Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Mom's last message of the year
Dear children,
I hope that each one of you has had a good Christmas remembering the birth of our Savior. When we receive many gifts it is sometimes hard to focus on what we should really center our thought on that special day.
On Christmas day, as I had told you, we went to the Mission President’s home. We sang Christmas hymns, some bore their testimony and Pt. talked about the birth of Christ. After, we had a light lunch and the missionaries went to do some caroling. It was cold and we did not go out.
We had a wonderful and very spiritual Zone Conference whose subject was on the Redeeming sacrifice of our Savior. You can only imagine the Spirit we felt.
Last night, we were invited to a farewell dinner at the chapel. The young women and young men had prepared a delicious 4-course meal for the Ward leaders. We had the kind of food that the Algerian would prepare. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed the company.
The weather is now very cold and dry. The chapel was also very cold this morning. Dad wore his long thermal underwear and I wore several layers of clothing and we were still cold because the heating system was not working properly. Dad was officially released from his calling in the Bishopric as the whole Bishopric was release and a new one sustained. Next week, we will have our new Bishop and some of the International ward members added to our ward. I know that this came through revelation and will work well as it has for many years in Luxembourg. It will take a little time to get accustomed to hear two languages spoken in a meeting but with love and a positive attitude all can be overcome.
Dad has been caching up on his sleep and I am glad that he did. He works really hard and some weeks are tough on him. He does not complain, he just says that he feels like he is almost 76 years old. Elders say that they want to be like him when they get to his age. The other day, he was taking a fridge to a couple’s apartment. The Elder was not able to help him so he did it all by himself. You know how heavy a washing machine is. Dad has a way to take one up the stairs: he folds a 20 feet long rope in two making a big loop, tie one overhand knot about 6 feet from the fold of the rope, then about 2 feet further up of the rope ties an other overhand knot. Then, he puts his head between the 2 knots. He hooks the bottom end of the loop under the feet of the washing machine that way he can lift with his legs and back straight the weight of the machine. He then climbs the stairs backwards. He only needs an Elder at the bottom of the machine to balance the weight and guide. You cannot believe how many washing machine he has had to replace!
This week will be a normal week in the Mission. No day off on January 1st but we will take that afternoon to go to a family gathering at my sister Josiane. Our Mission President told us that we could take off when we wanted and it is what we will do.
I wish you a very happy New Year 2009. May the Lord pour his richest blessings upon each of you.
With much love,
Mom
I hope that each one of you has had a good Christmas remembering the birth of our Savior. When we receive many gifts it is sometimes hard to focus on what we should really center our thought on that special day.
On Christmas day, as I had told you, we went to the Mission President’s home. We sang Christmas hymns, some bore their testimony and Pt. talked about the birth of Christ. After, we had a light lunch and the missionaries went to do some caroling. It was cold and we did not go out.
We had a wonderful and very spiritual Zone Conference whose subject was on the Redeeming sacrifice of our Savior. You can only imagine the Spirit we felt.
Last night, we were invited to a farewell dinner at the chapel. The young women and young men had prepared a delicious 4-course meal for the Ward leaders. We had the kind of food that the Algerian would prepare. Everything was delicious and we enjoyed the company.
The weather is now very cold and dry. The chapel was also very cold this morning. Dad wore his long thermal underwear and I wore several layers of clothing and we were still cold because the heating system was not working properly. Dad was officially released from his calling in the Bishopric as the whole Bishopric was release and a new one sustained. Next week, we will have our new Bishop and some of the International ward members added to our ward. I know that this came through revelation and will work well as it has for many years in Luxembourg. It will take a little time to get accustomed to hear two languages spoken in a meeting but with love and a positive attitude all can be overcome.
Dad has been caching up on his sleep and I am glad that he did. He works really hard and some weeks are tough on him. He does not complain, he just says that he feels like he is almost 76 years old. Elders say that they want to be like him when they get to his age. The other day, he was taking a fridge to a couple’s apartment. The Elder was not able to help him so he did it all by himself. You know how heavy a washing machine is. Dad has a way to take one up the stairs: he folds a 20 feet long rope in two making a big loop, tie one overhand knot about 6 feet from the fold of the rope, then about 2 feet further up of the rope ties an other overhand knot. Then, he puts his head between the 2 knots. He hooks the bottom end of the loop under the feet of the washing machine that way he can lift with his legs and back straight the weight of the machine. He then climbs the stairs backwards. He only needs an Elder at the bottom of the machine to balance the weight and guide. You cannot believe how many washing machine he has had to replace!
