The Dreaded Day Is Here

The dreaded day has arrived. I knew it would happen and I know it is best, but it seems to have come much faster than I wished. Kristen leaves today to go back to BYU. She has to return to her job on Monday which is why she is leaving nearly a month before school starts.

And she is going to be very much missed.

For the past few months she has been my personal assistant. She has put together the majority of my supplies for seminary, cleaned out the office and organized all my files. She helped with parties and cooked dinner a couple times a week and kept me company. So of course I will miss her help, but I will also miss her optimistic attitude toward life, her wacky humor and her boundless energy. Her father will miss her very much as well, as she has been his jogging/walking companion at 5:15 a.m. all summer.

Kristen is a senior at BYU and wants to be a teacher. She will be a very good one. She has an incredible talent for teaching and loves kids. She can also resolve issues in creative ways.

One example occurred at church a few months ago. As we were leaving, Kristen noticed a young man around 12 in the foyer bullying some of the other boys in the ward. As she walked by she said to the bully, “Hey, you really shouldn’t have been blowing kisses at me during church.” He looked up shocked and vehemently denied it.” She told him he shouldn’t do something wrong and then lie about it. And then she left. As she walked out the door she heard the other boys teasing him about his crush. In less than a minute he had gone from being the bully to being on the defensive. And we all got a good laugh out of it.

Kristen actually makes me laugh a lot. She once cleaned out my refrigerator and then posted a sign on the refrigerator door that said "This is no longer a penicillin culture friendly environment" And signed it "State Health Department". Another time she was putting away the laundry and came across several socks without mates. She put them all in a basket with a sign on the front that said, "Socks still in mating season."

I am also going to miss her piano playing. She is the one daughter of the three youngest who will play for her own (and my) enjoyment.

But now it is time for her to once again leave us. We wish her the very best in her final year at BYU.

Kristen--We know you will be great! But we also can’t wait until Christmas, when you will be back home with us!