The Saga continues.......

After dropping Brax and Abbie off at the airport we went to the Bishop's storehouse for a food order for a member of our branch, headed back to Monticello to deliver it and spend the night. Brax and Abbie were delayed at both New York airport and Houston airport. Instead of arriving home from Las Vegas by midnight, they didn't get home till about 5:30 the next morning. Said it was a pretty scary bumpy flight home. It was soooo good to see them, Thanks for coming, luv ya tonz.

Tuesday we headed over to Newburgh for our Zone meeting. It is always a treat being instructed by President & Sister Searle, the AP's and the ZL's. We headed back to Monticello for the night, picked up the bike that Doug fixed and tried to fix another one that our ZL's had. Bad rims with loose spokes. Dropped them off to the Elders Wed on our way back to the city. Spent a couple of hours in the afternoon at the office working on aparment leases, then off to Inwood for our "Reflections of Christ" assignment. This has been fun to go to all the chapels in the city and check them out. We delivered the pic to Harlem chapel tonight. Ended up to the mission home at 10:30 to spend the night. Thursday we picked up an Elder in the Bronx and took him to White Plains to a court appearance he had to make. Then back to the Bronx and over to Manhattan to check out a broken bed situation, then off to Norwalk Connecticut to install an air-conditioner for the sisters there. Back to the mission home to pick up another air-conditioner for the Elders in Middletown on our way back to Monticello. Loving our car that is getting great gas milage as we have put on a bunch-o-miles.

It has been so fun to have Brax and Abbie here in New York with us. We enjoyed a fun time at Church and then was invited over to Mama Burgos's home for a Bar-B-Que dinner with her family. They loved the kids and we all had a great time.

n E w Y o R k c I t Y

The new Mets stadium is so awesome, hands down nicer than the new Yankee's stadium. This is the three story lobby into the stadium. It was beautiful
Can't go to a game with out looking like their biggest fan. No Brax is not betraying his and Dougs fav Braves team. Just had to dress for the event. Go Mets, they won!!
We enjoyed SHREK on Broadway. Loved it!!!!

Pizza break at Time Square on Broadway
Brax & Abbie just decided to hold up the Empire State Building while on "Top of the Rock".

Look who we saw in NYC!
Top of the Rock with Central Park behind us
Everyone needs a subway experience while in NYC
We had a fun filled day with the kids. We shopped at Howard Square by Madison Square Garden. We ate pizza in the middle of Time Square on Broadway (literally) Grabbed tickets for a show. Rode the subway to Rockafeller Center and rode to the "Top of the Rock", ate at a typical European Deli, then off to see "Shrek". Our tootsies are sore tonight.

Theyr'e H E R E!!!!!

Dinner and shopping in China Town

We were walking down the sidewalk in China Town and we happened upon a bunch of HD bikes. Doug was in heaven, had to snap a pic.

I love seeing someone you love and know walking toward you at the airport. It was so good to see Brax and Abbie. We drove them down to China town for that experience and ate at an Italian place in Little Italy, shopped for a purse for Cari. Kids tired after a very long early day so we went to the motel to relax and catch some shut eye.

Waiting in the Airport for Brax & Abbie

Yeah, they are almost here!!!! Brax called just a bit ago. Their flight is delayed for about 30 minutes. So excited to see them and be with them this week end.

LOOOOOOOoooooooong day

We had a moment before heading back to the city from Norwalk CT and decided to play a game of Canasta in the apartment we just signed the lease on for some Sister Missionaries.
After arriving in the city we had a few minutes to kill waiting to pick up the truck to move the "Reflection's of Christ" pictures. We walked thru Central Park and decided to sit under this big old gnarly tree, the sunset was awesome.

Doug decided to get a few minutes of R &R.

Random Pictures

Spring has just arrived here in the City. I am sure back home spring arrived about a month ago.

