Month of December 2014

What a busy month. There were performances every night at the Visitors’ Center. It was called the “Festival of Lights”. Last year they had almost 100,000 people attend.

The lights are really something.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hsU_H5z18g

One night we caught the Temple in the fog.

Started right off with the Bells of Mount Vernon. There were 3 bell choirs during the month so Sister R. really enjoyed those.

Another highlight of the Festival was a performance by Jenny Oaks Baker and Friends. She had her children in the group and they performed several numbers themselves. They were really good.
Watch her daughter at the piano.

Then on the 15th the Bishop had a special “Sister’s Brunch”. He took all the Sisters to breakfast.

Also that evening we held another Hail & Farewell. We are seeing a lot of the missionaries that we have grown to love leave the mission. Kind of sad and a bit scary. Makes us realize we are well on the downhill side now.

The missionaries are asked to serve at the Visitors’ Center during the month. Our turn was the 17th. What an experience. There was hardly even standing room in the foyer area. Most of the performers present their show 3 times each night. So there is a real rush to get tickets and the line to get in winds all over the Visitors’ Center.

On the 21st the Osborns came to attend A 'Mary' Christmas with Broadway Star Sandra Turley. We enjoyed seeing them again.

Dec. 22nd we went to Pemberley on Pond. The Jenkins’ opened up their lovely home to us again. We really had a good time there.

Dec. 24th we went with our friends the Moyles & Johnsons to see some of the local lights.

Including the National Christmas Tree.

Couldn’t get close enough to really see much. But at least we can now say we have been there.

On Christmas day we had a dinner at the church. Lots of fun and good food.

Well, we are finally caught up on this blog. That’s what a couple of weeks off from the Temple will do for you. 

Month of November 2014

It’s starting to get cold here. The weather has spoiled us this past summer.

We have been taking photos from our patio all year and I made a time laps of the changes. If you are interested in seeing it you can view it here.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bt92z8p2jxatd9v/aPvNVqS6sD#lh:null-View%20Out%20Our%20Window%20in%20DC%20-%20Large.m4v

But now we are back to no leaves.

On Nov. 3rd we installed some of the Christmas lights at the temple.

We didn’t do much for the next couple of weeks. It was too cold to do much site seeing.

Then on Nov. 22nd Scott & Alison and their family came to visit. That was a real treat for us. And even though it was cold we took them (or should we say they took us) all over. Alison had setup the itinerary and for us old folks it was a bit of a challenge. They wanted to cram in all the places we have been for the past 8 months so we were running all the time.

We covered Mount Vernon in about 3 hours.

We have been there 3 times before and still had not seen it all. But they did it in 3 hours.

We went to all kinds of museums. Like the American Museum of Natural History. Where we went to the Butterfly Pavilion.

And Arlington National Cemetery. 

Saw the changing of the guard.

Walked past the White House.

Tuesday night Alison got tickets for “A Christmas Carol” at the Ford Theatre. 

Justin was going to be  Ebenezer Scrooge in that play at school so Scott made arrangements for us to go back stage and meet the actors. 

And the main character was very familiar with the “Mormons” and really into family history.

On Wednesday we all went to the Temple and did baptisms.

Then we (Rich & Sandra)  went to the Baltimore airport and picked up Jenna & Seth. We decided to go on up to Fort McHenry. That’s where the "Star Spangled Banner" was written. It was cold and rainy so we didn’t see a whole lot.

On Thursday we all went to the National Zoo.

Sandra wore 3 layers plus her winter coat.

The Ward had a Thanksgiving dinner. And we invited them to attend.

On Friday we needed to attend our shift at the temple. So they all went on the Big Bus Tour and froze to death. It even snowed on them.

On Sat. Jenna, Seth, Scott & Alison attended the temple for an endowment session. We were able to officiate for that session. That was a neat experience.

