April1st was a special date in that Tiffani turned 51 and ran in the Red Rock Vegas Marathon - 26.2 miles. It was freezing cold. What a way to celebrate a birthday.
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| Support from the twins |
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| Birthday at Lucilles |
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| Dave gave her a trophy, Outstanding Linebacker (go figure) |
April was also wonderful because it started with the General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Every talk was especially for us. Every message went straight to our hearts. I took notes. I can’t read them, but the feelings are still there. Every year they just get right to our souls and we can read them in the Church News. Our prophet, Elder Russell M Nelson, is 98 years old and so powerful when he speaks to us in a very tender voice. He loves us and wants us to do good. It was so wonderful that it was Easter Sunday and the love of our Savior was felt in every talk. We love our prophet. Sunday he announced 15 new temples were in the making. This is definitely a worldwide church and he wants everyone to hear the beautiful message that is for the world. I am not taking the time for each talk, but I have notes and the Church News gives us the talks. It's wonderful.
A new thing Dad and I are doing the bills together so when I go off track he will know what to do. Scary.
Again on Tuesday, we sealed three couples and 10 children. There is such a special feeling when you can do this for others beyond the veil. It snowed all day. AND IT'S APRIL!!! But we are so blessed to have all this moisture. It will help our lakes and reservoirs fill up.
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| Dad is digging carrots in the snow. He covers them when its cold. |
The 6th, Seamons joined us for Thursday’s temple. The Payson Temple is being cleaned for two weeks. We had Cameron come and babysit Leah because she hates to be alone and can get into many things. We went to Charley's Philly Cheese Sandwich for lunch and brought Cameron a large sandwich home. He loved it and loves Leah. When he left, he found a huge box from the mail on our porch addressed to him. It was filled with so much candy and Easter eggs with money in them. His mother is so good to him. He was so surprised and happy. That evening I broke my pinky toe. Wow-but that hurts! I tripped on Lea’s bed.
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| Leah loves rolling in the snow |
Friday night Scott came to get Leah after their fun time in Disneyland. They had such a fun time and all were happy. Saturday, was finally a warm day. We left the back door open all day.
Easter Sunday was so special. We only had Sacrament, and the Primary sang along with beautiful talks and music. It was filled with the Spirit of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We must never forget what He did for us so that we can live as families and our Savior after death. What beautiful knowledge we have to calm our hearts and try to always do better. The Plan of Salvation is a redeeming promise from our Savior.
Clark and Dianne invited the families for dinner. There were 27 people at tables and we had a feast as usual in their home. I don’t know how they do it, but it is always so wonderful and fun. The grandparents gave their testimonies after the meal and then we just enjoyed the Spirit. We are so blessed to have families and friends. We can’t even say how much we love them all. Cameron joined us also. He loves to be with family.
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| getting food |
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| eating |
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| games |
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| visiting and games |
Lily, Dianne, Clark, Jonny
friends and family
We continue to walk a mile three times a week, but it is a little hard with my broken toe. Dad is ready for the garden. He tilled the entire plot and pulled some weeds. Scott came over to give us some ideas on our new shed. My She Shed does not have room for anything I need. He is always here when we need him and he gave us some good ideas. I’m sure he will be here when it is finished. He knows how
to do everything.
Thursday the 13th we went to the Payson Temple with the Seamons and went to their home after to make final plans for our Arizona Temple trip. We are so excited.
Kolton is now 20 and loving his mission in Kumasi, Ghana. He is a good missionary and loves the people he serves. We don’t hear from him very often, but we know he is a good missionary. We love him and the fact that he is serving his Savior obediently. We have no idea when this was taken, but we love it.
Friday we went to the Salt Palace to watch the twins in a volleyball tournament. Daves’s parents and some relatives were also there. We had so much fun watching, talking and yelling. The girls are such good players and we thoroughly enjoyed everything. After the games Tiff and Dave came to Prove to see Cameron and cut our hair. We were so tired after all that watching but enjoyed it.
