One of the most exotic flowers in the world is found in profusion in Orange county -- and is right now in bloom. It is called the Bird of Paradise. (It almost looks like a bird.)This one is just a few feet from our apartment door.

Our mission continues to be one challenge after another. This week we had two major ones, with 14 elders and 1 sister arriving from the Missionary Training Center in Provo on Tuesday. There's nothing like greeting these brand-new missionaries who are arriving here for a two-year stay and knowing that we have a stewardship for their welfare while they're here. Then on Friday we were remotely trained from Salt Lake on how to use the Internet Mission Office System, which will integrate more fully many of our tasks and make it much easier to keep track of missionaries, their districts, etc. This will entail a learning curve for all of us to overcome, but then the Lord will help us to be equal to the task.

California has done it again! Tuesday we received a letter from the Church's attorney's Kirtin, McConkie and McConkie, informing us that we had to register our cars in California! We were told when we arrived that we only needed to keep our cars registered in our home states, because we wouldn't be residents. Now we are told that our cars have to be registered, in spite of our not being residents. So, we spent the morning on Thursday and $447 getting new license and registration, and surrendering our Utah plates! We fared the best; Budges, who are leaving in just three weeks, had to pay a penalty for the whole time they have been here, plus the cost of the new license. The two sisters spent the entire day getting their cars smog tested and spending over $500 and $600 respectively getting their cars licensed. There was plenty of conversation about California's bankrupt state, not being notified before now (Elder Budge wrote the attorneys to that effect), but also counting our blessings that nothing worse happened, like being ticketed for not being properly registered, which would have been very expensive. Needless to say, the experience was a major distraction to our mission responsibilities.

Thursday night we took Elder and Sister Budge with us to the Newport Beach Temple for an endowment session. There we coincidentally ran into our oldest grand-daughter Keely, who was there for the same session. A new friend of Gary's, Nathan Solesbee, was also in the session. He is the owner of Solesbee Autocraft, where the mission takes its damaged cars for repair.

Saturday afternoon Keely and her roommate McKenna came over so that Signe could give McKenna a massage. McKenna was very appreciative for the relief she got for her shoulder. While Signe massaged, Gary had a wonderful chat and update on the family with Keely. Again, it is so good to have her nearby -- our token family member on the mission.

In the evening we had dinner with six other office workers at the sisters' apartment. It very nearly rivaled any Thanksgiving dinner, and afterwards we played three rounds of Mexican Train dominoes.

Sunday in church Signe was invited to play her violin again, Gary was asked to lead the music in stake priesthood meeting next Sunday, we were invited to dinner and a concert by the Bragg's in the ward, and Gary was asked to teach the lesson on Joseph Smith in priesthood next Sunday. So we really feel more and more a part of this ward! Then we attended a baptism in the Newport Beach Stake Center for a young adult man from the South Coast Young Adult Ward, who was quite overcome by his baptism -- thanking all of us for our part and even giving Gary a big embrazo! The elders who taught this young man were incredible!