Week #7 22-28 January 2017

Happy Birthday to Barbara!  Had a great day with calls, texts, and emails form family and friends, not to mention Facebook and cards.  The greetings continued throughout the week as others remembered it was my birthday.  I loved it all.  Missionaries brought me homemade candy and one called to wish me well as it was her mother's birthday also.

We were off to church and had a great time in Primary.  I have played for three weeks with a different chorister each time.  They have all been great and the children have sung well.

The weather was usual - freezing, windy, and cloudy every day.  We did see the sun Friday afternoon and that was wonderful.  We did the usual shopping, laundry, and cleaning.

 Driving to Burlington.

The sights of Nauvoo out the kitchen window.

Even though the weather is freezing, the places to see and tour are up and running.  Just can't bring myself to go out in the cold to see them!

Friday evening a group of 13 couples of missionaries met at Angelini's Italian Restaurant in Keokuk, for dinner in celebration of Brother Despain's birthday that was on Thursday.  Wow, we raised a ruckus when we sang Happy Birthday!  We had a great time visiting with everyone and we enjoyed good food.

Temple Fact:  The Assembly Hall on the first floor has a rounded arch ceiling.  When the temple was being built, the builders had trouble rounding it out.  They finally called Salt Lake explaining their difficulty.  Salt Lake sent out nine Mexican craftsmen and they immediately knew what to do and had the ceiling done in no time.

Week #6 January 15 - 21, 2017

Sunday was different.  Church was cancelled due to an impending ice storm.  It was a day to relax and read and study.  I started with a cold on Saturday, so was not up to par for the week and remained home.  Elder & Sister Bartschi had invited us to dinner with other missionaries, so Dad went.  He said it was a great time with Navajo tacos and good company.

The tree outside the office/laundry room continues to provide pleasant diversions with the critters who come to eat the berries.  I am so happy we moved the desk in there .  Last week the squirrels were entertainment and this week, birds came, and another squirrel.

 Pretty little yellow bird.  He was a bit curious when I started taking pictures.

This little guy was pretty fun to watch as he was all about eating the berries.  That bobbing tree limb was a bit of a bounce house for him.  He just didn't want to miss any of the berries.

Could he be the same squirrel from last week?

Dad worked the weekly shifts and I spent time scrapbooking, reading, watching movies, resting a lot, and working through my cold.  By Friday I was feeling much better and made my way back to the temple on Saturday.  We followed up with going out to eat with the Adams' Saturday night.  We went  El Camino Real in Hamilton and enjoyed good Mexican food.

Elder & Sister Fetzer from Utah, are our downstairs neighbors.  They are temple ordinance workers as well.  I was reading in Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and came across an impressive story about a Percy Fetzer.  I wondered if Elder Fetzer was related to Percy?  The next time I saw him I asked the question and sure enough he is related; Percy is his father!  We talked about this father and about the story.  I commented to Elder Fetzer that he was famous.  He who-fawwed me and said:  "I'm not famous!"   I asked when and where his family came from to America.  He told me about his father and then said his mother's line, the Wooley's, came from England.  I asked if that was Wooley as in Spencer Wooley Kimball?  He said it was and then I told him Spencer W. Kimball was Bob's great uncle.  Elder Fetzer smiled and said his mother was a cousin to Spencer.  Elder Fetzer is Grandma Brown's second cousin and Bob is his children's third cousin.  I concluded that  Elder Fetzer is not only famous, he is related to us!

Sister & Elder Fetzer

Week #5, January 8 - 14

We had a good Sunday with going to the Washington, IA Branch.  We drove and the McBridge's came with us.  We talk the whole way which makes the trips seem shorter.    I played for Primary again and had a great time.  The chorister was a visiter, Sister Brigance.  She is quite a character and the children loved her.  She is all bubbly and full of fun things to do.  She went on a deaf mission and is fluent in Sign so she taught the children the First Article of Faith song in Sign.  They were excited to learn something new.

President Hunger interviewed us following the block and asked if we would take assignments.  We were happy to accept me being Primary Pianist and Dad a Primary Worker, i.e. being in Primary with me and helping out where needed.

