Wednesday, April 30, 2008
New York visit April 2008
Ryan and Dana asked me if I would come and watch their kids while they went on a little trip by themselves and so I left a little early for two reasons: (1) to make sure I got there (since I fly stand-by) and (2) so the girls would get to know me so it wouldn't be so traumatic for them when their parents left for a few days. I got there Saturday the 19th of April. The next day, the pope was in New York and visited ground zero. (Ryan and Dana's apartment is right next to ground zero.) We left to go to stake conference before he arrived there. We had to exit through a side door since the front doors were blocked off. Monday we went to the park, Tuesday we went to the Staten Island zoo. It was disappointing, but it didn't cost us anything since it is a reciprocal zoo with the Tucson zoo where I have membership. Wednesday we went to a mall in New Jersey to have the kids pictures taken at JC Penney. Thursday morning Ryan and Dana left. I took the kids to the parks around their house a couple of times. They loved sliding down the long slide. Friday they went to a birthday party. The kids were good although Mia missed her mom especially at bedtime and when she woke up. She would cry, "I want my mommy, I want mommy." The shows Dora and Diego and a music CD were lifesavers. Friday night was particularly hard for her. She wouldn't go to sleep. I told her stories, finally at midnight I turned on the CD player and she went to sleep immediately. So Saturday night, I turned on the CD player when they went to bed and she went to sleep almost immediately. Saturday, Michael called to tell me that the church had announced two new temples in Arizona--one in Gilbert which will be just about three miles from Greg and one in the Gila valley. That is great, although it would be nice to have one in Tucson. Sunday the rains started again. I went to church with Dana's brother and his family. We were going to take the subway, but since it was raining he thought getting a couple of taxis would be better. As I was hanging up coats in the church, I realized I had left my purse in the cab. Talk about panic! Dana's sister-in-law called the taxi company. They said things were turned in to either two police stations and they gave her the phone numbers and told her to call them later that day. As I left the chapel after Sacrament Meeting, a sister asked me if my name was Marilyn and I said yes. She said a taxi cab driver had brought back my purse and she handed it to me. I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. My prayers had been answered. About 4 p.m. Sunday Dana called and said they were about two hours from home. While Mia was talking to her, they walked in the door. Mia's astonished face was something to behold as they surprised us. Monday was really a rainy, cold day, but we ventured out when it stopped for a while to take a bus tour. It was a double decker bus and shortly after we got on it, it started raining again. Mia didn't want to go below and she didn't want to wear a rain poncho. After she fell asleep we changed to the lower deck. That afternoon I took a downtown tour while Dana stayed home. I rode in the lower deck this time. Tuesday was a full day. We thought we could ride on a lower deck bus for the tours, but no such luck-we just had upper deck buses. It was a nice view, but it was so-oo cold and windy. It was in the high 40's and lower 5O's. Thank goodness it didn't rain while we were on them. We went half way on the downtown tour, then switched to the uptown tour, then stopped at the Natural History Museum, resumed the bus tour, then stopped at the Guggenheim Museum (we just went inside and looked around--didn't pay to go through) and then walked to the Metropolitan Art Museum. The sky had cleared up by the time we got to the Guggenheim Museum and it was a nice walk to the Art Museum. We took the subway home afterwards. About an hour later I went on the night tour with Ryan, and it was cold. In Brooklyn the bus stopped at a Mc Donald's so we could get something to warm us up. I arrived back home today (the 30th). I landed in Phoenix, then went to the temple before I drove home, so it has been a full day. It's been a full and busy month, but an enjoyable one.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Washington trip April 2007
On March 28th I went up to Gaylynne and Don's place to watch their kids while they went back to NY. (They left Monday night Mar 31st and returned late April 5th) I left 80 degree weather and came up to snow. The funny thing is a mile and a half down the road there is no snow. They seem to live on the snow line.The first four days it snowed, there were three days of good weather and then it rained the next four days. The kids were on spring break so on one of the good days we went to the zoo and park and had a great time. The other two good days the girls had gymnastics and/or dance. It makes a long afternooon for Dayton, but he was pretty good. I guess he is used to it. I had a good time with the kids. I returned home April 7th and it was nice to get back home to sunny Arizona. If flights are good, I leave this Friday for New York to watch Ryan and Dana's kids while they go on a little trip. While I was at Gaylynne's place she showed me how to do slide shows and since being home I have been working on catching up on my blog as you will see. High speed internet is great. Enjoy the slide show