The new Yankee Stadium, I am sure we will go once before heading home.
We love our Zion Sisters companionship(sister Sterling & Lapik), our Assistants to the President(Elder Bown & Darger) and President & Sister Searle. But change is inevitable, Sister Sterling just went home, Sister Lapik and Elder Bown are back in the regular mission assignments with new companions and Elder Darger has a new comp.
Imagine driving a truck and 15' trailer down Broadway with all this fun traffic. Are you smiling or laughing? Doug was doing neither as it took us an hour to go 185 blocks. Can't drive on the parkways on either side of the island, where the traffic goes fast with hardy any stop lights.
Love the logo on the side of the trailer.
Look closely and you will see the part that fits under the car and away goes your car. The owner was lucky, he came just as the guy was backing up to his mini van. He was able to drive away with just the ticket on his windshield.
Watch out for those girls in the kitchen.

Busy couple of days

Doug caught a bug and we didn't get down to the city until Tuesday early noon, We met with the AP's and went over apartment concerns then off to "Pipers Kilt" to a yummy burger place with all the office staff & AP's. The burgers were at least 4 inches deep. Quite a mouthful. Yummmm!

Then off to the Bronx to patch holes in the wall of an apartment then off to Manhattan to help restore power to an outlet in a bathroom in another apartment. Grabbed a bite at Panera Bread then to the Farnsworth's to play a quick game of "hearts". We had never played it before. Fun game. Then back to the Mission Home for the night. Met the 3 new greenie Elders who just arrived, visited for while. Elder Anderson is from Loa, Wayne County, where Doug's family is from.

Up early, tried to help sister Searle with breakfast, but she is so organized everything was done the night before. She is so amazing. After a yummy fun breakfast we were off down to the Bronx to meet a guy to look at an apartment for Elders. Yeah! it was a nice roomy apartment for a good deal. We put money down to hold it and then was off to the Kingsbridge chapel in in the Bronx to catch the last part of the Transfer meeting. Then off to Norwalk Connecticut to look at two other apartments there. Looked at both and decided on the last of the two and put money down to hold it till we could get back on Saturday. We hurried back to the mission office in Scarsdale, picked up the security deposit and 1st mo. rent checks for the apt. in the Bronx we just located, took them over to the mission home to have Pres. Searle sign them, then back to the Bronx to sign the lease and hand over the money. It's 4:30 pm, time to head to north Manhattan, Inwood, park in the underground parking beneath the chapel, pick up the truck and trailer that transports the "Reflection of Christ" exhibit and down to the chapel in the temple building to load the pictures and equipment then downtown, way down town to the Union Sqare chapel to deliver the pictures. Yes of course the traffic was and is aweful. Double parking and unloading in the middle of the street is truely an adventure. We are now headed back to north Manhattan in Inwood and will drop off the truck and trailer and pick up our car and spend the night at the mission home as it is 9:30 pm. It's been a long very productive day. Hopefully we will get to close our eyes before it is tomorrow.

Easter fUn

We decorated Easter eggs with the Elders. It's always fun to share a little bit of home with the Elders. We also enjoyed talking with all the kids over the web-cam. They all gathered at the house and had a fun easter egg hunt we had sent home. The little ones are growing so fast.
We ended up with a bright beautiful bunch of eggs.
After decorating the eggs, the "boys" decided it would be great fun to keep decorating and so Doug pulled out a t-shirt and they had a ball.
Finished product....hmmm......wonder who gets to wear this beauty. Don't kid yourself, I am sure Doug will wear it at least once.

EASTER

We woke to a beautiful sunny crisp cool Easter morning. We had a stormy, cloudy, rainy past couple of days. But what a blessing, Sunday did come. I love the Sabbath Day. I love preparing for and then attending church. I love to feel the spirit. I love being able to partake of the sacrament. I love learning and studying and being reminded of the things I all ready know about my Savior. I love my Heavenly Father and my Savior. I am so grateful for all the tender mercies, the love and forgiveness, the kindness and His spirit that is poured on me and my family continually. I am a blessed child of God.

r A n D o M t H i S 'n T h A t !

