Road Trip

You have heard much about some of our friends Barb, Shiloh, and Lockie. About a week ago, Barb and Michelle went on a road trip. Lockie had gone to visit grandma at the farm, and the girls went to get him and spend a few days in the fresh air of the northern Alberta farming community of Elk Point. Along the way, they found a few of the wonders of the modern world.

Like...the largest mushrooms in North America (eat your heart out Texas)

and this little treasure...The sign is great, but the greatest part is the phone number (780) 636-1499 for those who are looking for an appointment. (double click for a better view) Personally, I am curious about the "home style" part. In my house, we have an in-home professional, kind of like having one's own personal professional golfer in the club house. We are always prepared and groomed by the best, and now perhaps the folks in Vermilion have an advantage over the folks in other communities.

Here is Sunday Dinner for the next year. Beat that Foster Farms.

Remember the old children's story about Jack and the house he built? Well this is the cat that the dog ate. When Barb and Michelle were at the farm, the dog, Katy, got a hold of this cat by the neck for a few minutes. Barb's mom had to quit her job because the dog was acting out and eating the chickens and the cats and looking at the cows in a funny way...

Now that the snow has melted, the cat is an easy target.

One of Barbs sisters lives close by, and told their mother they had a dog that was eating chickens too, and to cure the dog from the bad habit, they tied the dead chicken around the dogs neck for a day. It worked for their dog, so Barbs mother tried it, and Katy just stood stock still. Wouldn't eat from the food dish, or drink from the water bowl, or do anything else. Maybe the dog is cured now. Maybe something like that would be a new wildly successful diet aid. (hang a slab of bacon around your neck for a few days, and presto-magico - no more cravings.

Michelle told me tonight that she loves a man behind a roto-tiller, so I'd better get me another one I guess. No, wait, I have one, it is just a small one, but they say size does not matter...

The potatoes that are being used this year for seed were last years crop. Amy, Barb's mother, grows enough every year for the whole family for the year, and for the next year for seed too. Michelle and Barb each brought home a bucket of chive starts like the ones in the little bucket beside Amy.

This is such a great picture. This is a great family.

Everyone helps to plant. When Michelle got home, and we downloaded the pictures, one of our snotty sons asked, "So, mum, did you help too, or did you just take pictures?" We let him live.

Amy, Dave, Lochlan, and Barb on planting day. We are going to have this one framed for them.

This is just one small thing for which we are grateful. Good friends are all around us, and the missionaries try to get us to share the gospel with our friends so they can enjoy the things we enjoy. To see the love this family has and shares with everyone around them is truly amazing. I want to be amazing too. Do you?

May(be), May(be not)

May 12:

CA meets AB (no, that is not part of a math problem)

Humph!

May 13:

Now we're talking!

Mother's Day

"Joseph, go outside and take some good pictures of your brother."

The reply is kind of half grunt and half sigh, not unsimilar to the noise a moody toddler makes when having to wear shoes and play with barbie dolls with his cousin.

So here is Samuel, just to the left of the small mourning bush. It is mourning the winter, and may not make it, however the Plant Doctor still has hope.

Here is another great composition of Samuel, a little to the right and down about 15 feet. He is riding his mountain bike on the way back from the jumps in a local park.

Samuel and a couple of his friends have made a few really big dirt jumps for bicycles, and are in a small turf war or "police action" over the area. Hopefully the UN will not have to send in negotiators or peace keepers.



The lovely lady and her naturally blonde retro viejo. Check out the really cool shoes.

Also notice how much greener things are this week compared to last week.

Spring is coming!


After the regular picture session, the boys remembered there was chocolate at home. They pooled their money and bought Michelle a gift basket from a local shop. The original idea was to get flowers and candles, and have some great chocolates on the side, but the folks at the gift shop saw through that little ploy.

They worry too much. Their mother is always willing to share her candy or other goodies with them.


Here are the two macho men with their mother. They were laughing and playing around about being too sexy for their shirts.

I think NOT!

