Our “Quick” Trip Home

We had 2 weeks off from teaching before we could start the next session of classes.  We decided to try to get home for a few days for Dad’s 90^th birthday party.  We fly stand-by and could go round trip for just $400 each, as compared to $3000 or more for a regular fare to go home.  There are only 3 flights a week to get out of Kinshasa.  They go through Paris.  We were “bumped” on Saturday night and Sunday night, because the flights were full.   By then we knew we wouldn’t make it for the party, and nearly gave up going home.  It was an ordeal each time we tried to get out.  We had to have one of our friends, a very busy stake president who lives by the airport, take us.  It takes up to  two hours to get to the airport.  The flight left at midnight.  We couldn’t park our  truck at the airport for the week we were going to be home.  We were told repeatedly that if we left a car there, even just over night, it would be stripped by morning.   It was a huge hastle!

However, we decided to give it one more try.  We felt very fortunate to get the last 2 seats on the Tuesday night flight to Paris on Sept 3rd.  We went straight to Salt Lake and spent time with Dad and the Dittbrenners for a day and a half.   

We flew to Orange County on Friday night and spent a wonderful night and day with Ryan, Tiffany, Brooklyn and Zelda.  We went out to breakfast, ran errands, bought pizza at our favorite pizza place and took it to eat on the Wedge on Newport Beach Peninsula.  We spent a couple of hours enjoying relaxing together. 

 Zelda stuffed all the garbage in the garbage can and turned around and declared "I did it!"

 

We returned to the Conley’s home and played “Small World” which is one of Ryan’s favorite games.  (There are lots of imaginary creatures and conditions.  It is a very complicated game and Ryan always has to “help” me with my “plays”.  I think we had played it together 3 times before we left on our mission.  It made Ryan crazy that I won two of those times, and Tiff won the other time.)  But Saturday night, September 7, Ryan was the big winner!  What a precious day it was!  That night, after big hugs and kisses from Brooklyn, Zelda and Ryan… Tiffany drove us to the Los Angeles Airport and said “Good-bye” to us for a year.  The flight that night was full, so at 1:00 am… we checked into the Marriott for 4 hours of sleep.  It was well worth it!  This is a special "last photo" of the day.