Assorted things...

This is the first view of Anthem from the I-17 exit onto Anthem Drive.  On either side of the road are these step-fountains.  Anthem is twenty years old this year.  My brother and his wife have lived here almost from the beginning.  I think they moved in 2000...

The desert flowers continue to bloom but my allergies seem to be subsiding somewhat.

This is the mission office / Deseret Industries parking lot with all the palo verde trees in full bloom.  When the wind blows, we have yellow petal snow

Here is another local palo verde tree so loaded down with blooms

We had our LAST VEHICLE INSPECTION ZONE CONFERENCE!  Can you tell how excited I am about that?  To make it even better, it lasted only two days - four zones per day - and Elder and Sister Harris helped us with the inspections.  Here we are at the Campbell Street building conference.

Tuesday morning was at the meetinghouse lovingly called "The Bathtub Building" - because it is adorned with this pretty blue tile.

Here are some pictures of lunch - which offered Barro's Pizza (think Shakespeare's Pizza -

all of you from Columbia) including a gluten-free cheese pizza just for me! The second photo is when all the missionaries gather after lunch to sing the Arizona Phoenix Mission "fight song"

Steve and I had a lovely weekend that started with a Friday night Amazon Prime video called "I Can Only Imagine" based upon the writing of the Christian rock song of the same name.  It was really good.  Saturday, after the temple in the morning, we drove to the McCormack-Stillman train park in Scottsdale.  We first went there last May with Kirsti, Ryan, and Alice but we didn't see all that we wanted to see.  This time, we went to the museum and toured the train version of Airforce One that served several U.S. presidents in the mid-twentieth century.  It was in beautiful condition.  We also visited the model train pavilion again and admired all the amazing work bringing model train landscapes to life.  Bill Keene, the creator of Family Circus cartoon, lived near the park for 30 years and there is a sweet statue in his honor.

After the train park, we continued to Mesa to visit my sister Jerri, to catch dinner at a Wendys, and then to attend the Millennial Choir and Orchestra concert at the Mesa Performing Arts Center.  There is no photography allowed so I pulled this from their Facebook page.  This is a HUGE choir comprised of an adult choir, a youth choir (ranging in age from junior high to college), and a children's choir.  Each group is massive.  The youth choir has so many female voices that they have to be split into two groups to perform on different nights.  Cade Ellsworth sings in the youth choir.  

The balcony seats closest to the stage are left empty because the choirs spill out into those spaces.  As you can imagine, they produce a wall of sound - which the directors take advantage of.  They arrange/compose most of what is performed and they go all out BIG with pretty much every number. Steve felt it was a bit too much.  I tend to agree.  There are Millennial Choirs in Orange County, Idaho, Utah, Dallas-Fort Worth area, and Mesa-Gilbert.  Comprised mostly of members of the Church.  They are unabashedly patriotic and religious but sometimes they lay it on a bit thick.  Each one of the members pays a fee to be a part (except the extremely talented orchestra) so I cannot even imagine the money involved in these choirs.   Anyway, I am glad we went.  

I have been re-watching Avengers-Infinity Wars this past week in anticipation of the new movie - which I hope to catch next weekend.  I did make Elder Wall tell me about it on Friday since he saw it late Thursday night.  I am so looking forward to watching it myself.....

Leading up to Easter

Most of the palo verde trees are blooming now.  Trees just covered in yellow blossoms.  Probably why my allergies continue to bother me.

I got the Easter dresses for Lucy and Larkin finished on Tuesday and I mailed them Wednesday.  Happily, they arrived on Friday and the dresses fit!  this is Larkin modeling just as the package was opened.

Notice that Larkin is not wearing her green dress in the group photo.  The fabric has a sheen due to shiny metallic threads woven through it.  Unfortunately, it makes the material a bit scratchy at the seams so the waistband is not comfortable.  I guess slips are not the thing any more so it was right up against her bare skin and she was not buying it.  Lucy has a swim suit under her dress to make it wear-able!  Emily is looking for slips on Amazon as I type this.  

The rest of the week was pretty average.  Nothing crazy went on at the mission office.  Both Steve and I are healthy.  So, I will post a photo from Emily of her, Elise, and Beckie on their outing together on Thursday to the St. Louis Art Museum.  Isn't this a nice picture???

