CHRISTMAS WEEK

                                                       Office tree...note the angel on top

Last week was like a whirlwind!  I meant to get a picture of all the boxes in the media room.  They were encroaching on my space and I was getting claustrophobic!  Gratefully they've all been delivered and everyone had a great Christmas.  There were days last week that we had three deliveries a day.

Wednesday and Thursday we had Christmas zone conferences.  We combined three zones on Wednesday and four on Thursday.  They were really fun.  There was instruction and teaching the first three hours and then lunch, ugly sweater contest, and a musical program in the afternoon.  We have so many talented Elders and Sisters. 

                                          Lexington, Lexington North & Crestwood Zones

   Very nice luncheon for us

                                                                     Ugly Sweaters

                                                      Christmas in Kentucky

                                   Louisville, Evanston, Elizabethtown & New Albany Zones

Saturday we went to the Mission Home and had dinner and visiting with all the senior missionaries.  Before that, Don asked if I would try making rolls again.  "Okay...if you insist".  This time they turned out almost perfect.  I decided to half the recipe because it makes a lot.  Yeah...next time I'll write the half amounts down instead of doing it in my head and forgetting to include the yeast water in the total amount of liquids.  I had to add flour, so they were a little more dense but they tasted good and Don was happy.  I, on the other hand, am beating myself up over the fact that I'm having such a hard time doing something I used to do all the time!  Just kinda like a lot of things in life at this age, I guess :(
                               

Sunday was our one hour Christmas program at church and we came home, took a short nap and ate Christmas Eve dinner...ham, baked sweet potato and rolls.  We opened our gifts that evening.  I got a lens for my camera, a new camera bag and a warm scarf!  I got Don a .22 pellet gun (to shoot the sap-suckers that drain the sap from our quakies up at the lake). I also got him a light and magnifying glass for tying flies ( he should have plenty when we get home and he can hit the lake).  Also got him some warm gloves and an overcoat.  It's gotten pretty cold finally.

Christmas Day we slept in and then I made a chicken pasta salad that Robyne had made once.  It's so good.  We took that to the Mission Home where we had a nice meal with just the office seniors, and several Elders and Sisters (about 15) that didn't have any place to eat.  It was fun, and we got in on a lot of calls to home by the missionaries.  Several brought their Ipads in and showed us off to their parents.  It was good to talk to all of our kids too. It sounds like they had a great Christmas.  I'm looking forward to being in on some of them next year!

                                           Deep in thought

                                                                                     Christmas Socks!

                                                   Breinholt, Hughes, Fleming, Prior

SANTA'S ON HIS WAY!

Christmas is going to be a bit different here.  The extent of our decorations is a wreath on the door.  We just couldn't see buying a tree and decorations here when we have all that at home.  I did buy a rustic-looking creche as a souvenir.

We went to a Greek restaurant a couple of Friday's ago with the Priors and Flemings.  It was a little"hole in the wall" place.  I'm not sure I'm really fond of some of the seasonings.  I had skewered shrimp over rice.  I think if we go again, I'll go for the gyro (chicken...not lamb).

Among the interesting things here in KY:  I'm sure you can guess what the yards look like after fall...with all the trees here!  If you don't want to bag all of them, you can just rake them to the curb and trucks with "leaf suckers" on them come by and vacuum them up.  Not a bad deal unless the wind comes up before they come by!
Another thing:  When the new missionaries are being instructed, the president tells them to be really careful because in Kentucky the yellow light means speed, and the red light is just a suggestion.

Leaf Sucker

Transfers came and went.  We had an interesting group of missionaries coming in:  10 Sisters and 4 Elders.  Those going home this month had more sisters too.  We will have early releases on January 2 for those starting school in Spring semester and then the others on January 26.  February looks like a pretty quiet month.  Angie and Mike are coming President's Day weekend to visit.  I can't wait!!

There are still some die-hard exercisers out in the park.  There are some we've named, like "Short shorts black socks guy",  "White-haired two dog lady", and "Rollerblade dude".  There are other regulars too but we haven't attached names to them yet.

