Chicagoing

While Emily was here we decided to spend a day in Chicago.

We had so much fun!

We took the train into the city and then rode the FREE TROLLEY to Navy Pier. We were hungry by then so we ate a yummy lunch at Bubba Gumps.

Mmmmm, I do love my seafood.

Alaina had Crab Stuffed Shrimp, Emily had Coconut Shrimp and I had a Bucket o' Boat Trash (deep fried shrimp, lobster tail & deep-fried mahi mahi).

Not healthy, but Oh. So. Tasty.

After lunch we walked around Navy Pier for a bit and then walked through a cute little park down to Michigan Avenue for some awesome window shopping. Of course while we were there we had to stop in and wander through CRATE & BARREL. It's nice that my girls now enjoy walking through that store with me ; once upon a time the kids would stand at the door whining that I was taking too long.

Once we hit Water Tower Place we decided to carry on our theme of playing tourists and splurged by having dessert at The Cheesecake Factory. After we had completely indulged we decided to finish out our day by taking a city tour on a DOUBLE DECKER BUS. We've never done that before and had so much fun seeing the city from a new perspective.

We went down a street with shops that we will never enter, and didn't even know were in our Windy City. If you ever come to visit and need a Vera Wang wedding dress, Jimmy Choo Shoes or a Prada bag we know just the street to send you to.

I stole Emily's camera and had a blast taking shots of the city from our upper level seats. It was so much fun to enjoy the city this way. If I'm driving, I'm too intent on traffic. If Rob is driving I'm too intent on making sure we don't get lost or that he doesn't break the traffic laws. If we are walking it's usually quickly because we have somewhere to be and we don't have time to stop and look up.

I have loved Chicago since we very first visited back in the spring of 1987.

I love the juxtaposition of old and new. I love the greenery and flowers amidst the concrete and steel and asphalt and the whimsical art that adds such a fun touch to the summer sidewalks. I love when form and function combine to create beautiful architecture. I love the hustle and bustle of mid-day and how the streets quiet down just a bit towards evening.

As the bus tour was completing it's circle we jumped off two stops early and realized we were close to the WATER TAXI stop. We jumped on the first boat, only to realize that we were heading right back to Navy Pier. OOPS! Well, it was perfect weather and taking the long way back to Union Station seemed like an excellent way to end our day. We made it to Union Station with just minutes to spare before our train left, but we were on it and found three seats together so all was well.

Time in Nauvoo

Emily asked if we could visit Nauvoo while she was here. So Tuesday afternoon we headed off in the car for a short road trip. We decided that we wanted to see the real Illinois so we took Route 34 all the way to the Mississippi. It was fun to drive through the small towns. We enjoyed looking at the older homes; especially those with big front porches.

Nauvoo was wonderful. The biggest treat for us was the hour we spent visiting with Sister Mills. I grew up across the street from the Mills family. Their only daughter, Linda was just a couple of months younger than I was, but we were a grade apart in school. I loved being in their home and was even invited to go camping and boating with them. Grant Mills passed away suddenly several years ago and after a while Georgia decided that she wanted to serve a mission. She was called to be a CES missionary in FIJI and taught piano lessons to 150 students in the church school there. When she finished there she was serving at the Family History Center in SLC and decided it was time to put her papers in again. She was blessed to receive a call to the Nauvoo mission and had been assigned to be the director of the Lands & Records Office but just a few weeks ago received a transfer to serve as the mission secretary. Since she also plays the piano for "Rendevous in Old Nauvoo" she keeps very busy.

Sister Mills shared some wonderful mission stories from Fiji with us and shared her testimony of the Lord and her love of family and friends and service. She was always such a wonderful role model for me and continues to be. We haven't seen each other for years but she was so warm and welcoming; it was just like being back in her kitchen hanging out after school.

Once we let her get back to work we headed over the the Lands & Records office and pulled up all the records we could find on Amanda Barnes and ALL of her children...including the three that she apparently had with her second husband, Warren Smith. We also pulled up the records for James & Drusilla, their children and the other two wives that were married to James.

We stopped in town for a yummy lunch, a trip to the Fudge Factory and a stop at the LDS Bookstore. Emily doesn't get my fascination with that store since she has the BYU Bookstore in walking distance but she humored me anyway.

We drove north along the Mississippi River on our way home. It was interesting to drive through Dallas City and see several houses that still had sandbags in place. What we were unprepared for though were the houses further north that had obviously suffered extensive flood damage and seemed to be left abandoned and empty.

