Bailey's Blog

On Sunday 21 December we were up early and when I checked my blood sugar it had shot up to 213!! A result of the birthday party, the Mexican supper, and the departing sweets at the Farr's.

We attended the Ironwood Crossing 2nd Ward from 9 am - 12 pm.

Ironwood Crossing meetinghouse

At 8:40 most of the congregation was in their seats as they sang hymns #207, "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear," #204, "Silent Night," and #201, "Joy to the World." Then the choir sang #203, "Angels We Have Heard on High."

The opening hymn was #213, "The First Noel," a traditional English carol, ca. 17th century.

Sacrament hymn was #187, "God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son," by Edward P. Kimball, who was an American organist of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and a Latter-day Saint hymn writer, and Alexander Schreiner, who was one of the most noted organists of the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Edward P. Kimball (1882-1937)

Alexander Schreiner (1901-1987)

After the administration of the sacrament there was a musical number, "O Holy Night," by Jaycee Riggs and Ryan Watson, both playing violins.

The first speaker was young Austin Slade who spoke on service. He shared a story about Elder Glen L. Rudd when he was managing a bishops' storehouse and providing for a needy family at Christmas. This was from the First Presidency message in the December Ensign by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

The ward choir sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem" accompanied by Kim Watson.

The concluding speaker was Brian Judy who spoke on the gift of the Savior. He was the perfect Son of the perfect Father. How would this magnificent person enter into mortality? Born into the most humble circumstances imaginable. He quoted the messianic verses of Isaiah. The angel Gabriel came to Mary and later to Joseph and stated Jesus' name. He spoke of the circumstances surrounding His birth. The meaning and significance of the Christmas story. He spoke of President Hinckley and a story told by his father Bryant Hinckley. Silver dollars placed in shoes of a poor man. Spoke of little Ethan suffering from leukemia. He was able to celebrate day by day in October Halloween, his birthday, and Christmas. He passed away three days later. Closed with words from President Monson about the principles taught by Jesus Christ. Stress the true values of Christmas.

President Thomas S. Monson

There were closing remarks by Bishop BJ Riggs. He spoke of Joseph's journey with Mary on a donkey, the shepherds, and the wise men. Of their and our journeys to the Master. Do not forget that we are sons and daughters of God.

Closing hymn was #209, "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing," by Charles Wesley, who was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Methodist founder John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley the Younger, and Felix Mendelssohn, who was a German composer, pianist, organist and conductor of the early Romantic period, a term denoting an era of Western classical music that began in the late 18th or early 19th century.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847)

Gospel Doctrine was totally off the expected lesson and I really had no idea what she was doing. It was somehow related to the Savior. Later Eileen told me that she kind of wrapped up the Old Testament alluding to prophecies about the Savior.

I gave the opening prayer, which was not totally applicable as the lesson was not what I had anticipated, and Eileen gave the closing prayer.

The opening hymn in priesthood was #201, "Joy to the World," text by Isaac Watts, who was recognized as the "Father of English Hymnody", credited with some 750 hymns, and music by George F. Handel, who is regarded as one of the greatest composers of the Baroque era, with works such as Water Music, Music for the Royal Fireworks, and Messiah remaining steadfastly popular. It was included in the first LDS hymnbook in 1835.

George F. Handel (1685-1759)

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

The lesson was number 23 from "Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Joseph Fielding Smith" entitled "Individual Responsibility."

“We expect our members everywhere to learn correct principles and to govern themselves.”

1 The Lord expects us to be industrious in seeking temporal and spiritual blessings.

"The object of our being here is to do the will of the Father as it is done in heaven, to work righteousness in the earth, to subdue wickedness and put it under our feet, to conquer sin and the adversary of our souls, to rise above the imperfections and weaknesses of poor fallen humanity, by the inspiration of the Lord and his power made manifest, and thus become the saints and servants of the Lord in the earth."

2 We are ultimately accountable to the Lord for our observance of duty.

"We should learn the obligation that we are under to the Lord and to each other; these things are essential, and we cannot prosper in spiritual things, we cannot grow in knowledge of the Lord or in wisdom, without devoting our thoughts and our efforts toward our own betterment, toward the increase of our own wisdom and knowledge in the things of the Lord."

3 God has given us agency and expects us to do all we can for ourselves.

"It is a most serious error to believe that Jesus did everything for men if they would but confess him with their lips, and there is nothing else for them to do. Men have work to do if they would obtain salvation. It was in harmony with this eternal law that the angel directed Cornelius to Peter and that Ananias was sent to Paul. It was likewise in obedience to this law that Moroni, who understood the writings upon the Nephite plates, did not do the translating, but under the direction of the Lord, gave to Joseph Smith the Urim and Thummim by which he was able to accomplish that important work by the gift and power of God."

4 Our two great responsibilities are to seek our own salvation and to work diligently for the salvation of others.

"It is … our duty to save the world, the dead as well as the living. We are saving the living who will repent by preaching the gospel among the nations and gathering out the children of Israel, the honest in heart. We are saving the dead by going into the house of the Lord and performing these ceremonies—baptism, the laying on of hands, confirmation, and such other things as the Lord requires at our hands—in their behalf."

