Mission: First International Temples

July 22, 2016

After loading the car this morning, Sherry Ann and I went over to the Cardston, Alberta Temple. Mattina Ann would go over later, because the Baptistry wouldn't be open until noon. It had rained during the early morning hours, so everything was fresh and butiful. When we entered the front doors, we were greeted by an indoor atrium. Apparently, it used to be outside, but they built around it so that it is now indoors. There is a fountain with a frieze sculpture depicting the bible story of the woman at the well. The session we attended was really nice.

After the session, we went outside to find Mattina Ann. We didn't see her, so after taking a couple of pictures of our own, we went to the Baptistry to find her. She had just finished being baptized for some family names, and was going in to be confirmed for them, so we were able to go in with her. I was even invited to perform the ordinances for those deceased ancestors. It was a really neat experience.

When we were done at the temple, we went downtown to have a quick tour of the Charles O. Card house. He was one of the first LDS people in the area and the town eventually took on his name (Cardston). After the tour, we went to get lunch on-the-go and hit the road. We were intent to get to Calgary for the 6:00 session and we only had a couple of hours to get there.

Our plan was to stop a the Costco in Lethbridge to top off the gas tank and then continue on. But, like so many perfectly laid plans, this one fell short of perfection. First, my Costco card would not work at the pump, so we went inside and got a new card. We went back to the pumps and this time my debit card wouldn't work. News Flash...apparently U.S. Debit cards don't work at Canadian Costco fuel pumps. So we had to go and find another station. Gas hear looks like it's really inexpensive. The price was $0.878! Oh, yah. Did we mention that everything here is in the metric system? So that is the price per Litre. Whatever that converts to in dollars per gallon, we don't quite know. But it is more than it costs to fill the car at home.

Mattina Ann was kind of weirded out on the drive to Calgary. There were NO visible mountains to giver her any reference of direction. She just about had a panic attack.

Sherry Ann's panic came with the heavy rain and the fact that in a new car, we weren't quite sure how to work the wipers. It's not like we use them often in St. George. Then there was the standing water on the road. Combine that with the discussion we had with our hostess, Bronwyn, in Cardston about destructive hail and tornado warnings from the past, Sherry Ann was quite on edge.

We arrived safely in Calgary just after 6:00. Well, we missed the session at the temple that we wanted to attend, but we had enough time to get there for the 7:30 session, as the temple was only a 25 minute drive from the hotel.

Wow! What a beautiful temple. Mattina Ann even commented later that the Baptistry was amazing. Sherry Ann and I were asked to be the witness couple for the session. It has been a long time since we were able to perform that service. After the session, we went outside and found Mattina Ann quite quickly. We took some more pictures, and headed back to our hotel. By this time we were hungry and it was 10:00 at night, and the sun had just gone down.

We found a Jim Horton's and had some sandwiches, then went back to the hotel. Mattina Ann likes the LED lighting around the base of our beds. She can change the color depending on her mood. Purple, blue, green or red.

All-in-all, it was a great day. Now we have a few days here in Calgary, so it won't be so much driving. It will be great to see what Calgary and Banff National Park have in store for us. TTFN!

O'er the Hills We Go...Laughing All the Way

July 21, 2016

Today began with a morning visit to the Idaho Falls for some pictures.

After the falls, we began the long drive up I-15 toward Canada. Montana started out pretty enough with the mountains and trees. We loved driving through the canyon next to the river. BUT...then the mountains gave way to the rolling prairies. And they went on and on...

The End




Just kidding. We had a great lunch in Helena at the Staggering Ox. The sandwiches there are truly one-of-a-kind. The bread is rolled up like a spongy tin can, then filled with all of the meats, cheeses, and lettuce, etc. The manager saw us taking pictures of the food, so he went and got us a bumper sticker advertising the restaurant.

Then we were on the road again. I think Sherry Ann even started singing the song...but I digress.

The rolling prairies started again and we had to find ways to keep entertained. I began talking about how interesting the mountains are. They are formed in linear ridges when looking at them on Google Earth. I tried to explain them to the others, but did a pretty poor job. Then Sherry Ann just started laughing uncontrollably. We asked what she found to be so funny, and all I could get from her was "Rocky Mountains...mountains of rock!" She even needed a tissue because her eyes began "leaking."

At last, we pulled up to the boarder crossing to enter Canada. Mattina Ann went camera happy again. She even took a picture of Canadian soil on the side of the road. When it was our turn at the inspection station, we handed the agent our passports and he began asking us all sorts of questions about our intentions and activities in Canada. He even asked whether we had in our possession any amount of cash exceeding $10,000. Sherry Ann told him that we did not, and I said (under my breath) , "I wish." We thought we saw the serious border agent crack a hint of a smile. Then he handed us our documents and we were admitted into the country.

