Well we are back in Farmington after a trip to Tucson to see Ted, KC, and Lu. It was nice and warm there. We saw Arizona at its finest on the trip down. Thru the Salt River Canyon everything was green and in bloom and it had a certain charm. But past Globe it was still the Aridzona we remember. We helped work on KC's garden and played with Lu. We got to see her gymnastics class and she is really good at it. She can do handstands, round offs, and cartwheels. She is a good reader and has great fine motor skills so her handwriting is great and she is an expert colorer. It was fun to spend time with them.
It has been cooler here - only 14 degrees yesterday morning. It is not at green as here yet as spring is still on its way. We will stay here til next Monday to celebrate Jane's upcoming 4th birthday and Easter. Then it is off to Utah and Idaho. We will see family and friends on the way. Marv's scoutmaster lives in Moab and we are hoping to visit with him. My sister lives in the Salt Lake area as does Marv's sister. I got in touch with my old mission president and his wife and we are hoping to see them.
We are getting nearer to having everything in place for our mission. But it has not been easy. We spent an entire day getting a few things done. After several attempts to get a NM driver license, I simply got a state ID. The MVD is extremely picky and even after I got the original signed medical form from Minnesota, because two people wrote on the form, they wouldn't accept it. Only the doctor can write on it evidently. Then when we tried to get immunizations, at first they said that I would have to start all over again on the HEP A and B series. Finally after two hours, they decided I could just get the two shots I needed to finish the series that day. But Marv only got two shots and has to have another in Italy. Then Marv needed a copy of a church document buried in storage somewhere but we were able to get a copy from Duluth. But it can only be signed by the stake president who is out of town and since we are leaving in a week for Idaho, it will have to be mailed there. Then I needed a seminary graduation certificate but I never finished seminary (a religious class we take in high school) as they didn't have it where I went to high school in upstate New York in 1968. But we figured out a way around that too. So we think we have all we need now for our visa process. We just have to send off all the info to Salt Lake and they will take it from there.
We have our travel itinerary and training schedule. We only stay in Provo for a week now and fly out on the 8th of July and arrive in Milano on the 9th. We are so excited. Now we have to shop for luggage, clothes, travel stuff, etc. That is the fun part at least for me. Marv is NOT a shopper especially for clothes so for him it will be an ordeal. We (well, Marv) is in the process of buying a new computer and a new tablet for me. I dropped my Kindle and it died so we have to replace it. I am desperate for books!
We are loving being footloose and able to do whatever we want each day. Marv misses work less and less. The ability to just get up and go each day is fun. We like doing projects for the kids and I have made doll clothes for each of the girls. We are busy storing up memories with the grandkids to warm our hearts while we are away. We know that we are doing the right thing and that serving others is a great blessing not just for us but for our kids and grandkids. Ciao for now!
Monday, March 25, 2013
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Tucson with Ted, KC & Lu
March 23,2013
On Saturday, March 16 we packed up and drove down to Tucson to see Ted, KC & Lu. It was a wonderful trip. Ted has been very busy with his job, and this looked like the only time he would be a little free for a visit. We had a wonderful time. Ted had a list of projects for me to work on while I was there. We installed/repaired a new sprinkler system that had 3 lines - 1) for KC to hand water her new raised bed garden, 2) a future line for the automatic watering of the garden, and 3) for the future front yard. I also helped assemble a new chicken coop for KC and also hauled all of the dirt for the new garden.
On Saturday, March 16 we packed up and drove down to Tucson to see Ted, KC & Lu. It was a wonderful trip. Ted has been very busy with his job, and this looked like the only time he would be a little free for a visit. We had a wonderful time. Ted had a list of projects for me to work on while I was there. We installed/repaired a new sprinkler system that had 3 lines - 1) for KC to hand water her new raised bed garden, 2) a future line for the automatic watering of the garden, and 3) for the future front yard. I also helped assemble a new chicken coop for KC and also hauled all of the dirt for the new garden.
New raised bed garden. KC is ready to plant. With the new Chicken coop in the background.
