Family Holidays in Tucson

We were thrilled that everyone was able to come to Tucson for Christmas!!!  Ten adults and ten children in our not-so-big home was a tight squeeze, but with everyone being kind and helping out, it worked out great and we had a wonderful time.

Dec. 24
Taking advantage of family members being home, I brought out many items we have been keeping for 20 years to see who wanted to take them home :).  Michelle and Camille looked through their dolls and decided what to keep and what to give away (almost everything).

On Christmas Eve we gathered in the living room to sing carols and read the story of the Savior's birth from Luke 2.

Grandpa MC'd a great Christmas program with everyone participating.

Okay, so maybe the program went a little long....

The children acted out the nativity story using wooden figures.

Finally it was time for the little ones to go to bed, so Santa could come!

Dec. 25
The children woke up early but patiently waiting until their parents were up so everyone could go together into the living room to see what Santa had brought!

The tree was glowing, the stockings were overflowing, and the room was filled with gifts!

After a beautiful, musical sacrament meeting, we gathered again in the living room and Grandpa introduced our family rap, "TBTI!"

And the children opened a special family gift...

...a TBTI bag for everyone!  Grandpa designed the TBTI font style and colors, and machine embroidered each person's name on his/her bag.

Ben, Tytan, and Max had fun helping each other build models with their new Lego sets.

Grandma managed to snap a photo of Zander--not that he was standing still!  One of my favorite memories of the reunion was watching either Camille or Bryan trail Zander as he wandered from room to room, never pausing more than a few seconds.  Handsome boy!

Camille and the family surprised Grandpa and me with Christmas and 20th anniversary outfits...

...and tickets to see the John Pizzarelli combo and the Tucson Symphony Orchestra!

We were so glad that Ken could join us!

It was a wonderful, memorable Christmas Day for us all.

Highlights of the rest of our wonderful reunion:

Monday, Dec. 26

Cousins bonding with Aunt Rashida--Ava, Ethan, and Brie

Ana Moreno Ortiz took family photos in our backyard.

We love our beautiful family!

Dec. 27

We all got to celebrate Kaitlyn's 12th birthday with her!

Ava leads a Werewolf game

We had lots of fun in the pool and hot tub at the Ventana Vista Condos!

Dec. 28

Grandpa arranged for a round of golf at Ventana.

Racquetball at Udall

 

Dec. 29

It was great weather for a hike at Sabino Canyon!

What a handsome group!  Tytan was especially prepared with snacks in his TBTI bag.

Watch out for mountain lions--or was it crazy hikers?!

Dec. 30

I'm sure we did lots of fun things on this day, but we captured only the wonderful organizing project Camille, Michelle and Dad carried out in the guest bathroom--thank you very much!

Dec. 30

What a fun way to spend New Year's Eve day!

Max and Tytan made photo IDs. Good thing they were both wearing their BYU t-shirts!

We finished of the day with a rousing performance of the TBTI rap!  Alas, the video is too big to upload.  Here's a link.

Thank you for coming to Tucson for a memorable Christmas holiday!  We love you all!!!

Mayan ruins at Tikal

On Tuesday, July 19th, we arose at 4 a.m. to catch our 6 a.m. flight to Tikal, an ancient Mayan city (~400 BC to 900 AD) in northern Guatemala on the border with Belize.  We landed in Flores and hired a driver to take us to the park, about an hour away.  At the park, we hired a guide.

One of the first things we saw was a ceiba, the national tree of Guatemala.  The trees can grow well over 200 ft.  Dad took a video to try to show the scale.  The plants on the branches are "air plants," not parasites.

   Now there is a tree worth climbing.  What a great tree house it would make.

Looking at the monkeys.  The question is which are the monkeys?

Mary Lee along with some guy who happened to be in the area.

That guy again coming toward us.

Spider monkey shenanigans

 It is a good thing that the weather is so pleasant all year round.  Snow just wouldn't make it.

Holding up the walls of a local ruin is not a small task.

This guy seems a little camera shy!

Can you spot the monkey?

There's a gospel metaphor in here somewhere

You would never guess what happened on the way home from Tikal.  At the Flores airport the security lady (one of the TSA type people) told me that I could not take my nail clippers on the plane because the little file was too dangerous.  I insinuated that it was absurd and that it was not sharp nor was it big enough to do any harm.  While looking me straight in the eyes she bent the file portion of the clippers back and forth until it broke off and then handed the clippers to me.  When I asked the other security people they said the file was not a problem.  I think the lady just had to show she was the boss.

Climbing Pacaya--an active volcano!

There is a wonderful bakery across the street from where Teresa and David live in Guatemala City.  Dad delighted in finding out what was hot and fresh out of the oven--then bringing treats back for the rest of the family!  Good thing we don't have anything like that close by in Tucson....

San Martin bakery

Deciding what to buy

There are several active volcanoes close to Guatemala City.  We hiked Pacaya--about a five hour round trip hike.  We "rented" walking sticks from little boys and hired an official park ranger guide at the parking lot.

Our guide rewarded us when we reached the base of the volcano cone by providing sticks and marshmallows to roast in the hot air vents.  When Laurie took her family there two years ago, it was only a few months after an active explosion, so there were still red hot areas in the lava flow and her shoes began to melt. For us, it was hot enough that the sticks would immediately catch on fire when thrown into the vents.

We also hiked down a little path into a cave formed in one of the air vents...of an active volcano.  What were we thinking?!

I guess maybe there are warning signs when a volcano is about to erupt.  But our guide told me that in 2014, she and fellow guides had about 20 minutes to race down the mountain to shelter in her home in a town at the base of the volcano. They endured a half hour of "pure terror" (her words) as "bombas" (loose rocks thrown up by the volcano) rained down on the house, ripping holes in the roof and walls.  In the 18th century, the town of Antigua, at the base of the volcano Fuego, was mostly destroyed by falling bombas when the volcano erupted.  Many churches were heavily damaged and remain that way to this day.

It was a wonderful adventure!

Guatemala: July 14-16, 2016 Sikaab'e, CHOICE Vocational School

Way up in the verdant highlands of Guatemala are nestled a number of small villages in a setting that would make your eyes pop.

  In that beautiful spot is a small school built by the local people under the tutelage of Choice Humanitarian.  It just so happened that Mary Lee was asked to share some brief comments to the departing students who were studying to become electricians.

  The school has classrooms on the main floor and dorm rooms on the upper level.  Mary Lee is seen with an associate.

 Our cabin.

 View from our cabin.

Breakfast is served.

 In a little village the homes are very modest--dirt floors, bamboo walls, tin roof, but smiling people.

One more post about Kate & Ali!

Ali and Kate spent 4 1/2 hours at the Family History Center on Thursday during my regular weekly shift.  They were both eagerly working on family history efforts the entire time.

Kate looked up stories about ancestors and explored FamilySearch.  Ali discovered that the subscription version of www.puzzilla.org can filter for relatives who need temple ordinances.  I showed her how to search for duplicates, merge records, look for documentation and attach it--and she was off and running!  She found eight women in Grandpa Scott's tree who need ordinances and she reserved them.  She and her cousin will do the baptisms at the first opportunity.

It was a busy day, so after the first hour, I didn't have much time to help either girl, but they didn't need any help by then.  Bravo, Kate and Ali!

Kate and Ali at the Tucson Family History Center

Teaching Grandpa about Family Search

All too soon we had to say goodbye at the airport.  We can hardly wait till Kate and Ali come back to see us!