Uncle Paul & Aunt Ellen

Left Early Sunday Morning

1. We left at 7:00 and stopped 2 hours later at Bakersfield

for Sacrament meeting. It felt just like a Sacrament meeting at home.

When you think about it, it's amazing.

We got to Paul's about 4:00 in the afternoon. It was so good

to see them, and Ellen was very happy to have some company.

I remember this bookcase in my Grandpa & Grandma's home.

You lift up the glass door by the knob and it slides to the

back and then get your book. 

2. We got some fresh air the next afternoon by picking up the

small branches their grandson had trimmed a few days earlier.

3. Ellen says she has never seen the mushrooms grow like this in her yard.

4. Tom's wife invited us over on Thursday night for Serene's birthday

celebration. She's turning 11, so I told her about all my 

grandkids who are eleven or will be soon.

5. Her sister Annelise made her a cow cake

6. Before dinner with Ellen & Paul. We had homemade

pizza and I have a new recipe for sauce. It's almost like

Barbecue sauce, but had a hot kick to it also. 

7. Thor, who recently got home from his mission in Indiana, 

lighting a bonfires. He was in the same mission that Amanda,

Ralph's daughter is in. He picked her up at the airport, so they

got to meet each other.

8. Becky, the one who showed me how to make the pillowcases,

is showing us a new craft. We'll do it when we get together again.

9. Dad made some Frappe for New Year's Eve - at 9:30 

10. Ellen had written her life history for a Golden Gleanner project in

Denmark just before she left. She actually received the award when

she got in Logan. It was all in Danish. Dad scanned the whole 

handwritten notebook that pictures on each page.

Ellen and I then sat and she translated it as she read to me.

I typed and we had a great time. I didn't know anything about

her conversion and her life in the Horsens, Denmark Branch.

I then put in the pictures and we ended up with an 18 page history.

The next day, Dad and I went and made copies of it for her and each of her 

children and we put it in a notebook.

Then she remembered another one she had written in 1978,but there weren't

any pictures, but we had been scanning and identifying pictures

from Denmark. Anyway, we ended up with another 8 pages.

It was what we went out to do. We had such a good time and

now Ellen's family has her story. 

11. Ellen and I just before we left.

12. We went through Lassen National Park. This is out the car

window. I'm very glad we came home Saturday. We  had

completely dry roads and clear weather. 

We had a wonderful and hard time at Paul & Ellen's.

My brother is so much worse. He's really gone downhill since

we saw them last March. I don't know what will happen.

One time he was very agitated, because he didn't know what 

we were doing there or what we wanted.

Another time as he walked in the kitchen I told him I

loved him, and he said he loved me and kissed me on the cheek.

It was worth the drive to get that kiss, and to see how happy Ellen

was with her history.

We just don't know what this life will give to us,

but we do know we are here together to make it through.

Christmas in Arizona & California

Christmas Morning

1. Santa leaves balloons so you know he has been.

He also takes the pictures of Christ off the wall and puts

it in front of the tree.

2. It sure reminded me of when our children were young

and the couch was filled with Christmas Stockings.

3. We had a big breakfast before going into the living room.

Everyone helped and it was yummy.

4. Christmas time

5. Sammi gave me a water bottle which I also needed very much.

I used it for the rest of the trip.

 6. Sammi got such a beautiful picture of Santa holding the Christ child.

Audrey gave me a bag of chips which came in very handy to offset

all the candy, and I got some snuggly warm socks from Nikki. I think

Levi gave me a box of Turtles candy. They are one of my favorite.

I had such a wonderful time all week. I don't think I've ever cried that

much when I left. It's just been a long time since we've been there.

We left in the early afternoon and drove to John & Stacey's.

It was good to talk to most of you on the way. It sure made the trip 

go by fast. It sounded like everyone had a great Christmas. 

7. We got to John's about 7:00 and enjoyed the rest of Christmas Day

with their family.

                                               

8. Ruth E and Stacey

9. The pool table that came with the house serves as a school table

on one side and now a Ping Pong table on the other.

I remember spending many hours playing ping pong when I was little.

Danny and Kirsten

10. The next day Dad and John were putting together a swing set.

11. We went on a tour of their yard. They have it all planned out

of what they are going to plant where.

This is a picture of the house from the back.

12. One way to keep Ruth E's feet warm is boots.

She can't take them off! 

13. Finished except for the slide that was missing a part.

14. Time for a game? Of course, we are at John's.

15. Snuggle time with Dad.

Christmas and warm weather really do go together.

We loved going for Christmas, but we also missed everyone at home.
Christmas is not the presents, but His presence.
I love you all. We have been so blessed this past year.

Sunday in Arizona

Sunday in Arizona

Nikki and the piano guys

Warm Sunday night walk - Sammi & Elise

Loved the flowers

Chloe, Elise, Sammi, Nikki

Palo Verde

Climbing over the fences

Climbing the cement mountains

Fording over the rivers

And of course, sucking on the rocks -

It's not a tongue, but a white rock. (They say it keeps kids healthier)

Sammi and Elise

And where was Audrey? She's a teenager - sound asleep.

We came back and opened up Grandpa's Christmas present:

The Muppet Christmas concert with the Tabernacle Choir

Playing games afterward - Tsuro

 It took one sentence of explanation and all ages can play

We had so much fun playing "One Night Warewolf."

Levi was watching Weird Baby Animals

They made ginger bread houses before I got there.

It's almost gone except the melted Jolly Ranchers.

This is grass, for all you back home who have forgotten.

This is Chloe.

Getting ready for a healthy breakfast of oatmeal

Nikki's was more like no-bake cookies and mine was more like

well, oatmeal. 

We made suckers and got very creative!

Tuesday we saw Star Wars on Imax,

I could write an epistle on it, but will wait to have a good discussion.

I loved it.

Going with Nikki for a walk to the mailbox to mail Danny a letter.

Decorating sugar cookies

We went to the Phoenix Temple with Paul and Lacey

and had a beautiful day on Wednesday.

Poor Levi just can't keep his levi's up, so Elise and I

made suspenders along with Grandpa's engineering (which we needed).

We went to the Mesa temple that night to see the lights.

The only thing missing was the cold.

Paul, Elise, Audrey, Nikki, Chloe

Stopping for Krispy Kreme donuts on the way home.

After doing the regular "Day before Christmas Cleaning,"

Nikki and I made her a church bag. 

Paul & Lacey had friends over for Christmas Eve and the nativity.

I'm afraid "baby Jesus" slept through it all.

This was a much needed vacation. I had forgotten

what Christmas time was like with a lot of children.

The rest of the events are in the next blog because 

it wouldn't ever publish.