Another week in paradise here on the east coast.  As we drive through the countryside we are amazed at the beauty that surrounds us on every road.. The fields are bright green, the trees are full of foliage and the vines and ground covers are filling in all the gaps between the trees.. Last week was our last week in the White Plains 1st & 2nd ward and I had such mixed feelings.. excited to start serving in our new area and sad to leave so many wonderful friends.. We wanted to make the best of this last week..

     We met Kristi and Nicole for a visiting teaching lunch at a new cute  place for me.. California Taco..  We talked and laughed and talked some more for a couple hours.  Sister Brown got sick as lunch was winding down so I took her home to go to bed and I ran errands. 

     I was glad that our monthly card club was this past week at Tinas.  The theme was flowers and there were 10 of us there.  I love the friends I have made with this fun group of gals and love the inspiration I receive each month as we each share our cards with each other. 

     Our drive to the temple is in daylight going and coming home now.. which makes it so much nicer.. I was serving in the baptistery again this week and it was wonderful.  We had 2 large youth groups come in and they were all so fantastic.  I just love working with the youth.

     Our zone conference was held on Thursday and it is always one of my favorite meeting to attend.  We received guidance and counsel from both President and Sister Matsumori.. They are so inspired and loving to the mission.  It is also fun to see all the missionaries in our zone and be able to touch base with them.  Two of my favorite elders are going home in a week and they will really be missed.  Elder Kinne was in the first group in our wards when we arrived and is such an amazing young man.. the other elder going home in Elder Shurtleff who is in our apartments now & we love him so much.. It is great  to have the elders so close by and know they are here to help out any time we need them.. We seem to adopt every one we serve with..

Elder Shurtleff

     We had been trying to get down to see Mollyanne for a couple months and just knew that we had to make it down to her home on the Chesapeake Bay before our transfer.. We made arrangements to have a visiting teaching lunch get together first.  So we met with Mollyanne, Janice and Mary and had a great visit.. Then we followed Mollyanne down to Swan Point, Maryland..  Her home is right on the bay and it was a wonderful visit.  Her husband Marty collects antique trains and has a large room dedicated to his hobby.  The walls are covered in shelves filled with trains.. (pictures on my blog).. Mollyanne collects orential tea sets and antique toys and fire engines.. Their home is beautiful and they are such gracious hosts.. We had a wonderful time visiting with them. 

    Our District met on Saturday morning at the visitors center for our adventure.  We took the metro to the district and then had a personal tour of the East Wing of the White House.  We had worked with a great lady named Lili and she set is up for us.  She works at the white house as a telecommunications manager.  She has her doctorate in English Studies and was the associate dean of studies at the university of Hawaii, before she retired and joined the staff of the White House.  She loves her job and was a joy to spend the day with. 



Old Ebbits Grill



We took her to lunch at the Old Ebbit Grill which is across the street from the White House and the food was fantastic.  It is Washington's oldest & most historic saloon founded in 1856.  Each table in the Ebbit was graced  by a blue history card that read, " Many other famous statesmen, naval and military hero's, too numerous to mention, have been guests of this house".  After lunch we visited the White House Visitors Center and watched a movie on the history of the White House. I was able to purchase a replica of  one of the Easter Eggs that were part of the 2012 Easter egg roll at the White House.  Saturday was also the Cherry Blossom Festival parade in downtown DC.. so the city was bustling and very crowded.. It was a very fun day.. and the next outing for our district has been assigned to Sister Brown and myself.. We are taking them down to Solomon's Island at the tip of Maryland for crab cakes and then tour the area and visit the Amish Market and then go to a Blue Crab Baseball game.. they were excited for the adventure and to see where we serve..

     Sunday was our first day to go to our new wards.  We were going with Bonnie and the new stake RS presidency.. So we met at 10:00 and followed each other down to Lexington Park.. It is about an hour drive for us from our apartment.  We attended the relief society meeting of the Lexington Park ward and then the 3 meeting block of the Patuxent Ward.  They were so sweet and served us lunch in-between meetings since we were there all day. We met so many nice people and are very anxious to visit with them and form friendships.  As we were waiting for our meeting with the bishop I was talking to a fellow and discovered I went to high school with his father-in-law at Nampa High School. We then had a meeting with Bishop Reed & Colleen Martines of the Patuxent Ward to fill them in on our mission and the service we could provide for the sisters in their ward.  We will rotate wards and visit the sisters in each ward during the week.. After our meeting we were invited to dinner at Colleens house.. She has a wonderful family and it was a so much fun to spend the evening with them  She has 5 children, a daughter 13, 10 year old twins, a boy and a girl and a son who is 7 and a beautiful baby girl.. After dinner we went over the ward roster and discussed the needs of the ward.  We finally called it an evening and arrived home about 10:15 pm.   

     We had a great week, and have many wonderful memories.. Each new day is the opportunity for another wonderful friend. 

For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you . . . If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.     John 13:15, 17

     Be happy in that which you do. Cultivate a spirit of gladness in your homes. Subdue and overcome all elements of anger, impatience and unbecoming talk one to another.  Pres. Hinckley