Sunday evening we had Break the Fast with these missionaries.  Elder & Sister Thompson from Mesa, Elder & Sister McBride from Safford, Sister & Elder Vinton from Payson, UT, and Dad.  The Vinton's were the host couple and they prepared lasagna and broccoli.  The Thompson's brought yummy bread, the McBride's a tasty salad, and we brought a cinnamon roll cake.  The food was delicious and we all enjoyed getting to know one another.

This week started out cold, very cold, and the river froze over again.  We took a drive north along the river on Monday and found some amazing pictures to take.

The ice broke up and stacked up along the shore.  What a sight!

We can see how the pioneers were able to drive wagons across.  Look at how thick these chunks are.

Just south of town we saw this little frozen water fall.  

We turned up the road and were able to see the stream that fed it and a smaller area frozen over.  It was amazing as we could hear the water running underneath the ice.

It looks like piled up quilt batting.

Dad caught a cool picture of a flock of geese.  They are all over the place and we hear them loudly honking all the time.

We were happy to hear Jay arrived safely in Fortaleza, Brazil and and fired up to preach the gosepl in Portuguese.  His mission president and wife welcomed him.

 I was busy one day at the computer and enjoying various sights out the window.  There are fury squirrels around and they scamper up and down the trees, sometimes playing tag.  On this particular day a couple of them ran right up the tree outside the window and I caught them in action eating the berries.

Squirrel #1 was plump and took his time getting full.  He would just sit and stare at me, not one minute afraid of the camera.

Squirrel #2 came along after his buddy had left and he found another bunch of berries.  He promptly made himself comfortable and began his meal.

We woke up Thursday morning to frozen sleet on the roads and walkways.  We thought it was snow at first and Dad tried to shovel it off but that didn't work.  We played close attention when walking.  We were in the temple for both the AM and PM shifts.  Patrons were slow in coming due to the icy conditions.

We finished up the week with our evening shift in the temple on Saturday.  We met a worker couple on Saturday who the Gideon's met while on their mission in this area several years ago.  Brother and Sister Cardon live in Mount Vernon, IL and work two Saturdays a month in the temple.  It was fun to make the connection.

Temple Fact:  The building itself isn't the only reminder of the Nauvoo Temple's early days.  Furnishings from within were selected from the "American Empire" time period, from 1790 - 1840.  The reproductions are clean and honest furniture, not overdone, and appear they could have been made by saints at that time.  The children's waiting room where youngsters wait to participate in sealing ceremonies with their parents includes a small table and chairs designed for those 10 and younger and the nearby sofa is upholstered in yellow, with images of zoo animals.  A period-style crib is also available for sleeping babies.

Week #4, January 1 - 7, 2017

New Year's Day!  A special holiday to begin a new year in our lives.  We didn't think we would be starting it here.  We have been assigned to the Washington, IA, Branch and left at 7:30 a.m. to make the 9 a.m. meetings.  We went with Elder and Sister McBride.  The branch is very friendly and welcoming.  We were asked, along with Elder and Sister McBride to say a few words during sacrament meeting.  I was then asked to play the piano for primary.  That was a fun experience and sister Mitchell, the chorister, was fun to get to know.  She and her husband have served two missions and we both have new grand babies.  She is the Branch President's mother-in-law.  She is also related to Bob through Alice Ann Gheen, wife of Heber C. Kimball.

We celebrated the day with going out to take sunset pictures of the temple.  The sunsets are beautiful here and we wanted to capture some. 

Bob and I went out to take evening pictures of the temple and such.  We drove around and became a little more familiar with the lay of the land.  

You can see what time we were out.

This was our first full week working in the temple on our regular schedule.  There are sessions every hour on Saturdays so we were there longer than our weekly shifts.  I was passed off on the register in the clothing area and am now certified, so they say.

When we got back to the apartment and got out of the car we decided to take a walk.  We got about a block down the road when our faces started freezing and hurting.  We turned around and went right back home.  Kind of crazy.

Dad wanted another sweatshirt since he wears them so much.  He got into the swing of things with the perfect one.  He discovered the TV and turned it on for the first time on Monday and had a heyday watching one football game after another.

We woke up to snow one morning and Bob went out early to get the car uncovered and started.

When he came around front he got the shovel and started shoveling snow.  I guess it just goes to show you are never too old to learn new tricks!  This was a first for him.

