Twenty

Today is our 20th anniversary!

Happy anniversary Rhonda!

Family Pictures at Greenbluff

Greenbluff in the fall is one of my favorite places in the world, especially on a sunny day like today. The beautiful apple orchards, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes are all amazing to see this time of year. And for the first time in several years, we took a family portrait. 

Whitney...

The couple...

Dakota...

Whitney again...

Dakota inside a log cabin.

Pictures of McKenna are exceptionally rare, 

so this picture made the day even better. 

The autumn sun made all this beauty possible. 

Rhonda's Graduation

Rhonda graduated with honors from Whitworth University with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in Social Services.  This is a proud day for our family. We celebrated Dakota's 18th birthday yesterday, and we celebrated Rhonda's achievement today. 

Waiting for commencement to begin. 

President of Whitworth.

Commencement speaker, Rep. Kevin Parker.

Rhonda holding her diploma. 

A sense of personal and national pride 

was displayed by this graduate. 

Rhonda graduated with CYT friend Judy Castillo. 

Rhonda and her brother Paul. 

Rhonda and her girls. 

Rhonda and her mom. 

...and with her husband.

...and her son.

Portraits

Self-Portrait

Todd Benson has inspired me to think about my art. Ever since I was a kid, I loved to draw, but I'm sorry to say that I have often allowed my art to fall by the wayside. I tell myself that things get too busy, but in reality, creativity is therapy. In any case, Todd asked to see some of my work. Thanks to him, I guess the rest of you get to see it too. 

These pencil and paper portraits measure about five inches by seven and were completed in December of 1999. 

Rhonda

Central Food

For date night, we decided to try something different, so we had dinner at Central Food in the new mixed-use development at Kendall Yards. The Benson brothers have talked so much about it that we decided to give it a try.  

We enjoyed our visit. For one, the view is amazing - the restaurant overlooks downtown Spokane and the Spokane River. Also, the menu changes every day, with personal recipes created by the chef. According to our server, their philosophy is to offer fresh ingredients with a local connection. In fact, the server entertained all my questions and added to our experience. 

The view from Central Food.

We arrived close to sunset. 

A variety of spices are displayed in mason jars.  

Of course, I had to check the progress of the mural. Color has been added to most of the background scenes, but not the main figures. 

After sunset...

Lluvia

Rhonda and Dakota discovered the rain of Colomba, Guatemala. As I mentioned earlier, we were all walking to the cemetery, when the rain began to fall. For us, it was something of a novelty, so we enjoyed it. 

Twenty years ago, when I lived in Colomba, the rain was a source of constant misery. I remember sometimes being so wet that I would take my socks off at the end of the day, wring them out, and hang them on a line to dry. Unfortunately, the air was so humid that my clothes never got dry. The next morning, I would have to put on my wet socks to start the day. 

La Rotonda

Twenty years ago, the highway between Guatemala City and Quetzaltenango was a narrow, two-lane road that cut a harrowing, twisted path through the the steep Guatemalan highlands. The highway offered a thousand breathtaking vistas, but it was just as dangerous as it was beautiful. The cars and buses competed with one another to jockey ahead of the slower trucks. Often they passed other vehicles around blind curves, just barely missing a truck or bus that barreled around the corner from the opposite direction. It's no wonder all the buses carry the image of a saint or the Virgin Guadalupe; sometimes prayer is the only traveler's insurance available. 

Now the highway is greatly changed. The view is just as spectacular as before, but now four lanes have been opened, making travel between the two cities quicker than ever before. 

The new four-lane autopista allows drivers to bypass Salcajá and enter Quetzaltenango from the other side. It is much faster than before, but I decided to take the old road, just for old times sake. 

When we arrived in Quetzaltenango, we immediately found La Rotonda, which is a large traffic circle with a statue in the middle: El Monumento a la Marimba (pictured above). Some of the sights were the same as I remember them, but many were changed. A massive archway now spans the entire street, just exactly where the old LDS Church still stands. Also, a McDonald's was built on the edge of the Rotonda, just a block away from the old mission office. 

It was a strange feeling to see all the changes. Twenty years ago, when I was a young missionary, I would have given anything to have a McDonald's within our mission boundary. Now I feel a sense of sadness to see something so important and intangible has been lost through the Americanization of this deeply traditional country.   

