Snow, Cold, and Christmas

     December 2nd, 2015 found us in Utah at Farrell and AnnaVee's house for the night.  They are doing good.  They actually have the house to themselves most of the time now as AnnaKay's kids are living with her in Salt Lake.  We enjoyed our visit and had a good nights sleep.  We left their house about 11:00am on the 3rd and drove to the Golden Corral to meet up with President y Hermana Burk and Hermana Joan Gardner for lunch.  The Burks finished their mission on Oct. 31st and this is the first time we have been able to visit with them since their return.  Joan, of course, had come home from their mission 6 months earlier when her husband fell and died.  (you can read about this in our Guatemala Mission Blog)  It was so good to see them.  It was like we had never been separated as we just sat and talked and talked.  We needed to be on the road by 2 because a storm was coming in and we wanted to beat it and get home.  We arrived home in good time but tomorrow will have to clear the sidewalks and driveway of the 2-3 inches of snow.
     We went to visit Larry and Blanca on the 4th.  She is heading to Panama for 3 months to house sit for her family there.  Larry is not going so we will try to have him over while she is gone.
   Saturday morning, the 5th we drove to Tracy's house and drove to Declo with them to watch Chandler's wrestling meet.  Ashton is not competing today. 

 Chandler drew a bye so we had to wait for 2 hours for his first match, which he won with a pin.  Then we waited another 2 hours for his second match and his third match where he was pinned.  It was a long day.  We got home in time for our Ward Christmas Party.
     We met a young couple with 2 little boys at the party who are moving to Jerome.  Shawn starts work next week and is trying to find a place to live while they house hunt.  We told him that we had a room if he didn't find anything.  It is not easy to get an apartment or any rental on a month to month lease.
     Sunday evening we watched the First Presidency's Christmas Devotional.  It was excellent as usual.  The music was so uplifting and really sets the tone for the Christmas holiday.
     On Monday, Lon got a cooking lesson.  We made pumpkin rolls for our Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching families.  It was a long day but we now have 10 rolls in the freezer.  Lon now understands why we only make them once a year.
     Lon surprised me today.  He actually put up Christmas lights. 

 I just love the lights.  They just give me a feeling of peace.  He did this while I worked inside on the tree and inside decorations.

We have gotten rid of our entertainment center so I had no place to put all of my nativities.  So I put them under the tree.  It was the perfect place as I knew we wouldn't have a bunch of gifts there.

We have had snow on and off all week.

Shawn Durham moved in on the 10th.  He thinks that he has a studio apartment to move into in about a week in Eden.  We are skeptical about any apartment in Eden so we shall see. 

On Friday the 11th, George and Kim took us to a Christmas Concert in Twin at the Twin Falls South Stake.  Carson Wong was directing the choir.  I have really been missing the music of Christmas.  Our ward Choir is so bad.  There was a display of over 400 nativities from all over the world set up.  It was amazing and so beautiful to view these and then listen to the concert. 

On the 12, we again headed to Utah.  The Burk's are giving their mission report on the 13th and we want to be there for a mini mission reunion.  We had good roads all the way down.  We decided to spend Saturday night with Norm and Bev Kump who have moved to Spanish Fork this past summer.  They were busy moving out when we were busy moving back in so we didn't really get much time with them.  Norm has been very ill and it was good to see him doing better.  They have a beautiful home and are very happy to be close to family now.  We visited till late and in the morning said our good-byes and headed the few miles to Salem for Sacrament meeting. 

We arrived at the church a half hour before the meeting and were delighted to be reunited with our dear friends and family from the Guatemala City Temple Mission.

 Los Roberts, Pitchers, Thompsons, Brubakers, Burks, Sis. Gardner, Sis. Cabellero, Perkins(they had gone home before we arrived) Sis. Dick, Los Murri.

 Elders Pitcher, Roberts, Thompson, and Brubaker showing off their Guatemalan made suits

The Temple Presidency:  Roberts, Burks, Thompsons   

We all met at the Burk's home for a light lunch and visiting.  There just wasn't enough time to say all that we wanted to say.  There was another storm predicted so we knew that we had to get on the road no later then 3:00pm.  We had good roads until Burley when it started to rain and blow.  We have been so blessed to come and go in between storms and we are thankful to be home tonight.  We woke up to a good snow storm with high winds and lots of blowing and drifting.  The roads had the layer of ice from the rains last night so they were very slick with the snow on top of the ice. 

