Saturday, November 20, 2010

EXCITED TO BE GOING HOME JULY 12,2010

A fun welcome home at Danaca and Hev's home with some of the grandchildren. It is so great to be home in Utah at first. It is so good to be with all our loved ones again. Hayden, Hadlee, Brecklee, Noah, Grayson, Carli. How exciting, looking down on our family welcome, from up at the top of the escalator in the Salt Lake airport. All the signs, balloons, flowers, and all our most loved people in the world waiting to welcome us home!! We were just awed and excited!!
Glen and Bonnie Nelson just coming home with us and they have been with us since MTC. Great cousins we found out.

Gaylon and Cheryl Gneiting flying hoe with us from our missions. They have been great friends our whole mission.
On our way home from England on the plane. Can't wait to see all of our loved ones soon.

THE END OF OUR GREAT ROMAN ADVENTURE

This is a very special place. We are standing just in front of the Rome Temple site. On a hill above a residential part of the city. Since this day they have had the ground breaking and the temple has begun being built! What a great event and we were so glad to have been there!
Dinner out in an Italian restaurant. We were at an outdoor cafe on a beautiful night. We had such a great time riding busses, with many changes, finding our way around amidst many thousands of people all speaking Italian and very hot weather. What a great time we have had!What a great time we have had in Rome with all the help and direction and association with Karen and Will Sommerfeldt! They were so awesome to let us stay with them and show us all around to the best places. They are such good friends and they were on their mission while we were there with them. Thanks to them for an amazing adventure!!

The famous Spanish Steps which we didn't attempt to climb on this day. We did sit at the cool fountain at the foot of the steps. Karen and Will are there by the fountain.

GIGANTIC COLOSSEUM

Amazing amphitheatre built in 80 A.D. great ruins still so much in tact. Part of the ruins are from an earth quake. We loved seeing all this.
Arch of Constantine, a beautiful triple arch erected to celebrate his victories in 312. This lady with me is a friend we made from Canada. She stayed with us for the tour. This was a well preserved lions cage where they were kept before they were turned loose to attack the Christians, when they were the entertainment for the wicked Romans.
This is a good shot of the inside of the colosseum, showing the many levels of the viewing platforms, as well as the lower areas where prisoners and animals were kept before the contests. This was the decadent entertainment for the rich and powerful Romans. They had all kinds of gruesome games and contests usually to the death of the gladiators or prisoners.

Really an awesome sight of the Colosseum at night all lit up. What a great experience!

Friday, November 19, 2010

FUN IN ROME JULY2010

Room in the bone church. All these are human bones cut up and made into decorations. This is in the bottom of an old church.One of our favorite places Piazza Navona. There are 3 fountains,outdoor cafes, flowers on balconies, artists and their paintings, statues that move. Always lots of fun. I got three paintings and wished I would have got more.
Another of our favorite places was the spectacular Trevi Fountain, built in the 17th century. We are throwing in our coins so we can be sure to come back!

Huge monument made to the memory of an unknown soldier. It is in the background of the Piazza Venezia.
Ruins of the old Forum where Julius Caesar gave his speeches to the senate. This city has such amazing ruins and spectacular buildings.

ST.PAUL OUTSIDE THE WALL,CHURCH OF SAN PIETRO IN VINCOLII

The nave in the chapel and a beautiful ceiling. Also found there are the chains that fettered St. Peter in prison. this church was built in the 4th century.Church of San Pietro in Vincoli which has the honor of having the Moses of Michelango . Amazing huge wall sculpture so much to see and understand.

Beautiful canopy and mosaic of Jesus and the Apostles in the apse. So many treasures and precious things to be seen.
Inside the Basilica in front of the statue of St. Paul. The writing in gold letters above says in latin Exaltation is the Celestial Kingdom. Great doctrine in a beautiful building with 80 monolithic columns and many precious works of art.
Bascillica of St. Paul Outside the Wall outside in front are Karen Sommerfeldt and Denise

ROME AND THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

Great fun on the beach at the Mediterranean sea. The weather was perfect and the water warm and beautiful.
Karen and Will on the beach about 30 minutes out of Rome.
Amazing inlaid marble on a floor. All the colors are from different marbles from different areas in Italy. So many beautiful floors and walls.
Dark picture but a famous statue of the Pieta. The mother Mary and the crucified Savior, found in the St. Peters Bascilca.

ST. PETERS BASILICA AND SQUARE

Mosaic picture found in St. Peters of Jesus washing feet. So many ancient amazing treasures.
St. Peters Square with a horseshoe of perfect columns four deep and perfectly lined up so it looks like only one column.
St. Peters Square from the top of the Basilica. A famous view of the Vatican city and Rome in the background.
We actually climbed all the hundreds of stairs to the top on a very hot July day.

Egyptian Obelisk in the middle of St. Peters Square.

OUR AMAZING ROME ADVENTURE JULY 2010

Fountain in the square in front of the Pantheon. There are awesome fountains in so many squares thru the centre of the city. We loved it.
Karen Sommerfeldt and I inside the amazing Pantheon with a 9 metre hole in the top of the huge beautiful dome.This is the amazing Pantheon one of the most imposing and well preserved buildings in Rome. Built in 27 B.C. burned and rebuilt in 80A.D. It is in beautiful shape.

Typical, beautiful side street in the middle of Rome. I love this look.Rome at last! We are overlooking the city and so happy to be there! We are up on the top of the St. Peters Basilica, after climbing hundreds of stairs we were at the top looking down over the St. Peters square and the Vatican and Popes residences.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

more TEMPLE FRIENDS 2009, 2010

Glen and Marci Shields visitor centre Missionaries.
Dick and Jackie Strader from Arizona. Our neighbors in the Manor House.
Glen and Lola Mae Taylor great temple missionaries with strong testimonies.Anthea De Carvalho and Helen Holmes, Really good friends.

T.J. and Shauna McNeill exemplary temple workers and great people.

more TEMPLE FRIENDS 2009, 2010

Carol and Quay Simons Temple workers and cousins. Carol is Terrells cousin thru Theobalds on his mom's side.
Kenneth and Barbara Beckstrom at the Lingfield train station on our way to London. Barbara is Terrell's cousin thru Theobalds on his mom's side. Great people who we want to spend time with.
ss and Dawna Thayne from Layton Utah who were missionaries when we first arrived at the temple.
Amorn Miller who is a great worker and caretaker at the accommodation centres.Glen and Carol Roylance great couple and he is a sealer.
Norm and Diane Gage great temple workers and fun friends.
John and Judy Fry from Texas, fun and great workers on our shift.
Irene and Sherm Carlson from Washinton state. Awesome fine people so kind and fun. Love to se them at home.
Abi Bridgwater such a cute, sweet missionary that we couldn't help but love.
Gary and Laleen Ricks from Rexburg, Idaho. Such fun and great temple workers.Norm