We went to Lexington Saturday to go to a multi-denominational sing along of the Messiah.  It was so good.  They had removed 5 rows of benches in the chapel so the chamber orchestra could go there.  They even had a harpsichord.  It was just what I needed to put me in the Christmas spirit. We spent the night there and went to Church at the Pioneer Ward before coming home.  We had the trio of Sisters to dinner last night.  One of them goes home on the 2nd.

I drove by this Friday:  He reminds me of a much-younger version of "Big Boy" we had growing up in California.

We used to drive through the Bob's on Sherman Way or stop and get a burger, fries, and vanilla coke, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  From there we'd drive to Van Nuys Blvd to "drag", looking for friends to meet up with.  Jeri went to this one when she visited Heather in KY and was disappointed it wasn't like we remember!

On that note...not much more for this post!   

IT'S BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE...

So Don had me get some better flour to make rolls with.  So, on Thursday I made turkey noodle soup and another batch of hockey pucks!  "We've" decided I need to try again this week, so...I guess I'll give it one more shot tomorrow!  I used to make rolls all the time!  No pressure though!!!

I'm  having one of my difficult decision weeks.  We have a young man who has diabetes.  His A1c has been very high.  Because he can't seem to get it down in the mission, we'd decided to send him home to get things under control.  He's scheduled to go home on Saturday.  In the meantime his mother has called and written a long letter to the mission president trying to change our minds.  He has supposedly been approved for a new CGM (Continuous Glucose Monitor) that keeps a constant check of his levels and adjusts the pump accordingly.  So now we're wondering if we can get that taken care of here, or if he still needs to go home, get his levels under control and then come back.  Basically the stress comes with me being the one giving advice to the Mission President, and hoping it's the right advice.  I hate to send someone home, but I'd hate to keep him and he not do better.  Monday , Dec. 11.  The Elder decided he wanted to go home and left on Saturday.

There's an area right next to where we live that has beautiful older homes.  With columns and sun porches, etc.  They're starting to decorate for Christmas and they're so pretty.  I'm going to take pictures the next time we go through there.  We really love being here.  We could see ourselves staying if we didn't have family we miss and love!  Besides that, the only thing missing is mountains. It's really easy to get turned around here without the mountains to get our bearings!

GIVE THANKS

Thanksgiving has come...and gone!  We had the Elders and the Sisters from our Ward over and I'm glad we did.  They really bring a special spirit into our home and we enjoy being around them.  We had the usual dinner, sent some leftovers home with them, and still have turkey in the fridge.  I think it's time for some turkey soup!

                               Sister Shepherd, Sister Cook, Elder Pedersen, Elder Guymon

Elder Pedersen is from Cedar City. And we have Sister Price who is also from Cedar City.

There's an elder who called Sister Prior asking if he could get a bed for a woman they were teaching.  She had just moved and didn't have a bed.  Sister Prior told him that wasn't something she could do.  He told her it would be okay, so she dismissed it.   Some of the other missionaries had been telling her that he needed a bed, so she called him a couple of times and asked him if his bed was okay or if he needed a new one.  He assured her his was fine and he didn't need a different bed.  Then she got thinking...and called him and said, "Elder, did you give your bed away"?  He confessed he had and had been sleeping on the floor, but that he was just fine the way it was.  Needless to say, she got a bed and frame to him.  It's interesting...when she was telling this story to some of the other missionaries, every one of them knew who it was, without her telling them.  They said, "He is one of the most selfless missionaries and would give you the shirt off his back if you had a need".

I have really been able to see the hand of the Lord in protecting these young women and men.   There are so many places and ways they could, and sometimes do, get injured.  But they always seem to come out of it with the best possible scenario, so far.  We had two bike/vehicle accidents last month.  One ended with an ankle sprain and the other rolled over the hood and had no injury.  The driving here in Kentucky is crazy!!!  A yellow light doesn't mean slow down.  It means speed up and as long as you hit the intersection by the time it turns red, you're good to go!  The scary thing is, Don is getting quite good at driving here.  He's navigating the freeways like a pro, and thinks nothing of driving in the city anymore.

