As the Kansas City temple is closed for six weeks for extended maintenance, Vivian and I hit the road to Omaha on Tuesday. Between 2001 and 2012 we traveled there dozens of times to attend the temple, often combined with taking our children to the zoo or other activities. Doing so this week was a nice trip down memory lane, a great evening of worship in the temple, and a reminder of how fortunate we are to live SO much closer to a temple.
Wednesday bike rides with Brock and Branden are becoming a favorite tradition! This week we did 28 miles, from the very top of the Line Creek Trail by Costco all the way to downtown Parkville and back. It was a beautiful day, and both the ride and company were great.
One of my favorite Mexican places has long been Teocali down by the Fed. Saturday night we met up there with Branden, Emily, and Whitney for dinner. It was great, and just one event in a very busy weekend of activities. Others include being the instigator of a block party with over 50 neighborhood residents, a music recital by my granddaughters, a delightful four-generation Mother's day, yard work, and gardening.
As for the mission update, we're still impatiently waiting (Vivian notes that I'm waiting more impatiently than her) for our assignment. We think we will hear back this week or next and we will let everyone know the next step in our missionary journey.
Bottom line: Retirement is going very well, and at the same time is very different! For decades I had fifty or so hours a week of work to default to. With work the big projects, strategic priorities, emails, and instant messages always provide so much direction and focus. Retirement really requires me to think carefully every day about where to spend my time to provide the most value. It is exciting and intimidating all at the same time.
Thank you for reading, and as always, I'm throwing in a few pictures and encourage any comments or feedback in the comments below.
Pictures (l-r, t-b)
Winter Quarters Temple
Mother's day dinner
Completed pottery projects
Just two of the many amazing mothers in my life: My grandmothers who both passed on more than 30 years ago.
Wednesday bike trek
Great report and pictures! Good-looking family there, Sean, and what a bike ride!