August, the month of Pears and travels

 August has been a month filled with family, travels, reunion with friends and lots of yard work.

One of the themes for my life in the past two years has been, "Where Can I turn for Peace."  We started the month with a visit on Sunday, August 2 to The Dallas Texas Temple grounds.  The gates were locked and so we just sat at the entrance and marveled at the beauty and peace that surrounds the building. We look forward to the day we can return to the Temple when it opens again.

We also we able to stop at the Kansas City Temple on Tuesday, August 11.  It was so majestic and beautiful on that hot August day of travel.  It was definitely a refuge from the world and a place to find Peace for a few minutes.

We stopped and ate a snack and walked around all of the grounds.  It is so different to have the parking lots empty and so quiet because of Covid 19 closings.  The Temple grounds are still kept so beautiful and truly bring peace to the soul.

We ended the month in Utah and a night visit to the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  

We took Logan and Preslee with us to see this beacon in the city.  They live just a few miles from it and often go and park in the parking lot and just talk and enjoy the peace.  It was a beautiful night with the moon peaking through the clouds.

These three Temples all have special meaning to me for different reasons.  Emily was sealed (married) in the Dallas Temple and Brian was married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple.  Great memories as we visited and enjoyed the memories.

We started the month with a road trip to Wichita Kansas to visit Brian and Beth.  They celebrated their 10 year Anniversary and we stayed with the kids while they celebrated in Colorado for a few days.  The Girls had a few hours together for pedicures.  It was a real treat - first time in two years to have my feet massaged and pampered and it was great, especially with the good company of Beth and Nora.

Next we were off to the Sunflower fields for pictures.  Lots of pictures taken in the sunflower fields. 

William 

Nora 

Brian, William,Nora and Beth

William was a little afraid of ALL of the BEES on the plants.  He was being very cautious about where he was willing to have his picture taken!  Made for a cute photo.

Beautiful picture of the Kansas fields and sky.  It truly is in the middle of the grasslands and prairies.  

Fun baking with Grandma.  Cupcakes baked in ice cream cones.  Oh how I love the internet when I need help with a recipe.  I made these all the time for my kids and it was a trick to get them to stay standing while you bake them.  I found this great idea and it really worked.  So much better and no mess.

It is always fun to visit The Nifty Nut House in Wichita.  It is a store filled with nuts, chocolates and candy.  We managed to spend about $40 on all this healthy!?!? candy.  Let's just say we ended up with a lot of jelly bellies.  

We have really enjoyed re-connecting with our grandchildren since we have been home.  They have grown up so much and we enjoyed our daily walks, lots of UNO and Mario and Minecraft on the tablets.  

 

We combined this visit with continuing North on I-35 and returning to Farmington Minnesota for a work project with Jaime and Andy.  They purchased the home they had been renting for a few years and it was time to clean out the garages.  We spent three days emptying, cleaning and finding many memories.  We filled a dumpster, had a large garage sale and donated two van loads to the local thrift store and night shelter.  Toys were organized, clothes sorted and important papers found.

Abby found these Winter overalls and thought they were the next fashion craze.

Minnesota also has wonderful Sunflower fields so we spent our Sunday afternoon driving about an hour to a beautiful field for family pictures,  Another photo bomb of family pictures:

We had a lot of fun with all of the props and things placed in the fields for photo shoots.  Great family pictures with Adam 20, Eric 18, Abby 17, Zach 14 and Emma 11.  They are growing up and it is nice that they are all still together to have these family outings.  They have two new Rottpoo puppies that came along, but they were not interested in family photos and just wanted to lay in the shade of the sunflowers.  It was their first real road trip and lets just say Adam got a new pair of jeans out of the deal due to car sick puppies!

Abby and Eric are Seniors this year and this was a cute Senior Picture.  2020 is an interesting year to be in school and we wish them the very best as they embark on their final year of High School.

This is their garden and it has provided a generous bounty.  We always get fed so well when we visit and this visit was especially great as we ate from the garden.  The green beans were picked and immediately cleaned and cooked.  They were the best I have every had.  We made homemade pasta sauce by roasting the cherry and roma tomatoes with onions, garlic and peppers in the oven.  We then pureed them and added fresh basil and other herbs for a delicious sauce.  