We arrived at our host's home in Cardston shortly. Her car was in the drive way, so we knew she was home. We knocked on the door and waited. Sherry Ann knocked again. And we waited...again. Then I rang the doorbell. The waiting continued. Not sure what to do next, we just stood there. Then the door suddenly opened and our hostess jumped in surprise. She did not expect to see us standing there. She was just going to move the water on the front lawn. Apparently, she had been in the garage putting some things away and did not hear the knocking or the doorbell.

Before going to dinner, we decided to play a little game. We went in search of our first international Geocaches. We were able to find 3 of them near our hostess's home!

We went to a local pizza place for dinner. We begin talking about the highlights of the day, and I mentioned that the laughing fit through the rolling prairies was pretty fun. So Mattina Ann and I decided to ask Sherry Ann what she found to be so funny. She tried to explain again and all we really got was..."The Rocky Mountains...mountains of rock..." And she began laughing hysterically again, I was afraid she'd choke on her pizza.

After dinner we drove past the Cardston, Alberta temple. You know, it's not as gigantic as I thought it would be from looking at the pictures. But it still is a beautiful sight to see.

Now we are winding down and enjoying the cool Canadian air. I can't wait to see what adventures await us tomorrow, eh!

Wrong Way Wednesday

July 20, 2016

Today, our adventure began! We've been looking forward to this for a long time. We started in St. George and Mattina Ann drove to Nephi. During the drive, there was a van that we couldn't seem to pass from Cedar City until it turned off at I-70. Mattina Ann named it Oswald.

We stopped in Salt Lake (Midvale) for lunch at Popeye's, then we took a quick detour to Winco. We bought delectable chocolate cinnamon bears ;) and two cool cucumbers (remember that, it's important).

So, we drove...and drove. Finally, we reached the Land of Potatoes, which is riddled with construction zones and lower speed limits. Needless to say, it took us longer this we thought, but we eventually made it to Idaho Falls, and our hotel, about an hour later than we planned. We quickly checked in and changed our clothes. Then we drove...again. This time we went to Rexburg to attend the temple.

There was so much construction (and consequently slower speeds). Dad mentioned that the cars on the frontage road were going faster than those of us on the highway (remember that...it's important, too).

Temple was really nice, and even though we were late, we enjoyed our time there. After doing baptisms, Mattina Ann took pictures of the temple and watched people (brides, mainly). When we were done, the three of us walked around the temple grounds taking more pictures.

Eventually, we started the drive back to the hotel, this time on frontage road to "save time".  Our GPS, RITA, kept telling us where to go..... Then to turn around..... Then to turn around again, and yet again!  Everywhere we turned we hit dead ends.  Eventually we stopped listening to her.

While we drove we opened the treasure trove of snacks.  We struck gold with the cucumbers.  Mattina, sitting in the back, peeled, cut, and salted them.  She kept saying that this was the strangest thing she has ever done.  Cutting a cucumber on an unnamed street somewhere between Rexburg and Rigby.  YEP!  Probably really dangerous too.

After 50 min., we went back to Rexburg to get on the highway.  We made it to Idaho Falls and took a wrong exit.  This took us 8 miles out of the way.  It was a long drive.

We walked around the Idaho Falls temple and took more pictures.  Then we had dinner at Burger King.  Finally, bedtime.

Even though we were in the car for hours on end, we had so much fun, shared many laughs, and made great memories.  It was a great way to start our adventure.

Geremy is Cute Too

I didn't hear the phone ring and Geremy answered the phone. When he was done he came to me and told me about the person he had talked to on the phone. He said, "The lady wanted to talk to Babbo. She told me a phone number." I asked if he wrote it down. No, he hadn't. I looked at the caller id and called the person back. The lady told me that she was just telling everyone in the office how cute Geremy was. Geremy had made her day. She said Geremy was very polite and when he hung up he said, "Love You." The lady just loved it. She told me to give him a big hug because he just sounds so cute and sweet. That's my Geremy!

Cute Things Tanner Has Said

After the first day at school, Tanner met Aaron in his classroom. Aaron had Tanner read a book about tadpoles turning into frogs. When Aaron came home he asked me to ask Tanner about the book so we can check comprehension. I later asked Tanner about the book. He didn't have much to say so I started asking questions. I hadn't read the book so I wasn't sure what to ask. I asked Tanner, "How long does it take for a tadpole to turn into a frog?" I watched Tanner think for a minute, go get the book, and then turn through the book. He then looked up at me and said, "32 pages." Of course that is how many pages are in the book. What a cute boy.
About 2 weeks ago Tanner was learning geography in school. He brought home a map of the USA. Of course the map had Hawaii and Alaska in the wrong place. He pointed out to me that Hawaii isn't that far away. I then explained to him that both Hawaii and Alaska aren't in the right place and explained where they really are. He then asked where California is. I showed him and where we went to the beach. He asked, "Why didn't we take the shortcut?" What a cute boy.

Here at Last!

Hey, y'all. A lot of you have been asking for the pictures from Newport Beach, California. Well, here they are. Enjoy!

DON'T LET IT STOP!!!

