We Have Returned

Our last week was full of emotion, fun and work.  Sister Smart worked hard to pack and clean.  Elder Smart took the closing down of our office as his job.  The missionaries joined together and provided supper for us on Wednesday night.  We met in the gathering room for tostadas and cobbler.  We shared good byes and hugs as both the Smarts and the Bowden's left the next morning. 

Sister Smart Driving the Garbage to Bertha

Loading Bertha

We were busy an just passed through Elder Smart's birthday with very little celebration. We called his birthday celebration to be the trip to Mt. Rushmore.  It was fun, but Sister Smart enjoyed this "celebration" as much as the birthday boy did.

We drove away in a packed our tightly packed jeep at about 8:00 am.

Packed Car

We drove to Casper where we made our last mission financial deposit and had breakfast at The Eggington, our favorite breakfast restaurant in Casper.

The adventure continued as we drove toward Mt. Rushmore.  As we left the dry desert of Wyoming, we discovered scenery that we haven't seen the likes of for 18 months.  We also started to see history as we passed through Custer.

Beautiful Mountain Scene

Buffalo Ridge at Custer

We arrived at Keystone, So Dakota Thursday evening at about 2:00 pm.  beautiful winter scenic community.   Keystone is 3 miles from Mt. Rushmore.  We enjoyed the snow, but it made the view of Mt. Rushmore a little foggy.

Looking Out Our Window at Baymont Wyndham Hotel

Elder Smart Looking Toward Mt. Rushmore

We left Mt. Rushmore Friday morning and headed to the Devil's Tower.  We were amazed and enjoyed visiting this mountain.

Devil's Tower From a Distance

Devil's Tower

We drove back and stopped in Casper to spend the night.  We were very tired and the restful night prepared us for the drive home.

We stopped at Farson, Wyoming for lunch and  ice cream.  We had been told by many that this was the best ice cream store in Wyoming.  We wanted to compare it to Alcova's ice cream.  It was good, but the thing that really made it stand out was the size of the servings.  We both ordered a single.  It was so big that we had a hard time keeping from falling out of cones and bowls.  Actually it would not even begin to stay in the cone.  It was necessary to put it into a bowl.

Ice Cream at it's Biggest and Best

We arrived home at about 5:00 pm Saturday evening.  This got Elder Smart home in time to watch BYU football.

Sunday we had the blessing of kids and grand kids joining us for a great meal to celebrate Paul's (released by this time) birthday.  The meat was slow cooked by Aaron in his smoker.  Seeing everyone again was so wonderful.  Paul's favorite part of this evening was a big hug with Kaiden saying, Grandpa, I Love You!"  This hug will always be remembered because tragedy hit Tuesday morning and our dear Kaiden was killed in a car accident.

We want to share our testimony of God's love and plan for each of us.  We grew much and loved our mission.

Happy Birthday this week to C.J.

Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Paul and Annie