Yesterday, after breakfast, Grace who's still sick, dressed warm and went for a drive with us. We drove up to Smithfield so that Doug could run into Smithfield Implement, a hardware/cowboy store. He was looking for something for his daughter's birthday and she has horses. That's the only place I knew to go. Following that, we took a beautiful scenic drive through the valley past the kids schools, the temple, and finally, ended up driving down as far south in the valley as we could to Porcupine Dam. Sadly, the road was closed because of the snow when we got just a few hundred feet from the dam, so he didn't get to see the beauty of the reservoir, but it was a lovely ride just the same with the animals, the snow covered trees on the windy roads and the mountains. He'd never been off the highway in our valley, so it was a treat. Something that occurred to me when I climbed into bed last night and was telling my Doug about our drive, was that we were two blocks from our old Smithfield home and I didn't even think to drive past it. Literally. That's telling.
Speaking of "my Doug"... having two Dougs in the home is insane. I told them that when they are together, "My Doug" is "Babe" and Doug B is Doug. He doesn't feel like an "Uncle Herman" to me. The funny thing was, though, that Doug B said that Helen calls him Babe, so he still wants to answer! LOL
Anyway... we came home through downtown Logan and stopped at Center Street Grill for a late lunch. Grace didn't eat more than a few fries. She just doesn't feel good. Even just going for a ride, wrapped up in a blanket and never moving, it wore her out, I could see. We also made a stop at Taipan, which was hysterical. Doug's wife, Helen, is at home in Indiana. She'd asked Doug to ask me to look in Taipan for something for their daughter's birthday. I called Helen when we got inside and started snapping pictures of things and then texting them to her. I'd photo an area and she'd text back "that tan thing on top, then I'd take a closeup of it and she'd ask, "How much? How big?" So much for birthday shopping, "Ohhh! I need that! OHH! I want that!" Anne, the manager, was laughing at us, or with us, as Doug was rolling his eyes. He commented that Helen and I could go shopping together and loose track of what day it was. Helen, just moments later, on the phone, said, "Oh, Sophia! We could shop together and not even know what time it is!" Such fun! With Grace parked in the sunshine in the parking lot, we were not really that long!
My Doug came in from work about the same time that we pulled in from our drive. He wanted to go to the temple. I still had several things that needed to be done with the kids, plus dinner to make, so Doug and Doug left and went to the temple. I was happy that they were able to spend some time together! I took Quayd in for a haircut and to pick up a few more things for dinner. Quayd was reluctant for this haircut, because some of his friends are growing their "missionary cuts" out a bit before graduation. But, once Quayd's hair was done, he was feeling so much better and knowing that he looked better... especially when the stylist went on and on about it.
We all reconvened for dinner at about 7:30, which was late but we didn't care. We sat around the table, eating fajitas and cilantro rice and beans then visiting until almost ten! It's interesting to me that when we are with Doug, all conversations lead to gospel topics. The kids just sit and listen to our every word. Quayd shared his experience from APTC last summer, as well. A totally "reverent" dinner. After scriptures, we said our goodbyes, because the kids and Doug leave so early. However, this morning, Doug B told me that the kids came into his room (ZJ's) and sat on the floor and visited with him till almost midnight. I'm so thankful for his good influence on our family, for his special friendship with Doug and I and for his example to everyone. He truly is a great man.
This morning, after getting the kids off, I made breakfast, we said our goodbyes and he was on the road. It snowed a couple of inches last night and more snow is expected, so our prayers are with him that he travels safely back to Indiana. I turned on the scanner and dispatch said that there is extreme fog with about 20 yards of visibility and there were multiple accidents from the icy roads. I hope the weather improves and that he can keep ahead of the storms.
Life is good... and so are old friends!
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