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.

The Frog and the Fly

Last night was our trunk or treat party at church and we dressed up for once. Dad made his own costume and won the prize for the best adult costume! Yes, I am wearing parts of Tyler's costume from 4th grade. I think I could eat that big fly, what about you?

New York is the place to be!

New York is the place to be! At least for a weekend. Dad had a law firm administrator's conference at the Hyatt and I tagged along for fun. Dad learned a lot of good stuff and I had a fun time shopping!!! Macy's is amazing! I did educational things too. I went on a tour of the UN and found that pretty amazing too. I also went to St Patricks Cathedral which was also amazing. When dad could join me, we went on a city tour on a double decker bus and got a good overall perspective of the city. We rode the subway a lot and even tried the bus to the Manhattan temple. The temple is beautiful inside, but on the outside it looks like just a normal NY building. We caught Mary Poppins on Broadway at the last minute one night and saw Stomp off broadway on Friday night. We loved them both! We were mostly entertained by watching people everywhere we went. The last thing we did before we headed to the airport was ride in a cart powered by bicycle which was pedalled by a young man from Turkey. It was a beautiful fall day and that memory will be with us for some time.

Ribbit Ribbit

We really enjoyed conference this weekend. The talks were all so good and many spoke to me individually as they always do. We really enjoyed having Adam and Lisa come to visit. We enjoyed Jared who can giggle and talk and makes us laugh. He is getting bigger and is very cuddly. He really loves his bath and stroller rides outside. They can turn around his grumpiness in a hurry. Lisa and I made Jared a frog costume since he likes to kick and loves the water. Dad and I leave for New York on Wednesday and will update the blog with new pictures from New York.