cc: file, Grandma Hafen via Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner. and Diane Cluff.
"Well, this week, and specifically the open house on Friday night, sat a major milestone in my life. There are the normal distractions, specifically the fact I've been coughing pretty hard all week, and not feeling completely normal. However, I'm finally starting to feel better this evening.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were somewhat slow days at work. We had an interesting presentation to BP-Amoco and a representative from Abu Dhabi on Wednesday. On Thursday I hosted Wes Curtis, who is on Governor Leavitt's staff, and we are taking steps to put an immersive environment at SUU in Cedar City. If we are able to show the value of what we are talking about, it will give me an excuse to take Andrea and the kids back to Cedar fairly regularly. There were also some interesting calls to Saudi Arabia. Of special interest to me were conversations between a couple of groups and Continuum about helping create a new way to get hydrocarbons from deep water fields to refineries. I expect this to be a very interesting conversation over the next few weeks. And then most of Friday was spent working on packing up my office to move to the new office building at Kirkwood and I-10. Sara came down and helped me finish this packing all up. We finished so we got to the house about 3:00 to get ready for the Open House on Friday evening. I had finally cleaned most of my boxes out of the house, and all of a sudden, on Tuesday evening, we had all of these boxes from Andrea's house. It took Andrea and the kids and Brother and Sister Grua all week to unpack and put those which there was not time to unpack upstairs and in our bedroom. By the time people came on Friday evening, the house looked very nice.
The Open House was wonderful. We had about 150 people come by. It was so nice to see my friends and to have so many make the effort to come and honor us. Laura and Kyle Pankonien drove down from Austin, Dereck Paget-Clark and his wife drove up from Galveston, and there were lots of people from the ward and the neighborhood and that I have worked with over the years. One of my PhD friends commented how impressed with the variety of geophysical specialists who are my friends: site survey specialists, data processers, interpreters, chief geophysicists, acquisition specialists, etc., etc. And I hadn't even noticed. David and Karen Kessler came to meet their new extended family. Friends who spoke Russian and Spanish and Latin were gabbing with return missionaries. Andrea and I spent the entire evening at the front door talking to people as they came in. There were tables in the back yard for folks to sit at talk at. There was lots and lots of food: meatballs and pineapple; shrimp; chicken strips; vegetables; spinach dip; fruit; punch; cheeses; etc.; etc. Andrea and I didn't make it into that part of the house until everyone had left. Heather, Nate, Ben, Sarah, and Rob, I wish you each could have been here with us. However, some of the kids who were here were pretty bored, didn't know many (any) of the people, and would rather have not been here. Oh well! I think they each realized this was a major milestone for both Andrea and me. And we are looking forward to getting on with the rest of our lives.
Saturday we slept in, forgot to take Rachel to a Sunday School party, and finally went out about 3:00 in the afternoon. Matt, and Andrea, and I drove go-carts at Malibu Grand Parkway. Matt really liked it. Audrey was with us and not so interested. We spent the evening at the house and watched `The Land Before Time' with Matt. Sunday morning Paul went back to Provo. Audrey went to the Single's Branch with Melanie. Matt and Rachel seemed to enjoy their classes and making new friends. Roice, Melanie, Sara, and Rob, joined us for lunch on Sunday afternoon. We had left-overs from the Open House. After we ate I was taking a nap and Rob came and jumped on me and said `human blanket!' Then I just about recovered and Melanie comes and jumps on me and says `human blanket!' It was sure nice to have all of you here. Thanks! I look foward so much to the times we are together.
Today in Fast & Testimony Meeting Ron Burgerner issued the annual Burgerner Challenge. He is going to have a party for everyone who reads the Book of Mormon this summer on August 7th. I intend to read the Book of Mormon again this summer. I have talked to a couple of you about doing this, and encourage all of you to join with us and read the Book of Mormon this summer. What can it hurt? And there can be great insights! I know! Specifically because I have benefited from these insights in the past when I have met the Burgerner challenge in past years! And maybe some of you could join us for an open house on Saturday August 7th to talk about what insights you gained. There is a chance I will be in England that weekend, and so we do need to be a little flexible on the timing. Ron also mentioned in his Testimony that their three grandkids are spending a month with them. Andrea and I have set out the goal of being the best Grandparents in the world. We are going to set up a place in Southern Utah where Grandkids can come and stay with us for a few days or even a month each summer. We hope you each become as excited about this as we are.
In the meantime, since it will be some time before we will see Grandkids old enough to come and stay with us, I do hope you will each join with me and read or re-read the Book of Mormon this summer. And I hope as you reach milestones in your lives they are as pleasant for you as the open house was for me this weekend."