It is never all work and no play when we visit.  We enjoyed the wonderful food and our daily walks around the lake in their neighborhood.  August is the month it finally gets warm and is warm just long enough before the cold nights of September come in.  

After two weeks being away, it was time to hit the road again and return back to Texas to take care of our own yard.  It is really nice to have a stopping place with Brian and Beth in Wichita.  It makes the 14 hour drive bearable when we can stop and have an amazing Taco dinner and a comfy bed before we finish the last 6 hours home.

We arrived home to our loaded Pear tree that was ready to be picked.  We have 4 Pear trees and this year only one had pears.  We picked about 150 pounds of pears and then gave away as many as we could.  They were the best pears we have had in many years.  There were not as many, but they were very large - the biggest one weighing in at a perfect 1 pound.  It only took a few to make a cobbler or strudel.  

I made 6 Pear Raspberry Strudel and gave them away.  We spent a Sunday afternoon delivering to a few friends.  It is not the same with Covid-19 when you deliver, but I wanted to share and let friends know I was thinking of them.  Oh, they turned out so good - I love adapting the original apple strudel to other fruits in season.  The Pear raspberry and Pear cherry were both really good.  The strudel is so much lighter than a traditional American Pie.

Monday was a special treat as we hit the road again and traveled to Temple, Texas.  We had driven through on the freeway many times, but we had never actually been in the city or around to see the sights.  

There are a few people that come into your life that make a real difference and you just know they are friends for life.  We were so fortunate to serve with Elder and Sister Bretzing on our mission.  We all got sent home the same day, but they still had over 7 months to serve on their mission.  They have not been released and continue to serve via Zoom meetings and other media.  We got to visit with them while they were in Temple visiting family.  We spent the day at Chalk Ridge Falls Park.  It is nestled in a park outside of the city and it was so fun.  We hiked and waded in the water and had such a great time.

It came complete with a swinging suspension bridge.  We even had to navigate down this steep trail to get down to the falls.  It was a short trail with lots of adventure.

It reminded us of the many adventures in Germany we had together.  We love the outdoors and the beauty of nature.  

Claudia is like a sister to me.  We shared so much in the mission and I was so grateful I had someone to talk to and share recipes with.  We both learned from each other and fed and lot of missionaries.  She truly is a forever friend.

We are finding there is a lot of Texas we have not seen in the 40 years we have lived here.  We need a few more road trips and adventures.  We just need Covid to be in control so we can visit other places.  Bandera Texas is next on the list -  deep in the hill country of Texas!

I have always wanted to go to Marfa Texas where my father served during WWII.  I would really like to go at the end of September, but we will have to see how the conditions are at that time.

We have also enjoyed the time we have had with Joshua and his family.  The Twins graduated from High School in the Spring and are starting college.  They have decided to set up an office in our home to come and do their on-line college classes.  At least it helps them have a quiet place and seems like they are going to school.  Treats at Grandma's are an added benefit.

On Tuesday, August 25 we flew to Salt Lake City to visit Emily and her family.  We had planned to stay with her until Ian got food poison from food they ate waiting for us to arrive at the airport.  He was so sick we decided to get a hotel and stay there for a few days.  

Preslee was so excited to have us visit.  She greeted us with a decorated house of streamers and treats.  It was a great Welcome.  

Emily is living in a very small home until their new home is built and it is a true adventure with 6 people and one bathroom, but we make it work.  We decided to get a car rental and always ready for a fun adventure, we rented a 2008 VW convertible bug.  WOW, did we ever have fun and acted like we were back in school at BYU driving around town.  

Preslee loves Grandmas Cinnamon Rolls.  She especially likes to sell them.  So, we spent a day making them and she set up a cute stand on the corner of their house - on a nice busy street, and sold about 50 rolls.  We made Cinnamon, Nutella and lemon.  People asked if next time they could place orders and be able to get more.  She made about $80 and that is going to be for some tumbling equipment she is wanting to get to help her.  We sold all of them with none left for us to eat, so I got up on Saturday morning and made another batch.  We gave some away and managed to eat the rest!

