9/24/2018 Pine Tree Fields, Clouds, Boiled Peanuts (Goober Peas), License Plates and Bales of Hay

They plant acres of pine trees here in long rows that are eventually harvested  and sold for lumber.  The trees grow from 12 years up to 20 years depending on the size that is needed.  Often people who live in a more rural area with a lot of land will plant acres of trees and then are given agricultural status on their property taxes - they do have to harvest them, but they can go for a long time.

 Can't do a blog without sending at least a few pictures of the clouds - amazing.

Last Saturday we traveled to Newberry, a small southern town about 15 miles from Gainesville.  We visited Pawn Pro, the local pawn shop.  The boys would have really enjoyed it .. lots and lots of guns and loading equipment - a big sign in the window advertises it.

 We also went to a local fruit stand which has been operated by the same family for a years.   It was a granddaughter (now attending University of Florida) and a nephew of the original owners that helped us.  We bought some "cukes", some peaches 

 and some of the famous Florida boiled peanuts 

 They were better this time, kind of taste like pine nuts - but we still gave most to one of the young men in the YSA who really likes them .. you can choose plain (with salt) or Cajun (spicy).  We took plain.   They sell cans of them in stores, but the word on the streets is that the best place to buy them is a roadside stand where they are made fresh every day.
For the kids - a link "Eating Goober Peas" by Burl Ives and Johnny Cash.  We didn't know but peanuts are called goober peas (or maybe goober peas are called peanuts ... )

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBOxw6vbDyo

 The roads often have canopies of trees over them - we have posted these before, but it never seems to give the full effect that they have when you are driving through them.

 And Florida has more different license plates than we have ever seen - first time for this one

Even the Temple - it might be a Temple thing but we hadn't seen it before.  The car and the license look like they have been around for a while.

 We have seen lots of hay fields, but never with the big round bales placed end to end. .. 

Our weeks march on pretty much the same - boring to read about but fun to live.  We are at the Institute building every day from at least 10 - 5 approximately, but Tuesdays we serve a light meal at 6:30 (class at 7) so closer to 8 when we leave.  Wednesdays Mike teaches so we have the meal at 6:30, class from 7-8:30, and leave about 9 or 9:30 depending on if the YSA's decide to hang around and play ping-pong, pool or foosball (the Institute is well equipped) or just sit around and talk.  We have started a Thursday evening Devotional series this semester with speakers from the community in different professions and how you can have a career and stay strong in the church.  It really has been fun.  We serve refreshments after - usually cookies and ice cream.  Our budget doesn't stretch to buying cookies, but it actually has been kind of fun making different ones and the kids are always complimentary - and willing to try almost anything.

    Some cool thoughts on the how individual and personal the atonement is - Elder Merrill J. Bateman, an emeritus member of the Seventy "For many years I thought of the Savior's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him.  Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed.  Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt 'our infirmities' (Hebrews 4:15), 'bore our griefs, ... carried our sorrows ... (and) was bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:4-5).  The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us."  Ensign November 2005.

     C.S. Lewis put it this way: "[God] has infinite attention to spare for each one of us.  He does not have to deal with us in the mass.  You are as much alone with Him as if you were the only being He had ever created.  When Christ died, He died for you individually just as much as if you had been the only man [or woman] in the world."

        We are grateful for that Atonement.         Love ya'all    have a great week.

9/23/2018 Changing to Monday from now on

Blog day is going to be changed to Monday .. too many things going on Sundays now.
Love ya'all

09/16/2018 Rainbow, Book of Mormon

Krishelle posted this beautiful rainbow with this note regarding the Utah fires - " A short rain here but we’re praying it’s pouring over the 🔥!!


A wonderful promise from Marion G Romney (which is echoed in different words by prophets and apostles often) “I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase; mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart. Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to the counsel of their parents. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness” (Ensign, May 1980, p. 67)

Short post today-we are busy and doing well.  We are south of the flooding, but are saddened by the loss of life and destruction of so many homes and businesses.  

9/9/2018 - Butterfly Rain Forest, Hurricane Florence, Saints

9/9/18 - When you add the month and day together, you get the year, so there will probably be lots of weddings today.  We have served ten months now and, I think we have said this before, it seems short and it seems forever.  It has been a great blessings in our lives.
   Last Monday on Labor Day, we went to see the Florida Museum of Natural History.  Connected to the side of the museum is the Butterfly Rainforest area which we specifically went to see. It is at the right of this picture, enlarged a few pictures below.

"The lush landscape is planted in tropical trees and colorful flowering plants and amid small waterfalls and a walking path that features hundreds of free-flying butterflies and birds from around the world along with an assortment of other animals including turtles and fish."  We saw lots of butterflies, a few birds - one splashing in a big puddle in a waterfall area,

and some fish.  The area is like a huge greenhouse covered with a mesh kind of covering and when it rains, it rains inside.  This is the enlarged picture.

 We were about halfway through on our second time and the rain started.  Mike pretty much was soaked,  The ground area is only about a thousand feet, but it goes way up high.

