Random

I am totally learning how to do this blogging thing. Here are some random pictures. Below is an example of what I do. My life and work are very unusual and out of the norm. I am a clown every halloween at our Halloween dancer dress up dance classes. This is a photo taken by Kent Astel last spring before Douglas left for his Utica, New York LDS mission. We are missing half of our family. Moving into the empty nest years. I wanted to get a picture of Holly as she is beginning to show her babies bump. She is almost 16 weeks pregnant with twins.

Holly was feeling well enough on her day off of work to put a valentine package together to send to Douglas on his mission.
I got the cutest videos of Abby when I was in Germany, but I have never been able to load them on my blog. I think they are working now.

This is when Abby and I were loading things into the attic. She discovered some fun toys that she used to play with when she was a baby.

Lyman Sisters in Florida Oct 2010

Here we are in Fort Myers, Florida in one of Becky and Keith's beautiful condos. Becky and Keith Jr. are preparing a meal.
Polly is getting her day started with breakfast.

Our first beach was beautiful. This place is a paradise.

Floating on the air mattresses is the order of the day.

There are great Good Will Stores everywhere. Apparently a lot of old rich retired people move to Florida, and when they die, they leave a lot of great stuff for these stores to recycle.

Becky found this great ceramic bowl. Too bad my luggage was only a carry on, or I would have brought a lot more stuff home.

This is the Fort Myers beach. It is more commercial and seemed a little dirtier to me. There are lots of fun shops and eating establishments here. Lots of jelly fish and sting rays floating around here, so you have to really watch your step.

This is a catfish a fisherman caught. What a face.

You can see the sting rays in the sand. This one is very small. You have to be sure to do the "sting ray shuffle" when you walk these waters. They are not aggressive, but if you happen to step on one, they will whip their long spiney tail back at you and apparently it is very painful to be stung by one.

Polly is considering purchasing distressed property in Fort Myers. There are some beautiful new condos for sale at a fraction of the cost they were originally.

This is a back and side view of Becky and Keiths condo that we stayed in. B & K own 2 other condos that they are currently renting out. I hear they just bought a 4th condo. They are quite the land barrons.

Impromptu Lyman Family Christmas gathering

This is Starlee's baby Lola Jean. She is so cute and fat and smiles a lot. We can tell she talks to Grandma LeGene all the time. They are good friends.

I had a great video, but this blog won't upload it. I am so technology challenged! Sorry to all who are not pictured here because of that.

These are some of the familiy members who were able to come to the impromptu Lyman Family Christmas Dinner. Blake graduated from BYU this last weekend. Now he is headed off to Dental School. Annie & Scott came to celebrate the ocassion. It was so fun to see everyone!

More Berlin Fun

On Wednesday, July 21st, Denise & I took Abby to meet up with the Relief Society midweek activity of swimming in a river with a sandy beach. Here is where we met at the train station. Anya is far left. She is a native German member of about 4 years. The Relief Society president is Jeraline Sorenson. She speaks 5 languages as their family has lived in several different countries over the last 19 years. Her 6 sons are all grown up with most of them ending up back in Utah where she is originally from. They will be retiring in one year and want to move to Orem.

This is the beach. It was crowded and rather dirty. Use your imagination as you envision 60 yr. plus ladies in the nude. Gross. It is just the German way says Jeraline. You get used to it.

Denise is 8 1/2 months pregnant and she still could squeeze into her bathing suit.

This is Jeraline with Abby. Jeraline was in a terrible car accident at the age of 2 and her right leg was smashed. She has undergone many childhood surgeries and her leg is crooked and without a knee cap but she can walk on it. She take supplements and is vegetarian to improve her ability to move without arthritis inflammation and pain.
We got home just in time for the Midwife appointment. Here the baby's heartbeat is being monitored.

Abby loves playing in her sand box.
Thursday July 22nd 2010

After dropping Jeremy off at his morning language class, Denise took me and Abby to Museum Island where there are several major museums that are surrounded by a moat-like river. This beautiful columned walk way is where musicians come to play their instruments or sing Opera. It is all very romantic. During world war 2 much damage was sustained here and it has been in repair since.
I think this is what is referred to as "Lust Gardens".
I don't know what is on the face of this building, but it looks awful and needs to be removed. It was some kind of an artistic mosaic that had better days.

This is a cathedral. The state supports all the churches here and therefore pays all the clergy as state employees. If you want to have your wedding in a church, you are required to pay a church tax. Abby was playing in the fountain before it suddenly turned on.