This week will be a normal week in the Mission. No day off on January 1st but we will take that afternoon to go to a family gathering at my sister Josiane. Our Mission President told us that we could take off when we wanted and it is what we will do.
I wish you a very happy New Year 2009. May the Lord pour his richest blessings upon each of you.
With much love,
Mom
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Merry Christmas from Germany
Merry Christmas! Our family spent the week in Garmisch Germany, and enjoyed a wonderful stay in a cozy Edelwiess lodge nestled in the Bavarian Alps. We got to tour Munich Germany and also spent a day visiting Neunschwanstien castle, the same castle that the Disney castle is disgned after. The history was very fascinating as well. I have many more photos of the area, and will let you know when I have them on shutterfly for viewing, if you are interested. May you all enjoy a Happy and successful New Year of 2009! Teresa
Munich City Hall and a Christmas market going on below. 
Beautiful view from our hotel balcony of the one of the many peaks of the Bavarian Alps.
Neunschwanstien castle-- The misty day made it look very mysterious. There are some incredible arial views of it on postcards that I wish I could show you! Look it up on the internet, you'll find it facinating!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Christmas story to remember
I was so touch by this story that a Sister of my Ward sent me that I wanted to share it with all of you.
CHRISTMAS STORY TO REMEMBER
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible.
I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see.
We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.
"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting.
What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?
Yeah," I said, "Why?"
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.
When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
"What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing.
We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it.
We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.
"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table.
Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.
She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true.
I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.
Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children.
I hope you understand."
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it.
Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
CHRISTMAS STORY TO REMEMBER
It was Christmas Eve 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas.
We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible. After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible.
I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.
Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see.
We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what..
Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy. When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed.
"I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.
After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all Fall sawing into blocks and splitting.
What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?
Yeah," I said, "Why?"
"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it. Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait.
When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand.
"What's in the little sack?" I asked. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."
We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing.
We didn't have much by worldly standards. Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it.
We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.
We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door. We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?" "Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt, could we come in for a bit?"
Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.
"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table.
Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best, shoes that would last. I watched her carefully. She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.
"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up." I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak.
My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.
I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time.
She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."
In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it I could see that it was probably true.
I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.
Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.
Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa and I was glad that I still had mine.
At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest. My two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.
Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, May the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."
Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough.
Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children.
I hope you understand."
I understood, and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it.
Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children. For the rest of my life, Whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Christmas almost here
Dear Children,
In a few more days Christmas 2008 will be here. I have had my normal work except for the many packages the office has received for the missionaries. Some receive and others do not but they always share what they receive.
Dad has been super-busy once again. Monday, he went to Amsterdam to find a missionary apartment but after visiting 3 of them had to come back without leasing one. Thursday, he drove to Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France to close the apartment we had for missionaries. Soon the number of missionaries being sent to the mission will decrease and Boulogne will no longer be open. Friday, he went back to Amsterdam and found a nice apartment. The contract will be emailed to us. He did an excellent work but he feels really bushed today. Elders are always amazed to see a 75 years old man moving washing machines and loading them in the van by himself. They often say that they want to be like him when they are older. President Woodland is very pleased of the work we do, and says that we are irreplaceable. We do not believe it but President Hamilton had said the same thing. (That must be a President’s thing) We must admit that we are a good team.
Teresa came to the office to rehearse with our ward missionary for the concert that we will have this Sunday 21st. She and her family are amazing in music and bring a lot to a Ward. Ganae danced beautifully on the Dance of the sugar Plum fairy’s music last Saturday. It is so nice to see them all.
We will have 11 missionaries for dinner Christmas Eve. We will have first a Belgian dish “Tuna in a half peach” (sounds strange but is really good) then ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and pie for dessert. Some will bring their Christmas package and open it with us. That should be fun.
I hope that each of you will have a wonderful Christmas Day. The gifts are not what make you happy, it is the giving and the attitude.
We will try to call you to wish you a Merry Christmas.
We love you and are always very eager for news. Thank you to those who wrote to us.
With my love,
Mom
In a few more days Christmas 2008 will be here. I have had my normal work except for the many packages the office has received for the missionaries. Some receive and others do not but they always share what they receive.