Don is doing such a good  job here.  I'm really proud of him.  Things were such a mess when we got here and he has worked so hard to get things organized and all the right reports in, and all the cars on maintenance schedules, etc.  One day, on the way home, he said, "I didn't have much to do today".  I told him that's what happens when everything is organized!  He's finally gotten on top of things, so his days go smoother.  There is a quarterly Driver Accountability Report (DAP) that shows where each mission ranks in regards to accidents, cost of damage, percentage of drivers in the green (good driving).  Our mission is ranked first in the 18 Southwest missions in cost of damages, and seventh out of all 130 missions in the US and Canada. So he's really doing his job. The missionaries love him and he loves them right back!  The cars are inspected every Zone Conference.  This has been done by the senior missionaries, up until now, while the missionaries were in the conference.  We are down 3 senior couples so he began having the missionaries doing their own inspections before the conference.  It worked pretty well this last one.  It is a good way for them to learn what it takes to maintain a car.  The best looking car (cleanliness inside and out) in each zone wins a Subway gift card.  One of the cars last conference had a pan of brownies on the back seat with a note that said, "Maybe this will earn us some brownie points. And no, it's not bribery".  We have fun with them!

I think I mentioned before that I have four diabetic missionaries out here.  Two of them had elevated A1c's at their last 3 month check...one was 8.4 and the other 10.9.  They had three months to get them down or they had to go home.  They need to have their levels no higher than 8.  This is the week they get tested again.  I got a call from Elder Hoole last night and his 8.4 is now 6.9!  I just got word that our 10.9 elder only got his down to 10.8 so I'm not sure if he will be able to stay or not.  I need to call the Missionary Medical dept. to find out. He really hasn't been putting in the effort he needs in order to get  his numbers down.  It's not easy, especially when they are eating at members homes quite often and can't control what they are fed...and passing up dessert is so hard!  But it can be done.

So tomorrow I'm staying home.  Going to get a haircut...it's pretty shaggy, and then make a cheesecake for Sister Prior's birthday and make some rolls.  I promised Elder Breinholt I would try again...with different flour...since the last two tries since I've been here have been really heavy.  They could have been used for skeet shooting!  Don went to Kroger the night before Thanksgiving to buy some for our dinner the next day!

Love to all!

HUMP DAY

So...today, Nov. 13, is our half-way point (but who's counting?!)..Hump Day.  We've been out exactly 9 months,  and have another 9 months to go.  If they go by as fast as these have, we'll be home in no time.

Saturday I took Don to the Louisville Slugger Plant and Museum.  It's pretty interesting how those bats were made.  They used to hand lathe each one from the biggest dowels I've ever seen.  They would put it on a turner and use their chisels and calipers to shape them.  Now they use machines to get them just right.  Each ball player has his own preference in weight, length, etc. After they're just right, they're sanded, branded, and painted or lacquered.  I got Don a personalized one for his birthday.  Now he's trying to decide where to hang it back home.
Luckily his is not this big!

Church yesterday was interesting.  After the changes in stake and ward boundaries, we ended up with an actual ward!  Several new members and families.  The chapel was close to full.  Really nice.  Church is interesting here.  When you get away from the center of the church, a lot of the "culture" we've developed over the years is not as prevalent.  For instance...passing the sacrament.  Each ward has developed what works for them and when they aren't in that setting anymore...it feels like it's being done wrong.  Or beards...our bishop has a beard, or pants...several sisters wear pants.  I guess what it breaks down to is...is the gospel being taught correctly? And, are people more important than routines we've developed?  If you really look at the settings Christ taught in, he concentrated on the common man, the poor, the sinner, and made no judgement about their circumstances...just sought to improve them where they were. 

And to top it off...they changed boundaries in our Stake back home.  I've lived in the same complex 15 years and been in 4 wards now. Pretty interesting!

Last week was BUSY...as all Zone Conference weeks are!  Add to that 73 cars that needed new TIWI's and pouring rain on Wed.  So Don was soaked by the time he came in for lunch.  They replaced all the TIWI's with a new (better?) one.  Lunch was provided by the Relief Society of the Stake we were in.  They are always nice.  These are two of the Sister's that provided Tuesday's.

Thanksgiving will be interesting this year.  Just us and the two Elders and two Sisters that are in our ward.  I think I'm glad we came out here when we did.  We only have to miss one holiday season.  I can handle that!  Even in my small little kitchen...

