SO LONG 2024!

 It's well into October as I'm writing this and the temperatures are starting to cool down.  When we can consistently hit the 70's as a high we are celebrating.  I can't wait for the end of the month.  I know the leaves are going to be beautiful.  Around the temple grounds a few trees are starting to turn colors.  I can't believe that we've seen the equipment arriving that is being used to start putting up the beautiful temple lights at the Temple Visitor's Center.  September , October , and November have flown by and I don't know where the time went.  We had a senior labor day get together and found lots of food, games and friends to party with.

Celebrating at zone conference for President Nelson's birthday.

We had a great experience with all the missionaries.




Boat trip with Bryan during his visit























Nephew Kurtis here visiting


Brett's family came for a visit at the break



Sister D'eon came back to visit at Singles Conference























I took a break as you can tell from writing.  Luckily, Rick is an avid journal keeper.  I had shoulder surgery the end of  July and with PT throughout the fall I was kept pretty busy.  I had been dealing with positional vertigo since March but it got worse around September.  I went through some tests and found out some more information on  the positional vertigo.  I have been doing some PT for it since November and it seems to be improving.  Thus, typing on the computer wasn't my strong suit for a while.  The shoulder is completely healed and so just managing my vertigo from day to day.  At least that's what I used for my excuse.  I've had to work through some issues with it but I continue to get to serve and provide food and resources for our missionaries.  

Fun outing with some branch memories to a corn maze.


Branch activity at the institute writing gratitude notes.  We celebrated the baptism of Diego who has since moved to Los Angeles where our granddaughter is serving.  She helped find the missionaries to continue following up with teaching him the gospel.

Fall here in Washington DC






We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Kevin, Taylor and family came to visit for about 5 days.  We hadn't seen little Ayden who just turned 1 since he was blessed back in December 2023.  We packed in our two bedroom apartment and had so much fun sightseeing a little and just enjoying being together.  Five days later Travis, Shantell and family came to stay for a week.  This was the first week of December.  It added to our Christmas spirit to have these two come during the holidays.  We did a little bit of sightseeing but in a different way because their kids are so much older.  What a Christmas gift that was for these two missionaries out serving in Washington, DC.  


Zone conference softball

Branch activity volleyball



















                                        Teaching the District Elders Pinchy, Fisty, Flaty , Cutty, Cow

Senior outting to Great Falls Park

We traveled together and took a little hike to see the Falls.  It was very low but we still saw a person in a kayak in a higher area floating.  We went with Sister Livingston, and Higginson, Brother and Sister Kendal also joined us for the outing.


We took another trip to the Bible Museum.  We took a little Soaring over  DC on a little ride in it.  In addition they have multiple copies of the Bible, a tour through the New and Old Testament and  some
fun activities involving the Bible.







Bible Museum

Snuggles

Kevin's family visit

District Christmas glasses















We had our Christmas getting to talk to 6 of our 7 kids in the morning and then got to zoom with Brett's family and Jared serving in Peru.  What a wonderful opportunity to get to be together for the holidays.

Visitor Center picture together
Travis Hinton and family           







Games with the group












.


We went with the Workman's to hear a Bell Choir.  After they let us come up and try the bells.  They demonstrated how to ring them.





We've had shifts at the Visitor's Center, Branch party before Christmas break and most of all the wonderful gatherings with the missionaries in our mission for the Christmas festivities.

We just hit our year mark in the Mission Field.  We have been so busy with the Festival of Lights at the Washington, DC visitor's center.  All of the month of December we sign up for shifts from 4-9 p.m.  We will have worked 12 shifts.  We worked on Christmas Day and nearly over 10,000 people came through the visitor's center.  We were exhausted to say the least.  It's amazing how many Books of Mormon they given out during this time.

We have a lot to be thankful for and testify that Jesus is the Christ, that He lived and was resurrected for us that we might be saved.  
















Christmas pictures




















  

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