TRYING TO RECAP

THE FIRST FEW WEEKS

OF OUR BEING BACK IN OUR 

HOME IN BRUNSWICK

AND IN AMERICA

AFTER BEING GONE FOR 2 YEARS!!

That is a challenge to say the least.  So much happening.....so fast......so good.....ALL GOOD!  Just trying to enjoy and take it all in.

We had an OPEN HOUSE here at our home.  Joanne Runkles did a fantastic job of organizing absolutely everything that needed to be done!  Bless her heart.  What a sweetie she was to undertake that for us.  

The weather cooperated and was fantastic!  Could not have been better.  We had a large turnout.....lots of old friends and family here to greet us and help us get 'readjusted' to a 'normal life'.....whatever that means.

Reconnecting to so many was a great way to 'settle in' again.

We had a great FAMILY DINNER at Jonathan and Tina's home our first Sunday back here.  That was so fun.  We had HOT DOGS and HAMBURGERS cooked on the grill.  I was able to make my HOMEMADE COLESLAW and HOMEMADE CHILI-DAWG SAUCE!  AAAHHH.....that tasted so good.  I was trying to teach the 'next generation' of kids how to make my coleslaw.

We actually took time to find our way back down to the WASHINGTON D.C. TEMPLE.  We met with President Earl C. Tingey.  He indicated that we would be set apart as temple ordinance workers again, that he was going to request from President Monson to have Wayne re-instated as a Sealer and that they were very, very happy to have us back again!  That helped the 'pangs' of leaving and missing our beloved Finland and it's friends a little easier for us to take.

AAAHHHH.....the FINNISH RYIJY was a top priority as well.  Thanks to Steven helping with that.  It looks great hanging just inside the front entry hall.

Some of the kids and grandkids participated in a Half-Marathon in Frederick on the 1st Saturday that we were back home.  It was fun to go and watch them 'torture' themselves....running for hours.  Crazy people.

MY KITCHEN!!!!  YES......oh happy day!  And I was able to make my 

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES 

ONCE MORE!  Sweet.......

And right there with HIS FINGER in the cookie dough bowl was......yes, Wayne.  He was in 

COOKIE DOUGH HEAVEN too.

We also managed to find a few hours where we could drive down to the 

NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION Headquarters Office in

Alexandria, Virginia.

This would be our 'mission office' for the next 18 - 24 months as we would begin our 

CHURCH SERVICE MISSION 

for LDS Family Services here.  We wanted to do a little TEST DRIVE to see how long and how far our commute would be each day.....at least Monday through Thursday.

We HIT the ROAD running when we arrived in Finland on June 16, 2009.  We also hit the ROAD running when we hit our arrival back in America on April 30, 2011.  I guess we are happiest when we are busy, busy, busy......