The Best of the Brown's

Disney World

2012-02-06T09:05:00.002-07:00

We arrived at Disney World with our mouths hanging open in astonishment! It was so huge. We drove it seemed like miles just between one area and the next. Our hotel was Disney Pop Century. It was perfect for us, because everywhere we went there were things reminding us of the times we grew up in. The music that played everywhere was "our" music.

Lady and the Tramp was one of all time favorite movies, and there was Lady and Tramp also, but I didn't get his picture.

The Epcot center was so fun and so amazing. We went at just the right time and there were no crowds and about a 5 minute wait to do things. As I looked at my pictures, I realized I was having so much fun doing things, I didn't take many pictures. Inside the big ball at Epcot is a wonderful ride that takes you throughout time and how man's discoveries have brought us to the age we now live in. Most of the things at Epcot are oriented around the future and science, and then the wonderful exhibits from all around the world. At the end of the day was a most amazing fireworks display as only Disney can do.

Now here are two happy monkeys. Notice the big smile on the one on the right..

Epcot is part of Disneyworld, so the wonderful Disney characters were there.

Here was one of my favorites, the "real " Alice.
We spent a day and a half at Disneyworld, with Epcot being our choice of kingdoms to attend. It was a woderful break to our trip of traveling.

Florida or Bust--Plantations and Baton Rougle Temple!

2012-01-18T19:59:00.003-07:00

Ever since watching "Gone With the Wind" as a young girl, I have always dreamed of seeing a real plantation. We visited the Houmas Plantation near Baton Rouge. It was everything I ever dreamed an old plantation house would be and more. The inside of the mansion was more elegant than could be described. I could just imagine Scarelt O'Hare walking down the curved stairs at any minute.

The gardens around this mansion were fantastic. Everywhere there were fountains and gardens and flowers. There was even spanish moss on the oak trees.

This oak tree was over 600 years old. It was huge!!!

It was hard to leave such a beautiful place. My dream had certainly come true.

This is the Baton Rouge Temple. A small temple, but so special.

Florida or Bust-Day 5-6

2012-01-18T19:49:00.000-07:00

Being very nervous to head into New Orleans driving our own car, we became very brave, and said, "lets to it!" We did it and had a great time. What an amazing place. This is a bridge across the Mississippi River.

We took a ferry across the river, and this is the New Orleans skyline.

Crawfish are really popular down here. Here is Grandpa, not looking too excited about being attacked by a huge crawfish.

Yep, we went into the French Quarter and walked a short distance on Bourbon Street.

The French Quarter has 90 blocks of narrow, interesting streets like this.

This is the trolley we rode from our parking lot to the downtown area.

Texas, Day 3-4

2012-01-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to San Antonio. The drive from Dallas there was just a drive through one extended city stretching all the way. San Antonio was also a huge city. We found our motel and then very easily found their temple. It sits on a hill overlooking the city. We noticed all around the temple there were these huge, beautiful stained glass windows.

On the inside of the temple, all the rooms, even the dressing rooms, had these wonderful windows. The celestial room had these floor to ceiling windows on all four walls, adding a beauty beyond description.

Being born in Texas, and always fascinated by the stories of the Alamo. This was one of our destinations. It was really touching to see the place where it all occurred.

One of the highlights of San Antonio is the Riverwalk. We loved it. We felt like we were in another world. Very beautiful and romantic.

This is the view of Texas, mile after mile. Just open, flat land.

The Houston temple is grand and beautiful. Each of the temples that we have visited have a look of their own, but the spirit is all the same--peaceful and full of love. Seeing all the temples has truely been a highlight of our trip.
We are ready to head to Louisiana tomorrow. What an awesome trip this is!

Texas-Day 1 and 2

2012-01-15T18:59:00.000-07:00

Here it is--the Texas Border. West Texas is very barren and flat, just a few hills, and many oil wells.

Our first stop over was Lubbock, Texas. We went to a most beautiful temple there. It is a small one, but as we visited with the workers, one couple was related to Steve and had gone to high school in Grantsville, and had lived with President Orgill during that time. Small world.

Dallas was our next destination. The temple was located in a beautiful, old area with big homes and big trees. You couldn't find it until you were right in front of it. Thanks for the great little GPS we had with us. Steve noticed that the Angel Moroni seemed to be facing south. Humm!

Dallas has almost 2 million people and the traffic was horrendous. This type of interchange was everywhere. We did see the Cowboy stadium. Go Cowboys. We managed to work our way through it all and on to San Antonio.

MEXICAN ADVENTURE

2011-10-31T08:24:00.000-06:00

Being in Douglas, Arizona for my 50th High School Class Reunion, we decided to spend a few extra days and go with Ken and Judy down to their fishing village on the shores of Lake Novillo. Well, after all these years of living right on the Mexican Border, I finally get to travel into the interior. I was excited. This village is about a five hour drive south of the border. We stopped at the border, obtained visas, and away we went. I loved the drive, through small, sleepy Mexican towns and villages; along winding mountain roads, and through valleys filled with agriculture. All along the toad there were definite signs we were in Mexico: . . .

Little donkeys

And dusty roads, adobe walls, and small humble homes. It was the chili harvest and we were greeted with roadside stands selling bright red Mexican chili peppers.

Lake Novillo is a man made lake, and as the waters rose the villagers had to move to higher ground to save their homes. They were not able, however, to move their ancient, old cathedral, built in the 1600's, nor were they able to move their cemetery. Most of the time these are buried under the lake, but once in a while when the water level is down, the cemetery appears as does the crumbling walls of the cathedral. We were able to go and touch and see the cathedral and marvel at the centuries old workmanship still standing. Walking in the graveyard that was under water was eerie, but amazing.

Our purpose in going was bass fishing. And fish we did! Judy took most of the fishing pictures which I do not have at this time. Here is a photo of my brother, Ken and his tilapia. He was such a patient mentor and teacher as he took these very novice bass fishermen and showed us the ropes. We probably caught about 30 bass/day. The amazing thing, we would return to hour home in the evening and the villagers would come and take our fish and soon bring them back all cleaned, filleted and ready to eat. What a deal.

On our way back to the States we took another road that followed the trail of the Franciscan Padres. We were able to stop and view at least 5 of the missions that they established in the 1600's. All of

them still standing and preserved and still in use. This was one of my very favorites. Each cathedral is found in the center of the village or town across from the town plaza.

Then it was back to the border . Our last view of Mexico and their flags flying for a recent fiesta.

What an great adventure into our neighbor to the south.

Garden Harvest

2011-10-29T09:11:00.000-06:00

I am certain you have all been waiting on pins and needles to see how our square foot garden did. Well, sorry I have been so late in getting this on the blog. You see I have been so busy harvesting . . .or at least this can be an excuse.

This is an average day picking. We had so many zuchinni and cucumbers all the neighbors were kept in good supply.

This is my first venture at pressure canning. The green beans were the best. Only had a problem with the canner, the lid stuck and I couldn't get the jars out. Finally I did, but I was afraid I would have to use dynamite to open it.

Here are some of my rewards. Jars of salsa and pickles. It was lots of fun. Today, I cleaned the garden and took most of it down for the winter as we have threats of cold weather (freezing) next week. And, yes, we plan to do more square foot gardening.

Square Foot Gardening!

2011-05-16T08:26:00.004-06:00

This year we decided to do square foot gardening! Supposed to be the easy, no work type of gardening. Well, one forgot to say how much work it is to build the boxes, find the soil mixture, mix it, put it in the boxes, make the grids, put in the drip system, and while doing this surviving the attack of the Grantsville gnats. These little critters are terrible. They attack your head, neck , and ears, and bite and bite. This was my creation to help fend of these miserable critters. It helped but not totally. I still came away with bites down my neck, and all over my ears. The gnats do go away as the weather warms. Thank heavens.

Steve is the master creator of the boxes, grids, and watering system. He did a great job! Thanks, hon!

Here is one of the finished boxes. We have four. In this one we have: lettuce, bell peppers (green, red, and yellow),green onions, tomatoes (4 kinds), cucumbers, spinach, parsley, and cilantro. In the second box we have onions (walla walla, red), beets, carrots, rosemary, lime tyme, basil, and two kinds of potatoes (russet and red). In our third box we put the big squash plants (zuchinni and yellow) and more onions. In our fourth box, beans, and two kinds of peas.

Now we await the fun part of this type of gardening, lots of wonderful veggies and no weeds.

Grandma Trip!

2011-04-17T08:49:00.006-06:00

March found me in Kentucky visiting with Tracy and Paul and their family. What fun! But what a frustrating time I have had trying to share this trip with you on my Blog. So this is a very short blog with few pictures.

One of the reasons I went in March was to celebrate the birthdays of Elizabeth, Rachel, and John.

Not only did we celebrate birthdays, but we had fun just playing and renewing grandma-grandkid friendships. I was able to also let Paul and Tracy celebrate their wedding anniversary by having a night away and a trip to the Louisville temple.

While I was there I was able to see the arrival of a new baby fish, help make "fairy beds", discover the Monticello historical museum with Sarah. Go on walks with John. See the llamas that live on the farm next door. Have family home evenings of roasting marshmallows, and also of playing in the water.

It was Spring in Monticello and the flowers were in bloom. Their home had the prettiest flowers in the neighborhood. Watching Kentucy bloom in the spring was a delight.

At night, after a day of playing, I would fall asleep with a grin on my face, remembering all the fun things we had done and shared.

I love Grandma trips.

Fasting and Prayer Really Work!

2011-03-08T21:48:00.003-07:00

To all of us that fasted and prayed for Jordan, as her grandmother, I want to thank all of you. I visited Jordan today at the hospital. The surgery was done on Sunday morning. We were there to see her before her surgery. Grandpa and Uncle Matt gave her a Priesthood blessing. She looked so brave. We walked with her to the OR and then waited for the next 6 hours until the surgery was completed. They found and repaired a hole the size of a quarter.

We were there when they wheeled her back to her room. She was asleep, on a ventilator and had at least 4 chest tubes and it seemed a jillion IV's delivering all sorts of meds and fluids. She was totally sedated and asleep.

Just two days later, here is a picture that I took today. Notice her huge smile, and she is sitting up and even eating real food. Yes, your prayers and fasting were worth it. She still has a way to go before she comes home, but she is trying with all her might to come home as soon as possible.

What Really Matters!