Dad has been super-busy once again. Monday, he went to Amsterdam to find a missionary apartment but after visiting 3 of them had to come back without leasing one. Thursday, he drove to Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France to close the apartment we had for missionaries. Soon the number of missionaries being sent to the mission will decrease and Boulogne will no longer be open. Friday, he went back to Amsterdam and found a nice apartment. The contract will be emailed to us. He did an excellent work but he feels really bushed today. Elders are always amazed to see a 75 years old man moving washing machines and loading them in the van by himself. They often say that they want to be like him when they are older. President Woodland is very pleased of the work we do, and says that we are irreplaceable. We do not believe it but President Hamilton had said the same thing. (That must be a President’s thing) We must admit that we are a good team.
Teresa came to the office to rehearse with our ward missionary for the concert that we will have this Sunday 21st. She and her family are amazing in music and bring a lot to a Ward. Ganae danced beautifully on the Dance of the sugar Plum fairy’s music last Saturday. It is so nice to see them all.
We will have 11 missionaries for dinner Christmas Eve. We will have first a Belgian dish “Tuna in a half peach” (sounds strange but is really good) then ham, scalloped potatoes, green beans and pie for dessert. Some will bring their Christmas package and open it with us. That should be fun.
I hope that each of you will have a wonderful Christmas Day. The gifts are not what make you happy, it is the giving and the attitude.
We will try to call you to wish you a Merry Christmas.
We love you and are always very eager for news. Thank you to those who wrote to us.
With my love,
Mom
Friday, December 19, 2008
College Bowl Pick'em Competition
For those of you participating in the college bowl pick'em competition, the first college bowl is tomorrow at 12:30 pm MST (2:30 pm EST). Please have your picks ready by tomorrow at noon MST. Actually you can makes changes to any pick up to five minutes before the scheduled start of the game, so you are not particularly locked into all the choices you make by tomorrow at noon.
If you wish to join in, let me know and I will send you an invitation. If you know of someone who does not visit this page but you think would like to participate, let me know. Participation on our website is not required for participation in the competition.
If you wish to join in, let me know and I will send you an invitation. If you know of someone who does not visit this page but you think would like to participate, let me know. Participation on our website is not required for participation in the competition.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Christine and Bryce
Here is one of the first pictures we got from the photographer who took wedding pictures. Christine and Bryce's wedding was absolutely perfect and fabulous.
Happy Birthday Brian
We hope that you will have a great day even if you have to fly. We will be thinking of you. This picture of you was taken many moons ago.....
We love you. M
Have you heard?
Schools were closed in the St.George area because of....snow and the Las Vegas streets were a mess because they do not have any snow removal? It is unreal!!!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Merry Christmas from Deric n' Debbie
We just want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and hope that you all have a very wonderful New Year! Go Cougs, Utes, and Broncos (BSU)...and let's hope the Gators roll over Oklahoma! Missin' you all!
The earth obstinately refuses to warm up
From an article:
Global temperatures are doing their best to tell us that CO2 isn’t very important after all.
- Global thermometers stubbornly refused to rise after 1998, and have plummeted in the past two years by more than 0.5 degree C. The world is now colder than in 1940, when the Post-WWOII Industrial Revolution started spewing lots of man-made CO 2 in the first place.
- On October 29, the U.S. beat or tied 115 low-temperature records for the date. Alaska, which was unusually warm last year, recorded 25 degrees below zero Fahrenheit that night—beating the previous low by 4 degrees F.
- London had snow in October for the first time in more than 70 years.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
It's time again
Dear Children,
By now, Christine is married to Bryce and Lawrence is back from his mission in Thailand. Those are 2 big achievements. Once more, I congratulate both of them.
The 5 missionaries that were waiting for their visas arrived on a snowy day. The snow did not last but the cold is still with us and is going to last a few months. We go to work and come back in the dark as the daylight is very short. Streets have their Christmas lights, stores are full of customers. The grocery stores have too many good and fattening foods to buy. (I have resisted so far).
We will be having 9 missionaries on Christmas Eve. President Woodland has invited all the missionaries working in Brussels to his home on Christmas day from noon until 3PM. Some of the time will be on the Grand Place caroling and giving the “Joy to the World” DVD.
We went to the Base and Dad bought me some warm slippers for my Christmas. I wanted to find a cardigan but did not see any in that store.
Tonight, we are invited by Teresa to attend their Ward Christmas Dinner and their show. Ganae will be dancing on the music of the Nutcrackers and we don’t want to miss to see her.
Tomorrow, we should know who has been called in the new bishopric. I am curious.
