A Man of God

We had an unforgettable experience on Friday night. President Dieter F. Uchtdorf came to speak to the cadets at the Air Force Academy. In response to Fred's request, he not only agreed to include soldiers and spouses, but asked for a private meeting after his address. About 1200 people poured into the beautiful AF Academy chapel. Though his words were specifically focused on the cadets, the principles had universal application. It was an inspiring experience.

Then after the devotional was over, Fred led our little band of about 80 soldiers and wives down several flights of stairs to a small choir practice room. We waited patiently to have just a few minutes of personal time with this beloved apostle. About 30 minutes passed as he gradually made his way through the crowd shaking hands and greeting people as he came.

When he walked into the room a Spirit of Love descended on all of us. It was as tangible as the warmth from the furnace. We quietly listened to his message of faith, courage and charity. What we thought would be just a few minutes became an hour, then thirty minutes more until he reluctantly and slowly made his way toward the door to leave. He answered every question with profound gospel truth. He testified of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in many ways and with conviction. He communicated love in every thing he said and in the tears that welled in his eyes frequently. He expressed gratitude for the sacrifices the Army families make, and assured them that their cause was of the utmost importance. Although he was compassionate concerning their heavy burden, he did not dwell on the hardship. Instead he gave them practical and inspiring ideas about how to bear their burden.

He was sincerely reluctant to leave and we were reluctant to have him leave. We are so incredibly grateful for his attention to and love for these soldiers and their families. As we ended a very long evening, I felt as though I had been sitting at the feet of the Savior. In many ways it is true. For we sat at the feet of an Apostle filled with the Savior's love. What a joy, a privilege, and an amazing blessing. This will ever be one of the choicest experiences of my life.

Then and Now

Me with Grandpa- outside our family home on Baltic.

You've heard people say "time flies", I would add it can also evaporate before your very eyes. We have just completed the first decade of the 21st Century. I think of our home as new, but we actually moved in 30 years ago in December. In a few months our oldest grandson graduates from high school and our oldest daughter reaches the big 4-0! Yes, time is simply disappearing. In fact, 12 short weeks from today our mission ends. We still have time to do some good work and enjoy the friends we have made, but 12 weeks boils down to 2 transfers and they happen in a blink of an eye. I sometimes feel a a little melancholy as I consider the passing of time. Then again, we have had such wonderful experiences and joyous memories that it is fun to know we can enjoy both "then and now". With that thought in mind, I intend to make the most of these last few weeks so that they will become a fond memory and a joyful "then".

Here a few pictures of our history in Colorado- now and then!

The North Pole


Our 1974 apartment in Widefield- and how it looks today.


The yard of Grandma's house in the 70's and 2009.


Our quarters on Fort Carson 1974 and 2008. (also some then missionaries and a now missionary!)

Happy 2010!!!

Catch up

I have been unable to add posts to my blog for the last few weeks, due to technical difficulty. NO REALLY!!! I actually did try and could not "sign-in". Misti had the same trouble when she tried to add something to her blog from our computer, but she figured it out. Then told me what I needed to do. So here we go. Lots has happened over the last few weeks. I will try fill in the gap a little at a time as I think of things to share. They may not be in any logical order because that is how my brain works these days. For now here are some picture highlights:

Thanksgiving... friends, food, traditions and games!

Santa visits, family fun & the North Pole!

No Trunky Missionaries !!!

That reminder courtesy of Mike & Kelli who drew our name for the family ornament exchange.

No, we are not "trunky"... well not exactly. We have plans to finish strong, but we are aware that we have less than 3 months left in our mission.

There you go for now... but watch for more pictures to come. IF... I can find which file actually contains the rest of the downloaded pictures from the last two months.

Vinyl-ish-ous

My daughter, Misti, has a vinyl lettering business. I saw her fall crafts on her blog and ordered a few vinyl pieces for a project. She surprised me and sent a whole bunch of fall vinyl cutouts. Here are the projects I completed. WOW! Even I have a crafty side- well at least I can peal and stick!

Thanks Misti- I am hooked!

Flash backs and traditions

In 1984 Fred went to Officer's Candidate School in Tennessee. He was gone over 2 months. It was a long and lonely time for him, away from his family. Plus we ALL missed him terribly. So one FHE I traced each of our 7 kids on newspaper end roll and made paper doll cut outs. They each drew on the details and wrote a message to their dad. We put them in a large envelope and sent them off. He loved them, though he paid a price in daily push-ups to keep them hanging.

Fred in 1984.

October 15th was our 40th anniversary.

Our kids organized a delightful surprise.

32 paper doll cutouts of our children and grandchildren came to us in individually wrapped celebration boxes. We had so much fun! This was the perfect gift for two old missionaries missing their family. The pictures below show our guest room, covered wall to wall and nearly floor to ceiling with cutouts of our family. I know the pictures aren't great, but its the best we could do. You have to be here to really appreciate this sight, which will stay up until we head home!

Martha Stewart may not approve,

but this is my favorite way to decorate a guest room!

Who's That Lady?

Business owner, realtor, writer, painter, gardener, beauty, care-giver, driver, FAST driver, world traveler, fashion setter, home maker, genealogist, cumputer geek, candy and cake maker, fryer of the world's best chicken, budgeter, adventurer, wife, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, friend and...

Betty Jo Curtis! Our favorite birthday girl!

We love you.

Your family.

A New Point of View

Over the last six years we have made several attempts to ride in a hot air balloon. First in Montana, next New Mexico, then California and recently many attempts right here in Colorado. Our efforts were thwarted by... miscommunication, scheduling conflicts, fog, snow, wind- well you get the picture. Last Saturday we snuck up on our scheduled flight. We made no announcements. No blog or facebook posts. Not only that, but we decided it would be our last Colorado attempt. If we couldn't get the weather to cooperate then we knew our chances would be slim during the winter months. So off we went to the appointed place at the appointed time. We were so excited when we launched as scheduled- with another balloon following close behind. The rest of the story is in the pictures... simply amazing.

Fred seems to take this as a sign I have become quite adventurous and is busy planning a few post mission experiences... well we'll see. For now I am content with our beautiful fall balloon ride.