Grandma Alice in Fiji

Sister Dakuiboca's (Mili's) Mission Call

2010-07-01T20:00:00.000-07:00

Sister Mili Dakuiboca was a ward missionary

when I arrived in Fiji. We soon became visiting

teaching companions. A few months after we started

visiting together, Mili put in her papers to serve a

full time mission. At the end of November 2009,

she FINALLY received her call. She asked some

of her friends to gather at Bishop Hussain's home

as she opened her call. I was so happy to be included!

Sister Dakuiboca reading her call to serve in

the Fiji Suva Mission. Hurrah!!!!! That is

exactly what she was praying for. She always

told me she wanted to share the gospel with

"her" people.

Just prior to Sister Dakuiboca leaving for the

MTC in New Zealand.

As a "thank you" for my helping her get ready

for her mission, Sister Dakuiboca brought me

over some special food her auntie made for me!

Look! The fish is smiling!

Celebrating the 10th Anniversary

2010-07-01T18:07:00.000-07:00

In June 2000 the Suva Fiji Temple was dedicated
by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The temple
district includes all the Fiji islands, Vanuatu,
Kiribati, Rotuma, and Tuvalu. What a blessing it has been
in the lives of these beautiful island saints. We
celebrated the 10th Anniversary this last month.
The celebration included a dance, a cultural night,
and a fireside presided over by Elder Tad Calister,
President of the Pacific Area. It was a wonderful
celebration and I feel so blessed to have been able
enjoy it.

Fijian Dancers

Dancers from Kiribati. These girls are sisters,
Phylis and Agie. They belong to my ward and I
am their visiting teacher. They are so beautiful,
inside and out!

Indian Dance.

Fijian children performing a fijian dance.

Tongan Dance

Rotuman Dance

Part of the costume is putting oil all over your

body so you will "shine".

Fijian Dance

Fijian War Dance

A choir from the Nasinu area.

Trip to Taveuni

2010-06-30T21:19:00.000-07:00

In April I got to take a short trip to another island
here in Fiji--Taveuni. They were dedicating a
chapel in Somosomo and President and Sister
Ostler asked me if I wanted to go. I jumped
at the chance.

The view outside the plane was beautiful!

This is the airport in Somosomo. It is about

the size of a covered picnic area in a park at

home.

I flew over by myself on Saturday morning.

When President Ostler asked if I wanted to

go, he failed to mention that I would be flying

over in a little tiny plane that looked like it was

held together with masking tape and a glue gun.

I sat in the front seat.....practically in the cot pit!

This picture makes the inside of the plane look much

much better than it is. I have to say...it was a

little creepy.

I think they maintain the outside of the planes

better than they do the insides.

Elder Farley, a ward missionary and Elder Sidal

and some very cute children after the dedication.

If you have a camera, you have many little

friends around.

Outside my hotel room.

In the daytime the trees at the hotel are full

of bats handing upside down. Unfortunately,

you can't see them in this picture.

In the evening the bats starts flying around and

around the trees. The little black dots in the sky

are bats.

I spent quite a while out on my patio watching

the bats. There were fifty or so of them flying.

I thought I had captured them in flight. I guess

you will just have to take my word for it.

My trip was just a quick one....Saturday morning

through Monday morning. I was so happy to get

the chance to see another beautiful island of Fiji.

Fellow Missionaries

2010-04-14T19:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the fabulous sister
missionaries that serve (or served) here in
Fiji. Sister Bakaua, Sister Tiraim and Sister
Nair.

Sister Aumoeualogo (better known as Sister Logo)

Sister Idro and Sister Ravulo

Sister Idro, Sister Dakuiboca (Mili), Sister Ravulo,
Sister Mailo and Sister Childs

Sister Rose

Sister Mailo and Sister Kant

All the sisters at Christmas dinner.

Sister Reeves and Sister Watikini

Sister Kant and Sister Childs

Sister Reeves, Sister Watikini, Sister Nair and
Sister Bakaua

Sisters serving in the Fiji Suva Mission

Sister Bakaua, Sister Reeves and Sister Tiraim

Sister Childs, Sister Kant, Sister Logo and Sister
Dakuiboca

The Fiji Suva Mission, January 2010.

The Diaper Project

2010-04-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

To give me something to do in the evenings
that I am not visiting sisters in my ward, I bought
a sewing machine and started making diapers
from a pattern I found on the internet. Sister
Reeves suggested diapers because in so many
of the homes she visits, the babies do not wear
diapers. They either "go" on their mom's laps
or on the floor...or wherever. I have loved
doing this. I should have kept track of the number
I have made, but I didn't. I give the mothers
a "gift" of 12 diapers, wrapped in a receiving blanket.
As the babies grow, many of the mothers have asked
for larger sizes, which has led me to modifying the
pattern for several sizes. It has been a fun
project!

The diaper.

Some recipients.

Angel, napping in her diaper.

Angel and her mother after washing and hanging
the diapers out to dry.

A Christmas Project

2010-02-25T17:29:00.001-08:00

My daughter Erin works in the Young Women
in her ward in Bountiful. They decided that for
Christmas they would do a service project for
the Hilton House here in Suva. Children with
special needs live at the Hilton House so they
can attend school at the School for the Handi-
capped. These children are from villages and
without this "home away from home", they
would never have the opportunity to go to
school. It was started by a Mr. Hilton who came
to Fiji 35 years ago from Australia to teach
special education to teachers here....he never
went home . He is in his 90's now and is still involved
in fund raising for the Home and School.
The youth in Bountiful made folder learning
games for the children, sent soap and tooth
paste and tooth brushes, socks, blankets, treats
and love to the children here. The children and
staff were so very appreciative! Thank you
to these wonderful young men and young
women. Here are some pictures of the kids
using these fun games.

Josuah is 6 years old. He is can't walk, or talk
and is blind. He loves this soft beautiful blanket
they sent especially for him.

Jonny and Jotika enjoying their soft blankets!

They all love these games. They kept trading
back and forth as they would complete one and
wanted to go right on to another.

Jackie is a wonderful, dedicated staff member.

This girl is a volunteer from Australia who will

work at the home for 9 months.

I gave a few of the folders to a family in our

ward. They are from Kiribati, a small country

here in the South Pacific. Their father stayed

in Kiribati to work while the mother brought

her 5 children to Suva to attend school. They

have few material things and I knew the

children would love the folders. Erin, thank

you for putting this project together.