Shawn and his boss were heading to Rexburg this morning and went off the road and rolled the pickup.  Thankfully they were not hurt.  We are so thankful that we came home on Sunday afternoon instead of this morning.  Shawn will be with us until he moves into his new house.  He is looking and hopes to give an offer on one soon.  The apartment in Eden was a joke and not livable.  

After our shift in the temple this morning, the 15th, we came home, took a nap, and then headed to Boise to attend Gideon's Christmas Concert.

Gideon plays the cello.  We really enjoyed the concert and our dinner with Justin, Shayla, Ryanne and Gideon before the concert.  The roads were good and once again we traveled in between storms.

Lon is really getting tired of shoveling snow but it just keeps coming!

The snow is pretty, but once it is on the ground, the temperature just gets cold!

We have had some single digit days!!

Tonight was the Christmas Piano Recital for Ashton and Eisley.

It was held at Bridgeview, a retirement center.  The kids did very good.  I am going to start teaching Chandler, Ashton and Eisley in January.  I hope that I can instill in them a love for music and help them advance in their talent.  Right now, these two don't know the names of the notes or where they are on the piano.  Ashton plays a lot by ear like his Dad, which is a talent but he does need to know the notes and some of the theory associated with the piano.

Our Sacrament Meeting today, the 20th was such a disappointment.  I expected it to be all about Christmas and the birth of our Savior but it was not.  You would think that on the Sunday before Christmas we would be celebrating through music and word this joyous event.  I was a bit disappointed and feeling down when Karen called to tell us about a Stake Christmas program in Wendell that Melissa was participating in.  So off we went in a snow storm to Wendell to get our Christmas music fix.  The program was amazing and we are so glad that we went.

Shawn headed for Utah to spend Christmas with his family on Wednesday evening.

Lon learned to make peanut brittle, Cashew brittle, and cereal mix candy.  We spent the rest of the week cooking and getting ready for our family Christmas Eve party.  We just hope that the snows will slow down so that everyone can get here without trouble.

We decided that our house was just too small for 15 people, Justin and Shayla with six of their kids; Mason, Riley, Aydan, Dillon, Ryanne, Gideon and Tracy and Sarah with Chandler, Ashton and Eisley.  We reserved the church and with the help of Sarah and the kids set up the Young Women's room with tables to eat at and the gym ready for the craft and running and playing for the kids.  It was a little trying to make sure that we had everything we needed for the meal but the whole evening turned out wonderful.  Sarah had us play a game of passing around gifts to a Left and Right Story.  The kids loved it.  I had them act out a Christmas story and we just enjoyed being together again.

 The boys played dodge ball, basket ball, and just goofed off in the gym

 Sarah, Ryanne, and Riley starting to design their t-shirts with the sharpies and alcohol.

 The best attempt to a group photo.  You can pretty much see everyone except Grandpa and I.  Around the table: Dillon, Mason, Gideon, Chandler, Shayla, Justin, Aydan, Riley, Ryanne, Sarah, Tracy, Ashton, Eisley, and Grandpa's arm.

 The t-shirts are starting to be very colorful.

