Fun with Fisher Price Toys

When we were raising our kids, Curtis' parents would buy each Christmas a major Fisher Price toy. I have saved them all and they are in excellent condition. So now my grandchildren are enjoying the fun. So tonight we had Jason's kids and we pulled out the toys.

This was the little kitchen and granddaughter loved the phone! You can see her reaching for it. This was Serina's kitchen. We still have all the food and play tupperware.

You can see the School House on the left and the Zoo on the right. These grandsons had so much fun hauling the school kids on a field trip through the zoo and in the tunnel. I wish toys like these were still made today. Great quality. Great fun!

Census Enumerator

Today I became a Federal Employee! I will be a Census Enumerator for 4-8 weeks. After hearing stories from my neighbor about his pre-Census experience I was worried as to where I would be sent. But I am fortunate...I will be assigned an area not far from home. It will cover basically 1 mile x 1 mile square. Houses and 2 schools. Not bad! Come to find out that 17 of the 18 fellow workers all come from the small town where I live! Who knows...we might be able to car pool.

We had our training today in a Navy Facility - who would have guessed the Arizona Desert would have Navy! But alas...it is a small base with a guard shack, barbed wire fense all around it. So today at my training...I was the only one prepared (I brought my lunch) while everyone else had to dash out for their 30 min to find food and return.

I must pause in my story here to give some back ground. I grew up Air Force. I went in and out of Guard Gates my whole life. I always thought that would be fun to do! Listening to the recruits who work it..it can be boring. But not so today! I was asked to handle the shack and let the Census Workers in and out for the 1/2 hour. I guess the Navy was busy. It was great! My half hour of controlling a base entrance!

Because of my willingness in class to help people (who were totally not there mentally) find the correct place in the book, etc... I was asked to be the "Assistant Crew Leader". No extra pay, but get to do some administrative duties for our group.

So...next week I resume training and then the entire month of May will be out tracking down those individuals who didn't mail in their Census!

Stake Prom - Don't Let the Sands of Time Pass you By

Every year the five LDS Stakes in the West Valley get together an put on a Prom for the youth. It is always hosted (as far as I know) at our Stake Center. Last year they had the theme from Phantom of the Opera. This year is was scenes from the Middle East...like from Aladdin or Turkey. On Friday night, the Prom is open to all Adults. Then on Saturday night it is for only youth 16 to 18 and their dates. We babysat Friday night so Heidi & Jace could go dance. Then Since we chaperoned on Sat. night because Curtis is bishop. Was amazing.

This is the entrance to the church at the back of the building. They made it look like a Bazaar. The floor felt like you were walking on sand, they had jewels in baskets, fruits hanging.
The most clever of the night were these decorated drinking fountains. Notice the fringe around the bottoms. They even had those jars on top filled with little gold fish!

A painting and display along one wall.

We had to peek in the men's bathroom. The urinals had dry ice in them with rocks and snakes! The men's bathroom was totally made to look like a CAVE. We didn't get photos of the women's but it was the complete opposite! Totally femine with drapery. Someone put in a dresser with the drawers open and all kinds of fun things in them to add to the ambiance. Pretty clever!

This was the other foyer entrance from the back of the building. It was blocked off so you could not enter. It had couches, lapms, jewels, etc... In the gym (which we did not get photos) was a large mural across the entire wall of the overflow area of a night scene with the domes, lights, etc...of an evening landscape in Turkey (or from the movie Aladdin). They also had on one side of the gym several tents set up with chairs or couches in a U-shape with lamps, lanterns, pillows. Looked just like the ones we saw down on the Sinai Pennisula! Pretty authentic! We had a fun time.

Hoover Dam New Bridge

On way home from Nevada we saw a really beautiful rainbow. You can faintly see the second one to the left of the bright one. This was about over Wickenburg, AZ.

The next two shots are the Hoover Dam new bridge they are building for cars to drive on. It is very very high up! It scares me just thinking about it. This is about all they have left on the Nevada side! The Arizona side they are still blasting through a mountain to widen the road.

Pretty amazing they can build such things!

Sparks Home & Cute Couple

The last night we spent with Nick & Serina we took this photo. You can see her little bump.

This photo was taken at 6:00 am just before we pulled out to drive back to Arizona.