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| Clara |
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| Lauryn |
The next day we did the same thing. After the games we took Tiffani to the SLC Airport so she could fly home for some YW stake meetings. She is the YW stake leader. She loves it. The traffic was horrible and it took us hours to get home. When we arrived home, Erik, Shanelle, Camden and Asher were there finishing mowing our lawn. They are so good to do this.
After church we got ready for our temple trip. The next day we headed out for the Seaman's home to pick them up. George drove and we took our truck because it has so much room. He has a hard top for the bed of the truck so we were never crowded. We love doing things with them because they are so much fun. We certainly laugh a lot. We showed our friends the Horse Head on the Blue Mountain. It was a perfect day for it.
On our way to Snowflake we drove through Blanding. We didn’t even stop because we had so far to go. We did stop to show our friends our old home there. We loved it. Brother Black, the first owner, made the bricks out of the mud in the ponds. It was on an acre of land and we enjoyed our time there. We were only the second family to live there. It had not been taken care of so we were very disappointed.
Monday we got as far as Snowflake Arizona. I was in charge of getting all the rooms for the trip. I chose places that were close to the temples. This one was so special. It was a home, Heritage Inn, which was so wonderful. It was an old cottage made into a hotel. It was perfect. It took 8 hours to get there so after we checked into our rooms we headed to this old time restaurant for dinner.
We had not been able to see the temple so we asked our waitresses for directions. There was not a sign or any way to know. We followed up a little road and thought for sure we were wrong but suddenly there it was. Up on a hill and so beautiful. We headed back to our rooms for the night. The rooms were so vintage. In the morning we went to a cute little room that had some things for us for breakfast and then went to the 9:30 session
Everyone was so kind. The temple was beautiful with a beautiful array of Lamanite beauty. We loved the Spirit and everything about it. Dad loved the way they incorporated the beauty of the Lamanite culture. It was a small temple filled with love.
After the session, we drove to the Mesa Temple. 3 hours. We checked into the hotel at 3:30. It was a Days Inn by Wyndham. We attended the 5:30 PM session. I think it was this temple that had a painting of a Lamanite mother getting her son ready to join Helaman’s army. She was putting a leather helmet on his head and just hit me so hard. She had taught and prepared her faithful son for this battle. I just stood there and cried. It filled my heart. Later I learned that the same painting is in the Saratoga Temple. I can hardly wait.
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| The grounds were so beautiful and serene. We loved the palms. |
Sorry you can't read the sign but it says its the Mesa Temple.
Wednesday, the 19th, we did the the 9:00 AM session in the Phoenix Temple. It is a beautiful, white temple. There was a long, forever stream of water leading to it. The landscape was all beautiful, desert plants.
It was big and beautiful inside and the people were so kind and helpful as all the temples are. Everything was perfect.
At 2:00 we were in the Gilbert Temple. We ate wherever we could find a close place to the temple. Again, the temple was so beautiful and filled with the Spirit of the Lord.
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| Gilbert Temple |
After the session we drove 2 1/2 hours to the Gila Valley and checked into the Comfort Inn and Suites in Thatcher, Arizona. The next morning April 20th, at 10:00 we went to the Gila Valley Temple. It is a tiny temple in the middle of nowhere. It is behind a railroad track in the middle of a field. It is perfect.
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| Gila Valley Temple |
It is filled with a strong Spirit and we were so welcomed and felt right at home. Because of not much water, the plants were limited but still beautiful. We enjoyed everything about this trip. We love Max and Ruth and the fun times we have together. We were not even tired from all the traveling. Dad did all the driving and we just enjoyed the view.
On the 20th, we drove to Tucson, 2.5 hours, forever hoping to find the temple there. We did find a Route 66 sign.
It is a huge city. I knew I had found hotels near each temple, but we were worried about Tucson. I had reservations at the Fairfield Inn and Suites, but no temple. I was really worried. We looked up and saw a huge Jerusalem-like mosque up on a hill. “Well, that’s not it.” I said. Max answered, “Then why is the Angel Moroni on top?” Well low and behold, it was the temple! It is so different and so beautiful. The Fairfield was not even a mile away. We were so hungry. We found a place to eat and went looking for antique places.