It is a bit like taking a picture of every squirrel in the Grand Canyon (something we have joked about in our family for years because when we went to the Grand Canyon, there were lots of pictures of squirrels and that all look the same when you get home) - but there is a large variety of butterflies and all are different and they are beautiful.  It isn't creepy at all, they fly in and around you, landing on clothes and sometimes on hair.  We liked the blue ones best, but they are hard to get because when they land they close their wings and the outside is brown and grey

They put out half bananas and the butterflies gather to eat.  We didn't realize, but after a butterfly comes out of the cocoon, they live a very short time, some a few hours or a few weeks.  The monarch lives about 9 months.

Although this isn't a hurricane that will impact Florida except maybe some extra rain, still it is interesting the preparation that begins.  Already, a memo came from our Stake President to Bishops and Branch Presidents to start organizing their crews because if it hits South Carolina where it is projected, then the Florida Helping Hands crews are ready to respond.  The news says "there is an increasing risk of two life-threatening impacts from Florence:  Storm surge, or rise in ocean water above normally dry land at the coast which can flood homes, roads and businesses, and freshwater flooding from a prolonged heavy rainfall event inland.  South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia have declared a state of emergency to position money and resources for the storm."

We attended the YSA face-to-face fireside with Elder Quinton Cook tonight about the new book, Saints.  We agree with and share these thoughts from our son-in-law, Craig: "So I got called in to work tonight to do event standby (his work at BYU includes Risk Management) and I'm really grateful I did.  We watched the broadcast, face to face fireside with Elder Quinton Cook in Nauvoo at the foot of the temple.  He had two church historians with him and they answered questions about the early church and introduced the new church book, Saints. There was such a sweet, powerful spirit manifest during this fireside.  I highly encourage all families to watch it if you didn't have the chance, or if you were like me, and had no intention of watching it.  While I haven't read any of that new book, I am very interested based upon what I heard and felt there tonight, and I highly recommend it to all!"   There are also extra articles and videos you can access.  It is available on Gospel Library, or you can get it from Deseret Book for only $5.75.  Our guess is they are pricing it so everyone can afford it, free if you go to Gospel Library.    

We are grateful for the church, grateful to be able to be here together and grateful for all of you.   (sorry for the hard-to-read color, can't get it to change to anything else that is readable...but we are grateful for computers and how they keep us connected. )

09/02/2018 Ain't Misbehavin', Gator Marching Band, Baptism, Blessings

We meet once a month with three other couples for FHE and this last week on Friday, we all went to Ain't Misbehavin'  It is"a musical tribute to the black musicians of the 1920's and 1930's who were part of the 'Harlem Renaissance', when Manhattan nightclubs, high society and dives, were filled with piano players banging out the new beat known as swing."  It was a very entertaining evening.

The group is called Actor's Warehouse, a small church they have converted to a small theater.  The window trim and the ceiling are done in beautiful wood.

A little closeup - those attending are allowed to bring their own refreshment.  It also was interesting when they announced the refreshment table at break.  "We are not allowed to sell drinks, but for a slight donation, you are welcome to get what you want." and there was plenty available.

Five black performers do the entire performance which is almost straight singing.  They have rich southern voices and lots of energy, they are there to entertain you.  Wish we could have had all of you there to watch - pretty amazing.

 

The one above and below were taken after the performance when they were out in the crowd. The gentleman above in the middle, and the young lady on the right were two of the performers.

We didn't go to the Gator's opening football game, but the band gathers in an area a little way from the stadium where they warm up, then, led by four motorcycle policemen and their big drum on the cart, they march down the road and into the stadium.  People line the short inner campus road and walk along by the sides until the band goes into the stadium.   The band really gets the crowd pumped up.  We did win by a large margin.   

Their drum line is great, but we haven't mastered the uploading of a video yet, so will send these two links from 2017 which show their standard pregame program.  The campus area was filled with easy ups and several thousand people.  Many remain loyal even when the team isn't at the top.

 Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsUzjoYkkx0

in the second part they spell Gators

Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1clJcdyFriE

We went to a baptism on Saturday.  This little boy, the oldest son of the young lady being baptized, warmed right up to Mike who did the "flyaway Jack .. flyaway Jill" with the little bits of paper on his fingers.  The little boy wanted to try it, so Mike put the papers on his fingers and it was hilarious to watch him when they didn't flyaway when he put his fingers up. He shook his fingers and would look and laugh and shake them again.

 The youngest one, on the right, after the baptism, put his hands up on the clear partition that separates the font from the people and tried to climb up -- "I want to go in the pool."  he said.

As we count our many tender mercies here, along with, of course, the blessing of being able to be here together, we include a nice apartment that also has a garage attached so we can go from our apartment to the covered parking under the institute, thus escaping rain and humidity, 

the fitness room which has plenty of equipment for us to keep as fit as we can be, a good sidewalk down the side of the road so we can get in a good walk, a good car to drive - thanks to our friends the Holyoaks in St George who sold us the perfect car, the missionaries and the youth of the YSA,

President Janson and Elaine, our FHE group and the other friends we have made here.

and of course, all of you - our friends and family wherever you are.

We love this scripture - and we are deeply grateful to always be able to trust our Faithful God.

Deut 7:9 - Know therefore that the Lord they God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.