Kevin's Graduation

Big smile at the end of the last day of school!!!!!

Graduation night

Rylee

Sophie

The girls with Grandpa.

Last night when the sunset was reflecting on the temple.

Glenn and I drove to Denver and spent Tuesday thru Thursday with Kevin, Stef and family. Kevin's graduation from his orthodontic residency was Tuesday evening. What a great celebration! Ten years of college behind him and a graduation certificate in hand!!

It was a very nice evening. We are proud of Kevin and Stefanie for this accomplishment.

They are moving to ElPaso, Texas where Kevin will be working for a large orthodontic group. Hopefully we were a little bit of help with some packing and cleaning in preparation for their move. They had packed most of their belongings in a container which was picked up last Monday. They had no furniture left, just lawn chairs and a few other basic items.

Thanksgiving dinner was at Maggiano's Italian restaurant. It was a wonderful dinner served family style. They had a Thanksgiving Day menu with a five course meal. It was quite the memorable Thanksgiving dinner!

We had a great time playing with Rylee and Sophie. Rylee has an imagination that doesn't end! We played princess, farm and Pretty Pretty Princess game. Sophie is constant motion and very entertaining to watch her mimick everyone and everything. We were so glad to be able to spend a few days with the family.

We are back in Nauvoo now. John and Peggy Ricks are here for a week to work with us on preparations for the 2011 pageant. Yes.....we are well into the plans for next summer!

Great days in Idaho!

I guess it is about time that I get back into the Blogging! We had a great 5 weeks back home in Pocatello. Our time at home was a combination of family time and pageant work. Nice to be able to do pageant work from home!

Thought I would tell you about our trip home with pictures -- so here goes!

This picture was taken the day before we left Nauvoo. This is the group of missionaries leaving the mission during October. (60+ missionaries) Sorry it's not a bigger picture. We right in the middle.

We stopped in Denver on our way home and spent a few days with Kevin, Stefanie, Rylee and Sophie. While Kevin was at school, Stef, the girls and Glenn and I drove up a canyon to a mountain lake. We went to leave and found out that the road would be closed for 1 1/2 hrs for construction! We threw lots of rocks in the lake, walked the parking lot and hopped in and out of the car in between rain showers. Quite an adventure!

Sophie - 13 months

Rylee - 3 yrs.

Getting acquainted with our newest grandchild - Tyson Glenn (2 mos)
He is Jeff and Maja's 4th child.

Here is little Brianna - 6 months. Such a happy little girl!

Kristen & Craig's 6th child.

Maja planned an afternoon of "A Minute to Win It". Kev and Stef were the only family not there.

It was great fun! Notice who has the most Ding Dongs!!

Another Minute to Win it activity. The kids loved this!

Glenn hit the Salmon River the day after we got home!

Glenn & Ryan had a good day of fishing at the American Falls Reservoir.

Another great day of fishing at the Reservoir with Kyle and Rob.

We roasted hot dogs at Brian and Tiffany's home while we were visiting in Layton.

Kristen and Craig's family were there also.

All our family was home for Halloween weekend except for our Denver family.

Pumpkin carving in the garage was a big hit!

Halloween! Quite a group of grandkids. It was a crazy, fun night!!

One sad "Banana" - Tyson.

Kyle had his 12th birthday while we were home. We were able to be present when he was ordained a Deacon. What a special day!

The beautiful fall weather ended just before we left to come back to Nauvoo.
This is what it looked like from our back deck when we left.

We are planning to be home for Christmas! It is nice to be serving as volunteers now. It gives us the freedom to come and go when the pageant work allows.

Farewell Nauvoo - Temporarily!

A tradition in the mission is for the departing missionaries to create a Farewell Sheet that is put in all of the missionaries' site mail boxes. Even though we are returning to Nauvoo in November, Pres. Ludwig wanted us to go through the "farewell" process because we will be released as missionaries. There is a farewell breakfast Friday morning that is attended by all of the missionaries honoring the missionaries leaving during the coming month. There are 65 missionaries leaving in October! Talk about mass exodus! Pres. & Sis. Ludwig host a dinner at their home for the deparing missionaries after a temple session with the same group. This will also be on Friday. We are sad to think that so many of our good missionary friends will be gone when we return in November. It will almost be like starting a new mission.