Elder Christofferson Visits Fiji

2010-02-25T16:45:00.000-08:00

In January, Elder and Sister Christofferson came
to Fiji. I don't know why we are being so blessed
to have so many wonderful Church leaders visit
our mission. President Ostler says it is either that
we are really good...or really bad. I'm sure it is
the first! Once again, I was involved in a dinner
for the Christofferesons, the Jensens, and Elder
Hamula. I think Elder and Sister Seare and I
are getting pretty good at it....at least we are having
lots of fun!

Elder and Sister Jensen, of the Pres. of the Seventy,
and Elder Hamula, 1st Counselor in the Pacific Area
Presidency.

After Elder Christofferson spoke to the mission,
I took this great picture of Sister Kant and Sister
Childs, the missionaries in my ward. A few days
after this picture was taken, Sister Kant was
transferred to Labasa (on another island) and
Sister Mailo came back to our ward.

The sister missionaries. L-R. Me, Sister Kant,
Sister Childs, Sister J Nair, Sister Watikini,
Sister Mailo, Sister Bakaua, Sister R Nair,
Sister Reeves, Sister Logo...and up front, Sister
Soli. I consider it a great privilege to work with
these wonderful women!

When we have a zone conferene our flat is where
the sister missionaries that don't live around Suva
stay. Sister R Nair and Sister Bakaua stayed with
us during Elder Christofferson's visit. The big
bowl in the middle of the table is full of the potatoes
I had just washed for Elder Christofferson's dinner.

Signs of Suva

2010-01-17T15:45:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite signs that you see
all over Suva...The girl, Noula Sefiti, is in my
ward. I wish you could see her face! This is
an advertisement for Vodafone....a cell phone
company. Noula was one of the runner-ups
on the Fijian version of American Idol. She can
REALLY sing!

opps......how did I do that twice??????

These next signs are all up by the public
hospital, The Colonial War Memorial Hospital.
A dental office.

The Hospital

OBGYN office.....

Dr. offices

You come to this sign right after all the medical
signs. I am not sure how much confidence
this gives me in the medical help here! (if you
are having a hard time reading it....click on it to
make it bigger!)

Christmas on Denarau

2010-01-11T18:57:00.001-08:00

I spent 5 days over Christmas with the Stenlunds,
Seares and Kastelers on Denarau on the
west side of the island. We stayed at the Radison
Resort and it was fabulous! I had a hard time
believing it was Christmas, even with the decorations
that were there. That, however, was ok with me as
I think I would have felt a bit homesick if it had
really felt like Christmas.

This was the first time I had seen the Fiji that
you see on the travel posters....white sand &
turquoise water!

I had to take a picture of this because it is so
"Fiji"........an Emergency Phone....with no phone!

This little bird on the black pole is called a kula
bird. They are beautiful. I have seen a few
here in Suva, but there were many more on
the other side of the island. They never get any
bigger than this one.

This guy lit all the torches every evening at the
resort.....definitely not as scary as he looks!

It was fun eating at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was
as close to American food as you get here in Fiji.
Even at that, it was the fijian version of American
food.

These beautiful trees are covered with red
blossoms just in time for Christmas!

Next to the Hard Rock Cafe they had island
dancers. It just seems so strange to see a
Christmas tree behind these islanders!

Here are a few pictures of this beautiful resort.
It had three swimming pools, but better than
that, it is right on a beautiful beach.

The cyclone hit Denarau harder than it did

Suva and they were still cleaning up the

aftermath. There were many tree uprooted

around the resort...especially on the golf course.

The Cyclone

2010-01-11T18:30:00.001-08:00

A few weeks before Christmas I experienced my
first hurricane. Apparently a cyclone is a tropical
hurricane. It was officially called Cyclone Nick.
The outer edge of the storm hit Suva, so even
though I thought it was EXTREMELY windy, we
didn't get the worst of it. The storm went right
down the middle of the island and many homes
were destroyed and filled with mud and water.
It was amazing that only two people were killed.
Our flat, and the mission office, were without
power for two days. Many areas didn't have
water or power for over a week. I feel very
lucky, as I love electricity! We used every
towel in the flat to mop up the water that came
through the doors and windows. Things got wet,
but nothing was damaged....another blessing.

I kept looking out my window during the storm

because there is a big palm tree a few feet

from the window. I convinced myself during

the night that palm trees are very strong and

probably very flexible and probably don't blow

down. The next morning when I went outside,

I discovered that our neighbor's palm tree had

indeed blown over. Oh well that little bit of self

talk helped me sleep that night!

I live in a very nice flat.....but not a very "tight"

flat. The rain poured in from under the doors

and through the windows.

December Zone Conference and Christmas Celebration

2009-12-31T14:10:00.001-08:00

During the first week in December all the missionaries
serving here in Fiji came into Suva for Zone Conference
and a Christmas celebration. They were here 5 days.
Sister Seare and I were in charge of feeding the "5000".
(I think it was more like 90) We prepared two lunches
and one Christmas dinner. Here we are getting ready
to serve the Zone Conference lunch....sloppy joes with
vegetable sticks and chips and homemade cookies.
We have learned that most of the missionaries are more
interested in quantity over quality. I think we pulled
off both! All the work is worth it when those big
handsome missionaries, with big smiles, thank us when
they hear they can have a second sloppy joe!

Elder and Sister Seare and I getting ready
to serve the Christmas dinner. We had
chicken breasts cooked in sour cream and
cheese over rice, two salads, rolls and then
brownie sundaes with crushed candy canes
sprinkled on top.

After the Christmas dinner they missionaries
had a talent show. This is Sister Logo (her real
name is Aumoeualogo) from Anchorage Alaska.

Sister Mailo from New Zealand. She taught
some of the sisters a Mauri "slap" dance and
she accompanied them on the drum.

The "slap" dance.

Sister Reeves...the only sr proselyting missionary.
She is such a good sport to do whatever the
younger missionaries do!

Some of the elders doing a war dance.

This was such a funny skit where the elders
got President Ostler to participate. They were
all pretending to jump rope. The elder on the
right of President Ostler is Elder Zeyer from
Melba, ID.

More fijian dancing.

Sister Tiraim from Kiribati doing a beautiful
island dance. I think all island girls are born
graceful!

Sister Soli and Sister Nair. Sister Soli is from
Hawaii and Sister Nair is from Fiji. She has
a twin sister also serving here.