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| don't have a close up of the sign |
The next morning, the 21st, we were outside the temple and were trying to get a selfie of the temple sign. I looked over near the temple and saw a group of children with a mother so I went to ask if she would do that. She was happy to. When we got close to her group, she cried out, “Doctor Bayles, what are you doing here?!” Wonders never cease! She was one of George’s favorite students at Timpview High School in Provo. Miracles! She gave him a big hug and we talked for a few minutes. She lives with her husband and children and they attend this temple. We entered the 9:00 session and enjoyed every minute. It doesn’t matter which temple you attend, they all have a strong feeling and spirit of our Savior and Heavenly Father.
All in all we did 24 endowments. It was just a full week of blessings with wonderful friends. We have gone to all of the Utah temples, but will have more to do after all are finished. We plan to do many of the Idaho ones this summer.
After our session the Fairfield let us have a late checkout so we could change clothes. We then left for Flagstaff - 4.5 hours away. We stayed at the Comfort Inn on Lucky Lane. The boy at the desk could not find our reservations. I had booked the wrong day. I won’t mention who told me the date and checked it. We were worried because they charged us for not checking in. The boy called the big guns and we did not have to pay for the wrong date. He was so nice. We took in many antique shops. I had to use my walker because those other three looked at everything. It was so much fun. Ruth bought turquoise rings for both hands. Max bought license plates, Dad bought Lamanite weapons and I bought an antique phone just like the one we used in Portland. We had party lines and would try to listen in on other people's calls. I think there were four people on our line: Tuxedo 8-2961. Again, we had so much fun.
Well, this is where we got mixed up. Our trip home, the 22nd, was supposed to take 7.5 hours. We looked at a few more antique stores and were on our way. We drove up through Arizona and stopped at the Navajo stands to look at more souvenirs. Of course we bought things. Then we were off again. We came to a sign in the road that said Page to the right. We took the road, drove about a mile, and Dad thought we were on the wrong road. He remembered you don't go into Page. Thinking that was the road into Page, we turned around and took the road that headed north. It was very different in its beauty. It was open country, no life, and very barren - but a different beauty. There were huge boulders that had fallen from the huge mountains. The fallen rocks were bigger than a car or truck.
When we crossed Navajo Dam, we realized we had gone the wrong way, but it was too late so we just continued along the same road, which took us through the Kaibab Forest. We followed a very slow trailer for miles (35MPH). Thank goodness it was beautiful. We finally ended in Kanab, Utah. We stopped at a very tasty ice cream shop and relaxed.
What fun. We finally made it home at midnight. We laughed all the way. What fun it is to be with these wonderful friends.
Sunday the 23rd we went to sacrament meeting and were so tired. When we got home, we watched the twins at a club volleyball tournament. We were so tired, but it was fun to watch.
Monday we took two of my sewing machines to the repair shop and did lots of laundry.
Tuesday we went to the temple, but were very tired. It was very hard, but we love going.
Wednesday the 26th we went to our dermatologist for a check-up. The cancer on my wrist was good, but he burned some on the top of my head and cut a small one off of my lower eyelid. Fun!
April 27, Kristin is now 55 years old.
That just seems impossible. We are not that old. Sometimes I think she feels she is my mother. She is such a blessing to us. I can’t do a thing on my computer without calling her for help. She is a great teacher with a talent for home schooling. She has a beautiful touch for home décor and loves shopping at Aldi. She loves her children. We can’t ask for anything more.
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| The fashional 50's |
The next day Dad served in the temple and Saturday did a shift for Brother Martin. He might just as well put a bed there. He loves serving. He is a great man who loves the restored gospel of his Savior, Jesus Christ. I am so blessed being his wife. Sunday he renewed his temple recommend. I am so grateful he is never without one. It is so important to never be without one. He is such a wonderful man.
This has been such a blessed month with so many blessings. We love our family so very much and pray every day for each one of them personally. They are a constant blessing.
We love hearing from our missionaries. Kolton sent us a personal email and Molly sends us letters and pictures. They are both so obedient and work so hard. We are so blessed to have them serving our Savior.
These are older pictures
These are April of 23.
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