I do not have many pictures - only from my cell phone - but here they are.
Orlando Temple - I went several times with an old friend with whom I now work. He was also out here without his family (until their house was ready). When Rachel and the kids came out, Sydney, Courtney, Rachel, and I went up to do baptisms - Courtney's first time. As always, it was a wonderful experience.
I spent our anniversary at work and alone. Fortunately, we had taken a 15th anniversary trip before the "deployment" and I was also able to take a week of leave to be with the family over spring break in Branson, Missouri. Rachel and I went out to a nice restaurant to celebrate.
I have but one picture from our 4th of July party. We were invited to a very nice country club for fireworks and an afternoon carnival. Here is Preston swinging away . . .
To get a feel for where I am living on my "deployment", check out out the pond, the wildlife, and the apartments in my complex.
The only things that qualify this extended temporary duty as a "deployment" are:
1 - I am away from my family (even though I was still able to take leave for the spring break trip and they were able to spend one of the seven months with my here in Florida).
2 - I deal with the situation in the Middle East every day at work.
I have come to a much greater understanding of how truly blessed we are here in the promised land, the land of the free and home of the brave. We take so much for granted. Count your blessings every single day. No matter how difficult the day may be, it could always be so much worse.
So how do I spend all my free time? I have no motivation to go out to theme parks, the beach, or anywhere else touristy without the family. I visit libraries and thrift stores to buy books economically (probably a couple hundred over the course of the TDY). I practice the organ a lot (they gave me a key to the building) as I am the volunteer organist at church. They are really going to miss me - they do not have anyone to take my place yet. I also am the volunteer primary pianist. That makes for four or five straight hours at the keyboard on Sunday each week if you include the early morning practice. How I wish I had practiced more growing up, but I am so grateful to my mother for pushing and providing the opportunity to learn as much as I did. Finally, I spend a fair amount of time cooking. For whatever reason, I took a picture of one of my creations: a loaded potato fan.
So there you have it. Less than four weeks to go. I miss the family so very much and look forward with great anxiety to reintegrating into their lives . . . in person. Skype is an amazing tool for staying connected, but it is still not the same as being there.
Now to teach Sydney how to add pictures again . . .
