Real short weekend

Saturday, Apr. 25th

THOUGHT:  "Everyone has gifts; everyone can contribute."

- It started out much earlier than Peg would have preferred.  I had a meeting at the temple grounds to plan a big training meeting we are having for about 50 doctors all over Mexico.  There is still a lot to do - one of our main speakers cancelled at the last minute.  I have to arrange babysitting for 13 of the kids coming - ages 2 - 14.  They all stay on the temple grounds in the dormitorios where the old MTC was.  I am expected to MC this and am a little nervous - still working on my Spanish.  These doctors are wonderful and sacrifice a lot to take care of the missionaries.  We then hurried home - someone needed to take my car to get it inspected, but we were able to stop at the flea market and get a couple of things and of course some cream popcicles at the store right by the flea market.  I made about $100 of purchases for the clinic at the temple.  We went to Costco for a few purchases then we had to go early to the adult session of stake conference (we were singing in the stake choir.)  They had 2 young men who had recently received their mission calls and they gave wonderful talks (one is in our ward and son of an area 70.)  
PS Sara, Hadley and Beka got tickets to go to the open house of the Payson Temple!  Sara wrote under Hadleys pic - "I love to see the Temple, I am going there today!"

I love to see the Temple
I am going there today!

Payson Temple open house!

Our Stake Center

Inside the Stake Center.  Lots of fans
but no air conditioning!  Warm meetings!!

Sunday, Apr. 26th 

THOUGHT:  "May the Lord's grace bring happiness now and faith in sure promises to come."

 - we got up early (40 minute drive to the stake center and we had to be there early for one last choir practice.)   The conference was wonderful - the stake relief society president talked - she grew up in a family where her father was not a member and was abusive to the family.  She talked about how we all can't choose to be raised in an ideal family situation but we can all plan on making our family (spouse and children) exactly what Heavenly Father wanted - we don't need to carry on mistakes of our parents.  Her talk carried a wonderful spirit.  Sunday afternoon was lazy (I even had a brief nap) and we watched A.D - the Roma Downy sequel to the Bible - she has taken a little liberty on the story line but overall it is very well done.  Now we have to get ready to make our whirlwind run back to Salt Lake for graduations and weddings.

Monday - Friday Apr. 20 - 26th

Monday,  Apr. 20th

THOUGHT:

Find joy in everything you choose to do. Every job, relationship, home... it's your responsibility to love it, or change it.

Chuck Palahniuk

Today has been a quiet day!  Whew!  We did some errands and Greg spent all day working on his
presentation to the Mission Pres. wives for Wednesday.  We didn't have a very exciting day, but did get things done, just nothing to write about that is exciting!  FHE lesson was given by Elder Pieper of the Area Presidency.  It was about the family and he highlighted some conference talks.  We had a discussion and a great spirit was felt by all!

Tuesday, Apr 21st

THOUGHT:  

Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.

Khalil Gibran

Today was another less active day!  We had to go to the Temple clinic to fill in for the Dr. that was suppose to be there.  We headed over to Walmart for some supplies I have been looking for and didn't find them there either!  We stopped at McDonalds for lunch and I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich.  First when they brought it out, it was just a piece of chicken.  Greg told them to make a sandwich out of it!  It turned out very interesting!  But tasted so good!  It was a warm day today.  I guess the weather will be quite warm until the rainy season starts in June.  Another fun day in traffic!

Wednesday, Apr 22nd

THOUGHT:       The best way out is always through.

                                                                                         Robert Frost

Today has been a very fun day!  We got to go to the big Mission Presidents seminar. It was held at the  church on the Temple grounds.  All the of the mission presidents and their wives have come to Mexico City from all over the country for a big seminar from the Area Presidency!  Greg got to take 25 min and talk to the wives who are over the health of the missionaries.  Everyone swarmed around Greg and asked him tons of questions about their missionaries.  We ended up staying all afternoon.  It was fun to talk to the wives who I have met and become friends with!  They are all such wonderful people.  Traffic was horrible as usual and we got home late!


Thursday, Apr. 23rd

THOUGHT:  Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy: true fulfillment.