2011-03-08T08:07:00.003-07:00

There are no pictures with this blog, just some of my feelings and thoughts. Sometimes in life you have something happen to you that makes you step back and just look at things and think a bit about what life is all about.
With the recent illness and sickness of my grandaughter, Jordan, I have had moments that have made me realize what is really important in this life. Life is all about relationships--with those I live with, with those that are my friends, with my neighbors, with those I meet on the street or the store. It is about my relationship with Heavenly Father.
One of the only thing that I will take me when I leave this life, is the relationships that I have made with others. Those bonds of love and friendship will be with me always. It doesn't matter how much money I made, or great wordly accomplishments. It just doesn't matter what color my hair is, or how many dresses I have in my closet.
It does matter how I have loved and shared myself with those around me. It matters how I speak to and treat others. It does matter that I say I love you, and thank you, and please. It does matter if I spend the time to know and love my Heavenly Father.
This special time watching Jordan go through this terrile trial, has made me stand in awe of her strengths and her courage. It has made me realize how fragile life is. That it is a gift from God. There is no way to know when my time here on Earth will be over. I so need to love and live each day to the best.
I am so thankful that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. That there is a purpose to life, and that there is a life after death. As I think about all this, and the trials that are here, it makes the Plan more clear. I just pray that I can face the challenges that will be ahead of me with as much patience, courage, and faith as Jordan has.

Rawhide!

2011-03-03T17:04:00.003-07:00

An old Western town, that one can go to and get a bit of a feel for Western living. We went with about a couple thousand others. A bit crowded, but still fun.

Here we are ready to board the ole stage coach. Only problem, no horses attached.

A pie eating contest was very fun to watch. I may never view cherry pie quite the same.

It was a birthday celebration. They made this 300 lb cake that they were going to cut and serve later in the day.

Phoenix Open Golf Tournament!

2011-03-03T16:55:00.002-07:00

In all my years of doing things, I have never imagined myself at a golf tournament. Why that seemed so silly to stand there and watch some men hit a golf ball. Well, we happened to be here when this huge tournament was held. The weather was unusually cold and the tournament became delayed due to the frosty greens in the mornings. So they had to go an extra day, and on Monday, the tournament was free. Well, free sounded just fine, so off we went. Arrived early, and it was chilly, notice the coats and sweatshirts.

A most beautiful and lush golf course. I like to golf, because I love to walk around the green golf courses.

I even learned some of the names. This is "Fowler". A very young, fun golfer to watch.

Here we watched the leading foursome come into the stadium surrounding hole # 16. Wilson, 2 Gloves Gainey, and Hass. After a very fun morning, I would absolutely go again. I have become quite the golf fan.

Cliff Dwellings.

2011-03-03T16:38:00.004-07:00

These are the Tonto Indian Cliff Dwellings by Globe Arizona. We parked far below and hiked up a fairly steep trail through a most beautiful desert landscape.

It was amazing to me to see the evidence of the Indian culture that was built so many centuries ago.

Don't know how to turn us around. But here we are standing inside of one of the large rooms of the dwelling.

One of the original pieces of Indian art found in the ruins. Very amazing, the skill they had. We loved going here. We have such a difficult time surviving in the desert with all of our conveniences, and they did it, living with what they had around them to use.

Western Art Museum!

2011-03-03T16:31:00.003-07:00

We went to the Basha Western Art Museum in Chandler. Totally free of charge and one of the most wonderful collections of Western Art. These are Indian baskets. I have never seen a larger or more beautiful collection.

There was room after room of wonderful paintings and bronze sculptures of the West. Really beautiful.

This room was full of Kachina dolls from the Hopi Indians. These represent the Gods and Spirits that are present in every part of the world around us. Amazing. There is no way to even try to do justice to all the art. It took several hours to look at everything.

Snowflake Temple!

2011-03-03T16:25:00.002-07:00

We are home now, but I now have access to a computer to share some of our trips and adventures. We loved the Snowflake temple. It sits high on a hill and can be seen for miles.

It is in North Eastern Arizona, and sits out on a high plains area. It very much has an American Indian theme. The waterfall was not running as it was in the winter.

If you get a chance, by all means put this on your agenda.

Winter Wonderland, Mesa Style

2011-02-12T12:38:00.008-07:00

WINTER WONDERLAND--MESA STYLE

PALM TREES WAVE, ARE YOU LISTENIN?

IN THE POOL, WATER'S GLISTENIN,

A BEAUTIFUL SIGHT WE'RE HAPPY TONIGHT

LIVIN' IN A MESA WONDERLAND.

GONE AWAY IS THE BLIZZARD

AND HERE TO STAY ARE THE LIZARDS.

A WARM SUNNY DAY WE LIKE IT THAT WAY

LIVIN' IN A MESA WONDERLAND.

IN THE DESERT WE WILL HAVE A PICNIC

CACTUS, SAND, RATTLESNAKES AND SUN.

SUNDAY DINNER IS AN OLD TRADITION

IT'S PINTO BEANS AND TACOS BY THE TON.

LATER ON WE'LL PERSPIRE

AS THE THE TEMPERATURES RISE HIGHER

A WARM SUNNY DAY WE LIKE IT THAT WAY

LIVIN' IN A MESA WONDERLAND.

Loving it! Be home the first week in March!

Snowbirding #1.

2011-01-20T12:23:00.006-07:00

This is what our house looked like as we headed out. 12 degrees. It stayed frozen until we reached St. George, then the ice melted off the truck and trailer.

Our favorite camping place, Valley of Fire. There was even a huge big horn sheep there to greet us.

Next stop Cottonwood Cove on the Colorado River.

A brief stop in Laughlin, just so Steve could see it. Had a great icecream cone.

A Joshua tree forest outside of a desert town, called Searchlight. We are so loving the sun and the warm weather. Our next stop, Phelan and a visit with Mike and Kasey.

Snowbirding #2

2011-01-20T12:17:00.003-07:00

We were there to celebrate #10 with Abi. What fun! She is a special grandaughter.

Then we cheered Kade on in his soccer tournament. They lost, but you know, the fun part was watching him play. The name of their team was the Rusty Zombies--orange shirt, and 9 year old boys. Makes sense.

The desert out by Quartzite. What an adventure. Shopping til you drop.

Steve found a few minutes to read a good book.

Next step, checking into our apartment.

Our Christmas Present!

2010-12-26T19:14:00.004-07:00

This year for Christmas, we did not exchange presents. Our home remodel was a gift far better than we could even imagine. I wish I could have put a big red bow around our whole house, and around my husband for all his hard work and help. My brother, Kumen also put many long hours building our front porch and roofing our garage. This is a blessing and a whole bunch of dreams coming to life. I now share with you, some of the finished pictures.

Christmas on Temple Square

2010-12-04T21:44:00.003-07:00

Hundreds and thousands of lights! It is hard to describe the beauty of it all.

The real beauty and meaning is the Christ Child.

We went with Debbie, Matt and the children. It was a special time to celebrate the Christmas season.

Festival of Trees

2010-12-04T21:38:00.002-07:00

Maddie and Jordan with their "crowns".

Each year in Salt Lake a special event is held to raise money for Primary Children's hospital--the Festival of Trees.
Trees are decorated and donated and then people can purchase them and the money goes to the hospital. Most of the trees go for thousand of dollars. There were hundreds.
This tree was especially cute. An Elmo tree. There were so many, you can't really even see them all. There are big trees, and then a whole area of small trees, and then an area of wreaths.
This tree is for Madison. It was all decorated with penguins.
We could have bought this tree and we each would have had our own side. Very fun and creative.

We Are Thankful!

2010-12-04T20:53:00.005-07:00

Thanksgiving was spent in San Diego with Mark and Rachelle and their family. We left our home in Grantsville during a huge storm-very strong winds all the way til Hurricane. We were pulling our little 5th wheel with our new truck, and oh, our truck did not like that wind. But we spent the night in Hurricane--took Cheila and Hunter to dinner--Spaghetti Factory with those wonderful bread sticks.
Then it was to Poway and we camped at Dos Picos Park. Very thankful to have arrived safely. Austin, Kylie, and Kendal took turns spending the night with us. We are so thankful for all of our Grandchildren and for their parents.

Austin's birthday was the day before Thanksgiving. Out to breakfast to celebrate. The best pancakes ever.

Then to the Mormon Batallion Visitor Center. An amazing demonstration of the sacrifices and faith these pioneers had. After the presentation, we all panned for gold.

Our nephew, Chase joined us for dinner and also to the Center. He was so willing to dress up like a Batallion soldier--for real he is a Marine, and we are thankful for him.

Kylie and Kendall playing with glow sticks in the 5th wheel.
We ended our trip being so thankful for all the many blessings God has given us--especially family. Thanks

A Mission Blessing!

2010-10-27T22:13:00.000-06:00

Steve's new big truck! After months and months of searching and trying to find it, we came upon an add from a couple in Idaho that were leaving to serve a mission in the Phillipines and needed to sell their truck. We went to see it. Fell in love with it! Now it is ours! How did we afford this ? Each month as we served our mision, we were blesed with the ability to put away money into savings. This is our "Mission Truck". A blessing for serving!
For those who want to know what it is--a Dodge, diesel, 250.

This is our big truck next to its little brother. Reminds me of the silly movie, "Twins" with Arnold Swarshnegger and Danny Devito.
We now have a "puller' for our little 5th wheel. Can't wait to go traveling.

One More Day!

2010-10-27T22:06:00.001-06:00

For over a month this has been the condition of our living room . . .

and our computer room . . .

our little food pantry . . .aka . .computer room!

This is all coming to an end! Our cabinets are in, tomorrow all this is going to be organized, cleaned and put away. I really can understand the scripture . . .and it came to pass!

Stay tuned for the open house tour that will come soon! It is almost done.

He Blessed US!

2010-10-27T21:56:00.000-06:00

Once in a while a special thing happens! For the past four years Steve and I have dreamed of changes and improvements we would like to make to our home. Our home is an old home and so many things were on our dream list! The task of taking this all was overwhelming and the list endless. Our front porch was old, crumbling, falling apart. This is the new version, almost finished. We were blessed to have an extra pair of hands to help with this project.

My brother, Kumen, came and stayed with us for two weeks. During the time he was here, he completely re-roofed our garage, and then constructed the new porch for us. Having him here was a blessing and a special time for me to get to know my brother. So glad we did this!

This Old House!

2010-10-23T21:18:00.001-06:00

Well, that is what it feels like. Just like the TV program we are watching our house being transformed from a "This Old House" to one of our dreams. Or at least lots of the dreams we have had for our house are coming true. Notice the new steps and new floor of the front porch, plus look, a roof to keep the rain off. I love it! My brother, Kumen, built the steps and the new floor. Great job.

Look at that marvelous deck! The worker men are busy adding the siding to finish off the eve. Lots of construction stuff, equipment, ladders, saws, etc. But it is coming together so great!

This is a start on our kitchen. Notice the beautiful new door. Then look at those cabinets, Alder with a glaze. Love it! You are seeing the cabinets that will be a pantry, coat closet, and then under the window will be storage cabinets with pull out drawers and there will be a granite counter there. At the right side, is my little secretary area where I will have a place for phone, junk drawer, phone books, and all my cook books!

