Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Salt Lake City and Elder Burke

Some of the missionaries leaving with Elder Burke
Our last squeeze for at least 22 months!
Jordan, Dad and Aunt Sheila
Off to Guadalajara Mexico
Our last wave good-bye!
Love this photo!

So the family just happened to be dropping by the Salt Lake City airport at the same moment Elder Jordan Burke was checking in his luggage to fly down to Guadalajara Mexico. What a huge coincidence! Hahahahaha.... Paul heard a loud "Dad" and then Mana and I were running to him! I didn't realize how much I miss him but it I know this experience will be a growing one for him. Heck... if Paul and I can do it (serve full time missions) any one can!

We also met our niece and nephew for the first time. They are the cutest kids! Sheila - Pauls sister and his mom were there also. It was so short yet wonderful to visit with them all. Jordan bore his testimony to us in Spanish and it moved me completely. His Spanish is excellent (from what my Maori ears can tell!) and his whole zone voted him as the one to speak the best Spanish also. We will miss him but as I said earlier, it will not only benefit others but him too.

We also spent the rest of the day acting like tourists and visited the LDS Conference Center. That place is enormous and beautiful. We went to see the movie at the Joseph Smith Building. That is another beautiful building also. Ornate gold leaf ceilings, enormous chandeliers dangling everywhere. We loved it! Our hosts were Dave and Chris Peterson and they were amazing. We love them so much! Thanks you guys!

Saturday, September 12, 2009

Tlaquepaque - Sedona Flood, Sept 2009



Thursday afternoon we received a siren warning from our two golf courses so we knew to grab all our things outside that we didn't want to fly away or get drenched. Within seconds the whole place was surrounded by lightning, thunder, hail and high winds. Monsoon season is a very interesting time here in the heart of Arizona. We love any kind of moisture but when the earth is as dry as it is here, there's no where for it to go but downward. If your home is downward, look out! We have a huge arroyo behind us and it doesn't fill up but it gushes.

By the way, if your visiting this area, you'll see dips in the roads everywhere with an accompanying sign saying "Do not cross when flooded" please don't cross. Too many tourists think, what the heck! its only five feet wide, but little do they know the roads probably disappeared from beneath it.

Well Thursday, it rained for only 35-40 minutes and it caused quite a disturbance near Tlaquepaque and parts of west Sedona.