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
March 2008 happenings
This month started out busy. Monday and Tuesday I did visiting teaching. Also Tuesday I made some frozen strawberry jam and then went outside to pick grapefruit. I hurt my finger when I slid down the ladder. I should have gone and had it checked out, but I didn’t. I had visiting teaching appointments. The next day morning I went down to St. David to attend the funeral of John Taylor who lived in our ward several years ago. A friend thought I should have my finger checked out, so I went to Urgent Care before I left for Greg’s place to watch their kids while they went back to New York. I didn’t think the doctor could do anything because too much time had lapsed. I did get a tetanus shot. But it healed fine. While in Gilbert, I was able to see the two performances of the Jungle Book that Whitney’s school’s performed. It was very well done. Whitney was the baby elephant and performed superbly. Tuesday, her 12th birthday she had a chorus concert at school. She had another solo there. It was very good. Katie and Michael came over in the evening for ice cream and cake. Her Beehive class also came over to welcome her into Mutual and brought over cupcakes. I was able to watch Trace play flag football and to watch Jessica in her gymnastics class, she is very flexible. I came home the 13th. On the 17th I received a visit from a friend (Mary O'Brien) who was interested in joining the church. She went with me to the pageant the next night, along with Teresa, Aaron & their family. Michael and Katie met us at the temple. I called the missionaries and they met with us the next week since I was leaving for Utah the next day. While I was in Utah, I attended Jill’s wedding, visited with Jolene and Wade, other family members and friends and went to the temple a few times. I returned March 24th. I met with the missionaries Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday evening I went back up to Michael’s place and flew out the next morning to Oregon to watch Don and Gaylynne’s kids while they went to New York.
Dad & Henny's visit Feb 2008
Dad & Henny came down Feb 13th. I kept him busy in the beginning. He pruned my apricot tree and fixed the hinges on my back gate and also fixed my front screen door clasp Saturday they went to the swap meet. Monday the 18th was President's Day and so the temple was open half a day. We met Henny's son Lars and his wife at the temple and did a session and then went out for lunch. The next day we went to Nogales. Henny had never been to Mexico before so Nogales is better than nothing They wanted to go to the zoo so on Wednesday we took Kirsten and Kendra there and in the evening went to Tara's talent show at the high school. Thursday we had Heber and MaryLou over for lunch and then the next day Dad and Henny left to go back to Utah. I hope they had a good time.
December 2007
The family was all together at some point during the holidays. Ryan, Dana & family flew in Thursday the 20th. They went up to Mesa for a temple sealing on Saturday. Michael and Katie came down that day. Greg’s family came down the day after Christmas and spent two days here. Gaylynne & Don started out on Sunday, had transmission problems and had to return to Portland. They were able to fly standby with Michael’s buddy passes. They flew out of Eugene. It was a long, long day for them, but they made it here for Christmas Eve. We had our traditional Christmas Eve program. Cameron was baby Jesus and he didn’t like that part very much. Each family performed numbers. Tara composed an arrangement of Christmas songs. She is really talented. The kids performed the second annual play under Teresa’s direction. This year it was the Wizard of Oz. Ryan read the story intermixed with songs from the children and grandchildren. A highlight after the show was a number performed by Michael and Ryan from Gilbert & Sullivan’s the H.M.S. Pinafore (I am the Monarch of the Sea). We did gingerbread houses, went to the zoo and went to Greg’s place for New Year’s Eve. Almost as soon as Don & Gaylynne got here, he went to work. He put new gutters up, put vinyl siding on my storage room and posts, plus sprayed the carport and patio with paint that matched the siding. I am so appreciative of all that he did for me. I am so grateful that all of my family could be here. I am so thankful for the Savior and the gospel.
