Mission Field Delivery

Mom began attending the MTC on November 8^th. She has been there during the day but home in the evenings. She was there two weeks and this weekend left home for the mission field. She was allowed to bring someone along as a companion and asked if Mikayla and I would join her. We couldn’t stay with her once she arrived and we couldn’t hang around with her once she was installed, so it was going to be a quick trip. We would drive down with her and then fly home.

 

Mikayla obliterated her ACL in October and was meant to have surgery in December, after our trip and the Celebration of Christmas concert at BYU. Then Guy lost his job and although they have three months of severance which includes insurance, Mikayla decided to have her surgery while still completely covered. This was going to put a serious crimp in trip plans. Mikayla had her surgery last week and has been largely laid up, hanging around on a mattress in the loft, paying attention to her children from a supine position. It has been good that Guy is not working. We were leaving on Friday after work. On Tuesday, Mikayla spent the day thinking about going to California, seeking confirmation about the decision to go. Nothing felt wrong. Then on Wednesday, she decided she would spend the day thinking about NOT going to California. She cried all morning. So Wednesday afternoon she texted and said, “I’m coming to California. I will be no help at all, but I will try really hard not to be a burden.”

 

We planned to leave when I got off work on Friday. I worked in American Fork and we were slow enough that I asked if I could leave early. Doug (manager) said I could go, so I left work at 3:00pm. Mom was finished at the MTC at noon, but she had gone home and Christopher had come over with Camme Cox, and they didn’t leave until 3:00. Christopher was a mess. I knew that was coming for me, too, I just got to delay the inevitable by a couple of days. Mom had not packed, so I helped her put all her clothes into suitcases. She had packed boxes of other stuff and we loaded the car. We were finished and ready to go get Mikayla about 5:00. She and I both had only a backpack, and we felt like we were doing pretty well getting on the road about the time we thought I would be home.

 

We didn’t make it far, however. We needed dinner and thought to stop in Spanish Fork where it might not be quite so busy. We were wrong. We went to Cubby’s and it was crazy busy. Although we ordered online for pickup, we still waited over 30 minutes to get our food. We got on the road and ate until Santaquin where we stopped for gas and to throw away our garbage. We weren’t really seriously on our way until close to 7:00pm.

 

We drove as far as Mesquite. We pulled in late having talked and talked and laughed and laughed and cried just a bit. I love being with Mikayla and Mom. We arrived late and happily fell into bed.

This was on the gas pump we used to refuel on one of our stops.

Totally made me laugh!

Saturday morning we had a pathetic breakfast at the hotel (hardly worth eating) and then continued our drive towards Burbank. We did more talking. We made good time until we stopped for lunch. Service was slow, lunch wasn't great, and traffic got really bad. We didn't arrive until 3:00pm, later than we had hoped.

Sister Keen, Mom's companion, had arrived earlier in the week and met us in the parking garage under their apartment building. She had asked the elders to come help unload the car and move stuff up the three flights of stairs, but Mom and I were able to schlep everything up without too much effort. Mikayla crutched up and stayed. Mom is on the top floor of the apartment building which has no interior walls so it has a nice-ish view from the door. She has her own bedroom and bathroom, a large living room and a good size kitchen which was stocked with most of the things they will need. 

We looked around and decided to make a Wal-Mart run for a few things Mom needed. We'd made a list as we drove down and added a few more things when we saw the apartment. She needed foodstuffs as well, so after getting stuff into Mom's room, we headed out to Wal-Mart. It was super busy and tricky to maneuver around. Mikayla got an electric cart and tried not to drive over/into anyone. 

Sister Keen had made dinner for us, so after our shopping trip, we ate with her. After dinner, while Mikayla sat on Mom's bed, Mom and I unpacked her suitcases, hung up clothes, filled drawers, and hung the family picture Mikayla had printed for her. It had been a long, exhausting day, and although it was still pretty early in the evening, Mom said she was done for the day and sent us on our way. She had no room for us to stay, so Mikayla and I stayed at a hotel in Burbank. Uninterrupted time with Mikayla is rare and it was so nice to be with her. 