More crazy elders!

These are the Zone leaders doing their "talent".
This is Elder Lloyd. He leaves to go home next
week....what a "truncky" guy!!!!

Elder Tavo and Elder Nay.

After the talent show Elder Nay asked President
and Sister Ostler, Elder and Sister Seare and
me to come up front. He told us how much
all the missionaries appreciate all the work
that went into the fun "weekend" etc etc.
He then presented us with a fijian plaque
with a picture of the mission and President
Uchtdorf. So thoughtful!!!

Getting out gift!

The plaque.

Sister Seare and I made 150 pillowcases for
Christmas gifts for the missionaries. These are
the ones the sister missionaries received. In the
middle is the mission logo....There is a man
on the other side of the island that stamped them for us.
We wrapped them each up with a ribbon and a candy
cane. It was fun!

President Uchtdorf's Visit

2009-12-31T13:49:00.001-08:00

In November, President Uchtdorf came to Fiji.
It was a wonderful couple of days. The high
light for the mission was his speaking to all the
missionaries. We had a mission picture taken
with him and several of the area authorities, he
greeted each missionary individually and gave
us some wonderful training and counsel. This is
a picture of him with his daughter. We always
have a bowl of candy on the counter in the office.
We have had to post a sign by it reminding people
to take just one....instead of a handful. He
picked up the bowl and started to leave and then
asked us if the sign meant one piece of candy or
perhaps one bowl?

President Uchtdorf and our fabulous assistants,
Elder Nay from Richfield, Utah and Elder Tavo from
right here in Suva.

President and Sister Ostler and Sister and
President Uchtdorf in front of the Suva Fiji
Temple.

After President Uchtdorf spoke to the mission,
President and Sister Ostler hosted a dinner
for President and Sister Uchtdorf and the stake
presidents and their wives and other church
leaders here in Fiji. Sister Stanford (2nd from
right) was the chef. She prepared a wonderful
meal of pork tenderloin, garlic mashed potatoes,
vegetables, salad, rolls and an incredible custard
and berry dessert. Sister Seare and I were lucky
enough to help out. President and Sister Uchtdorf
came into the kitchen to thank us.

I was lucky enough to get my picture taken with
President Uchtdorf. It was an experience I will
never forget!

The Mission Office

2009-12-31T13:19:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to record what goes on in the Mission
Office here in Fiji! (Elder Lloyd got a set of nerf
guns from home. I had to protect myself.)

This is where I spend a good portion of my days.
Besides answering the phone and doing general
office work on the computer, I run a lot of errands
for the mission. One of the biggest perks of
this job is getting to know most of the wonderful
missionaries here in Fiji!

Elder and Sister Seare. She is the mission nurse
and he is a jack of all trades. If you want some-
thing done, Elder Seare will find a way.

Sister Ostler. She is one of the busiest ladies
around. She is mom to all the missionaries,
besides being the mission president's right
hand "man".

President Ostler. He presides over 140+ missionaries
in 3 different countries, with 3 different languages,
and many different dialects. This is the board in
his office that shows all the missionaries, where
they are all serving and who their companions are.
President Calister (area president) said this is definitely
one of the most challenging missions. President
and Sister Ostler do a fabulous job!!!!

Christmas in Fiji

2009-12-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

Santa visited Elder Nay and Elder Tavo!

A beautiful nativity made with tapa cloth.

Baby Jesus' coconut head.....love it!

McDonald's had a "beautiful" gold lamae
Christmas tree.

Our mission Christmas tree had pictures of
all the missionaries on it.

We celebrated with burgers from McDonalds!

Diwali

2009-10-28T16:28:00.000-07:00

Nina and Sonia invited the ward missionaries, the
full time missionaries, and me over to celebrate
Diwali. Diwali is the Hindu Christmas. The homes
are decorated with lights, fireworks are lit off all
night long, and they make many "sweets". We were
served pumpkin curry, bean curry and puri (a very
small tortilla which you use to eat your curry), + the
sweets. We had a wonderful time. The company
was great!

I wore my "indian" top and Sonia
wore her jewelry.

All the women employees in the service center
dressed in the traditional indian outfits to
celebrate Diwali. When I got the the office, Eileen,
(in the middle in red) told me she had brought in
outfits for me and Sister Kasteler to wear. I am very
yellow, aren't I!

Sister Kasteler is from SLC. She and Elder
Kasteler do the auditing for the area. They
travel all over.....such a tough mission. (ha ha)

The assistants to the President had their pictures
taken with us. Elder Tavo is from Suva and Elder
Nay is from Richfield, Ut. They are wonderful,
awesome, FUN missionaries!

Meet My Friends

2009-09-21T19:10:00.000-07:00

This is Nina, Sonia, and Mili. Nina and Sonia
live in a very small home in our ward and
Mili and I visit them as often as possible.
These are some homemade dolls that were
sent from a young women's group in SLC. Sonia
is going to share them with her friends at school.

Sonia and the dolls!

Bishop Hussain and his family.

My new "flat mates". Sister Tiraim and Sister
Reeves.

The Ting family.

Sarawia and her son, Solo.

The Gabriel family.

Visiting Teaching Conference

2009-09-21T18:38:00.000-07:00

Sister Hussain, our RS President, asked me to
be in charge of our Visiting Teaching Conference.
I think it was a pretty good turn out!

Sister Hussain. She turned 72 this
year. Most fijian women stop doing
much in their 60s. Sister Hussain
is not only our Relief Socity President,
she is in charge of all the gardening
on the temple site. She does a fabulous
job.

Another Sister Hussain. This is our bishop's
wife, Maria. She gave part of the visiting teaching
message.

Mili and Sereana

Sister Draniatu, Sister Hussain (wearing some of
the decorations) and Sister Mailo.

Sister Kant, Sister Bokini and Sister Accosta

Two thumbs up for the breakfast.

Sister Adamson, Sister Hussain, Sister Tuinomoula,
Sister Gabriel, and Sister Rose.

Helping in the kitchen.

Sister Kant thought our other picture was way
too serious! The conference was a success.

2009-09-21T18:37:00.001-07:00

Bau Island

2009-09-03T17:51:00.000-07:00

This is the view from the Mausoleum where all
the important chiefs of the island are buried.

Elder Seare hiked (crawled) up a hill to the
mausoleum.

