It was a little chilly, but as you can see, the skies were blue and the ocean beautiful. And there were hardly any other people there. It was a very relaxing afternoon.
I take a walk every morning, and thought I would share some of the beautiful flowers I see every day. I have to pinch myself when I see flowers that are annuals in SLC blooming away all winter. And the trees and bulbs have started to bloom here as well.
You can see why so many people live here. They come for a visit and can't make themselves go back to the cold (or hot, for that matter) of their previous lives. But not to worry, we are not thinking of becoming transplants. The traffic and the high cost of living, as well as being away from all of you are just some of the reasons why we will happily return home in a few short months.
We got to attend a fireside with Alex Boye last Sunday. He is a very dynamic speaker, and very fun to listen to. He tells how he was a poor, sometimes homeless black kid in London, without much family around, who had terrible nightmares about death that were very disturbing. When he took time to listen to some "fine" American sister missionaries and heard them talk about life after death, it struck a cord, and he was converted. He has dedicated his life to spreading the Gospel through his music. His talk was more like hearing a Southern Baptist minister, with lots of fire and brimstone thrown in, but it was fun. He packed the church building, with about 3,000 people in attendance. The mid-singles held a dinner for around 500 of those people before the fireside, and that was really quite a feat. What a night!
You can just barely see him in the middle of that group. Those kids are members of "Zion's Choir", a local group comprised of High School kids in the Saratoga area. They are a very polished choir and provided prelude music for the fireside. I couldn't get any closer for that snapshot, there were too many people trying to take pictures.
That's about it for news. We still go out the door every day, trying to meet with single adults. We have been encouraging YSA to make the leap to MSA, and have helped two people decide to do so. The rest are avoiding us! But that's missionary work.
We were sorry to hear about Kaiser. He was a very sweet dog, and I'm sure he is missed. Hope the Shipleys are doing okay.
Let us know what is new with all of you. We'd love to hear.
I did it again...I wrote a big long thing on my phone and it didn't publish it and it got lost.
ReplyDeleteThose flowers look so pretty. I miss having color. It's so blah right now. The winter has been pretty bearable as far as snow here. Not a whole lot of moisture right now and it has been so warm. The air is horrible right now and I think that's why my family can't seem to all be better at the same time. At least one of us always has some sort of gunk. We did recently start doing the sinus rinse stuff and that has made a huge difference. Dave refuses to do it though lol he gags at the thought of sinuses.
The kids are all doing well in school. JJ is starting drama and PE this week. I know he will enjoy both. He is like his Dad. He loves exercise for some odd reason and he has the body type for it. He says he is going to miss choir but he's glad he was in it because he wants to try out for a musical in drama.
Donovan is off track for 3 weeks and he needs it! His grades were slipping for a while and he's getting them back up but he needs those breaks.
Shalee is getting ready and excited for High School. She spends a lot of time with her friend and her Grandma Jeanie. Jeanie and John are moving this spring so it's good she's getting some time in with her. Jeanie is a fun lady and a good influence on her.
Dave is officially taking the B shift supervisor job at work. They are saying they will train him to be an area manager. He is not sure how much longer he will qualify for the DOT card because of his diabetes so something needs to happen soon. If they don't follow through with the training he is going to look for another job. He has been talking a lot about going to school so I'm excited he knows he has options.
I love hearing all your stories. We miss you. Sounds like your Christmas was good. The kids had a great Christmas too.
Well love you Hope we can hear from everyone.
I love hearing your stories too. Things are pretty much as usual here. January is almost over, thank heaven. Even though it has been a mild winter, it is still so hard to endure.
ReplyDeleteThe kids are all doing well. Nate is almost done with the swim season. His heart hasn't been in it this year, so I will be surprised if he continues next year. That makes me sad, but I can't make the decision for him (as much as I'd like to).
That's about it. Boring, eh? I guess no news is good news sometimes. :)