We had a lot of fun with the kids. I made a movie of them if you are interested:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bt92z8p2jxatd9v/aPvNVqS6sD#lh:null-Kids%20Will%20Be%20Kids%20in%20Washington%20DC%20-%20Large.m4v

Then on Sunday the 30th we had to say goodbye. I think Sandra really wanted to go home with them.
That same day we had the Temple Presidency Devotional. All the missionaries were asked to usher for that so we had church early on Sunday. It was the farewell talks of Bro. & Sister Eyring (Hardin & LoiAnne), not Pres. Eyring. It's actually his brother. We have really enjoyed getting to know them.
The Devotional was held up on the 7th floor of the Temple. Quite an impressive room. And a great meeting.

But once they were gone we settled back into our regular routine and again just love it.

We are looking forward to the December schedule at the Visitors’ Center. 

Month of October 2014

After our week of cleaning the temple we decided to take a trip to Williamsburg. Williamsburg was founded in 1632 as a fortified settlement on high ground between the James and York rivers. The city served as the capital of the Colony of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 and was the center of political events in Virginia leading to the American Revolution. 

We found that place to be the most enjoyable place we have been to here in the east. We loved the way the residents dress and act in character of the times and events of that day. They are paid and make their living acting as certain people of that time. We tried hard to get them out of character but they are really good.

We spent 4 days there and just could not get enough.

The interaction with the people was something we really enjoyed.

We also visited Yorktown and Jamestown.

On Oct. 6th we had another Hail & Farewell and sent more of our missionary friend home. But at the same time we got 2 new couples and 2 new Sisters. One of them is the Mother-In-Law of my cousin Della Jeans’s son.

The temple here is open for half a day on national holidays to accommodate government workers. So on Oct. 13th we served and there were about 1100 endowments done on that day. That’s a really big day for a half day here in the D.C. Temple.

Oct. 20th the Ward had scheduled a trip to the Shenandoah Park & Luray Caverns. Sandra went out early to go to a store and discovered that our car had been broken into. The passenger side window had been broken out and our GPS stollen. 

That put a real bind into our plans for going with the Ward. But as usual, the Lord worked it out. We called the police, they came and checked it out, told us they already had caught the vandals, took a report, taped up our window and we were off with the Ward in about 30 minutes.

We had a great day and experience seeing the Shenandoah mountains and the Luray Caverns.

They have an organ in the caverns that strikes certain stalactites and makes the sounds for the organ. Very interesting to listen to.

The rest of the month was pretty normal (if you can call working every day in the Temple normal). We just love it. We get new missionaries every month and it is really great to get to know them and help them get oriented to the temple.

Month of September 2014

We have a thing called “Hail & Farewell” each month or so to welcome incoming missionaries and for the Temple Presidency to bid farewell to the leaving missionaries. That process is starting to set in and make us a little apprehensive. We seem to be at a point where this life style seems normal and going home is a bit scary. But it is great to learn about the incoming missionaries and learn a little more about the ones leaving. Sometimes they put on quite a production. If you are interested you can view one of the “Productions” put on by the Williamses as they gave their farewell. It is named “Sister Williams' Olio - Large (or medium for a faster stream)”. Here is the link to it:

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/bt92z8p2jxatd9v/aPvNVqS6sD

The Temple will be closed for the next 4 weeks for some repairs and cleaning. We are scheduled to clean the week of the 21st. So we decided to travel a bit while it is closed.

Sept 8 – We went to see the ocean and Assateague Island. We stopped at the visitor center and saw a horseshoe crab and a movie about the wild ponies, 

then went driving out along the island and saw about 5 or 6 ponies (wild)

and walked in the Atlantic ocean.

Sept 9th – we left at 7:00 am and drove to Lancaster, PA to see the Sights and Sounds show of Moses. 

Then we went to the Mennonite Museum or Information Center where we saw a life size replica of Moses’ tabernacle.  It was quite interesting. We asked questions about their belief in the temple ordinances but didn’t really get any answers. We also talked about baptism. And how they baptize. Everything in their church has a very broad spectrum..  If people want sprinkling, they sprinkle, if they want immersion, they immerse.  They  are very broad about many things.  We learn a lot about their religion. 

Wed 10th we took a bus to New York City. We stayed there for 5 days. We really saw a lot and had a great time.

