cc: file, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner. Diane Cluff, and Andrea Shirts
"One of the first songs I learned to play on the guitar was called `Jet Plane' and was by a guy who changed his name to John Denver. I would spend hours and hours alone singing the words to this song. The chords are a simple D G A progression, and the words are:
I have so many memories about jet planes I will obviously only share a small fraction of the thoughts and images running through my mind. When I was growing up, Howard Hughes subsidised Southwest Airline size jet planes to fly through Cedar City. He believed people would want to fly to Cedar City by the thousands and millions to go see the National Parks. He was probably just 40 years early. The result was there was frequent and relatively inexpensive flights between Salt Lake and Cedar City. I flew to Salt Lake many times on these flights, alone as a youth, to go see the allergy specialist or the acne specialist in Salt Lake. When I was Rob's age I was used to calling up, making a reservation, and then flying to Salt Lake, taking a cab to the Doctor appointment, going back to the airport and flying back to Cedar City. I discovered the ladies making reservations liked to talk, and they could not see the acne boils on my face and back. I got to know several of them by first name, and would call up, ask for them, and we would just talk for an hour, or until their supervisor told them to go back to work. I thought I was pretty hot stuff, even though I couldn't get anyone to go on a date with me.
I referred to my first jet plane emergency landing when I described what happened in Corvallis (.../9715.html). I did a search and discovered that the word plane is in Thoughtlets 9641, 9650, 9652, 9701, 9712, 9715, 9722, 9725, 9727, 9735, 9740, 9743, 9745, 9749, 9752, 9805, 9814, 9817, 9819, 9821, 9825, 9827, 9828, 9830, 9834, 9836, 9837, 9839, 9843, 9847, 9848, and, of course, 9851. Guess this list kind of summarizes how the concept and the reality of a jet plane is an integral part of my life.
Monday I worked on an IDEF Model of how to successfully support a tradeshow. Rob and I watched a football game for Family Home Evening. Everyone else was ill or unavailable. Tuesday Creve Maples and Craig Peterson flew in from Albequerque on a jet plane for two days of meetings. Wednesday we finished these meetings and my good friend Riley Skeen had flown in from Cody, Wyoming on a jet plane and stopped at the office to see what I am up to. We didn't get to talk much because I had to head out to the house because we had a teleconference between New York, Provo, West Houston, and myself. I took the call on my cell phone and was able to stop and see Sara, go to the Library and find Rob, and go to the grocery store, all the while participating in the teleconference. In many ways, specifically related to time management, it is much better to transport your voice, rather than moving your body across the globe on a jet plane.
Thursday included a nice lunch with Bowen Loftin and Gary Crouse, and the beginnings of a plan to build an Immersive Environment Center on the University of Houston Campus, just off of I-45 between Cullen and Calhoun. Alan Peterson and I went Home Teaching that evening, and I went back to the grocery store, and we had another hour teleconference, this time also tieing in Chicago. Then at 11:30 I left for Bush Intercontinental Airport to meet Andrea's jet plane. Del Vance and his oldest daughter were there waiting for Jonathan who was home from BYU for Christmas. The plane got in at 12:20, actually a few minutes early. Andrea wondered what kind of rumors would be going around the ward after this chance encounter. I dropped her off at the LaQuinta Inn by Highway 6 at about 1:30 AM.
Friday, one of Paul Sullivan's staff took a jet plane over from New Orleans and had a detailed presentation of our plans, specifically with relationship to the North American Prospect Fair (NAPE). Andrea saw the demonstration also. After the meetings we picked up Rob and headed out for College Station. I guess I was driving a little fast on the back roads, because a couple of times Andrea pointed out what the speedometer said. It wasn't near as fast as a jet plane, and none of you should follow my example in this aspect of my life. We were still a little bit late for Ben's Graduation Program. It was very impressive. Rob and Sarah and Melanie and later Ben had a lot of fun with the digital camera. The photos and mpeg movies they made will all be posted at http://www.walden3d.com/photos. Sarah took Melanie back to school and went to Dallas to spend the weekend with her sister. The rest of us went out to a Mexican Restaurant, and then to the new movie about Moses `The Prince of Egypt.' I really enjoyed it, and was disappointed they stopped the story right after the crossing of the Red Sea. We dropped Rob off at the house and I dropped Andrea off at the Motel about 11:30.
Saturday the closest I got to a jet plane was to see a jet trail in the sky. Andrea and I went for a run/walk around the block. She dropped me off at work and went shopping on Westheimer. We had an hour meeting about the closing documents for Continuum Resources. Then Andrea and I did some Christmas shopping (mostly for her kids), including taking her to the Galleria. We at lunch at the Japanese Restaurant by the office. There were many things about it that reminded her of her mission to Japan. After wrapping gifts, changing, stopping by Beef 'N Bird Rotsserie to show her Ken Turner's paintings, we spent the evening at the Continuum Christmas Party. It was mostly a long dinner. Very nice food, and several of the couples at our table were really funny. We even danced a couple of dances, and just had a good time. I dropped her off at the motel at 12:15, and got back to a driveway full of cars and a bunch of Sara's friends. It took a couple of hours to finish wrapping presents, wash dishes, fix lunch, etc.
Sunday Sara, Rob, Andrea, and I went to church. I had lunch on timed bake, so when we got home there was a new loaf of bread and a redfish, shrimp, pasta dinner. It was nice to sit down with three others that I care for and have a nice meal and discussion. Andrea's flight was at 2:50, and when we got to the airport gate, there were the Salt's on their way to spend Christmas in Logan with Matt who is in his first year at BYU. With a giant city like Houston, I found it funny there were members of our ward at the airport when I picked up and when I dropped off Andrea. After she got on the plane I went up to the roof, which was the only parking available, and before leaving went over and watched the plane at gate 17 leave. With all of my interactions with jet planes over the last 40 years, this was the first time I had watched the logistics of a plane leave from 4 stories above the plane. It was interesting to see the number of people involved in traffic control, moving the walkway, moving baggage carts, etc. As I stood on the roof of the parking garage and watched the plane leave, my mind went back to all of the times I had played on the guitar and sang the words `I'm Leaving on a Jet Plane, Don't know when I'll be back again' to myself. As I watched the plane take off and fade into the distance, I wondered about the future, and thought about Heavenly Father watching each of us as we choose and make our individual flight paths.
My mind went to a story Rhonda sent me as an e-mail on December 3rd. It is titled "God's Embroidery" and reads:
I am very excited Roice has decided to join us for Christmas. He arrives on a jet plane at 11:25 PM this Wednesday. Ben is already here. Sarah will join us from Dallas on Tuesday. Sara stayed here last night for the first time in a year and a half. Rob is here. Melanie should be arriving any time from Austin. Paul won't be here for Christmas, and yet he will be here at 9:19 PM on Wednesday 06 January 1999 on Delta 2139 from New York Kennedy Airport. So we do know when he will be back again, back from his journeys facilitated by a jet plane."