It felt like you were hiking through a jungle
to get up to the mausoleum.

Sister Reeves got about half way up before she
came sliding down....I walked around to a
little easier area!

The Mausoleum. It was a lot of work to get
up to this.....I guess I can say it was worth it.

The boy between Elder and Sister Seare told
us we had to hold up two fingers to get our pictures
taken...who knew?

I think they need a new system for taking care
of their school books!

The elementary school on Bau.

This boy's name is Johnny and this is his
classroom....and his desk!

The Bau Elementary School

2009-08-24T21:21:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Bau Island

2009-08-24T20:57:00.000-07:00

These are the members from the Bau Branch
that invited us to go to Bau Island. The brother's
father was hired by the church to translate the
Book of Mormon and was converted in the
process!

This lady used to be the "first lady" of Fiji.
Her husband was head of Fiji 20 years ago
before he died. This is when England ruled
Fiji. She is showing us a picture of Queen Elizabeth,
Prince Charles, her husband and herself when the
"royals" visited Fiji. They used to live in the
big palace that is here in Suva. She was so kind.
She spent a long time telling us about the history
of the island, showing us pictures and explaining
how Fiji changed from heathenism and cannibalism
to Christianity. It was so interesting.

This black rock wall runs all aroun the island.

The Methodist Church

I obviously don't know how to turn this

picture...sorry!

More from Bau Island

2009-08-24T20:26:00.000-07:00

They call the people of the island to community
meetings with the shell.

This is the inside of the community meeting
house. The big beams in the ceiling are tied
together with the "string" from coconuts that
are woven together.

These wooden posts go all the way around the
large meeting hall. A slave was buried alive
under each post to make sure that no evil
spirits would attend their meetings.

The inside of the Methodist Church.

The "killing stone". The natives used to smash
the heads of their enemies on this stone before
they would eat them. The stone has been painted
white and the small bowl at the top is to hold
the water for baptisms. It is in the Methodist
Church.

Sisters Reeves, Erickson, Stagg and Seare and the
Chief!

One of the head chiefs of the island. He played
on the national rugby team until he was 35.
His ears were really deformed....because of playing
rugby for so many years. It's a rough game.

The meeting hall on Bau.

Bau Island

2009-08-20T20:20:00.000-07:00

This is Sister Reeves and me getting ready to
take the motor boat ride to Bau Island. It was
about a 5-10 minute ride from the mainland.
We were invited (which you must be) by a member
of the Bau Branch who has a home on the island.

This is the wife of the member who invited us.
You are not allowed on the island without an
invitation from someone who is from there.
They do not live on Bau, but they do have a
family home there.

This is Elder and Sister Seare. They are from
Draper, Ut. Sister Seare is the new mission
nurse and Elder Seare is the new mission jack
of all trades.

Our other boat just docking on the island.

I just had to include this picture. This is what
we parked in front of at the dock (not on the island)
where we took the boat to Bau. I can't imagine
anyone would ever use this facility as it looks right
out onto the parking lot and there is no door. (to
say nothing of the overall creepiness of it)

New Room

2009-07-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

Now that I have a sewing machine, I decided
to change my room from "the hippie pad"
to one done by the Fijian rules of design--
nothing needs to match, it just needs to be bright
and pretty. I don't think I'll be able to change
the very PINK paint...oh well.

This is where I sit for at least a couple of hours
each day to study. I love looking at the pictures
of my family. If you would like your picture
added to fabulous wall, just send it to me!

Sisters Night

2009-07-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

The day after Zone Conference we had a sister
missionary night at Sister Ostler's. Tisha
Kwansing (the one in front) came and taught
us how to do Tahitian dancing. It was so fun.
I was pretty bad, but it was fun!

There is one missionary from New Zealand
and one from Hawaii and they were great.
Then all the fijian sisters were good too, but
us "palagis" were not so good.

We had such a good time!

We were making "flowers" during the dance.

This is Sister Mailo and Sister Kant.

The Invitation/Temple Cleaning

2009-07-13T14:42:00.001-07:00

The temple has been closed for two weeks for
cleaning. If you look really close, you can see
the workers up by the spire, cleaning the out-
side of the temple.

They worked up there for two days. Last year
the had to replace the Angel Moroni, because the
gold leaf was coming off because of the weather
here in Fiji. I don't know what is different
about this new Angel Moroni, but he seems to be
just fine.

This is the invitation to Arti and Anurag's
wedding. The photo doesn't show all the sparkly
silver jewels that are on it.

The Wedding

2009-07-13T13:42:00.000-07:00

Sister Reeves and Sister Vagarau and I wanted
to give the couple something for their wedding.
They were going right back to Seattle after the
weekend and we didn't think they would want
to haul back a bunch of gifts. We decided to
have Sister Radivukivuki make them a flower
arrangement. She is the one who brings flowers
to our office every Monday morning. Here is
the arrangement displayed on a cement post at
the wedding!

Arti and Anurag taking seven steps
toward the priest.

They are walking around the canopy
seven times.

Arti's brother is putting something in their
hands that brings blessings to them.

Anurag, Arti and the priest. (He took his cell
phone off his neck!)

Just a note.....All these posts are out of order,
because I should have posted them in exactly
the opposite order than I did...when will I learn?

The Wedding of Arti and Anurag

2009-07-13T13:25:00.000-07:00

The women all sat together for the wedding
ceremony. It was in a large hall. All the walls
and posts were painted a different bright color.
The men all sat together outside the hall.

This is where the actual ceremony
took place.

This was the first view we had of the bride.
She had been living at the temple all week.
Her name is Arti and the grooms name is Anurag.

Arti is walking up the the canopy. Her
brother is following her. Her father
is not living, or I think he would be
doing this.

Anurag is waiting under the canopy for her.
A lady in the Samabula 1st ward made all
the wedding clothing!

Hindu Wedding, cont.

2009-07-12T21:45:00.000-07:00

These are some of the women attending the
wedding. Sister Reeves and I were a little
under dressed!!

Even the little girls were all dressed up.

This was the ceremony outside the area where
the actual wedding ceremony took place. The
Hindu priest is in the orange, the groom to his
left and I'm not sure who the other gentleman
is. There was incense burning, water sprinkling,
forehead marking, and singing and chanting
involved. (the thing hanging around the
priest's neck is a cellphone!)

The mother of the bride. (our
landlady)

The brother of the bride. He is a policeman
here in Suva.