This is on a bridge that crosses over the "moat" around Museum Island.
This is Humblot University. The Nazis were against freedom of thought that might n0t be in agreement with their atheist supreme state ideology. Many educational leaders were persecuted and murdered. Books were taken and burned in the square just opposite of this sight
This church was bombed during WW2. It has been left in it's broken condition to remind the people of the destruction of war.
Inside of this church is gorgeous mosaics on the walls, ceilings and floors.

Here is a statue of Christ. It has also suffered damage.
Denise is looking pretty pregnant.

Elizabeth Clark is a 17 yr. old member of the church. She has lived here in Germany for 9 years, but her family is from South Africa and they all have the most adorable British accent. Elizabeth babysat Abby for the evening while we went out to dinner. It costs $10 an hour for babysitting here, and then one is also expected to tip on top of that. Jeremy and Denise never get time away together - it costs more for the sitter than to pay for the evening.

Here we are at a Thai Restaurant. The food was delicious.

Germany 2010- Week One

Before heading to Germany, Nana (Barbara Robertson) requested that I pack a gift for Abby of this pink “lady-bug” blanket and the white teddy bear. Abby is 2 ½ now and Nana misses getting to see her in person.




Here is Abby with her Nana blanket & white teddy bear. She sleeps with her soft blanket at night. She loves her Nana gifts

After retrieving my bags I was immediately greeted by Jeremy, Denise and cute little Abby. It was 9:30 AM Friday, July 16th German time. Our first stop was at this brown dry grass park were we girls were dropped off while Jeremy checked into the Embassy for some kind of necessary business. This park is where the U.S. gift of a statue of the Wild horses running freely over the ruins of the Berlin wall is located. I was informed that this last week has been the hottest on record for Berlin, and the park grasses are drying up. They don’t have sprinkling systems in place here as they are used to cooler, wetter weather.

Abby is wearing her new dress she has been saving for her "get Grandma at the airport" trip.


We stopped in the market district of Jeremy and Denise’s neighborhood where we were treated to some German food of sausage in red (sweet catsup) sauce and white (horseradish & mustard) sauce. The Germans love French fries also. We also tried a “doner” pita type sandwich of lamb, lettuce and sauce. It was tasty. Fresh fruit of the season is sold on the streets, along with flowers and plants for landscaping.

I love the architecture here. Take a look at the buildings in the background and the flowers on the decks.

The Germans are great at breads and pastries. I think I am in Heaven with the wonderful pastries that are sold so commonly in many stores. Denise thinks they are not sweet enough, but for me, they are just right. However, lest you think they are health conscious, be aware that the Germans don’t skimp on the fats in their treats. That being said, I must say that there are very few fat Germans here and the ones who do look stocky look like they are most likely foreigners. I am in awe at how many tall, stately, gorgeous blonde people there are here with amazing physics. A great majority look like athletes or models. It is shocking for me to see so many women taller than myself.

Jeremy & Denise’s house is very spacious and comfortable. I have a bedroom in the basement with a bathroom just around the corner. I availed myself of the comfortable futon bed for a 5 ½ hour nap that afternoon. The house is situated in the middle of a group of homes that requires them to approach it from a long private drive that passes 2 other homes and turns a sharp narrow corner to get in and behind. J&D had just picked up their brand new black Dodge Grand Caravan 2 weeks ago, and they are very nervous to try to drive this “bigger sized” vehicle though the narrow drive. For now they have chosen to park it out on the street and walk the long drive into their home. This is quite an effort to carry all groceries and toddler Abby every time they want to go anywhere.

This is the view from where we approach the house from the narrow private lane.

the dogs are on the parking pad. You are looking into the back yard.

Here is the view of the back yard from the north end of the yard. The parking pad is in the background surrounded by the short fence.

There are 3 levels to the house. My quarters are in the basemment . It is very confortable and cool and I have my own private bathroom.

This is my bedroom.

Now feeling refreshed, I stayed up visiting with Jer & Denise until midnight. It was still hard to get to sleep right away, so I puttered around in my living quarters arranging my belongings. I discovered that I had left my make-up case at home. That means no make-up and various missing items. Hmmm…

Saturday, July 17th
A wonderful thunder storm poured cooling rain during the night. When morning light came, It was still raining. Abby and grandma didn’t let that stop us from playing outside in the tree house, and beneath in the sand box.