As we were driving thru the city the other day, I got so excited to see the blossoms on the trees and the daffodils in full bloom. Yeah, spring has sprung. I can't wait to meander thru Central Park in a couple of weeks when Brax and Abbie are here. I love spring time with all the new life appearing.

This is a High School right in the middle of a busy street lined with skyscrapers in Manhattan. Just thought it so out of place because there is no football field, baseball field or track surrounding the building. We don't realize how lucky we are to have "land" available for our kids when they go to school out west. They have a track building close by, but it is all in-doors in a tall building.
We have been asked to be the transportation people for the "Reflections of Christ" exhibition that will be in all the chapels here in New York. For those of you who don't know about the book out with the same title, it is a beautiful book with photography art depicting Christ's life. Our good friend Kari gave it to us for Christmas and it is amazing. It is fun to be a part of this showing here in the City. First showing is at the chapel in the Temple building, this Easter weekend. We are here trying to figure out how to get this huge crate holding all the pictures in the building. Wallah! take the door frame out. That will do it. Then unload all the pictures out of the crate into the elevator and up to the 2nd floor, and hope that we don't get a ticket while waiting for the crate so we can load it back in the truck and drive away.
Yes - we do have a fear of tickets in the city. Take a good look at this sign, we didn't see it when making a left hand turn at 125th street at 8:30 am on our way to mission conference on 65th street. We were promptly pulled over by an officer wanting to give us a ticket. This would have been number 16, but, the officer was a very nice guy who stressed the importance of watching out for signs that pop up randomly in the city. I am sure seeing our Utah license plate helped him understand that we were clueless and didn't see the sign. That afternoon, on our way out of the city, I wanted to go back and see the sign that we had missed. Sure enough, there it is.

Mission Conference # 10

Our typical missionary, SiKE!!!! Elder Cameron is an awesome missionary.
Zone reports are so fun to witness at mission conference. Each Zone is to report how many baptisms they had last month and how many baptism dates they have for next month. They have devised very creative ways to report. We even had "President 'Obama" and "Jim Carey" and "DarthVader" make an appearance at Zone Reports. The Elders are so funny with their impersonations
Sister Lakip and Sister Sterling have served as the "Zion Companionship" this cycle. This companionship goes all over the mission observing and then training. They are awesome. This last cycle, 10 of the 11 sister companionships have had a baptism. Sisters sometimes can make progress where Elders can't. "Priceless"

We have had the best 4 days ever! First Saturday and Sunday we enjoyed General Conference, then Monday and Tuesday we enjoyed Mission Conference. We normally attend only one Mission Conference. The mission is divided in two sections, the North and the South. We had the privilege of attending both as we had to announce the winners of the Cleanest, Tidiest, Most orderly apartments in each sections, North & South. I love being with the missionaries and being taught by the spirit. It truly amazes me at the wisdom and insight the the missionaries share in teaching and discussing. I believe our return missionaries are very under-utilized when they return home. We are blessed with such a variety of guest speakers as well. This time the NY Stake President, President Buckner spoke. He was amazing and so inspirational. He taught the importance of making a "list" - a dream list. He also taught how we lose opportunities when we don't make choices and move forward. Too many RMs becoming stagnent and not reaching for their full potential of the measure of their creation. Makes you stop and think, where am I in the measure of my creation.

79th annual General Conference

In between conferences we had a potluck luncheon for those who came to the church to view it.


How blessed we are to have the opportunity to "listen to a prophet's voice." I loved every minute of it. The music was absolutely beautiful, the messages so powerful and inspiring, the spirit so sweet.

The thing that Doug like most about conference is "It reaffirmed my faith that we are the Lord's chosen children, and that he will never give up on us. Even though we will go thru hard times, it will be worth it because we are on the Lord's errand. He will mold and strengthen our backs to bare our burdens.

