Giving Machines Come to Boise

In 2017, our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, introduced the 'Light the World Giving Machines'.  They are essentially reverse vending machines.  Instead of receiving a can of pop or a bag of chips, you can swipe your card to choose an item to donate and the item is distributed to a local or an international nonprofit organization.  The Church covers all operating expenses, including credit card fees, so that the nonprofits receive 100% of the donations.

I've waited and hoped for several years and  finally they came to Boise!

We loved doing our part to help 'Light the World'.

Thinking of our horse loving Scott, I decided on supporting a vulnerable youth through 

EQUINE THERAPY.

Remembering how important goats are to the families we know and love in Kenya, George purchased a GOAT!

The Giving Machines have been a worldwide phenomena, with more than 2 million people donating over $32 million since 2017.  

Among the items you can buy are school supplies, groceries, clean water, meals, immunizations, blankets, hygiene kits, toys, books, even a toilet, livestock (like George's goat)....and the list goes on and on.

These machines give people a way to bring

light and hope to others this Christmas.

I am glad we could participate this year.

In 2024 the Giving Machines will be in 107 cities in 13 countries on five continents.

And for the first time ever there is one in Africa and it's in Nairobi, Kenya.

Such a joyful and memorable experience.

Merry Christmas!

Light the World!

Wicked

On Friday Isabella and I went to 'The Village', a very nice outdoor shopping mall, to see the movie version of 'Wicked'.  I had totally not taken into account that it was 'Black Friday' and 'The Village' is very popular. 

I am not exaggerating when I say that we spent 35 minutes, mostly stopped in traffic gridlock, looking for a spot.  Just about the time the movie was going to start, Isabella said, "There is a spot".  Unfortunately for me, it required parallel parking.  And I hate parallel parking. In fact I avoid parallel parking at all costs BUT the movie was about to start so I attempted it.  I admit that I was probably 3 feet from the curve and I spent the entire movie hoping my car wouldn't be towed or side swiped.  And it wasn't!  Isabella told me that her Daddy could park in the spot easily in one try and I don't doubt that.  Without comparing myself to John or to George, I was pretty proud of myself.  

And we loved the movie.  Isabella gave it a 10 out of 10.

I give any time spent with this girl at 10 out of 10 - even in traffic gridlock and with parallel parking.

 

Thanksgiving

 Our Thanksgiving was perfectly lovely! Truthfully I was thinking of taking the family to Chuck-A-Rama like we did a couple of years ago when only Monica, John and Isabella were joining us. The variety of foods was a big hit for everyone and the quality of the food was better than I remembered,  Chuck-A-Rama was one of George's Dad's favorite places. He made sure to get his money's worth by piling his plate high and even stuffing rolls in his pockets.

My original plan changed when Matt told us that he was not going to Wyoming with Cady to her Grandmother's 90th birthday because he knew we would be in Peru next Thanksgiving and he wanted to spend this one with us.  When I heard that I knew I had to fix a traditional meal with all the foods we love.

And that is what I did!

Turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, fruit salad and rolls.

Followed by cherry and pumpkin pie with lots of whipped cream for dessert!

Served on the china my Daddy bought in Occupied Japan with the silver that was once my mother's, the water glasses that belonged to my great grandmother and George's mother's bread bowl. 

A multi generational table setting.

Isabella did the centerpiece and also helped with dinner preparations.

I googled 'best mashed potatoes' and found a recipe that called for a 2 sticks of butter for 5 pounds of potatoes.   Isabella cut them into small pieces and added them to the potatoes.  I told her to count to 20 between each addition and she very carefully did just that.

And the potatoes were definitely the best ever....tons of butter tends to make everything 'the best'.

I love these people more than I can adequately express.

Sure glad they are mine!

We followed this advice.

And we don't even feel guilty!

Grandma and Grandpa Are Going on A Mission

Ever since George stopped working, I have been talking about serving a senior mission as a couple.  True to our personalities, I was immediately enthusiastic and George was much more thoughtful and concerned with details like finances and our house and our cars.....