She would like me to be there every weekend for a sale.  It is a pretty good business for her considering it is a glorified lemonade stand.

Saturday afternoon was spent at the football field for 4th grade cheerleading and football.  It was a very hot day!  It was so fun to see Preslee in her element and having a great time.  It brought back so many memories.  

We lasted about and hour and a half and it was time to get out of the heat.  Shopping was calling my name and we had places to go and to see.

We visited my Sister Pam and her husband Mike on Sunday.  It was a wonderful day with family.  I have lived away from family for 40 years and as we get older, we enjoy the times we can be together.  

All good things come to an end and we returned the car on Sunday afternoon.  It was such a fun time and beautiful weather to enjoy the ride.  

We also went to Utah for a mission Gathering with Pres. and Sister Brown.  Because of Covid we could not meet in a formal gathering so we met up Provo Canyon at Canyon Glen Park.

What a gathering of missionaries!  It was such a great reunion to see so many that we had served with.  We realized that most of the missionaries that we directly served with are from Europe.  Of the 60 that were there, we had served with about 15.  We especially were happy to see so many of the Senior Couples.  It was great to catch up on life and to hear about their past several months at home.  These people will always be "family" and we are so grateful that we were able to serve with them and to continue learning from them as they share experiences with us.  We look forward to many more reunions in the future.  

A special Thank you to the Robertson family who came from Idaho and we got to meet.  We served with their son both in Freiburg and in Austria.  WE LOVE Elder Robertson.  We had an immediate bond because of Idaho, but truly came to admire and appreciate this dedicated young man with an amazing testimony and love of Jesus Christ.  

This week in my scripture study, I have been reading in Helaman in The Book of Mormon.  This was a very dark time on the earth with many wars and much bloodshed and turning from Jesus Christ and His teachings.  

Helaman 5:12 - "And now, my sos, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation  . . ."  This was not new to them.  He tells them to Remember what they had been taught.  He goes on to tell them about all of the darkness and "Bad News" of the day.  It is not much different than our day.  Pages and pages are written about the bad news:  Political corruption, Devil having a great hold on the people, Truth rejected, Apathy towards God's power - not recognizing who God even is, lack of repentance, forgetting the blessings from God, and then God chastens His people to help them to Remember.  He teaches about PRIDE and the dangers of it.  He then ends His discourse with the Good News.  What is the Good News that has happened in your life in the past year amid all of the darkness?

Temples have continued to be a place of peace and refuge and many more are scheduled to be built.

Service opportunities have increased as many have sewn masks - our Church contributed 6 million in Utah alone.  We have helped many countries with Humanitarian aid.  I have been able to serve others through our mission and at home.  Service helps keep us close to Jesus Christ.  I have learned to 

LOOK TO GOD AND LIVE.  Helaman 8:15 - "And as many as should look upon that serpent should live, even so as many as should look upon the Son of God with faith, having a contrite spirit, might live, even unto that life which is eternal.?"  

The Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ continues to go out to the world and people are being converted.

The Power of the Priesthood is on the earth today to guide and direct us and to give us the word of God for our time.  I am so grateful for a living Prophet, Pres. Russell M Nelson who guides and directs the Lords Church on the earth today.

One of the things a Prophet does is call people to Repentance.  I am so grateful for the atonement of Jesus Christ and that I can repent and allow His atonement to take place in my heart and bless me with renewed strength every day to carry on and do better today than I did yesterday.  We are not perfect people living in a perfect world.  We are here to learn and grown and become.  Through Repentance I can become what I was sent here to become - no comparisons to others or judgments made.

The Good News is that I know who I am - a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me and provided a plan for me to come to this earth and learn and grown and return to Him for Eternal Life.  That gives me hope, happiness and great joy with a purpose to my life.  

It is so much easier to seek the good in life than to be in bondage with the bad news.  Seek for Truth in the coming days and find the Joy!

We ended the month with a visit from Ellie and Michael.  Ellie is a special friend from Freiburg Germany that was baptized two years ago.  She is attending school at BYU-Idaho and  we got to spend a little time with her.  She attended a German speaking activity on campus and met Michael.  He served his mission in Berlin Germany and the best part is that he is the grandson of our dear friends who we served with - The Blanchards!  The family of friends continues to grow,  We are so happy for them and know they were blessed to find each other.  Ellie is part of that Good News and has been blessed by the choices she has made - even leaving Germany and family and finding JOY!  What a great reunion!

