First week in October

While the rest of the family enjoys gorgeous fall colors and temperatures, we here in Arizona are enjoying non-triple digit temperatures!  I made Santa Fe cheese soup yesterday for a small ward social and it was truly out of place!  The social was held outside at a park and, for the first hour, until the sun went down a bit, it was a bit warmish (but tolerable).  The occasion was to eat stinky fish.  The Lucas family in our ward lived in Sweden for three years and this event is a tradition in Sweden.  It is called "surstomming".  So, Rich Lucas ordered a can of this stinky fish and they built a ward party around it.  Eating the fish plain is not a good idea but the recommended way to consume it involves a gluten-full cracker so I didn't try it.  Steve did.  My hero.....

Rich Lucas opening the can - the smell wafting out was pretty rank!

Below is Steve eating the stinky fish and not gagging.






I enjoyed getting to know a few more sisters in the ward.  (and why didn't our mission packing list include folding lawn chairs?????  We could have used them last night).

We attended the temple yesterday morning and in our very full session, we counted nine of our missionaries (Elders Litster, G (he is from Mongolia and I can't remember how to spell his name - everyone just calls him "Elder G"), Phipps, Gardner, Fullmer, Schmid, Thebaud, Rosengren and Salinas.  It was just wonderful.

We had three other missionaries over for dinner Friday night.  Elders Huaquinir, Leon, and Kinikini.  They are Spanish-speaking and, when I asked what they would like to eat, they said "anything BUT Mexican!"  So, we cooked a turkey breast (why didn't our mission packing list include a 6-quart crock pot!) and all the fixings.  I had to borrow a crock pot from the mission home to fit the turkey.  In talking with Elder Leon, who is one of our four missionaries from the Puerto Rico mission, we learned he is from the Kenniwick Washington area which is where Elise served her mission.  We texted Elise and she actually remembered the Leon family!  Of course, our elder would have only been five years old when she served so he didn't remember her but it was still cool to find a connection.  Huaquinir is from Chili and Kinikini goes back home to Wyoming next week (his family is from Samoa).

Elder Leon and Steve



Elders Huaquinir and Kinikini

My sister Juli had her fall break this past week and she came down to the valley on Wednesday for a doctor appointment, to visit Jerri, and to have dinner with Steve and me before returning home.  She toured the mission office and met the office staff and President Collins and we checked out the Deseret Industries before we drove up to Anthem.

Steve and I both now have library cards and we checked out a interesting BBC mini-series based upon a Charles Dickens novel called "Martin Chuzzlewitt".  It is somewhat dated, being filmed in the ninties, and it is rather slow at times but ultimately, it was a good watch with a good ending.  We enjoyed watching an episode at a time over the past week.

Finally, I have joined an orchestra here.   It is called ProMusica.   I wasn't going to.  I went to the first rehearsal of another orchestra (North Valley Orchestra) back in August and left feeling that I just didn't need to continue.  But, a member of the ward is in ProMusica and she contacted the director about me - calling me a "professional" (which I am most certainly NOT) - and I was invited to play.  Tuesday's rehearsal was a string sectional and I was one of only four in attendance! (two cellos, one viola, and one very weak second violin)   Apparently, the model for this group is to hire "professionals" for the last three or four rehearsals to beef up the sound.  Until then, the members rehearse without them.  And, the members actually have to PAY about $150 per year to play (probably to pay for the professionals).   As of now, I will not have to pay but I will also not BE paid since I am not one of the "professionals" (and gladly so since I don't want the pressure of a professional).  And, I left feeling good about this group.  This sad little orchestra needs me and they don't have to pay me.

This pretty much sums up our first week in October.