Hindu Wedding

2009-07-12T14:45:00.000-07:00

This was the fancy canopy that they made outside
our flat for the grooms party. The poles are wrapped
in leaves. They looked really nice!

I wanted to take a picture of the car all decorated
for the groom to be driven to the temple. They
made me sit in it.....hence a picture of me and
not a very good picture of the car.

A welcome sign with Christmas lights right
below our window.

Here is the groom and his mother and sister
at some ceremony just before leaving for the
temple. I believe the man in the suit is the grand
pa.

Lovo in Navua

2009-07-09T17:57:00.000-07:00

This is President Volavola. He is a member of
the temple presidency. Elder and Sister Wood
had two granddaughters come with a human-
itarian group to work in a village not too far from
his home. It is about an hours drive from Suva.
He decided they should experience a Lovo before
they left to go back to the states. If the Fijians
really want to celebrate, they make a Lovo. This
is where they cook food in a pit in their yards.
The Woods were kind enough to invite me to
go along. President Volavola is a chief over many
villages in Fiji. In 2000 he was elected to be the
chief over all of Fiji. Just after he was elected,
the military staged a coup and took over the
government and imprisoned President Volavola
for two years! He now says he wants nothing to
do with politics! Do you blame him?

This is President Volavola's granddaughter
watching the dancers and doing a little dance
of her own.

These girl did a couple of dances for us and then
tried to teach the high school kids from the states
how to to it. It was fun to watch.

This is a girl that lives just up the street from

me.

The Lovo

2009-07-09T17:23:00.000-07:00

The chicken, dalo and dalo green were cooked
in the ground. Above the chicken is roti....Fijian
version of a tortilla. Next is chicken salad and
then of course, lots of pineapple.

They call this chop suey...and they eat it all the
tiime. This one has chicken and vegetables.
Notice that people use their hands to serve! (and
to eat!)

Raw fish in a citrus marinade....

This is the dalo leaf, cooked in coconut milk.

Dalo is a mainstay here in Fiji. It is a root plant.
A bit like our potato....only with no flavor and no
nutritional value. (Sister Bohman, the mission
nurse, told me that). Most of the young missionaries
end up liking it a lot. I have a hard time getting
down more than one bite.

Nola

2009-07-09T17:17:00.000-07:00

This life size advertisement is in the "mall" in
downtown Suva. After the "Fiji Idol", Vodaphone
made Nola one of their models. Vodaphone is
a cell phone company.

I still don't know exactly what I am doing as far
as blogging goes, this picture should be at the
end of the previous post...sorry.

Fund Raiser for LDS Church College

2009-07-09T17:06:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago they had a fund raiser at the
Church College here in Suva....it is really a high
school. I'm not sure why it is called a college.
This man is from Tonga and did some fun fire
dancing.

The Fire Dancer

They had pacific island dancers. They are
so graceful...especially their hands.

This is Nola Sefeti. She is 18, attends the Church
College and is in our ward. She was on the Fiji
version of American Idol and was one of the
finalists. She performed at the fund raiser. She
is a beautiful girl with a beautiful voice!

Diaper Project

2009-07-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the finished "gift" that I have been making
to have the sister missionaries (or whoever) give
to mothers who have no diapers for their babies.
It is one dozen diapers wrapped in a receiving
blanket.

The gift.

I could only find printed flannel...but I think
it looks cute. I make two sizes of diapers, small
and large. Both sizes can adjust to a larger or
smaller size as well.

I put three of each color in the receiving blanket
and tie it with a bow. (plastic ribbon....)

Random Pictures

2009-06-14T20:50:00.000-07:00

These are the elders that went home last month.
(except Elder Wood) They probably won't be
wearing their sulus much anymore....

This was a fun activity we had with all the senior
sisters at Sister Ostler's home. It was a cooking
class where Sister Stanford, who was a caterer
in her previous life, showed us how to make several
yummy things. My favorite was pineapple, papaya
salsa. It was incredible!

This is Sister Radavukivuki. She is one of the
cleaning ladies here and she always brings us
in flowers that she has used in her ward on Sunday.
She does the arranging and all the flowers come
out of her yard. Aren't they beautiful! (Both the
flowers and the florist!)

The Market

2009-06-14T20:11:00.000-07:00

Suva has a huge fruit and vegetable market
down by the wharf. Any kind of fruit or veggie
that the grow in Fiji, you can buy there.

This boy with the wheelbarrow walked around
with us and as we bought something he would
put it in the wheelbarrow and then he loaded it
in the trunk for us when we were finished. All
that service for just a dollar or two! Most of
these "wheelbarrow" boys don't go to school.

Zillions of little peppers. The indian cooks especially
like these. They are HOT.

More bannanas than you would ever know what
to do with!

Yummy eggplant. Next time I go, I'll get
more pictures of more produce.

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

Here is a family selling fruit and vegetables by
the side of the road. I bought some lemons
from them, that I thought were oranges.....

A Fijian beauty!

This family was selling fish. They said they had
just caught them in the river..the trouble is you
never know what "just" means. This mom was
so proud of her little daughter!

The two fish were all that this family was selling!
I so hope someone bought them! If not, I bet they
had them for dinner.

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

This is why we drove all the way to Korovou.
The land for this chapel was donated by a
member. It is about 2 miles up a dirt road, on
top of a big hill (very small mountain..). It is
a spectacular location....the people here call it
the "Jewel of the Nile". They are very proud
of it.

Looking down from the chapel at a very colorful
home.

You can see how thick the foilage is here in
Fiji. But look.....there are electrical lines running
up the hill. Unfortunately not everyone is able
to afford to have the electical power...

This was so fun to watch. This group of children
had made their own slippery slide...They would
climb up to the top of this hill and slide down in
the red dirt to the bottom, get up and do it again.
They looked like they were having a ball!

Same group of children playing by the side of
their "slippery slide".

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-11T14:37:00.000-07:00

What would an LDS Church be without a basketball
court?

Elder Finch and Elder Burton, our missionaries
in Korovou.

This is the home of the ward mission leader in
Korovou. The LITTLE room that sticks out
there in front is the kitchen. The elders didn't
know for sure how many people lived here, but
they said many did.

I am sad that the fence went right through the
middle of this picture. This is the ward mission
leader and his son. You can't see it, but the son
was holding a big machete. He had been cutting
something. I just had to say a prayer that he
wouldn't cut off his toes! (no shoes) The elders
said they had seen even littler children carrying
around and playing with machetes and pitchforks
etc......ugh!