They are good boys and we are fortunate to have them as sons.

with the Stars

So, here is a good question for you. How do you get youth to dance on Cinco de Mayo?

First you have to know a good recipe, and start out with great ingredients.

Prepare an area large enough to accommodate all the youth and all the leaders. Keep the latter off the dance floor, and use them later for garnish once refreshments are ready to be served.

The first great ingredient is a good sized group of Deacons. We suggest fresh ones, full of attitude.

If you have the typical variety, they will use closed body language to exhibit their disdain for having to touch girls (and or having to be touched by them.)

You can use the variety with the hands stuffed deep in the pockets, but this attitude is generally reserved for use by the third group.

The second group or ingredient is Young Women. They are usually more open to mixed activities, but they do try to hide their apprehension. We usually find this group running in packs to avoid situations where they can be singled our by the stronger (but goofier) half of the species

Last, add a healthy dose of Teacher or Priest attitude. This ingredeint is easy to find in pairs or small groups by bouncing a ball of any size or shape. It is like Pavlov's bell, bounce the ball one time and Teachers and Priests will fall from the sky, appear from no where, and circle the ball like sharks in a feeding frenzy.

Mix these three groups or ingredients, shake well to thoroughly integrate, and viola!

You get this!!

Dancing activities where youth actually touch and move to the beat of the music (In this case Latin music because of Cinco de Mayo). This interaction is infinitely better than watching the girls dance in small groups or by them selves, while the boys stand in small groups or by them selves because they are afraid of looking odd to the girls.

When it comes right down to it, there really is no good reason that our youth do not participate in more cultural activities other than the simple fact that the leaders are too scared to lead by example. I have never heard of a man killed by dancing with his wife. But i have heard of men killed by the jealous husbands of those women.

So, the lesson of the evening is, dance while the sun shines for tomorrow brings too many excuses: babies, work, no talent, etc. At this point let me just say that a lack of talent is easily cured by a little practice.

We had a great time, even us old parents who embarrassed our sons by dancing with them and all their friends. We will have to do this again.

Another Great Day in Northern Alberta

Another beautiful Fast Sunday in Canada has come and gone. You can see that while the weather is pointing to spring, the trees and grass do not believe it yet. We have planted and put out some flowers only to find them wilted in the frost in the morning. Today, for example, the high temperature was 23 degrees C, high seventies or low eighties, no clouds, in other words, absolutely beautiful.

So, after church we went by our favorite picture spot in Fort Mac. This spot is on the way to one of the golf courses here in town. We have taken pictures here almost every month for over a year to chronicle the seasons, the growth of our sons, and our experiences in Canada. Today we were joined by Bailey as her parents were out of town on a business trip. She fits right in and takes no grief from the boys. She also adds some beauty to little foray.


This could be our missionary couple picture.

We must admit that the sun was quite bright this afternoon. Actually it is also quite bright in the morning too. today the sun rose at about 5:10 am, and set at about 9:50 pm.

On the Summer Solstice, the times will be 3:30 am and 11:30 pm, give or take a few minutes.

It looks like the sunshine has also caused the boys to shoot up, not unlike it does the plants here too.


Zoolander lives, I'm sorry to say.

Service

The gospel is truly a wonderful thing to have in our lives. We get to share experiences with other families and make friends that last forever. We are blessed by knowing people here in Fort McMurray.


This is the family of Adam and Wendy, their children are: Gaetz, Kansaz, Zael, and Briggz. We have enjoyed having them in our Ward for just over one year. Wendy is councilor to Michelle.

Gaetz and Samuel go to school together.

We are going to miss them when they move to Okatoks this week.



Tonight at mutual, we helped them load the moving truck, U-Haul.

The boys loaded, and the girls cleaned the empty rooms and bathrooms. The whole job was done in about an hour.



Sam and Gaetz.

Two of the YM leaders showing off their acting skills. They are acting like adults acting like kids.

Barb helping clean the house too.

Kimball on beds.

Adam and Alan (hiding behind the Captain's Bed)

The YM, as usual, in the dark.

The YW, as usual, enlightened.

