4 September 2022
VOLUME 10 – NUMBER 468
Mom and Dad on company cruise
Mom / Jenny
Several weeks ago, Arkin called me with exciting news. Because his company had just closed a very large deal, and hit an important revenue number, they decided to take all of their employees and significant others on a weekend cruise!
I was a little nervous at first about going on the cruise, because I wondered if I would have issues with claustrophobia, and being confined to a ship, and sleeping in a small cabin with small windows, or no windows at all. I was relieved to find out that Arkin’s company booked us a room that had a balcony that opened out to the ocean. It was beautiful.
We flew to Los Angeles on Friday morning, boarded the ship around noon, and set sail at about 5:00pm. We spent the day anchored at sea on Saturday. spent Sunday in port at the Mexican coastal town of Ensenada, sailed home Sunday night, and flew home Monday—a short, weekend cruise.
Carnival cruise ship
It was an enjoyable and relaxing trip, and a great way to get to know Arkin’s co-workers a little better.
I don’t think I ever got a firm grasp on the layout of the ship because there were so many different levels (13 decks) and access points to different places. I enjoyed the trip very much. I found that when you’re relaxing on deck, staring out at the ocean, it is a very relaxing feeling.
I can see why my Grandpa Vere liked serving on a ship in the navy during World War II. It was fun comparing this cruise ship (900 feet long, 120 feet wide) to the USS Salt Lake City (600 feel long, 65 feet wide). The cruise ship was significantly larger! It made me wonder what it was like to serve in such a small, confined space out on the ocean for almost five years!
Jenny in cruise ship cabin
I felt like Ensenada was more like an authentic Central American town, and not so much like I imagine a resort town to be, so I enjoyed walking around the streets that were further away from the tourist section.
Arkin and I were excited about attending Sunday meetings in a local ward, and there was a meeting house about a mile from port, but because of recent travel advisories to stay in large groups and in tourist areas of town (recently, drug cartels made threats in Ensenada), we decided to not risk it.
The trip went fairly quickly, with one additional stop because someone had to get taken off the boat for emergency medical care. Arkin and I almost felt guilty for taking a long nap each day, but the slow, relaxing pace was a great way to rest up, and recover from a lot of difficult and stressful things lately.
We are so grateful we were able to go, and also grateful our children seemed to have such a good time in the homes they stayed at!
Dad and Mom in Ensenada
Braden
One of the requirements for starting my new job was that I have a bachelor’s degree. When we came out to North Carolina, finishing up my last few classes was something I continually put off. However, when I interviewed for the job with my current company in late May, I had additional motivation, and I told the company I could be finished by the end of July.
Over the next two months I completed my last three classes, and now I have officially graduated from BYU! I have been working on this since January 2016—over six years total. I’m finally done, and I’m so glad that I finished what I started.
Fun fact: I now have two diplomas since I also attended classes with Mom and Dad when I was a baby. I loved being a student at BYU and I’m grateful for opportunities my education has provided.
Braden BYU graduation picture
Dad / Arkin
When Jenny and I got married, we were both full-time students at Brigham Young University. By the time Braden was born a year later, we were both enrolled in the College of Home and Family Sciences. After Braden’s birth, we discussed what we would do about getting through all our classes with a little baby at home, and since we had a lot of the same classes, we decided to take Braden with us!
We figured out a creative system as the three of us attended classes together. Before class, we would plug in a baby monitor somewhere at the front of the class, and if Braden got a little fussy, one of us would take him out in the hall, where we would listen to the lecture through the baby monitor!
One of our professors stopped her lecture almost in mid-sentence and excitedly pointed at Braden as he crawled for one of the first times. Another professor was not as nice, and after our first day of class, he pulled Mom and I aside and made it clear to us that there couldn’t be any interruptions in his class from our baby.
Mom, Dad, Braden’s graduation picture
However, over the next three and half months, he softened, and on the last day of class, as we started the final exam, he insisted on holding Braden! He walked the halls with him to keep him quiet while the class took the final!
As we were getting ready to graduate, when the university graduate office heard about how many classes Braden had attended, they agreed to issue a certificate of attendance for 67.5 credit hours of family science courses! We even had Braden dress in a miniature graduation gown, and he walked in the graduation ceremony with us.
We used to joke around that Braden should have started school at BYU as a junior, since he already had so many credits J. Braden, we are both so proud of you! 27 years after your first BYU course, you have finally graduated!
AtlasRTX employees on a cruise
Monte
Mom and Dad went on a cruise this weekend! London, Ashton, and Braden stayed with Kai, Veidi, and I at home. We had a lot of fun hanging out with them. London made the best food for us, and we did a whole lot of activities with her.
One of the highlights of the weekend was when London took us to watch Top Gun: Maverick. The family had seen it before, but I wasn’t able to go that time. It was such a good show! I got chills watching it. The music selection for the movie was amazing, and really set the scene for the movie. It was the right amount of intense, dramatic, and completely awesome!
