Karen Made a Second Visit

How  happy we were to welcome Karen a second time as a visitor on our mission. However, the weather was less than welcoming.  It was nasty...cold, gray and very, very windy.  On Monday there was even icy rain thrown into the mix. Unfortunately we felt it was wise to modify our plans. Consequently, Karen has wanted to visit Chinatown on both of her visits, but she will need to come back a third time to do that.

Saturday we traveled to Oakland to attend the Mandarin session at the temple. Karen did such a good job of remembering the Chinese people she had met on her first visit here.  We chuckled, because there were more people there wearing headsets than native Mandarin speakers.

After attending church at the Filipino ward on Sunday, we went to the Chinese Branch. How fortunate for all of us, there were two English speakers that day and their talks were being translated for the main congregation.  We were able to laugh at their humorous comments before some of the others and that was a treat for me. In the afternoon we pulled on our windbreakers, gloves and scarves and toured the Stanford campus.  It's always beautiful, but not quite as stunning on a windy, cold day.

Monday, the weather was even worse. So what do sensible women do when their other plans go awry; we drove to the mall in San Mateo and bought new outfits.  Tom patiently looked at tools at Sears and ski equipment while he waited for the appointed time to meet the two of us. We, of course, called to ask for an extension. Afterwards,we went out for a Chinese lunch and drove back to Pacifica.

Once Karen had packed, and even though we were quite full, we went to the Cliff House for desserts.  The view of the turbulent ocean was good and the food was delicious. This was a good idea, despite our bulging stomachs.

It was WONDERFUL to spend some time with Karen.  Only 4 1/2 months until we'll be spending more time with family.