 Riley and Mason getting into the action with dodge ball

                       Chandler, Dillon, and Ashton taking a break from the game.
We got home around 8:30. It has snowed all day.  We are indeed having a white Christmas.  We watched another Hallmark Movie and went to bed.  After being gone for the last 4 seasons, there are a bunch of Hallmark movies that we haven't seen.
     Christmas morning we slept in and didn't have breakfast until 10:00.  Raul came over about 10:30 and wanted us to come to lunch right then.  We agreed to come over at noon and eat with them.  We weren't even hungry but ate a Christmas meal with Raul and Juanna consisting of Pasole (soup) and her version of enchiladas.  Then we got to open our gifts and facetime or talk on the phone with the kids, grandkids, and several of Lon's brothers who called to wish him a Happy Birthday.  It was a nice relaxing day.  About 6:00 George and Kim called and we went to their house to watch a new movie with them.  It is called "I once was a Beehive".  Very good movie.  It was a wonderful Christmas Day for us.
     Brett and Vebeca's daughter Kenya has returned from her mission to the Boston area so on Sunday we got people to cover for us during the last hour of Primary and we went to hear her give her coming home talk in her ward.  She is still her loving, bubbly self.  We went to Brett's house for a dinner afterward and got to visit with all of Kurt and Linda's family.  Shawn got home from Utah around 9 and announced that they should close on their new house (in our ward) on the 29th of January.  They are buying a house from another ward member in the sub-division.
     We have about 5" of snow on the ground now.  It is cold!!
     We got the tree down and the lights off the house in time for the new year.
     New Year's Eve 2015.  Lon went to pick up Larry, his brother, in Buhl.  Larry will spend the night with us and watch football all day today and all day tomorrow.  We could tell that he is very lonesome for Blanca.  Shawn is home again with his family so we have a room. Tracy and the family came over to have dinner of taco's and chips and pies.  Lon and Larry and Tracy watched football all afternoon and evening.  Sarah and I and the kids played games and just had a wonderful New Year's Eve Party. 
     2015 has been an eventful year for us.  We began in Guatemala City and ended up in our little home in Jerome, Idaho.  We have spent time with all of our children and grandchildren.  We have visited with all of our brothers and sisters, Mom, and extended family.  We are busy serving in the Twin Falls Temple and in the Primary in the Jerome 2nd Ward.  We have been blessed with so many miracles and tender mercies from our Heavenly Father.  We are trying to show our appreciation and love to Him in our words and actions.  Life is wonderful and we are happy and looking forward to a new year.  It will be fun to find out what adventures lay ahead for us in 2016.

Happy Thanksgiving!! The Holiday Season Has Begun!

      It is hard to believe that it is already November.  But the weather is telling us that winter is here.  On the 3rd we had a good snow storm and then most of it melted away but it has left the air very cold.  We are busy trying to get our Home Teaching and Visiting Teaching done early as we are heading to Georgia to be with Mindi for Thanksgiving.
     On the 8th, we decided to celebrate Thanksgiving with Tracy and his family so we invited them over for dinner after church.  Lon cooked a turkey breast with all the trimmings.  He made 3 different pies; pumpkin, apple, and blackberry.  Sarah's parents were in town so they came too.  It is always fun to be with Steve and Bev.

I told Lon that I was done golfing as it is too cold now for me, so on Monday he and Kurt went out.  They put the cover on the golf cart and had a wonderful time.  I will just wait till spring now.

Chandler and Ashton have decided to try wrestling.  The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade kids wrestle at the same time so the meets can be very long.  The boys have a lot to learn so we will see if they stick with it.  It is not an easy sport.

 This was a take down tournament with about 20 schools so it was very loud and confusing for first time wrestlers.  This is Ashton's first match.  He was pinned in the first round.

He ended up having 3 matches and won one of them.

Poor Chandler drew a bye the first round so he was on pins and needles for a long time.  He was so nervous that I was afraid that he would not be able to move once he got on the mat.

Instead of freezing with fright, he pinned this match!

He had two more matched that he lost but I think both boys learned a lot and they seem excited for the next meet where it will be a regular meet instead of a take down tournament.

We were only able to attend 3 matches before we headed to Georgia.  They will have 2 more when we return.  Chandler won one match 12-2 so he is learning but I don't think that he is really loving it.

On Sunday the 15th, Justin and Shayla stopped by on their way home to Boise and had lunch with us.  It is always so great to spend time with our family and get to know these grandchildren better.  They are all growing up so fast.

Tuesday morning we served in the temple.  We were a little worried about the weather so instead of taking a nap before we headed to Prove, we just left after our shift.  We had good roads all the way but bad traffic in SLC and the Point of the Mountain.  We got to Farrell and AnnaVee's about 4:00.  We visited and got to bed about 9:00.  It had been a very long day starting at 4:30am.

We had to be up by 5:30 and Farrell and AnnaVee took us to the airport.  We were blessed to be going through Las Vegas and not Denver.  The Denver airport was closed down because of a snow storm.  We got to Atlanta in the middle of a rain storm.  It felt like a Guatemala rain storm.  We were glad when we landed and found Mindi and headed for her home.  But instead of heading for home, we found that we had just enough time to head to the church for the boy's Court of Honor.

 We surprised the boys.  Isaac received several badges and a rank advancement.

Found out that Isaac didn't have his band on because he needed things sewed on it.  It was fun to be able to help him the next day and get it all sewed on and up to date.

Nathan is working on getting all the palms that he can.  He has really excelled with his scouting merit badges and his band is full on the front side and started down the back.  He has 53 now.

Nice group of boys!

We spent Thursday very low key as we were tired from the flight and the time change.  Mindi's is 2 hours ahead of us.  It makes watching BSU football rough as the games don't start till 9pm.

