I bought my ticket in March so I didn't realize it was going to be the same weekend at "Mother's Day." That was a double blessing. I also didn't know that Jonnie Holland, Jonnie's Mom, was also going on the same flight as I. That was also another fun blessing. We had a fabulous trip together.
When we arrived, Jonnie picked us up at the airport and took us to this fancy swank private restaurant that was a country club for Denney's Company. Denney met us there and we had a fabulous lunch. Denney was apologizing because the weather was getting cold with no sun. Jonnie Holland told us that when she listened to the weather report, for Illinois they would always say "partly sunny." In Arizona, the reporter would say "partly cloudy." That way the people in both states were hopeful and happy. We all laughed at that and just had a thoroughly good time.
After lunch Denney went back to work and Jonnie started taking us on a little sightseeing tour of beautiful landscape, with old town shops and churches. She then took us down near this river to where Denney's old work building was located. She explained that the city wanted to demoloish the old industrial building near the river. That is was why Denney's company had just barely moved to another place. When drove around the corner, there was Denney's old work building in piles and piles of brick and rubble. It had already been demolished and the city wasn't kidding about "hurry-up and move". That was a surprise to Jonnie because it happened so fast.
We then went to his new building. I was shocked. Denney is second in command of this building and materials. There are two buildings. The one we were in seemed like it was 3 blocks long and 2 blocks wide. It was huge. Then across the street was another building that belonged to the company and it looked like it was one block wide and 2 blocks long.
In the building there were parts and intact OR Systems that were huge. Denney showed us one that they sold for $34,000. He was working and building another one that we saw. He is the Engineer that makes sure the systems work, get built, get repaired, you name it, he does it. I met his boss and the guy raved about what a hard worker Denney was and how they really loved him in their company. It was exciting to see what this darling little baby boy of mine (sorry Denney) had achieved in his career. Later, I got to see him perform as an awesome Dad. I loved it!
We left the warehouse and Jonnie took us to this beautiful street with all these old and new mansions which are built by a river. They were facinating and beautiful. That was very fun.
When we got to the house, Jessica was a major positive fun greeting committee. She is adorable and makes her Grandma and her Nana feel like the Queen of the May! She is miss personality plus with a winning smile and a great sense of humor. She had been counting the days for our arrival and she showed her enthusiasm.
We got home just before Denney got home. Jonnie had a computer issue that hid the talk she was working on for Mother's Day. Denney helped her restore it, hustled the kids through dinner and Jonnie took David & Mariah and some of the other kids to the school to save seats for the play performance. When we got there, we had great seats on the second row. Denney whispered that the next night we would sit on the front row that was reserved for handicapped. He also told me that the first night he saw the play, he didn't recognize Mariah when she first came on stage. I was warned, but honestly, when she came on stage I didn't recognize her either. She was such a good actress that she was not herself and that surprised me.
The story of "Thoroughly Modern Millie" is about a country girl who goes to the big city. She looses her old country looks walks down the street, gets mugged and ends with nothing except a great attitude about succeeding. When her stuff is stolen, she trips Jimmy Smith on the street. They have a tif and he realizes she needs help so he sends her to Miss Meer's Hotel. Jimmy Smith is actually smitten with love at first sight when he sees Millie.
Millie goes to Miss Meers Hotel. Miss Meers has the hotel as a front for her real business finding girls with no family, drugging them and selling them into a slave trade. Since Millie has lots of family at home, Meers leaves her alone, but is about to kick her out because she's not paying rent. Then suddenly enters Miss Dorothy Brown, a new commer from the country. She has long ringlets and picture hat and pearls. Very nice Sunday dress for the country.
Millie telles her how she got rid of her country clothes and canged to modern. Miss Meer then breaks in and finds out that Dorothy is an orphan so she plans to drug her and sell her. Dorothy has money to pay the rent, so Millie and Dorothy become roomies while Millie continues to look for a job as a stenographer taking shorthand and typing.
Millie goes into this stenographers pool where she meets the stiff, demanding, effencient commanding character of Miss Flannery. She organizes and runs the pool and keeps the whole bussiness organized. Miss Flannery, Mariah, is sitting at her desk when Millie walks in and asks for an interview. Flannery gives all the rules and regulations and doesn't give her much hope because she looks so modern and Flannery is all business. Flannery's character had to be powerful, demanding, commanding and earth shaking. Mariah was such a great actress. You would never know what a powerhouse she was unless you saw her pull off that character. She was amazing and I could not see one other kid in the show that could have done Flannery with such a professional performance.
Anyway, Flannery sends Millie into have an interview with Terevor Graydon III, David, the boss! He moves his arms and hands just like a business man who is thinking, planning and preparing his statements, memos, letters and such. He asks her to take a letter. He starts singing the letter at a good clip. He then stops and asks Millie if he is going too fast for her. She say, "No, actually you're going a bit slow." David then launches into a song that dictates his letter a 200 miles an hour. I never knew anyone could talk that clearly and that fast. It was hiliarous. He was so much fun to watch on stage. He was perfect for the part. He sent her to type the letter infront of Flannery who, of course, timed it. Millie was fast and got the job. Little known to Trevor Gradon III, David, was the fact that Millie had a plan to marry her boss, David, so she would be rich and successful.