Monday, April 14, 2008
November 2007- Utah & California
Sunday Nov 4th I attended the blessing of Liz & Bryan’s baby. Greg and Michael’s family were also there. Then on November 9th I drove up to Michael’s place and the next morning he took me to the airport and I flew to Utah to attend the wedding reception of Justin Broderick- Roy and Charlotte’s son. I flew to Phoenix Sunday evening and then ended up flying to San Diego that night to join Don, Gaylynne & family. I really appreciate being able to fly stand by, but plans change as seats fill up. Anyway I had an enjoyable week with their family. We spent two days at Sea World, a day at Knotts Berry Farm and three days at Disneyland. Don’s family performed at Knotts Berry Farm when he was young doing ice skating shows, so it was a trip down memory lane for him. Michael and Katie & kids flew over Saturday and joined us at Disneyland. I flew back Sunday morning with them and then drove down to Tucson and attended church. The pictures of California follow.
October happenings- Utah & New York
Normally Dill's brothers and sisters get together the Friday before conference and so I asked the stake president in August if it were possible to get tickets for conference. But the family met in September because Owen died, but I had tickets to the Saturday afternoon session so I still went to Utah. I drove up to Michael's on his birthday and flew to Utah the next day. Jolene went with me. It is such an experience to be in the conference center with the church leaders. As it turned out it was Pres. Hinckley's last conference. I returned home Monday the 8th and went to a session at the Mesa Temple. I then drove back up to Michael's place Wednesday night and flew out to New York on Thursday for a sister's get-together. I think Sheila was the initiator of the plan for all of us sisters to get together and do something. Diane wanted to see the play Wicked and so I called Ryan to check about hotel places and they invited us to stay with them. With flight delays we finally all got there Thursday evening. It was a fun adventure. Friday we went to the temple and then walked down Times Square, we ate lunch at Roxy's,--the sandwiches were huge and the cheesecake delicious. We went into the Toys R US store and saw the lego displays. At another store, we all got matching NY sweat jackets. We walked to the theater and then to Central Park. It was windy and the jackets helped a lot. We started walking towards the Empire State Building, but realized it was too far. I don't know why we didn't think about taking the subway since we had bought all day pass tickets. Anyway we walked back to Times Square had some hot chocolate and then went to the play Wicked. We really enjoyed the play. The next day we went with Ryan, Audrey and Mia to Wall Street and to Battery Park. They left us there while we went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It ended up being an all day affair there. In the evening we went to a Chinese Restaurant with Ryan, Dana and family. Sunday Sheila, Diane and Jeannine left to go their homes. Nadine and I attended church with Ryan and Dana and then Ryan showed us the Twin Tower memorial display and his office building. Monday Nadine left and I spent the day with Dana. We took Mia to her pre school and did a little shopping and site seeing. We picked Audrey up from school and then went down to the parks along the waterfront. We had family home evening that evening and the next day I went home.
September happenings
I was able to go the Mesa temple a couple of days and do a few sessions. The Rincon Stake put on the production the Pirates of Penzance and Trent's sister-in-law and some of her kids were in the production. It was quite enjoyable. Sept 13th I flew up to Washington for Emma's 4th birthday and stayed until the following Tuesday. It was enjoyable to visit with them again.