As you can tell, I was snug and warm inside the apartment!  Hee Hee!

Bob has been in pain with a kidney stone since we got here.  We were to Dr. Mark Knudson in Burlington, IA, for treatment.  We were impressed with him and he took care of Bob.  Here we are waiting, which really wasn't very long. Still no relief yet.

People are grabbing the wrong coat at the temple and two brothers have had their coats taken.  It stinks to go home in the cold without a coat.  Bob's coat looks a lot like everyone else's so we devised a plan for his not to be taken.  We hang my coat over his.  I guess there is an advantage to having an outdated, moth eaten coat!!

Week #3, December 25 - 31, 2016

Christmas day dawned with fog and rain.    We had an easy morning with omelets for breakfast and opening presents.  Our stash was small but we enjoyed the moment.  Dad got a tie and Nauvoo Temple tie tack and I got bracelets.  Nelson's family sent the game Qwixx and Jeanna's family sent us sweaters.

I think we got cards and or treats from all the missionaries!  They have been most generous in making us feel welcome.

Donning the Christmas sweaters.

We attended Nauvoo 3rd Ward and enjoyed their Christmas program.  It was very well done with varied musical numbers and talks by President and Sister Smith of the temple.  My favorite song was "Guard Him, Joseph."  The lyrics are amazing as they speak of Joseph's sacred trust in raising the Son of God.  The members were excited to be together and welcomed us as well.

We worked a full week of our schedule:  Mon-off.  Tue-Wed, 5-9 pm.  Thu, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. & 5-9 p.m. Fri, 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.  Sat, 1-7 p.m.  Oops!  We really worked Saturday a.m. this week since it was New Year's Eve and the temple closed after the 12 p.m. session.  We helped the morning shift.

We finally got our phones straightened out by switching to Verizon for better coverage in Nauvoo.  So far it has been great.  We can actually use our phones in our apartment instead of going outside or going for a drive.

 The temple is beautiful when evening starts.

We tried to capture the magnificent sunsets that graced the western skies all week long.

We joined in Family Home Evening on Monday at the Arrival Center with the temple missionaries.  It was a nice evening and we became better acquainted with the others serving here.

New Year's Eve, the temple missionaries had a party from 6-9 p.m. at the Arrival Center.  We brought finger foods and some great games were played.  President and Sister Irion joined us and we had a great time with laughter and fun.  One game really stole the evening.  This is how it went:  "Once upon a time President Irion was contacted by President Monson who requested he bring all the missionaries to Salt Lake.  We were to come in one company and each had to bring something along for the trip that started with the first letter of our last name.  As we went around the circle each couple named their item and then repeated what the couples before them were bringing.  It was amazing the creativity that came forth.  The McBride's brought medical marijuana, Sister Burgoyne brought the booze, and the Despain's brought depends!  You can only imagine the laughter and comments that were made.  It was a great time!  

After the party several couples of us gathered at the Bartschi's for a game of Farkle.  It was fun and we again got to know more about some of the missionaries.  The Bartschi's served in the London temple, 2011-2012, and know some of the same people we know.  We had a great time talking with them.

We live on Kimball street, but Heber C.'s home is one block over, just behind us.  We see it out our bedroom window.

Senior Moment:  We got ready and headed off to the temple for our shift on Wednesday evening.  We parked, walked to the temple, and entered.  Just as we stepped inside the door I stuck my hand in my coat pocket for my recommend and it wasn't there.  I checked the other pocket and it was empty as well.  I remembered getting it out of my purse and putting it, I thought in my pocket.  I took the car keys and dashed back to the car, drove to the apartment, checked it over, and came up empty handed. I checked the car to see if it had fallen out in it.  I drove back to the temple, parked, and paid attention as I walked to see if it was lying on the sidewalk somewhere.  Didn't find it.  I went in and found the recorder and explained my situation.  He looked me up in the system and away I went to change.  I could not imagine where it was.  I hung up my coat and as I removed my sweater, there it was in the sweater pocket!  I felt pretty silly.

Now, to top it off, Dad left his wallet in his white pants that same evening so he didn't have his recommend for Thursday morning!  I guess I rubbed off on him!