Our flight home wasn't until around 5:00pm, so we knew we had time to go to church with Mom and spend a bit more time with her before saying our official goodbye. Church was at 9:00. Mikayla and I had breakfast at a little restaurant called Another Broken Egg. We both ordered cinnamon roll french toast with was delicious but enormous. We should have shared an order. We did our best. 

We drove through the neighborhoods near Mom's apartment which isn't very far from the church. Burbank is really lovely, with cute little homes that probably cost over a million dollars with bougainvillea and fruit trees. The downtown is nice and everything seems well maintained. The church building is an old country club, with three levels, beautiful big windows, and lovely landscaping. It should be a nice place to live.

Mom, Sister Keen, Mikayla, and I all sat down together. We were greeted by the bishop who asked if we were there for the animation convention. Mom introduced herself and Sister Keen and said they were the new sister missionaries. He seemed surprised to have them there, but was kind in his greeting. He wasn't expecting them. We thought that was kind of weird. After the meeting, several people came up to Mom and Sister Keen and introduced themselves. One woman nabbed them after the meeting and talked shop, wanting to put them right to work. We felt good about the ward and where they would fit in. 

We returned to Mom's apartment and began to cry. Our ride to the airport wasn't expected until 2:30, but time together was drawing to a close. It was awful. We all three just cried and cried. Then we cried some more. We pulled it together long enough to make some lunch which we ate with Sister Keen. While we were chatting, Sister Keen looked at her phone and saw a text message from the Relief Society President. She said how excited they were to have them coming to their ward, that church started at 1:00, and that there would be a munch and mingle afterwards. It was 1:15. We had gone to the wrong ward which explained the bishop's surprise at seeing them. We all jumped up, put dishes in the sink, and Mom and Sister Keen grabbed their stuff to head back to church. 

We had more ugly tears as we said our for real goodbyes, and waved the Sisters off to do the Lord's work. Then Mikayla and I cried and cried until our Uber came to pick us up. It was such a hard goodbye. I am relieved, however, that we will get to talk to Mom once a week, and really more often than that if we want. Senior missionaries have more leeway than the young missionaries. But we still left her there in California.

Sister DeMartini and Sister Keen

We had an easy drive to the airport. We got dinner and played cards as we waited for our flight. It had been a somewhat physically and absolutely emotionally difficult couple of days, and I felt drained of the energy needed to cry. Mikayla and I both had headaches and red eyes from all the crying. We both felt that we were cried out. When we landed, Mikayla took her phone off airplane mode and received a text message from Mom. She said, "I am so sad and miss you already. What have I done? I hope this gets easier. Love you so much." 

We were not done crying.

I hope Mom is busy, that she gets wrapped up in the work, and that she finds joy in her service. And I hope we can survive without her.

Here are some funny quotes from our trip.

Katherine: "I can't stand the clock."

Goes to change the clock, goes past the minute I needs, says "I'm going to spend a minute getting the clock back to 6:18 so then it will be 6:19 which is what I was on."

Katherine: "I'm going to park in the handicap spot and then get out and run"

Katherine: "I have lots of things to talk to you about."

Mom: "Okay, let's hear about all the things"

Katherine: "Okay..."

Mom's phone rings.

Katherine: "Can I have a short whine?"

20 minutes later

Katherine: "Okay, that was a long whine."

Katherine: "How great that Guy has had two job interviews in one week."

Mom: "Yes. You can't even get one."

Mikayla: "Wow Mom. That was low."

Katherine: "Look there's a cat hospital. Look there's Nickelodeon. Look there's the Marriott that has an outdoor elevator."

Mikayla: "Look there's 111 North 3rd Street"

Katherine starts to pour soup into a big bowl, stops and says, "Actually, I'm going to use the small bowl," then proceeds to almost over flow the small bowl and in the end uses the big bowl.