Sorry this is sideways, but take a side glance into my upstairs laundry room. Small, cozy, and I will love it. You can just get a glimpse of the new stairway going down.

We just walk sideways here at our house. This is the beautiful stair railing . It matches the cabinets. I can honestly say, I am more than ready for the transformation to be done. But . . have patience, have patience, don't be in such a hurry. It really has gone quite quickly. This week the cabinets should be finished, all the outside siding and finishing should be done, and I think the deck should be finished this week as well. I gave up painting, until the worker men are finished, as every wall that I painted, now have to be redone and touched up. Sloppy fellows.

Demolition Done-We're Building!

2010-09-13T21:11:00.001-06:00

They flew thru the air with the greatest of ease1
How amazing to see the giant crane lift up these truss's into the air (in the wind) and just drop them right into place, with a little help of the workers.

Look, the trusses in place, ready for the roof. It is really starting to take place.

Steve has had the dream of moving an old pioneer wagon to a different place in the yard. Well, the crane operator, said, "Sure". So up the wagon went, high into the air.

Here is the wagon being moved into it's new location. It looks great there.

Stay tune next week for the next developments. It's exciting!

Demolition Derby-House Style

2010-09-06T22:13:00.001-06:00

Well, it has started. We have wanted to do this project for a long time. This is one of the favorite parts of our house, our deck. This is the before.

This shows our deck and the back of our house--before . . .

The demolition started. Steve and his sons were the muscles behind this. This is day 1.

Almost all of the roof has disappeared. That is Matt on the roof swinging the sledge hammer.

This is the end of the first week. The roof and sides of the deck are gone. The poles that will support our new roof and the start of the new deck are in place. Wait til you see the end results.

The last Leg of the Adventure

2010-08-21T21:28:00.000-06:00

The beauty of the Northern Great Plains as we headed into North Dakota.

The International Peace Gardens on the border of Canada and US. Beautiful!

Going over the Bear Tooth Pass into Yellowstone.

Of course we had to see this grand old park.

Our grandson, Jaden, loved all the hot pools, mud pots and of course Old Faithful.

It has been a grand adventure, literally traveling from border to border. But we were able to visit all of our children , family, and friends. We marveled at the beauty of our country and how blessed we are by the Lord. We were able to visit with our grandson, Taylor, who is serving with the National Guard in Afganistan, and was home on leave.

We were thankful that we were able to make this trip, and now we are glad to be home to just be in our house and here in quiet, small Grantsville, Utah. There is no place like home.

The Middle of our Summer Adventure.

2010-08-21T21:14:00.000-06:00

This part of our trip started out with visiting Hoover Dam and standing with the new bridge in the background.

After a night in Kingman, Arizona we then headed to the Grand Canyon. What an amazing place.

Family reunion for the McBrides, my first cousins, was our next destination. We stayed with Ken and Judy and had a wonderful time visiting with cousins, some not seen for 49 years.

We loved the Arizona cactus, even if it is sideways.

Our next bridge was at Page, over the Glen Canyon Dam.

Our Summer Adventure Continues!

2010-08-17T21:49:00.000-06:00

North Dakota is amazing! I never thought the great plains could be so beautiful.

Steve and his oldest son, Gregg. They had a great time as horse shoe buddies.

Steve and grandson, Dakota. Turned 15 while we were there.

Heated game of "Spoons".

Jaden and his cousin Lucas were inseparable. They played from the minute they awoke, until midnight or later each day.

More pictures to come. It was a great trip.

Summer Adventure

2010-07-31T10:34:00.001-06:00

Our summer adventure started with a stop at the Manti temple. So beautiful. One of our very favorite temples. We always feel like we are there with the pioneers.

Then to St. George, and the Tuachan theatre where we saw Tarzan. It was amazing. Flying monkeys and of course Tarzan. We loved it even if the weather was a bit warm.

Then to Phelan, CA. Mavrick baseball! Three nights and three games. Lots of fun!

Took time out during the day to go do a round of bowling. Kade came in first, Abi second, Grandpa third.

Saturday was the real reason we started out on this adventure, our grandson, Kade's baptism.

Tune in again for a continuation of this adventure.

Home!!!

2010-07-18T17:45:00.000-06:00

On our way home from Argentina, we took a wonderful few days to unwind, rest, and enjoy the beauty of this wonderful country that we will probably never visit again. Our rest stop was the Iguazu Falls on the border of Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay. Standing on the edge of Devils Throat Falls Amazing! Makes Niagra Falls seem tiny.

There are over 250 different falls within the park. Everywhere you walked there was another fall just around the corner in the jungle.

If you wanted you could get right under the mist of the falls.

Here we are arriving home in Salt Lake City with a big group of our wonderful children and grandchildren there to greet us. Our first time to see our new grandson, Rendon.

Steve just couldn't contain himself. Carpet at last. Had to give the carpet a big kiss.

Glad to be home in the good ole USA. Home at last.

A Lesson Learned!

2010-04-06T15:30:00.000-06:00

Steve and I have prided ourselves on nothing bad happening while here in Argentina. We have become very comfortable going down town, riding the trolleys, taxi's etc. Almost everyone we know has had a robbery occur at some time down here. Most of the missionaries have been robbed more than once.
Well today, we headed down town. Feeling very confident and probably a bit over confident.
As we borded the trolley to head home after running our errands, Steve felt in his pocket, his wallet was gone. I looked in my purse and my camera was gone. We had been robbed. How slick they had been, we had felt nothing.
As we evaluated our trip, we had done almost everything wrong. We were an easy target. I had not turned my zippered compartment on my purse towards me, there it was an easy target. Steve had his wallet in his back pocket, not in his front pocket. He was carrying a large sum of money. He should have taken it out before leaving home. As we waited for the trolley, we were in a crowd of people. We should have moved away and waited from behind the crowd. Several times on our excursion we both had little thoughts telling us to do all the right things, we ignored them.
As I thought of what happened, I thought of what can happen spiritually.
We can grow very self-confident, become sloppy about observing the commandments, and not listen to the "still small voice". We can become a victim through our own doing. We need to stay ever vigilent, and realize that Satan is always there, just as the pickpockets were there, waiting for us to let our guard down. Ready to take advantage of our weak moments.
We are sadder but wiser from this experience. We are both glad it was just things that can not be replaced and not our souls. We share this hoping our lesson can bring safety both physically and spiritually to those we love.

How Big is Jesus Christ?

2010-04-01T10:16:00.000-06:00

It is Easter time. A time to think of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We took a drive to a beautiful valley of Valley De Uco with the snow capped Andes mountain range in the background. There on the top of a hill overlooking the valley was a magnificent statue of Christ with His arms outstretched blessing and protecting the valley. As we approached, I could not help but think, "How big is Christ?" "How big is Christ in my life?"

The statue is about 50 feet or more high. Here He stands in comparison with the Elders who were on our trip. I could not but think, "I am very little and small in the sight of God, He has many, many people to love and care about."

But even though my picture is sideways, I looked up at those big arms and thought,"They are big enough to surround and hold me in His love. I have so felt those big arms around me here on our mission. At those times when I so pleaded for His help, He was there, and will always be there.

The marks of the nails were in His hands as a reminder of all that He gave for me. And here He stands as a reminder of the resurrected Lord .

I am so blessed to be here this Easter in a country that is not ashamed to display the Christ for all to see. He is special, and no one worries about Him offending others. He is worshipped.

How big is Christ? I don't know , but I do know His love is big enough to atone for all of us.

I love Jesus Christ.

Goodby to the Jarvis's

2010-03-25T13:02:00.001-06:00

This is a wonderful view of the city of Mendoza with the foothills of the Andes in the background. We went to lunch at the Sheratin hotel and ate at a very lovely restuarant on the 17th floor. It was perfect! Quiet, a wonderful last adventure with our dear friends the Jarvis's.

Here we are! And I had to poke Steve to wake him up. Just kidding. The wine glasses are filled with "water sin gas" (non-carbonated) and "water con gas" (carbonated water). You can tell it was not busy. In fact we were their only customers while we were there. The service was excellent!

Here are our great friends the Jarvis's. They are from Heber, Utah. So when we go home, they will be not too far away. We already miss them. It is way lonely without them down stairs. They really made being on the mission a great experience.

Here is our table, and the view is just beautiful.

Us and the Jarvis's. "Til We Meet" has great meaning!

The "Sonda" Wind!

2010-03-18T14:18:00.001-06:00

The "Sonda" wind comes down out of the Andes, totally unannounced. All of a sudden, huge gusts of wind come blowing ahead of it dust, dirt, and often followed by rain and hail. Last night, just as we got in bed, the wind came.

We could tell it was really strong. But we live in the 3rd little pig house made all of brick. So it blew and blew and we were safe and sound. When we got up this morning, this is the damage on our street.

The power lines were all over the yard and drive way next to the mission office. But, lo and behold we still had power. Made me wonder about the people who do not live in the brick houses like ours.

We just wait now, until another one comes. If ye are prepared, ye need not fear. Don't worry, Be Happy!

Medical Safari #1

2010-02-09T13:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Here goes, Medical Safari #1. San Luis, Argentina. We headed out, the Jarvis, and us, in our van loaded with medical supplies, tool boxes, extension cords, cans of Raid, ironing boards, irons, curtains, the ever present black medical bag, and homemade brownies to bribe the most resistent Missionaries. One of my purposes in going was to identify medical facilities for the missionaries who become sick in this area, 4-5 hours from the mission office. What I found was that the facilites do not have brochures with all their information, so I took pictures of their boards so I could remember what they had. Two of the Sister missionaries accompanied me as translators. I can speak basic Spanish, but not enough to bargain and negotiate with hospital administrators.

I taught basic First Aide in all the zones that we went to. All the basics, bleeding, loss of breathing, CPR, etc. We had fun, and willing victims. The reward was ice cream ordered from their favorite ice cream store, Gridos.

Steve repaired and repaired. In this apartment he put up curtain rods so these lovely curtains could be hung. Notice the beautiful sunset.

It was of course fun to see some of the old cathedrals. Each town has a plaza and usually a beautiful old church right across the street.

We have been hearing since we arrived of the hail they have down here. Well, here is an example. Some of them were the size of golf balls.

He is still pretty spry, climbing on top of this apartment. Go Grandpa! At one of the apartments he fixed 10 electrical outlets.

Here is Steve on top of the roof putting a new lid on a water tank. All the water tanks down here are on top of the ground. That is how they get the water pressure to make their water run.

After 3 days of teaching first aid, visiting hospitals, and making repairs, we treated ourselves with a night at a resort on the lake. For some reason I have no pictures of the lake. The road around the lake is made so it can be a racetrack for car races. Quite a novel idea. They were going to have the big Carnival celebration here in March.

