Be Glad You Have a Room, Lady!

Yesterday was a real good day, even though I had a problem with Abay, the manager at the Howard Johnson. I got more and more concerned as we drove toward our motel from the airport. It was becoming very getto-like and sure enough, we pulled into a very run-down parking lot and it was our motel. I had some hope that the rooms would not be as bad as the outside, but noooooo. The whole motel was under some kind of construction, and it really needed it. the lobby was really scarey, I can't explain how bad it was. And the lobby was also where our continental breakfast was to be served. Lizzy was about ready to bolt. Abay, the Pakistani manager, said we could only get one room because the other one was not ready. Mind you, this is at 5:30 p.m., and our rooms were not ready. So when I was complaining about the place and rooms (one was upstairs and one was downstairs), Abay said to me' "Be glad you have a room."
That really ticked me off and I said, "I'm not glad I have this room." Anyway, I checked us in, very reluctantly and then we got to our rooms. We were not happy. We left the motel to get to the metro. We had to walk down a very scarey road, cross a very ugly bridge over railroad and metro tracks and then down a hill. So the first picture is of our motel outside.

This picture below is of the outside of union station, our metro stop.

this is walking around the capitol grounds. Beautiful trees, flowers, shrubbery. And the weather was great last night.
This is a picture of Les and the capitol looking south.

Lizzy and Dennis reclining on the west side of the capitol building steps. this is where Obama gave his inagural address. Notice the segue thingys in the background. We could rent these for a three hour tour for $70. I think the Captain and Gilligan were extra.

As we were walking toward the capitol, Dennis tried to cross a street over to the capitol grounds. A policeman stopped him and told him we couldn't go through, because a motorcade was going to be coming through. My ears perked up and I asked the policeman who would be in the motorcade. she very reluctantly told me that it was going to be the Israeli Prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. So we stayed close and got some shots of the motorcade. Cool huh? I don't know which vehicle he was in, but there were two large limos with the flags on them. to start there were about 8 policemen on motorcycles, and then there were about police cars, then some secret service cars, then the limos, then about 4 suburbans full of secret service, then ambulance and more police motorcylces and cars. I didn't take a picture of everything, only where I though Netanyahu would be. Anyway, it was exciting.
This is Josh waiting for the prime minister.

This is me at the botanical gardens. I loved this place.

Les and Josh on the west side of the capitol looking toward the Washington Monument. They are setting up some kind of concert stage for Memorial Day.

there are some huge magnolia trees around the capitol. Lizzy is smelling one of the very large blossoms. They are so fragrant.

This is Josh in front of the Supreme Court.

Les and Sara at the Union Station waiting for the Metro.

We are having a great time. So glad we were able to come and do this together. My feet are really aching from all the walking and I'm really tired. It's nice weather, a little on the hot side, but we are all having a ball.

By the way, we checked out of the ghetto motel and came to a better one across the street and down. We are all happier, and it will be less money too. Much better!

Zack's Mission Call and stuff

Friday afternoon Zack opened his mission call. He is going to the Uruguay, Montevideo Mission. We are so happy for him, and he is beyond the moon. We have googled Uruguay and have found that it is very like Argentina where I served. Heavily influenced by the Europeans, especially the Italians. He will enter the the Argentina MTC on September 3, 2009. This is such a wonderful blessing. He has been preparing for this for a long time. He was so excited and nervous at the same time, that at first he didn't want to look to see where he was being sent. I started to cry from happiness and relief, because I know the people in that area of the world and they are wonderful people and Zack will love them. He is so blessed to be able to serve among them. We are truly grateful for this special blessing.

He will be a very strong missionary. He has so many good examples that you all have set for him. I am thankful for all his good uncles, aunts, cousins, friends, and teachers that have taught and guided him.

Now for the other "stuff." These are just some fun pictures from the easter weekend.

Pictures of the little girls.

Picture of the big girls.

Leah in her "cupcake"dress.

