Yes, I am.
I saw an Easter card today that said how lovely it is that Easter comes at the time of year when flowers are blooming and the grass is greenest and trees are budding. Uh-huh.
On the bright side, we will be extra-thrilled with every tiny bit of life and spring signs we see anywhere and when it does come in its glory we will be ecstatic!
This week will look pretty boring. We did a lot of errand running and catching up stuff and our Pday was basically deja-vue of our Pday in New York.
Since its still not the best weather we decided to go for a scenic drive in New Hampshire to see the countryside and villages before all the snow melted. I investigated several itineraries on line and made our plan. Didn't quite work out the way we had hoped. One of the problems is that I tend to speed read most things and sometimes I skip over important information. We thought there was a Currier and Ives museum in Manchester, N. H. I googled it and promise I saw plenty of Currier and Ives images. The plan was to drive there, have lunch, see the museum and then drive on a scenic loop through several "Currier and Ives" looking villages.
Oops. Got there and found out there is no Currier and Ives museum, only a Currier Museum which has no ties to the former. This museum was very similar to the Frick Museum we saw in NYC. It had a wonderful and surprising collection of American and European art from the Renaissance to the present with many very famous artists. It was housed in a very similar type building as well.
Since we were there we decided to see it anyway. It was very enjoyable. Just the right size and a good variety of styles and exhibits.
This guy fooled us for a minute!
Why is this man smiling?
Because I asked him what this painting reminded him of and his response was immediate:
our first apartment after we were married. Duo Quorum Apartments in Torrance, California.
It looks just like it!
This was pretty fun and clever.
Furniture from the colonial days. Gorgeous. And amazing how these styles have never gone out of style.
Oops, take two.
We had to cut back on our touring due to bad weather coming in later so we only drove to one town, Petersborough. The drive was nice but the town was nothing special- certainly not Currier and Ives.
Not much to see or do so we poked around in a charming little bookstore. (NYC again), and then had dinner at a diner before heading home.
The most picture worthy thing in town.
I've never seen this version before. I want this collection!
My big find! They had a used book section and I got this for $5.00. I have a framed illustration my Grandpa did of Cowboy Tommy but I had never seen a book before.
We do like our historic diners!
The local sentiment.
Mount Monadnock
Took this because I knew we were going to be driving near it later.
The real thing. Not the same angle but you get the idea.
Learned something new. They are an upward swelling of soil due to freezing. Can make the road really wavy. Fortunately, we didn't run into any.
Spent another fulfilling day in the temple Thursday.
Friday we had a fantastic district meeting. Our missionaries are so impressive. We just can't over their spiritual maturity. Elder Welker taught a very effective lesson on getting along with your companion. These missions are great on so many levels. These young people are getting first rate training and real life experiences that will help them tremendously in their marriages and any other relationships throughout their lives.
We also viewed the beautiful video "Because He Lives" and now we can go and share it with the world. Such a great way to share this most important message . No matter who we are, no matter our circumstances, we are loved. By Him.
No matter your religious beliefs or non-belief, I invite you all to take a look. It is not very long and it will leave you with a sense of peace and hope.
After the meeting the Walshs invited us to join them at a nearby Cuban restaurant for lunch. We all had their"famous" cuban sandwiches and they were indeed delicious. We got to see their apartment in 'the hood'. They have done so much to make it warm, homey and inviting. They are in our Portuguese Group and have many people over often. We love them and they are doing great things for their group and our missionaries.
After that we drove to Springfield. We saw a Home and Garden Show, stayed overnight in a motel, then the next day Dale went to the Basketball Hall of Fame while I went to a mall. :)
I spent the rest of the day and early evening working on several service projects and Dr. Elder was on the phone.
I spent the rest of the day and early evening working on several service projects and Dr. Elder was on the phone.
Saturday evening I enjoyed the first part of our General conference, the Women's session. It was filled with inspiring and touching videos, music and messages. The importance of family and the importance of serving and caring for others were stressed.
Following are a few of the sights we see along our drive to and from church.
( It was raining on the way to church but clear on the way home. )
Dale and I in just a few more years.
The Charles River- still frozen. :(
Sunday was a very eventful and satisfying day.
Harry Mao was baptized.
It was a beautiful experience for everyone there. He is a remarkable young man. And he is so excited about the gospel. He brings at least 2 people to church every week since he found out about it. He bore a very pure and sweet testimony. He said he felt he came here from China so he could find the gospel. It has changed him and his life. A turning point. He loves the concept of repentance and the concept that you just keep trying your best everyday and every day you can be a little better than the day before. He was baptized in his native language by a man in our ward who happened to speak Mandarin. That was a fun surprise for everyone because Harry speaks perfect english.
During the last 2 hours of our meetings we had a family history blitz. Our stake's theme for the year is: "That all might come unto Christ and be redeemed." We have been challenged for every individual 16 and over to prepare a name to take to the temple on June 27th. The building was abuzz with activity- every nook and cranny had people working away on their lap tops teaching and learning. English, Spanish, and Portuguese -all busy bees.
Spending so much time in the company of such saints and fine missionaries, young and old(er),
always sends us on our way rejoicing.
Wait, what?? Is that man on the Lazy Boy real or not??
ReplyDeleteLoved reading about Harry's baptism. Gave me chills. I love how you write so that we can feel like we know these people a tiny bit and know their story. So great.
I am catching up on posts! I thought only 2 weeks had passed since I last caught up, but to my surprise there were a lot! You either wrote a ton of posts, or time is flying a lot faster than I thought!