Monday, Dad will go to Amsterdam to find a new apartment for the 4 Elders there. He has an appointment to visit 2 places. I hope it works. He really likes to be on the road, so it should be a fun day for him.
With my osteoarthritis, I need to try to use my right thumb as little as possible….Try to not use it; it is almost impossible. It is what I should do to not be in constant pain. I hope that none of you will have this problem when you will be older. (I hate to ask for help).
I don’t remember telling you that we are sending a little Christmas present (made in Belgium) to each of you. Dad did not want me to send you chocolate, so I chose something else.
You are not very good at writing to us. We know that you are busy but please leave us a sentence or two. Francoise wrote to us and we just received a message from Deric. Thank you, Francoise and Deric, you made our day.
Have a very good week.
Know that you are always in our prayers and that we love you very much.
With my love,
Mom
By now, Christine is married to Bryce and Lawrence is back from his mission in Thailand. Those are 2 big achievements. Once more, I congratulate both of them.
The 5 missionaries that were waiting for their visas arrived on a snowy day. The snow did not last but the cold is still with us and is going to last a few months. We go to work and come back in the dark as the daylight is very short. Streets have their Christmas lights, stores are full of customers. The grocery stores have too many good and fattening foods to buy. (I have resisted so far).
We will be having 9 missionaries on Christmas Eve. President Woodland has invited all the missionaries working in Brussels to his home on Christmas day from noon until 3PM. Some of the time will be on the Grand Place caroling and giving the “Joy to the World” DVD.
We went to the Base and Dad bought me some warm slippers for my Christmas. I wanted to find a cardigan but did not see any in that store.
Tonight, we are invited by Teresa to attend their Ward Christmas Dinner and their show. Ganae will be dancing on the music of the Nutcrackers and we don’t want to miss to see her.
Tomorrow, we should know who has been called in the new bishopric. I am curious.
Monday, Dad will go to Amsterdam to find a new apartment for the 4 Elders there. He has an appointment to visit 2 places. I hope it works. He really likes to be on the road, so it should be a fun day for him.
With my osteoarthritis, I need to try to use my right thumb as little as possible….Try to not use it; it is almost impossible. It is what I should do to not be in constant pain. I hope that none of you will have this problem when you will be older. (I hate to ask for help).
I don’t remember telling you that we are sending a little Christmas present (made in Belgium) to each of you. Dad did not want me to send you chocolate, so I chose something else.
You are not very good at writing to us. We know that you are busy but please leave us a sentence or two. Francoise wrote to us and we just received a message from Deric. Thank you, Francoise and Deric, you made our day.
Have a very good week.
Know that you are always in our prayers and that we love you very much.
With my love,
Mom
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Brian's Family Talent Christmas Gift
I know I sent an email with this but thought it worthy of a posting. Merry Christmas! Click on the title or link to view.
Kim's Retirement - Kind of...
After 28 years of service to our nation, I'm going to be officially retired out of the Army effective 31 May 2009. I mention this now just in the remote case that any of you might like to attend the ceremony in May. The exact date is yet to be determined. I do know that my retirement ceremony will be held at Fort Myer, next to Arlington National Cemetary in Washington D.C. Dad was the one that Commissioned me and it would be cool to have him there at the finish line. When I said in the title Kim's retirement - "kind of" I said that because it appears as if once I retire, I am going to be picked up on the Retiree Recall list to serve more Active Duty time here at Fort Belvoir due to the need for officeres with my skill set. Sounds crazy, I know but such is the life of a Soldier...
Monday, December 8, 2008
Aachen Germany Christmas Market
I went shopping in Aachen Germany Christmas market this past week.
Cathedral of Aachen and the City Hall, the oldest part of which, the Granus Tower, is said to date from the days of Charlemagne. This is the Cathedral where Charlamagne is burried. He is a native of Germany and Aachen was the capital home base for him. He was born in the 742.
Cathedral of Aachen and the City Hall, the oldest part of which, the Granus Tower, is said to date from the days of Charlemagne. This is the Cathedral where Charlamagne is burried. He is a native of Germany and Aachen was the capital home base for him. He was born in the 742.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
College Bowl Pick'em
The first annual Wortham College Bowl pick'em competition!
I have set up a "Wortham Bowl Picks" group (Group ID#23060) on Yahoo.
We will compete to see who can have the best record for picking winners of all 27 bowls!
It is a private group, so let me know if you want to participate and I will send you an invitation that will contain the link and password.
The bowl schedule is not fully ready yet, but as soon as it is you can make your picks.
