He watches beside the gate

This is Brother Lara, one of the security guards, in front of the casita. All the guards must have temple recommends and are here 24/7 to protect the temple. They work 12 hours at a time and regularly check different places in and around the temple. They like it when we give them cookies. His wife works in the temple one evening a week. He is a very pleasant man and cares a lot about taking care of the temple.

By the way, the casita is air conditioned. Can you imagine being there in that tiny house for hours at a time in 90-degree heat with humidity almost that high?

Red, white, and blue

The guards put up the flag in the morning and take it down in the evening.

Reading in the grass

One morning as I looked toward the temple from our living room window, this is what I saw. Can you tell what someone was saying?

View at night

The temple is beautiful day and night.

Life in the Dominican Republic

We have begun our eighth month here in the Dominican Republic, serving as President and Directora of the Santo Domingo Temple. We live on the bottom floor of a four-story building that has a small "tienda," like our Distribution Centers, cafeteria for the missionaries who are in the MTC, the room we have FHE in with the couple missionaries, offices for the area presidency (Elders Vinas, Coleman, and Anderson), and our apartment.

On floors #2 and #3 are housing for senior missionaries and temple patrons. Some of the patrons come from as far away as the West Indies and others as near as Puerto Rico. The entire top floor is used by the MTC.

Here we are on the west side of the building. To the left of Larry is a long parking area, where we park our white Toyota Camry.

My September birthday

For Gavin and Arwen –

Since you were too far away to help celebrate my birthday, I’m posting a few photos for you. First we went to the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

Can you tell that Rachel enjoyed her spaghetti?

Then we went to the Coopers’ for birthday cake and presents. I had my first piñata ever, a ladybug made by your cousins. It had some of my favorite candies in it – Twix and cinnamon bears. Didn’t Aunt Amy make a beautiful cake? We had a great time. It would have been even better if you had been there!

It was fun to have Aunt Sheri visiting.

Walk on Easter Day

On Easter Day, between General Conference sessions, Larry and I walked to the fish hatchery, less than a ten-minute walk down the old Evergreen Highway. The first thing we noticed was the sunny daffodils.

I liked them so well, I wanted my photo with them.

Larry stood beside the stream.

An egret is hiding on the other bank of the pond.

Pink blooms on the trees were gorgeous!