After we left the Easter bunny brought them 4 chicks. I think their names are Amelia Bodelia, Amelia Earhart, Betsy Ross, and Rosa Parks
I got to ride my bike several times and we even got to go see Lu at her gymnastics practice. WOW! I was really impressed with her ability to run, tumble, do round offs, cartwheels, hand stands and lots of other tumbling feats. Lu was clearly more advanced than the other little girls.
Lu doing her stretching warm ups
Friday, March 15, 2013
Farmington
Friday, March 15, 2013
Today is our last day in Farmington for a while. Tomorrow we leave bright and early to drive down to Tucson to visit Ted, KC and Lu.
I found the cable for my little camera so hear are a couple of pictures. Last Saturday we we drove to Chaco Canyon to see the Indian Ruins there. WOW! it was way more than I expected. There were 7 or 8 major villages. And each village was very large. I was very impressed. It snowed that day and there was a very stiff breeze (the only cold day we have had here).
This week we went to a private museum here in Farmington. This guy struck it rich in the oil fields here in the San Juan valley and spent every spare moment he had traveling the world collecting specimens and having them mounted. There were thousands of them!
He had animals from every continent. There were birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, mammals, even a few spiders and insects. It was truly amazing. The museum is open to the public by appointment only. It was a great trip. (about 2 miles from Leigh's home).
The place I have been riding my bike is up on the mesa south of the valley. It is owned by the Navajo and appears to be a well run major corporate farm spotted with oil and gas wells. Most of the roads are paved (chipped) and there is very little traffic. Perfect for biking. My 1st ride up there I got two flats from thorns so I ordered thorn resistant tubes and have had no troubles since. In the picture below beyond the farm is Farmington with the La Plata mountains in Colorado in the distance. Today was a little cloudy so the mountains do not stand out as much as on a clear blue sky like it is most days here. Today it got up to 75 degrees with almost no wind. It was a great ride!
Today I received what I believe is my last check stub from Northshore Mining. It will be tough to see those paychecks stop. It was a great 15 years up in Minnesota. But it sure is nice down here in the warm southwest.
Marv
Today is our last day in Farmington for a while. Tomorrow we leave bright and early to drive down to Tucson to visit Ted, KC and Lu.
I found the cable for my little camera so hear are a couple of pictures. Last Saturday we we drove to Chaco Canyon to see the Indian Ruins there. WOW! it was way more than I expected. There were 7 or 8 major villages. And each village was very large. I was very impressed. It snowed that day and there was a very stiff breeze (the only cold day we have had here).
This week we went to a private museum here in Farmington. This guy struck it rich in the oil fields here in the San Juan valley and spent every spare moment he had traveling the world collecting specimens and having them mounted. There were thousands of them!
He had animals from every continent. There were birds, reptiles, fish, amphibians, mammals, even a few spiders and insects. It was truly amazing. The museum is open to the public by appointment only. It was a great trip. (about 2 miles from Leigh's home).
The place I have been riding my bike is up on the mesa south of the valley. It is owned by the Navajo and appears to be a well run major corporate farm spotted with oil and gas wells. Most of the roads are paved (chipped) and there is very little traffic. Perfect for biking. My 1st ride up there I got two flats from thorns so I ordered thorn resistant tubes and have had no troubles since. In the picture below beyond the farm is Farmington with the La Plata mountains in Colorado in the distance. Today was a little cloudy so the mountains do not stand out as much as on a clear blue sky like it is most days here. Today it got up to 75 degrees with almost no wind. It was a great ride!
Today I received what I believe is my last check stub from Northshore Mining. It will be tough to see those paychecks stop. It was a great 15 years up in Minnesota. But it sure is nice down here in the warm southwest.
Marv
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Officially Retired
March 12, 2013
Yesterday was my last official day of work. As of today I am no longer on vacation but I am RETIRED! It is difficult to comprehend even after the lengthy time it has been since my retirement party and all of our travels. Retirement is something that we look forward to for many many years, but when it arrives it is difficult to believe it is really here. All of my life I have worked. I have had a paying job since I was 12 years old and was a paper boy. Now it is time to enjoy our savings and put our efforts into family and the things that are really important.