After church we visited William, Erin, and Weston, taking them their Christmas presents.

Weston

At Colleen's I started packing the car. Eileen worked 45 minutes and I worked an hour and 45 minutes on the Essex parishes.

Eileen, Colleen, Ashton, and Tanner did some Christmasy crafts at the dining room table. Later she and all three boys played a table game.

Eileen, Ashton, Spencer, and Tanner
(Sean at the computer)

Tanner, Ashton, Spencer, and Eileen
(Sean at the computer)

I checked out some hints from ancestry.com and found the 1925 New York census and the 1930 U. S. census with my grandmother Louise Darrell and aunt Minnie Darrell. My mother Frances was on the 1930 census.

Eileen and I got our Christmas gifts from the Cubberley's. Eileen received the Kitchen Aid rotor slicer/shredder. I received four books, three of which have been sent directly to our home in Ellijay. The one I got here is "The Lost Empress" by Steve Robinson. I have already read "In the Blood," "To the Grave," and "The Last Queen of England" by Robinson. The three sent to Ellijay are two Hopalong Cassidy books ("Buck Peters, Ranchman (Bar-20)" and "The Man From Bar-20") and "Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere".

Before I write of our departure, I want to show some pictures of Colleen's Christmas decorations around her home.

Advent candles

Nativity scene

Colleen decorates her tree

Ashton decorates the tree

Christmas figures

Nutcrackers

Christmas tree

Nativity scene

Musical snowmen

On Monday 22 December we finished packing and left Colleen's about 10:20 am. Two miles from Colleen's our odometer reached 91019.

We drove to Costco near Marana near Tucson and filled up for $2.059. Not far past Tucson we reached 91119.

Having once been stationed at Fort Huachuca, we took pictures of those signs. We reached Texas Canyon and stopped at a rest area there.

Eileen returning to the car

We had lunch at the Pizza Hut in Willcox, AZ. We enjoyed the salad bar and had personal pan pizzas.

Eileen had a nice hour nap as we crossed into New Mexico. We admired the landscape and the trains we frequently saw.

New Mexico state line

Trains criss-crossing the landscape

I was monitoring the Miami Beach Bowl which was on the TV at the Pizza Hut. BYU was playing Memphis and it must have been some game as Memphis won in double overtime, 55-48!

As we approached Deming, NM, our odometer was at 91319. As we pulled up to the Comfort Suites hotel in El Paso, our odometer was right at 91419.

King-sized bed

Our suite

Breakfast area

Front of the hotel

Lobby at Christmas time

Front desk at Christmas time

After Eileen hit the hay I worked on my 7 December blog entry.

On Tuesday 23 December we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and were on the road at 9 am. Just east of El Paso we filled up for $1.999!!

At the Border Patrol stop on I-10 and into Sierra Blanca the temperature had dropped from 47 in El Paso to 34 and it is snowing! Gas was $2.399 but I didn't need any.

Just east of Sierra Blanca the odometer reached 91519.

We stopped for lunch at Howard's Burgers in Monahans, TX. Eileen enjoyed her veggie sub from the Subway at a previous pit stop and I had a jalapeño double cheeseburger. Very good! She also had cheese nachos covered with jalapeños which she shared with me in the car as we headed east.

Howard's

We got gas at Sam's Club in Odessa for $2.179. The prices are a lot higher as you drive east along I-10 and I-20 into Texas. Just east of Odessa our odometer was at 91719. Between Big Spring and Abilene we reached 91819.

We reached Abilene at 6:45 pm, a long drive and we lost an hour going back into the Central Time Zone. We have a very nice suite at Comfort Inn & Suites.

Huge breakfast area

Our suite

King bed

Our suite

King bed

I finished sending my Christmas e-mails with Christmas letter attached to everyone that I know in our Ellijay branch as well as some more folks at the food pantry.

On Wednesday 24 December we enjoyed breakfast at the hotel and were on the road at 9:10 am. We stopped at an identical rest area with mistletoe in the trees and a plaque to the judge that matched the rest area on the north side of I-20 that we saw on the trip west.

We called Holly Hughes back in Mineral Bluff, GA, and sang "happy birthday" to her.

Passing through Fort Worth our odometer was at 92029 while Eileen napped. We filled up for $1.999. Later we saw gas for $1.879 but we didn't need any.

We found the whale mural on North Akard St. that Colleen told us about and we took several pictures.

Then we went to the Dallas Temple. It was closed, which we knew, and the gates were also locked. So we took several pictures of the front of the temple which is the only side that one has access to.

We saw a domed building under construction along the way and Eileen took these two pictures.

I found the following description on the Internet: "The Old Parkland Hospital campus is gaining some new additions, most notably, a tower with a dome roof on Oak Lawn near Harry Hines Blvd. The high domed roof is patterned after Thomas Jefferson’s Rotunda building at the University of Virginia, and towers 10 stories above the adjacent elevated Dallas North Tollway. The structure is one of three office buildings, 'designed to be a sanctuary in the midst of urban chaos, a place where peaceful landscapes intersect productive workspaces and beautiful design,' as described in the topping out ceremony’s invitation."