Tony Robbins

We got to go back to the Mission Pres. seminar today to hang around and answer more medical questions.  We ate lunch with them and stayed for a little while in their class.  We sneaked out to drive up to the MTC.  We had to get more bookmarks for the missionaries.  We got back to the meeting just in time to hear the closing prayer and send all of the couples off - back to their missions. They have these seminars every 6 months!  Next time it is in Cancun!  Hopefully we will be invited to attend!  We might attend even if we are not invited!  HAHA!
We met up with the Smiths and Pococks and went to dinner to a pretty good taco shop!  Food was just OK!  I need a break from Mexican food for awhile!  My stomach has had enough!!!
We hurried home to have a movie night with the Andersons.  We watched "2 Weeks Notice"  I love that movie and could watch it a hundred times!!!

Driving around town!  See the houses up on the hill!
Most of the hills around here look like this!

A store!

Dinner with the Pococks and Smiths

Can't remember the name of the restaurant!

Friday, Apr. 24th  HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAREN JACKSON AND BARB FAUST!
                                Two wonderful friends!  I love you two!

THOUGHT:  When you have a dream, you've got to grab it and never let go.

Carol Burnett

Have you noticed a pattern here!  We were up and back over to the Temple clinic for Gregs time there.  We have driven to and from the Temple 4 times already this week and we have to come again in the morning for a meeting for Gregs medical seminar he is having the end of May!!!   The fact is - this is why there is not much to write about this week!  I have spent my entire days driving back and forth to the Temple!  The traffic never stops!  I don't know if I am going insane or getting nerves of steel!   Probably insane!!!
We got back from the temple just in time to go to dinner with a bunch of the senior couples.  I guess Cheesecake Factory opened up a month ago here in Mexico City.  It took our car and 2 vans to get us all to this incredible mall and the Cheesecake Factory!  Food was as good as I remembered and the company was great too!!!  We ate outside and the weather and surroundings were so nice!!  We walked around the mall after dinner.  I bought a pretty lacy top at Chicos for 30% off.  That was fun!  There are a million stores in this mall, along with a food court, airlines ticket counter, and ice hockey size skating rink, and who knows what else.  That's all we saw!  We will have to go back about 10 times to see everything!  We got lost driving home from the mall!  We haven't been lost for quite a while now and I think Greg is getting lazy about watching the map!!!  Oh well, what's an extra hour driving around the city!  Sorry Toblers!  They were riding with us!

Self explanatory!
I was with Sister Rice who's daughter married
John Porters brother!

Shopping with Sister Tobler and Sister Anderson!

The group that went to dinner -
The Toblers, Rices, Sandbergs, Andersons, Hobbs
and us!

We had garlic noodles w/ chicken and avocado egg rolls!
YUM!

Hasta Luego!

What is a Peña de Bernal?

Saturday, Apr. 18th

THOUGHT: It matters not what you are thought to be, but what you are.
                                                                                     Publilius Syrus

We had to arise early on a Saturday (go figure) to drive to Querétaro to train some service doctors and the mission president and his wife.  We made it in a record 2 hrs and 20 minutes.  For lunch we had Nutella on Croissants with sliced fresh strawberries - very good.  We then were successful in finding the little house where I started my mission.  It also served as the chapel (downstairs).  Someone had painted over the blue but chipped paint revealed its previous color.  I have great memories of this little house.  We then set out for Peña de Bernal.  It is the second largest monolith in the world (just behind Rock of Gibraltar.  It is out in the middle of nowhere but since it is a tourist draw, the small quaint colonial town at its base was really fun to visit.  We even bought a few things and found a public restroom (4 pesos to enter - that also earns you toilet paper and a towel to dry your hands.)  The rest of the drive home was uneventful.  We took a new toll road from the outskirts of Mexico to the very rich area up the hill from us.  It cost 71 pesos ($4.50) but it was worth it - wonderful smooth drive with very little traffic.  We will drive this road again.  Since we drove right past the very large and modern mall on our way down the hill we had to stop for dinner at Chilli's.  Peg tried her darnedest to take a picture of a lady by us who looked like her plastic surgeon got things a little tight on her face but she left her table before Peg could discreetly take her picture.  Her lips were huge and skin on her face just a little too tight.  