On Friday, Mindi took us to the Kennesaw National Battlefield.  We walked up Chetham Hill where some real bad battles took place and these battles led to the battle of Atlanta and the fall of the Confederate Army. 

 We enjoyed the movie at the museum and then walked up Chetham hill.

 So sad to think of fathers and sons fighting each other.  So many lives lost here!

 Atlanta is in the background.  You can see how the battle at Chetham Hill was so important to the people in Atlanta, it is not that far away,

This is a monument for the soldiers from Illinois who fought and died here.  We really enjoyed our day with just Mindi.  She is such an amazing young woman.  We love being with her and feeling her spirit and her love for life.  We got back in time to take Hannah to her swim meet.  She is swimming on the school swim team. 

Hannah is in the middle.  She practices at a pool about 45 minutes away and has to rotate practice times with other schools.  This week she had practice at 8:30pm.  We really admire her dedication.  She did really well and knocked off 5 seconds off her time and she had been sick all week so that is really good.  We are so thrilled that we got to watch one meet.

Saturday morning was a very special day for us.  We headed to the Atlanta Georgia Temple to do some baptisms with the whole Parker Family.

Back row: Nathan, Justin, Mindi  Front row: Hannah and Isaac

Justin was able to baptize the three kids and Lon did the confirming. 

We spent a wonderful hour in the temple.  Just an observation:  Mindi and Justin are standing on the curb in each photo to make sure that they are still taller than their children, even that won't work before too long!

We headed to CiCi's for lunch.  It is a pizza buffet restaurant that was very good with all kinds of pizza flavors including dessert pizza's.  Of course we ate way too much.  Another great day!

Sunday was a laid back day.  It was fun to be in Sacrament meeting and watch the boys fulfill their Priesthood assignments.  I went to Young Women's with Mindi.  She is a counselor in the Presidency and had to teach this morning.  She is a very good teacher who gets the girls involved in the discussion and has a sweet relationship with the girls. They have a great ward.  We even met a woman who had grown up in Burley and President Petersen was her doctor!  We can't go anywhere in this world without meeting someone who knows Walt and Eileen Petersen.

Mindi was very obedient this year and waited for her Dad to arrive before doing the Thanksgiving shopping so off they went on Monday morning.  Lon just loves shopping with her and planning the meals for the week.  She is very patient and lets him help do all the cooking.  They make a great team.

Monday evening the family all went to the "Main Event" which is a huge indoor game center.  We bowled, played pool, shuffle board, arcade games, lazar tag, ect.  One of Nathan's friends joined us so that the kids had an even number to do things with.  We spent all evening there and left before the kids felt like they had had enough, definitely a place to enjoy again and again.

On Tuesday morning after breakfast we (everyone except Justin) headed to Dahlonaga.  This quaint little town was the site of the first gold strike in the United States. The down town was all decorated for Christmas and had some very interesting shops and lots of candy shops.  We walked around town and the kids found their new Christmas decoration for the tree and we sampled the chocolates.

After lunch at Steak N' Shakes, we went to Amicalola Falls State Park. 

 We stopped in the middle of the falls and walked out on the observation platform.

 The kids and Grandpa headed up the stairs to the top and Mindi and I drove up, too many stairs for these knees!-- 425 stairs going up

                            and another 200 going down!

                             Grandpa and kids going up!

 We had smoke starting to settle into the valley so you can't see all the fall colors good.  The view was breathtaking though.

 Nathan went with Grandpa down the stairs so that Grandpa wouldn't have to do them alone and could say that he did them all.

Lon and Nathan spotted this old truck along the path as they came down the falls.  You would have never seen this if the trees had their leaves.  The forest here is very dense. 

This area of the United States is so very different than Idaho.  There is not a straight road anywhere.  All the roads wind around and up and over little hills.  If you didn't use a GPS you would definitely not get where you want to be.  Mindi always puts in the location on her GPS before we head anywhere.  She really lives in the car as everything is so far away from home; church is a half hour one way and the school a half hour the other way, ect.  The homes are all 2 and 3 story homes with trees everywhere so that you really don't realize just how populated it is.

Mindi's home two stories with a full basement

  The weather has been in the high 60's and low 70's with only a little rain.  We found out that it is in the single digits at home so we are even more thrilled to be in Georgia right now.