I knew that Matt and Cady were planing on moving sometime next year and hoped to live with us while they had her house on the market.  One day I casually asked Matt if they would consider living in our house for 18 months while we went on a mission.  I was pleased when he said that was something they would consider.  Several more weeks went by and George was still 'thinking'.  He wasn't opposed to the idea, just not totally on-board like I was.

Then came a Sunday when several talks at church were about the blessings of serving a mission as a senior couple and the great need throughout the world.  That very evening, Matt texted.  "Mom, are you and Dad serious about going on a mission because Cady and I think it work for us to live in your house while you are gone."

Ah a sign from Heaven that now was the time for us to go!  George recognized it  and knowing they would take good care of our house, we got the process started.

Now came interviews, doctor and dentist appointments, and lots of questions, which ranged from 'what is your interest in learning a new language?' to 'can you drive a truck?'  to 'what is your level of expertise with computers?'. The application process took 5 full weeks.

Senior couples can list eight 'preferences'.  Our list included Nigeria, the Congo, the Philippines, Vietnam, Niue, and Guatamala. Finally our papers were complete and we had our last interview and our missionary application was officially submitted.

Just before submitting our papers,  our Stake President (an ecclesiastical leader over 9 congregations in our area) asked us to consider going to Peru where another couple from our area are serving as Mission Leaders.  They have no senior couples in their mission and are desperate for help.  We enjoyed meeting them through a 'FaceTime' chat.  As we ended our conversation, they said that they were going to officially 'request' that we serve in their mission.  It wasn't a 'done deal' and still required confirmation from the spirit to the Apostle who was extending the call. 

So we had no idea how all of this would turn out.  Where would we be spending 18 months of our lives? Now the wait began!  Three to six week waiting time was the norm.  Patience doesn't come easily to me but I did survive the nail biting weeks before we learned where we would be going.  

November 12th we both woke up to this notification: 

And turned on the computer to see this 

One more click took us to this screen

And then we stopped and looked at each other and knew that we were supposed to open it with our children.  So we waited another day until everyone could arrange a FaceTime that fit work schedules and time differences.

After a few technical glitches getting all of us on FaceTime at the same time, we opened the call and learned that we would be serving for 18 months in Piura, Peru.

It's in a desert area way up in the north of the country. 

Pirua has 12 days with rain on average each year.

Boise has 89 days of rain.

Portland has 157

Harper's Ferry has 117

Phoenix has 33.

Yes it is a desert!

Funny how when the call came, it immediately felt right.

And like really there was no other place where we could have gone.

It was meant to be.

It's where Heavenly Father wants us to serve.

We go into the Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah on March 3 and fly to Peru on March 15.

So happy and excited!

And a bit nervous as well.

Miracles and Angels

 Last Wednesday night when George was driving home from a soccer game, I was watching TV while folding laundry when I got this alert on my phone.  

I wasn't exactly sure what to do.

Should I call 911 to try and get information?

Decided against that and tried a couple of times to call George.

When he didn't answer, I tried googling the crash site to see if anything would come up.

Popped right up with this headline -

Fatal Crash on Linden in Caldwell

I got kind of panicky until I looked at the date and noted that this accident was a few months ago. Whew!

I used google earth to figure out the direction he had been coming from and that the stop sign at that intersection was for a cross road. At least the wreck most likely not going to be his fault.

By this time, I was pretty nervous but mercifully he called.

He was in an ambulance being taken to a hospital in Nampa but he was alert and not in a lot of pain.

Such a blessing!

I drove out to the hospital to find that they had already done an MRI and were in the middle of taking x-rays. He had on a neck brace but was conversational and coherent.

I let our children know what was going on.

Johnny, Monica and Isabella came out to the hospital so that John could report to his siblings.

The doctor reported that there were no internal injuries, no broken bones and a probably mild concussion.

