The week that was...

Here I go again- Flash back to the 50's (maybe it was 6o's) to a television show called "That was the Week that Was". I vaguely remember it as a recap of events of the previous week. Not exactly a news show, more of an entertaining look back. Here's our version of that show...

Army wives.

We shared FHE with two army families.

Soldiers serving- wives holding down the fort.

The sacrifices they make for the freedoms we enjoy.

Springtime in the Rockies?

We were hit by quite the blizzard.

Can you find the hidden visitor?

A family united as the mother

and two daughters are baptized.

The joyous occasion was the result

of efforts by some great young missionaries.

Saturday at the Flying W.Four of the mission

couples met for a Chuck Wagon dinner and some Cowboy music

in celebration of the 2 Freds' March 15th birthdays.

Two old soldiers reunite.

The leader of the Cowboy band just

happened to be a soldier in the 4th Infantry

Division the same years as Fred. They suspect

their paths crossed- although neither look much

like they did 35 years ago.

There you have it- a capsule of one week in the mission.

What a week it was!

A Wall of Words

By words we are instructed, counseled, gladdened, motivated, reminded, warned, reassured, educated, entertained INSPIRED and more. In many ways, words are an art form.

This "wall of quotes" is the result of Sister Pfile and Sister Richardson's vision. The two Freds' labor, Misti's talent in creating the vinyl center quote, and just a little input from me. Dozens of cards containing meaningful quotes dot the wall around center. The hope is that missionaries will find inspiring messages to read and maybe to record for future use.

Despite some minor setbacks

when this wall of words came together

Art was created.

Happy Birthday to ....HIM

Looking back over 57 years-
Here are just a few roles he has played:

Son and Husband

Father and Coach

Chef (sort of) and Firefighter

Colonel and Commander

Hunter and Sportsman

Inmate and floorman

Counselor and GRANDPA

This and more....

AND most importantly the

LOVE of my life

Happy Birthday!

YSA Fireside

Two weeks ago we had 8 young single adults join us for dinner. After we consumed nearly 7 pounds of pot roast, about 15 pounds of potatoes, fruit salad, a loaf of homemade bread and tossed salad - we sat down to watch a fireside broadcast. Elder Hales (an Apostle of the Lord) shared wise counsel that was pertinent to young and even us oldsters. I loved his advice to often share two short phrases with our spouses. The first is three words, "I love you." The second is 4 words. "We can't afford it." Wise indeed, especially when we consider the state we are in today. What a blessing to have words of wisdom in this confusing world. What fun to spend an evening with some of our favorite "youngsters."

We ended the evening with brownies alamode with homemade hot fudge sauce for dessert. Hmmm maybe I have figured out why my mission clothes are getting snug!!!

Blast from the past

Sunday we had another of those crazy close encounters we keep having here. I don't mean that in the typical sense. I mean those experiences that always end with the comment "It's such a small world." One of our new Colorado friends introduced us to his sister and her husband, who were here visiting. In the course of conversation we found out that the man we had just met was at one time the mission companion to the missionary that baptized Fred. (Elder C) How fun is that? We have been in contact with Elder C a couple of times over the last few years, including when we first began our Colorado Springs mission. We wanted him to know that the ripples of his influence are continuing on. When we got home from church, Fred sent Elder C a quick email message letting him know about our close encounter. He responded the same evening and sent us this treasure, a real blast from the past.

Here is a picture of our little family from 1975...

The two of us in our prime (YIKES) plus...

Leslie, Randy and Fred's cousin Lyle (who lived with us at the time).

Don't you love the checked pants, white belt, and mustache?

FAMILY FIRST

Fort Carson FHE

Once a month one of the Wards (congregations) here holds a joint Family Home evening. Individual FHE take place weekly in homes of our church members, all around the world. In these family gatherings, children learn cherished values. They share ideas, fill assignments and have fun. We believe in in putting family first.Our children should spend the most time with and learn the important values from... US! With the current deployment situation- many military families experience the stress and strain of separation. The monthly FHE was organized to support those families.This particular night there were 5 families gathered for a lesson and an activity. One young mother of 5 children (7 years old and younger) is 2 months into a year long separation from her deployed husband. They lean on each other through email and an occasional phone call. She is a real trooper. The other military families are here mostly to offer their support. This is the meaning of Ward Family.

We truly are our brother's keepers.

All in the eye of the beholder

Before I get to the point of this post, meet our new friends, the Richardsons. They came to our mission the middle of January. What a wonderful addition! I am sure to share more about them as time goes on, but for now..just think FUN.
Sister Richardson LOVES art, REAL art. She is actually quite an expert, so she coaxed us into viewing a temporary exhibit and attending a lecture by the artist. I do not claim to be an educated consumer, I just know what I like. I was a little leery when she told us about the cardboard boxes. Okay NOT actual boxes but wooden replicas. NO KIDDING. I believe the exhibit was titled "The Discarded" -or something similar. The "masterpiece" was a display of boxes. Dell, Dole, pizza, and Reynold's Wrap... got it?. Can you say "Andy Warhol"? If you look closely, you can see one of the boxes in the picture of Elder Richardson above (you can also see the back of the artist's head). It is actually an amazing replica-VERY realistic. You may say (as I did)..."I have a garage full of the real thing." But you should know that the boxes don't stand alone. They are accompanied by a fictional account depicting how they were used by, belonged to or in someway were associated with a celebrity. So now... what do you think? The artist admittedly took weeks to complete some of the replicas. What do I think? He is skilled in creating replicas, clever in writing the fictional account and sincere in his passion for ART... but only as defined by HIM. I actually liked him. He was quite charming... aside from his very political agenda. I also liked some of his art. I could see the skill in his paintings, even though I would describe some as grotesque. I quite liked his whimsical paintings of fruits and vegetables as if they were animated objects. Of course that was until he explained that they represented conflict and the cute little creatures were actually attacking the pumpkin. So as an uneducated consumer I would give him 5 out of 10. I am SO glad we went. It was a fun evening from beginning to end. I enjoyed all of it... the art, the lecture and MOST of all the company. I just think art doesn't have to reflect the dark side of life. Maybe he will come back with a new exhibit some day. Maybe it will be called "The Cherished". I would definitely like to see that one. I might even save my money to own a poster of a copy of a print! Elder Fairhurst just asked where were the pictures of dogs playing poker, fruit bowls and Elvis on velvet. And you thought I was the UNCULTURED one!!!