The Wii game and all its zoned out followers.

Easter Lilu at the Primary Children's NICU. She looked a lot worse than she was.

Jonas at the "hunt".

Me holding Lily for the first time. Alan was so patient. He had to wait in the room down the hall. I kept going down and giving him news updates on the progress of the birth. He was so sleepy. But when she was born, he could hear her screaming all the way down the hall to where he was waiting.

Pink stick-on earrings, necklace, pants, top, toy.
Marens name should be "pinkie"

An excellent shot of a blue egg at the easter egg hunt.

These are some plants that I bought that I can't put out, because it is too cold and wet. So they are patiently waiting the transplant in the sunroom. They are soooo patient.

My Mother's day flowers from Alan. They are Peruvian Lillies.

I took this at about 7:00 p.m. They are just starting to work the 40 acres kitty-corner from our house.

This is the ditch in front of our house. That's right. No more running water sounds to lull me asleep in the summer. I was really sad about this, but that's progress for you. So we filled in the ditch and Alan wants to plant grass. I'm thinking there's got to be something more creative we can do. Don't I have enough grass to mow?

This is how our cront yard looks as of today. We're trying to warm up, but its taking so long.

Crocuses. I love the leaves of crocuses. They are so pure white and innocent looking.

Beautiful!

I love my yard. I just wish I could get outside to take care of it.

Odds and Ends, Bits and Pieces

It snowed this morning. I don't really care if it snows, I'm just really tired of the cold. I've realized that one of the hard parts about living in this part of Idaho is that we don't really have a spring. We have lots of cold blustery weather through March, April, and May and then sometime between Memorial Day and the end of June the weather gets warmer. Then Whammo, we're into summer for July and early August, and then it's autumn. It was warm for Monday and Tuesday, and then it got very cold and now it's winter again.

I dream of planting my garden in May. The garden is bare, but it is so cold outside I can only stand at my kitchen window and think of beatiful lush green spinach, lettuce, beans, squash, and tomatoes that will be a reality in July and August. And so while I can't go outside, I have been searching through my fabrics for just the right fabric for a new blessing dress. I thought I had the fabric, but apparently, I don't. I'm thinking of a pretty soft pink organdy - and I can't find it. I have found yellow, peach, green, blue, and purple, but no pink. Darn it! I would be OK if I found a pretty white linen also. I have two plans and the fabric I find first will determine which dress I make. As you know, the fabric determines the pattern. I'm thinking ruffles for the pink and pleats for the white. Either way, it will be beautiful. In my mind it is. And Tenny, what do you think of ivory, pink and sage green? I've planned a dress in those colors. But I have lots of other designs as well. And I think Kelsie would look fantastic is something that reminds me of tango colors like tangerine. Anyway, I'm dreaming of dresses.

And quilts.

I wanted to show you these beautiful quilts that I found on the web. I love these two designs. I would love to make something similar. I think they would be very challenging. What do you think? I can see how they are done, but I don't know all the tricks to piece something like this together. It is my goal to do something like this.

And now for something comepletely different. Here is Zack's missionary picture. Alan took about 12 shots of him. He is wearing a suit that was too little, but you can't tell in the pics. His shirt is Alan's as well as the tie. President Harrigfeld complimented Alan on how good-looking it was. You want these things to be nice - after all they will be hanging in the mission president's office for two years. All he's missing is the name tag.

And now for something completely different. What I made for dinner a few nights ago.

It's Chicken Asparagus Pasta - try it out.

All you need is:

2 chicken breasts cooked and cut bite size

1 and 1/2 lbs asparagus trimmed and washed

1 lb. bow tie pasta

1/4 cup butter

1 clove garlic minced

1/2 cup cream

1/2 cup chicken stock

zest of 1 lemon

juice of 1 lemon

salt and pepper

1 cup shredded parmesan cheese

parsley for garnish

In a lg pot bring 6 qts of water to boil. Add saparagus and boil for 2 min only. Take out asparagus, and rinse with cold water to stop cooking. Set aside. Return pot of hot water to stove and bring to boil. Add pasta and boil for 10 min. Drain pasta.

