For the Month of April, 2015...

Monday, April 5, 2015

Of course, like most of you, we had a very delightful weekend with General Conference. It was very good and so many things spoke to our hearts. It is always a great spiritual uplift to hear from the leaders of the Church. They are certainly inspired by the Spirit as so many of the things they spoke about were things we need. I suppose that we all feel that way, if we listen with real intent.

On Monday night it is tradition for the family here to read the weekly email from Skyler. Brooke has the assignment to read. Skyler is being transferred to Entre de Lagos, which means "between the Lakes."  It is indeed between two lakes and is about 47 miles east of his Mission Headquarters in Osorno. He said that he is looking forward to the new area and new opportunities but that he will miss the people of Calbuco, which is in the southern part of Chile.

(PS. on May 9)
Since making this entry, there has been some volcanic action in Calbuco, where Skyler just moved from. Just weeks earlier the missionaries had been hiking on this "40 years dormant" volcano!
Scary!

As I said, "Scary".  So far...no loss of life and, except for ash, little property damage.

Lois continues to work on her history project and hopes to get it finished by the 15th of the month.

We are going to go to Dallas for a few days, leaving here on the 20th, which is two weeks from today. It will be fun to be with Alan and his family for those few days. We haven't seen Natalie and the boys for quite a while.

 Alan was in Salt Lake just before we came to Arizona, and we have seen him here in Arizona a couple of times as he came here to work in the Casa Grande plant which is between Phoenix and Tuscon.

The gang at a Texas Rangers game, grass seats (cheap), and Alan at the left.  Jo, Stuart, Brooke, Lois, Donelle, Adam, Ethan and Noah.  (Texas Rangers 6 and Colorado Rockies 3)

April 20-28  (The Texas Trip)

We left early on Monday the 20th and drove to Amarillo, TX where we stayed that night. Had a real nice room at the Fairfield Inn Marriot, which Alan arranged for us using his "points."  It was a good night's stay and we awoke the next morning really refreshed. We felt ready, right after the breakfast at the hotel, to make the final push to McKinney, leaving there about 9:00. It is only about 6 hours or so to Alan's, and so we didn't feel at all rushed.

The drive was uneventful...nearly!  We were stopped in Hedley, TX for going just a bit over the speed limit.  Added a bit to the expense of our trip!  (My bad!...Don, for not paying attention.)

It is interesting because on that road one has to go through many "small" towns and they all have definite slow downs. I was doing just great until nearly the "smallest" of them all and then I just forgot where I was.

We also stopped in Chillicothe, where they have the best chocolate covered pecan candies, both dark and light chocolate, and many other neat "goodies" as well. We just bought the pecans.  Lois has finished all of her milk chocolate ones and I am hanging onto about half a bag of dark.  Yum!  They grow their own pecans as well.

We arrived at about 4:30 at Alan's and just enjoyed visiting for the evening.

Wednesday, the 22nd, was Alan and Natalie's 27th anniversary and so they took us out to eat at the Salt Grass Steak House. They have really nice steaks there. The appetizer was "Range Rattlers", a tradition, which are crab stuffed Jalapeños battered and deep fat fried. After the first bite, they really are quite good but they are "hot!"  

After dinner we all went to the re-released "Sound of Music" on the giant screen. Had forgotten until we got there that Dad and Mom Fugal had taken us to see the original 50 years ago. It was released the week before our wedding in April, 1965. It was really good and enjoyed much by us all.

On Thursday, while Alan was at work, Natalie took us to the sewing and quilt shop where she works and is an instructor in quilting. We have enclosed pictures to show what it looks like. She sure is a very talented lady!

Outside "Stitched with Love"

Lois and Natalie perusing the Many, Many options of colors and materials.  Very colorful!

These are the two instruction rooms where the workers teach quilting, and sewing, to clients.

Friday we all, including Tyler, went to Grimaldi's Pizza in Plano. It was one of those "Texas thunderstorm" nights and pouring buckets.  But, you know, those guys don't let anything stop them from going somewhere. We felt like we would have stayed home waiting for the lightning and tornado, which there was an official watch out for, but we went!  Turned out, after nearly getting drenched (took turns with a big golf umbrella) we all got in and had a great evening enjoying each other's company.  It was nice when we went home, the weather that is!

Saturday morning we visited the George W. Bush Presidential Library which is on the SMU campus. Alan took us down, and Natalie had to work and Jace stayed at home.

The library is a very well done place and very patriotic.  They have a beam from the world trade center there and a lot of about 9/11, which is really touching. Around the beam they have a wall engraved with all the names of those who died on 9/11. Seems strange to be able to touch the beam! Almost made us cry to be there.

World Trade Center beam in the George W. Bush Library, Dallas Texas.

There was also quite a bit about the Iraq and Afghanistan periods of his administration, and many other exhibits. And there was a replica of the oval office, where Don got to sit in the President's chair.  (He doesn't think he looks too "presidential".)

This is a touch screen all about Iraq and Afghasistan, Lois and Alan.

This Library should be on everyone's visit list if they go to Dallas, at least if they are at all patriotic.

We returned "home" here in Surprise, fairly early on Tuesday the 28th, after another wonderful stay at a Mariott Hotel in Albuquerque, NM on the way.  We did really enjoy our short stay in McKinney.