Conference Weekend

We had a spiritual and fun conference weekend with Adam, Lisa, and Jared. There were so may great talks that inspired us We got busy and made a lion costume for Jared on Saturday. That is becoming our October conference tradition! Jared is getting so fun and makes us laugh and laugh! We can't wait to have two more grandbabies!

Fun in Utah

We had a great time in Utah! We loved being at Bear Lake with the Holts and playing with their toys. Notice the picture with the guys on all the toys! Trevor and Tyler got settled in and we said good-bye until Christmas. Feeling the loss of having the baby move out, I decided to get a new "baby". Great to be done with mini vans! (Except for hauling stuff and using for work installs). We are now adjusting to an empty nest and what to do with ourselves.

Dominican Republic

We had the most amazing trip to the Dominican Republic last week! It was so fun to have Tyler waiting at the airport to greet us! We loved meeting all of the missionaries at the food court in the mall. They all congregate at the Mega mall on the P-day after transfers. We loved meeting the converts and seeing the growth of the church and the faith of the members there. The people were very friendly and hospitable to us. We met some amazing humble people. We enjoyed the Dominican food, especially me, since it fit well into my diet. We spent a day scuba diving which we all enjoyed. We found it so interesting to visit two different sacrament services in different villages (pics). There were a lot of stray dogs around and they were all about the same size with short hair, just different colors. The heat and probably malnourishment kept them all laying around. The poorest area was where the Haitians live and Trevor and Tyler had fun passing out stickers to the kids and putting them on their foreheads. More and more kids kept coming! It was a once in a life time trip and we all came back appreciating what we have in this country and for the blessings of the gospel. When you see how much it changed their lives, it make you appreciate it so much.

The best way to see Chicago

On Friday night, we along with the accounting group at Hugh's work, went on a 3 hour tour of Chicago on Segways. It took a little training and then we were off. The night was beautiful and the Blues Festival was at Grant Park so we had music to dance to as we rode along. We had to stay in turtle mode for awhile and then we were promoted to 8 miles per hour. There are only 2 companies that offer this service and they have only been in business since fall so everyone stared at us. Some yelled at us, and some gave us high 5's. One man yelled out, "Jesus doesn't like segways!" One young guy yelled out, "Segways are for lazy people!" He was just jealous because he was walking. By soldier field they have evenly planted rows of trees on a hill and we had slalom races down them. We also went down the hill with hands up and everyone yelling. It was a lot of fun. We had dinner outside by millenial park and enjoyed the night skyline. It finally felt like summer!

Memorial Day Fun

We had a great time over the Memorial Day weekend with the family together. We celebrated Lisa's birthday, Hugh's birthday and Trevor's graduation. On Saturday morning we went to the Morton Arboretum to see the BIG bugs. It was a beautiful day, but just a little chilly. Killer Bunnies was the game of choice over the weekend and Portillo's was the choice of food as usual. Hugh was sick but hung in there with all the games and activities. We loved having the family here!

Tortolla Fun

We had a great time in Tortolla with the Holts. I am happy to say that Dad and I are certified scuba divers. I dreamed that night after we passed that I got a report card on my diving and I got a C with a remark that I need to practise more. I was just relieved in my dream that I passed. Dad got an A of course. I felt like my teacher was easy on me and I will practise more! Next year in fact! The Holts are already planning the next diving trip. It is a beautful Island and we thought alot about Tyler while we were there especially at church. We saw a lot of beautiful coral and fish and the most amazing dive was the wreck of the Rhone which happened over 144 years ago. A few of the port holes are still down there and the Holts ran into a Baracuda! Luckily I missed seeing him! They said he was very scary looking at 6 feet in length with big teeth.