trip to Washington July 2007
Teresa finished teaching on July 27th and we left for Washington via Utah on my 60th birthday. We stayed at Jolene’s place, went to church with her. We celebrated my birthday that day. The next day we went to Gaylynne's place. Diane went with us. On Tuesday we went swimming at a pool in Portland and the kids had fun. We ate lunch at the nearby park and then went to the Zoo. The next day we went to the Rose Garden and Washington Park where there is a play ground and then rode the zoo train around the zoo. The roses were beautiful. Diane took pictures of some of them so that she could enlarge them and decorate her home with them. Thursday we went to the movies and later the kids enjoyed playing together, especially dress-up. We left to return home on Friday the 3rd. We stopped and saw Roshel and visited with her an hour or so. It was quite enjoyable and Roshel really enjoyed having us stop. We visited with Roy and Charlotte that evening and got a plaque that Roy made so that we could put it in the lodge honoring Dill. We spent the night with Dad and Henry and then drove home to Tucson on Saturday. The following week I did my visiting teaching and then on Saturday (Aug 11) I went to the church to help with an Eagle quilting project. It was there that I heard that Pres. Faust had died the day before. It took me by surprise. I guess I thought if anyone should die, it would be Pres. Hinckley because of his comments made last general conference. In which he bid us good-bye. He said "Now, as we separate for a season, God bless you, my beloved associates. I so pray, as I say good-bye, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." He has never told us good-bye before. He is now 97 years old. He amazes me with what he does. Sunday the stake presidency was there to sign temple recommends. New temple recommends with a bar code are being issued to protect the sacredness of the temple. Evidently unauthorized people were using temple recommends and so to safeguard the temple, every temple recommend holder had to get a new temple recommend. Enjoy watching the Oregon pictures.
England again - Tori born! June-July 2007
After watching Greg & Shelley's kids while they went to Europe I headed back to England so I could help out when the baby was born. Tori was born the day I got there. I couldn't believe the fast recovery of Dana. It ended up more like another vacation for me. One day we went to Pooh Corner and the 500 acre woods, we went to Eastborne and watched a tennis tournament. While there we went to the beach and then to Beachy Head. The cliffs there are like the white cliff of Dover. I attended a baptism. I was impressed how the whole branch showed up. Ryan and I went to London on Saturday, the 23rd and saw Buckingham Palace again, St. James Park, Parliament, Tate museum, the globe theater, crossed over the millennium bridge and walked passed St. Paul's Cathedral as a service was getting out and saw dignitaries exit and enter limos while all the other people exited through other doors. We then went to Madame Tussauds. A lot of figures I didn't recognize, but there were several that I did. The figures were so life like it was incredible. Tuesday the 26th I ventured to London by myself and saw Buckingham Palace, the Abby, Parliament again. I then went to Wellington Monument, Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens--the two parks join each other. The Italian Gardens in Kensington Park were beautiful. I saw the Royal Albert Hall from the outside and then Kensington Palace from the outside. From there I went to the British Museum. It is huge. They have an extensive Egyptian exhibit that I really enjoyed. The Rosetta stone is there. I stayed there until closing time and then went to the British Library hoping that it would be open late and it was. I stayed there until it closed. They have a really nice Bible/and other religious texts exhibit. I then headed back to the station and took a last look at Buckingham Palace and Parliament. Thursday Dana, the girls and I went to Hever Castle, the home of Anne Boline. It rained and we almost missed some of the beautiful gardens. She drove me past the temple on the way to Hever Castle. On Sunday, July 1 Tori was blessed. Tuesday the temple opened and Dana took me to the temple and I was able to attend a session. The temple grounds were also beautiful. I loved seeing the landscape of England. The next day, July the 4th I came back home.
England May18-19, 2007
We spent the next day just at their house, relaxing and visiting with Dana and the girls. On the 19th Ryan took us to Windsor Castle and Stonehenge. The grounds in England are beautiful. The doll house in Windsor castle was something else. After leaving Windsor Castle we drove to Stonehenge. It took me by surprise –it’s just off the main road. It was just closing when we got there, but you can see everything from the road. I don’t know why they charge–yes I do--to get money. We left the next day to come home. I am very grateful that I was able to take this trip with some of my kids. I saw places that I never dreamed that I would see.