We did not make the reservations, the other couple did. The valet took us to our room, when I saw the sign on the door that said Brazil Suite, I became a bit nervous. When we went into our room, I knew a mistake had been made. I called the manager and said, this cannot be our room. It was beautiful. The most luxurious room I have ever been in. He just assured me there was no mistake, so we just pretended we were king and queen and enjoyed our royal suite.

We finished our trip with a visit to one of the wards there. The people were so wonderful. We bore our testimonies, and yes, Grandpa even did his in Spanish. The children were so darling, they all came up to shake our hands.

We went home tired, but knowing much, much had been accomplished. New hospitals were identified, new Dr.s found, apartments so much the better for us having been there.

Listen When Your Mom Gives Advice!

2010-02-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Who would think that I would need to rely on one of those motherly words of wisdom from my childhood to solve a mission medical problem. The phone rang. "Hermana Brown, you will never believe what I just did." I braced myself for the worst news. "I was at a member's home and they were eating prickly pear cactus." Now my interest was picking up . . ."I guess I wasn't very careful and I must not have scraped all the stickers out, because, now I have cactus stickers in my tongue and down my throat. What should I do?"
I tried not to laugh--or cry! What a predicament. But what to do? I could send him to the Dr's and have them pull the little prickles out with forceps . . .or . . .I remembered that my Mother used to tell me when I was a young child . . ."If you get any little fish bones stuck in your throat, try eating a piece of bread and it will gather up the little fish bones." Well, it was worth a try. I shared this with the missionary . . And it worked!!! It took three pieces of bread, but the little stickers are all gone.
Mom, thanks for looking out for me even down here in Argentina. I am so glad I listened once in a while to all those words of wisdom.

P-Day Argentina Style!

2010-01-17T12:32:00.001-07:00

I think these grapes are sideways. But yes, it is getting ready for the harvest time here. This was at the home of the family we had our celebration dinner with.

We went golfing with two of the office Elders as a treat to them and us. The Bishop's daughter went with us. It was fun. Real close to the sand trap he is.

Here we are, stopping for a break in the shade.

What Elders do! Nope that is not my butt. They got a really neat shot as the ball went in the hole. It was their first time golfing, and I actually think they beat us. We bet M&M's. So we owe them.

We celebrated real Argentine style with an "Asado". It is a special B-B-Que. Here is Elder Brown getting into the middle of it. It was delicious--chicken, beef, and sausage.

Here is our celebration dinner. All the office Elders came to celebrate with us. Sorry the picture is blurry.

New Years 2010!

2010-01-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

We had a great New Year's Eve. We decided to out to eat, but lo and behold, they do holidays the right way! Nothing, nada, nunca-nothing was open. We did find our favorite chicken restaurant would sell take out things. So we took home a stuffed chicken breast that was so delicious. It was stuffed with ham and cheese. We also got the biggest order of papa fritas (french fries) that we could order, and then a wonderful tossed green salad. We went to the Jarvis's. Oh yes, earlier that day we had picked up a kilo of our three favorite ice cream flavors. So we were ready.
It had been their anniversary just a couple days earlier so we treated them to this wonderful dinner and gave them a small gift for their annivesay.
At midnight we went up on the roof and took in a sight to behold--fireworks at 360 degrees. The whole town was one big fireworks. We were surrounded. I haven't figured out how to get my video on--its not great, but you can hear the noise of the fireworks.

Here is Steve holding on to our "globol" just before we let it go up into the sky. I love these. They are so gently and beautiful. We are trying to figure out a way to bring some home.

There it goes!

Up into the sky. Well, the New Year is here. No Rose Bowl parade or bowl games. But I love the fact that I have a whole New Year to create as I wish--with a few side tracks I am certain.

Happy New Year to all of you.

Our Christmas Celebration!

2010-01-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

In Argentina the Christmas Trees are decorated on December 8th. This is the Day of the Virgin Mary. So we are in Argentina, and that is what we did. We loved our tree. We put a string of lights on it and then decorated it with all the ornaments made so lovingly by our Grandchildren. There never was a prettier tree in all of Mendoza.

On Christmas morning, all the office Elders cooked breakfast for us Oldies. You never saw such a feast-grapefruit, waffles with fresh strawberries and whip cream, french toast, scrambled eggs, and somewhere they even found bacon (a little salty-but bacon). It was wonderful.

We had all drawn names and we had a great gift exchange. These are our awesome office Elders.

So our Christmas was wonderful. We did not exchange gifts between Steve and I. We decided instead to give gifts to others. We bought new baptismal clothes for the Mission Office, and we gave money, clothes, and toys to an orphanage.

We missed family, but we had a most wonderful Christmas. One of the best things was spending the day from noon our time until 9pm at night calling family. There is no better gift parents can have than talking to their children. We love you all so much.

Santa Comes to Argentina!

2010-01-01T11:54:00.001-07:00

This was the Mission Christmas Party. It was held two days in a row, with half (100) of the missionaries coming on one day, and the other half on the other day. The tables were set, the program was a day to remember from start to finish. it started with the traditional White Elephant gift exchange. You never saw such energy and excitement! That was followed with some fun games, Apostacy (a way to play musical chairs using prophets names) We only broke about 5 chairs as they scrambled to be the last ones in.
Hot Potato, and then some relays. Steve and I were in charge of games. But we had lots of help.
Following the chaos of that, there was a beautiful program of the Nativity. The Elders and Hermanas loved being a part of it. We also sang Chrstmas Carols.

And then after dinner was over, there was a talent show, followed by the guest of honor, Santa himself. Do you think he looks a little familiar?

Each of the missionaries had to get their picture taken with this special guest.

And I even snuck a little kiss onto Santa's cheek. I think he is such a special fellow.

Merry Christmas!

Panchita is gone!

2009-12-27T15:07:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might have noticed, Panchita is no longer with us or on the blog. She came to a very sad fate. The glass coffee table broke, when "you know who", sat on it. I am not accusing anyone, but it seemed a little spiteful of him. Panchita went flying to the floor. I scooped her up. Ran her to the kitchen and to a bowl of water. She seemed a little sad for several days, but then seemed to recover, and then, she just died. Belly up she was. A funeral was held with special words and tributes, and then . . .Down she went.
I hope this sad news does not cause great distress and mental anguish among our friends and family.

What do the Viejitos do on Last Night in Mendoza!

2009-11-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

They eat lasagne, brownies, and fly paper airplanes! Let me explain. This was a very different transfer. Usually the viejitos (the missionaries going home) have their special dinner with the President on their last night, with a very special testimony meeting. But for various reasons, this was held on Sunday night, and so on Monday, after their exit interviews with the President they had not another thing scheduled for the rest of the day and the evening.

I had expected the two Hermanas to eat with us as they were spending the night there. But they were busy shopping and visiting. . so I decided to just bake a big pan of lasagne that could be eaten any time. During the afternoon, we discovered that two of the Elders had no plans for dinner and really had no place to go. So, hey we can feed two more! So we added two more plates to the table.

We had just started to eat and the door bell rang. There stood two more hungry, going home missionaries with no place to go or eat. So we added two more plates to the table. Now we had the whole group. The lasagne was soon gobbled up and then the fun started.

Everyone made their very best paper airplanes. Every size and description. Mine of course was so original. Then we all went up to the roof and sailed our planes into the night sky. One of mine actually went far enough to land in the tree outside our window. It was so fun! Steve actually is one of the very best paper airplane designers in the whole mission although he was outdone by Hermana Hussey from Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Then it was downstairs to have brownies. Hermana Jarvis had made a pan of the most delicious brownies. Then it was visiting! Sharing mission experiences, and finally after much coaxing we got the Elders to leave and we all went to bed, thinking of how to design our next, best paper airplane and the viejitos dreaming of their plane flight home.

The Hermana Conference

2009-11-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

The conference was held at the Mission Home. The night before all 17 stayed at a hotel and giggled and laughed the whole night. Only twice a year do all the Hermanas get to be together as a total group.

The day started with a craft where they made little jewelry boxes, which were later filled with a pearl necklace, bracelet, and earrings. A gift from the Mission and a remembrance of the talk given by Sister Lindahl, Mission President's wife.

Next it was a tango demonstration. Very awesome, and we all got to learn to dance "elegantly" as the tango is an elegant dance. Our instructors were so much fun, and so graceful.

Hermanas can have fun! Just get them together and it starts.

It is a day of fun, and great inspirational talks, and lots and lots of wonderful food.

Anyone for a back massage? Two started and soon there was a whole chain.
I gave a talk on self Esteem and Health. I focused on "Bloom where you are planted".

Here we are! All the Hermanas of the Mision Mendoza, Argentina. Until next spring when we get to do this again.

Polly Pockets

2009-10-13T09:22:00.000-06:00

On the day of the Cafe Rio party, one of the Elders very thoughtfully gave me this most unusual plant. As he handed it to me, there was one of these very unique blooms. It looked just like a purse, complete with a flap on top. I noticed there were many little "purses" ready to to open and bloom. Well, lo and behold, I have a plant now loaded with many, many purses. Hence the name "Polly Pockets".
She sits on the table with Panchita, and I think Panchita (my gold fish) really enjoys her new friend.
On a spiritual note, my "polly pocket" plant is a symbol of all the gifts we have been given by God. We cannot have enough purses or bags to hold them all. When one falls off there will be more blessings to take its place.

Cafe Mision Mendoza aka Cafe Rio!

2009-10-11T14:27:00.000-06:00

Does your mouth ever just water for a food that you just love and just isn't available anywhere around. My mind and my taste buds just started to wander back to Utah and visions danced in my head of my favorite place, Cafe Rio. Oh, if I could just have one of their big salads or burritos.
Well, thanks to the aid of Google and the internet, it wasn't long before I had more recipes all claiming to be the authentic, or just as good as authentic, or even better than authentic Cafe Rio dishes. I scanned over them, and to my dismay a few ingredients just were not available down here--especially tomatillos and flour tortillas. So back to the computer. What do you substitute for tomatillos, nada. Oh well. What do you substitute for ranch dressing mix--lo and behold, homemade recipes for ranch dressing. How do you get flour tortillas--lo and behold you make them yourself.
So to the store I go. Let's see, pork- check; cilantro-check; avocados--check; coca cola-check; Nope, no tomatillos, but we're going to do this. Away to my kitchen. Got my apron on! Cafe Rio here we come. I cooked, and I made substitutions, and lo and behold , it worked. The Green chili rice was scrumptious. The Pork Barbacoa-superb. The creamy tomatillo dressing (renamed creamy cilantro dressing) delicious! The homemade tortillas-yum!
The reason for the dinner was to celebrate and honor three of our office elders who will be transferred out this next week. It took many trips over to the office, but it was finally all set up. There was a sign--Cafe Mision Mendoza--thought we might have franchise problems if we called it Cafe Rio. There was a menu posted! There was a line you had to stay in as you went to the long table and made your dishes--burritos and salad.
The comments made all the work worth it, 'This is awesome! Just as good as Cafe Rio! Better than Cafe Rio! This is the best meal I have had on my mission!" It was fun! A challenge! and now just have to wait until my taste buds start dreaming again.