We attended the Temple there:

It's kind of hidden among all the tall buildings.

The next 2 days we took the Big Bus Tour and saw pretty much everything in NYC.

We were able to get tickets to the show “Cinderella”. That was really good.

We rode home with the Johnsons rather than take the bus. That way we could stop and see Philadelphia.

Sometime that week we got a call from Bishop and Lori Murdock. They wanted to attend the temple with us. But we had to inform them that it was closed. So we met them at their hotel and had dinner with them. It was great.

Then on Tuesday we started our week of cleaning in the temple. That was quite an experience. There just is no dirt or dust anywhere. They told us we were not “cleaning the temple”, but we were “keeping it from getting dirty”. The chandeliers were the hardest to clean. We spent a lot of time up on scaffolding with our arms above our heads.

Another month under our belts. Seems like the further we get into our mission the more busy we get. But we love it!! The spiritual high each day is a great blessing.

Month of August 2014

Wow, we are just getting further and further behind on this blog. We find ourselves more busy that ever. But I guess that is a good thing when you are on a mission.

On August 2nd we served at the Visitors’ Center. We were the 2nd of 2 couples serving so we weren’t stuck at the desk all night. We were able to meet visitors and discuss the church with them. And we met a family from Louisville, Kentucky who had just returned from Guatemala where they served with their 12 children on a 6 month mission that lasted 8 months. They went to all the central american countries teaching on strengthening marriage. We met a couple of recent converts and had a good visit with them. Then the next Saturday we were able to work with them in the baptistry. It was a great evening.

August 3rd we were invited to one of the couple’s for dinner. After that we went to the Visitors’ Center to hear Dave Checketts speak. He was once general manager of the Jazz. And has been involved with a lot of national basketball teams over the years. He is now (or at least was in 2012) a Stake President in the New York area.

We get to see and hear a lot of famous people here at the Visitors’ Center. What a great opportunity!

August 6th (Sandra’s birthday) we went to the Pentagon. We were actually trying to go to the Twilight Tatoo presentation at Fort Meyer. But we couldn’t find it. We did find it later in the month and we will tell you about that further down in this blog. The memorial from the 911 terrorist attack was really interesting. There were open end bench things that kind of moved up and out (kind of looking like an airplane wing or a wave in the water, with trees beside so you could sit in the shade and meditate.  Then underneath each bench was a trough of circulating water with a light at one end.  On the end of the bench was a name engraved of a person who died in that crash.  At night the lights all reflected off the water and onto the metal under the bench and had a shimmery light for each person. It was really neat. 

Monday August 11, We went to Gettysburg, Pa. We went to the cyclorama (a huge painting of the battlefield 360 degrees around us and we stood in the middle and heard facts and saw the cannons go off and the smoke and fire crash around us.  It was really a good demonstration of the battle.  

Then we ate at General Pickett’s Buffet. 

Wed. night Aug 13 we made it to the Twilight Tattoo. It was really something.

Monday 18th we went to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge. We thought it was the famous long tunnel. But as we learned later on there are 2 bridges with the same name. But we had a good time with our friends the Nielsens.

Then we stopped at a crab place and tried our hand at eating crab.

A lot of work for very little meat.

Sunday 24th Jay & Liz Crandall and Barbara & Kenny Osborne came to Church with us. Jay & Liz were on their way back to Idaho Falls in preparation for serving as visitors’ center directors at the Mormon Trail Center at Historic Winter Quarters we think.

Sorry we don’t put more about our experiences in the temple. Seems like we have more and more as we serve and learn more about the temple. We have been working in the baptistry on Saturdays for about 5 months and have really learned to love that. The Temple Presidency has made arrangements to have the un-endowed members come in the front of the temple to see the famous mural here in the Washington D.C. Temple. And there have been so many spiritual experiences related to that. We have groups every hour and a half come in and Bro. Rydalch gets to greet them. Sometimes as he talks about the work they will be doing in the temple the veil gets very thin.

We are loving the work and doing very well health wise.