ZOO

Here are the last pictures from the last rolls of film I developed. Jon and I went to the Toledo Zoo to see the Christmas lights back in December. Click here for the post right after we went. Here are the pictures I took while we were there.

No More Snow? Maybe Not.

It was 53 degrees at 7:30 this morning! If I hadn't seen the weather report (it is supposed to snow tomorrow), I would say spring is here. In honor of it still being winter, I thought I would post some pictures I have taken of our first Toledo Winter.

These first two pictures are taken on the day that church was canceled last year. Some nights it would look like this before bed,......and this after we got up.
These last two are of the day last week that Jon had the morning off of school.

College Basketball

Saturday night, Jon and I went to a basketball game, University of Toledo vs. Western Michigan. The ending was a little sad. UT didn't do very well, but stayed about the same number of points behind through the second half. It was fun to go and watch a game, even if our team did not do well. We also got free food and parking with our free tickets for great seats. How can you beat that?

This is my best friend here in Toledo (besides Jon). Rachel Ziemer is in nursery with Jon and me. We have fun!I have to say that this was the most awesome half-time show I have ever seen. It was this group of girls doing jump rope tricks. They are called the "Firecrackers." It was amazing! Here are a few pictures.

Monthly Trip to Michigan

Last night Jon and I made our monthly trip to Ann Arbor and Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. We were not sure we were going to be able to go. On Tuesday, Jon's classes were cancelled until noon. This pushed all his labs back a day, and made it so he would be at school until around 4:30 or 5:00 on Friday. For our plans, we need to leave around 3:00. We had almost decided that we would go the first week of March instead, but Jon said he would try to switch lab times so he would be done at 3:00. Thanks to one of Jon's Anatomy Lab partners, who told the professor that it would ruin Jon and my perfect marriage, they could be done earlier. Thanks so much Lauren!

It is always exciting when we go on our temple trip. This time we did not get lost, and there were no car troubles, which was a really good thing. However other people had car problems. We saw 4 car accidents in various stages of clean up. One was a car that had slid off the road and spun around. Two, which were with in a mile or two of each other, were multiple cars and causing quite a back up. The last we did not see the car, but it was on a small two lane road in Bloomfield Hills. There was a long line of cars. When we got to the problem stoplight, we saw that it was working as a 4-way stop (flashing red lights). As we were finally able to drive through the intersection, I saw why. The big metal box, which is used to control the stoplight, had been flattened in what appeared to be a car accident. Coming from the other direction about a mile back, was a police officer to help direct traffic, but he was about 30 minutes away from the light. It was crazy!

On the way back to Toledo, we hit a small blizzard. It got a little scary. But after a lot of praying, it cleared up until we were pulling into Toledo, and then it was not so bad.

My Birthday Cake Last Year

Last year for my birthday, a friend of mine made me a cake. It was a lot of fun. It was a white cake with sprinkles. She shaped it like a Christmas Tree. Thanks Sherri! It was awesome!

"Called to Blog: Fighting for the Chruch Online"

Elder Russell M. Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve encouraged BYU-Hawaii students in December to use new media to promote discussion of the church.

"May I ask that you join conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the new media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration," Elder Ballard said. "Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true."

Check out this article.

Another great blog, which a friend of mine put together, is called "The Mormons- We Believe it Christ." Thanks Trent and Nicole. Check it out. Maybe we shouldn't be so afraid to share our testimonies on our blogs, too.

For all those of you out there that might wonder, I do know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, or the Mormon Church, is true. I know that Joseph Smith restored this true church to the earth. He saw God, the Father, and Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon is true. It testifies of Christ. Joseph Smith translated it by the power of God. Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today. He has been called of God to serve as His mouth piece. I know that families are forever. We will be with those we love forever. I know Heavenly Father loves me. He hears me when I pray and He answers me. He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to suffer for our sins and all our pains, so we could return to live with Heavenly Father again. This is my testimony.

303 Days Until Christmas

Here are some pictures of our Christmas from 2007.

These first two pictures are of out Raclette Dinner on the day before Christmas Eve. We shared our new Swiss tradition with two families in our ward, the Slaters and the Osborns. It was a lot of fun! This is a picture of my Nativity set, which was free, because I worked were it was sold.Our little tree.
Snowmen and the angel on top of the TV, which Jon had bought when he was in Switzerland and has a really good story behind it (but that is for another time and place).Our stockings hung over our bookcase.Our Christmas decorated table.Our Christmas morning.To see more about our first Toledo Christmas, check out our previous post.

Weekend Guests

Jon's sister, Sherlyn, and her family came to visit us this weekend. It was really fun to have them. I now know that 9 people will fit in our apartment for a weekend. I do not know how much longer that many in a small space could last, but the weekend was fun. They drove all the way from Texas and left for Columbus for a wedding later this week. Here are a few pictures of the kids that I took while they were here.

Here the kids were watching a movie while their parents took naps. Brandon and Cassaundra wanted to be out side to read, but it was a lot colder than Texas.Sara and George are really into that movie.Taylor crocheting.

A Few Of My Creations

Well, here are a few things I have made for gifts the last few months.

This blanket I made for a baby shower. It's a little had to see, but it has the BYU logo of the "Y" in the bottom corner.Here is a tablecloth I made for Christmas. It has holly leaves and berries.


I made this blanket for Jon for Christmas. I made it out of old pants, shirts and scraps of material that I had lying around.

Maumee Bay

After one of Jon's tests in November, he had a few days off. We went to Maumee Bay. We mostly just wanted a drive and we hadn't been to see Lake Erie. It was a nice drive. Maumee Bay looked like it would be a happening place, but since it was November and really cold, there was no one there. I liked it better with no one there. I don't like being places with lots of people.

Fall Color? But It Is Winter!

I finally developed my last rolls of 35 mm film. I received my first digital camera in January, but I had two rolls of film from my old camera. So coming to you over the next little while will be pictures from last fall until early January.


I thought I would start with the fall color that I was able to catch on film. It really was amazing here in the fall with all the trees changing colors. Here are just a few of the maple trees that turned red at Swan Creek Park.

Lunar Eclipse

Jon and I are sitting enjoying some hot cocoa after standing outside in the frigid February night to watch the total lunar eclipse. It was fun to see. My pictures did not turn out too well, but better than I thought they would. The picture on the left I took off of CNN. This will be the last total lunar eclipse until 2010, so if you missed it, you've got a little time to wait. But, there is supposed to be a total solar eclipse in August (and there will be a partial lunar eclipse as well).

If you look close, you can see a sliver of light. I zoomed in on the picture above.There is the moon.Zoomed in, which is why it is blurry.