On Saturday London had to leave, so Ashton was in charge of us. While he worked on school, Kai and I played on my PS4 (PlayStation 4), and I got a new game.
After that, we watched the BYU game, and we destroyed the other team. On Sunday, we went to the airport and picked Braden up for Endia's wedding. Thank you, London, Ashton, and Braden, for making the weekend so much fun!
Elder Miranda and Caleb
Caleb
I've been up in Coronel again (near the area I was in before going to Cunco) for the last week, serving in Camilo. It's been crazy! So many miracles! My companion Elder Miranda and I have the same amount of time in the mission—10 months!
The time goes too fast. It's a blast, and the excitement for the work has never been more on fire! I'm excited. There's been a ton of miracles already, and we're just setting up the foundation for this new transfer.
It’s a bit of an adjustment getting using to having four missionaries living here in the house together (I’m used to having an apartment with just my companion). I think I mentioned last week that this is the same house I was in before, just that now I am in a different area.
With Elder Miranda, I've been helping him practice and learn English, so it's harder at times than to just talk in Spanish, but it's super great. He said my Spanish is really good, and I've got no trace of gringo, but he also said I speak very formal, or like the translations of old English to Spanish movies. Ja, Ja! I don't know if I should work on that, but more than anything else I still think I've got to improve with more grammar and vocabulary.
Mom next to cruise ship in Ensenada
Elder Miranda let me know that he is going to move to Utah after the mission and actually his families moving there in January, so that's super cool.
But in our lessons, we've got the spirit so strong, I love it. This is the best work! It's hard for me to think about what people are missing that don't have the opportunity to be a missionary or choose not to be. The promises are true, always. Just confide in the Lord and He will come through on His end.
We're working on gaining the confidence of the members and learners, and I feel like we're doing that well. Stick with the spirit and he'll tell you all you need to do. We still got a lot we can to do to make our efforts more effective and efficient, but I think for a first week we've had a huge blaze of a start.
Also, I finished my first journal! And still that book doesn't even begin to record the least part of all the joy and miracles. How amazing is it that we have the direction, guidance, and love of the God of the universe in our lives? Les amo mucho!
AtlasRTX employees flying to cruise
Gloria
This week we started seminary, and Monte, Isaac and I all have the same class. I really do enjoy having them in class. Also, I am a little behind in a few classes in school.
While Mom and Dad were on their vacation, Isaac and I stayed with the Zimmerman’s for a few days. On Friday, I went to the temple with the 5th Ward. I am really liking them. They are super funny and nice. It was nice going with my cousins Kayley (leader in the 5th Ward) and Katarina because I have not seen them in a while, and it was really nice hanging out with them.
On Saturday we played wipeout with Sofie, Bridger, and Isaac. I was on a team with Sofie, and I was not really good because it was my first time playing. I am really happy I stayed with them and got to know them more.
Mom and Dad on cruise
Kai
The first day that Mom and Dad left, I was feeling sick and threw up, but that very day, I got better. While I was sick in my room, I got to do school on Monte's PS4. It was really fun.
Once I started to feel better, I went downstairs and started to read my book. We ate some very delicious chicken pot pie that London made, which was so good! And truthfully, I don't usually like it, so that's saying something. After dinner, we went downstairs and watched Shang Chi.
The next day, London made egg and sausage McMuffins for brunch. For dinner, Ashton made some sliders while Monte, Veidi, Ashton and I played some Five Nights at Freddy's. Ashton said he really liked the game. We also watched Top Gun that night, which was mine and Monte's first time. It was so good!
Mom and Dad next to cruise ship
The next morning was Fast Sunday. After dinner was cleaned up, we all took a 15-minute power nap that was actually about an hour J. Then we had cinnamon rolls! They were so, so, soooo gooood! Then we went to the airport to pick up Braden!
The next morning, we went to play pickleball at a nearby park. I had a great time. We came home and had some Creme Brulee French toast that London had made. So, so, soooo delicious!
Me and Monte played some Battle Front and watched some Star Wars. Then Mom and Dad came back, and we had some pizookies. They told us about the cruise, and that was pretty much my week!
Mom on cruise
Isaac
We took down the pool this week and it was really hard. It took us most of the day. Afterwards, we went over to Zimmerman's where we stayed while Mom and Dad were on the cruise.
One of the things that I really enjoyed was when we watched Signs, which is a movie about an alien invasion. It is really funny, suspenseful, and very scary. At one scary part Addy pushed me with her foot and I freaked out and screamed
Veidi
This week London was here to watch me, Kai and Monte, and we went to watch Top Gun 2 in theaters with Ashton. We didn’t know but it was Cinema Day, so the tickets were only $3.00!
We also played pickle ball with Braden, and Monte got a game called Five Nights at Freddies. It is very suspenseful and lots of jump scares! I also went to the temple with the 5th Ward, and it was a good experience.
Mom and Dad in Mexico on cruise