Our Saturday training with the Mission Pres, wife and one Dr.
Pres. & Sister  Mejorada

Driving around Queretaro looking for
Greg's old mission house!
Little narrow cobblestone streets

These two were sitting on the edge of the sidewalk
peeling the thorns off the cactus
People eat this stuff here called
napal!  It takes like green beans when cooked.

Driving around still looking for the right street!

I like taking pics of the houses here-
so small, just off the sidewalk and looking old!

I like this guy just standing in his doorway
watching the street!!

We finally found the right house!
This is the house Greg lived in when he
first got to Mexico on his mission!
The church was on the main floor
and the missionaries lived on the 2nd floor!
It used to be painted blue, but he found it!
The blue sticks through some of the chipped paint!

I am always amazed anyone here has power!!

The decorative posts to save parking spots in front of your house
and decorative things hung on the wrought iron window bars!

Nice and clean streets here

I like taking pics of the little kids!
They are so beautiful.  No one down here
has a stroller.  Everyone carries their kids around!

A typical front door with the iron gate, big lock and thick chain!
Who needs home security!!

Sorry this is blurry!  I caught it as we were driving by!
The moms carry their little ones on their backs
or fronts and the poor other kids have to follow along!

These guys were really struggling to get all of these
balls to stay up on top of their truck!
They kept tying them down!
I hope they don't all blow away when they start going!

Nice, clean shop filled, fun street!

The park in the town square!
Every town has a park in it's square!

A little store!
There are millions of these stuck in little nooks!
I don't know how anyone makes any money around here!

More parents walking their kids around!

As we drove out of town we noticed this whole hill
is covered in fairly new housing!
That whole area was desert dirt when Greg was here!

I am doing the Bernal pics on Sunday even though it was Saturday when we went there!


Sunday, Apr 19th
THOUGHT:   
"We should look to and have our focus firmly fixed upon the Savior at all times and in all places."
                                                                                                                                  Elder Bednar

Sunday started out with Peg up a few times in the night with illness so she slept in and missed church.  She did make it to choir practice at noon (choir for stake conference next week - lots of enthusiastic off key singers.)  Today I had to send my report to Elder Schwitzer - there was one real miracle.  A sweet sister from Rocky Point Mexico came to the mission president's home last Tuesday night for the farewell dinner.  She asked if she could go out in their back yard and when told yes she proceeded to run through a glass door (not safety glass).  The mission president's wife said it was just like the cartoons - the hole in the door was hourglass like her body.  She was cut badly on her foot - severing a tendon, on her face and knee but when they laid her down they noticed blood over her abdomen.  The mission president's wife is a nurse and lifted up her blouse to fine a 10 inch cut across the L side of her stomach and said she could see intestines and the spleen.  It wasn't bleeding badly but she got a towel for compression and called an ambulance.  The ambulance arrived 15 minutes later (she would have surely died had her spleen been cut) and was taken to a hospital.   In surgery the surgeon stated that the shard of glass hit her rib in front of the spleen and one cm either way it would have sliced open her spleen and she would have died  We drove her back to Mexico City to meet her mom who flew down to accompany her daughter home (in a wheelchair due to repaired tendons in her foot.)  We have choir practice again tonight, but it is just a quiet Sunday afternoon.

The monolith!
Pena de Bernal

The great little town by the Bernal

Market square

My favorite pic with the jacaranda tree!

The mariachi band walking around the square!

Nice pic with the trees and church behind Greg

A trolley car will drive you around on a little tour.
We need to come back and take the tour!

Driving out of that town towards Mexico City -
look at this nice open road!
I love it!!!

We stopped to get gas and Greg has to get a special
receipt called a factura.
This security guard with his big gun and other things
was trying to help him.  There was a person inside this
little hut that Greg was dealing with!
Also, they wouldn't take our credit cards
so Greg was digging for cash!!

Lots of fires in this country!
People burn everything with no thought to pollution!

We stopped at the fancy mall here in our neck of the woods!
We ate at Chilis and Greg took a pic of the
ice skating rink right there!  Fun!

