First visit to Adelaide

 This past week I have spent a lovely time in Adelaide visiting Collette, Hayden and Toby in Adelaide. They moved in January and will be there for five years while Hayden completes a radiology program at the Flinders Medical Centre, to become a radiologist, the speciality he has chosen as a doctor.

I have never been to Adelaide and the prospect of going somewhere new and without any kids was vey exciting. I took about 4 books to read as I knew I would have the plane trips from L'ton to Melbourne and from Melbourne to Adelaide all to myself. Having travelled overseas with 5 kids, I think that was one of the things I was most excited about.

It was so nice to just hang with Collette and do day-to-day stuff with her.  Collette had her finals basketball game while I was there and I got to be the scorer. They WON! And no it was not rigged by the scorer. lol.

It looked like a really fun social women's roster that she has got into over there.

 Just popping a shot in!

Even though it was September and still quite cold back at home, the weather was already warming up in Adelaide and there were beautiful sunsets at the end of the day.

On one of the nights we went down to Christie's Beach and went out for tea with one of my oldest and dearest friends, Naomi Ellis. She is such a beautiful person inside and out and it was so nice kicking back with her and Collette and having a few laughs.

And this boy was such a cutie. I had the best time hanging out with him. One night Collette and Hayden went out on a date while I babysat and he was so funny as I read stores to him that night.

A few days into my stay, Jess, Kyle, Bastian and Nora came for a visit, driving all the way from Melbourne for her 26th birthday which was on the 26th of September. It was nice for a change, these guys having all the kids and me none. I was always ready first! lol.

We took the kids to the Adelaide Zoo on Jess' birthday.

Later that day we went out for tea for Jess' birthday with a few ex-Tassie friends, Mel Watt and Chad Honey and went to Brace Girdles for dessert.  I do remember Jess ordered lambs brain for her meal and I tried it. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I would never attempt it at home. 

I love how I took zilch photos of anyone… except the dessert. Got my priorities right.

On the Saturday it was the AFL grand final day and it was super hot outside. Over 30 degrees which for a Tasmanian in September was SO exciting. We took the kids to the beach before the football started.

While Jess and Kyle babysat Toby, we went to the Adelaide temple.

It was such a beautiful day.

On my last day, after church we went down to have a look at Glenelg.

It was so pretty and I would love to live in that area but it is quite an expensive part of the city.

My dodgy iPhone 4 pics …. waiting for the 6 to come out! :)

I enjoyed my time SO much with my sisters and loved the time away by myself. I really did miss the family and mores when we were doing fun things like the zoo that I knew the kids would have loved. It reminds me that as parents we do so much of putting our kids first because we delight so much in seeing them enjoy life and having experiences that they can draw fond memories from. Bring on the next Adelaide trip! 

missionaryMum.4 (Aug)

Last month was a lovely summer month for Mum. It averaged around 30 degrees most days and at night sometimes it would still be 32 degrees at 8.30pm. Mum's walls were filling up with all our paintings and letters. Starting to really look like home.

Part of what I love hearing about from Mum's mission is all the different people she is meeting from around the world. There are currently missionaries from 12 different countries serving with Mum so she is getting a wonderful cultural experience.

This was a yummy Japanese meal put on by Elder  and Sister Serrao

Already the massive job of putting up the tree lights for Christmas was starting. Mum said they do this every second year so she can't wait to see what it all looks like.

Hi Everyone, 

Monday I ran off the photos from Facebook and everyone was quite impressed.  No one 
knew what a wombat was. I have him on my computers at work. 
Sister Snowden has had a tiring week, only working part of the day.  She has to go next 
Tuesday to an orthopaedic surgeon and will have to have a plate in her wrist.,that is 
day surgery. She had applied to the property management to pay her bills so hopefully 
that will work out. As we have to pay the first $2000 and then a lot of the rest. 
FHE we watched the Seventeen Miracles movies, always good. One of the sisters has her 
ancestor in it. 
Monday the Christmas lights started to go up. The use cherry pickers and go up,and down 
on long ropes. Every branch and twig has lights and they are wound all down the trunk. 
Very tiny lights. The trees are done every second year. Will be amazing to see the end 
result. We can watch them our the window at work. 
Monday the Temple opened again with 87 weddings that day. It has been so busy all week 
hundreds of people everywhere, they all waited till,it opened again!! 
I went to the temple Wednesday afternoon. I have completed all ordinances for 48 people 
and have sealed 27 couples since I came. I have to move the family tree along a bit 
faster as I am catching up to myself!! 
Thursday I found a wife in Grandfather steers line with the wrong surname! that's why I 
couldn't get passed them. Can't. Now really either, she was born in Ireland and with a 
surname of griffin and a first name of Bridget...well I think there are about 1300 of 
them!!!! Looks like he was a convict, he hailed from London and there are thousand of 
William steers from London!!! 
Anyway at least now I can do there children. I found there marriage certificate, that's 
how I verified it. 

During August Mum went to the Ogden Temple open house.

Sister Snowden, Mum, Sister Hill and her relatives.

Inside the exhibition tent.

And just some ice-cream they found on the way home.

Can't remember what I told you about last time. Our Japanese meal was amazing, and so 

easy. Sister Serrao, who is Hawaiian! had cut up all the meat and vegetables and we 
just cooked them at the table. It was all very nice. 
For our zone social this month we had a fellow doing magic tricks. For food we had 
chilli tacos and root beer floats, I just have the root beer without the ice cream, I 
don't like the floats. 
We have had a bit of rain and storms over the last couple of weeks. The morning 
temperatures have dropped a little too. 
Work is very busy and they say it gets busier once summer and the holidays are over. 
Schools went back this week. 
The monthly lecture in the Assembly Hall was about Alexander Schreiner, a tabernacle 
organist for over 50 years, some of his descendants were there. He wrote the music to 
many of our hymns.  Saturday last week the concert was put on by the descendants of 
Joseph smith Emma hale and Brigham young. Elder Ballard organized it, he must be a 
descendant, he was supposed to speak but couldn't make it. 
Last Monday for FHE we had ice ream in the Gazebo. Banana splits, very nice. 
Thursday we went to the Ogden Temple open house. It took an hour to get there and the 
actual tour is 45 minutes. Then there is an exhibition tent to go through.  It was very 
big and so beautiful. The decore and materials used are so well done. No chandelier in 
this celestial room, it is a big glass dome.  Lots of the fittings, including the water 
fountains, are burnished copper. We intend to go back for a session there. I think the 
dedication is next Sunday and we all watch at church. 
Then of course the Farrs ice cream factory was right across the road. I had bear claw ice cream!!!! Verrrry nice. 

She also went on a picnic to an historic home and farm in Centerville.

Imagine cooking on this - prehistoric thermomix!!

An example of a handcart. All your potions in there!

Wow what a telephone.

The beautiful gardens of the farm.

Everyone got to take a bag of plums and peaches home from the fruit trees.

Mum sent some pics of the building she works in, the Joseph Smith Memorial Building (JSMB) that has 10 floors and she is on the 3rd. This is the hallway she traverses each day.

The ground floor of the JSMB

Looking up to the mezzanine level.

A reception room off to the side.

Mum loves taking photos of the gardens as she works home from the JSMB to her apartment.

Celebrating Sister Reeve's birthday at the Lion House.

And right at the end of the month, Mum went out for with Jen (Jayme's girlfriend) and her companion. Sister Snowden cam along too. (Sorry about the grainy pics). Another jam packed month. I can't wait to start seeing the beautiful Autumn leaves.