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
"What a wonderful week! It truly is a wonderful life. And there are angels watching over us, just like in the Jimmy Stewart movie.
Since Ben and Sarah are traveling to Dallas today and have no e-mail yet; since Roice, Melanie, Sara, and Rob are traveling to Los Angeles; and since mail can not reach Paul before he get's home; I intend to make this a short Thoughtlet, which will mostly include my weekly journal entry. It is my prayer is there are angels watching over each of you in your travels.
Most of Monday was spent in a meeting with Roger Anderson, Gary Crouse, Albert Boulanger, Steve Joseph, and an oil company guy. There is a lot starting to come together, and it seems like I just go from one meeting to another one. This was one of those think-tank meetings I enjoy so much. The several hundred pages of legal documentation for Continuum Resources was finally available, and the evening was spent working on this. Rob had not completed the dishes, and we had words about it and he left and wasn't home for Family Home Evening. Larry, Paige, Alma, and Chris came over for Family Home Evening and Ben joined us for the last few minutes. I talked briefly to Andrea, and spent until about midnight reading legal documents. Only found one major gotcha, and we fixed that the next day by taking the section out.
Tuesday lunch and early afternoon Steve Joseph and Blaine Taylor joined me. We had a good meeting, and I'm not sure how to help Blaine take advantage of the opportunities. I will be meeting with Big Roice and Steve when I go back up to Utah the week of New Years. I gave Steve #539 of the prints of our paintings. It is wonderful to see people's reactions, for some truly see the theme and message of the paintings. Steve liked the angels. Tuesday evening Melanie, Ben, Sarah, Rob, and I went to see the movie `You've Got Mail.' It was a hard movie for me, especially the first part where the two principals were cheating on their companions. Oh well!
Wednesday we practiced demonstrations, and I spent the afternoon with the lawyers. I also arranged to sell my Saturn back to Saturn, and to get two small Saturn's for only $40 per month more than I have been paying on my car note. Now we just have to get all of the insurance worked out. As each of you know the reason I was able to do this is because Continuum is leasing me a Lexus as a company car. I don't think the angels care about this kind of stuff, and yet it is certainly a way to provide some safety for Melanie so as to reduce the angel's work load. Melanie mentioned I don't want to make a lot of money, I just want to make a difference. I pointed out to her that I have already made a difference, specifically because I have 6 wonderfully talented and successful children. After dinner, I had a lot of stuff to do, and was tired, and so I stayed to do it and to go to bed and Ben and Sarah and Rob went to Hobby Airport to pick up Roice.
Thursday morning Roice, Ben, and Tyler came down to the office and I gave them a demonstration. Then Ben left to pick up Sarah and her brother. Roice and Tyler helped me to shuttle the two new Saturn's out to the house and put them in front of Rick's house down the street. Paul called us and we called him back. Later in the evening when Sarah and Ben got back from Galveston and everyone was there I sang `There is a Land Far Away,' read the Christmas story, got everyone to say `I am not responsible for my parent's decisions' three times, and bore my testimony. It was a good evening. We took a bunch of digital photos, and they can be found at http://www.walden3d.com/photos/christmas98. I particularly like http://www.walden3d.com/photos/christmas98/30FamilyBsmall.jpg, a family portrait of Rob, Sarah, Ben, Sara, me, Melanie, and Roice, even though it is out of focus.
Christmas day was really nice. I couldn't believe none of you kids woke up until about 9:30 in the morning. There were special moments for me with each of you kids: Roice when he opened up the change (.../45PresentMroiceMoney.mpg and .../46PresentNroiceMoney.mpg), Ben when he got his golf supplies, Melanie when she realized she had a new car (.../51PresentSmelanieSocksC.mpg), Sara when she saw the money (.../43PresentKsaraMoney.mpg), and Rob when he saw his fly fishing reel. We called Paul again so Sarah and Ben could talk to him and to tell him about his new car. We had a nice turkey for lunch, with all of the side dishes. It was nice to see Marti when she came by to pick up her car. I wrote a song later in the evening about a couple of events during the day. It is emotionally strong, and yet I feel like sharing it in my ongoing effort to let you kids know where my heart is:
At Sara's friend's request I also wrote a song for her:
Saturday started with a run around the block. Then read the paper, and made some turkey soup stock. Roice and Melanie had hand standing contests. We talked and just enjoyed each other. Roice, Melanie, Sara, Rob, and Marti left for Los Angeles, the city of the angels, about 3:00. Ben and Sarah rented `Small Soldier's' and `Merlin' and I watched the movies with them as I worked on renaming the digital photos.
Sunday Sarah and Ben joined me at church for Susan Keller's homecoming talk. I felt funny driving the Lexus to church. Most of the afternoon and evening was spent moving photos off of the 36 diskettes onto the Sun worksation. Mike and Susan Reed came and ate lunch with me, we talked about my `dates,' and they spent the night up on the upstairs waterbed. I had nice calls from my friends Ander's Saustraup and Rick Zimmerman, as well as my regular conversations with Sara, Mom, and Grandma. And as I contemplate looking back on 1999, I expect to discover there are angels watching over and helping each of us each day. Maybe you are my angels, and mabe I am yours, along with our ancestors and descendents."