On the way back from the chapel we went passed
this woman carrying her cassava in her woven leaf
basket on her back. It is actually quite a handy was
of transporting items!

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-09T21:36:00.000-07:00

This group of children were walking down the
road below the chapel. We had lollies (candy)
for them and they came running!

Fiji has the saddest looking dogs I have ever seen
in my life! This dog was just off the road as we
drove up to see the chapel. I don't think they
have dogs as "pets". I know in Suva they eat
mostly garbage. They would never think of
getting them dog food. Of course, most people
can't afford that.

This was a very nice home on the way to the
chapel. There was a small dirt road that leads
to the house and there was actually a grassy yard!...
very unusual.

A man walking down the road with his cassava
to sell. His baskets are woven leaves. Cassava
is tapioca. They eat it like we would potatoes.
It doesn't have much taste and I understand it
has no nutritional value....but it fills you up.

A mother and her son (wearing a towel). They
loved their lollies.

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-09T21:25:00.000-07:00

Sometimes they paint their little metal siding
homes very interesting colors! I also believe
wash day is everyday. There is always clothing
on the line.

This is a rugby game in front of the school. They
love rugby in Fiji. At least 50% of the newspaper
is full of rugby news. This was a muddy field and
they were having a ball!

Some play with shoes on, some don't.

Every village has a chief. This was a beautifully
kept home in one of the villages. Sister Wood
said there was no doubt that that is where the
chief lives.

Trip to Korovou

2009-06-09T21:03:00.000-07:00

On Friday, May 29 it was a public holiday here in
Fiji...Ratu Sukuna Day. He was a great statesman
in the 1930's. President Ostler told us to take part
of the day and do something fun, so Elder and Sister
Wood and I decided to drive to Korovou to see the
chapel there that is up high on a mountain side above
the little town. As we drove out of Suva, on our way
north, we saw these three beautiful little girls "climbing"
a tree.

This is an orphanage for girls outside of Nausori.

I had to take a picture of this pretty little
Methodist Church.

This is what most of the homes look like outside
of Suva.

Our Flatmates

2009-06-02T20:01:00.000-07:00

These are three of 17 missionaries that were
coming and going last week. It was crazy, but
so fun to meet them. These three sister are from
Vanuatu and have been at the MTC in New Zealand.
They will all be serving in Vanuatu. They stayed
with us for two nights. The one on the left is Sister
Livu, then Sister Taribakotu and Sister Tari.
Sister Tari is about the size of my oldest grandson
who is 10!

Sisters Livu and Taribakotu. Sister Vagarau
made them a drink that she made with the leaves
off a tree in the backyard. She said they were
lemon leaves, but it didn't look like a lemon tree
to me. She boiled them for a while and then
added some powdered milk and sugar to it.
It was good. They had it along with some toast
and seemed perfectly happy!

This is Sister Reeves and Sister Vagarau....they
share the flat with me.

Enrichment Activity, Suva First Ward

2009-06-02T19:35:00.000-07:00

We had a great Relief Society Enrichment Activity
a few weeks ago. To begin with we were shown how
to make an incredible tomato chutney Sister
Hussain and Sister Buksch showed us how. They
are both indian and use wonderful indian spices.
Not store bought dried spices, spices they have grown
and dried and crushed....yum!

This is Sister Draniatu and Sister Maria Hussain.
Her mother is the RS President and her husband
is the Bishop.

Sister Hussain, the RS Pres. and her daughter,
Shareene. Sister Husssain turned 72 on Sunday.

Another Sister Buksch and Sister Adamson. She
is married to an Australian who is working here
for a year.

After they showed us how to make the chutney,
we were taken into the RS room where these
tables were sete up. We each had a name card
at our place setting. They were famous women's
names. Some biblical, some modern, some from
church history. We were then asked to tell what
Christ-like qualities "our" woman had. It was
great. Then we were served the best food that
I have eaten since arriving in Fiji. It is called
Palau (I think). It is a rice/chicken dish with
incredibiel spices in it. A little spicey, but not
too much. No matter what dish they are cooking
they always throw in the entire chicken. So your
serving will have yummy chicken with lots of
bones. They are experts at getting the chicken off
the bone while it is in their mouth....me, not so much.
My plate had bones with quite a bit of meat on them,
theirs were just clean bones! We spooned the tomatoe
chutney onto the palau....it was heaven. Sister Hussain
told me she would come teach all of us sr. missionaries
how to make it next month. Maybe I will actually be
able to duplicate it when I get home....maybe.

Lunch

2009-06-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

The morning after the ball, the young adults from
the western side of the island did baptisms for the
dead and then we fed them lunch before they
boarded the bus for home.

Many of the sr. missionaries contributed to

the lunch, but Sister Stanford headed it up and

everyone loved her sweet and sour chicken over rice!

We had a wonderful time together.

The Ball

2009-05-31T18:41:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, the Young Single Adults had a "ball"
at the Holiday Inn. It was a huge deal. Kids came
from across the island and stayed here in patron housing.
They were suppose to wear formal wear, including
shoes...and no sulus. Somehow they all came up with
appropriate clothing. They looked great. The kids
that stayed here on the temple site were taken to the
"ball" on a flatbed truck....really. They didn't seem to
mind at all. Many of the elders lent their suits to brothers
attending the dance. I know some of the sisters, borrowed
dresses, some got them at 2nd hand stores (there are alot
here in Suva) and some had dresses made. (although that
was the exception.)

Lot's of dancing and lots of standing around, but
everyone said they had a wonderful time.

I only knew a few of those attending, but I just
wanted you to see how fancy they got!

So beautiful!

This sister lives in Sister Wood's ward. She lives
in a very small shack, made of metal siding, no
electricity and almost no furniture. But look
how beautiful she got for the "ball". It was so
fun to see!

Odds and Ends

2009-05-25T16:36:00.000-07:00

I decided to post a few misc. pictures.
Sister Stevens and I in our Fijian dresses
at a dinner made an indian girl trying
to earn some extra money. She is a
friend of the Woods.

Lawn mower man.

This is a stake Relief Society program the day
before Mother's Day. They put on a musical
production of the parable of the Ten Virgins.
It was beautiful. I haven't met one Fijian that
can't sing....good.