I have settled into a routine here in New Mexico where I read a few investment blogs in the morning and catch up on the news, then I have breakfast with the grand kids. This is followed by doing a few home repairs that need attention and helping the girls with their school work. After lunch while the grand kids are having naps and "quiet time" I go for a bike ride. In any spare time I have been working on completing our income taxes and organizing our files that we are packing around with us. I am also going though a daily Italian course on the Ipad that is beginning to get difficult. I will persevere because I am convinced that this effort now will make it easier when we get to Italy.
I do have to say that the best part about being retired is the feeling that we can pick up and leave and go anywhere we want at any time. It is a very liberating feeling. But even with that freedom there are priorities and responsibilities. Just because we have reached the stage when we have accumulated enough wealth to leave the working world does not mean it is all about us. We must focus on our priorities and goals and stay busy doing what we can to make wise decisions.
I have lost the connecting cable that allows us to download pictures from the camera to the computer. As soon as possible I will post of few pictures.
Take care
Marv
Yesterday was my last official day of work. As of today I am no longer on vacation but I am RETIRED! It is difficult to comprehend even after the lengthy time it has been since my retirement party and all of our travels. Retirement is something that we look forward to for many many years, but when it arrives it is difficult to believe it is really here. All of my life I have worked. I have had a paying job since I was 12 years old and was a paper boy. Now it is time to enjoy our savings and put our efforts into family and the things that are really important.
I have settled into a routine here in New Mexico where I read a few investment blogs in the morning and catch up on the news, then I have breakfast with the grand kids. This is followed by doing a few home repairs that need attention and helping the girls with their school work. After lunch while the grand kids are having naps and "quiet time" I go for a bike ride. In any spare time I have been working on completing our income taxes and organizing our files that we are packing around with us. I am also going though a daily Italian course on the Ipad that is beginning to get difficult. I will persevere because I am convinced that this effort now will make it easier when we get to Italy.
I do have to say that the best part about being retired is the feeling that we can pick up and leave and go anywhere we want at any time. It is a very liberating feeling. But even with that freedom there are priorities and responsibilities. Just because we have reached the stage when we have accumulated enough wealth to leave the working world does not mean it is all about us. We must focus on our priorities and goals and stay busy doing what we can to make wise decisions.
I have lost the connecting cable that allows us to download pictures from the camera to the computer. As soon as possible I will post of few pictures.
Take care
Marv
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Well, we are in New Mexico and loving being with the grandkids. The weather is perfect and warm. We are trying to get used to being retired and doing projects for Leigh and Bryce to keep busy. Not that the kids don't keep us busy reading stories, helping us do chores, and playing outside.
We learned that in order to get a visa for Italy, we have to become either NM or ID residents. We chose NM because once we are residents we can apply for a visa by mail but if we become ID residents we have to apply in person to the nearest consulate in California. So we tried to become NM residents and applied for drivers licenses here. Marv did ok but when I checked that I am diabetic, NM requires a medical doctor to fill out a medical history first. So I am trying to get my doctor in MN to fill out the form and get it back by mail (won't let it be faxed or emailed must be original form so by snail mail.) Weird! So we are playing a waiting game. Thank goodness they pushed our leave date for Italy to July 13. We are getting so excited about Italy. We are trying to get immunizations done, visa done, financial stuff organized, clothes, etc. We are already getting info from the mission president in Milano which is nice. We feel so blessed to be able to serve in Italy and to serve our Heavenly Father. We both enjoyed and appreciate our first missions so many years ago. The spiritual and mental growth was tremendous and the experiences we had changed our lives and have been a great blessing throughout our lives. We will celebrate our 36th anniversary next week and looking back, overall it has been great. We have learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried some, lived a lot, prayed a lot, and enjoyed most of it. We have three wonderful children that we are so proud of. We have four super grandchildren that we love a lot. We are relatively healthy for our ages and are eager to see what the next 36 years hold for us. We've always told our kids as they grew up that life is an adventure and each new trip, goal, experience should begin with "and let the adventure begin". We also told them that adventures may not always be fun or go quite how we expect so just hang on and ride the waves. Families are so important and the most important aspect of this life. One of our prophets said that no success in life and compensate for failure in the home. We have tried to follow that sage advice in our home.
