First Snow but Smiles Glow - 9/30/07

The first snows of the season came yesterday -- it was beautiful and we need the moisture. Now we know why Autumn is called Fall. We are all happy and doing well. It's a joy to have family and friends, work and school, and to be busy.

Besides the compulsory photos of little Gavin, we'll conclude with a couple of photos of Tim's working trip to Indonesia. The first two are of Borobudur, one of the world's greatest Buddhist temples.

The second two are of the Prambanan Temples. Built around the same time, this is the largest Hindu site in Indonesia.

Then in and outside an ancient open air mosque, some shots of some school kids.

And finally a shot of an old Indonesian women.

Autumn Arrives 9/23/07

Many know what Autumn means but only Americans know it as Fall. The first day was Friday, in the Northern Hemisphere (Down Under it's the beginning of Spring. . . Fair Dinkum!).

Thursday evening the youth and their leaders from the Westlake 9th Ward held their Mutual activity in our back yard. It was a combination pizza party, fireside and service project. It commemorated the conclusion of their effort to spruce up our back garden. After the pizza was eaten they jumped into planting hundreds of flower bulbs to bloom next Spring (Autum in New Zealand. . . nevermind).

After that they listened to Joseph speak for a few minutes then answer questions. The youth loved it and so did Joseph. He's relaxed and natural with the youth, and his attitude has an amazing impact. They have asked him to speak later in a Stake fireside with the whole story.

These youth pledged over 1000 hours of service early in the year. They have already passed 1200 hours and the snow hasn't begun to fall on the widow's driveways.

We're lookin forward to Conference Weekend, especially the Friday the 5th, when we will get together once again with our EBM return missionaries.

We'll end with a few photos of Tim's recent trip to Indonesia. The first shot is of the team at dinner after a full day recording Joy to the World in the studio. (R-L: Titik Sugiyanto -translation, Nicole Hui -Area AV, Tim, Atin Limbong - translation, Sowignyo- local Materials Management AV producer). The menu included frog's legs and Chicken feet (deep fried like pork rinds. . . chrunchy good!). The others are of one of the Chapels in Jakarta, the Relief Society and a couple of the wonderful Primary kids. It was Fast Sunday and the Spirit is the same the world over.

Loving Life 9/16/07

We've been really enjoying the wonder of a new member of the family. Gavin is doing well and so is his mom. He is little-- but he'll catch up. He's eating well and is healthy, what a great blessing. Ethan and Cheyenne are getting used to a new sibling. The photos show the love they feel. Cheyenne came to Grandma's house for the weekend to give Mom a bit of a break.

Joseph is enjoying school, studying hard and doing well. He was invited by a friend in one of his classes to "A Starry Night: An Elegant Gala Dinner and Auction to benefit the National Ability Center at the Canyons Resort" on Friday night. He really enjoyed meeting some of the great people in the state who are so generous with their resources to bless the lives of others. The National Ability Center is a non-profit, tax exempt organization that provides outdoor recreation opportunities to people with disabilities (see: http://www.discovernac.org/index.htm). They talked to Joseph about trying out the bobsled, they suggested he may want to have a go at it. He's stoked.

We'll conclude with a couple of photos Tim shot at a Buddist temple in Sri Lanka on Aug. 28. it was a national and religious holiday (Nikini Full Moon Poya Day).

Greeting Grandson Gavin & Gallivanting Grandpa 9/8/07

What an eventful couple of weeks. On Tuesday 4, September our Grandson Gavin was born. He is so handsome (come'on he's a BOY, he can't be beautiful). Elizabeth is doing great and Ethan, Cheyenne and Dad Denny are thrilled. Joseph was able to go up to the Logan Hospital and visit his new nephew. It was a real celebration. Friends were able to step in to help at home so Gloria could help out in Logan.

Tim at the time was in the air over Asia returning from his two week trip to record Joy To the World in Sinhala, Urdu and Indonesian. He had a marvelous experience in Sri Lanka and in Indonesia. It's amazing to see the Church bursting forth in this part of the World. The recording team in Sri Lanka is the first photo. The second is Gospel Doctrine class in Jarkarta. He especially enjoyed having dinner with Pres. & Sis. Marchant of the Jakarta Indonesia Mission last Sunday evening.