These are sisters from my ward at the Stake
Relief Society program. It was also a dinner.
The production was so long, that I had to get
the car back to the Woods, so they wrapped a
plate up for me to take home! They would
never let you go away hungry!

Sunrise/Sunset

2009-05-21T18:50:00.001-07:00

Thought you might like to see some pictures of
the BEAUTIFUL Suva sky. These are always
clouds, and when the sun goes up or goes down
it is breathtaking!

After a rain....

pretend I didn't put this picture in...again.....

Morning Walk #2

2009-05-20T22:20:00.001-07:00

I walk past the temple grounds every morning.

One of the many beautiful views I see on my
walk.....

At the top of my street is a small Catholic church,
where many mornings they are having mass
as walk by. The doors and windows are always
open and it is so nice to hear the beautiful singing
as I walk by.

This is the guard station in front of the temple
grounds. They always have a cheery "hello
sister" as I walk by.

Isn't this a beautiful picture of the sunrise
with the silhouette of the little Catholic Church
in the foreground? The clouds here in Fiji
make for incredible sunrises and sunsets!

Morning Walk

2009-05-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

This is Elder and Sister Stanford. They are
volunteer temple workers from Canada. They
will be here about another 6 months. They live
right up the street from me. Sister Stanford
has started walking with me 3 or 4 times a
week. She is a great walking partner.....has a great
sense of humor!

This photo is looking down my street toward
my flat. The school is on the right and my
driveway is directly across the street from
the school sign (you can almost see it!)

Looking up the street from my flat. I see this
every morning as I leave my driveway.

Just one of MANY beautiful flowering bushes
on my walk.

Another view from my flat

Fijian Dances

2009-05-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

These are the pictures of the Fijian and Tongan war
dances. It was so fun. There was a lot of pounding
of chests and drum beating!

Isn't she beautiful!

More Vanuatu pictures

2009-05-19T13:40:00.000-07:00

Here are the Vanuatu members singing I Am A
Child of God....in Bislama and then English.

During the program for Family Home Evening,
the brothers from Vanuatu did this crazy dance
where one man was dressed up like a woman.
It was histerical, but what was even funnier, was
watching the women watch their husbands!
They could hardly stand up they were laughing
so hard!

This is the temple president and his wife. President
and Sister Woolley, from Canada. They are about
as sweet as they come. This couple was sealed in
the temple a few days before. She served a mission
in Vanuatu (from Fiji) and met this man there. They
have been corresponding since her mission, and
when he got to Fiji, they got married. She is so
beautiful and happy and I didn't see him smile
once they whole time they were here....I hope she's happy!
When we had dinner, President Woolley made certain
the women went first. Normally, they would sit back
until the men had all they wanted. That is probably
why they took so much food! In Vanuatu they actually
sell wife beaters (not the t-shirts) in the stores. There
is alot of physical abuse. The church, of course, is
trying hard to change that!

This was the oldest member of the group. Her
last name is Provo. I thought she was in her
80's when I first met her. She is 10 years
younger than I am.....52. Hard life!

The adults loved the ice cream every bit as much
as the children. The sister in front is Ronald's mom.

Children from Vanuatu

2009-05-19T13:32:00.001-07:00

This is Ronald (pronounced Rownald), the youngest
of the group...3 months. The moms are very
practical, they wrap their babies in towels!

Isn't she a cutie!

Their dresses are called mother hubbard dresses.
They are all the same pattern, just different sizes
and material... Even the adult women wear this
same dress.

Thumbs up for the dinner!

The ice cream was their favorite part! Some
came back to thirds and fourths. I was so
glad we had plenty!!

Temple Trip for the Members from Vanuatu

2009-05-18T21:39:00.000-07:00

Two weeks ago a large group of members came
from Vanuatu to attend the temple and be sealed
to their families. The church helps pay for members
attending the temple for the first time. These are
very poor people financially and this will most
likely be the only time they will attend the temple
in their lifetimes. They were here for 11 days and
stayed here in patron housing. This is a family
home evening that we had with them. We provided
dinner and then there was a program. They all had
quite the appetites!

A few of the sisters had two plates and I thought they
had one for their husbands. No way, they sat down
and at both! I don't know if they hadn't been eating
much since they arrived, or if they really liked what
we had, but they could really eat! There is a very
nice kitchen here in patron housing, and you would
have really enjoyed how they used it. They kept nothing
in the refrigerator, but fill the oven with bread and eggs
and fruit and other food. Of course, they don't have
stoves or refrigerators where they live and I think they
just thought the oven was a handy little cupboard!

This is the branch president and his wife and son.

This little girl's name is Rota. She is adorable. I
got to get her dressed in a pretty little white
dress that the temple furnished when she was
sealed to her family.

Sister Wood holding the youngest Vanuatuan
to come...3 months old. He was adorable. Brother
Bun is a member of the temple presidency, his wife,
and their adorable granddaughter.

Sharing the Salu Salu

2009-05-18T19:40:00.001-07:00

Everyone wanted a picture with the salu salu. This
is Elder and Sister Bohman (mission nurse from Morgan
Utah)

Elder and Sister Wood from SLC. They work
in the office with me and they are so kind to
share their car several times a week with me!

Elder and Sister Staggs. He is an auditor for the
mission, so they have traveled all over. They visit
all the islands of Fiji, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.
What a fabulous experience they have had!!

Sister Stevens. They are all wonderful people.
I am learning so much from them and feel so blessed
to be working with such dedicated individuals!!

Elder Scott's Visit

2009-05-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

Once again I forgot to load the ones I wanted at
the end of my post, first......So read this backwards,
ok? This is President and Sister Ostler with one of the
assistants (Elder Krebs who goes home today).

Elder Scott and moi and the sulu sulu! I look
like I have been out in the Fiji sun for days.
Not so, don't know why I look like a fell asleep
under a sunlamp!

Elder Scott waving good-bye to the Fijian members.
Elder Wakolo is with him. I believe he is the first
Fijian General Authority.

Members who work in the service center singing
the traditional farewell song to Elder Scott.

The mission office and service center and temple
workers with Elder Scott. I am just behind
Elder Scott.

Josh's Baptism

2009-05-13T15:35:00.001-07:00

This is Josh with Bishop Hussain. He is 10 years old.

Sister Mailo and Sister Rose with Josh. Sister Mailo
is from New Zealand and is a convert of 2 years.
Sister Rose is from Baltimore. She is one fabulous
missionary! These are the two sisters that I go with
a couple times a week.