Escuela Hogar-Eva Peron-4 Stake Service Project

2009-09-29T13:27:00.000-06:00

This was a service project to clean the school grounds for this orphanage here in Mendoza. There are about 350 children that attend school here, from ages 4-14.

Members and friends from 4 stakes gathered to clean and make the grounds safe for the children to play.

Steve and I even got into the act. It was great to be a part of such a great thing. To help is what it is all about.

The San Martin Young Women all came ready with their sticks and their smilesto pick up paper.

Elders in action. Some working a little harder than others, The smiles say it all.

They all wanted to show off their big muscles. There were not many tools, so they just got in and pulled with their hands. Many huge truck loads of weeds and debri were hauled away.

A tired, but very happy bunch of missionaries from Mision Mendoza. And a very grateful school for the service rendered.

Belated Birthday Adventure!

2009-09-15T14:47:00.000-06:00

Well, it is never too late to celebrate a birthday. Mine was delayed due to the visit of the Mision Area President and critical medical situations. No time for birthday parties! Although it was not forgotten by friends and family. Thank you for all your messages. The missionaries all sang Happy Birthday to me in both Spanish and in Ingeles. And the Office Elders gave me a bottle of treasured pure grape juice.

The Mision business was over and all the Senior Missionaries; Us, the Javis's, and the Lindahl's all decided to celebrate. They let the decision be mine. I hate that. I chose to do an outdoor adventure--visit Villavencencia and the cemetery in Las Heras. So off we went, dressed in our P-Day best.
The park we went to is in the foothills of the Andes, due west of Mendoza. As we entered the park, the vegetation changed to trees and grass. We stopped at the visitor center. This comemorated the passage way over the Andes by San Martin and his army--hundreds of years ago.
The high light of the visit was going to the old hotel, no longer in use. I could just imagine it filled with elegant people. The gardens and the patios were still beautiful.

Tucked next to the hotel was a beautiful, quaint, old chapel--almost 90 years old. Inside is one of the most beautiful murals of the last supper I have ever seen. The individual apostles were each a work of art.

Before we left this beautiful place, I took time to pretend to cook on the Argentine type oven where they do their "asados", and of course I could not pass up the opportunity to pet this friendly lama.

Next was the trip to the Las Heras Cemetery. Whew, what a scary experience. This was like no cemetery I have ever seen. I have always been fascinated by cemeteries. This was amazing, covering over 8 city blocks and still room to grow. Their were areas very old and crumbling--like something out of a horror movie, and then other areas where wealthy families owned family tombs. You could look right in and see the caskets, and family members could go into them and be by their deceased. The poor people were just buried in the ground with little white crosses. We were told that you rent your space for your coffin. If you stop paying your rental fee, they just take your casket out and dump the bones out in the garbage. They do not embalm down here, so funerals have to be held, by law, the day after the person dies.

Places for ashes and coffins.

One of the main walk ways, lined with individual family tombs.

The wall around the cemetery. The small graves for the poor people.

This is what was on the inside of the wall. Old, crumbling, decrepit casket slots. Creepy!
But this is part of the Argentine culture. This is part of their life.

We finished the day off by eating at our favorite restaurant down in Central Mendoza. I was given a small silver angel complete with magic wand by Sis Jarvis, and Sis Lindahl gave me a pair of leather and sheepskin slippers. I loved both gifts. It was a great birthday.

Super Bautismo!

2009-09-03T15:36:00.000-06:00

This was a special day that the Valle De Uco zone had waited for . Their super "White Baptism". They had been working hard! Their goal was to have 25 people ready for baptism. These are very humble people. The branches and wards are very small. They wanted the new converts to get the feeling of belonging to a larger group. To give them strength in numbers. So the decision was made to have all the baptisms for the month of August to be done on a special day, at a special time, all at the Stake Center.
We have grown so close to so many of the missionaries from this zone, that it became an event we didn't want to miss. This is what a mission is about, bringing people to that first step, becoming a member of Christ's Church.
We drove down with three of the Elders. One of them, Elder Miles was finishing his mission the following Monday, so this was his last weekend in the mission, and he had served for months as a zone leader there. We arrived, and there was just a flurry of activity in every direction. Elders and new converts all dressed in white everywhere. The Chapel was packed with friends and family awaiting the special event. The poster in the lobby gave the names of all those to be baptized. 18 in all. That is awesome.
It was very difficult to round up everyone for a group foto, but here is the majority. What an amazing site. Young and old. Ready to be baptized.

One of the young women ready to be baptized by Elder Manqui!

The smiles on the faces tell it all. What joy that comes when you are doing the things Jesus would have us do.

A group foto. Once again only part of the people. We were so touched by the testimonies and love shared by these people. We drove home knowing we had been witness to the work of the Lord.

Un Milagro!! (A Miracle!!)

2009-08-26T12:02:00.000-06:00

If there could be one thing that could happen that would be the worst, what would it be? Well, losing the Mision Nurse’s cell phone would be close to the top. There must be at least 20-30 calls a day.
Today as I arrived back from a Dr’s office visit with one of the Elders who fractured his “pinky” finger playing American football, I was very excited as the Dad of our Elder who fractured his back was at the office just getting ready to take his son to do some touring. I jumped out of the car and ran to say hello and introduce myself.
After a big hug and thank you’s, I went into the office. I checked my pocket. No phone. I checked my purse, no phone. I had Steve call my phone, no answer. Humm! Perhaps I have dropped it in the car. I hurried out to the car and searched under, and around all the seats. No phone. I hurried out to the sidewalk, and looked up and down the street. I checked the seccia (the ditch). No phone. I guess it has been picked up. In fact two people across the street said they saw the garbage men pick it up.

Very sadly I walked back to my office and told Sister Jarvis and my husband that my phone was gone. I did not know it at the time, but Sister Jarvis quickly gathered three of the Elders and said, “Let’s get down on our knees and ask the Lord to somehow let the person who has the phone know how important it is and that we need it back." So they knelt and prayed.
Several hours later, a phone call came from Hermana Hunt. “I found your phone.” You what? “I found your phone. I called Hermana Brown on the phone and these people answered. I asked them who they were and I told them that this phone belonged to our mission nurse and it was so important and we needed it back. They gave me their address and we can go pick it up.” The phone is now back in my pocket. Steve says it should be tied around my neck.

Milagro!!! (Miracle)
God does answer prayers, and He does love the missionaries and missionary work. What a lesson to me to always kneel and pray and call down the power of God. He is a God of Miracles.

We're all in pieces. Fix us!

2009-08-10T12:13:00.000-06:00

I made a jigsaw puzzle of a picture of Steve and me. Click on the link and you will be able to help put us back together. Leave me a comment telling me how long it took you to do it!

Help put us back together.... Click Here

Happy Birthday Argentina Style

2009-08-07T07:10:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Elder Brown. We had a surprize party for him, complete with banner, hot wheel cars (party favors for the guys,) and new bath sponges for the girls.

Instead of cake I made real pumpkin pie, from fresh pumpkin. Pretty Yummy!

And he huffed and puffed and blew out the candle. I'm not sure what he wished for. You can make a birthday wish for him. Hey, 67 years old seems pretty young to us these days.

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2009-07-31T08:17:00.000-06:00

Yes, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough mixes! How many? Well, maybe a million! Nope. Seemed like thousands! Actually, 180 bags of cookie dough mixes.

This is Hermana Jarvis, mi buen amiga. She has the job of adding all the brown sugar. Yumm!

Hermana Lindahl and Hermana Jarvis putting cute little red ribbons on each packet.
And here is the finished product. Actually this is only a portion. We had already loaded several big boxes . These will be given out when Hermana Lindahl interviews each missionary next week with her husband. The cookie dough packets are rewards for the Missionaries cleaning their apartments (pensiones) on Mission Clean up Day.!

Only thing, quite a few of the pensiones do not have ovens that work. Oh, well! I don't think that should stop them. When I made chocolate chip cookie dough, most of it was eaten before it ever got to the oven anyway!

Standing among Giants!

2009-07-29T08:45:00.001-06:00

That's what I felt like today! It was the Zone Leader "consejo". It is the day all the zone leaders from all over the mission come here to the mission office for training and to plan the next zone conference. They start arriving early in the morning, and soon the office is just busy and bustling with over 20 missionaries who love the gospel, are so excited that they are here, and have leadership just dripping from them.

They greet each other with the all too familiar missionary hug and "tap-tap" on the shoulder. They have smiles that cover their face as they see old companions and renew their friendships. They spend the day with the President and the Assistants, being fed and filled with spiritual renewal.

I had to deliver some medications to several of them to take back to their zones. As I did this the President had them stand and give me an ovation of clapping and cheers for my service. The tears just filled my eyes as I felt their love and appreciation for my service. I stood so humbly surrounded by this wall of giants. Giants in the mission. Giants to the other missionaries. Giants to the members and investigators, and Giants to the Lord.

Snow in Argentina!

2009-07-23T14:38:00.000-06:00

We looked out our window and what did we see . . . snow!!!

The bush is a holly bush-ready for Christmas with lots of red berries, and now snow. Only one problem it is July.

It is so strange that we are in the middle of winter. Brr! It is really cold!

This is the yard next to the mission office. Almost enough snow for a tiny snowman. It was fun for alot of the missionaries whom had never seen snow. Enjoy your 98 degree weather and the swimming pool.

A Coincidence?

2009-07-10T07:54:00.001-06:00

A Coincidence?

Last night we had a movie night with the Jarvis's. As we entered into our apartment it was cold. Steve checked the thermostat, turned it up—the heater did not come on. It also heats our water. We turned on the water, no hot water. He fiddled around with it for about 15 minutes, still didn't work. I was getting prepared for a cold night in the apartment and maybe no shower in the morning unless I wanted to freeze.

I was kneeling waiting for Steve to come and join me, and it was cold!!! It was my turn to say the bedtime prayer. I just quickly said the prayer, and said, "Please help our heater to work so we can be warm tonight." Then I jumped in to bed as quickly as I could and pulled the blankets up around me. As Steve got into bed, we heard a sound; it was the heater turning on. Amazing! Coincidence? Steve quickly said, "Wow, we're going to have you say all the prayers. How 'bout praying for a million dollars."

He does hear and answer prayers!

Don’t Shake Hands!

2009-07-06T12:04:00.001-06:00

That was the announcement from the stand at Church today. "Pretend you are in Japan. When you greet someone, just bow to them. No hugs, kisses, or handshakes." This is very hard down here where everyone gives a big hug, kisses on the cheeks, and hearty handshakes. Church for the next three weeks will be shortened to just Sacrament meeting to limit exposure to the flu. One of the young men stood at the door of the chapel and put hand gel in everyone's hands as they cam e in the door. Not many are wearing masks at this point, but it probably is not a bad idea. So far we have not been affected. I keep eating an orange a day and keep praying the flu stays away.