Somehow we missed or misunderstood the route we were supposed to take at the Quad Cities and were headed towards Utah instead of Chicago. Luckily, Rob had good internet service and was able to talk us through Rock Island and onto I-88. Thank goodness for Google Maps. He was able to track us street by street. In fact, we tried waving at him to see if the satellite was live. But, no. It wasn't.

Seminary Sundae

Last night was the 95th Street Seminary Sundae. It is always so wonderful to attend these events surrounded by youth who come out in such great number and to feel their excitement at being back together again after the summer break. We have just over 70 students registered for seminary at the 95th Street building this school year. They come together from 4 wards, 2 stakes and 5 high schools (plus the homeschooled students).

Alaina and her friend, Jenny, decided to spend the whole day together doing church things so J came to church with us, then they went to the 4th ward together. They stayed at the church building afterwards hanging out with some of the other youth who caught wind of their plans. As more youth showed up and found them in the kitchen they joined them there which made for a crowded and noisy room. Just what the youth like. I was in the R.S. room finishing up getting a few things organized and was afraid I would have to shoo them all to the chapel, but no...they heard the prelude music and went down of their own accord.

The program went well. It was fun watching the seniors( who had been in my class last year) present the RULES. I had a little tug of the heartstrings at that moment. Then when they finished, Shane Jacobs (http://www.shaneandmeredith.blogspot.com/) presented the funniest skit about the new start time. He used the amusing verse in Acts 5:5 and ended with a nice cross reference about "now is the time to awake to our salvation". It was hilarious and got the point across. What more could you ask?

Alaina and Sarah L then sang, "My Soul Hungered". The teachers had been a little nervous about whether the kids would settle down after the hilarity that is Shane but they did and allowed the spirit to come right back.

The girls did a lovely job and when they finished their song we watched the slide show, Reflections of Christ.

You should definitely check this out.

http://www.reflectionsofchrist.org/index.html

It was a beautiful way to finish the program and introduce the life of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It always makes me cry when I watch it but this time I cried a little bit more because I was sad that I wouldn't be here in this building with these wonderfully amazing youth every day.

You see, yesterday I was sustained as the Stake Primary President. I am looking forward to this new opportunity and am humbled that the Stake Presidency and the Lord have enough confidence in me to extend this calling. I have a wonderful group of sisters that I will be working and serving with and am looking forward to getting to know them and being able to work with and serve the primary leaders throughout the stake.

Rob was called to be the new seminary teacher for our ward so he will now be teaching the Juniors with Sister Lisa Whipple. At least I will get to sub for him once in a while.

Ch-ch-ch-changes, Again

Just over 24 hours ago, Rob was released as the Bishop of the Naperville 6th Ward. He was sustained on August 3, 2003 when the ward was created from mostly the Naperville 4th Ward, but we also pulled in some families from the Wheaton Ward and the Geneva Ward. A total of four bishops were sustained that day in the Naperville Stake. Two of those bishoprics were reorganized yesterday.

We think that maybe 1/3 of the congregation that is a part of the ward today was here 5 years ago when the ward was created. This is a very transient ward but it still seems to exude a feeling of welcome and a sense of being a part of a big ward family.

This was Rob, five years ago. He's lost some hair and gained some weight and experience.

Rob is grateful for the four men that served as his counselors over the years. He has served with Doug Bagley, Ian Clugston, Rob Hitchcock and Chris Neilson. He has had two executive secretaries, Mike House (who was called to serve as EQP six months after the ward was created) and Chuck Whittington (who has served out the rest of the time with Rob and his changing bishopric). His clerk, Scott Curtis was put into the bishopric when the ward was created and was not released yesterday. I'm sure that keeping the clerk and executive secretary the same will help with continuity for the bishopric, but I wonder if those good men (and their wives) aren't feeling ready for a change themselves.

Rob was contacted last Sunday, while we were at Bear Lake, by President Peterson who said if all the pieces fell together appropriately changes would be happening soon. Tuesday, Rob received a confirmation phone call stating that the bishopric would change on Sunday.

We returned home Friday evening and went to a birthday party next door where we smiled and laughed and tried not to let on that changes were coming. Saturday, Rob headed to an area training meeting for Stake Presidents and Bishops. The new bishop(s) had received permission to attend so Rob was able to figure out who was going to be stepping into his shoes. Rob told me when he got home, which was one of the few times that Rob has shared a confidential matter with me. I figured I deserved a small perk for being the bishop's wife so when he asked if I wanted to know, I said yes.