And he warned George that he would most likely be super sore for a few days.

That has been true but today, one week later, he seems to be more comfortable and he plans to ref two games on Saturday.

Unfortunately his beautiful Jaguar didn't fare as well.

I asked George at the hospital if it had been totaled and he thought so but said that I would see it tomorrow so that I could make my own judgement.

What do you think?  I don't think one would need to be an expert to  say

TOTALED!

Never before had George had a car that strangers in parking lots would comment.

"That is a beautiful car."

George will miss it.

On a happier note - as we were driving out to the tow truck yard, I mentioned that he might like to keep the Jaguar figure that was on the front of the car.  Unfortunately it was not still on the car or any place around the car that we could see.

Just to see what we might find, we stopped at the crash site and looked around.  Amazingly George found it!  It was in some tall grass on the opposite side of the road from where the car had stopped.

That did make him happy.

The other involved vehicle was a pick up truck.  The driver had run a stop sign while talking on his cell phone.  Another miracle was that George hit him rather than the pickup truck broadsiding George's car.  That might have had a more serious outcome.

Thankful for airbags, seat belts, and sturdy cars.  Notice that the passenger area hardly looks damaged at all.

And I'm thankful for angels and miracles.

Little Pumpkin

 Jackson carved his own pumpkin this year and did a fine job.

That was exciting.

However the biggest excitement for the Reynolds family this year was the addition of a new little pumpkin.

After adopting Jackson, Mary and Mark have had 2 foster babies that were returned to their families - one to his birth mother and the other to her grandmother.  Heartbreaking for them and for us too.

In May they were asked to foster again and took home another little newborn from the hospital.

I admire them so much after the other two disappointments.

Their desire to add to their family trumps their fear of another broken heart.

On the 30th the judge terminated the mother's rights and since the father's rights were already terminated, it appears that Mary and Mark are the 'presumptive' adoptive parents.

So we have a new grandchild.

Until the adoption is final we can't show that cute little face on line but trust me it is a baby and not a puppy!

We are thrilled to pieces and anxious to meet this new family member.  

Halloween

 Jackson has not been the biggest Halloween fan in the past but this year all that changed and he really got into it. Kindergarten has given him a lot of confidence.  He went to five different Halloween events. From the Ward Trunk or Treat to a party at the Children's Home Society, a Community Center 'candy drop', a neighborhood event (which included a visit to the local fire station) as well as his school's fall festival. In the years past he has refused to wear his costume.  Not this year!  I think he is now converted to the fun of the Halloween! 

He was a scary skeleton!

And got a big haul of candy!

Isabella has always been a

 Halloween fan.

This year she was Sarah Sanderson from Hocus Pocus.

I really need to watch that movie someday.

Enough candy to keep her happy!

This may have been from the Ward Trunk or Treat

Every year John, Monica and Isabella go down to Harrison Boulevard in Boise where there are elaborate Halloween decoration displays.

It's one of their traditions.

"There's something strange in your neighborhood.  Who ya gonna call?"

Ghostbusters!! 

Our 'pre-teen' Isabella was not as enthusiastic this year. 

Growing up brings changes to long held traditions!

Arizona Trip

Once a year we get together with George's siblings and spouses to make plans for the Walt and Orpha Lewis Foundation.  When George's Dad died, he left some money to be donated to charity so starting a Foundation seemed a wise thing to do.  Over the years the family has been very generous to several organizations, including my favorite, Kenya Keys. The IRS requires a yearly meeting of the Foundation so it's a great chance to get together.  Those meetings have taken us Provo, to Boise, and to Zion National Park several times.  During Covid, we did Zoom meetings.  This year the meeting was planned for Sedona, Arizona.  