Josh and his mom and sister. He also has a younger
brother and two twin sisters that are 3 months old.
His mother and father are divorcing and his mom has
been inactive for several years. She wants to start
attending church with her family!

This is the group of senior missionaries. Sister
Stevens has gone home, and Sister Reeves (sitting
on floor) lives in my flat and is a proselyting
missionary with Sister Vagarau. The rest are couples.
They are office missionaries (mission support), Temple
President and temple missionaries, and a couple that
does auditing in the mission. Oh, and CES missionaries.
It is a great group!!!

AGAIN..the other isde of the island

2009-05-13T13:31:00.000-07:00

These are little piggies running down the road.
We also drove around cows and horse and people!

This is a typical home outside of Suva. It is made of
aluminum siding and is probably one room. Many
are up on stilts because of all the rain!

This is the family that lives next to the little
LDS church. The girl next to Sis. Stevens is 14.
I don't think they get enough nutrients, she looked about 10!
Sorry for the cheesy smile.....

There's the church! It is the one on the right, the
family lives in the little shack on the left.

More from the other side of the island......

2009-05-12T21:37:00.001-07:00

Sister Stevens and I at the Latoka Chapel. Latoka
is the 2nd largest city on this island.

Kids playing in the river.

We stopped on an old rickety bridge to take this

picture. I am amazed it didn't collapse under the

weight of the van!

This is called a transport. They put some canvas

over the bed of a small truck, pile people in, charge

a little bit of $ and take them from town to town. I

doubt you would get away with this in the states!

Selling lobster on the side of the road. Sister

Steven's children had brought a bag of suckers

from home and everywhere we stopped they

gave away their suckers. Everyone was always

thrilled..adults and children alike!

2009-05-12T20:08:00.000-07:00

This is a family selling coconuts on the other side of the island. Willie Kwansing is on the right. He was our driver, plus a great friend. He is in the Suva 1st ward. He has a lovely wife from Tonga and 7 children. His oldest daughter is a nanny in St. George, Utah. She works for one of his old missionary companions.

The man used a machete to open the coconut and then kind of a crowbar device to husk it so he could split it open. Then we all tasked the "milk". It is called boo. I can't say that I loved it, but at least I can say I tried. The coconut "meat" is very moist and "slimy". It also has a very interesting taste. Willie loves it. I'll let him have mine anytime!

The family selling coconuts. Most families subsist by living on what they grow, or catch in the ocean and then selling items on the side of the road. We bought all the coconuts they had for 20 fijian $ and they were thrilled!

Selling fish on the road. The trouble is, you have no idea how long they have been hanging there!

Beautiful Fiji

More Blogging Practice

2009-05-11T21:03:00.000-07:00

Temple Grounds

Suva Fiji Temple

Sister Stevens and I in the office.

Mission Office

This is the church primary school directly across the road from my flat.

Home Sweet Home..Suva, Fiji

2009-05-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

This is where I live....my flat. This is going to be a crazy post, because I don't know how to edit the pictures and I just remembered that Erin told me I have to put them on in the opposite order I want them to be shown. This is my porch where I exercise every morning before I go on my walk. This is also where we do our laundry and hang out our clothes to dry. We have a dryer now, but almost never use it.

The kitchen...many shades of pink! You can see how every window has bars on it....I don't know why, I feel very safe. We have sprayed with something the mission nurse gives to get rid of insects etc. Now we just have geckos that leave little poopies behind.......ugh

Dining Room

My bedroom. Do I look like I love the 60's? The spread was left over from the old mission home and I had no curtains so I bought two really cheap sulu's....voila! I now have a study table, so that little table is now just my night stand. I can live with this!

Here is a pictures of my flat, unfortunately, I do not know how to turn this picture. I live on the second floor. Our landlady and her son live up above. He is a policeman....how convenient. They are indian. The family that was in the bottom flat just moved to Australia, so we'll be getting new neighbors soon.

Party at the Normans

2009-03-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

John and Chris invited my brothers and their families up to their home for an open house this evening. There was yummy food and great company. It was so nice to see many nieces and nephews and their families and Tad and Van and John. Of course all my Utah kids were there too. My brothers all bore their testimonies and then Drew gave me a wonderful blessing. It was a wonderful evening. We are planning on leaving Bountiful at 8:00, driving to Provo, going to breakfast and then they will take me to the MTC. I am excited to get things going!

Dinner at the Mayan

2009-03-22T12:45:00.000-07:00

When Brennan and Brad and I arrived in SLC, we all met at the Mayan restaurant for dinner and to celebrate Thomas' 5th birthday. We had such a good time. The kids loved watching the divers and the fire dancers and the food was great. After dinner all the girls went shopping at Forever 21 and all left with really cute things. (except me)

Our Chaser Bug

Brennan, Thomas and Erin

The Gang

Drew, Carly, Tyler and Jenny

Thomas was not feeling 100%

Drew's Baptism

2009-03-21T13:08:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning Drew was baptized by his father. It was a special baptism, just for him. RB and Janet got special permission so that it could take place before I left for Fiji. I was so grateful that I could be there. Scott spoke about baptism and Carolyn Warth gave a talk about the Holy Ghost. Then Drew was confirmed by his father, RB. It was wonderful to be together for a final time before I had to leave. It was also so hard to say good-bye. I can hardly believe I won't seen them again in person for 18 months...... Thank heavens for email and blogs!!

More Blogging Practice

2009-03-20T17:51:00.000-07:00

I leave tomorrow morning after Drew's baptism for SLC. Then I report at the MTC on Monday morning. Here is one more try at blogging. These pictures are from the open house my children had for me two weeks ago.

Here is Chase getting a haircut from Uncle Brad.

My good friend Donna Olsen. I will really miss her!

My girls.

Last Day in Boise

2009-03-20T10:17:00.000-07:00

I am practicing bloging this morning so that when I get to Fiji next week I might be able to do it all by myself! Emily has been patiently helping me remember what Erin taught me a few months ago. I am going to include some random photos so that I might remember how to do that when I am on my own!!!!! More to come.....

Good-bye Gus, please don't pee on my carpets while I am gone!

New Years at Wolf Creek

2009-01-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

Grandma and Tyler

2009-01-04T08:21:00.000-08:00

This is me and my grandson Tyler