See how they lighten up when food is involved? Just kidding. They did a marvelous job tonight, and the ice cream sandwich is a small token of appreciation. I am glad to have the opportunity to do some real service with these boys. They all worked really well.

Jenny, Bailey, Wendy, Dayna, and Michelle. We missed the other YW tonight.

Ward Conference

Today we had our annual Ward Conference. Being so far away from the Stake, Edmonton is about 300 miles south from here, Ward Conference becomes a BIG deal. It is normal to enjoy the presence of the entire Stake Presidency, but this year we also had as visitors the entire Stake Young Men's Presidency, the entire Stake Young Women's Presidency, the entire Stake Relief Society Presidency, the entire Stake Primary Presidency, the entire Stake Sunday School Presidency, and the Stake Music Chairman. In short, the members of Stake leadership made us feel quite important. In the final session, the stake President mentioned a scene from just before Sacrament meeting that was very telling about my beautiful wife. This will not be a shock to anyone that knows her, but it was another in a long string of tender mercies in our lives.

Before Sacrament Meeting, we arrived at the chapel to make sure the Sacrament was prepared and ready for the meeting. Joseph and I went to the Sacrament Table and preparation area, and Samuel sat on the front pew to wait for the other Deacons and the start of the conference. Another Teacher and his father had prepared the Sacrament, except for the provisions for a family in our Ward recently diagnosed as celiac (the whole family). While Joseph cleaned the last tray and prepared the rice crackers, I made sure the Deacons knew to whom to pass first, then i stood in the back of the chapel to wait for another priest or prospective Elder to help bless.

From my vantage point I saw Michelle sitting in her "normal" place on the pew, and around her were 3 Young Women and a couple of Primary children. The girls were eagerly telling Michelle about their recent holidays, one in the States, in Walnut Creek as a matter of fact, at the home of the Barbers, and the other two YW, sisters, about their recent trip to Edmonton to participate in Temple Baptisms as a family.

From his vantage point the Stake President, President Purnell saw the same thing and said to his councilor, President Van Brugen (father of Elder Van Brugen who served in Concord Second Ward as a missionary in 2004 or 2005), "If that sister is not the YW President she ought to be Who is that?" President Van Brugen told President Purnell that Michelle was the YW Presidnet, and President Purnell replied, "That is as it should be. The YW are in good hands here."

Sure, it is a simple thing. And you may say it is not exactly world news, but it certainly was a beautiful and simple thing to behold, and tender that know that in the simple things there is peace, and a portion of the spirit, and a strengthening of testimony.

Later in the Adult Session of the Ward Conference, President Purnell asked where people were from and why they are in Fort McMurray. In reply to the second question, to told us all we are here because the Lord has for us a work to accomplish. In reply to the first question, in the congregation today there were members from all over Alberta, Ontario, Texas, California, North Carolina, El Salvador, Chile, New Zealand, Korea, and England. It is not hard to forget that the church is really a world wide organization, and it is comforting to know it is the same where ever you may be.

We believe in Christ, and are thankful for revelation, modern prophets, and testimonies.



Barb and Locky came over the other day to plant a few seeds. He really likes to see the seeds grow, and when one of his plants started to fail, he brought it back so Michelle could "fix it better."

As you can see, the seeds have sprouted and are growing nicely, and my bread making pans are multitasking. (talented pans)


So, back to Ward Conference, between our meeting time and the the meeting time of the other Fort Mac ward, we provided a simple meal for our visitors. The Young Men and Women served, and at the end of the service and clean-up (you should have seen Joseph hand wash dishes) there were Tiger Stripe Brownies and Lemon Bars. Can you guess which one Samuel had?

We are planning a trip to the States in early July: 3 days in the Bay Area to see Amy and friends, 5 or 6 days in El Paso with Michelle's family, 4 or 5 days in Albuquerque with Alan's family, 2-3 days in Salt Lake to see Ashley's family (and new baby, Oliver) and hopefully Jacob too, then back home to Canada. More details later, as they become available.

Hugs and Kisses,

Alan and Michelle