We continue the adventure here in NM for now. Later this month we will travel to see Ted and his family in Tucson. Ciao!
We learned that in order to get a visa for Italy, we have to become either NM or ID residents. We chose NM because once we are residents we can apply for a visa by mail but if we become ID residents we have to apply in person to the nearest consulate in California. So we tried to become NM residents and applied for drivers licenses here. Marv did ok but when I checked that I am diabetic, NM requires a medical doctor to fill out a medical history first. So I am trying to get my doctor in MN to fill out the form and get it back by mail (won't let it be faxed or emailed must be original form so by snail mail.) Weird! So we are playing a waiting game. Thank goodness they pushed our leave date for Italy to July 13. We are getting so excited about Italy. We are trying to get immunizations done, visa done, financial stuff organized, clothes, etc. We are already getting info from the mission president in Milano which is nice. We feel so blessed to be able to serve in Italy and to serve our Heavenly Father. We both enjoyed and appreciate our first missions so many years ago. The spiritual and mental growth was tremendous and the experiences we had changed our lives and have been a great blessing throughout our lives. We will celebrate our 36th anniversary next week and looking back, overall it has been great. We have learned a lot, laughed a lot, cried some, lived a lot, prayed a lot, and enjoyed most of it. We have three wonderful children that we are so proud of. We have four super grandchildren that we love a lot. We are relatively healthy for our ages and are eager to see what the next 36 years hold for us. We've always told our kids as they grew up that life is an adventure and each new trip, goal, experience should begin with "and let the adventure begin". We also told them that adventures may not always be fun or go quite how we expect so just hang on and ride the waves. Families are so important and the most important aspect of this life. One of our prophets said that no success in life and compensate for failure in the home. We have tried to follow that sage advice in our home.
We continue the adventure here in NM for now. Later this month we will travel to see Ted and his family in Tucson. Ciao!
Thursday, February 21, 2013
beach life
Feb 21
Wow. After a day of driving in rain we arrived on the beach. Last night we were in Galveston and tonight we are in Corpus Christi. On the beach and loving it. We ate dinner on the water and are loving fried oysters, shrimp, and crawdads. We drove back to our hotel with the windows rolled down to let in the sea air. There was a misty haze that made all the lights fuzzy and mysterious. This is what retirement is all about. Tomorrow we visit the USS Lexington and roam North Padre Island. There is even a whooping crane festival this weekend. We feel really lazy. Not that we haven't been busy this trip. We have made amazing strides on our family history. In Missouri and Oklahoma we made progress and saw a lot of mountain ridges where my Richardson lines lived for a time. In Arkansas we found my Reeder line at a tiny cemetery in Perry County. I found pictures of my great great grandparents on both my Hulse side and my Anderson-Fort lines. We spent a wonderful day with my cousins Frank and Sue Cullum who have seven huge notebooks on my Anderson lines. We finally figured out where the May name came from and added new names and talked a mile a minute. What a treat. Then one of my great uncle's daughter (born in 1932) I have never met called from Washington state and we plan on getting together in the near future in Wyoming. We had a great time with my cousin Janet and my cousin Chuck. Janet made a truly wonderful southern dinner with seven vegetables including fried okra! Heaven. It was fun to remember our childhood time together. There is a unique feeling to walk where our ancestors walked and lived. In the south people don't ask where you are from but who are your people. Who you belong to matters. We are the dream they had of a better life for their heritage. It is why they left settled life and came from across the seas and across the unknown land to build their dreams. When we connect with them, it is magical and humbling. In Texas, Marv found the grave of his great great grandfather Absolom Burton. (grave was under Abb). We also visited areas his grandmother lived. We tramped in tiny graveyards down country lanes and loved it. Now we are tramping the beach and palm trees. There are even bayous and alligators here too. What fun! It just keeps getting better and better. Next week we will be in New Mexico with three of our grandkids. All this and our upcoming mission to Italy. Our mission start date has been changed to July 1 - we will spend two weeks in Provo and be in Italy by July 13. It fairly takes our breath away. We will post pictures of the beach soon. We think of all of you especially as we watch the weather channel for up north. Ciao for now!
