Helping Hands

This Saturday our Stake did a service project.   Mormon Helping Hands.  My main man Ken was in charge.  We cleaned up an area in our community called Etiwanda Preserve.  People who should be using the area to enjoy nature have instead decided to use it to dump their trash.  So we all got to work for a couple of hours and cleaned the place up.

Here is Ken leading the charge by handing out our nifty vests-

Here is Natalie and Danielle getting their helping hands ready or maybe the police in the cars behind them told them to stick'em up?

Danielle trash picker upper extrodinaire

Natalie scanning the horizon for trash and Rattle snakes

What can I say - White Trash

Oh no- little shorts
Now some of you may think that the area we are in looks like a dirty, rocky, desert.  This time of year it is actually quite pretty.  There were wild sunflowers and all kinds of flowers in bloom.  The contrast of all the different colors is lovely and the view of the entire valley from where we were working was great.  Thanks Ken for a great project and thanks Natalie and Danielle for your help.  Katey sorry you couldn't join us but someone has to take care of the communities dry cleaning needs.

 

Happy Earth Day!

Well really this post isn't about Earth Day.  It's about a great day I had with Natalie and Sean.  We went to the Long Beach Aquarium and hung out with the fish and sea creatures and about 50,000 grade school children ( gross exaggeration).  They have critters that you can touch like sharks and bat rays.  

We checked out every square inch of the place.  

This photo is our favorite of the day.  It is the underside but looks like a face. In fact we decided it looks a little like Patrick on Sponge Bob minus the cool shorts.

All right---I will show you what I mean.  Now you see what I mean?

This picture is great.  Look at that little girl checking out Sean.  I think she is smitten.

 

After the Aquarium we rode our bikes all around the place and down to Belmont Shores for lunch.  The weather was perfect and the company even better.  I just wished the rest of the gang could have been with us but someone has to pay for my fun! 

Danielle's Debut Performance

April 8th, Danielle was in her first play.  She has been working with the Drama technical department this year.  She was in charge of costumes for their first play.  Her Drama teacher cast her in the spring play without an audition.  She played the maid in the play  A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.  She gave a fantastic performance.  I was so proud of her.  

The Long Awaited Day

This is Natalie fresh off the plane from Neuquen Argentina. She looked absolutely lovely even after days and hours of traveling. I can't even begin to describe how if feels for me as a mother when I am waiting at the bottom of the escalator at the Ontario Airport waiting for one of my children to arrive home after honorably serving the Lord as a Missionary. I will say that my heart feels like it is going to jump out of my chest and the minute I see that child I can't help but run to grab a hold on them and yes I cry a bit too! It was the same feeling with Sean and Natalie. I am so grateful for the experience Natalie had and I am also glad to have her safely home.

Here she is in her Argentine Soccer jersey jersey jumping or joy.

On Easter Sunday Natalie reported to the ward on her experience. She did a remarkable job sharing her testimony with us. So many family and friends joined us to celebrate her return. I am grateful to a loving Heavenly Father who has blessed me so richly with love from such incredible people. I know my Savior loves me and I know my girl did her best for 18 months and 3 weeks to share that message with the people of Argentina.

We are ready and waiting

The Welcome Banner is ups and we are ready for our girl to be home!  

The Sound of Music

My friend on facebook - Alora - posted this. I love it. I wish I had been there. What if life was a musical. What would you break out into song and sing? Who would you sing it to? What if large groups of people planned performances like this all over the world? Sounds fun.