After work, she goes home and tells Dorothy her plan. Dorothy questions, "Do you love the boss?" Millie answers no because she doesn't need love in her life. Millie invites Dorothy to her work to also apply for a job. The next day Dorothy goes to Millies office. She is standing by Millies desk when Traver Gradon III, David, comes around the corner and when he sees Dorothy, he bursts into song with "Ah Sweet Mystery of Life at last I've found Thee." It was so unexpected and shocking to hear a high voice come out of David that I just burst out laughing. He held his character and continued singing. It was hilarious. She sings back and then he steps closer to speak with her while he is still thoroughly smitten.
Millie doesn't know what is going on and senses that they are not going her way. She is suggesting that Dorothy become modern and cut her hair, change her clothes etc. David interupts and suggests that she not do that because her curls are so beautiful, her face so fair and he goes on and on about her beauty. He kisses her hand and asks her to lunch. She accepts. He excusses himself and goes back to work giving Millie instructions to make reservations and get flowers. Millie was bumbed.
Dorothy goes back to the Hotel where Miss Meer trys to send her a drugged apple. Two chinese kids, a boy and a girl, work for Miss Meer. They recognize that Meer is up to no good because she is trying to drug Dorothy. The shortest most punny is a chinese boy and he saves her by keeping her from eating the drugged apple. He hides her in a laundry basket and saves her life.
In the meantime, Millie is trying to order the flowers for Mr. Trevor Gradon III when Jimmy Smith, the tall guy who she first met, comes through her office window to declare his love to Millie. She tells him she not marrying for love, but for money and that's why she will marry her boss. Jimmy asks her if the boss has a pet name for her. She say, "Yes, he calls me John, you know like Johnny on the spot?" Jimmy then say, just think the preacher can have you repeat, "I Trevor take you John to be my lawfully wedded stenog!" They have a tif and fall in love.
A little later, Trevor shows up and tells the two, Millie and Jimmy, that Dorothy never showed for dinner. Millie remembers how Mrs. Meer always says with a sinister smile, "It's so sad to be alone in the world," when she finds out a girl has no family. They figure they can catch Meer with the help of someone really savy and strong, "Flannery!"
Flannery, Mariah, shows up at Meers Hotel with Millie and Trevor, David, hiding in a laurndy basket. Mariah plays up the role of helpless, orphan and Meers buys it. She takes Mariah in for some warm tea to drug her and, of course, Mariah is wise to this. Meer steps into what she thinks is an empty lobby with only a laundry basket. She makes a secret call to the slave traders and Millie and Gradon III, David, take the whole conversation down. They then pop up and David sings back the written communication. Meer is then caught in the trap and Flannery, Mariah, comes out to help escort her to the slammer.
Dorothy then pops up out of a laundry basket and declares her love to the little chinese guy who saved her life. Millie declares her love to Jimmy Smith and David is left out in the cold until the little Chinese girl leaps into his arms and the Principle comes running from the audience, jumps on the stage costumed as the Chinese kid's Mama. They were working for Meers to save their Mama from slavery.
All ends with Flannery, Mariah, and Trevor, David saving the day and the finale is performed.
It was so great that Jonnie stood up and we all stood and got the whole room standing. Mariah and David were thrilled because that was their fist "standing ovation." We did the same the next night because they were highly successful. It was a blast!
After the play we went out to Culvers to eat. Some of the cast were going there and it was a good way for David and Mariah to wind down from the show. With our tummies full, it was sleep time. We went home and went to bed, except Jonnie and her Mom talked until 1:00 a.m. I was beat and needed sleep. Jake was so sweet to let me have his bed which is very comfortable and King Size! What a sharing Grandson.
The next morning we all bundled up because the wind was blowing and the temperature had dropped. We went out to watch Jared and Jessica play their games of soccer. I couldn't believe what a brave scrapper Jared was during the game. He was right there kicking, moving and running. At one point he was the goalie. The two grandmas were freezing, so the family got all kinds of blankets, quilts, and wrapped us up like two hotdogs with our eyes showing. Jonnie brought us hot chocolate which warmed our insides. It was fun and we yelled for our kids. Some of the other spectators looked at us like we were from the sticks. We probably acted like we were, but we had a good time.
After Jared's game we walked over to Jessica's game. The "Red Roses" team. Jessica was so cute running and chasing after the ball. She did a good job throwing the ball over her head when it went out of bounds. Denney is their coach and it was so cold we felt tiny snowflakes on our face. We couldn't see them, but Jonnie told us that's what we felt. When Denney asked the little girls if they wanted to cut the game short because it was so cold, they said "No because they were having fun." Jessica was so brave and I was very impressed with her.
After the game, we went home and the kids made hot soup, it was just the thing to hit our cold spots. We then took a nap to get ready for the next performance for David and Mariah's show. Again, lots of people came to see them and we sat on the front row. We met several from their ward that came to support the kids. It was great and again Mariah and David stole the show!
