December Travels

This month has been a busy one so far with lots to come!  We visited with branch members and missionaries on Menorca and Steve rented my wish for Christmas while we were there.  However, after driving it around, I realized it would be perfect for two adults in the front, but if I ever wanted to take more, i.e., children, friends, or grandkids with me, it would be a tight squeeze.  So, he was smart and did a test drive with the two of us and the missionaries and I think I have dropped it off my list. It really is a cute little car though, and VERY easy to park:)

steve with elders perez & weiss of menorca

isn't it cute?!

We also went to Madrid for a Senior Couple seminar about church employment resources.  The Area Presidency wants us all to be able to be a resource for help in finding jobs for our JAS as well as members of our branches/wards in Spain.  So, we had a fantastic couple of days hearing about what the goals are and how we can help facilitate these goals.  We also were finally able to understand schooling here and the process involved--we can now really help some of our JAS finish their obligatory education and start to move forward.  We had fun visiting a Belén display--beautiful, HUGE, nativity scenes with the whole city depicted--and eating tapas together.  We also realized that being grouchy and negative never solves anything, and we hope that as we get older, we are able to be positive and looking for solutions/ways to help, instead of picking everything apart.  Steve is off to Barcelona this weekend for a quarterly meeting, one more trip to the airport this week and our new favorite place to park where they know us by name already:)

p.s.  happy birthday, mom, i miss you!

bethelehem city display

joseph, mary, baby jesus

wisemen from the east

singing carols waiting for one man with 20 cameras

tapas by the heater

Navidad

We have been doing a few things here in Palma to get a little ready for Christmas.  We inherited this little tree and some ornaments from the previous missionary couple's stash, and with a new string of lights, it is perfect!

plus 2 ornaments from manacor  friends

We also had another festivo--there are may holidays this time of year!--so we invited the JAS over to decorate sugar cookies with Hermana McArthur.  Lots of frosting and colored sugar later, we had many creations and a lot of fun together.  We watched a christmas movie and ate pizza and had the perfect Christmas kickoff.

a true sugar fest!

angel carolers

isabel & raquel

ana, andrea, lemar, & john

For our activity after institute last week, we played "uno para ganar," or "minute to win it," Christmas style.  Some of the games were a lot harder than we thought, but we had a great time laughing with each other. Christmas is coming!

evans & john=very focused

concentrate lemar & panchi!

andrea & freddy

Odds

What are the odds that the only mosquito left in Palma for the winter gets into our piso through closed windows, flies around and finds me--pretty good, since Steve hasn't been touched here--and then bites me on the eye so that it has been swollen for three days?!  I'd say the odds are pretty good, and not in my favor.

pretty attractive, huh!

Thanksgiving

notice the perfectly cooked bird in the foreground:)

The JAS wanted to do a traditional American Thanksgiving with a turkey and all the trimmings, so we had a Fiesta de Gracias Friday for our activity last week.  Steve ordered a turkey--the whole bird is not available in the grocery store until close to Christmas--so we planned a week in advance and ordered one from the butcher/carneceria.  We weren't sure how it would come to us, with the head/feathers/etc. all still on, or if it would be cleaned and ready to go.  So, we were very happy to pick it up, cleaned, no head, in a plastic bag on Thursday.  I got it out of the fridge Friday morning to start the prep and reached inside--like I always do to get the magic bag of "parts" out before I wash it--and pulled out. . . the HEAD!!! I screamed and freaked when I saw its little eyes and beak, but then started to laugh and chalked it up to one more adventure in cooking here.  The neck was still attached, so Steve cut that off for me and I had a little more feather cleanup, but all in all, the bird was perfect and tasted delicious!  We made mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, yams with marshmallows, and green salad, with walnut cookie bars---couldn't find pecans--for dessert.  We had a great time eating and visiting, then eating some more.  The best part was talking about our blessings and what we were grateful for. . .mostly friends, family, the Gospel, and most of all each other!  Another memorable night together.

thankful for all of our blessings!

Los Sitterud

our new favorite city on the hillside

Last weekend the Sitterud's--president of the MTC in Madrid--came and did a presentation on serving missions for our district.  We had such a wonderful time with them doing a driving tour of our favorite spots on Mallorca and visiting.  President Sitterud gave such a great talk/power point for our group and inspired even more to serve missions.  We were hoping for 20-30 people, but ended up with about 70 and we were thrilled.  The chapel was full and everyone had a great time visiting with them afterwards and enjoying some snacks together.  Another great night in the Palma building:)

A crazy side note--I was sitting on the sofa in the foyer of the building and some movement outside caught my eye, and this giant RAT goes walking by right next to the glass doors of the building!  Well, long story short, Pres. Larrubia and Steve stomped on it and made sure it "moved on."

quick photo before presidente larrubia hauled the rat off to the trash

Zombie Missionaries

We had the best JAS-LOWEEN activity for Halloween.  We basically had a zombie theme and all the JAS worked hard on decorations, food, music, and games, and the night was simply spectacular:)  We have been learning the dance from the music video Thriller, and we all learned it even more and danced it together for the finale of the night.  As Steve and I were dancing together, and looking around at all the JAS, we were amazed and grateful, again, that this is actually our calling:)

family

zombie donuts

zombie marshmallows

monster cookies

sugar cookie fingers

Caracoles

caracoles--snails!

We did it!  We ate caracoles--snails--a delicacy here on Mallorca.  We actually really liked them.  I told Steve that I didn't think I could brave them in any other restaurant, because I don't want to ruin the memory of liking them.  We can check one more Mallorquin dish off the list, and if you come visit, we may have to take you to a great place for caracoles;)

pamboli, cornish game hen, sausage, olives--a staple here,
and a coke, of course!

steve eating a caracole

karen eating a caracole

richard eating a caracole

the merino family, friends, and
the remnants of a great meal

one of our favorite sculptures on the way to manacor
now we know it marks the turn for a great mallorquin restaurant