See you...take 2!

Last week, Dallin received a call from our stake president informing him that he is being temporarily reassigned to the Tennessee Nashville Mission. This was much sooner than any of us expected! Plus, we only had a week to prepare before he needed to report to the mission field. Luckily, other than getting him an approved smartphone, he was all set to go! Still, it hit all of us a little hard. Dallin is ready to return to the field but expressed a little frustration that he will most likely be returning to a semi-quarantined state. However, after a brief discussion with his new mission president, Dallin could see the benefits of utilizing technology to further the work, even if that will be the primary form of work for now. Jonas and Danny have been struggling with the thought of saying goodbye again. I'm happy to report that Dallin and Danny's relationship has evolved from a constantly bickering, annoyance-filled one to a more understanding, mature, and, I dare say, caring relationship. It was nice to see how well they were getting along. Jonas and Dallin have always had a good relationship. Dallin is more patient with Jonas and doesn't create little tugs-of-war with him (Danny and Jonas together = Battle of the Babies!). Both boys don't want Dallin to go back, even though they know it's for the best. Jeff and I are ready for him to return to the field and finish what he started. It has been nice having him home for the past 6 weeks, but it's time. Plus, this "goodbye" won't be for as much time as the previous one. Unfortunately, the timing of the call made it so that we couldn't celebrate Dallin's birthday with everyone...so we simply celebrated early!

Dallin (of course) has been spending a lot of time with Jackie and his other friends. Most of the time, Danny gets to join in on the fun, but Jonas has been feeling a little left out. Jonas brought this to Dallin's attention (with a little motherly coaching), and it was decided that they would get to go on a special date. Jonas wanted to buy Dallin an ice cream cone for his birthday so they went through the drive-thru at Farr's Ice Cream to indulge in some (minorly disgusting) "playdough" ice cream. They then went over to the park in downtown Payson to enjoy their delectable treat.

Originally, Dallin was supposed to leave on Tuesday, May 5th, so we organized a family dinner on the 4th to celebrate his birthday. The flight ended up getting changed to the 7th, but the dinner was still on the 4th. Everyone (all adult siblings and siblings-in-law, Gma Penny and Grumpy, and Katie and Greg) joined us for a birthday dinner and dessert. The older kids stuck around after the food festivities to play a few games before saying their goodbyes.

Wednesday (6th), Dallin crammed in a little more friend/girlfriend fun before saying those goodbyes. We had a friend that let us borrow some of his mules for a little ride along the canal road. Jonas even got to do a little guided ride around Katie's pasture. Later that afternoon, Emily and Matt came over to bid adieu. They played games, pulled out the parachute, and just hung out until it was time to say goodbye. It was tough on all of them. Even though Dallin knew he was making the right decision, he struggled to say goodbye once more.

Dallin, Danny, and Dallin's friends also went to the hot pots in Fillmore the day before.

That night Dallin was set apart as a missionary again. If there had been any doubt in anyone's mind about his return to service, it dissipated with that blessing. Because of the virus, the setting apart took place in our living room with just us and the stake president. It was so intimate and so powerful. Dallin is supposed to go to Tennessee. It was the plan all along, even if we didn't expect it. Thursday (7th) morning came too quickly. It felt weird to be dropping Dallin off...again...and with so many changes! We weren't allowed inside the airport at all. We literally rolled up to the curb, helped Dallin get his luggage out of the back of the car, gave him a final hug, then watched him walk inside. It was all so strange yet so peaceful. Dallin will tear it up in Tennessee! We are excited to hear about all his "southern" adventures. One thing we all know for sure is that God knows our path even if we don't; we simply have to trust where it leads us.