Easter 2009

Happy Easter everyone. We hope your Easter was a good one, spent with family and friends. The weather is warming up, and Michelle bought some great plants the other day, including 2 grape vines. We hope to have a small harvest in the fall. We can see the tops of the garden boxes again, so we expect to see some spring flowers soon. We planted a ton of fall bulbs last October and early November.



Since most of the snow is melted now, we celebrated by firing up the cheap BBQ. Had to hunt down some charcoal first, then off to the store for a can of scout water.

There is nothing quite like a big juicy burger hot off the grill with all the trimmings: great cheese, crisp lettuce, fresh tomato, green chili. And what goes better with burgers than great chips? Nothing. Here is "Charlie's Chips"


Bend...

and Snap!

"Please let me go home now. I'm starving."

One of our favorite picture spots in town. This place over looks the river. At the bottom of this hill is one of the golf courses in town. With the warm weather forecast for this week, perhaps the river will break up by next weekend.

Of course, by Warm weather we mean above freezing. It was 45 yesterday, and seems like 100 motorcycles were roaring around town.

This is our version of the Beatles Abbey Road.

Well, Easter is the season for the Annual Simpson Family Midnight Easter Egg Hunt. This year Joseph and Samuel were very helpful. They chose what kind of candy to put in the plastic eggs to be hidden. They bought the candy and stuffed the eggs. They hid the eggs, and then they found most of them without help. Being rather large boys, they do get inventive with the hiding places.

The cars are always favorites hiding places.

But this year, this was the best. That egg is almost 8 feet off the ground. You have to jump off a big rock (landscape decoration) to get to it.

General Conference

We love General Conference weekend, especially the Saturday Priesthood Session. This years talks were inspiring, and after the conference session, we went to A&W Root Beer for a snack. The snack consisted of gigantic hamburgers, a small mountain of fries, and either chocolate shakes or root beer mugs measured in gallons. Don't let the facial expressions fool you though, we really do love General Conference.

The Sunday Sessions are also really good. We do not get it on TV, so we watch the streaming video on the computer. Of course that way we get to argue over who sits in the computer chair, and inevitably a game of musical chairs breaks out.

After the Sunday afternoon session, we have friends over for dinner. This time Locky brought his parents and we tried a new roll recipe. The "pillow soft" rolls were OK, but the general consensus was to keep the old recipe. The roast beef was good, but not as good a the rousing game of Go Fish after dinner.

Samuel with his game face, and Joseph trying to divine the cards of the other players. Locky lent us his deck of cards so we could play a game after FHE the next night.

We have been looking for a new car recently, and I thought this little gem might be an answer for us. It has excellent sight lines, with no blind spots. I comes in this really great color, so it is easy to spot in the snow, or a crowded parking lot. It does have a few drawbacks though. For example it only seats one, and the mileage is a bit low.

This is the Komatsu version of the Cat 979. These are the largest dump trucks in the world, each capable of carrying a 500,000 pound payload. These trucks are shipped to the oil sands plants on 12 semi truck loads and assembled on site. BTW, these trucks burn about 4000 gallons of fuel in a 10 hour shift.

Hugs and Kisses,

Alan and Michelle

I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.

Last Tuesday we had the last snow storm we had. It will not be the last one of the season as we expect 2 more before all the snow melts and the ice on the river breaks up. Last year the last storm of the year was a real doozie, bringing enough snow that they closed the schools for the first time in almost a decade. We continue to hope the weather this year continues as it has so far, milder than last year.

So every Tuesday we shovel the walks at the chapel so the task is easier on Sunday morning. This picture, taken on March 24 shows the mound of snow removed. The mound is about 5 feet high. This morning at church, the side walks are clear (due to the warm temps of 35 to 36 F all week) and now new snow. The mound is now only 4 feet high.

The groundhog (remember Feb second?) was wrong. He saw his shadow and we get 12 more weeks of winter.

The YW had an activity last week on photography. They all brought cameras and took portraits of each other, and photographed the activity the YM were involved in that night.

There is a great local photographer here in town, and she came to YW that night to show the girls about her profession. Check out the blog listing on her blog - Beautiful Young Ladies, posted on March 25, 2009. The link is below.

http://mackenziegphotography.blogspot.com/

Sheila, Diane, and Shauna at a brunch for sisters in our Ward.

I just cannot remember what I was supposed to do here at the top this really steep hill while strapped on to a plank.

Oh, now I know - Have fun sliding down the hill. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket.

Samuel and Gaetz. Gaetz' family has only been here for just over a year, and his mother is in YW with Michelle, but his father has been transferred to Calgary, so we must say good bye.

We will miss them.

The missionaries had an activity the other day for the boys to try. See how long they could hold out the scriptures at arms-length.

Two minutes? No problem!

What? Only 1:50? Let me do it again.

Remember that snow referenced above? Here is the California response to a little snow. Shorts.

Me: Joseph, please get dressed and shovel the walk for your mother to get to the car.

Him: I don't need to change, Come on Sam, Let's clear the walk way.

Me: (chuckling quietly) Darlin', get the camera for me, please.

This week end we had Gaetz stay with us for a YM trip to the Temple to do baptisms while his folks went to look for a house in Okatoks, just south of Calgary. The three boys had a great time. This is a double piggy-back ride. The other views are not suitable for publication because of a Page 602. (if you remember that, you are really old)

Hooray for Day Light Savings Time!

With all the snow yesterday, and the change in time to Day Light Savings Time, getting to church was difficult today. There is one good thing and one bad thing about the spring snows here. The good thing is that the snow is real fine flakes, very light, so shoveling is not difficult at all. The bad thing is that the snow is real fine flakes, very light, so it blows everywhere. When you shovel, even the slightest breeze tends to blow the snow back into your face. I like the good thing about it.

