Captain Christian and other adventures!

My brother's family spent Easter week back East visiting the historical sites around Washington, D.C.  Christian bought the pilot's cap at the Smithsonian and it so delighted the co-pilot of the commercial jet they were taking home, that he got a very special tour of the cockpit!  Christian, who will be 9 years old in June, was thrilled as the co-pilot showed him how a few of the many dials and buttons on the console worked.  What a thrill for a little boy!  I have to say, I'm impressed.  I've never gotten to sit in the pilot's seat of a commercial jet!  And I'm quite surprised that they would do this in our post 9/11 world. I hasten to add, this took place on the ground, during the pre-boarding routine.  But thank you, Mr. Co-Pilot, whoever, wherever you are.  You sure made one little boy's day!

My sister-in-law writes: "We're having a good time here in Washington D.C. We've seen quite a few sites--the Washington and Lincoln monuments and the war memorials. We spent time on Friday and Saturday visiting museums, the air and space museum, the American history museum, Dad and Anders saw the Holocaust museum while Christian and I saw the art museum and the natural history museum--saw the Hope Diamond--huge!


"We visited Arlington cemetery today. It is awesome to think about the number of people who have died fighting for freedom for our country. I feel I should be more appreciative of those who have served our country."

Update on Elder Nils!

Here are the Mexican Elders pointing to their mission area:

A message from Elder Evensen in the wilds of Cuernavaca, Mexico:
"It really is beautiful here, especially when it rains. It almost looks like the scenery in the movie lion king. And when it rains it is just like the end of the movie when everything turns green after one rainstorm. It really changes like super fast, it`s cool to see.


"There is a really cool river that we`ll get to baptize in. There is another river too right behind our house. We live in a good looking area.

"The spiders aren`t too bad, we try to get lizards in our house to eat them, they usually take care of the big ones. It`s the scorpions that are the problem. Every few days we`ll find one in our house or trying to get in. They aren`t as creepy looking as the spiders, but are defintely more dangerous. "In fact here`s a picture of one for the family:

"Easter in Mexico is a little bit crazy, it`s actually bigger here then Christmas! They don`t really celebrate it with candy or anything though, they just watch a program about Jesus Christ and his death. So no candy for us at all....."



[I think I'll take the bats over the scorpions - M]

More from my nephew Nils:
"This last week was amazing, we see miracles everyday, but it seems like the miracles are getting bigger and bigger, we´ve had so many random people just walk up to us and ask us to teach their families it`s just amazing, we´re not really sure why we are seeing such success, but whatever, we`ll take it :)"

I love getting letters from our missionary!  I hope you don't mind that I share them.

Scott's Visit to La-La Land

Taylor & her handsome dad

What can I say?  I should have posted these photos a couple of weeks ago, after Scott and family visited us out here on the left coast from Indiana.  (My brother's recent take on Indiana following a business trip there: "I like to say that Indiana would be a great place to live, but you don't want to visit there. I can't say there are a lot of great tourist-like things to do there. It just feels like a comfortable home.")


So, we get to see Scott every now and then, however this was the first time his beautiful daughters got to come along.  It was great to finally meet these two young ladies.

 Emma is a knock-out.  I think Scott needs to buy a very large gun and keep it handy.  Part of the old gang met up at Knott's Chicken Dinner Restaurant for dinner, the first Saturday they were here.

 Scott, Emma and Taylor do Catalina.

Emma, Taylor and Scott do Disneyland.

It was too short a visit!  I only got a couple of hours, but, hey, I'll take what I can get.  Scott, your daughters are adorable.  And bright.  And a lot of fun.  Thanks for sharing some time with the California Crew.



O Sole MEE-OOOWW

Hi, I'm Jack. Mom calls me her Gorgeous Jack.  Her friends tell me I'm beautiful.  Maybe HANDSOME would be a better word.  But I digress.

I just wanted to tell you a little about my life.  Here I am hugging my Easter Bunny.  Okay, maybe not so much hugging, but we have a pretty good time.  We're buds.
 

It's hard being me sometimes. Chicks dig me. I've got charisma. People are always fawning over me, trying to get my attention. Trying to play with me. Trying to hug me. Petting me.  You get the picture.

 It's like that around here. I'm popular, you know.  I have lots to do on my kitty agenda and I try to make the most out of each day.

I get a lot of fun daily entertainment from the squirrel who lives in our avocado tree, and all the birds who hang out in the courtyard.  It's like reality TV for cats.  I dig it.

For fun, I often do despicable things like steal my Mom's toys, er, collectibles. (I don't know what despicable means, but Mom says that's what it is.)  Here I am gnawing on Captain Jean-Luc Picard.  This upsets my Mom for some reason.  She says I'm being disrespectful to the Star Fleet uniform.  I tell her I'm playing Great Monster of the Universe, and Captain Picard better like it or beam the heck out of here. 

It's a great life.  I'm so happy I want to sing!  O SOOOOOOOOOO-LE MeeOOOOOW!

The Maidens in the late 1980s

(Back row) Meldee, Me, Brenda, Patricia, and Robin
(Front row) Lori, Jill and Elaine

Those were the days!