Week of December 15, 2013

Sunday to Monday (and some of Saturday night)

Since Joe & Tesha left Saturday about noon to go home, but got a flat tire about 45 minutes away. By the time the tire got fixed it was dark, so they came back and stayed until Monday. It was great. (Not that they got a flat tire, but that we got more time with them.

I wasn't going to get a tree, but since I knew they were coming back we got a small one to set up.

Zach, Tesha, and Ben

 I was in a hurry and didn't read the box. I didn't know it was white until we opened it, but oh well, it's still pretty.

Opening a puzzle so we will have something to do.

More stories!

Where am I on this pillow?

Sunday, church was cancelled because of the snow. Our branch covers a lot of area. In traveling in it, I feel like we are up in Park City or something. It feels like the tops of the mountains, but the elevation isn't very high. We are just in what looks like the mountains.

We got a lot of snow, so we took pictures on Monday morning.

It's not like at home where people only have a few miles to get to church. Many of the members would have over 20 miles to go on little country roads. Come to find out, though, Joe & Tesha's church was cancelled also. It was a lot of snow everywhere.

Zach helping Dad shovel

Ben's turn

So deep!

Tesha helping Zach

More snuggle time

Zach loves "Do as I'm Doing"

Tuesday

After we go to the library or the post office, we turn down this road. It runs right along the Hudson River and there is a park there. Dad said the Indian name for it means, "The river where water goes two ways." Sometimes it is flowing in one direction and sometimes the other depending on the tide of the ocean.

Wednesday - Saturday

It seems like all the days blend in to each other. We visited a nice brother, Walter Kruppenbacher, with the Elders. He is about 85, and while the Elders shoveled his walk, we visited. He said he wished he could go to a Family History Center before he dies. He knows so little about his family, not even all his siblings for sure, never name grandparents. We asked him for the names of his parents. This was on Thursday, so on Friday we went to the library. (I am missing my internet almost as much as my food storage.) Oh, we had so much fun. Dad looked on his mom's line and I looked on his dad's line. I found his parents and grandparents in the census records with their families. The most excited was finding a passport application of his grandfather. It gave so much information. It even had a picture of him! I can't wait to take all the information to him tomorrow (Sunday). It will be so wonderful to give him the gift of his family. He has a strong testimony, he just can't get around much, so we will go and see him.

Catskill downtown. I love the feeling of 'old' that exists everywhere. 

I love you all very much. Hopefully by Christmas or the day after I will have everything figured out with the phone. I think I downloaded something from Skype so I can use my phone for Skype. I'm afraid we would be quite the disturbance here at the library trying to Skype everyone. 

Tomorrow we get to go to church for the first time and that will be good. 

We took around plates of goodies to our neighbors today and that felt good. We really do have some nice neighbors. Our landlords said they had a good respect for our church and loved listening to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas program. They are very nice people.

I can't believe Christmas is next week. If I can't see you, I will talk to everyone. 

Remember, we are serving Christmas Dinner with Christ's Church on Christmas from 11-5:30.

Call when it is convenient for you, or we will call you that day or the next. 

I sent my weekly letter off today also.