In large skillet over med heat. combine butter, garlic, cream, and stock. Stir in salt, lemon zest, and juice. Bring to a simmer. Cook for 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low and add chicken, cheese, and pasta.

Cut asparagus into 1" - 2" pieces.

Add asparagus to chicken mixture. Toss all ingredients together. Turn off heat and let pasta sit for sauce to thicken and flavors to combine. Add pepper and a little salt to your tast. Sprinkle with parsely. YUM!!!

So, I may not be Pioneer Woman, but this is a darn good recipe, and my Marlboro Man liked it alot. Enough to try to eat the whole thing at one sitting (And it serves 8.)

And now for something completely different!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

And it reminds me of a funny story . . . . .

An agricultural salesman visiting a farm with a view to selling the farmer a new type of combine harvester.

"No, sorry son," says the farmer, "my pig takes care of all the harvesting - I have no need for your fancy gizmo."

"Could save you money in the long-term" tries the salesman. "No, your combine would never match my pig's productivity - you should see him go - swishing away with that scythe."

The salesman is intrigued about this pig and asks to see the creature. The farmer leads the salesman to an enclosure. Standing within - tall and proud - is the most magnificent pig the salesman has ever seen. But the pig has got a wooden leg.

"That sure is an impressive pig, sir, but why's he got a wooden leg?" asks the salesman.

"This pig is more than 'impressive' mister - I'm sure he's unique! Do you know he can also drive the tractor!?"

"Really? But why's he got a wooden leg?"

"He drives our children to school and back!! - even helps them with their homework!!"

"I'm impressed" admits the salesman, "but why the wooden leg?"

"THIS PIG is also a leading authority on organic farming; thanks to him we've managed to branch out, and now our revenue is higher than that of any other farm in this county!!

"Yeah, yeah!! You've got one heck of a pig - I can see that by just looking at him - but why does it have a wooden leg!?" Insists the salesman.

"Did I mention the publishing deals? This pig's just written a best seller - we're going to be even richer now!!"

"Amazing, truly amazing - but why the WOODEN LEG!!!!!!!!!!"

The farmer looks admiringly at his pig and then turns to the salesman: Son, with a pig like this - you just DON'T eat him all at once."

So, that's a porkey story for my pig-lovin' siblings.

Oh, the Randomness of Our Lives

Jamie, my sweet niece in Pocatello tagged me to post up 25 random things about myself. Now most of you who read this blog know me very well, and so you know all my seriousness and goofiness and my 25 random whatevers would not be all that interesting to you. But for Jamie, I'm going to mix it up between Alan and myself and it will be funner that way. You may or may not know who these bits of randomness belong to.

1. I have a BIG problem with mispronunciation of certain words: nucular - nuclear, relator - realtor, jewlery - jewelry, and woofs - wolves. Now if you're a two-year old, the last one is cute, but not if you're the head of Idaho Fish and Game.

2. I think a person, especially me, should be able to have as many pairs of boots, as they want, and not have to explain every boot purchase to their spouse.

3. I love circus peanuts - you know those pale orange marshmallowey type candies.

4. I love to weed flowers - by hand sitting down in the dirt.

5. I love to weed with my winged-weeder in the vegetable garden; it is so soothing.

6. Have been reading a lot of Jewish related material lately - just can't seem to get enough.

7. I loved dark chocolate even before it became fashionable and healthy.

8. I would love to run a marathon just once.

9. I have to admit, I watch the Beverly Hillbillies once in awhile just because of Jethro.
10. I really thought I had a good chance of going to Hawaii on my mission.

11. I have always wanted to climb the Grand Teton.

12. I love to do logic puzzles.

13. I keep buying jackets for Zachary and they all look alike.


14. When Leah was at our house three weeks ago, she left a little indentation in the crib where she slept under a blanket, and I can't disturb it because it looks so cute. I like to go look at it.