A few things I learned, felt, enjoyed and loved about conference:

1. The Lord loves his children & trials are not to punish us but to bring us closer to him.
2. That Christ KNOWS exactly what we are going thru, he experienced it.
3. Three important things to remember in Provident Living, which means: Joyfully living with in our means.
a. We cant' afford it
b. Are you buying this for me or you?
c. We can afford it, but we don't need it
4. Even though times are hard, there are always those who have had it worse and you can have joy in the midst of the storm.
5. We shouldn't ask why, but What can I learn from this?
6. "Reverence inspires Revelation"
7. "Be acquainted with the voice of the Spirit"
8. "Divine Covenants make strong Christians"
9. I know what an Edsel looks like. Doug's grandpa Albrecht had one and tried to get us to buy his when we were first married
10. "Be wise enough to learn the lessons of the past"
11. "Fear and Faith can not co-exist - We get what we focus on consistently"
12. "In a household of Faith - doubt and fear don't exist."
13. Remove your watch when in the temple, we are on the Lord's time, not ours.
14. "Discipleship is a journey, not a spectator sport"
15. "There will be nothing in this world that will defeat us"
16. "You can't be a 'life-saver' if you look like all the other swimmers on the beach."
17. "Let the 'Fire of the Covenant' burn in your heart"
18. " You are never lost if you can see the Temple", "as we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."
19. "HOLY TEMPLE, HOLY TEMPLE, HOLY TEMPLE - HOME"
20. "Member Missionary oriented wards are more successful than the "Golden Question" or "Awesome Missionaries"
21. "Open your mouth and share the gospel!"

President Monson's last remarks and counsel:
1. Read & Ponder this next ensign with all the conferece talks
2. Strive to live closer to the LORD
3. Pray always
4. Let your family know how much you love them
5. "A word of Caution: Be strong and avoid the pitfalls on the internet."
6. Attend the temple often
7. Reach out and help with the Humanitarian Aid
8. We are a blessed people, fill your homes with love and harmony, make it a safe sanctuary.
9. Please pray for me, (President Monson) and our leaders

hApPy bIrThDa Y - sIsTeR sEaRlE!!!

This was so adorable to witness. Before going to help us move sisters down in Mantattan, our AP's, Elder Bown & Elder Darger, had to wish sister Searle Happy Birthday. They had wrapped the gift in newspaper.
Sister Searle was anxious as she tore open the tape encrusted package to find........
YEAH!!!!!! It's a Tiger! Sister Searle has often compared missionaries to "Tiger" & "Eyore". Now, as you ponder that comparison, who do you think you are most like? Are you busy bouncing off the walls getting things done or are you layed back taking your sweet time? Sister Searle, you are definitely an amazing "TIGER". Hope you had a great day.

note: the Zion companionship for this cycle, Sister Sterling and Sister Lakip, were also just as creative, they too had found a "Tiger" for sister Searle along with a yummy stawberry shortcake to share with the office.

Moving Days - one long day

We traveled to Kingston, the Northern most "Nethermost" part of the vineyard and moved Elder Harnish and Elder Tanner to a new apartment to share with Elder Reynolds and Elder McGill, a new apartment for them too in Highland NY.
Now this is not a typical missionary kitchen, and the Elders are so excited, Elder Harnish says it like staying at a motel. Especially after you take a look at the next picture.

Doug is so happy driving the mission truck and van around moving missionaries. Now watch, he will show you and them how to tie everything down.
Yes, we have some happy campers as they leave the old behind and experience the "New".
The moving crew who helped us move the sisters to a new smaller apartment for them in their focus area next to the chapel. "You Elders are awesome!!!!!"
Doug is installing blinds, a minor detail that is essential for the sisters new apartment.
How would you like to look out your living room window to see this? ....but the sisters are so excited. Sister Flores & Sister Dame putting their new kitchen together.

Our most favorite part of our mission is associating with the Missionaries. We love love love them and are so happy to help them. They are so awesome and we admire, respect, pray and love them. We also like to make them happy. Some of the elders who helped move the sisters are moving them selves into the apartment the sisters left behind. A bigger and much nicer place for the 6 of them. Their old apartment will be stripped down and refurbished. For all of those moms out there, this is really an exciting day, that apartment was pretty scary. And yeah! we are saving the mission money.