So do these guys. The YM here are in charge of shoveling walkways before church. We did the back doors first, where most of the members arrive, and the front walks later, mostly for emergency egress. The drifts today were about 4 feet high, but... (see the good thing above).
The YW and the YM are learning to lead music. The Ward Chorister comes in every week to teach a little, and people get a chance to practice.

Even these two clowns get to show off their abilities. Layton and Dustin were clowning around, and got caught by the Chorister. She invited them up because Layton was leading with 2 hands, and it turned into, "you control volume, and I'll control which side of the room sings." It really was a fun time for all the youth and the leaders too.

Jenny, on the right, and her cousin, Magdalena, who recently moved to a First Nations settlement close to here called Janvier (pronounced Jan-vee-AYE). Her mother teaches school there.

The YW and leaders today.

After church, we tried out a new place to take photos, and the sun came out in a big way. It was not a good day to have left shades at home in the early morning.

Alan making rolls for an upcoming Reliefs Society Dinner and Social function. It was to be a birthday dinner, but it has turned into a despedida for the old RS pres, who is moving with her husband to British Columbia to help care for his father who recently suffered a stroke.

This is a test. Can you find any differences between the garden last November (see pic below) and today?

I can see one, there is a small tip of a plant showing in this picture that has not been completely inundated by snow yet.

And another one, If you were to walk into the garden today, your boots would not get muddy.


El Guapo del jardin, y sus hijos chistosos.

Happy Birthday Michelle! (IM)

Happy Birthday Michelle. Today is a great day to celebrate with you. Outside the temperature is hovering right around -20, but in the house the love and goodness are hovering right around fantastic.




One of many friends stop by to wish the birthday girl much happiness and love on her special day. The snow, more than 8 inches so far today, did not deter friends from stopping by or calling.


Some of the Young Women from the Ward sent best wishes too.



The balloons are from the YW, and the flowers are from some of the General Foremen that work for Alan. They wanted to thank her for letting him work with them.



Samuel helps prepare the birthday dinner. Beef Stroganoff, glazed carrots, an apple-avocado salad, and fresh french bread. only one thing should be better than that...



GERMAN CHOCOLATE CAKE!!

This is the 20th year with the traditional birthday cake for Michelle. All the children have asked for the cake too, but only one person receives the festive treat, my beautiful bride. This is her favorite cake.
Legend has it that one time, as a little girl, Michelle was sent by her mother to the local bakery to buy rolls for dinner, and she returned with a German chocolate cake. It was her mother's favorite cake too, but that did not deter a swat on the rump, and not a birthday swat either.

The finished product. This is really a simple recipe, but one that gets rave reviews every year. It is quite simply delicious, and better with a scoop of a great vanilla bean ice cream on the side.




Ready for the celebration dinner.


Wishing for another year of blessings and happiness.





Samuel shows off some of the shopping bags that Nettie sent from Germany. They arrived today, so we had to go to the store to try them out.


Samuel shows off his present for his mother before she got them.



The balloons and banner from the YW.



Ashley sent a really cool table runner from Guatemala in her mother's favorite color combination, pink and orange. It looks so good on this pottery, and it goes well with the rug from Mexico in the living room, the table will have to get along without the decoration.




Happy Birthday Darlin'.


I love you.

Ye Olde Valentine's Day Celebration

Argh Matey's!

Tis the season for the lasses and the lads to cut loose and raise a toast of affection for the fairest in the land. Tis the Day celebrated for ye olde saint of the forlorn and the forscorn (not to mention the forsaken and the afore-taken), Aye, tis of dear olde Saint Valentine we speak, Bless me soul and shiver me timbers.

Fix ye peepers on this bevy of lasses, lost in the winds of the wild, wild, north seas, who, blinded by affections on lads and mates alike, while away the hours of mutual to render notes of promises summoned on the season.

( the YW leaders and girls prepare valentines to give "Heart Attacks" to ward members)


The booty mounts in the ships stores and the lasses sing shanties of hope for the lads.

( Young women always make little gift bags look good, and they can sing on-tune to any number or style of song imaginable)


Aye, ye eyes do not deceive ye olde bones, Tiz many of the same lasses as last week, gossipin' as regular wenches, o' them scurvy lads.

(the YW always talk about the boys, when they are not talking about boys.)









Tiz off on the frozen wind to spread the cheer o' the season and treasures amongst the land lubbers, the keel-hauled, and them what the Kraken left behind.



( the YW are off to deliver the beautiful little valentines wishes and packages of candies at the doors of members in our Ward.)


And what o' the lads ye inquire? Aye, ye ought to know the scallywags dared to match wits with the lasses at the games o' love.


(the Young Men also prepared valentines wishes for the Young Women to be delivered in the morning on Valentine's Day.)


Hear ye! Hear ye! Let it be known amoungst one and all that tiz a lad herein that pineth for a lass.


(this YM has a special valentine for one of the YW)


Argh! The mates have jumped ship, like scurvy rats they be, and run amuck in the tundra, plastering recruitment posters on doorways of weigh stations and boarding establishments.


(the YM "heart attacked" each house of the YW in the Ward)


Abandon Ship Boys! One o' the crew rang the ships bell announcin' to the other crew the arrival o' the booty fer the lass o' the manor.

(ding-dong ditching is not as easy on snow and ice as it looks in the movies.)



Aye maties, at the 10 o' clock hour, another knave, seen here surrounded by lasses, was pressed into service fer the realm.

(Kayden, here with two of his sisters, was baptized on Saturday. After the end of the "heart attacking" we went to the service, and the spirit there was remarkable!)