Pancakes, Eggs, and Maple Syrup!

2009-07-06T12:02:00.001-06:00

Last week, two of the Elders from Valle de Uco had to come in to finish some immigration paper work. They had to be here by 0700. So that meant they had to leave their area at 0400 in the morning. As they did the paperwork it was very frustrating. Calls were made back and forth for assistance from the office, but when it came down to finishing the paperwork it became evident that one number on the Latino Elder's passport had been entered wrong. It could not be accomplished. They were told they would have to come back again on another day with it done correctly. They couldn't come back later that week because they had baptisms they had to get ready for. So we told them, "Call and let us know the day you are coming in, and we will have breakfast ready for you."

Last night about 10pm, came the call. We're coming in tomorrow morning. So breakfast we will have ready. Pancakes, eggs, homemade syrup. This is the least we can do for these young men who are working so hard to serve the Lord.

PS. They came in this morning and the office was closed due to the flu. Another trip and the situation not solved. But they did eat lots of pancakes, eggs, and hashbrowns.

FOOEY ON THE FLU!

2009-07-06T11:59:00.001-06:00

I am sick and tired (literally) of the flu. It has finally hit here in our mission. This past week we have had about 1/3 of our mission down with the flu or flu like symptoms. My phone has rang constantly. Most of the missionaries have been strong and have recovered within several days, but we have had several that have really struggled to get well.

I felt really bad for Sister Sybrowsky. She had been sick, well for just a little time, and then sick again. Her last bout kept her in her apartment for over a week. She was not only feeling bad from the flu, but depressed in having to stay home every day and just look at those four walls. She could keep almost nothing down and was getting weaker and weaker. We brought her in to stay a few days with us in the "Hermana Room".

As we picked her up with her companion, she appeared pale, listless, no enthusiasm for anything. Her parents called her while we were driving back to our apartment. She seemed fairly embarrassed by the call. She stayed for 3 days, and each day I could see more spring in her step, color in her cheeks, and no vomiting. Each day she would eat just a little more and do a little more. By the time she left she was back to normal-or at least headed in that direction. The two Hermanas made cinnamon rolls on their last night here.

Elder Hollinger was one of the sickest Elders. He came down with the flu and immediately started running a very high fever, severe headaches and chest congestion. I had him start by treating the symptoms with ibuprophen, decongestant, etc. His very dear companion, Elder Ahmad, doctored him like a baby. He called frequently, and would go and buy the medications I would order, and stood faithfully by. The AMA was called on an ongoing basis and his reply was always, "It's the flu there is nothing that can be done, they just have to endure."

Well after about the 4^th day and he is still not better, still running a fever, and his chest in becoming more congested, I made the decision to go and bring him in to the Dr. As we entered his pension and I went into the bedroom where he was, I could see his eyes light up. I did an exam, and then asked him, Elder I would like to take you to be seen by a MD, is that OK? The tears almost welled up in his eyes as he said "Thank You!." It was like a miracle had arrived to save him.

We went to the Dr at the ER at hospital Espanol. He was examined and the MD found some white spots on the back of his throat and he listened very carefully to all the aspects of his chest. He ordered a steroid to assist with the congestion. He did not order a test for swine flu, but I think this is the closest case we have had to it.

We brought him back to the mission office. There, Elder Jarvis put did these wonderful hot pack treatments to the front and the back of his chest. He had a hot pack that he soaked in hot boiling water and then had Elder Hollinger lie on the exam table with towels draped over his bare back. The hot packs were put on and they would stay warm for at least 10 minutes. Then he would turn him over and repeat on the other side. It was like we were roasting him until well done. The object of the treatment was to loosen up the congestion in the lungs.

One of the medications was an injection of steroids to reduce the lung congestion. This was the second injection that I have given since I have been here. Actually I am not licensed to do injections in Argentina, but in some instances it is just the most efficient way to have it done.

Afterwards we brought the two Elders over to our apartment to eat lunch. As Elder Hollinger walked in, he exclaimed, "You have such a nice apartment, I feel like I am in the States." PS, He is now on the mend, but the awesome Elder that nursed him all the way is now sick with the flu.

As the sick ones get well, it just seems that new ones take their places. Fooey on the Flu!

There is Gold in That Thar Bowl

2009-06-19T10:48:00.001-06:00

Yes, there is gold in that bowl! That gold has a tail and fins and is swimming around. Her name is Panchita. She is the newest member of our little missionary family. Even before we left Grantsville for our mission, I talked of getting two little goldfish, just to keep us company. As Steve says, I just have to have something to feed. We arrived, and it just never seemed the right time to buy the fish; we couldn't find a bowl. We couldn't find a fish, etc, etc.

Well, finally, with much, much coaching on my part, and I think Steve just grew weary of my nagging for a fish, we went to the little pet store and picked out our fish. I picked a beautiful, fat gold fish with beautiful tail and fins. Steve picked out a very colorful calico goldfish. Into the little bags they went. We bought a little container of food, some rocks for the bottom, and a clear class canister that would function very well as a fish bowl. (And if the fish died, I will have a great container for cookies, etc).

Fish have to have names, so that was the first big chore. Steve quickly named his, San Martin. Not bad. San Martin is just about the biggest historical hero down here. I tried to think of a female name that was meaningful for Argentina. Hummm! I have it! I will name her, Panchita. I love their hotdogs down here. They call them "Panchos". So, a Panchita would mean "little hotdog". That's perfect!

They seemed very suited to their new house. They seemed to like each other. No biting, kicking, scratching, etc. So, we went to sleep that night with very pleasant thoughts of our two new little members to our family.

I awoke early the next morning to study. The first thing I did was run to the coffee table to see our fish. Yep, there is Panchita swimming around, but where . . .oh, there is San Martin. He is not swimming. Actually he is lying on the bottom of the bowl. No respirations noted. Can't feel a heart beat. He's awfully limp. Too late for fishy CPR. I carefully lifted his little body from the bowl using the fish net and placed him on a special paper towel on the counter to lie in state until Steve could pay his respects. After all, this is San Martin. Then the final act! The lever was pulled! He was gone!

I couldn't believe Steve. He is accusing my fish, my Panchita of fish murder. Yes, he says it was, "In the fish bowl! With a fin!" Well, he has no proof. He didn't even do an autopsy. It has now been several weeks and I catch Steve mumbling under his breath, "He was murdered!" He even sometimes says, "I hope yours dies soon so I can get another fish." We all know that the real truth will probably never be know.

In the meantime, I am training Panchita to be a world famous , performing gold fish. She is so smart and so talented. I am certain that Sea World will hear of her soon and they will send for her. What does she do? Well, this is just the beginning, I know there are many tricks to come. But for right now, she is learning that when I feed her, I tap twice on the bowl and then put the food in. She is responding by when she hears the taps, she swims to the top of the water to be right there with her mouth open when the food comes. Now is that amazing or what! I can see the glitter of all the gold she is going to earn. Soon she will be doing flips and all kinds of special things.

And Angels Watch Over Them Night and Day!

2009-06-19T10:44:00.001-06:00

Sometimes you may wonder when you say your prayers and you routinely say, "And please bless the missionaries all over the world", whether God really hears your prayers. Is He really blessing them? Every morning and every night Steve and I kneel and always include the welfare of the missionaries. I know with all my heart that He does hear our prayers. This morning my phone rang at about 02:30. That is never a good sign. It was Sister Warren from the group of Sisters in a community, San Luis, about 3 ½ hours from here. She is one of those young women that is always having a crisis in her life and has a tendency to exaggerate. So when she said, "I feel so sick, everyone is sick, we're all throwing up, and we have diarrhea", I took this in stride. My thoughts were, "They probably ate at a member's house, got some bad food, and they're having an acute attack of food poisoning. " When I asked who was throwing up, she said," Well, no one actually has, but I am feeling so bad, you better talk to my companion." The phone was then passed to the companion. She was having a splitting headache and said the other three were also. She mentioned, "Isn't it strange that we are all sick, all at the same time. Could this be caused by gas?"

A light went on in my head. Yes, it could. Of course! The symptoms; headache, dizziness, and nausea. It fits. Hurry, open your windows, was my command. Let's check with the ER and see what they recommend. The only phone number I had was the one for the ER here in Mendoza. The Sister called the number, and they said to call a local ambulance. Dial #911. OK, I had been told 911 didn't work, but let's give it a try. Within 10 minutes the ambulance was there. The Sisters were on their way to the hospital. The care they received there was great, and they are all doing fine!,

Looking back, here are the Angel interventions:

Most missionaries call me in the morning and let me know they have been sick all night, and choose to tough it out, or just don't want to call and disturb anyone. Some angel prompted this Sister to pick up the phone and make that emergency call.
Some angel prompted the other Sister to think clearly enough to question, "Could it be gas?"
Another angel made the 911 # work, when everyone has told us it just doesn't work down here.
This small community had an ambulance service that responded likety split.
This very antiquated hospital had staff waiting their arrival and gave them immediate treatment.

Yes, there are angels watching over our missionaries here in Argentina, and everywhere, all over the world.

“Que Linda”

2009-06-01T13:58:00.001-06:00

Fall has officially arrived, and the leaves are falling. All of the sidewalks are covered with the leaves from these big, beautiful trees. All the neighbors up and down the street spend time each day sweeping and cleaning their own patch of sidewalk tile. Alas, no one has been cleaning the sidewalk in front of the chapel and the mission office. Probably everyone thinks someone else will do it. The piles of leaves were quite deep and very unsightly compared with all the other sidewalks.

It was a beautiful day. A day that would be much more fun to be outdoors than to be in the office or our apartment. "Come on, let's go do a service project!" With a little coaxing, we soon were both found out front, broom in hand, sweeping these huge leaves into piles. Almost as soon as we swept, I could feel leaves falling on my head and shoulders. Perhaps this is futile. It looked so good. Another Brother and a young Teacher soon found brooms and plastic bags and joined our efforts. "Que linda!" Now the sidewalk will be clean for church tomorrow morning.

As we walked down the sidewalk early the next morning, I almost had to break out in laughter. The sidewalk was once again covered with leaves. It almost didn't look as though we had done anything. But in my heart, I knew I had swept that sidewalk and if even for a few minutes I knew that it had looked great. I guess that can be sort of like things in our life. Things like cleaning the house, pulling weeds, or even helping someone out. Even though the house gets dirty again, or the weeds just come back, or that person still has problems, perhaps, just even for a minute it was "Que linda!" Beautiful for a minute.

Join us at the Mendoza Zoo!