When we return in November we will be doing the same work in the pageant office but as a member of the temple presidency rather than full time missionaries A new couple will be ready to replace us as the pageant missionaries in April.

Our Farewell Sheet - kind of hard to see clearly with this small view.

The temple missionaries have been so good to include us in some of the activities. Last Wednesday a group of missionaries arranged for a tour of the Community of Christ sites led by Lochland MacKay, the director of the C of C Visitors Center. We were invited to join them on the tour. We have become acquainted with Loch as we have had some pageant business with him. He is a wonderful person and so knowledgeable about the historic sites in Nauvoo. We enjoyed the tour and would encourage any of you who come to Nauvoo to take time to go on the tour. It includes the Mansion House, the Nauvoo House, the Smith Homestead and the Red Brick Store.

(sorry! can't get ride of the underlining)

Touring the Mansion House

Lochland MacKay, director of the Community of Christ Visitors Center outside of the Nauvoo House.

Great Meeting

What a spiritual feast we had today in our Sacrament meeting. Elder Craig Zwick and his wife spoke in our meeting. He is a member of the First Quorum of the 70. Last week Elder Donald Hallstrom and his wife spoke in our Sacrament meeting. Elder Hallstrom is in the presidency of the Quorum of the 70. We have had so many opportunities while on our mission to be taught by General authorities and other church leaders. As I listen to them teach us, I have such a good feeling, just a nice warm feeling that what they are saying is so true and right. I also feel so inspired to work harder, to do a better job of keeping the commandments, to be more dedicated as a disciple of Christ. If only that feeling would remain with me all week -- maybe I could do a better job of being a missionary.

Miracle Grow

One of the amazing things we've noticed here in Nauvoo is how the plants and flowers grow so big and thick. This spring we planted some marigold seeds in the flower beds in front of our home. We planted two varieties. One was to grow 6" tall and the other 12" tall. I planted some purple petunias in between the rows of short marigolds and the tall marigolds. Well..... as you can see in the picture, there are no petunias! Both varieties of marigolds grew so big that they choked out the petunias. The 6" variety are about 12" tall and the 12" variety must be nearly 24 - 36" tall. I wish we could import some of this climate to Idaho! (In moderation of course) Lots of moisture and warm air both day and night make a difference. In Idaho I guess we'll have to settle for the artificial "Miracle Grow"!

Proud Grandparents

What a bunch of good looking grandkids! Makes us proud to be their grandparents!

All of our children and grandchildren had a family reunion in Pocatello the weekend of August 28. It sounded like so much fun! Craig and Ashlyn's soccer tournament kept them home and Kyle was on a back packing trip with his scout group. Everyone else was there. We are so glad that they were able to gather for a couple of days together.

The Nauvoo Grape Festival is this weekend. Other than the Nauvoo Pageant, this event draws the biggest crowds of the year to Nauvoo. Years ago Nauvoo was known for it's vineyards. The tradition to celebrate the grapes continues on! There is a wine tasting tent, carnival, car show of 500-600 cars, 5K race, pancake breakfast and a few tents with business displays. They even have their own little pageant which tells the history of Nauvoo. We attended the pageant last night and it seemed to have improved from last year. Guess we are a bit prejudice but it doesn't hold a candle to the Nauvoo Pageant!

Nauvoo Women's Garden

Glenn and I had the assignment to clean the statues in the Women's Garden last week. This is the third time we have been asked to do this. We wash off the bird droppings, spider webs and sweep the leaves off the base of the statues. Last winter when we had the assignment we knocked off icicles from the chins of the figures!

I love being in the Women's Garden, even when cleaning the statues. There is almost a reverent feeling as we clean them. There are trees, bushes and flowers that protect the garden from outside view. There is a very solitary, peaceful feeling in the garden. The statues are beautiful sculptures and tell the story of the different stages in a women's life. I feel blessed to have had the opportunity of spending time in the garden, even if some of the time it was a cleaning assignment.

