MIA Dance Festivals were very big in California the 14 years we lived there and many of our children participated in them. They were held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. One year, Sylvia and Tricia had dresses with miles of tulle or net in the skirts. Of course I made them. Another year, Alan was in a minuet dance and had a very elaborate costume with black satin knee britches and coat with a yellow vest and lace cravat. That was a challenge to make too. One year I made four costumes, three for our kids and one for a friend. The festivals were very fun to watch.
One summer David and another young man in the ward, Brent Barlow, needed to work on a swimming merit badge. I don’t remember just how far they had to swim but Leon swam with them, back and forth across Newport Bay until they had the required distance. My first memory of this young man was as a 15-year-old. He came to a Mutual costume party dressed as the Jolly Green Giant. When he received his call to the mission field in Germany, Sylvia asked him if she could write to him. Of course he agreed and they corresponded his whole mission.
In 1974 David received his mission call to the Hong Kong Mission. All of us were very excited about this, our first missionary. We all went to the airport to see him off for Salt Lake City. Shortly after he was sent to Hawaii where the missionaries going to Asian countries had what was their MTC. Being a violinist with a very good ear, he readily took to the Mandarin language. He not only learned to speak it well but also to read it. He served an honorable mission and we were very proud of him.
I was not very impressed with his mission secretary. When it was time for him to come home, David told us the date but said the secretary would mail us the flight number and time. It never came. On the correct day we went to the LA airport and met every plane coming in from Hong Kong but no David! My mother also had come with us. After being home for a while we got a phone call from David at the airport. He had flown first to San Francisco then to Los Angeles! Back we went to the airport, about 50 minutes away, and were finally reunited with him. I felt so badly we were not there to meet him but he was very understanding.
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4 comments:
Oh, poor David! I am glad he is understanding.
I bet it was fun to sew those costumes! I think it is fun to sew things and then see them used.
How funny, I can see Dad as a teen Jolly Green Giant! hehehe After hearing about all the costume making and watching my mother-in-law sew them I'm kind of glad I don't know how to sew.
Jen
You were so clever to sew our costumes! We were very blessed to have you as our mother. Brent was a really cute jolly, green giant!
Well I say this Brent Barlow fellow sounds pretty great, and what a good sport to be the jolly green giant at a dance.
Most impressive that you sewed all those costumes, they sound really intense. I think that would have been really fun to see all of your kids take part in the festivities.
I think that David's mission homecoming to the airport is funny, and the kind of thing that missionaries might worry about. So glad that he is a mellow sort, that wouldn't think too much of it.
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