Mattina Ann went to youth conference from the 22nd to the 25th. It was weird not having any youth in church. She had a great time. She enjoyed the dance too. I'm so glad she got to enjoy this experience. They went to Salt Lake and kind of continued their experience from the trek 2 years ago. Even though she didn't go 2 years ago this was still a great first experience of Youth Conference for her.
Aaron had to work from the 25th of July until 28th. It was crazy being back "on schedule".
On Sunday July 31st we thought we'd have hawaiian haystacks for dinner. We had bought a coconut and thought we'd have that with dinner. Aaron was able to open it up but how do you get the coconut off the shell? We tried a few things and then I took a knife and tried to cut pieces out to shred. That was still hard and one time my knife slipped and cut my thumb. Aaron asked AJ first aid questions but AJ really didn't want to touch it. He at least knew the answers. Anyway, Aaron and I decided it was bad enough to take to the instacare. After 3 needle sticks (Mega ouch) he cut some "beef" off and then gave me 2 stiches. When we left Aaron said that he noticed when I'm nervous I get giggly and talkitive. It could be worse. The children were happy to have me back home and know I was going to be okay. It was nice to see their concern.
We decided we didn't want to stop playing and we haven't taken the kids to the beach before (at least that the kids really remember) so on August 1st we got up and left at 4 am to go to the beach in California. We got some boogie boards from some neighbors and Diane and stayed at Newport Beach all day. (My thumb hurt in the water but I endured) We saw dolphins and the children saw a sea lion from the pier. The water was cold but once you became numb it was a lot of fun. All the children learned how to boogie board and have fun in the water. Tanner and Geremy weren't too thrilled with the water when we first got there so I made them come and play with me. We would race from the water and see if we could stay away from it. Then we'd jump over the waves. After that they started enjoying the water a lot more. When we got to the hotel that first night Tanner and Geremy crashed as soon as we walked in the room. They even missed dinner.
Tuesday we played at the beach again. I had let everybody put their own sunscreen on on Monday and found that was a big mistake. Everyone but me were patchy with their burns. I put the sunscreen on after that. Mattina Ann had a rash on her legs from the boogie board so she didn't get in. Tanner, Geremy, Mattina Ann and I walked up to the pier. That took a long time. It was fun and nice to be with the kids though. While we were gone Aaron boogie boarded with Rustin and Rachel. They loved it and it was great for Aaron to spend some time with them.
Mattina Ann wanted to see the sun set into the ocean and Aaron wanted to watch it from Santa Monica Pier. We drove all the way up their and watched the sun set from the car because we were about 15 min. late. We couldn't find any parking so we just drove back to the hotel. What a long and frustrating evening. The last thing I wanted to do was ride in the car for 2.5 hours. Plus Mattina didn't get to see her sunset. We hadn't realized how far away it was or we wouldn't have gone. Oh well.
Wednesday we went back to the beach and enjoyed one last day in the water. Aaron and I boogie boarded for about 1.5 hours before the lifeguards told us to get out because of a rip current. (We had a water proof bandage now and no water got to my thumb. That was nice.) Mattina Ann and Tanner made a turtle and a dolphin out of sand. It was great to watch them working together. They were very proud of their work. AJ tried digging a pit. He made it about half as deep as he is tall. Geremy loved playing with the sand crabs, (Aaron taught him one day how to catch them. They found some big ones too)birds, sea shells, and just being there. Again we saw dolphins and a sea lion. We didn't want to leave.
Finally we left on time to get home at midnight. We changed our clothes at Diane's and then found out she was there. She is a neat lady but a talker so we talked for another 45 min. Then we got into traffic and that put us behind another 45 min. We didn't make it home until 2 am. What a long night.
I got my stitches out on Monday and all is well. I don't have all my feeling in the top part of my thumb. Hopefully it'll come back. I really bruised that part.
We still didn't want to be home yet so August 9th we went camping up at Pine Valley. We had a wonderful time. We usually are warm at night so we only took blankets to put on us. It was quite a bit cooler than we expected but it turned out okay. We had a great time. When we got home we went swimming. We love to play together.
Wednesday AJ had his back to school night. He's a bit nervous about going to the intermediate school but I think he'll do fine. He's looking forward to PE and art. Thursday we had Tanner and Geremy's back to school. We found that Geremy was put into PM kindergarten. I'm glad I found out because we were able to change it to AM. Both Aaron and I couldn't handle the schedule if he were in PM. That evening Mattina Ann had her back to school night. It made me realize I'm glad not to be in 8th grade again. She'll do great and has some neat teachers. I think she finally found her way around the school by the end of the night.
Aaron and I went on a really fun date last night. He took me to the fair. My idea of the fair is looking at the sewing, food, art, animals, etc. (We saw a rabbit being judged) Aaron's idea of the fair is riding the rides. We went on the zipper and starship 2000 and one other ride. (Those are Aaron's favorite). We did all of that and had a great time together. Wow!
So school starts on Monday. I'm excited and sad at the same time. I have really enjoyed playing this summer and I don't want it to stop. The children will have a great year and now that they are all in school, I'll find plenty to do I'm sure.