(Sorry, can't figure out how to get rid of the blue print and the underlining!)

Pictures with "The rain fell and the wind blew" .

Sorry, I don't know how to delete this duplicate picture!

And the rain came down and the wind blew!

I thought I would share with you a few pictures from one of our "wild" rain storms during the pageant. This one occurred early on a Sunday morning. The rain pounded us, the wind blew hard and there was lots of lightening. The wind blew over all of our plastic chairs, covered many of them with mud and grass, some of the panel from our stage blew off and our large banners to the side of the stage were ripped. There was about 4" of water around the stage and seating area.

By Monday morning the ground had obsorbed the water and we were able to get onto the site. Early that morning, the young men in our work crew and the Yellow family cast came to the site and within an hour had all of the chairs cleaned and in place. Many hands made the work go fast!

That morning we had registration for the new family cast out at the school. While we were there another big storm rolled in and the rain came and the wind blew and......all of the chairs were blown over again!!! The family cast practicing on the outdoor stage had to move into the school while registration was going on. Let's see...that made about 260 people, many of them soaking wet, in the school lobby and gym at one time! It is amazing how things work out. In a short amount of time we were able to regroup and get people into areas where they could continue with meetings, rehearsals, etc.

Heavenly Father certainly blesses us so His work can move forward. We deal with the elements, rain or heat, and the work goes on. It is great to be a part of it!

Nauvoo Pageant 2010

Elder Neil Andersen, Brian & Tiffany's family, Glenn & Annette
Whew! Another pageant season is over!! What a success it was. Our attendance was up 21% and we gathered 12,000 referrals. We had no rain outs, a couple of very hot days - 110* with the heat index, a few skunks that took up residence under our stage (but only one spray), great visits from family that came to Nauvoo and many new friendships made with the casts and volunteers. Brian, Tiffany and family were in one of the family casts and spent two weeks in Nauvoo. They were awesome on stage! It was a shock to see Brian with a full beard when they arrived! Glenn's sister, Rita, and husband spent almost four weeks volunteering. Sue, Ed, Lisa, Nick and family came during the pageant. Their stay went by way too fast. But....it all comes to an end and it is so very quiet here in the office/home!



Our pageant presidency was released on July 29, 3 days before the end of the pageant. John Ricks has been called as the new president, Ross Schmid as 1st counselor (previously 2nd Couselor) and Glenn has been called as the 2nd counselor. Elder Neil Andersen of the Quorum of the Twelve was in Nauvoo to make the change. Elder Andersen grew up in Tyhee and knew Glenn's family so it was a bit of a reunion. What a great experience to be able to spend some time visiting with Elder Andersen.



We are thrilled with Glenn's new assignment. We love Nauvoo and the Pageant and can't think of a better way to serve. It means we will be spending about 7 weeks each summer for probably 5 years or so during the pageant. (No time given on the length of the call!) A couple of other trips will be made during the year when needed. We have been asked to extend our mission to April of 2010 when another couple will replace us as pageant missionaries. We will be able to make a few trips home during the winter which makes us very happy!



We hope more of our friends and family will be able to join us in Nauvoo in the coming years.

The Spirit of Nauvoo is strong as is the Pageant. I wish we could share it with more of you.

Happy Father's Day

I love Father's Day! I was blessed with a wonderful father myself. He was all that a father should be and then some. I miss being able to wish him Happy Father's Day today.

I love Father's Day because it gives me the opportunity of honoring Glenn for the great father he is to our children. I sure don't let him know often enough how much I appreciate his example, his unselfishness and most of all the love that he shows to our children and to me.

What a blessing he has been in our lives.

I'm not good at words so this is short but the thoughts are humungus!!

Where Has The Time Gone?

Where has the time gone??? We will have people arriving to start the stage set-up on Mon., June 21, then the pageant core cast, directors, etc. will arrive on Wed., June 23. The first family cast arrives on Mon., June 28. Right now we feel like we are in over our heads, trying to finish our preparations! It seems to be busier than last year with new ideas being implemented and additonal asignments. It is nice to know that Heavenly Father is working with us, otherwise I'm not sure we would make it. In spite of the stress, it is very exciting work and the anticipation of the opening night on July 6 is growing.

