Saturday, February 7, 2015

Lessons from the Brits Week 34 December 28th to January 3, 2015


Happy New Year!!!! As I sit here this evening trying to look back I just feel that 2014 is a huge blur filled with whirlwinds of activity.  Our first 3 months were in Mesa just having a ball with all our wonderful friends there.  I made the stats to try to move to a higher tennis team; I did it and am now an official 3.5 player.   We were honored to serve as tour guides to the beautiful Gilbert Temple and cherished that experience.  Then back to Idaho to organize and pack.  (I do not enjoy packing.)  Then a week in Utah with family and a few days at the Salt Lake Temple where we were given training on serving a temple mission.  Suddenly we were aboard our air bus as we headed over the ocean to land at Gatwick.  We have now served almost 8 months in the temple.  And to make sure we never got bored, Jerry and Ardith came over to visit and we toured England and Scotland together.  Yes, I do believe 2014 is one to remember.

1.   Happy Birthday Eric!Sunday was a very normal day.  Church was fine; we had a small dinner by ourselves, took a nap and called the children.  There was a fireside but we just sat home and tried to feel like we were resting.

2.  ForgivenessWe actually slept in quite nicely.  We finally got up and ready and went to East Grindstead to shop.  We had a lot of fun in all their little shops and bought Brad a t-shirt, me some levi’s and a top and both of us a new pair of shoes.  You won’t believe his T-shirt – it is a Route 66.  Now on both missions he has bought a Route 66 T-shirt but last time he was actually on Route 66. Oh, and Brad got a great hat at a charity shop.  Cool dude now, for sure.
We ate at Kentucky Fried Chicken and then got a hot Chocó at Costa.  Next we went grocery shopping and just had a nice little day.
I called 3 and had a bit of fun with that call but by the end I got our £55 pounds back.  At least they said we would get it back.
Blake’s were showing Railway Man and asked us to come.  WOW!  That was a movie and such a story of forgiveness! 
Brother Roger's came home from hospital.  I take pictures of his leg every Monday.
 
3.  Too ManyLate shift and I couldn’t be more pleased.  We got up LATE and walked just a bit. I had Yvonne Blake come down and showed her how to use all the gym stuff.   I do much better in my walking shoes that any other shoes but my little feet just throb.  We had lunch, got ready and went to the temple.  We are over baptistery and we certainly met our match this night.  They booked 2 groups of 10 which is very doable, only 1 group brought 14 and the other brought 20.  We had 2 more sessions after that one and boy did we work.  We got the last session all set up with the towels and mats and the group didn’t show up.  That was fine because we were exhausted.
Luke sent me some pictures of the puppies.

4.  Celebration in RomaniaNew Year’s Eve so we finish early today.  We had a wonderful group for baptistery so it was a lot of fun.  They were going to have a little party in the longue but I really wasn’t in the mood.  I was in my housecoat and there were only 2 ladies there, so I stopped over to say hello and we left just after 10:00 PM which was New Year’s in Romania.  We played 100, did some work sheets and told a story or two.  It really was nice.  Brad didn’t like the worksheets so he and Bob came over and played some new kind of domino.
After the party we came home and watch ‘Steel Magnolia’s’.  It finished about the time the fireworks started.  We should have been watching them in London.  I guess they have quite the show.

5.  Happy New Year
We did sleep in and were doing quite well at it until Brown’s called to tell us breakfast was at 9:30 instead of 10 and to bring chairs and utensils.  I didn’t have time to do my hair but we went and had a nice time.  She made a really good casserole and had biscuits and gravy.   Garrett’s and Cooper’s were there as well so we had plenty of stories and laughs.  Nice brunch! 
We went on a bit of a walk and got ourselves properly cleaned up.  At 4:00 we went to Mulholland’s for BBQ ribs, scalloped potatoes, carrots and corn and her yummy chocolate mousse.  It was so good.  We ate till we were about to burst.
At 6:00 PM the visitor’s center showed ‘Meet the Mormon’s’.  It was WONDERFUL!  They showed a clip of 6 different Mormon’s lives all over the world and it was just brilliant.  The 6 people were:  A black Bishop from Atlanta, the Candy Bomber (all over), the football coach from Navy, a kick boxing mother from Costa Rica, a humanitarian from Nepal, and a mother (wife/husband) sending their oldest on a mission.  I would have loved to have watched it again.  From here on out they are showing it every day at the visitor’s center so next week we can go back.  I hope everyone out there will give it a try as well. 


Darryl and Terry Cooper from Wyoming.  Love them!


Add the Garrett's from Ft. Collins and now Rigby!
 
Meet the Mormon's night.  Single Sister Row!
L-R, Smith, Freeman, Hales, George, Adler, Marsh, Clark, Bustamonte.
 
6.  2015 is here to stay.We did not bother with shopping today but just got up and walked a bit, fixed lunch and headed to the temple.  We had a small baptistery with a young couple doing their grandparents, and a mother and daughter from the air force base.  That was really fun.  We just got everything cleaned up and another lady came that always comes on the first Friday of every month but since it is the New Year, she was not listed.  We set up again and got her taken care of.    I did the laundry and the evening was over.
 

7.  Saturday
I will never understand how 10:00 AM can be so early but it always seems hard to get to the temple on time on Saturday late shift.  I had a bit of time off before we took over the baptistery.  We got down to baptistery to take over and again we had a no show.  We had everything set up so it was another take down.  I finished the laundry and helped out here and there and the day was over. 
Brad did not have as good as day as I did (and it was not my favorite either) so when he heard that I had invited Mulholland’s over for soup he was not a very happy camper.  I fixed up our left over soup and added a bit more, put in chicken fingers to bake and had the table all set.  They walked in and I went to pull out the chicken finger only to discover the oven heat was on 0.  We had a 2 course tea. 
We set up our DVD in the lounge and watch ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ which we all enjoyed.   Mark Blake came as well.  Nice night with the sweety bowl being passed to the right and to the left.
 

So a new year begins.  I got word from SVE that Mesa has had snow and cold.  It is hard to believe I am warmer here in London but that will not last.  Idaho said they are cold as well as Utah.  Brrr!  Never Mind!
I do hope you all had a lovely start to this fabulous new opportunity to enjoy all our Heavenly Father’s blessings in the coming 2015.  God Bless!
Cheers!

Smile, and mean it!

Say thanks to someone every day,

Our love,

The Parkinson’s

 

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