Not much more for this week...

ONLY .....SHOPPING DAYS

                                                                 Fall from my office

So...I keep seeing all of these "only 49 more shopping days until Christmas" posts and signs.  I think I'm putting all of that out of my mind!  I'm not really sure what Christmas will be like out in the mission field.  We've already decided we won't have a tree and I'm pretty sure it will be a quiet day.  I hope you're all going to have the family party...so we can see the pictures and pretend we were there.  I truly thought about going out for Thanksgiving but the Sisters didn't have anywhere to go, so they're going to come over.  I warned them, it would be small scale as I have very limited counter space but it will be good.

This is Sister Shepherd.  While her companion, Sister Cook, was visiting with me, she closed her eyes "for a minute"  We definitely  keep them busy...I'm sure they all could use a nap!

Some of the Elders saying good bye to the ones leaving last Wed.  They form such bonds with each other, it's hard to say good bye.  What's been fun for me is to see how many still hang out with each other after they've been released.    ( Elder and Sister Prior in the foreground).





Our burglar has been identified!  He's not the sharpest tack in the box.  Like I said before, he was on camera here at the office most of the time, with some pretty good pictures.  He stole a used I pad and then proceeded to take pictures of friends and a couple of really good selfies, after which he pawned it.  The pawn shop owner got suspicious and gave the I pad to the police.  So they've matched the pictures, plus some taken at Kroger while trying to use the gas credit cards.   Sounds like he is a frequent flier and they have a warrant out for his arrest now.


More fall pictures: 

FALL. IT'S HERE. I THINK...

Thursday morning and the temp when leaving our apartment was thirty-seven.  Thirty-three at the office. So...I think Fall has finally found Kentucky.  I keep hearing how beautiful it is in the fall, but so far it's been kind of hit-and-miss.  Elder and Sister Prior will be heading west today to Evansville for some surprise apartment inspections and she said she'd let me know if there are any photo opportunities that direction.  Maybe we can go exploring this weekend.  These "surprise inspections" are only a surprise to the first apartment they go to.  After that...the "mission pipeline" is activated and everyone else knows they're on the way!

 These pictures were all taken on our way home from the office, in the park we drive through.

We loved seeing the pictures of Sister Aleesa Breinholt returning yesterday!  How exciting for her family and how great to see her smiling face as she got home.  We're proud of the service she did while in Houston (and you know there was a lot of it recently).

I was having a hard time trying to decide what to get Elder Breinholt for his birthday this year.  I finally decided I'd buy him a baseball bat from the Louisville Slugger Museum.  He'd mentioned that he'd like one as his souvenir from KY.  So...we're going to go to the museum and plant where they make them and he can pick one out.  He wants one with the Dodgers logo on it and they will even engrave it for you.  So...mission accomplished!  I'm not making his usual carrot cake for Sunday because Sister Prior is making him one to have on Monday here in the office.  She is a fantastic baker!  I did bake a cheesecake for last Sunday when we had the Sisters over for dinner.  It turned out great...I was worried.

Well...the weekend was busy.  Saturday we went to a baptism of a 79 year old woman, named Peggy,that the sister missionaries taught.  She is so sweet.  They...the two sisters and Peggy...sang How Great Thou Art.  And it was really nice.  Saturday evening I took Don out to Rafferty's ( a steak house) for dinner and then at 7:30, we met the sisters at Terry and Theresa's house for a lesson.  They are a couple that have been to church several times.  The temperature has been getting a lot cooler in the morning.  We haven't had any ice yet where we are, but the Priors and Flemings have both needed to scrape their windows one day.

This is one of our busy transfer weeks.  We have two missionaries coming this afternoon (they are two transfer missionaries) and 14 more around 4:00.  Then we go to the Mission Home (finally done with the renovations) for dinner tonight.  Tomorrow is transfers and it will be chaos outside from 10-2.  Then we leave for a 3:30 temple session, followed once again by dinner at the Mission Home.  By the time Wednesday rolls around, we're ready to crash!

Our newest missionaries...dinner
at the Mission Home, after a long day!







HAPPY HALLOWEEN Y'ALL!