MAY 11-17, 2015

We are still loving' this glorious spring!  Savoring every bit of it.  It's gorgeous!

It's been a busy week of preparation for future weeks.  Elder Braithwaite has been busy setting up IChats with all the new incoming  mission presidents who will arrive in July. There will be 5.  It's a getting to know you and the medical aspects of a mission type thing.  These will all take place the first part of next week.  We will be spending most of June in Canada so there is a lot of prep getting ready for that trip as well.

For our PDay this week we took advantage living near a big ( or more aptly put HUGE!) event ...the Brimfield Antiques Show.  It is called the mother of all antiques markets. In May, July and September for 6 days, 6,000 dealers spread over 23 fields, on a one-mile stretch of Route 20 that cuts through the farm country of the Springfield, Massachusetts area.  Martha and Oprah come.  Decorating and home and regional magazines come. So we decided to have our own great Brimfield adventure and check it out!

Bad photo but wanted to show the enormity of this show.

If only I had a house!  I would have had some major fun here!  What amazed us were the prices - very reasonable.  It would take all day for all the 6 days to see all of it so when I came to my senses and realized I would not be buying anything, we decided we came, saw it, experienced it and that was good enough.  We walked the markets until around noon and then, since Sturbridge Village was just 6 minutes away, we spent the rest of the day there.

What a perfect day to be there!  The loveliest of spring days and except for the first half hour before the school kids jumped back on their buses to go home, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. There was a family of 5, a family of 3, and one other couple who we ran into every now and then.
We had visited here about 40 years ago when Adam was one.  It hasn't changed a whole lot, which is exactly the point of a place like this.

Old Sturbridge Village is actually an 'attraction' which depicts life in an early 19th century rural New England village. It features authentic buildings from that time period brought in from all over New England.

Stunning entrance!

 The little house.

Lilacs are blooming everywhere!

 Sawmill

Blacksmith.

 Apple Blossoms also everywhere.

 Two week old twins.

 This milkmaid was a pro!

I could picture myself as a kid on this farm.  I would have loved it!

 Think this style will make a come back?

 Sad to say this is the first covered bridge we've seen this time around in New England.  It was brought in from Vermont. 

Such a fun day!

And yes, there were daffodils blooming at the temple too. :)

(this pic is better than mine so i used it instead)

One of our zone leaders, Elder Santiago, is going home to Brazil next week. I guess all missions have their own unique funny expressions.   When you finish your mission here, they say you died.  You are born when you arrive.  Your first companion is your mother or father .  Imagine my horror my first time around here when I heard the missionaries talking about  how Elder so and so was going to die next week!  It's taken some getting used to, I must say.  

Here is Elder Corpus giving a eulogy for Elder Santiago at our zone meeting.  He did a most excellent job!  I asked if he would come do mine when the time comes!  

"In Memorandum".  Elder Santiago

Kinda creepy but all in good fun.

Friday evening we went out to dinner with our next door neighbors , Dave and Jolene Dahle.

We have been neighbors for a year now and I'm ashamed to admit it but this is the first time we've done anything together. They work in the temple and we seem to never seem to be on the same page, schedule-wise.  So we made it a point to do it and planned ahead.  

We went to a local Cuban restaurant here in Waltham which was excellent. The fried squash blossom fritter with goat cheese puree is on my list of the best things I ever ate. So yummy! Fun and colorful decor and great service as well. And... very enjoyable company!

Caramel, chocolate, pomegranate, wonderfulness going on right here!

After dinner we had tickets to go on an evening tour of the Gore Place, one of the 3 historical mansions we have here in Waltham.  We weren't allowed to take photos inside but it was lovely.  Some of the original wallpaper could sell right now- very in-style.  The Jane Austin Society was going to have a Tea there on Sunday.  

Following are some photos of our apartment complex.  Wanted to show off the beautiful blue sky and more spring green!

The wise man built his house upon a rock!

 That lovely spring green comes with a price... pollen.  This is what we all wake up to every morning- our cars covered in green.  

This is the view the Dahle's have from their windows right now.  They face the front, we face the back.  

Here are most of our cute missionaries on their Pday at the zoo.

(shared photos)

We sure love them.

Another very sweet Sunday.  These two lovely ladies were baptized!  Maria Julia Resende and Stephanie Alves.  Sisters Lowenthal and Struili on left and Elders Santiago and Garrido on right.  All of the missionaries are from Brazil! (Sis. L was born there but has lived in Utah for a long time).

 

And here you have, with Sister Lowenthal, our darlings that we have the privilege of bringing to church most weeks.  Left to right: 

Jayla, a visiting friend, Jason, and Camilla.  

Aren't they beautiful?  They are the sweetest, most mature, well-behaved, darling kids! 

We just love them! They get themselves up and dressed (very nicely, I might add. (Always spit-spot,  as Mary Poppins would say.) and are always ready and waiting for us to pick them up.  Camilla often brings a friend. Here is just a sample of the depth of these kids...They attended the baptism. Jason was joking around with Camilla's friend and asked her if she was going to be baptized. (it was her first time to church). She said sure! Then Jason asked her when and she responded with next week.  At this point Camilla, all of 13 and only a member a few months herself, explained ..." wait a minute. you don't just rush into being baptized. It is a serious commitment. You need to know what you are getting into.  There are promises you make and things you cannot do anymore. (I think going to the beach on Sunday was brought up). '  There was a bit more to the conversation but you get the gist of it.  I am so very impressed with this young lady.

Dale is in the background here visiting with Mike Dowling who I mentioned in a previous blog. He is a high councilman and was visiting the Spanish Branch in our building.

Yes, indeed He does.

We feel very blessed and go our way rejoicing.