Sutter's Fort & Mill and the Calif Capitol

After we spent the morning at the Sacramento Temple we drove into Sacramento City. We went to see Sutter's Fort. It is quiet interesting. It is a fort that never had to fire a single shot!

This is the sign at the entrance. It cost $6 per adult to enter, but they would only take cash or a California check. I said how about Visa? Nope. So Nick got us all in. Thanks Nick!
This is an old cannon they fired. Was interesting. They used tinfoil wadded up instead of linen cloth as the packing, then a styrofoam ball instead of a lead one, and poured gun powder in and then set it off. BOOM! Very loud. The styrofoam ball only went about 15 feet. Pretty funny.

Us at the fort.

Then drove down the street to the California State Capitol. We wandered around inside for about an hour. Saw the Senate floor from the Gallery. This is the most beautiful of all the Capitols I have seen and we have been to a lot as we traveled this land!

This is the Governor's office. Can you read the sign above the door?

This was the sign next to the Governor's door. My mouth fell open. I couldn't believe it! I had forgotten a movie star was once again the Governor of California.

He certainly has a wonderful wife!

We then took Highway 50 East to Highway 49 at Placerville, CA up to Coloma, CA where Sutter's Mill is located. My great great-grandfather, James S. Brown, was a member of the Mormon Battalion. When they came through California, a few of the guys stayed to earn some money before heading on to Utah to join their families. The guy on the far right is James. He was one of the few who were there when they found gold in January of 1848.

This is a replica of the cabin that the Mormon men stayed in at Sutter's Mill.

Nick and Curtis standing by the Southfork of the American River where the gold was found. All of this was so interesting to actually see...since it ties in with my family history on my dad's side.

Well, we are off in the morning to head back to sunny Arizona. We hear more snow is coming tonight with 80% snow fall through tomorrow mid day. So we get to return the LONG way with all the rain. At any rate, we had a great time seeing friends and family.

Sacramento Temple

When Curtis and I got married we had a goal of visiting all the temples. Back then there were only like 16! We did a pretty good job getting to them as they were slowly added, but when Pres. Hinckley said he wanted 100 by 2000, I thought "Oh no, how can we get to them all?" We have made a good dent on our list. So Saturday morning we were able to attend the Sacramento Temple. It is beautiful. The front arch way reminded me of Bountiful. But as you walk around to the back and sides, it reminded me a bit of Palmyra. The sky was overcast (it did not snow or rain, yeah!) but it gave the temple a perfect backdrop. You could contrast the Tempest against the Peaceful!

Curtis & I in front of the Sacramento Temple.

This is taken from the back area. The lower window you see on the right is the Celestial Room.

Nick and Serina on one side the Temple. See Serina's tummy? She is now at 22 weeks pregnant.

This was a beautiful wing off of each side of the entrance.

My Friend Julie

Recently after we arrived in Sparks, NV to visit our kids, my old friend Julie came to visit for a couple of hours. We were both basically newlyweds when we met in San Manuel. We both had kids together, did 4-H Club together (I taught sewing) and we did the women's club associated with our hubby's work as Engineers. In 1987 she and her family moved to Indonesia with the mining industry. We moved to Tucson. We have not seen each other since other than emailing back and forth. Our visit was wonderful...like we never misssed a beat of living close and doing things together. Now I might be able to see her more...since she only lives 1 hour away from Serina!

Sandi, Julie from Dayton, NV, Curtis

Lonelist Road in America

We decided to travel a road we had not been fully on before. It is Highway 50 which is called the Lonelist Road in America! Basically between Delta, Utah and across to Carson City, NV. Since it had that name, I decided to count how many vehicles traveled toward us and how many passed us to see how lonely it really was! It was interesting. Going West we only had 9 vehicles pass us or that we saw in the rear view mirror! There were only 25 vehicles traveling East which consisted of a couple of motorhomes, cars, two bicyclists, and a motorcycle. If anyone got stranded on this road...it could be days before you got help!!! The following are a few shots along the way. We would travel around mountains and then on flats. The little towns were basically small old mining towns that looked almost Ghostly! Was a totally enjoyable trip.

Sign posted as you entered Eureka, NV. It got its name because someone discovered (I think) lead and silver and when they saw the precious ore shouted "Eureka"!!!

Here is the Opera House on main street of Eureka.

This was an old building in Austin, NV.