We ended the night with other dear friends from the mission, The Homer's.  It is really a small world when you travel half way around the world and find people from your own home town.  My Dad and his uncle were good friends and Russ' parents were good friends with John Homers family.  The Homer's were the backbone of the mission.  They served in the mission office and kept everyone safe and sound in their apartments.  We loved being with them in their home.  We were with them exactly 1 year ago that same day in Vienna showing them the sights.  It was great to share memories and to continue a friendship.  Our lives have been touched by so many wonderful people.  

I think we will need September to rest up for the last three months of the year and all of the holidays.  We are already looking forward to The Nativity Display and all that the coming days will bring.

Until next month,

Viel Liebe,

The Grimmett's

July 2020 Surviving the hot humid days of a Texas Summer

Feeling of Freedom by Josh Grimmett 6th Grade

 Oh, how I love July and all of the celebrations that represent the things that mean so much to me in my life.  America! The Land that I love.  My parents taught me Patriotism from a very young age.  My Dad is a WWII veteran and continued in the Air Force reserves for the next 25 years until the 1970's when they required him to retire to make room for the returning Vietnam Vets.  He retired as a Major in the Air Force.  Because of his love for God, Country and his fellow man, he instilled within me that same love.  Oh, the stories I could share of 4th of July celebrations in Idaho and Colorado with fireworks from Wyoming!

The picture above was painted by my oldest son, Josh, when he was in the 6th Grade, 1988-89 for a PTA Reflections Program.  He represented his elementary school at the District competition.  It has always been a favorite picture of mine.  He followed in his grandfathers footsteps and served 12 years in the military.  He tells a beautiful story in the book he wrote about his experience in Iraq that made a difference for him and for his unit as he embraced the teachings he had been taught in his youth.
"Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them . . .We do not doubt our mothers knew it. . . .Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them. . .And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared. . .and we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe - that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power." Alma 57:47, 48, 21, 26.
My prayer for this time in our lives is that we will remember these same truths and exercise our faith in God and obey and observe to do what we need to do with exactness that we may be blessed to overcome the ills of our day.

We watched the fireworks at Globe Life Park - home of the Texas Rangers - in the parking lot with everyone in their cars or just outside - everyone wearing masks for protection.  We missed the annual parade that we have been a part of for the past 35 years.  It was a year for more quiet reflection on the liberty and freedoms that we have.  We also have a tradition of watching 1776 every year on the 4th of July.  We watched it while we were Europe and this year was no exception.  Our Freedom is not free.  It comes with a great responsibility and accountability.  Agency is the right to make our own choices.  Freedom is the ability to exercise our agency. Grateful for those who have paved the way and to those who continue to work and serve to preserve this great land.
As President of the Constitutional Convention, George Washington said, "Let us raise a standard to which the wise and honest can repair.  The event is in the hand of God."
I took the time this year to go back and read the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, something I had not done in many years.  I would suggest it as a good read.  Just the preamble reminded me of important truths that are worth remembering:  WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

 What better way to end the day than to serve someone in need.  I had been given an assignment in our Church to minister to 3 sisters.  I had felt all week that I needed to contact one of them and invite her to our home on Sunday.  I kept putting it off and on Saturday as we were watching 1776 I had a prompting that I needed to call her NOW.  So I called and invited her to come.  She was happy to come and then she went silent and I asked if the time was OK or if there was a problem.  She hesitated and then said under her breath, my car.  I asked if she needed a ride or if everything was OK with her new car.  She said she got a flat tire the night before and could not get it fixed until Monday with the 4th of July holiday.  I knew she used her car for her employment with UberEats and that with a flat tire she was not able to work on what would be a very busy day and good income for her.  It was a very hot, humid day and not one we really wanted to go out in, but service is never convenient.  I said, that is something I can do and I will come over.  At this point I was not volunteering my husband because I knew he would not be as willing:)  My grandson, Shannon just started driving and I decided it would be a great experience for him to change a tire and to also help me give service. (Grandmas are good at knowing what is good for family to do.) He was so willing to come with me - I knew I would need some muscle help and moral support.  So, now it was not just me going and Russ did not want to be left out of the fun and so he came along and actually did most of the work.