On Saturday, Steve and I met up with an old buddy of Steve's - they have known each other since junior high.  Scott Johnson.  He is one of the reasons why Steve even got into BYU Cougar Marching Band so, thanks to him, Steve and I met and married!  We sort of introduced Scott to Jackie who played trombone in the band and they married.  Scott and Steve were in ROTC together and went to the two summer camps together.  Scott and Jackie are no longer married and he was down in Phoenix over Easter weekend with his girl friend, Joan, to visit Joan's daughter and family and we got together for breakfast and to catch up.  It was a nice reunion.  And, I had an amazing gluten-free waffle at the restaurant - U.S. Egg.  

We were greeted Easter Sunday morning with a hot air balloon fly-over right outside our back patio.  It was so close I could hear the riders call out "Happy Easter". 

We had stake conference from 10-11:30 in the morning and then we headed up to Payson where we enjoyed Easter dinner with my sister, Juli.  Jesse had to work but he managed to stop by for a plate of food later on.  Kat was spending the day with her family.  

Vertigo!

This was my Wednesday (Don't be deceived by the cheerful blue "welcome".  The red sign, which you can't read very well says "emergency").....I woke up with extreme vertigo and accompanying nausea and it didn't go away.  I sent Steve to the mission office on his own and just laid on my bed trying to keep the room from spinning and to not think of food which would bring on more nausea.  I researched vertigo (meaning I asked my Google mini) and I also spoke with our mission nurse and it was determined that I should go to the ER to rule out a stroke!!!!!  Yikes.  So, I called Steve and he left the mission office to drive back up to Anthem (a 25 minute drive) to take me to the nearby emergency room.  All this amid the mayhem of a new-arrival / meet your trainer day (Elder Lambson, I need a bike......Elder Lambson, I need an emergency TiWi card issued.......Elder Lambson, here are 10 driver's licenses and driving records to process.......)

We spent four hours in the ER during which I had blood drawn, urine taken, and an EKG, a chest X-ray, a CT of my head - one with out and one with contrast, and an MRI of my head.  Everything checked out normal!!!....except for the urine which showed bacteria meaning a urinary tract infection.  Oh, and about half-way through my time in emergency, the room stopped spinning.  And, I have felt normal ever since!  I am on antibiotics for the UTI.  

WHAT was all that about?!?!?!?!!!  Well, at least I have "before" photos of the inside of my head should I ever need them (perish the thought).  

I forgot to post photos of my sister Juli's beautiful front yard flowers in Payson...

Here is an ocatillo blossom up close - this spring, they are especially beautiful.  And, below that is my silly, cute little succulent in my front yard.  It was hit hard by our February hail storm and here it is, bouncing back with new little buds.  

I have been sewing Easter dresses for Lucy and Larkin, thanks to the timely arrival of a box of fabric, notions, and a pattern from Emily on Monday.  Even with Wednesday's setback, I am almost finished with both and hope to ship them back on Tuesday.  I'll post photos when they are done.  With my sewing, I have been enjoying the second season of "Lark Rise to Candleford".  I have been in my happy place, for sure!

trip to Utah

Wow, this month is already half over!!!!  The cactus flowers have begun to bloom and the desert birds are sitting on eggs in their cactus-protected nests.  

On Friday, April 5th, we took a quick road trip with my sister, Juli, up to Utah!  Her daughter, Jamilyn, with her family had plans to fly from Maryland to attend General Conference so Juli wanted to drive up to see them and Steve and I decided to tag along so we could see Sarah and Kirsti, Ryan, and Alice....and to also attend General Conference.  The drive up and back...a ten hour trip...was made much easier by the beautiful scenery and the good company.

We watched the Saturday morning session in Provo with Kirsti and Alice at Kirsti's in-law's home.  (Andrea and Craig) (Ryan had to work) and we drove up to Ogden to watch the Saturday afternoon and Priesthood session with Sarah (and Bones and Lily)

In between the two sessions with Sarah, she took us on a tour of the Ogden nature center where she works.  We enjoyed the various birdhouses on the property as well as the creatures living there.

We stayed in a hotel in Provo Friday night (and loved watching HGTV!) and then with Steve's sister, Michelle who lives in Grantsville, on Saturday and Sunday nights.  We had tickets for the Sunday morning session of Conference so we parked and rode the TRAX to temple square.  We also got to briefly meet up with Jamilyn and family after the session was over.  

We returned to Grantsville to watch the Sunday afternoon session.  Sarah, Kirsti, Ryan, and Alice drove over to join us there.  And, after conference was all over, Steve's brother Jeff and Sister Maurine (with husband Cal) came to Michelle's for a nice visit.  Alice enjoyed the rural-ness of Grantsville

 

We drove back to Arizona on Monday and it was back to normal Tuesday morning....