Tuesday, December 23, 2014

PART 1

YUP, late again this week!!!!  There has been so much going on that I am just now getting around to writing last weeks blog.  We are getting too old for this kind of 'crazy-busy' schedule.  But we love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

After about 5 months of scheduling and rescheduling our trip out to John and Carol VonCannon at their home in Mansfield, GA, we finally made it!!  What a great little place they have out in the country.  John and I are cousins (Annie Gaye, John's mother, and my mother are sisters).

 On Tuesday, December 16th I had yet another eye appointment for a shot in my eye.  I have these every time I go in.....usually 7-9 weeks apart.  The q-tip in my eye has numbing medicine on it to help numb my eye before I get the shot.  Once we finished here we were headed off to the South Carolina Columbia Mission with our first stop in Sumter, SC.  About a 5 hour drive.

There are two nurses in South Carolina.  Sister Romano is one of them.  She is a real sweetheart and a great nurse.  It is fun for us to finally get to meet some of these nurses for the first time.  We usually work with them by phone, text, or email.

 President Turner, Mission President, loved playing 'Santa Claus' to the missionaries with their packages from home.

 When we asked at the hotel front desk what there was to do in Sumter we were told there wasn't really anything to see or do.  Except......go to Swan Lake and see the Festival of Lights Display.  It was indeed gorgeous.  We were so glad we got to see them.

Just a little FYI.....we earned our DIAMOND STATUS on this trip!!!  Now...we can park close to the front door!  Aren't we lucky.

 Because we couldn't see the SWANS at night during the Festival of Lights show, we decided we could take 15 minutes on our way to Zone Conference to see them.  Wayne really wanted to.  See that 'dude' in front of Wayne.....looking straight at him with his neck straight up.  Well, we learned very quickly that he was a 'mean dude'!!!  He apparently was out to protect his 'herd'!

You see clearly that Wayne was attacked!  He bit Wayne's hand first, then moved up his arm and on his coat, both sides of his arm.  And he was 'beating' Wayne with his wings.  Wayne yelled 'how do I get away from him?'.  I yelled back 'walk away slowly, turn and walk away!'  I was SURE that Wayne was going to have to go buy a new suit.  That his would be in shreds!!!

This foto really doesn't show how bad is hand was.  It swelled up and had a big bruise and you could see the teethmarks from where the swan bit him.  He was a vicious 'dude'!!!  STAY AWAY FROM SWANS was the lesson we learned.  They may be pretty to look at but they are mean!!

 Meet Sister Emily Bell!  Her aunt worked with us in the Washington D.C. Temple Bapistry!!  Small world.  How sweet she is.  She has now been out 16 months and I (we) have been out 6 months.

We took a super quick 45 minute break at Zone Conference to go 'hide and seek' one of Becky's core kits.  Yup....right there in West Columbia, S.C.  It only took Sonja 16 minutes to get there and claim it.  How fun to meet her and her granddaughter.

And meet the 2nd nurse in this mission.....Sister Miyasaki!  She is a great nurse as well.

 And then we were surprised to have Marcy Polander show up at the West Columbia Zone Conference.  She was our Relief Society President in the Monocacy Ward a gazillion years ago.  How fun to see her and catch up with her for a minute or two!!!

As we left West Columbia and drove over to Greenville, S.C. we drove right past the South Carolina Temple.  Of course, we had to stop and go inside for a minute.  We didn't have long but we made the most of the few minutes that we had.

PART 2

After Zone Conferences on Friday, we drove back to Peachtree City.  We needed to unpack our suitcases and repack.  We would fly to Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

How fun was it that our airplane landed just a few minutes ahead of the airplane that Tyler and Spencer were on.  SO.....we hooked up with them at the baggage claim area.

 It took a while to get our rental car and head south to meet up with everyone.  And we did just that......we were starved so we meet at Ruby's Diner.  It was a great place.....great food, great company, great evening.

It was amazing to us how the entire 30-hour weekend shaped up with half of the family being represented there.  David had flown in from Shanghai for Christmas.  Andy was in CA for a half-marathon that he ran and Tina and the kids flew out so the ordination could take place there.

On Sunday morning, we met at the church where Tyler ordained Spencer to the office of Elder in the Melchizedek Priesthood.  What an honor for that to be accomplished.

Here is a group/family shot of those who were able to attend.

The view of the beautiful palm trees lining the streets was very pretty.

We walked down to the beach later in the evening.  David wanted to take a foto of Wayne and I.

The sunset was just gorgeous.

Just enjoyed the view and the waves and the water.

Doesn't Tina Marie look cute sitting on her 'lifeguard chair'.  Watching her little flock.

 And all 6 of these cousins had such a GREAT time.

A PERFECT ending to a PERFECT weekend.....although it was short, it was wonderful.

WE ARE TRULY BLESSED!!