A New Calling

Things were normal enough on Friday. Jenn had just picked me up from school and I was getting a little bit of lunch before work. "Oh, Rick Gardner called" said Jenn as she handed me a note with his number. I don't think that Jenn realized the Brother Gardner is the Executive Secretary to the Stake President. Well I called him and as I was talking Jenn suddenly realized what it was, I could tell by the way her eyes got wide, I nodded my head while still on the phone and she silently mouthed "Oh no!" Sure enough the purpose was to set an appointment for me to meet with the Stake Presidency.

To give some background our Bishop just moved out of the ward so an appointment with the Stake Presidency is not a thing to be taken lightly. To be honest I have been jumping every time the phone rang this week so it felt kind of good to finally have it out of the way.

The appointment was set for Saturday night so I had over 24 hours to stew. As we showed up for the appointment it was a little off putting to find the hallway to the Stake Presidency's office dark like no one was home. We wondered if we were in the right place, was it a joke...? Our fears were soon put to rest as President Farr showed up and took us to his office. With only a little preamble the call was extended for me to serve as the second counselor to Bishop Davis v2.0. We of course accepted and I felt pretty good about it. I received a confirmation that it was inspired and so I left the office in good spirits. At dinner however I suddenly got a really sick nauseous feeling that I carried with me through most of the day. The implications of the call finally began to weigh down on me.

I was sustained as both a high priest and as the second counselor in sacrament today. Just typing the words it seems so unreal. I feel so small and unprepared for this. I am however glad to serve with Bishop Davis. I was his Elders Quorum President during his last tour of duty as Bishop so I am comfortable with him. This will be a new chapter in our lives and I really hope that I can measure up to what has been asked of me. For now, I just need to try not to throw up.

Management Training

Well, I have completed yet another management training for The Men's Wearhouse at the Chaminade resort in Santa Cruz California. You know what I will miss the most? No, it is not the all expense paid trip to Santa Cruz, the all you can eat buffets full of great food at every meal. It isn't the opportunity to reinvent myself and to gain needed skills that will benefit me not only in this job but in my future as well. The camaraderie is great but that isn't it either. No, what I will miss the most is the never ending supply of It's It ice cream sandwiches. Without exaggeration I can boast that I ate no less than three of these bad boys a day, and that was holding back. Picture a generous serving of ice cream served between two deliciously chewy oatmeal cookies and then coated in dark chocolate. I would call it dessert perfection but that would relegate to an end of meal indulgence, no, it is so much more. They make excellent snacks, appetizers even breakfast. Use your imagination. San Francisco has been producing these bad boys since 1928 and I can see why. Farewell, magical ice cream freezer filled with only the best. I will remember you fondly and look forward to when next we meet.