Two Moldavian immigrant workers arrived to do needed repairs to the house. I was grateful that they fixed my bathroom pump and installed shower shelves for me.
Denise & I did a little bit of shopping, but then we returned home and traded Denise who was not feeling well due to a muscle pain in her tummy, for Jeremy who then continued shopping for a computer printer and various needed items.
Abby is very 2 and can be pretty terrible. She is most often happy, but not very obedient. Her MO is to run away fast and giggling if allowed to be put down. If she is not allowed her way, she whines and throws fits. We had some challenges with her especially when she became tired. Abby can talk nonstop, repeating sentences complete with voice inflections. I love to hear her talk in her little sing-song voice.

Sunday, July 17th
Church is only 10 minutes away which is a great improvement on the 90 minute one-way trip that J&D had to make every Sunday in Japan. That is also a good thing due to the fact that their church starts at 9 AM.
Relief Society/ Priesthood was first and conducted in German. The Sunday school classes were next and it was taught in English by a black man from Africa with a very heavy accent. I had a hard time understanding him. Sacrament meeting was in German again. The ward has earphones for us to wear so we can hear a translator who is speaking softly into a microphone somewhere in the meeting room. The earphones were great while they worked. The battery in the microphone was going dead and kept cutting out, then died altogether. Of course Jeremy didn’t need any earphones as he speaks German. It is amazing how many people in their ward are bilingual and speak English or German or many other languages flawlessly. There are several Americans there. I love hearing the German language, it sounds very melodic to me.
After church, many members stand in front of the church and visit. Members are very friendly and welcoming. Abby loves her church nursery class and has already made friends. It doesn’t bother her that her teacher speaks only German to the children. The church building was built in the 1950’s and the architecture and landscaping is very beautiful. Upon arriving home from church, Jeremy quickly started the preparation for the BBQ that several church friends had been invited to attend. He prepared pork ribs, 2 kinds of BBQ chicken, Polish sausage, appetizers made of pineapple and prosciutto. Denise prepared a delicious artichoke and olive dip with toasted bread slices

I brought my "Betty Boop" birthday apron that sister Annie made me.

The guests brought other foods to complement the meal. Dessert was Greek yogurt topped with raspberries, walnuts and drizzled with honey. Delicious.

In attendance was Rachel (I don’t know her last name, a school teacher from the US) the Fellows family James & Suzannah with 3 children, Jarom 14, Nicolas 10, and Louisa 6? The Clark family with 3 of their 5 children (I remember Sarah and Elizabeth’s names. Their son James just returned from a mission in Ireland. They are South African whites with delightful accents and British mannerisms), and Brad Bitner whose family of 4 children is in the US on vacation for 6 weeks.
We visited and laughed for several hours. Such a great day.

Abby loves playing with her "friends" in her treehouse. The 17 yr. old friend is Abby's favorite babysitter Elizabeth Clark. The 6 yr. old is Louisa Fellows. Abby is wearing her dancing skirt.

Monday, July 19, 2010
This morning I slept in until 8:30. Jeremy went to work for a half day, and Denise had a Dr. appointment. Abby was not feeling well manifesting a low grade temperature. I stayed home with Abby, and we read the Winnie-the-Pooh book Holly sent to her. She absolutely loves the book and insisted reading it 3 times. She was not ready to set it down when the time came to go on errands in the afternoon, so the book and blanket from Nana came along with us.

We made several purchases from the IKEA store. I also experienced the IKEA ice cream cone, hot dog with the trimmings, pizza pocket, and 3 German flavors of fountain drinks. Once again the Germans do not go for the sweet taste that dominates American sweets, and their popular apfelschorle tastes like watered down apple juice with fizz. I really like it. I did not care for the pizza pocket.

Upon returning home with our large load of shelving/furniture ect, Jer & Denise felt motivated to attempt to back their brand new van down the extremely tight drive way with it’s sharp narrow turns and obstacles. It took some doing, but Denise was undaunted as she commandeered the wheel while Jeremy guided from the back. It was breathtakingly tricky, but not a scratch. Getting out will be easier because they can just drive forward, however, the corner is always going to be a challenge. In the US, the contractors would have never been given permission to build with such a crazy drive way.

Abby was so tired that she fell asleep while sitting at the table and bumped her forehead and began to cry. We suspect that she is cutting a molar, and suffering fever and pain from it.