Jake had been in "Guys and Dolls" a few weeks before and had the DVD of his show so when we got home we watched it with him so we could see him shoot craps. He was very good in his part and did a rolling type flip so smooth you would think it was natural. We asked him if it hurt and he said that it did because the stage was hard to roll on with is shoulder. However, when he did it he did not look in pain. The sets for his show were fabulous and he said that the school paid big bucks for them. It was fun to watch the production with Jake explainning all the different dynamics of the actors and their real personalities.
Sunday morning, Denney and the kids surprised all three Moms with a beautiful fresh fruit salad with everything in it. He had a yoguart cream topping and it was a real uptown breakfast. We went to church where Jonnie was one of the speakers. Her talk was interesting because she did a children's story using Jack and Jill characters. With the story she showed how being a positive woman can make a difference even when others may not be so positive.
She then told about her Mom asking she and her sibilings to sing at the funeral of her grandmother. She explained that they are not singers and were balking at the idea. Her Mom was very positive and told her that all of them would sing and be happy about it. There was no question. They did sing and it was a very positive experience because her Mother stayed believing and positive with her adult children and that helped them succeed.
Then she told a story about me and the missionary calling I had in our ward. She told how Denney's Mom figured that all the neighbors could associate and give the neighborhood a spiritual boost by preparing a 4th of July parade and breakfast. We thought that the way Denney's Mom advertised was really weird. We weren't very positive, but she was. She took a bull horn and reminded and announced the parade over a PA System in the neighborhood.
We all showed up with our bikes decorated and weren't expecting much, but we were surprised. It was highly successful with lots and lots of neighbors. You see, Mom was positive and knew that her Mexican neighbors would respond to the Spanish she spoke over the bull horn. She also knew that in Mexico they use the very same method to advertise. She stayed positive and it was great.
During the closing song, "Love At Home", Denney was trying to get Jared to sing the hymn. Jared burst into an opera voice on "Love at Home. " He could out sing the whole congregation with a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his lips. It was hilarious. He was trying to drive is Dad nuts, but in the process, he showed his Nana what a powerful strong tember he has in is voice. He's a Welchman, just like his Parry Grandfathers before him. If Jared trains his voice, he's got it! He's a natural! He'll be a fabulous actor and singer.
After Sacrament, we went to class and met ward members. Jonnie runs the nursery and Denney went to help her do a special project with the kids. They made cute little gifts for Mother's Day for their Moms so it took extra hands to get the job done. I was glad to see their team work.
When we got home, Denney and the kids put on a "Big Texas Feed" with crab legs, shrimp coctail, shrimp scampy, jumbo fried shrimp, fresh broccoli, special hot bread and the fruit salad for desert. It was scrumptious. They did a great job. The kids cleaned up and Denney went to get ready to go to Dayton Ohio because he had to do a water show the next morning at 8:00 a.m. We said our good-byes and he was off. We visited, played a game and watched a movie. It was relaxing and fun.
The next morning after breakfast, we went with Jonnie to take Jessica to school. She took us on a scenic tour showing us interesting villages and this old home that used to be the "Booth Stage Coach House in 1817 or 1718" I can't remember. It was most interesting because it was farther from the road than similar houses I had seen in Scottland. I guess the early Americans learned it was better to have the house a little farther from the road. Then we saw "The Church by the Side of the Road." That was its name and it was beautiful with gorgeous stain glass windows. They really live in an area with American History. It was very fun to see.
We then took pictures infront of Jessica's school with Jessica which was fun because Jessy is such a cute adorable button. She loves her Grandmothers which was very flattering to me and really built my self worth. Thanks Jessica, you're special and you make me feel special. I love you.
After she went into school we were off to the house to pack up and get ready to go to the airport. On the way, we picked up Mariah and took her to the High School for one of her math courses. She is so beautiful and smart. At the same time, she is very humble and accepting. I don't think she knows how really awesome she is. We took pictures of us with her infront of the school and said our good-byes.
On the way to the airport, Jonnie bought us Subways so we would have a lunch while we waited for our flight. That is just one example of how royally she and Denney treated us during our visit. They are a wonderful family and they are full of the spirit of the Lord and his gifts. It was a weekend which I will always cherish and remember. It fulfilled the promise I've been given of having joy and rejoicing in my posterity.
My dear husband made it possible for me to leave Brittany and go for this special weekend. I know he took the stress of being the Mom and I really appreciate it. He was so stressed that when I landed and called him, he had forgotten I flew out of Williams and was going to go to Skyharbor to pick me up. To his credit, it was easy to forget because this is the first time we've gone to this airport. He hadn't remembered I was coming at 4:00 so he hadn't left the house yet.
Jim Holland was waiting at the gate for Jonnie and offered to drop me off at home. I called Dad and told him. He was grateful because he said the traffic on Stapley to get to the freeway was bad so he turned around and went home while I rode with the Hollands. They are a great couple. I had a wonderful with Jonnie on this trip. She is my kind of gal and I think we must have been kindred spirits in the pre-existance. It is fun for us to share the same grandkids.