I have set up a "Wortham Bowl Picks" group (Group ID#23060) on Yahoo.
We will compete to see who can have the best record for picking winners of all 27 bowls!
It is a private group, so let me know if you want to participate and I will send you an invitation that will contain the link and password.
The bowl schedule is not fully ready yet, but as soon as it is you can make your picks.
Phillip won an AVA Award!
Great News! It was just announced that Phillip won an AVA award. AVA Awards are an international award given to professionals in the Audio Visual industry. Very prestigious and highly respected in the Motion Picture industry and in Hollywood. His award comes from a video documentary on Sexually Transmitted Deseases to be used in Hospitals around the country. Phillip currently works for Denver Health.
Sunday Post
Dear children,
Sometimes we wonder if time goes by as fast for everyone else. Here it seems that it really sped up for us. We get up and 4 hours later, so it seems, it is time to prepare to go to bed. We don’t have enough time in a day to do all that we want to do. It may take us a little longer to accomplish some tasks as age is creeping on us but we think that we are effective in the work we are called to do.
Our granddaughter, Christine, is getting married in the LDS Sacramento Temple this coming Friday. Also, the same day our grandson, Lawrence, is coming home from his mission in Thailand. Our mind will certainly be with them.
We were happy to meet the new couples last Tuesday. Only half of the young missionaries arrived as the rest waited for their Visas. They will arrive this coming Tuesday.
Our Ward had a baptism last Friday and today the young man was given the Gift of the Holy Ghost and ordained a priest in the Aaronic priesthood. He is 19 and has the desire to serve a mission. He had invited his friends to his baptism and 13 of them came. That was great!
Yesterday, we had the pleasure to decorate the mission home’s Christmas tree with the other office Elders and the Assistants to the President. Sister Woodland had prepared a lovely lunch for the 7 of us. We had a really relaxing time with President Woodland too. Then, later we went to Charleroi to see the opera “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” written by the composer Rossini. (We both enjoy the beautiful music and voices.) When we arrived, Dad realized that he did not have our house and apartment keys……Ooops! He called the Assistants, who live by the mission office, asking them to go get the spare keys that we have in the office and place them over the mailboxes situated at the office building’s entry. It is where we found them and also found the set of keys left on our apartment door when we came back. Dad always tells the missionaries to each have a set of keys with them when they leave……We should do what we preach.
We have had rainy weather and some snowing days too. In fact, last Tuesday, we had snow and strong wind while Dad was driving. It was not cold enough for the snow to stick on the ground during the day.
As it is always cold in the chapel because the heat is not working, this morning I wore thermals, sweater, heavy coat and scarf to be ready for it. When we arrived at the chapel, we found out that the heater was fixed and the chapel was warm. Every body was happy with it and I was very warm.
Today, we had the widower of the sister that just passed away for dinner. We had a good visit and now it is time for me to post my message.
Why don’t you leave us a note? We would love it. We love you and care.
Love, Mom
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Finally, photos from Jonathan
We don't quite understand his need to make funny faces in all his photos! But it's kind of his trademark. Jonathan just isn't Jonathan, if he isn't making a distorted face!
Friday, December 5, 2008
Eagle Project
David who is now 17 years and 10 1/2 months old, is doing his eagle project tomorrow. In case you don't know, the project needs to be completed before you turn 18... He has put together a really cool landscaping project at our Roseville city cemetary. He will be doing landscaping both inside and outside of the cemetary. The timing of this isn't great, being less than a week from Christine's wedding, but this makes this month all the more exciting! (Notice I didn't use the word "stresssssssssssed out....)
Christmas cards went out, but whoops!
We just sent our Christmas cards out but in the letter, I incorrectly listed Finnigan's birthday as 7 October. He was really born on the 7th of NOVEMBER. My bad! Kim
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Boinc
No. It is not the sound of getting bonked on the head.
It stands for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing.
Currently there are 560,000+ computers being run by 300,000+ volunteers who contribute their spare computer on time to researching science projects.
Current computers are vastly more powerful than even early supercomputers, but the computing time goes wasted with very lightweight programs such as word processing, internet surfing, blogging, listening to music, etc. The CPU (central processing unit) is basically lounging around doing nothing. I currently participate in three projects, but there is a plethora of projects to participate in.
My computer is currently doing calculations for the following projects.
Rosetta: A project designed to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases.
Einstein: A project designed to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars).