We had a wonderful visit from our friends, The Bretzings, from Arizona.  They were in Texas visiting their Son and his family and spent a day with us.  It was so fun to catch up on our lives since we were all sent home.  Winter picture to help us feel cooler in this heat.  They are still serving as missionaries and hope to return to Germany.  We were so blessed to serve with these beautiful people who are now mission family.

We ventured out on our first Airplane trip and flew to Salt Lake City.  We spent a week with Emily and her family and so enjoyed the cooler evenings of Utah.  It was hard to return to Texas after the evenings on her front yard and Russ watching the flight pattern into  SLC using an app he found of Air Traffic Control - he was hooked and in his element.
We also got to have a quick drive by - ok, we got out of our car - visit with Cambree Griffiths who we served with in Freiburg and then she ended her mission serving with us in Vienna.  We will be so glad when we can have a reunion with more of the missionaries and our new friends.

I am so grateful for Sherry  who ministers to me and regularly has called or dropped by to check on me.  She brought me these beautiful flowers just because and it truly brightened my day.  I am blessed to have  wonderful friends who continue to reach out even amid Covid-19.
I was invited to Lunch with two friends, Lisa and Lori,  at their home and share mission stories.  It was a special time together and the time went so fast.  Nothing better than girlfriends sharing delicious food, catching up on the last two years and sharing in our love of the gospel of Jesus Christ.




So many memories in July.  It was two years ago on July 16, 2018 that we entered the MTC to begin our mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We have spent most of the month putting together a Video presentation of our experience that we hope to share when we can gather again.  We have spent countless hours organizing our photos so that we can share them better.  We have also been going through boxes of photos from the past 40 years and organizing them.  It has truly been a walk down memory lane.  It has been fun sharing them with our grandchildren.

July is also the time on the 24th that we commemorate the Pioneers arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.  Religious freedom has been a part of our Church from its beginning days and continues to be an important issue.  Again, there were no parades or parties this year, but some quiet study and movie watching about the pioneer heritage that is so dear to me.

July is also a month for Birthdays. My Dad's birthday was in July so we usually gathered as a family and celebrated with him and my sister, Brooke who shared his birthday.  The last thing I did before leaving for Germany was gather with family in Bountiful Utah and celebrate his 97th Birthday.  July will never be the same with him gone.

Over the years I have served in our Church as a Young Women President.  I have had the opportunity of catering many of their wedding receptions and being a part of that special day.  There are only a few who have not married and Elise called me in June and asked if I would cater her wedding reception.  I told her I was no longer in the catering business and her mother reminded me that I had just spent the last 20 months cooking for the YSA on my mission.  I thought about it and decided it was something I could do, even amid Covid-19 and most of my catering things  still packed in boxes.  So, no buffets and things having to be done a little differently, we catered the reception.  It turned out really nice and it was a nice evening for her family and the few friends who came.  We wore masks and gloves the whole evening and took all of the precautions that we could.  It was good to see a few friends that we had not seen for a few years.  One more event for the history books!

Every day I ask, am I doing what The Lord needs me to do today and am I learning what I need to learn through these pandemic days.  I have become more focused in my learning and reading on things that truly matter.  I have made family a priority, something that often was taken for granted as I served others and was busy in "other things".
I am reading Christ and The New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland and want to end with some of his words:  "the task of the children of God in these concluding days of the world's history is to proceed with unshaken faith in him, relying wholly upon the merits of him who is mighty to save, to press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men, . .feasting upon the word of Christ, and enduring to the end.  This is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God."

We live in the "best of times", a time that we were given to live on this earth.  We are needed for "such a time as this" to bring hope and peace and comfort to those seeking for truth.  We may never live in the past "normal" again, but we can go on and embrace the new and make it a better world.  I have learned to adapt to new things and to simplify my life. I continue every day to adapt and to see what the new "normal" brings.  It is an adventure and one that I am trying to make the best of.
Enjoy the closing days of Summer!
Viel Liebe,
The Grimmett's