15. What could be better than a garden fresh tomato sliced, salt and cracked pepper, and blue cheese dressing? Now that's what I'm talkin' about.

16. Yes, I'm a little anal about lawn mowing.

17. A person just can't have enough TV's or reading glasses.

18. I have a love/hate realtionship with snowmachines.

19. You know I make the best pancakes and frenchfries.

20. I would love to have a log home on the Habekost place where we could have large Thanksgiving dinners and everyone could play in the snow all day long, and fish on the river in the summer. Oh, that would be great!

21. I think it's OK to read several books at once. Hard to keep track of the plots, but it's all OK.

22. Nieces and nephews are the best! Would love to have you all here all the time just hanging out with us.

23. Is there a sound that I hate? Yes, it is the sound of scraping anything on frozen surfaces. I guess you could say I hate the sound of ice.

24. I am a Jazz fan, true blue, through and through. My heart hurts when they lose.

24. Seabiscuit, Castaway, Casino Royale, and the Three Amigos are some of my favorite movies.

25. In my world everyone would work as hard as I do.

And now, I'm tagging my nieces Maddi, Tenny, Miranda, Leslie, and Banner. Just think up 24 random things about yourself and post them for all of us to read. It will be fun.

Midway Through January, Hurrah!

I realized yesterday that January is half baked. I'm so glad. January is the hardest month for me to get through. It has a lot to do with the sun, the weather, living in Ashton out on the farm, and with mom. The last three days have been the kind that we brag about. The bluest skies, sparkling stars at night, and diamond-like snow in the sun. We decided to get out and enjoy it- because we can if we just go outside. We went X-country skiing on the Fall River ridge. Sara will remember this trail, Zack too. I used to drag Zack behind me on a pink plastic sled when he was really little. Sometimes he slept through the whole thing. We were not the only ones out today; lots of others had the same idea, but fortunately, we met up with only three other groups of skiiers. Lots of snow machines and even two dog sledders were getting ready to mush up the road to Cave Falls. It seemed like we all needed to be out enjoying the sun and nice (30's) weather.

The US Forest service sign. "You are Entering Targhee National Forest!" Do not feed the bears, elk, or moose. There is always a Bear Factor! Violators will be shot and fed to the wolves. Considering my past relationshi0p with the Forest Service, I'm surprised I still like to go to the forest.

We decided to do the first two loops, which meant 3.4 miles.

A good picture of the beautiful blue skies and aspens. This was up on top of the ridge.

Alan looking kind of granola-ee. Yikes!! All we need now is a subaru forrester.

Beautiful aspens. It was gorgeous.

Alan took this shot of twigs sticking up out of the snow. The ice crystals looked like snowy blossoms.

Down off the ridge looking through the Lodge Pole Pines.

The moose had messed up the trail pretty bad in some stretches, and I kept putting my pole into their big hoof prints. I only fell down twice, and Alan, of course, did not fall down. We were looking at some bushes that had been disturbed by the moose and I said, "they must have bedded down here for the night." Alan said, "no they were just pushing the snow around and eating the frozen leaves off the bushes." Then with a very comedy Russian-like voice he said, "Moose and Squirrel." I cracked up. That makes us Boris and Natasha Badanov. Alan makes me laugh more than anyone I know, except maybe Zack on a good day.

Speaking of Zack, he had to move into another room, because the two guys came from Oregon and wanted to room together. That put Zack in the largest bedroom with the other roommate. It has turned out well. He is doing fine - very busy with homework, etc., which is so good for him. He has a nice new snowboard jacket and had to buy a new microsoft suite professional/student package for his micro apps class, which he was not anticipating. But all is going well. We miss him and at the same time we don't miss him. We're happy that he is at school and loving it.

Well, here's to January 2009 and Obama's inaguratiion. May this wintery month be over Soon!