Wow. After a day of driving in rain we arrived on the beach. Last night we were in Galveston and tonight we are in Corpus Christi. On the beach and loving it. We ate dinner on the water and are loving fried oysters, shrimp, and crawdads. We drove back to our hotel with the windows rolled down to let in the sea air. There was a misty haze that made all the lights fuzzy and mysterious. This is what retirement is all about. Tomorrow we visit the USS Lexington and roam North Padre Island. There is even a whooping crane festival this weekend. We feel really lazy. Not that we haven't been busy this trip. We have made amazing strides on our family history. In Missouri and Oklahoma we made progress and saw a lot of mountain ridges where my Richardson lines lived for a time. In Arkansas we found my Reeder line at a tiny cemetery in Perry County. I found pictures of my great great grandparents on both my Hulse side and my Anderson-Fort lines. We spent a wonderful day with my cousins Frank and Sue Cullum who have seven huge notebooks on my Anderson lines. We finally figured out where the May name came from and added new names and talked a mile a minute. What a treat. Then one of my great uncle's daughter (born in 1932) I have never met called from Washington state and we plan on getting together in the near future in Wyoming. We had a great time with my cousin Janet and my cousin Chuck. Janet made a truly wonderful southern dinner with seven vegetables including fried okra! Heaven. It was fun to remember our childhood time together. There is a unique feeling to walk where our ancestors walked and lived. In the south people don't ask where you are from but who are your people. Who you belong to matters. We are the dream they had of a better life for their heritage. It is why they left settled life and came from across the seas and across the unknown land to build their dreams. When we connect with them, it is magical and humbling. In Texas, Marv found the grave of his great great grandfather Absolom Burton. (grave was under Abb). We also visited areas his grandmother lived. We tramped in tiny graveyards down country lanes and loved it. Now we are tramping the beach and palm trees. There are even bayous and alligators here too. What fun! It just keeps getting better and better. Next week we will be in New Mexico with three of our grandkids. All this and our upcoming mission to Italy. Our mission start date has been changed to July 1 - we will spend two weeks in Provo and be in Italy by July 13. It fairly takes our breath away. We will post pictures of the beach soon. We think of all of you especially as we watch the weather channel for up north. Ciao for now!
Monday, February 11, 2013
The Call
Monday February 11, 2013
While at the Rib joint on Friday in St Louis, we checked our email on the phone and found that there was something from the the Senior Missionary Department. The email was one of congratulations and telling us that a certain couple had been assigned to answer any questions we had about our call. Also that we did not need to call them unless we had not received the call in the mail yet. We of course had been checking with our daughter Leigh daily to find out if the call call had arrived at her mail box (she was our designated mail recipient while we are on this Retirement trip). She had not received anything from Salt Lake so we give this couple a call. He is not in the office and on the way home. He tells me to give him a call the next day (Saturday) and he will hop on his computer, log in and check on our call.
Along with this email are a couple of attachments. Both of them have to do with paying bills and handling financial affairs while serving in a foreign country! We were excited before and were trying hard not to get our hopes up, but this certainly hinted that we had been called to a foreign mission.
Saturday morning I give this guy a call and patiently wait while he goes to his computer, logs on, and pulls up our information. He then says "nice assignment". I ask him what the assignment is and he says that he is not allowed to tell me over the phone. He asks where we requested to go And I tell him Italy doing anything. He asks where in Italy and I tell him that it does not matter. I press him again for some indication where we are going and he says that we will not be disappointed. He tells me that our call should have arrived and that if we have not received it in the Monday mail that we can call him and he will send us an email with a scanned copy of the call letter.