When we lived in Tucson we knew about the Butterfield Stage and even named an Elementary School "Butterfield" because of the location of the stage. Well, wouldn't you know, there was another Butterfield Stage on Highway 50. Apparently Mr. Butterfield became quite wealthy setting up all kinds of Stage Stops between Kansas and California. Once the railroad was in, didn't too well.

Ruins of the Butterfield Stage.

At Cold Springs Station was where the Pony Express Stop was. The horses were corraled and watered at Cold Springs so they could have fresh horses. Three days after the railroad was in, the pony express quit operating.

Great Basin Museum in Delta, Utah

We traveled to Delta on our way to visit our kids. We stopped at this really cool museum in Delta called the "Great Basin Museum". The docent was a really fun gentleman who gave us a privaate tour. I was amazed, most the stuff in this museum I knew exactly what it was for. My grandparents had most of this stuff on their ranch and I worked a couple summers at their ranch and learned about them! See if the following don't bring back memories, some good, some not.

Curtis recognized this right off...because he had one. An old chemistry set. A lot of the chemicals are considered "hazmat" now! So fun to see.

The dentists' I went to as a kid had this type of equipment. I call it the torture chair! Just the sound of the drill whirrring away would frighten me!

This is a switchboard for telephone operators. I remember in Cle Elum, Washington where my grandparents lived, the operators had several of these panels in a row. I remember when I was in 8th grade...I wanted to grow up and be a telephone switchboard operator. They were able to talk to anyone and it looked so fun!

This was one of the barracks used during World War II when the United States

took their japanese looking american citizens and put them in the

War Relocation Act. Many from the western states were brought here. I went to high school with a boy whose father was here as a kid.

Seder Dinner at BYU Provo

We attended a Seder "Passover" Dinner at BYU-Provo on Wed night. Oh was worth the trip to Utah. Bro. Victor Ludlow and his wife presented the evening. He started doing this about 33 years ago as a teacher of Old Testament so his students could appreciate the event more. It was fabulous!!! It started at 6:30 pm and ended at 10:15 pm. The following are photos from the evening:

Bro. & Sister Victor Ludlow
This table was set as a display of the various parts of the seder. Seder means "order".

I am sitting at our table before it starts. That is NOT wine in the carafs...it is called fruit of the wine OR grape juice!

Curtis & Sandi

Visiting Friends in Utah

We had a blast on Wednesday. After we left Kaysville, we visited a number of friends on our way southward. These photos are in reverse of who we saw first etc... But what fun it was to see old friends.

Curtis, Sandi, Korrine Lappalienen, and Sally Payne

Korrine just got home from her mission to Antafagasta, Chile in February. Sally is thinking of another mission. She has already gone on two! They were friends from our Tucson days.
Eric, Jenni and baby. They were in our ward in Avondale. They are doing very well.

Gil (sounds like Jill) ... she was born in Sweden and has been doing genealogy stories with Curtis. She went back to Sweden a few weeks ago and brought us a gate nail from the old homestead. Was a fun quick visit to exchange stories!

Heidi Walsh and her three kiddos. It was so great to see her. Elizabeth was excited to see us.

Snow SNOW SNOW

We went out to dinner and it was raining. By the time we got home to hubby's parents house...it started snowing. This is what it looked like when we went to bed. A touch of Christmas!!!

This is the front walk up to the front door.

Sandi's car about 11:00 p.m.

Sandi's car the next morning. There was 18" that fell over night. Curtis had lots of fun (NOT!) removing it and shoveling walks. That is why we live in Arizona to avoid these kind of moments.

This is a photo of where he found the headlights! BRRRRR!

Easter Afternoon

Easter afternoon was spent with lots of Nielson family and food. The following are just samples of the day. What a wonderful Easter! Especially hearing words from our dear Prophet, Pres. Thomas S. Monson.

Our niece, Christi in her new home. It was a lovely visit. She has a huge yard!
Nephew Jeffrey...his brother is serving a mission in St Louis, MO. Jeffrey grew!!!!

Another nephew & niece, Wes & Alli

After mid-day meal, everyone watching afternoon conference on tv.

Statue on Temple Square of Brigham Young. I love this statue. He is striding with a purpose!

Curtis after the morning session of conference. It was cold out!

Salt Lake Temple. This is where we were married almost 35 years ago!