The Young Ambassadors from BYU have been in Nauvoo this past week. On Thurs. evening they performed in a newly remodeled auditorium in Carthage. Glenn and I attended the performance and it was fabulous!

By many church members, Carthage is thought of only as the martyrdom site of the Prophet Joseph & Hyrum. However, in recent years the town of Carthage and the church have worked together to create a more amicable relationship. Thursday evening was a wonderful example of how much more accepting the locals are of the church. They loved the performance and were so impressed with the quality of the young people. As the group sang, I Am A Child of God, for their closing number, you could feel a spirit of friendship and love in the room. What would Joseph have thought to have witnessed this? Maybe he did.

Love those Grandkids!

While we were in Idaho we got to see our newest little grandbaby, Brianna. She was 4 weeks old. What a special surprise to see her - we didn't think we would see her until she was several months old. Love holding those tiny little ones. Brianna is Kristen and Craig's baby.

As you can see, Grandpa had a good time with his granddaughters!

Wish we would have had more time with all of the grandkids.

My Father, Wright Hanks

My father, Wright C. Hanks, passed away on Monday, May 24, one week after having suffered a heart attack and a stroke. His funeral was Friday, May 28.

Glenn and I flew to Pocatello and were able to spend 3 days with Dad and our family. What a special time it was to be able to sit by him in the hospital and to hold his hand and tell him that I loved him. We did not fly back home for the funeral. We felt that Dad would have wanted it that way.

We rejoice knowing that Dad and Mom are together again. What a reunion after being apart for 16 years. It is a comforting thought.

I have been so blessed to have such a special father. The memories I have of him are priceless. The examples of Mom and Dad remain with us, helping us to be more faithful and devoted to our family and to our God.

Thank you for all of your prayers and thoughtful notes. We have been comforted by them and given strength.

This picture was taken in January when we flew to SLC for the final Nauvoo Pageant core cast auditions. It was the last picture taken of Dad and me together. What a treasure.

Happy Mother's Day

It is hard sometimes to think of what to write about in our blog. So much of what we do during the week is the same - lots of computer work, answering emails, phone calls, putting out little "fires". The last couple of weeks have gotten even more busy and it am sure it will continue to get busier the closer we get to the pageant. We enjoy having Pres Renouf and his wife here in Nauvoo for 10 days. We had a few lunch meetings and several good visits with them here in the office. It is nice to have the counsel and wisdom of Pres. Renouf to rely on.

This morning in our sacrament meeting the comment was made that there are now 360 full time missionaries here in Nauvoo! It is the largest concentration of missionaries in the church other than in the MTC. I can't describe to you the spirit we feel from all of those missionaries!

I played for the young sister missionaries who sang a special number in our sacrament meeting. I was to meet them at 7:15am to practice the song. I wanted to practice on the piano in the chapel before I practiced with the sisters so we left home at 7:00. When we got there the chapel was already 1/3 full....and church doesn't start until 8:00am! Our sacrament meetings fill the gym about half full. The last ten minutes before the meeting starts it becomes very reverent and quiet. It is like no other sacrament meetings I have been in! The reverence really adds to the meeting. Each week we come away from our sacrament meeting saying the speakers were the best...and the next week they are as good or better! Well, enough of this!

Today is Mother's Day and I have been thinking how grateful I am to be a mother and a grandmother. I appreciate the respect and love our family shows me. When I think of all the good things in my life, you are all a part of what I think of. I do miss all of you so much but I am grateful for the support you give us while we serve our mission. Thank you!

Springtime in Nauvoo

This last week I sent some pictures of springtime in Nauvoo to one of the ladies in SLC that is involved with the Music & Cultural Arts Dept of the church. She responded that Nauvoo must be like the Garden of Eden in the spring. She is so right! These are pictures taken the last couple of weeks. I wish the blossoms would last year round!