SETI: A project designed to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
I encourage everyone with a desktop computer to participate. The program runs in the background on low priority, so you will not notice any change in your computer's performance. These projects also have cool screen savers that run when your computer is idle. Laptops can also be used, but if you run it on a battery often, it will significantly reduce your battery charge.
You can also join groups of like-minded people. I am a member of a BYU team.
You can create your own team as well.
I just occurred to me that we could create "Wortham Computing Group" and contribute to projects collectively. I'll look into that.
Here is the link to download the software: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/
Here is a link to a list of good projects: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Project_list
Here is a screen shot of the Rosetta screen saver.
It stands for Berkeley Open Infrastructure for Network Computing.
Currently there are 560,000+ computers being run by 300,000+ volunteers who contribute their spare computer on time to researching science projects.
Current computers are vastly more powerful than even early supercomputers, but the computing time goes wasted with very lightweight programs such as word processing, internet surfing, blogging, listening to music, etc. The CPU (central processing unit) is basically lounging around doing nothing. I currently participate in three projects, but there is a plethora of projects to participate in.
My computer is currently doing calculations for the following projects.
Rosetta: A project designed to determine the 3-dimensional shapes of proteins in research that may ultimately lead to finding cures for some major human diseases.
Einstein: A project designed to search for spinning neutron stars (also called pulsars).
SETI: A project designed to Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
I encourage everyone with a desktop computer to participate. The program runs in the background on low priority, so you will not notice any change in your computer's performance. These projects also have cool screen savers that run when your computer is idle. Laptops can also be used, but if you run it on a battery often, it will significantly reduce your battery charge.
You can also join groups of like-minded people. I am a member of a BYU team.
You can create your own team as well.
I just occurred to me that we could create "Wortham Computing Group" and contribute to projects collectively. I'll look into that.
Here is the link to download the software: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/
Here is a link to a list of good projects: http://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Project_list
Here is a screen shot of the Rosetta screen saver.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Go Broncos!
It looks like Boise State is going to be off to the Poinsettia Bowl in San Diego to play TCU. I was hoping for Las Vegas vs BYU...Photo of the last game that was a great finish to a 12-0 season!
We won't smell the tourists anymore
Now I officially don't care for this man and his politics......and yes, I know he is a member of our church.
"The Capitol Visitors Center, which opened this morning, may have tripled its original budget and fallen years behind schedule, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a silver lining for members of Congress: tourists won't offend them with their B.O. anymore."My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid in his remarks. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."But it's no longer going to be true, noted Reid, thanks to the air conditioned, indoor space.And that's not all. "We have many bathrooms here, as you can see," Reid continued. "Souvenirs are available." $621 million well spent."
"The Capitol Visitors Center, which opened this morning, may have tripled its original budget and fallen years behind schedule, but Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid found a silver lining for members of Congress: tourists won't offend them with their B.O. anymore."My staff tells me not to say this, but I'm going to say it anyway," said Reid in his remarks. "In the summer because of the heat and high humidity, you could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol. It may be descriptive but it's true."But it's no longer going to be true, noted Reid, thanks to the air conditioned, indoor space.And that's not all. "We have many bathrooms here, as you can see," Reid continued. "Souvenirs are available." $621 million well spent."
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Lawrence returns home
Lawrence will be returning home next week (Dec. 12th)from his mission. If you want to e-mail him a welcome home, congratulations, or whatnot his e-mail is: "Lawrence Wortham" He will be spending two weeks with Carmen and then flying out here to live with me and attend one semester at Dixie State College. By the way, Dixie State is in negociations with the University fo Utah to become part of them...something like University of Utah-South Campus. He then plans to transfer up to SLC and attend school at the U.
Happy Birthday to Fabienne
Sorry! I am one day late....I didn't forget, I just couldn't get to the computer. I hope you had a wonderful day! Also "happy birthday" to Elise whose birthdate she shares with Fabienne and also to Jeshua whose birthday is today!
I might remember my syblings birthdays and my children's birthdays, but I guarentee that I won't remember any one else...so ya'll will have to post when someone in your family has a birthday, so the rest of us can send them a greeting.
Teresa
I might remember my syblings birthdays and my children's birthdays, but I guarentee that I won't remember any one else...so ya'll will have to post when someone in your family has a birthday, so the rest of us can send them a greeting.
Teresa
Monday, December 1, 2008
Teotihuacan Trip for Brian's Family
Dallan and Shawn in front of Sun Pyramid and the family on the Moon Pyramid. See my blog page for a few more photos.
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