Germany May 14-15,2007
From Rome our group separated. Michael and Katie headed back to England and Jolene, Wade and I took an overnight train to Munich, Germany. I wanted to see the area where Dill had served his mission. Jolene wanted to go to Dachau and see the concentration prison camp and so we went there the first day. It was sobering to see and hear what the Jews went through. The evening was spent in Munich. It was raining that day. We bought souvenirs, and watched the glockenspiel play and then ate dinner at a restaurant where Hitler had frequented when he was young. The next day we went out to Neuschwanstein Castle. It is a couple of hours outside of Munich and the train we went on was filled with school aged children going somewhere. So it was rather noisy. The scenery was gorgeous. The castle wonderful– like a fairyland We didn’t get to spend much time there and we hated to leave. If I have a chance I would love to go back over there and be able to spend more time there. Sheila said Austria and Switzerland are just beautiful. When we got back to Munich we went to the Nymphenburg Palace, which was within walking distance from our hotel. It was the home of King Ludwig. We then picked up our baggage at the hotel and then went to catch the train back to Paris. We spent the day in Paris and saw some new sights, plus visited some we had seen before and in the evening took the chunnel back over to England.
Rome May 13-14, 2007
From Venice we took a train down to Rome. The first thing we saw was the colosseum.. To see this ruin was something, but it was sad to think what it was used for. We saw many other ruins there such as the forum and had a guide from the U.S. who was very informative. We saw Capital Hill which was designed by Michelangelo. Near the Peter-Paul church is the place where Paul was buried. We made it to the Pantheon just before closing time and was able to take a few pictures. The only source of light is the eyehole in the roof. It survived because it was turned into a church in the 7th century and is still in use today. Jolene, Katie and I each threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. We walked to the Spanish Steps. We ended up taking a taxi back to our hotel because the subway had closed for the evening. The next day we went to the Vatican. The Vatican museums are very impressive also. The most famous art work of course is the Sistine Chapel. It was so-o crowded. One is not suppose to take pictures in the chapel because the company who did restoration work wanted exclusive rights for photography but there were lots of people taking pictures so we joined in and took a few. After visiting the Vatican we went to St. Peter’s Basilica. It is massive. Michelangelo’s Pieta is found there. What a trip this has been.
Venice May 12, 2007
We took an overnight train to Venice and arrived there Saturday morning (May 12th). It is an experience sleeping on a berth overnight. A man from Italy was also in our compartment. What a sight--seeing a city with canals for streets. It was very crowded. We took a boat ride down the grand canal. It ended at Saint Marc's Cathedral. As you can see from the pictures, there were pigeons galore. We also rode in a gondola. As I was getting out I fell again on my bad knee and this time it really hurt. It was hard walking, especially up and down stairs the rest of the day. We saw mimes–how they stood still for so long is unbelievable. At the end of our day we ate pizza at a restaurant near our hotel and enjoyed a young boy playing his accordion for money.
Paris May 9-11, 2007
On May 9th we took the chunnel to Paris and arrived there in the afternoon. The sites we saw that day included the Bastille, the Place des Vosgas, where Victor Hugo lived, Pompidou Center-a modern building with the pipes on the outside of the building and each external pipeline painted a different color. The steel skeleton, as well as the stairs, corridors, lifts are also outside the building. We took the Elysee Montmartre walk. Our first look at the Eiffel Tower was in the evening. What a magnificent sight. We took a boat cruise at eleven that night and got back to our hotel after midnight. What an experience we are all having. We slept a budget hotel called Mary's Hotel. The first night we had two rooms, the second we shared a room with five beds. When I got up to take a shower that first morning, I got in the shower-and started by shower and the water went off. I woke Katie up and she went and investigated. She was told to wait a few minutes and then there be water again. I waited in the shower with shampoo in my hair until the water indeed came back on. Wade had the same problem. Needless to say we all took showers in the evening after that. The next day May 10th we went to the Eiffel Tower again and went up to the top. It is quite a view, but if we had gone to the first stop it would have still been beautiful