East of Dallas we reached 92129. On I-20 we had lunch in the car at Bodacious Bar-B-Q in Tyler and had our picture taken holding the Times-Courier. We arrived just minutes before they were to close!

Bodacious Bar-B-Q

Ben and Eileen

Eileen

Inside Bodacious Bar-B-Q

We checked into Comfort Suites and the clerk's name was Bailie, a pretty young lady. She thought that I was calling her by name when I walked in and said, "Bailey." We then ran out to Sam's Club and filled up for $1.929! Back to the hotel where she had Domino's pizza for the five sets of guests who were there! It was enjoyable though not in the same league as Papa John's.

Bailie said "yes" to my Book of Mormon questions!

King bed suite

Front desk and lobby

Breakfast area

Lobby with Christmas decorations

I finished reading "The Life of Napoleon Bonaparte Vol. 1" by William Milligan Sloane which I had begun on 3 January.

William Milligan Sloane (1850-1928)

On Thursday 25 December we enjoyed breakfast in an enormous breakfast room and we were the only ones in it! Merry Christmas!

We opened two of our presents from the Dowd's. Eileen got a cute little bit of jewelry that Heather made to help close the cleavage on some of her tops. I got another book, "The Lost Ancestor: A Genealogical Crime Mystery" by Nathan Dylan Goodwin.

We left the hotel at 9:30 am.

East of Shreveport our odometer reached 92329. East of Jackson while Eileen was napping it reached 92529. We stopped at the Spaceway Truck Plaza & Restaurant in Meridian, MS for lunch and gas for $1.999. Our server Vera said "yes" to my Book of Mormon questions!

Inside the Spaceway Truck Plaza & Restaurant

Eileen and Ben

Vera and Eileen

East of Meridian we reached 92610. Our car did 32,000 miles in its first year with us and it only took one more year plus three days for the next 32,000!

We reached 92629 near Tuscaloosa and we reached 92729 as we checked into the Comfort Inn in Birmingham at 5:20 pm.

Birmingham Comfort Inn

King bed

Our suite

Breakfast area

Front desk area decorated for Christmas

We opened two more presents from the Dowd's. Eileen got a Magnifying Mirror with Tweezers Suction Cup. I got another book, "Hiding the Past: A Genealogical Crime Mystery" by Nathan Dylan Goodwin.

On Friday 26 December we enjoyed breakfast and chatted with the assistant manager Paula Herring about the outrageous cost of furnishings in the hotel (we had reported an outlet not working on a lamp). We left about 9:30 am after chatting some more with Paula as we were checking out. I asked her my Book of Mormon questions and she said "yes," but then she realized that it was the Book of Mormon because her son is a member of the Church! She is happy in her own denomination and was crushed when he joined but since then she has had many wonderful experiences with Church members and missionaries including dinner with the local bishop and his family! So perhaps we were one more good experience on her path to baptism some day.

Back in Georgia and the Eastern Time Zone at 12:25 pm.

We reached the Cracker Barrel in Canton at 1:55 for lunch.

Inside Cracker Barrel

My chicken salad

Then we went to Hallmark for the December ornament that they were holding for Eileen.

Between Jasper and Ellijay we reached 92929. We got gas at Citgo for $2.069, sadly the lowest in Gilmer County. We got home about 4:30. I texted the kids, White's, and Moulder's the following: "We're home and all is well. Power out at least once while we were gone but that's not a problem."

Eileen called Holly Hughes and we made plans to get together on Monday.

Eileen and I opened our Christmas presents to each other. I got her a copper colored watch from North Georgia Diamond which, of course, she agreed that she liked some months ago. I also got her a five-piece state-of-the-art pressure cooker to replace the old one we've had probably as long as we've been married. Of course, she had selected this set and gave me the information to order it for her.

She got me a beautiful black onyx with diamonds ring that fits perfectly to replace one I had stolen about 50 years ago in Korea.

I finished reading "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain (1835-1910) which I had begun on 25 March. I had previously read "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer", "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court", "A Tramp Abroad", "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", and "Life on the Mississippi" by Twain.

On Saturday 27 December back in our own bed we slept late and it was delightful! We got up in time to run some errands to the post office, Walmart, North Georgia Diamond, Ingles, and Faith, Hope, and Charity.

Back home Eileen enjoyed "Cook's Country" and "America's Test Kitchen" that I recorded today.

Christopher Kimball and Bridget Lancaster

Christopher Kimball and Julia Collin Davison

I spent much of the afternoon going through all the mail delivered today. Most of it was solicitations that went into the recyclables. I believe that when you make a donation of about $25 to some group that they will spend that much on continuous solicitations to you for more money!

We got our daughter Colleen's 2015 calendar which will hang in the kitchen. And I got the three additional books from Colleen for Christmas that had been sent to Ellijay. They are two Hopalong Cassidy books ("Buck Peters, Ranchman (Bar-20)" and "The Man From Bar-20") and "Class A: Baseball in the Middle of Everywhere".

Numerous Christmas cards arrived, too.

I printed out the boarding passes for our cruise with Holland America and began looking into the Carnival cruise.