28 Years Ago August 3rd

This is the closest photo to the day we arrived - I was obviously not running around taking pictures when we got here. It is actually the first day of school at Bradoaks for Bonny and Harry. And Phoebe is bidding them adieu I guess!


It was 28 years ago on August 3rd that we rolled into Monrovia with a goodly portion of our worldly goods stashed in a U Haul van. I was going to post this on the day, but we will be in Utah, so I'm posting it now. Interestingly enough, we arrived on Friday the 3rd and this year Friday is the 3rd.

My mom had been in Utah for someone's birth - who was born in 1979? - and so Phoebe stayed with her, and they flew back a few days after we got to California.

It was a long, hot trip - I'm remembering we towed the Ford Courier? There was no a/c in the U Haul. I recall stopping in Glendale, Nevada and buying a bag of ice - that we put in a bucket and then took turns putting our feet into it. We also put ice down our shirts - anything to cool off!

And now I'm remembering we did not tow the Courier - Brother Nelson in Centerville drove it down to LA to do a Know Your Religion series - and then left it here for us and flew back to Utah.

We arrived in Monrovia in the morning - so we must have driven all night? Or maybe we went straight to Grandma Terrill's, spent the night, and then drove the U Haul to 801 East Lime. (I think that is the correct scenario.)

We were met by a welcoming committee consisting of Ken Neeley, Aulvie Bourgeous, La Mar Heslop, Kenley Holmes,Ted Elwell, Brother Thomas (late husband of LaNae Thomas,) and Hal Card. Pop was duly impressed at such a wonderful moving crew to facilitate unloading. Jim was there to help also. I'm sure there will be lots of reflections in the future when we will be saying, "And Jim was there."

I had been worrying about our beautiful piano, but Aulvie made sure it was done just right!

That afternoon, Jan Holmes dropped by and welcomed me. And she made sure I felt welcomed the next day at church. It was Fast Sunday, and Dawn and Wendy Dequer were getting confirmed.

Dad left the next morning to fly back to Utah to wrap things up there - he didn't get back until September 4th - lots of wrapping up needed doing!

After church, we drove to Granada Hills to pick up Phoebe - who wasn't sure she wanted to come with us! She warmed up to us once more and forgave us for leaving her! The ward was wonderfully welcoming - just what we needed.

I got lost a lot. Got frustrated a lot. Went out to Granada Hills a lot. Went over to Helen's a lot. Spent a lot of time with Frances and family. Explored Monrovia a lot. Was afraid a lot - in fact, we slept with all the windows closed. We were in Los Angeles after all!!

I had thought that I'd be so efficient that I'd be on Anniversary Post Number 13 today - but I'm not - so I'll talk about the rest of 1979 when I get to it!

Suffice it to say, I was not thrilled to be moving - and that first year was not always a happy one. In fact, in October, Dad said, after I had railed about something, "I will not spend the rest of my life apologizing for making what I thought was a good decision - in fact, the right decision."

That was just before he went hunting with Pop - the trip where Pop ended up reading the Book of Mormon in the cab of the truck where they were stuck because it was snowing outside and the only way to keep warm was to keep the engine running.

Dad was reading his Scout Manual - he was the Scoutmaster - and Pop said, "Got anything else to read?" And Dad said, "Well, just this Book of Mormon here." So Pop took it and read it all day.

And the rest, as they say, is history.