Why missionaries don't have pets

July 28, 2014

It's been quite the week.

We lost our mini. Sent her home in the arms of her mother. (Don't worry, her time was up.)

We both lost and regained the Palmer family to the beach. Remember how we were going to take care of their animals during the week? Almost killed half of them the first day. Went to open the door that first morning, and the key half broke in the dead bolt. Fish, frogs, and cat all trapped inside. So we spent a little bit trying to break in to no avail. That house is more secure than I thought. So we took an unplanned detour to a hardware store, and luckily they can copy keys that are in two parts. It just takes two people, so Sister Webb got to put on the safety glasses and help carve out a brand new key. New key, some graphite lubricant, and we were in. The Palmers never would have known if their new key didn't happen to be a new color.

We celebrated both Pioneer Day (July 24th) and Christmas in July (July 25th). One with a lunch at Riley Farms "the Tavern" (okay, so more colonial), and one with red and green skirts, Christmas music, and watching the classic re-enactment of the Nativity by the Tanner family. Coolest thing with the Riley Farm. So the Rileys are members of the church, and we texted Sister Riley to find out about the Tavern. Well, around check time the waitress comes around and is like "and don't worry about the check. (Sister Riley) took care of it." Say what?! Too kind.

The D family is set for the 16th of August! At least the mom and dad. And then the daughter wants to be baptized as soon as her dad can baptize her (not usual policy, I know. But they came up with it and we got special permission.) So she is set to be baptized the 22nd of August! The son has still not said he wants to be baptized (yet).

The Yucaipian heat is killer. And I'm in one of the coolest parts of the mission. I escaped a Ukrainian winter to plop into a California summer. Joy.

The Palmer's puppy was a fiend while they were gone. She liked to go find her pee-pee pads, and rip them up right in front of our door. Definitely too much energy, that one. I also spent too much time mediating a dispute between two dogs and a suicidal chicken. Hard as I tried, that chicken did not want to leave, and it was all I could do preventing the dogs from "playing" with it. This is why missionaries don't have pets.

Well, Sister Webb and I have both determined that that is about all we can think of.

Love y'all, and have a great week!

Sister Tanner