Nice time in Puebla! HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABI!

Thursday, Apr.  16th

 THOUGHT:     "As we fear God more completely, we love Him more perfectly. And 'perfect love                casteth out all fear.' "             David A Bednar

We had to be at a Dr's office by 11 am so we were up, packed, ate breakfast and were out the door by 8 am.  We drove to a town 45 minutes outside of Puebla called Atlixco.  We talked to a very nice Dr there that has agreed to be a service missionary to see and take care of the missionaries in that part of the mission.  All of these service missionaries are so nice to take time out of their schedules to see and take care of the missionaries.  They don't get paid for this and sometimes it is a strain.  Most of the Dr's are very willing and happy to help!  They set a very good example.
We were going to stay with the Stellmans (Puebla south) tonight, but they were busy with meetings and stuff for awhile so we had about 4 hours to kill.  We ended up going back out to Chalula where the biggest pyramid is with the big Catholic church on top of it!  We had heard you can go underneath the pyramid into the catacombs!  We found the entrance and bought tickets.  We got to go into the museum before and see how all the pyramid was built and how large the whole thing is!  It was time to go into the catacombs.  We walked down this narrow looooonnng hallway.  There were lights in there and some side cutouts.  We walked down the long hallway and turned the corner.  That hallway was twice as long as we had already come!  I walked a little way down there and started to have a claustrophobic episode!  I had to turn around and go back out to the entrance.  Greg went on for a while longer and I waited patiently for him at the entrance.  I don't like caves or stuff like this very well!  We walked out of there and around the back side of the pyramid to the other side where we were able to see and take pics of lots of the pyramid they have barely unearthed!  Most of it is still buried under mucho dirt!  I got some great pics of the parts they have unearthed.  I loved that part of the tour since I was out in the sunshine and fresh air not deep down under that huge pyramid.
We drove around Chalula for awhile and ate lunch at a place called Gueros!  It wasn't quite like Guedos in Chandler Arizona!  We love that place.  We finally got to the Stellmans and had a very nice visit with them.  I love these people!  They are from Boise Idaho and Sis. Stallman is a labor and delivery nurse!
The Stellmans were happy to see us due to the problem they were having this week!  It was changes in their mission on Monday and Tuesday.  After their training on Tuesday the missionaries that were going home on Wednesday were at the Mission Home preparing for their night testimony meeting and dinner.  The sisters were in the kitchen discussing what to do for the next few hours until dinner.  One sister - Sis. Langith decided to run out the back sliding glass door to enjoy the afternoon!  Well, the door was closed and she ran right through it!  She got sliced to pieces!  It is a miracle that she didn't get any vital organs or arteries cut!  She has a big cut on her forehead, wrist, knee, and she cut some tendons on the bottom of her foot.  All of that was bad enough, but then they noticed she was bleeding from her abdomen.  She had a 10 inch cut right below her spleen.  Her spleen was visible and later the surgeon that closed the wound told her that the shard of glass hit a rib - otherwise it would have cut her spleen in half.  It that had been cut, we probably wouldn't be with us anymore!!! The Stellmans could see her spleen!! They called an ambulance and got her to the hospital where she went directly to surgery to get stitched up!  She was suppose to go home on Wednesday - back to Rocky Point where she lives.  Her mom was beside herself due to this accident.  She is a single mom (as most are down here)  and was so excited to get her daughter home.  So, tonight we went to visit Sis. Lengith and got her out of the hospital.  We brought her back to the mission home and had some sisters come and sleep with her.  It is a really struggle for her because she can't walk on her foot and can't use crutches because it pulls on her side injury!  We are taking her back to Mexico City with us tomorrow to meet her mom who is flying in tomorrow as well.  We are not quite sure how we are going to get help for her to get home!
That will be our project tomorrow!!!  By the time we got her settled, it was bedtime!!!

After visiting the Dr. we drove to Chalula to
see the big pyramid there again and walk around
it and go in the catacombs underneath it!
We started at the museum next to the pyramid.

Huge awesome succulent plants!

The gardens around the museum!

Greg - museum

A replica of all the pyramid -
most of which is underground still!

Who's happy face does this remind you of??

