Cousins in Kilts

Welcome to Scotland! It was so fun posting that picture of Erik in his kilt, that I wanted to post one of me. As far as I know, this is the only picture that I have of me in my kilt from my mission. This Tartan (plaid) is our Johnston Family Tartan, which you can view in color in my last post on Erik's kilt!

The person with me is my cousin Joe Kirby. His father is my mother's brother. We were pretty close growing up, he is two years younger than I am. Our families loved playing baseball on hot summer afternoons. He is about 6'4 and he is the shortest of his siblings.

Our grandparents were born in Scotland. When they heard the gospel, they were converted and came to America. Joe's father was actually born in Scotland along with three other of their children, before they came here.

It was a thrill for me to be called to serve in Scotland and then to hear that my cousin was coming was such a surprise. To have Erik serve there also, just tripled the pleasure.

Many of my mother's aunts, uncles, and cousins were there when Joe and I were serving. We were able to spend some time with them and to share the gospel with them, even though they were as unreceptive as they were when our grandparents joined. Erik was able to meet with the ones that we still alive. My mother's generation has passed on, but I still keep in touch with one of our cousins named Catherine, who is just a little younger than me.

A very funny thing happened at the end of my mission. My mother and my aunt Vi came to bring me home. We were in my mother's Uncle John's home and my mom told them that my sister had just had a baby. They asked her name and mom said, "Misty". They said, "that is no name, go home and tell her to change that baby's name!" Mom said, "to what?" "Catherine!" was the reply. Mom just said, "Oh Brother!" There were 7 women in that room; my mother's aunt Catherine, her cousin Catherine, her cousin's daughter Catherine, my mother, Catherine, and me, Katherine! The other two were Vi and Anne. I think I was scared for life! Those same people got quite a kick out of Erik's name being spelled with a K, I can just hear it, "crazy Americans".