2009-05-19T15:43:00.000-06:00

Join us for a trip to the zoo! This was our wedding anniversary adventure. We took the afternoon off and just spent the day, just the two of us at this very beautiful zoo. We hiked up and down hills, and followed the road to discover all these wonderful creations of god.

We especially thought the grandkids would like to see some of these amazing, fun animals. There were many, many more, but these are some of our favorite pictures.
Thanks to Kasey for helping me get this slide show on the blog! Kasey, did I do it right?

Our New Apartment

2009-05-07T14:49:00.000-06:00

Here are the stairs leading up into our apartment. We live on the second floor, but in Argentina the first floor is called Planta Baja--then the second floor becomes the first floor--go figure, the third floor becomes the 2nd floor etc. There are three floors in our building. This winding staircase goes all the way up. We even have an elevator, but we don't use it too often as sometimes it doesn't work and we would hate to be stuck there. On our top floor there is a roof patio called a terrazo. Ours doesn't have any patio furniture. It is fun to go up there at night and look at the stars and the city. There is no big dipper down here. It is a sky of all different stars. We are learning to find the Southern Cross. It is real tempting to want to throw water balloons down on everyone. So far we have resisted the urge. Sometines I go up there to the roof and exercise in the morning.

This is looking in from our front door. We bought a big red couch. We feel so daring. We like it alot.

This is on the other side of the living room, it is our dining room, looking into the kitchen. Whoops! I don't have any pictures of the kitchen . It is alot bigger than our other one. The stove and the fridge are the same size--tiny.

This is our fun bathroom. We even have a real tub, not very common down here. They don't put vanities in the bathrooms, so you just have to carry stuff into the bathroom and then out when you finish. We do have another bath, a very small half bath. It is so small, I think a very big person would not even be able to squeeze in.
We have two bedrooms. Our bedroom and then a smaller one that we are using to house the hermanas (sister missionaries when they need a place to stay. That is the best experience ever. So far we have had 5 guests. Later this month they are having a Sister's Conference for the Hermanas and we will have 4 at our house for the night before the conference.
We love our apartment. We are just right above the Jarvis's (the other senior couple) In fact our kitchen window is right above theirs, so when we need something we just holler out the winddow and send it by "window mail". They are great neighbors and its a great comfort to know they are so close.

What Does Grandpa Do All Day?

2009-04-20T11:01:00.000-06:00

You may have wondered while Grandma Sue is busy curing diarrhea, headaches, and vomiting--What does Grandpa Steve do . . .? Well, he can be found inside of; hanging from; connecting to; figuring out; ordering online; sorting things; and cleaning out and arranging. He is a busy Missionary.

Ordering online! All of the supplies for the bookstore. The previous person did not get the oder in correctly for Book of Mormons. We ran out! Can you imagine a mission without Book of Mormons! He has an order for 800 coming, and it arrived today. His entire order was 95 boxes of supplies. Now, where do we put them?

Hanging curtains! Most of the missionaries apartments did not have curtains--just bare windows, so - - -curtains were bought and here he is in action. And here is a picture of some of Elders so thrilled with their new curtains.

Fixing and Repairing! The mission car's trunk would not stay closed, so Grandpa to the rescue. I keep him busy with all of my "honey do" chores in our apartment: Repairing light switches; fixing the water heater so it doesn't make that annoying rattle sound each time it comes on. (it's a tankless water heater and is quite interesting); hanging cusrtain rods and curtains; and building bookshelves.

I recently was frantically trying to hook up the computer in our apartment. It just wouldn't fit in the electrical bar. In our front room there is only on electrical outlet, so there has to be an outlet bar that everything plugs into. But to complicate things, there have to be adaptors so the computer can plug in, and there are transformers for other US products. Well, in my haste, I plugged in our CD/alarm clock not using the transformer. I smelled a funny 'electrical" smell. Our CD player was fried. It has died and gone to electrical component heaven. I will no longer do the unplugging and the plugging in. I am leaving that to the electrical fix-it man, Grandpa.

Pull Down the Powers of Heaven

2009-04-16T14:29:00.001-06:00

What do you do at three in the morning when the phone rings. You answer it of course. It is a sick Elder. He has been vomiting and having diarrhea since 1100 last night. I found myself frantically calculating (4 hours-OK). " I am feeling dizzy and weak." Not so good. This was Elder Bateman, a very large Elder, in an area about 1 ½ hours away. OK, let's start getting some fluids back in him. I talked to the companero. Gave him instructions on how to make a rehydration fluid from juice they had. All they had was orange soda. "Watch him closely; start him taking sips of fluid. Let's see how he does. I will call you back in about 1 hour." 15 minutes later the phone rings. "The Elder has collapsed. He is unconscious. We can't arouse him." Is he breathing was my first question. "Yes". Call an ambulance! "We don't have a number for an ambulance; our cell phone is almost dead. We'll call a taxi and get him to the hospital."

I started praying as I have never prayed before. Please, Please, get some help there. I did not have a number I could call for help. There is no 911 system here. This was an area not covered by our ambulance service. How can they possibly get him in a taxi. He is a huge Elder. I just kept praying and pleading.

45 minutes later a call came. They had uncovered a phone book in their apartment. Had reached an ambulance. They had come, started iv's, given some medication. He was still unconscious. At 0500am, he was conscious, doing much better. My prayers had been answered. There is a God watching over these missionaries.

A Fish and a Loaf of Bread

2009-04-16T14:05:00.001-06:00

A FISH AND A LOAF OF BREAD

It's Easter Sunday. Church was full of talk of "la Pasquas", Easter.

The members bore their testimonies of how special this day was, and the spirit was strong, even though we could only understand parts and bits of their testimonies. We had fasted in preparation and we were blessed with understanding in our hearts.

After Church we came home to prepare our Easter feast. Grilled fresh salmon, scalloped potatoes made with our last packet of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese sauce that Tracy had sent us, a tossed green salad even with avocado and Thousand Island dressing, and cooked fresh zucchini. Then for dessert, a chocolate mousse torte. Well, dinner was ready. The table was set for the two of us. In the middle were our huge chocolate Easter eggs. I dished up the salmon; it filled almost half the plate. Steve commented, "This is a feast for a king!"

We sat down, and the phone rang. My first thought was that, "Oh, no, someone is sick on Easter." It was Elder Sullivan, one of the office elders. His question: "I noticed there was some chocolate candy on your desk, do think me and my companion could have some? We are starving and we haven't eaten anything, and we don't have a lunch appointment." I immediately answered. Yes, you can have the candy, but you get yourselves over here for Easter Dinner.

We immediately started dividing the salad, the fish, and the zucchini squash. This would work. There is plenty of potatoes and everything. The phone rang again. "This is Elder Sullivan again. Actually there are 4 of us." I looked, was there enough for 6 people. Of course there was. The answer was , "Yes, all 4 of you come, just bring 2 more chairs." We looked at each other, started dividing the salad once more, added a bit more lettuce, tomato, and the rest of the avocado. Divided those pieces of fish again, quickly micro waved another zucchini, and there it was-dinner for two, expanded into dinner for 6.

The Elders came and it was the best Easter dinner. The spirit is indescribable when you have the missionaries in your home. We had a great time. I must say, every scrap of food was eaten. Not even a crumb left.

A Roll of Toilet Paper and a Light Bulb!

2009-04-08T14:02:00.001-06:00

This past Monday, one of our missionaries became very sick and was admitted to the hospital in a little town of Tumayan. Actually a fairly good size town in the farming area outside of Mendoza. There was the possibility that it was appendicitis. I kept getting the feeling that I should go out to this hospital to check on things. So just at dusk we drove there. A very pretty drive. We arrived at the hospital. From the outside it looked ok, not fancy, but ok. The Zone leader had assured me this was quite a big hospital and was quite good.

We found our Elder, and he was in a room all by himself, the other bed was not occupied. It was siple, old, quite worn, but appeared clean. He was lying in a bed with an IV running in his arm-normal saline. He was NPO because of his condition and possible surgery. The nurse came in and talked to me. I asked if he had been started on antibiotics, she said yes, we have given him this and this. She named the meds, but none were antibiotics. He had received medication for pain and fever. OK? She said he was scheduled for an ultrasound in the morning, but actually not tomorrow, but the next day, as the MD's were going on strike tomorrow. WHAT? How can we have our missionary here where he might need surgery and no doctors?

I attempted to lower the lights over his bed and turn on the ones over the empty bed, so the light wouldn't be in his eyes. Whoops! No light bulb. They don't put light bulbs above the empty beds as they would be stolen. HUMMM! Then our Missionary had to use the bathroom. THERE WAS NO TOILET PAPER! Oh this is normal. You bring your own. They don't supply it as it would just be stolen! So his companion had to run across the street to a store, buy a roll of toilet paper, before he could go to the bathroom.

We did make the decision to transport him into Mendoza to a more modern, closer hospital, but . . .I felt totally humble, extremely blessed, and amazed at how spoiled we are with our health care in the States. I will never take for granted a roll of toilet paper and a light bulb ever again.

It's Worth it!

2009-04-02T13:38:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, not often, we catch ourselves thinking--is this really worth it. We could be home in our cute little house in Granstville. We could be planning our Spring Garden. We could be surrounded by those awesome children and grandchildren. We could be planning our next vacation. Instead here we are in a far away world, where bars cover every opening, the hot water runs orange when we first turn it on. Where it is turning Fall when at home it is Spring. Where everything is in Spanish and we don't understand very much. But . . then we open the door to our office at the Mission Office, and there on the board is this message left by those hungry Office Elders that we rescued and threw together a dinner for them.

Yes, it's worth it!. Then we start feeling a bit homesick, and here in the mail comes this wonderful drawing, and valentines, and letters from the family, and packages of goodies and we know that we are loved and not forgotten!Yes it's worth it.

We struggle to get medical care for a missionary who is having alot of lower back pain. We walk to the hospital with him for x-rays. And he is getting better and is able to be out preaching the gospel .He makes a bracelet to say "thanks" And then we know it's worth it. We go to a baptism and watch the excitement and thrill in these new converts eyes as they become members of God's Church, and then . . . .
We really know it is worth it. The garden can wait, our little house will be there when we return, and our families will love us no matter where we are. But our place right now is to be here, serving the Lord. Yes it is worth everybit of it.

YOU'VE BEEN WONDERING!

2009-03-10T14:50:00.000-06:00

Yes, we really do have a mission office and we really do go there everyday to do our work. Yes, there are missionaries here. Here is the sign on our building and here is the front hall that the Missionaries wait in before they see El Presidente, la enfermera (me), the money secretary, the secretary who handles all the records and documents, buy stuff from the Mission Store, or just

have fun seeing each other. They stop in for a cold drink and a cool place out of the hot sun.

These are our office Elders. They keep the ship running. They fix the computers, mop the floors, translate into Spanish for us, handle all the apartment stuff, and keep us laughing..
Elder Williams (California), Elder Stevenson (Idaho) and Elder Salmon (Alabama) And two pictures of Elder Brown hard at work. (I couldn't figure out how to delete the second one. Oh well.

