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

Field Trip

We went with three of our young adults to Formentor this past weekend and had a great day, with rain, lightning, and hardly any tourists!  The beach was calm and beautiful--this is the first time we've ever braved it because it's usually filled to overflowing.  John snapped some pretty fun shots of the two of us and all three clapped and ahhhed as we "posed" for the camera.  I guess we still like each other:)

john and paula

raquel

football on the beach--thanks, kathy!

City Living

the view from our living room window

We have the best park within a 5 minute walk from our piso, and since we live in the "big city," without a lot of green around us, the park is a welcome place when we just need to stretch our legs and get some fresh air.  We did run stairs a couple weeks ago at the amphitheater there, and the two of us almost threw up after we were finished!  Are we way out of shape?!  YES!  Needless to say, we are sticking to walking and slow jogs these days:)

you can grow a garden in the park

play in the fountains--kind of like a splash pad

have a picnic under the olive trees

do a workout on the "equipment"

play soccer--of course, it's spain!!!

explore the castle

or ride the skate park--cody would love it!

the Chapa

I think I have finally become friends with my chapa. In the MTC it's almost a fashion statement because everyone is wearing one, and in Utah, it is a very common sight to see. Then we arrived in the MTC in Madrid, and we were in a group of us with our chapas so we were linked together. Here on Mallorca, we're the only old people who get to wear the chapa so we kind of stand out a little:) Then there is the fact that Steve is large in stature, i.e., tall and broad shouldered, add a dark suit and tie, and needless to say, we get a lot of very strange looks. These looks range from curiosity to complete avoidance. It is very interesting to pay attention to the body language of others as we walk down the street together. It seems every time we go to the airport someone asks us for directions--I guess we look pretty official; like we know something. I used to put it on my dresser, but after I forgot to wear it to a district meeting or two, I now put it right by the house keys and I'm finally in the habit of getting both as we walk out the door. I guess what I'm trying to say in all of this is that the chapa takes some getting used to, weird looks and all, and I really think I will miss wearing it when the mission is over. There is something to be said for putting on a badge that has the name "Jesus Christ" on it; a visual reminder and a statement of beliefs, and I'm very grateful I get to wear it for this short period of time.

What do We do All Day?

la seu cathedral in palma--spectacular!

I have had questions about what we do all day so I thought I'd post our schedule for this past week.

Monday:
Preparation Day with Pres. and Hermana Pace--we spent the day together driving the West side of the island and had a great adventure, filled with good food, beautiful views, and wonderful company!
Home around 10:30pm
Tuesday:
take the Pace's to the airport
Piso/Apartment Inspection for the Palma Elders
District Meeting with the missionaries in the Palma Chapel
Lunch with the Inca/Manacor Elders
Piso Inspection in Inca - about 25 km North of Palma
Piso Inspection in Manacor - about 35 km NE of Inca
Pick up Institute manuals in Marratxi'
Back to the church in Palma for a ck on the video conferencing equip.
Noche de Hogar--FHE--with the JAS at the church
Home around 11:30pm
Wednesday:
Morning at home doing Laundry
Levante Elders came over to use our computer to create their baptismal
  program for this week
the Elders then made us lunch at our piso:)
Teach English class for the community at the church in Palma
Teach English class for the JAS
Home around 10:30pm
Thursday:
Study Institute lesson
Zone Leaders over to use our computer to do their weekly report
Help Andrea--JAS--with English homework
Off to the church to try again with the video conferencing equipment
Pick up projector from Pres. Gomez for a trial run tonite in Manacor
Institute in Manacor and trial run of projector for Manacor Talent Night
Birthday Party for Vanessa--JAS-- in Palma
Home around 12:30am
Friday:
Lazy, rainy day sleeping in and studying
Early evening--off to Manacor for a fabulous night of Talents! The JAS of
  the branch decorated and put together a great activity starting with a 

  walk down the red carpet and finishing with Angel Moroni trophies
Home around 12:00am
Saturday:
Fly to the island of Menorca
Piso Inspection for the Menorca Elders
Lunch with the Elders--all elders want to eat at Burger King!
Visit Hna. Lidia and her two daughters w/the missionaries
Shop for kitchen stuff for the Elder's piso
Temple Recommend interview at the church
Visit the Núñez family w/the missionaries
Take the Elders home with their "Christmas"--the new kitchen stuff:)
Finally check in at the hotel around 10:30pm--I'm tired!
Some strange beeping noise, track it to the safe in the closet--can't sleep--
  around 12:30am Steve gets dressed and makes a trip to the front desk
  where he finds out the safe needs new batteries! "Querida, stay in bed,"
  while someone else comes in the room to yank the old batteries; now 

  maybe we can get some sleep!
Sunday:
Pick up an investigator with the missionaries
Church--Steve spoke, and I sang a duet with Hna. Debi
Another temple recommend interview
Visit with members, take the missionaries home, and off to the airport
Flight Cancelled
After waiting in the airport over 6 hours, we finally get on a plane.
Home around 11:00pm

This really is a typical week for us, and I'm grateful that today I got to sleep in and recover, so we can do it all again this week!