then we went over and listened to the end of the Youth Conference testimony meeting so he could be set apart once it was over. For the closing song we sang "The EFY Medley". If you've never heard it, it's a great song. It's sung in Women's and Men's parts. The men sing the song "We'll Bring the World His Truth". This is part of what they sing: "We are as the army of Helaman. We have been taught in our youth. And we will be the Lord's missionaries to bring the world His truth." I looked at Shelley and Kristie, who were both crying, as was I. I could hear Jeffrey singing, and it was all so real. He has now been set apart as one of the Lord's missonaries, and he will be leaving soon to begin his mission.

I know he's ready to serve. So ready. I will let him go willingly, but I'm sure going to miss him. This would be a lot easier if Robert were here.

It's now 1:55 A.M. I'm sitting here crying. Sometimes it's hard to be a mom - even when you know your son is making the right choice.

Finally Recovered!

Jeffrey wanted an Open House before he left on his mission. Because of Youth Conference and other things we ended up doing it this past Sunday. There were a lot of people he wanted to invite, so we did. We didn't know how many of them would actually show up. We discovered that a lot of them would. A lot of them. How many, you ask?

Well, including the four of us, 111 people showed up! Who knew we could fit 111 people in our home? I realize they all weren't there at the same time, but I bet 50 to 60 were there at the busiest times. It was literally Standing Room Only! Jeffrey was thrilled. I think most people had a good time seeing friends from other wards (there were 3 wards involved). And my house survived intact!

Thanks to all who came! It was great to see you. Thanks to all who brought food or helped out in any way! We couldn't have done it without you. Thanks for showing Jeffrey your love and support! As his Mom, I really appreciate it.

The countdown continues. Six more days until we leave for Utah! Eight more days until he enters the MTC!

Such Consideration!

As I was driving down Hwy. 99 today, I noticed that the mowers had been out. The grass was newly shorn and looking good. Except in the spots where the wildflowers were growing. Those had been left unmowed so we, the driving public, could continue to enjoy the beauty of the wildflowers. I appreciate such consideration from TXDOT (or whatever group it is that coordinates the mowing). Good work, guys!!

R.I.P. Clarissa (the Guinea Pig)

We have had two guinea pigs for a long time. We've had one of them, Clarissa, a few weeks shy of 7 years. When we bought the guinea pigs we didn't anticipate them living for more than 2 or 3 years. I will be the first to admit that we had grown tired of them. They were kind of smelly, and very noisy and demanding. But we kept on taking good care of them, while murmuring under our breath.

This morning, Jeffrey went to feed the girls, and discovered that Clarissa had died. I think we were both surprised at how sad we felt. Much sadder than we thought we would feel. I can't really say that we will miss her, but it was sad to find her gone.

Here's a picture of Clarissa shortly after we got her. Bailey was fascinated with her, although she never tried to hurt her. She just liked to look at her.

I'm a little worried about our remaining guinea pig, Charley. She is actually Clarissa's daughter, having been born in November of 2003 (which is another story in and of itself), and has never been without her Mom. I'm not sure how she is going to do by herself.

R.I.P. Clarissa. As guinea pigs go, you were a good one.

Another Sign It's Closer!

Tonight I got a phone call. The caller ID said "Out of Area", so I didn't know who it was. When I answered, the woman on the line asked if this was Sister Clutter. I replied that it was. She then said, "This is Sister Hansen, from the Veracruz Mission". I realized then that I was talking to the Mission President's wife! She was calling to let me know how excited they were about Jeffrey coming to serve as a missionary there. She also asked me if I had any questions, which I did, and which she answered. She seems very nice and accessible. She said they expect obedience from their missionaries, which I'm glad to hear. I don't worry about Jeffrey - I know he wants to do what's right. It's nice to know it's expected of him.

After speaking to me for a little while, she asked to speak to Jeffrey, and they spoke for a few minutes. I'm so glad she called. It's not something that all Mission President's wives do, and it made me feel good about sending Jeffrey to serve under their care.

Minutes after our phone call ended, she sent me an e-mail, letting me know I was free to ask her questions any time I wanted. She seems like a wonderful woman!

And as if all that weren't enough, I loved reading this sentence in her e-mail, "We look forward to meeting your son in person…we love him already!" There's nothing that can make a Mom feel better than reading words like that!

17 days, and counting down!

People Like This are Leading Our Country

In order to build up our military presence in the Pacific, it has been proposed that 8000 members of the military and their families be posted to the island of Guam, which is a U.S. territory. Guam is a small island, about 30 miles long and nine miles wide. The smallness of the island apparently concerns Representative Hank Johnson, a Democrat Congressman from Georgia. It concerns him so much that during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Thursday, he said the following to Admiral Robert Willard, commander of the Navy's Pacific Fleet:

"My fear is that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize."

Really. He really said that. I saw the video.

On the one hand, I find this one of the funniest things I've seen on TV in a long time.

On the other hand, I find this one of the saddest things I've seen on TV in a long time.

I liked Admiral Willard's response:

"We don't anticipate that."

What they really need to do is just make sure that the military is spread out all over the island. No big clumps on one side or the other. Then there really won't be a problem.