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
I got up early enough to walk the dogs with Jeremy this morning before he went off to work. The forest next to their house is beautiful. There are several winding pathways with park benches, garbage receptacles for dog poop bags and even some lamp light posts on occasional pathways. One thing you will never see littering the city is plastic drink bottles because there is a 20 cent refund on each bottle turned in.

I accompanied Denise as she drove Jeremy to the subway station to go to his work. Yesterday, Denise had parked the van in the driveway for the first time. They had backed it in, so this morning, it was a piece of cake to drive forward to take it out. I really think they are going to get a system figured out of how to drive in and out of the drive. As of now, they generally park on the street and walk the distance of going from our driveway to either Flip Meyer’s or to the end of our street Kristen Thomas’ house, depending on how close they get a parking space on the street to their little lane. When the big snows and biting cold of winter set in, they may want to be able to park closer, but then again, the icy conditions may make the driving more complicated. Have to wait to see.

Today Denise, Abby and I went sightseeing in downtown Berlin. First Denise pointed out the Tiergarten which means “animal garden”. It is the largest green space in Berlin’s center. It was created as a hunting ground for the king in 1527. Since 1742 it has been a public park.
Next we visited the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. It is a dismal memorial that you walk through with rows and rows of tomb shaped grey concrete blocks in various heights. Even the ground is rolling up and down to hills and valleys that typify the deep despair and rising hopes of the people. Many levels of meaning can be pondered in this solemn place.

Just across the street is the US Embassy where Jeremy works. Of course we are not allowed inside there without proper passage ID.

Just behind the US embassy is the famous Brandenburg Gate that looks out on a large open square where prominent politicians address the masses ie. Hitler. Even President Obama made an address here.

People dressed up in costumes/uniforms charge a small fee to get a picture with them at this sight.

This next picture is of Denise and Abby at the Brandenburg Gate square.

We then walk to the nearby Reichstag Building where the German parliament meets to make laws and govern the German people. One can see the patches where the numerous bullet holes hit the building. There is a viewing platform just behind and connected to this building where we were able to jump to the front of the line due to having a small child and Denise being pregnant. It was great to not have to wait in the long line to get in.

At the top of the circular, clear windowed viewing platform one could literally see the city from every direction.

We dashed back to the van knowing our parking meter would be expiring and leave us susceptible to being ticketed. It is a practice in Germany to tow offending cars and hide them until the fines are satisfied.
German traffic drives on the right side of the street just like we do, but they have some crazy rules about right of way that is very confusing. Drivers here are very aggressive and drive fast, even in the “Home Depot” type store with their lumber transporting cars in the store isles. You have to keep a close eye on little children or they will be run over.
We then headed to “Check Point Charley” where passage between east and west Germany was guarded by soldiers with guns and tanks. Hundreds of people were killed there trying to cross to the western side. Thousands others were caught by the communist east and sentenced to prison and/or death for “desertion of the republic”. Throughout the city can be seen the remnants of the Berlin wall that divided the western “island” from the eastern communists. All supplies had to be flown in to the surrounded city.

Last we traveled to the International Food Festival where we met Jeremy and had lunch.

We ate such treats as Russian dumplings, Chinese eggrolls, Turkish “quesadillas” dipped in a yummy yogurt/cucumber/dill sauce, a baked potato with herb butter, and Italian Ice cream in unusual flavors

. I purchased a beautiful multicolored scarf and some small wallet ipod cases.

Denise made a delicious dinner of meatloaf, baked beans and seasoned corn, topped off with an Italian chocolate cake Jeremy have brought home to her from his travels. What an amazing day this has been. Denise is such a trouper. I can’t believe she is just days from her due date and still chasing around this city with me and a tempestuous Abby. Oh, by the way. Our new grandson’s name is Oliver. Middle name still to be determined.

The following pictures are randon, miscelaneous great pictures of happy memories so far.

Abby still loves bubbles.

Now Abby has her own swing set.

Abby climbing in her dancing skirt.

This is the OBI store (Home Depot is US equivalent). There is no airconditioning in the stores and it is sweltering inside.

Abby has a collection of coins from other contries that she keeps in her pink purse. She has found another creative use for her "money".

Grandma and Abby sing songs from the primary book.

What the modern, high tech family looks like.

Abby uses her DVD player as her "computer"

Daddy reads "Jesus Stories" every night to Abby.

Abby is helping to clean the parking pad.

Grandma and Abby go for wheelbarrow rides.

Abby and her bowling toys.