One reason the country may be doing so poorly is that "Obama" is actually down here. I think he is hiding. We have been trying to convert him and have him change his ways.!

These missionaries are headed home, a very mixed feeling time! They were having fun, one last time together. The mission office is our home away from home. It's where our days start and end, and where the Spirit of the Lord watches out for us and these awesome Missionaries here to serve.

OUR TRIP TO THE "BIG MOUNTAIN"

2009-03-02T13:50:00.001-07:00

This is the beautiful valley and community of UsPallata. It is like an oasis in the midst of this very barren desert. It is the jumping off place for the mountain climbers and for the river rafters. We attended the branch there. These people had testimonies bigger than the "mountain". The little branch meets in a building with a bar next door that plays latino music and seems to purposely turn in up during the meeting.

This is the "big mountain", Mt. Aconcagua. All 23,000 feet of it. It was pretty chilly and very windy. Notice--not a single tree on these huge piles of rock. We did see 3 live llamas down by one of the rivers.

Puenta de Inca on the Chile border. This hot springs empties over the rocks right into the river. The colors are amazing.

These are our friends, the Jarvis's, from Heber, Utah. They serve in the mission office with us.

OUR NEIGBORHOOD

2009-03-02T12:17:00.000-07:00

Join us for a walk around the neighborhood. The first step is unlocking our door and the gates to our apartment building. Here are our keys. They look like keys to a treasure chest. We keep looking for it, but so far-nada.

The streets are lined with beautiful, green trees. This makes walks lovely and cool on the hot summer days. Along the edge of the trees is an irrigation ditch called a "secio". It is deep and you don't want to fall in.

The homes are of great variety. Here is the house on the corner. It is huge, has a huge, lovely yard, and of course a big wall with spikes at the top to keep unwanted people out.

And then there is the house next door. They are actually remodeling it into an apartmento.
Everything has walls around it, so it is just an invitation for the neighborhood artists. Almost all walls are decorated. Some nice, some not so nice.

This is the neighborhood car lot. The bottles on top of the cars mean they are for sale. Pretty smart, huh!

Here is our local taxi. Just call them and they come. Just kidding. These are poor people who go up and down the streets and collect anything that they are able to recycle. All day long you hear the clip, clop of the hooves, and here they come.

We live across from the Mission Office, and it is quite a safe neighborhood. We have very friendly neighbors. There is a mixture of apartments and homes. All of the apartments and homes are built right on the street with no front yards. or very small ones. Most of the homes have lovely green back yards.

Thanks for strolling with us!

2009-02-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

This is a little tour around our little apartment.

This is our tiny stove. The control on the oven only has two settings: Max and Min and in between there is an arrow that you just guess at where the temperature is. I do use an oven thermometer. My first cassarole was found cooking at 500 degrees. A little toastie I think.

This is our bathroom.

There is the shower, and in front of it is the cutest little bathtub.

Here is Steve getting ready to jump in our cute little bath tub. It'll be a tight fit, I think.

Here is our little table.

Notice the wonderful grandkid book. We look at it often, and instead of TV we have our wonderful digital picture frame to look at while we eat. Thanks for those gifts. Notice the bottle of thousand island Dressing.
A sample of our daily schedule:
7:00 the alarm clock goes off, playing the CD-Called to Serve!
7:15-Exercise, showers, breakfast-learn the new Spanish word of the day.
9:00-off to the mission office where we start the day with an "Himno"(song), un oracion (prayer), and announcements for the day. I often have follow-ups to do on medical issues, and then handling the medical issues as they call in. Steve is busy with office and computer things.
There are trips to the hospital, farmacias, etc.
12:00 Usually lunch doesn't happen until about 1:30 or 2:00. We run home, grab a bite to eat, and then back to the office until about 6-7pm.
7:00pm Quick trip to the store for food, or home to fix dinner.
8:00pm dinner
9:00 hopefully time to study
10:30 Bedtime at last.

The next entry will be a trip around our neighborhood!

We are here in Argentina

2009-01-21T14:30:00.000-07:00

We are official. We have our badges and we're ready to go! Well, almost!

Here's the official sign on our door as we leave the MTC. There's no turning back. Now it is home to pack and t0 get everything to fit in our suitcases. Good luck!You never saw so many suitcases in your life. I think we'll need a bigger plane! Maybe you could all come to the airport and help us carry these!
Had a several hour layover in Dallas. It is so futuristic! Their airport makes you feel like you are at Disneyland. They have a monorail that runs around the whole airport. Of course we had to ride it the whole way, just for fun.

Steve loves to look out the window when he flies, so me made an extra special point of requesting window seats . . . .but didn't take into consideration that we were flying the whole

way in the dark, all through the night. We tried to sleep, but, oh well . . . .

When we stepped off the plane in Buenos Aires and were greeted by warm, summer air, palm trees, and sunshine. Hard to remember this is January. We were met by a member of one of the ward bishoprics. He took us over to the Argentine MTC which is right next to their beautiful temple. We had lunch at the MTC and then I slept for a few hours. The highlight was walking around this beautiful temple.

On our way back to the airport we saw just a bit of the Buenos Aires skyline. 20 million people live here. We drove along the Parana River. It was so wide we could not see the other side. The color was a definite muddy brown.

We then took another flight that would take us to our destination of Menoza. We arrived to an amazing welcome with cameras flashing in all directions. The Mission President, his wife, and the two other senior couples were all there with hugs, and welcomes. We were then wisked away to the Mission Home for a marvelous dinner of roast beef, turkey, all the trimmings, topped of by a fresh peach, custard cake.

Then off we were taken to our community of Godoy Cruz, a suburb of Mendoza. The streets are very lovely all lined with trees. It makes taking walks very nice during the hot summer days.

Our suitcases just about filled up our small front room. Everything has bars on it, the windows, the doors, and the yards all are fenced with locked steel gates, and cars are all parked behind steel bars.

We are on the second floor. That makes us lots safer. We have two single ladies named Nellie and Christina, that live by our front gate. They are always home and seem to be always out in the patio talking and keeping track of things. Nothing gets by them. They are there to remind us to please lock the door as we enter and then relock it after we close it.

Every evening we are greeted with the fine voices of our neighbors across the street. They are big dogs, and oh can they howl.

The Mission Office and our Stake center are just across the street and down the block, very convenient, since we are there almost every day.

There was a ward missionary meeting that we were invited to. We have the greatest bunch of missionaries. It was a great meeting, and I was asked to give the closing prayer. I even gave it in Spanish to the amazement and delight of those there. I was so nervous I was sweating by the end of my prayer.

By the way, the town was so excited we are here that they named a street for us!

Well, this is our update for a few days! We have much to share! What an experience! We are well, and loving it!

2009-01-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

Here we are at the MTC. What an amazing place. We have never seen so many missionaries headed all over the world to places we never even knew existed. Some are going to places that sound like an episode from "Gilligan's Island". It snowed non-stop the first 2 days we were here.

We have been busy with classes from 8am and then with our studying we fall in bed about 10:30pm, just exhausted. We have had the opportunity to practice our teaching skills with volunteers from the community. That has been fun. The food is plentiful, and if we don't watch it we will leave here weighing much more than when we started. They plan the menues around what 19 year old boys love to eat.

We are official! We have our badges. I am Hermana Brown and Steve is Elder Brown There are 73 senior missionaries in our group. One couple, the Smiths are in their early 80's and this is their 5th mission. They kind of run circles around the rest of us with their energy and enthusiasm.

The spirit is amazing here. You never know when it is going to land on you and the tears just start flowing. We love it, and can't wait until next Saturday when we get on that plane and head south. We have talked to our mission president twice and it looks like Steve's skills in fixing things is going to be put to use in repairing the missionary apartments. This next week I will receive medical training and Steve will be trained in office procedures.

We have been working hard on our Spanish. Carlos is the best tutor for us. He has such a since of humor and has really helped us alot. Wish we could put him in our back pocket.

2009-01-11T14:06:00.000-07:00

Getting Ready!

Well, here we are, with lots of snow at our house. We have packed, we have washed, and shoveled snow. Boy, Argentina sounds better all the time.

As luck would have it, our fridge decided to stop running about a month before our mission. We thought of buying a new one, and decided instead to punt. We have been using our ice chests and the weather helped by being down in the teens, so we had an outdoor fridge.

2008-12-21T15:53:00.000-07:00

Its three days until Christmas, and just exactly two weeks until we go to the Missionary Training center. I think we are ready for Christmas, well almost. Christmas Eve is at our house this year. We will set our feast for 22 people. I think our little house will be bursting at the seams, but having family all about is just part of Christmas.
Part of getting ready for the holidays and getting ready for our mission was visiting our children all scattered all over the United States. In May we visited Greg and Brenda in North Dakota. Then at Thanksgiving we headed to warm Southern California to visit the California Kids. We even camped at the beach for Austin's 14th birthday. Then after a day of lots of turkey we headed to Sea World with Mike and Kasey. Lo and behold, who is also at Sea World, but Matt and Debbie and their family from Utah.
Our last trip was to Kentucky to visit Tracy and Paul and their family. Little Sarah, age 11 months will be a walking, talking toddler by the time we get back from Argentina. While we were there it snowed, and then we came home to snow and cold. Boy, going to summer time in Argentina sounds pretty good right now. Merry Christmas to all , and to all a good night.

Our Mission Call

2008-11-29T22:00:00.000-07:00

The big white envelope arrived while we were on our trip to Washington DC. Steve's son, Randall opened it, and we received our call long distance-via the phone. "You have been called to serve in the Argentina, Mendoza Mission". We hadn't even thought of South America. We immediately got out the maps and globes to see exactly where we were going. We have been on the internet many times learning about Argentina and about Mendoza.

Our assignment: Well, I was called as a Medical Advisor to care for the full-time missionaries, and Steve was called as an assistant to the Medical Advisor. That leaves lots of room for guessing what his duties will be.

We arrived home to find phone calls from our mission president, President Lindall, and from Elder and Hermana Quist, senior missionaries serving there now. They were so excited about our call. President Lindall said, "Can you come now!"

Then the work started. Visas, immunizations, and trips to the MTC twice a week for our Spanish tutoring. Our Tutor is the best. He is Carlos, from Mexico City. We have been shopping--luggage, white shirts, lap top computer, journals, an MP3 player for our music, and the biggest challenge has been to find summer clothes here in Utah in the Winter. When we arrive it will be the middle of summer.

But we are excited, nervous, stressed, thrilled, and a little scared. What an adventure lies ahead of us. Our Mission Farewell is December 28th, and we enter the MTC on January 5th. We should be headed to Argentina about the 15th of January.

Check our blog for the latest news and pictures.