Years ago, I was riding the bus to Quetzaltenango with Elder Barrios. Somehow we got to talking about our lives back home and he asked me if I had a girlfriend in the States. Of course, I told him that I was writing a girl who was also a missionary in Texas. He asked me, "What is her name?"

I said, "Rhonda."

Just then, the bus came to a stop and the driver's assistant hollered the name of our location, "¡La Rotonda!" Elder Barrio laughed and mimicked the assistant in the same altered voice that all the Guatemalan buses use to announce their destinations. Ever since then, it became a joke among some of the missionaries that I was dating a girl named La Rotonda. 

When I shared this story with Rhonda, she was none too pleased. She said the name makes her sound, well, rotund and large. Even so, all these years later, Rhonda posed for a picture at her namesake Rotonda. 

Birthday

Rhonda celebrated her 42 birthday this month.

It was a very happy occasion with friends and family. 

The girls baked a cake,
but it literally fell to pieces
when it came out of the oven.

Everyone laughed

and enjoyed eating

crumbs dipped in frosting.

We saved the candles for a beautiful birthday flan. 

Dakota and Josie with frosting mustaches. 

Rhonda

As Rhonda celebrates her 42nd birthday, I feel moved to reflect upon the last 18 years of marriage. But even before the actual wedding date, we had already known each other for four years. By these numbers, the span of our relationship has endured more than half our lives. 

Our marriage is based upon a deep sense of friendship. Over the years, we have always seemed to find comfort in the feelings we share, and no matter how many years have passed, we can still lie awake at night as we hold hands and speak of the beauty and the mysteries of life. 

But more importantly, our relationship stands upon a spiritual witness of our oneness; a witness that has strengthened us through every challenge, disappointment, or disagreement. 

Our marriage is a blessing, and on a day such as this, I give thanks. 

(This is one of my favorite pictures of Rhonda from a few years ago). 

Angel

Some time before we married, Rhonda and I took a marriage class from Bishop Orville Nelson. One of many things I remember, he counseled us to continue our courtship, even after the wedding. He advised us to always find special times alone with each other, building our relationship.

Through all the hardships, trials, and blessings over the last 14 years, we remembered the words of our old bishop and continue to make time for regular dates. It might not be an overstatement to say our dates may have held us together.

Sometimes life seems so overwhelming; our differences seem insurmountable, but when I sit across the table from my wife, I listen to her laughter and remember everything I love about her. We were best friends first, and will remain so in the end. A million things pull us apart, wrenching our souls at times, but a simple, transcendent love binds us together.

Coming home from our date tonight, we heard this song from Angela Little, titled "Your Angel." It reminds me of our relationship.

Your Angel

There is something in your eyes,
So blue and clear and so surprised.
You weren't expecting me,
But I'm here, and I will set you free.

There is something in your voice,
So sad and scared, you think you have to make a choice.
Like the way the river leads towards the sea,
This river's leading you to me.

And you say that I'm your angel,
That I'm your guiding star.
What it all comes down to is I'm only human too,
And I love you just the way you are.

There is something in your arms,
So safe and warm, you know you make me feel so calm.
Since you stroked my hair and held me through the night,
I know it's gonna be alright.

So you say that I'm your angel,
That I'm your guiding star.
What it all comes down to is I'm only human too,
And I love you just the way you are.

Don't be afraid, we'll be fine.
Remember everything happens in its own time.
And like the way that every river leads toward the sea,
This river's leading you to me.

Listen to the song by clicking HERE.

Waiting

The times were all wrong; waiting with no obvious end-point. The minutes pass; boredom creeps in, followed by an outburst of hilarity. The photographs are grainy because of poor lighting. We just took them to pass the time, but I like them because they remind me of the tension immediately preceding the laughter.

We can never stay serious for too long.

Tree

The women who attend Rhonda's retreats presented her a Christmas tree. Susan Schilling made the delivery and said, "A little bird said you needed a tree." Immediately our home filled with the wonderful smell of noble fir and a feeling of abiding love.

Ron & Linda

Linda, Dakota, Ron, and Rhonda.

Rhonda's father and step-mother paid a visit to Spokane and stayed an altogether too short time with our family. Monday was their day at the Moses household, spending lunch with Rhonda and I, and then an evening at Wonderland with the kids. We hope to get more visits in the near future.