and taken us less time. We then went to the Louvre--talk about a huge art museum. One could have spent a lot of time there, but we didn't have a lot. Michael had done some research and so we went to certain areas of the museum. Some of the famous pieces we saw were the Victory of Samothrace, Venus of Milo and of course the Mona Lisa. It was smaller than I thought. From there we went to Sainte-Chapelle which is quite famous for its stained glass windows, especially the Rose Window. From there we went to Notre Dame - toured it and walked up to the bell tower. From there we went to the Arch of Triumph and walked to the top of it. We did a lot of walking. I had fallen and hurt my knee while crossing the street to Saint Chapelle and it hurt, but I think actually walking helped it by not letting by knee tighten up. We saw sights I never dreamed I would see. The next day we went to the Palace of Versaille. We fell in love with Marie Antoinette's hamlet and spent a lot of time there. It was so picturesque. That would be one place I would visit again.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Europe trip-England May 2007
From Utah I flew to England with Jolene and Wade. Michael and Katie arrived there May 5th. We arrived there the next day Sunday morning May 6th and went to church with them. In the afternoon Ryan took us to some windmills overlooking the valley where they lived. We also went to Brighton and Arundel. The countryside is so beautiful with the rolling hills and hedges. Monday and Tuesday we rode the train into London and saw some of the sights there--Buckingham Palace and the changing of the guards, Westminster Abby, Big Ben and Parliament, the horse guard building, Trafalgar Square and museum, Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral, the royal courts of justice, the Somerset House and we saw the musical Les Miserables. I marveled at the architecture. The buildings are magnificent. Thanks to Ryan and Dana for housing us and showing us the sights.
Michael's graduation
Here I am back up in Utah to attend Michael's graduation from BYU with his MBA degree. It seems like I was just up to Utah and I was. When Dad and Henny came down to Arizona the first week of April, I went back with them on April 11th. Nathan and Braden had a joint farewell and homecoming on the 15th. It was also a farewell for Nadine and Corey who are moving to Canada. On the 16th I attended Uncle Arlo's funeral and then drove Katie's car home the next day. They will be moving to Arizona after graduation. As you will see in the slide show Pres. Cheney was the commencement speaker so it took awhile to get into the Marriott Center. But the high-light was having Pres. Hinckley there. Michael left with the rental truck and car on Saturday and Katie flew down on Sunday. I stayed in Utah and flew to England with Wade and Jolene on May 5th. While I was there that week I was able to attend the temple daily.
Courtney's baptism on March 11, 2007
From Michael and Katie's place I flew up to Washington to attend Courtney's baptism. Enjoy the pictures.
Cameron's blessing March 4, 2007
I went up to Utah for Cameron's blessing in March. I had gone up in December to help Michael and Katie when Cameron was born seven weeks early. He has grown and is a cutie.
Caribbean Cruise Jan 2007
April 12, 2008 -- I finally got high speed internet and when I went up to Gaylynne's place last week to watch their kids while they went to New York, she showed me how to do a slide show. I wanted to share all the exciting places that I went to last year. So I will start with January 2007 with my cruise with Greg, Shelley and their family. My flight to Texas was canceled and American Airlines flew me to Cancun two days later. From there I had to pay a driver ($500) to take me to the next port stop -- about a four hour trip. I was told that the agency took credit cards, but they didn't and so all my money went to pay for the ride. They didn't even take change. I had $497 in bills and two dollars in change. I went and asked a tourist if he could exchange the coins for dollars and then I asked him if he had a dollar that he would give me since I was still a dollar short, which he did. (On the way down I found that I had another dollar's worth of change in my purse so actually I had exactly enough) but I was short on time also. I made it there just as the gang plank went up. They lowered it and I boarded. I don't know what I would have done it I had missed the ship again--no money whatsoever and in a foreign country. We then went to Roatan, Honduras and went snorkeling--that was my first time and it was fun! In Belize we went to the Altun Ha Mayan ruins and afterwards enjoyed a river cruise. Our last port stop was in Mexico and we saw the Tulum Ruins. Once I made the cruise it was fun and interesting, but it was nerve wracking beforehand.
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