Wednesday is always cook day and Mindi and Lon enjoyed the morning in the kitchen but had time in the afternoon for their annual tennis match. 

They didn't get it finished because it was time to pick up kids so they will try to get time another day to finish the match.

Hannah, Mindi,  I have been working on a puzzle

(the lamp prize from the Christmas Story movie) and when we finished it, we put on another one.  Mindi got to help with this one.  You have to be quick to work on them or Hannah will have them finished before you start.  She has an eye for puzzles.  We ended up putting 3 together.

Thanksgiving morning we went on a walk through the neighborhood forest with Mindi and Justin.  We were amazed to see lots of huge trees that had been blown over when a storm came through a few weeks earlier. 

Thanksgiving dinner was delicious, Mindi and Lon really did a great job.  We have so much to be thankful for:  a great family, the gospel, our health, jobs for our children, the health and safety of our families, a warm house with hot and cold running water to name a few.  We are thankful to be home for the holidays and able to spend time with our grandchildren and children.  Life is wonderful!!

On Friday we (everyone except Nathan who had to work) went to Lake Lanier.  The day was bright and sunny and the scenery breathtaking.

There are lakes and ponds and streams all over the area here.  We spent time here walking around the lake but had to get home in time for the 3 footballs games that afternoon and evening.

                                          Hannah and Isaac

Justin, Mindi, Nancy, Lon just relaxing and enjoying the sunshine

Nathan didn't go with us to the lake because he was working at the Christmas Tree Farm, his first job.

We went to pick him up on Saturday after his shift.  This was a bigger operation than we had ever guessed.  They had hay rides around the area, games for kids, Santa, a place for kids to make Christmas decorations, and trees for sale that you could cut, or ones that Nathan would help you see and bag for you when you picked the right one.

 The tree bagging station where they put the netting on the tree for transport to your home

 Nathan and his friend Josh moving trees around for people to see and choose from

 Drilling holes in the trunk for the tree stand

Pulling the tree through the bagging machine

Nathan really enjoyed his job but the best part was the pay check!

The rest of the day was again spent watching football games.  Tis the season for College Football!

We again enjoyed a relaxing Sunday and had the Sister Missionaries over for dinner.  It is always special to be around these young missionaries as they carry with them such a special spirit.

Monday was the last day that Justin would be in town as he had to fly out on business so Mindi took us to town to have lunch with him at a cute sandwich shop close to his work.  Today was a rainy day.  After lunch, we went to Penney's so I could try to spend my $50.00 birthday gift card.  With Mindi's help I found some deals and ended up with 2 new blouses, a new sweater, and 3 shirts.  That evening we worked on getting the house decorated for Christmas.

Nathan has been teaching me different games to play and most of them were real fun but one was really confusing for me.  It is about wizards and magic and I think Nathan changed the rules constantly so that he could win!!  And he did win, every game!! But I got better each time and maybe next year-----

 

December 1, 2015

Tuesday morning we were able to attend the Temple again with Mindi. 

We had some family cards to do.  After the endowment session, we got to do sealings with Lon and I as the parents and Mindi representing the daughter.  Another special, tender moment with our daughter.  After lunch at "On the Border" we headed home to start packing.  It is so hard to believe that it is already time to head for home.  These two weeks have just flown by.

Wednesday morning we got up early so that we could go to breakfast with the kids after Seminary and before school.  The famous breakfast food in Georgia is biscuits and sausage.

That's right, just a baking powder biscuit with sausage and nothing else.

We ended up with the whole Seminary bunch.  Isaac and Mindi were already inside.  It was pouring this morning.  The Sugar Pike Junction

We have so enjoyed our two weeks with these special grandchildren.  They are growing up into such nice young adults.  We are going to miss them and look forward to being together at the family reunion in July, although we won't get the one on one with them then because their cousins will get all of their attention.   And Nathan is not standing on a curb, he is taller than both of us now.

November is now a sweet memory and we are getting excited for our first Christmas in our own home in 5 years.  Our flight to Salt Lake was uneventful and we made it home on time.  Farrell and AnnaVee met us at the airport and we went out for a hamburger.  Lon went to Wade's office to help Farrell clean and to watch BYU's basketball game. 

Time to end this blog as November has come and gone.  I will continue our adventures in Utah with the December blog.  It is wonderful that we have Thanksgiving to remind us of all the blessings that we have and all the miracles and tender mercies that our Heavenly Father sends our way each day.  We have had some breath taking moments this month.  Life is good.