It had been quite a few years since we had been to Phoenix.  Karen moved from downtown Phoenix to John and Katherine's neighborhood and we really wanted to see her new house.  Plus we wanted to see our niece Jennifer who is now a Instagram 'influencer'.  We chat back and forth on IG and I was anxious to spend time with her and her partner Mendell. Also hoped to see nephews David (and his family) and Brent.  And it is always a pleasure to be around John and Katherine and Richard and Tammy so it was an easy decision to fly down a few days early.

Karen took us on an LDS Temples of the area tour.   

First the Phoenix Temple

Then the Mesa Temple

Karen and George's 2nd great grandfather, Charles Crisman is a founder of Mesa.

In 1988 a bronze statue was dedicated to commemorate the Arizona Pioneers.

From the keynote speech given by Gordon B Hinckley:

"Enough praise cannot be said for those four men who stood here and began the work that led to the establishment of this community.

 I suppose that none of us today can really appreciate the labors of those who came here 110 years ago. This was the mesa, the high tableland above the river, shunned by early pioneers. It was dry and parched. The soil looked promising, but water was the key to survival. How to get it to the land was a problem.

President Hinckley felt it was inspiration that led those who came here in 1878 to turn to the long-deteriorated canal system of the Hohokam Indians.

After nine months of backbreaking toil through summer’s blistering heat, this small band of eighty-three men, women, and children carved out a twelve-mile canal to bring river water to the parched soil of the mesa"

As President Hinckley looked over the spacious park and the Arizona Temple across the street, he said he was “almost overwhelmed” by the history of the pioneers and the “length of their vision.”

Great-great Grandpa Crismon is the one with the gun, the one on the right.

To understand and reconnect with our stories, the stories of our ancestors, is to build our identities. 

Frank Delaney

I love being a part of the Lewis family.

Having dinner with our niece Jennifer and Mendell was such a treat.

Jennifer has been having some health problems and also went through a divorce recently so it was a joy to see her so happy.

Mendell is just a great man. 

Originally from Oklahoma, he has a slight southern accent that, naturally, endears him to me. He is very outgoing and has a wonderful sense of humor.  And icing on the cake, he has ties to a travel group that takes groups to Kenya to get to know the culture. 

His name for George - 'Big Homie G'.  LOL!

Of course the thing that I love most about him is that he obviously loves Jennifer and takes such good care of her. 

Our days in Phoenix flew by until Thursday when we headed to Sedona.  I had never been there before and it did not disappoint. Those red rocks are just stunning.

I adore my beautiful sister-in-laws.

Two days and two great hikes.

The photo bomber is the foundation lawyer - Joe Morton.  He and his wife Heidi fit into the family dynamics and we enjoy spending time with them. 

The 2nd day we tackled a more difficult hike to Devil's Bridge.

Steep stairs at times

And a climb with 'sort of stairs'.  I didn't take this photo.  It was from the internet. 

George and I were rather proud of ourselves for completing this hike.  I was slow on the steep 'non-stair' climbs but I made it to the top.  And it is amazing!

George wasn't happy being on the top so we didn't get a photo up there. I estimate that it would have taken 45 minutes to work my way through the line to get out on the bridge. There was a long line waiting. Every few minutes a group  would walk out to take photos.  Some were quick and some did multiple poses....a few poses that terrified us. 

Since no one else was interested in waiting for the photo op, I decided not to wait either.  Maybe next time?!?!?!

But we did get this one from below!

Sedona is spectacular!

Spending time with family was spectacular too!

Delicious food and lots of conversation!

I loved every minute.

After arriving back in Phoenix we were able to enjoy a visit with one of George's friends from his mission in Texas more than 50 years ago.  Terry Eschenroder was never George's companion but they did live in the same apartment with their respective companions.  Terry and his wife Robyn lived in our ward in west Boise before we moved to Spain.

After Karen moved to Gilbert, Terry happened to be her Bishop.

Small world!  Unfortunately he was recently released as bishop because he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.  He is having chemo and radiation but was able to visit with us.

Lots of prayers for him and his family.

Yeah for family and friends, good food, good times and our beautiful world!