1/3 Down. . . . Going fast

      In "nine" days and I will celebrate my 6 month anniversary out here in my mission.  It really doesn't seem like it has been that long.. We had a great week, filled with service, memories and a lot of love.        Monday while Sister Brown had PT, I was able to take a sweet little 85 year old lady to her Physical Therapy & doctor appointments. She is really a sharp lady and it was really fun to spend the morning with her, giving service.  In the afternoon we placed our phone calls trying to set up appointments for visits for the rest of the week. 
      Tuesday we had a busy day visiting 3 wonderful sisters.. first was Melanie, the mom of 3 adorable girls, ages 2, 4 & 5.  The 2 & 5 year old are their biological children and the middle girl is adopted from a family member.  They are such a cute family.. and expecting a baby brother in a few weeks.. her husband is on a team that keeps track of the movement of ice on the earth and it's effects on the travel of ships and the adverse effects of the rapid melting of the earths glaciers.  We then went out to visit with our friend Bonnie Ramon, who is recovering from surgery.  We were glad that she is doing well and excited that we are going to be able to work with her on a stake level.  After our visit with Bonnie we drove over to Linda's house.  Such a fun visit.  Linda and her husband are from Utah and he is a Pharmacist for the Air Force.  Linda is a substitute teacher and such a neat lady.  They have a daughter who got married this past summer, they have had 3 babies die at the age of 6 months with an inherited genetic disorder, and another baby that died before birth.  It was so sad talking to Linda about this and was comforting to reassure her that they would be able to see those beautiful babies again in heaven.  Such a joy to know that truth and be able to share it with those who have lost someone close.   
     Wednesday was our temple day and it was raining both going and coming home.. but the work in the temple was filled with a wonderful spirit and I feel so blessed to be able to serve in that capacity each week. 
      Thursday Sister Brown had PT and then we headed to our appointment and didn't get an answer when we rang the bell.. or knocked.. We then decided to return some of the dishes to a sister who had delivered dinner to us so we headed out to visit Nicole. She is such a treasure and so full of love. Her two oldest children were so happy to see us.. Paula is 4 and CJ is 2 1/2 and they just ran to us when we walked in.  We chatted with Nicole as she put away her groceries and had fun with Paula and CJ..
     On Friday Sister Brown's cousin and his wife flew into DC.. we picked them up at Reagan International Airport and then went to lunch at the Potbelly Sandwich shop.. A little sandwich shop in downtown DC.. great food... We then walked over the Smithsonian Natural History Museum.. This was the first time I have been to one of the Smithsonian museums and it was amazing.. We toured the museum for about 2 hours and saw a lot but not everything and I will defiantly go back again, to finish seeing everything there. After our day in DC we drove to Sterling Virginia to see the play "Into the Woods", presented by the Sterling Methodist Church's youth group.  It was a wonderful musical production and we really enjoyed it.  I was excited to see it since my grandaughters Taylor and Madi are performing in the same production at their high school in Arizona. Now I can picture in my mind what they are doing in their play.. I sat and pretended that Taylor was the Little Red Riding Hood and that Madi was the Bakers Wife in the production here and it really made it fun.. It was fun spending the day with Sister Brown's cousins and we then headed home (about 2 hours away) in a hammering rain storm..

 Lunch at fun sandwich shop

 Sister Brown & I at the museum

It is so hard to drive on dark roads in pouring rain and Sister Brown & our GPS did a great job getting us home..

     Saturday we were invited to join Haleigh and Bishop Vance for lunch at one of  their favorite spots for crab cakes on Solomons Island.  The island is on the Patuxent River and the Chesapeake Bay, it is at the southern tip of Maryland about 1 1/2 hours from our apartment.  Stoney's Seafood House is right on the Solomons Pier.  We sat upstairs by the windows and had a fantastic view.  We all had the specialty of the house, Stoney's 5 oz jumbo lump crab cakes, which were sooooo good.  After lunch we walked the pier and enjoyed the view and the weather of the beautiful day.

 Me, Haliegh Vance & Sister Brown

 Stoney's Seafood Pier

 Crab cakes for lunch

 Haleigh, Bishop Vance & Me

 view from a pier

Beautiful home on the island

     This week was filled with so much and I loved being here. . .

"Heavenly Father and family are inseparably connected. When we understand the many dimensions of this connection, we can begin to comprehend more completely how personal and individual are Heavenly Father’s love for and relationship to each of us. Understanding how He feels about us gives us the power to love Him more purely and fully. Personally feeling the reality, love, and power of that relationship is the source of the deepest and sweetest emotions and desires that can come to a man or woman in mortality. These deep emotions of love can motivate us and give us power in times of difficulty and trial to draw closer to our Father."

--Elder Quentin L. Cook

Have a wonderful week and enjoy each and every moment. . . .