Now we have to wait another couple of days. The wait was even more excruciating because we were both in pain due to the food poisoning incident. This was not a good weekend!
Monday, we painfully left St Louis and headed south. Even though we were not feeling good, we needed to make some progress on our trip. By mid day Leigh had called a couple of times each time she went up the road to her mail box to check the mail and told us the mail had not come yet. We pulled off the road after 1 pm (noon Salt Lake time), to make the phone call request to have call emailed to us. Of course they were not in the office (gone to lunch?) so I left a voice mail and also sent an email to them. In another hour we pulled over again and gave them another call. They finally reluctantly agreed to send us the email scan of the call letter. We waited - nothing. So we decided to drive on down the road to our hotel for the night.
About 30 minutes down the road Peg checked the email there was something there! There was no indication in the email. Perhaps it was in the two attachments. As she struggled to read the extremely small print as the attachment came up on her phone, she finally deciphered that the call was to Milano Italy! This is a dream come true. This is the same mission that Peg severed in back in 1972 & 1973 before we ever met! It is too good to be true. Our assignment is as "Office Specialists".
The tears were flowing! Peg began to call family and others to inform them of our call. I was trying to stay on the road and ended up driving past the exit for our hotel. Wow! What a day!
While at the Rib joint on Friday in St Louis, we checked our email on the phone and found that there was something from the the Senior Missionary Department. The email was one of congratulations and telling us that a certain couple had been assigned to answer any questions we had about our call. Also that we did not need to call them unless we had not received the call in the mail yet. We of course had been checking with our daughter Leigh daily to find out if the call call had arrived at her mail box (she was our designated mail recipient while we are on this Retirement trip). She had not received anything from Salt Lake so we give this couple a call. He is not in the office and on the way home. He tells me to give him a call the next day (Saturday) and he will hop on his computer, log in and check on our call.
Along with this email are a couple of attachments. Both of them have to do with paying bills and handling financial affairs while serving in a foreign country! We were excited before and were trying hard not to get our hopes up, but this certainly hinted that we had been called to a foreign mission.
Saturday morning I give this guy a call and patiently wait while he goes to his computer, logs on, and pulls up our information. He then says "nice assignment". I ask him what the assignment is and he says that he is not allowed to tell me over the phone. He asks where we requested to go And I tell him Italy doing anything. He asks where in Italy and I tell him that it does not matter. I press him again for some indication where we are going and he says that we will not be disappointed. He tells me that our call should have arrived and that if we have not received it in the Monday mail that we can call him and he will send us an email with a scanned copy of the call letter.
Now we have to wait another couple of days. The wait was even more excruciating because we were both in pain due to the food poisoning incident. This was not a good weekend!
Monday, we painfully left St Louis and headed south. Even though we were not feeling good, we needed to make some progress on our trip. By mid day Leigh had called a couple of times each time she went up the road to her mail box to check the mail and told us the mail had not come yet. We pulled off the road after 1 pm (noon Salt Lake time), to make the phone call request to have call emailed to us. Of course they were not in the office (gone to lunch?) so I left a voice mail and also sent an email to them. In another hour we pulled over again and gave them another call. They finally reluctantly agreed to send us the email scan of the call letter. We waited - nothing. So we decided to drive on down the road to our hotel for the night.
About 30 minutes down the road Peg checked the email there was something there! There was no indication in the email. Perhaps it was in the two attachments. As she struggled to read the extremely small print as the attachment came up on her phone, she finally deciphered that the call was to Milano Italy! This is a dream come true. This is the same mission that Peg severed in back in 1972 & 1973 before we ever met! It is too good to be true. Our assignment is as "Office Specialists".
The tears were flowing! Peg began to call family and others to inform them of our call. I was trying to stay on the road and ended up driving past the exit for our hotel. Wow! What a day!
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