St. George "Marathon"?

St. George was wonderful. Good food, good conversation, good study time, good view, good questions, good friends. In fact we who came home to the north ended with a good storm. More about that later.

Thank you, Steve and Margaret, for your terrific hospitality on our wonderful weekend. We loved being in your house and in your church. Your college is fascinating and you are obviously making it even better. We cheer for you and the good work you do every day.

Bruce and Christine, hearing about the temple was heaven itself. We appreciate much more the challenges that come with being temple president and matron. But we are also newly impressed with your preparation to meet those challenges. There's a spirit about you both that is comforting and warm. Thank you for letting us see you while you are still new little chicks in this specific work.

Sharon and Ralph, with your energy and enthusiasm, we think you will be setting the youth on fire. What interesting inroads you are quickly making into the young people of the Church all over the world. We cheer you on with loud huzzahs! We're also sure your creativity will continue to bring new ideas to this project.

Julie, Elaine, Silvia, Carol, and Janet, we missed you, talked about you, gave greetings from you, and want you to know that we love you. You'll be back one day, we know. We hope.

Now, for the last part of the marathon.

Russ and Nina, patient backseat riders with Kaye and Laurie, enjoyed a white-knuckle ride from Beaver to Fillmore, clouds ever-blackening in the west and a few flurries quickly growing up to full blown driving snow. We crept along to Fillmore, noting with irony the new 80 mph speed sign covered with snow while we were barely touching 40. We couldn't help but think of our ancestors driving this same route with horse and wagon and sleeping under the wagon box to keep dry. Instead we chose the Comfort Inn in Fillmore which quickly filled up behind us. Perhaps it was the two cars on their tops with the police lights blazing through the falling snow, or perhaps it was the ambulance, lights whirling, sirens blaring, hurrying to Beaver, or perhaps it was the whisper of the spirit after driving that road thousands of times in my life that made it clear this was not good.

Props to Laurie, Nina, and Russ when I suggested we stop. Good sports all. We had a rousing game of "Up and Down the River" while we talked. We had good beds to sleep in out of the snow---no wagon boxes here---and though the roads were snowpacked and deserted and slow, we got home in a couple of hours this morning, glad on all sides that we had made the right decision.

Blessings.

Kaye