To TEXAS and back

I left to go to Texas to help Deanna out with her second baby, little Makenna Lynn Young....she is beautiful and Deanna is doing so great!  She didn't gain very much weight with this baby so she is "bouncing back" quite quickly.  

I had a terrible flight going back to the USA and had to stay at the airport in Portland Oregon after finding out that the last leg of my trip had been cancelled and no one notified me!  Not a happy camper!!!!

But, when I "finally" arrived after sleeping on the floor at the airport, I was met by Mark, Deanna, Austin and McKenna.....what a happy sight!

 A few weeks ago I started making this little afgan for Makenna and finished it while I visited Texas.

She is so sweet and such a good baby.....although she is just starting to get a bit of colick....hope it doesn't stay! 

While I was visiting Deanna and her family in Ft. Worth, my dear friends from Austin, Claire, Connie and Jill ..... and Sherida who just moved back to Texas, came for a visit and a lunch date.  It was so fun to see them all together and visit with them.... I love these ladies, we will forever be friends.

Tony has been busy all week working on helping missionaries all over Europe get their Visa's ....it's been quite a busy job!

We had a storm a few weeks ago....it could be compared to the TEXAS storms we used to witness when we lived in Austin.  This picture was taken from our office when the storm hit.  That high rise building in the background is our apartment building.  Some trees were downed water coming down so fast and the loudest thunder I've ever heard!  It was quite the storm.....

This week we found out that our oldest daughter and her husband Rob are going to have a baby boy!!!!  Boy #3 for them!  So thrilled for them all!  They sure make cute boys!  I miss seeing them so much and look so forward to their visit next June 2018.

This is Michelle and her sweet family, this picture was taken because they had to "put down" their beloved Ebi this day.  They decided to take her to her favorite place, the creek.  She is old and in pain so they made the decision ..... I am sure it was hard, they have had her since they started dating...... I wanted to put this in my blog because it happened while we were serving here in Germany and we were so sad....it's hard when a family pet such as Ebi leaves our family.  

Tony and I keep busy with our work at the office (Church office for the European Area), Tony continues to be so busy with Visa work for the missionaries coming into the different countries and I am doing some auditing of reimbursements made to Stake Presidents in the European Area, which includes the Cape Verde Islands, Italy, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, England and the list goes on and on.....it keeps me very busy each day.  I try and leave the office each day around 4:00 so I can get to the apartment to talk to my sister Debbie as she takes her morning walk in California and then I usually call my kids and talk to them if they are available.  I don't think I could do this if I couldn't talk to them each week!  

Upon my arrival back from TEXAS, I am having a little rough time with jet lag but it was good to be back in Germany.  I suppose I am beginning to feel as though this is "home" for the time being.  I usually get very homesick but I have not been homesick so far which is quite a blessing!

Fall is on the horizon and the weather is getting cooler each day.  The high is usually in the 60's ......I am just anxious for all these beautiful trees to start changing color......we live in such a beautiful area, I am sure the streets will be framed with beautiful color in just a few weeks.

This picture below is a photo of me and Sister Sabin, she is the area authority's wife.  She and Gary (husband) have the same calling as Mark and Jacqui Palmer (seventy, general authority) who live in Johannesburg Africa.

This photo below is Janet Nelsen, she is on the Young Woman General Board and is also the wife of Tony's boss (Jeff Nelsen) in the office of GC (office of general counsel)
She has been so kind and fun to be around, glad I can call her a friend.  

While we visited Marksburg Castle in Braubach a few weeks ago, we bought Olive and Finn shields and swords from the castle gift store......wasn't too sure they would like them but I think because they were from a "real" castle in Germany, they were thrilled!