Here is the big pyramid with the church on top!

This bowl was found in the pyramid!

A replica of murals found in the pyramid

I am glad this guy isn't related!!!

This is some writings from the people from that time!

Standing inside the entrance looking deep into the catacombs!

Here is the ver nice hospital where Sister Length stayed!

Sister Lergith in the wheelchair with her cut tendons on the bottom
of her right foot, cut on her head, arm and knee and
very large cut on her left side right by her spleen!
The plastic surgeon had fun with her!!!
As she was sitting here waiting for Pres. to pull the
car up she got the name of that male nurse
to give to the missionaries!
Always the missionary!!!

I am putting more pics of the pyramid and surrounding areas up tomorrow!!


Friday, Apr. 17th  HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY ABIGAIL!

THOUGHT:  "IT IS SO FUN TO BE A GRANDMA OF AN ADORABLE 12 YEAR OLD                                                   
                               GRANDDAUGHTER"              me

I can't believe it!  My first little granddaughter is no longer little - she is turning 12 today!  Young Womens watch out now!  Here comes a fireball of smiles and joy!!!  Abi, I hope you have the best day ever!!
Today we were up and helping to get ready for the zone leaders conference.  It is being held here in the Mission home!  These Mission homes are huge and wonderful!  Good times!  I helped Sis. Stallman get ready for lunch by making meatball subs and taco soup!  She has this food to use up so that's what we made with what we had to use!!!  You can feed these missionaries anything and they love it and gobble it all up!!  They were happy with lunch.  Greg did his health shpeel and we listened to the rest of zone conference.  We packed up and got Sis. Lengith in the car and headed back to Mexico City!  All the sisters at the zone conference were in tears as well as the Stellmans and me as they said goodbye to Sister Length. We met her mom at the Marriott by the airport.  That was such a sweet reunion and so happy!  Mom has been so worried, it was fun to see the relief and sadness in her face as she saw this bandaged up daughter!
We made it home without too much traffic and had movie night with the Andersons!  Movie night
helps my blood pressure simmer down and good times were had by all!  Except for the fact that I left my project I have desperately been trying to finish at the Stellmans in Puebla.  UGH!  I don't get it until Wednesday when they come up for a mission president conference!  Oh Well  Adios!!!

Sis. Lengith leaving the mission home to
go home to her mom!  You can see the
glass sliding door in the background
that she walked through!  It has now
been replaced with tempered glass!

In the catacombs there were nooks and crannies
all over the place!

This is barred off, but it goes practically straight down
deeper into more tunnels.

This nook goes straight up to a little nook!

Greg standing on these tunnels and buried pyramids
See the Catholic church at the top of the big pyramid behind Greg
There is lots more pyramid stuff under where Greg is standing
but look at how big that tree is growing out of the
dirt covering the pyramids!

Here is some of the unearthed sites to the side of the big pyramid
There is so much still buried under lots of feet of dirt!
Actually they haven't found the end to the right side of these
excavations!

On the floor of one of the rooms with decorative tiles and
some kind of sacrificial hole!

This slab of rock weighs tens of thousands tons!
The flat rock in front was for sacrifices.

I guess they dug up these treasures along the way!

Look how huge this area is...
Those are big adult people standing way over there
It kind of gives you a little perspective!

No one really knows why they built these
things this way!  The wall on the left is
hard lava rock covering that wall!

A big altar where children were sacrificed

Greg standing on stones that are the tip of
more of this stuff that is buried

This weighs tons and I don't know what
the hole means.

Climbing up one part of the pyramid!
Those people did so much work here!
This was a huge busy civilization living here
a long time ago!

Look how pretty this church is!

The town square - restaurants all around

These are all pics driving around Cholula

How about a bright yellow church!

This guy can play this harp so beautifully
he wants a tip - got one!

Heavy Jamaica drinker!

The pyramid outside our restaurant

A nice park in the town square

I loved watching this couple walking along the street
It looks like it has been a hard life for
these two!
I always feel so blessed that I was born
and had the life I did cause life here
in Mexico is so hard for so many!

The big Cathedral in downtown Puebla!

Whew!  Have a great day!