January 15, 2012

January 15, 2012

Keeping you up to date in a timely manner is not our forte'. Better late than never. During December was really full with the Visitor's Center having a performance every night.  We tried to go to as many as we could and they were all wonderful.  Los Angeles has a lot of talent and the performers are willing to share. 

Here are a few pictures of some our adventures while on a mission at the Los Angeles Family History Library.








Warren's partner in Certiport support, Mike Grotegut, came out for one of their 3 yearly visits to Disneyland and stopped by for an afternoon and evening. It was a lot of fun. We went to dinner and talked forever.

We got to go home during the 10 day holiday break at the Family History Library to swap our car for our truck, to go home in this March. During that time we visited family. This was a night at the start, at Jason and Katie's. Brett and Heather and family came over for dinner.








We had three new grandchildren this last year and got our first in the flesh look at our newest grandchild, Adalaide Huddleston. We looked forward to this and to help Katie a little around the house.










It was Christmas season and the children made gingerbread houses. Jason, the Master Carpenter in the family helped and helped and helped.











We got a real surprise the next morning when the doorbell rang during breakfast. Guess who the kids saw after running to open the door? You are right, a Before visit from Santa.









We went to David's and Lindsay's and I had to take a pic of the chickens!












Next we ate with enjoyement

















It looks like an annual treat, at Christmas at David's with the playing of hymns by all who can actually play an instrument.



























Next morning at Jason's the kids queued up to unwrap presents













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Grandma made these for everyone. They do look good on them don't they!












OOP's we didn't take pictures at Mark's house or Brett's house while we were there. But we got to spend several nights at each of their homes.

While in California Phyllis got to go with Megan to pick out her wedding dress and went wedding reception center shopping. She was really excited that she got to be there for that.




We drove up to Idaho to see Ethylen Snow - Phyllis' Dad's wife. She is 93 years old. Came home with Phyllis' great grandmother Sarah Odell Wright's family bible and about 15 slides of the family with the old slide projector to show them on. The projector does not work anymore, but hey, I've got one too.











BEFORE
















AFTER

We woke up about 1 a.m. Tuesday morning, January 10, 2012, to loud popping. Warren rushed to the door and opened it up and said "OH NO". He ran to his phone to call 911 as there were no people or fire trucks there. While he was calling Phyllis heard sirens and then grabbed the camera. The house was completely engulfed in flames when we first saw it. Later on we found out that accelerants had been put on the house to make it flame immediately. Therefore, it was arson.

Our truck was parked in the parking lot by the house and one of our tail lights was deformed by the heat - we are keeping it on the truck as a momento.

This was supposed to be the Mission President's house. The house next to it will be the Temple President's house.

October 2011

I have been wondering why we do family history.  Why not just wait until the millenium then all the families can get together and say I belong to them and so on.  Well, I got my answer.  In Relief Society we had a lesson on the spirit world after we die.  We go to paradise or prison.  Then in the lesson they indicated that people are in prison until they accept the ordinances of the temple that have been done for them.  Oh My Gosh, that is why we do it.  We need to get our ancestors out of prison.  When I think of prison I think of a place where your progression stops.  So, by not doing the ordinances for our ancestors we are stopping their progression.  Wow, what an insight for me.  I wonder why we are doing family history when I hit a brick wall and can't figure out where to go to find a record.  Sometimes it can be frustrating, but you just keep plugging along - perhaps leaving that line alone for awhile and then go back to it.  In fact, the family history databases are adding so many records all the time that the record you are looking for may not be there one day, but the next day it may be.  We have one patron who comes in all the time and he says that he has a line where he has hit a brick wall, but every month he will look again on the databases to see if something has been added.

Megan and her friend Tim came down during October.  They had dinner with us Thursday night and then went to his sister's house near Santa Barbara to spend the rest of the weekend and then went to church with us on Sunday.  It was fun having them visit.  Always love to see family and friends.

The photo tree died.  One long thick trunk limb at a time.  Each thick trunk limb was needed for the whole tree to survive.

