Here I am, “staying home” in Ogden, the city we love. My sweetheart Kay & I enjoyed the simple life here in Colonial Court Apartments from 2005 to 2009, followed by home ownership again. Taming the Layton frontier was a challenge for eight years until we sold to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In November 2018, returning home to a studio apartment and the simple life was a natural choice for me, as my wife Kay’s mission was extended to the other side. We are blessed to know that life continues at home for both of us and our family.
Throughout 2019, my favorite meeting places away from home were Crown Burgers and Rio Grande Cafe in downtown Salt Lake City. Conveniently located near FrontRunner train stations, they provided a pleasing place to meet with SLC friends and family without my fighting the freeway. The food was fantastic ... and fast. Sadly (it should go without saying), they have been closed for two months because of pandemic guidelines.
The Ogden FamilySearch Center and our spacious CCA “front room”, where we comfortably entertained guests and neighbors until those social places were locked “to keep us safe”, should be open again for gatherings this summer ... or next May. Meanwhile, my favorite meeting places are the curb in front by the temple and the parking lot at Farr Better Ice Cream across the street. Both are conducive to sharing comfort food, an essential element every day now.
May we meet this month at Farr’s ... or even sit down in Even Stevens Sandwiches nearby? Can we foresee a new normal in May — dining in Sonora Grill, reading in the library, and browsing in Deseret Book across the street? We expect to wait another month or two for churches, temples, and FamilySearch Centers to open. That will be the day for some heavenly get-togethers.
