Time Flies

Time for a summary! Life is still hectic and busy, even serving from home! Once again, a shorter weekly than normal for me. XD  And I'll likely be sending out weeklies on Saturday, as it's my new P-Day. :)

1- A few doctor appointments

2- Brigham City Temple! :D

3- Turtle Talk

4- Literally flying! :O

5- Helping out at the Harrisville Cannery

6- Lagoon!

1- Since this week has been a little slow service-wise, I've been going to a few checkups and stuff. I got new contacts after an eye doctor appointment and they're amazing! My prescription changed slightly on my mission, and these new contacts are so precise! Every time I go on a drive--where I'm not the driver, haha--I just stare out the windows in awe. I can't describe how amazing it is to see clearly when I didn't even know I was missing out! Maybe those of you with eye prescriptions know what I'm talking about, haha. 

2- I got to go to the Brigham City Temple this Tuesday. I got interviewed as a Temple Ordinance Worker and it was great! I'm so excited to serve in the temple, starting next week. :)  I got to take a bit of a tour. Some of the rooms were places I'd never been to before; they were behind 'Ordinance Worker Only' or 'No Unendowed Patrons Beyond This Point' doors. I also got to see some fantastic artwork! Being at the temple, even for a few minutes, really helped to clear my head and give me a sense of peace.

3- I got to go to a Turtle Talk with my mom! There's an organization (for lack of a better word, haha) called Our Turtle House. They go around giving motivational-type talks to people. Some of the speakers that I knew were Hank Smith and John Bytheway. At the event I attended, it was John Bytheway speaking and someone else; I can't remember her name. They both gave great talks! Funny, but instructional. 

3- (Disclaimer: I'm writing this story from memory, so facts and details may not be 100% accurate. Look up the history of the USS Enterprise if you want the whole story!) John Bytheway talked about the USS Enterprise, an aircraft carrier that was functional during the Vietnam war. He talked about the worth of different things; the worth of souls, the worth of objects. During an evacuation, helicopters were flying people out of Vietnam and landing them on this aircraft carrier. A small plane (likely a little two-passenger plane) flew overhead and tried dropping several notes down. Most of them blew overboard, but the crew was able to retrieve one. The note asked if they could move the helicopter so the man could land. He had his wife and five small children in the plane. 

3- The Captain of the Enterprise (I think) ordered crew to start pushing the helicopters off the carrier to make room. So, all the people on board started shoving the helicopters off so that the little plane could land. The plane was able to land safely. Both parents and all five kids were okay. John Bytheway talked about how the Captain of the Enterprise valued the lives of those seven people more than the helicopters--even though each one was worth a million dollars or more.

3- To finish up, he shared some verses from Matthew that I absolutely loved. :)  Matthew 10:29-31 (29) "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. (30) But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. (31) Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows."

4- I got to go flying with my dad this week! He rents this plane called a Super Cub at the Brigham City airport--which I didn't know existed, haha. XD  I drove down with him and got to watch as he did all the pre-flight checks. Then, I helped haul open the doors of the airplane hangar. My dad pushed a little plane out--I think it was called a Cherokee Warrior, can't remember for sure--then he pushed out the Super Cub after he put some new oil in it. We taxied down the runway, then when we flipped around, he accelerated it. 

4- We were airborne in about ten seconds. It was so fast, I could hardly believe it! I hadn't been in such a small airplane in a long time. For some reason, flying in a little plane is a lot more fascinating and surreal for me than flying in big passenger plane. I was just in awe the whole flight! I don't know how long we were flying, but it was amazing! I took lots of videos of the mountains and all the fields and stuff beneath us. With my new contacts, the view was absolutely phenomenal! My dad even let me use the control stick for a minute to steer the plane in some wide, slow turns.

4- It was a bit windy and we hit some turbulence, but it wasn't too bad. We flew over our house, and Benton came out to wave at us. We were just able to see him as a little speck. (I think we were maybe 1,600 feet up? I'll have to double check.)  A few red-tailed hawks flew over us, and there were some flocks of seagulls flying below. I was glad none of them got too close! I also asked my dad how sharply the plane could turn, and he turned us almost sideways as we executed a narrow loop. It was so cool!

4- When we landed, we put the plane away. I helped to push it, and it honestly didn't feel as heavy as it looked. My dad said it weighed nearly a ton. (2,000 pounds!)  We had to pull the other plane out of the hangar again to make room, then we closed up the doors of the hangar. I just kept reliving the flight in my head. It was so amazing! I'd love to go again if I have the opportunity! :D

5- On Friday, I helped out at the Harrisville Cannery. It's not going to be one of my scheduled services, but our ward needed an extra set of helping hands. I drove down and we watched an orientation video. Then, we all washed up, donned blue fabric suits that looked a bit like doctor scrubs, put on hairnets, and snapped on gloves. Beef stew was on the menu that day, and I helped to make room in the cans for the broth.

5- I was given a tool that looked like a small, broken plastic sword. At least, the handle reminded me of swords because of the hilt guard. As the cans came down a conveyor belt, I would stick the plastic device into every third can. It would kind of mash down the meat, carrots, and potatoes so that when the cans carried on, the broth wouldn't overflow them. After a while, one of the helpers in the area got moved, so I was doing every other can. It was honestly better for me, haha. Less counting. XD

5- I was so dead afterward. I was only there for about four hours, but I was starving by the end! I took two maybe five-minute breaks to scarf a snack and use the restroom. Then it was back to canning. My upper back, neck, and arms were the most sore. I switched between standing and sitting on a stool to save my feet and legs. 

6- Today, I got to go to Lagoon with my family! It's a neato amusement park in northern Utah. We only stayed for a few hours because it got super busy in the early afternoon. Benton was tall enough to ride on The Bat, one of my favorite roller coasters! I also took Jack and Makady on the ride Cannibal; we got seats at the front and I loved it! :D  I found someone's lost phone and was able to return it to her. She called it using a friend's phone, and we were able to coordinate a spot to meet. That honestly made me feel so good. :)  

6- We also went on the ride Rattlesnake Rapids, and we got completely soaked! Benton loved it until we went under the waterfall at the end. XD  It felt great though, because the park was starting to warm up. There were a few peacocks strutting around. I got some pictures of a male that sat close to us! They reminded me of Grandma and Grandpa Howards' peacocks! We were going to ride on Colossus, but it closed down right when we got there. :(  My mom said we'll go back later in the summer, so we'll be able to go on other rides. I'm looking forward to going on the animal train! I love seeing the big cats.

Well, I'm going to be starting at least two service assignments next week, so my weeklies may go back to their typical length. Love you all and hope you have a great week!

Hope the pictures work! They might not all send because my phone is being weird. -_-  Siblings and I at Lagoon, my dad getting the plane ready, and a moth Benton and I found the other day!