Three weeks before it started to break up:

First limb:

Morge down, even the time of the picture is sad,  the twilight of it's life, the end of it's day.

It's gone:

Elder Zach Blackham, who has been our neighbor and who has been home-taught by Warren for years, came into our mission on October 26.  We didn't get to see him until the 27th, but it was exciting.  All day on the 26th I kept going outside to see if I would spot him.  I knew that he was just down the street at the Westwood Ward being taught by the mission president.  The Family History Library is next door to the mission and many elders were there on the 26th; so I felt sad I didn't see him.  But I learned that he would be back at the Westwood ward the next day from 10-4.  We didn't go into work until 1 p.m. that day; so Warren and I went on a walk at 9:45 which takes us past the church.  It just blew me away, but there he was.  I went right home (after our walk) and made cookies for him since he was going to stop by the library that afternoon to let us take a picture of him with his companion to send to his mother. 

The spirit of Elijiah is strong here in the LA area.  There are many people doing their family history both LDS and non-LDS.

Love ya,  Phyllis

September 20, 2011

Life is Great.  Family History continues on.  It is our "P" day today so I was able to contact a cemetery of one of my collateral lines.  This family, "Stoney", was said to have had eleven children, but I could only find seven.  I assumed that the others had died in infancy.  They lived in Beaver, UT.  So, I looked up the cemetery and looked under Stoney.  There were at least 12 "Stoney" babies that had died, but it didn't show the parent's names.  I wrote a letter to the cemetery but it was returned because they didn't have a mailbox.  So, today I called the Beaver County Recorder and she was able to tell me the names of the parents of those babies.  I am able to claim three of the babies that were buried there.  This is sooooooooo exciting.  I am feeling a sorrow that my great great grandparents must feel that their posterity has fallen away, but I also marvel at the gospel in that it allows us to put the families together and they can choose in heaven which way they want to go.  I feel privileged to do this work.  I was talking with a member patron the other day and he indicated that on his mission he baptised three and since he has been doing family history he has been able to baptise thousands - interesting.  This is really a mission in baptising people and giving them the opportunity accept the gospel!!!

This has been a fun September.  Katie and her family have been planning to come to Disneyland for about two years now and the date for them to come was September 12, 2011.  Guess what, we live really close to Disneyland and our mission president gave us permission to go with them on our "P" day.  So, they spent Saturday night in the apartments. Sunday we got to go to church at our ward with them.  After lunch we went to the Visitor's Center and then walked around the temple.  It was a really wonderful Sunday.  Then we got in the car and drove to Disneyland.  Monday was just a plain fun day.  It was interesting to me to see all the reactions to our badges.  Comments:  "Wow, what a "P" Day"; "Is your mission at Disneyland?"; "Phyllis, Hi" (this was a gal I used to work with at BYU).  A couple with their children stopped by just to talk because they knew we were LDS and Katie comes up to them and starts talking with the woman as if she knew her - she did - they were neighbors.  Small world!!!  Many people would just smile and recognize the tag and say HI.  I am really getting a testimony of wearing this tag.  It brings the gospel to people's minds.

Well, I have written all I can think of right now.  I am going to post this let Warren take over and add pictures when he wants to.


Issac and Rachel on the Missionary bed in our apartment

Melissa and her Dad at their apartment, #114

At the Vistor Center

We told them "No," but....

I tried three time to get this  picture but Sam just wouldn't stop praying.  Or being stubborn.  I don't recall which...oh now I remember

8034  Katie finds a moment of humor in it all.  By the way, we watched the 'Opening Soon' building built from ground up.

8029  Julie thinks she's a bee in the midst of all the flowers, fly here, fly there, fly, fly, fly.



Rachel, frustrated

Jason gets the pic of the present

Emma has been here before and show how to walk on air....

8050  Issac and Melissa demonstrate the "proposal" position

The Tree and her children



And that download only took a hour.

And Now!  Disneyland - Day 1:

We did have fun with Jason and his family.  Thanks for including us,

Warren