It was fun to go to church on Sunday and try to figure out when other members realized that this was not "just another sacrament meeting" but that changes were in the air. The new bishop is Ken Fisher and he has chosen Chris Neilson and Brent Callister to serve with him. They are all good men and I look forward to having them lead our ward forward.

I think we have all been surprised at how emotional the past week has been for us. There is a real sense of mourning as we leave this calling behind. We have been so blessed to have the spirit in our home sustaining us through the years that Rob has served as bishop and it will mean that we will have to make sure we keep up our part so we can still have a small measure of that spirit with us.

It was good for Rob to clean out his office yesterday in preparation for orienting Bishop Fisher. I think it helped him put some closure on his service and to recognize the many things - good things and hard things - that he has accomplished with the Lord's help during his tenure. I know that the ward members have grown to love him and respect him and that makes me happy because he can be a shy man and now I'm not the only one that knows how amazing he truly is.

I Love Bear Lake

I love seeing the amazing blue color when we come through the canyon. I love how things slow down when we are there. I love the happy memories I have of summers spent on the shores with family. I wish I could get there more often.

My parents agreed to let us stay overnight at the cabin so we drove up Sunday evening and arrived just before the sun went down. We got the cabin opened up and dropped off our things then headed down to the shore for a walk. Since it was windy, Rob gave me his jacket and Alaina put board shorts on underneath her dress.

Of course, the water was irresistable and the deeper Alaina went the higher she lifted her dress

until it was knotted around her waist. Monday morning Alaina decided that our family project would be creating the Bear Lake Monster.

Little did Rob know this would be an all day affair.

Alaina was the designer, Rob was the physical labor and I was the finisher. I let them work together for the first couple of hours dumping and shaping the sand while I worked on putting seminary letters together.

The monster kept getting longer and longer and Rob kept trying to convince Alaina it was big enough already! She just smiled and kept going. That girl knows what she wants and doesn't quit until she is satisfied.

We took a couple of breaks including lunch at LaBeau's (Horray for Raspberry Shakes! - Well, I had chocolate & marshmallow) and finished the day with a good swim so we could wash all the sand off. It had been windy most of the afternoon so we had some great waves to play in and the water wasn't bad for August (once you got used to it, of course).

50 Years

On August 8, 1958,

Fred George Zwick and Sieglinde Hedwig Marie Dammaschke

were married in the Salt Lake Temple for time and all eternity.

They have honored that commitment to one another and 50 Years later - this is what they and their six children look like.

(we clean up pretty nicely, huh?)

We, (their children) thought it was pretty impressive that they made it 50 years and so we decided to throw them a party. Sylvia and Al offered the use of their yard and did a wonderful job preparing everything. Their Yard Looked Beautiful. Sylvia spent a lot of time pulling things together and doing a lot of the leg work. Way to go Sis!

Mom (also known as Oma) agreed to let us have it catered and I, for one, am so glad we did it that way. Moki's Hawaiin Grill brought the food in and it was yummy but we had a LOT of leftovers. Oh well, it's good for Sylvia to be right.

We had family pictures before the party officially started and we even convinced Mom's siblings to take a couple of pictures together. We feel badly that Hans and Shanna were off on a cruise and were unable to attend the party. All six children and the three spouses were there along with seventeen of the nineteen grandchildren and four of the five great-grandchildren.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from the evening.

All in all, it was a great evening and a nice way to honor our parents / grandparents / great-grandparents.

Weather or Not?

Tonight I had the house to myself. Alaina was out with friends and Rob was in Florida. We had a good rainstorm with a bit of thunder this morning (I'm sure that it FINALLY rained because I decided to get up and water) and then it got pretty hot and humid this afternoon. If you have lived in the Midwest long enough you know that can brew up some good potential thunderstorms.

I had just gotten home from a nice relaxing pedicure (have to make sure my piggies look good for the trip out to Utah) and settled down in front of the TV with an egg salad sandwich and a strawberry smoothie to watch the Cubs game. I was still hunting for the game when the satellite signal was lost. I figured that was a sign that I needed to go start packing when I realized that suddenly it was VERY DARK outside. It was only 6:45, so it shouldn't have been THAT dark. I went to the back door to see what the weather was doing and saw the most amazing sight!

The sky was black and the wind was very loud and deep and solid sounding. I looked up and saw what almost could have been a cumulous cloud except it wasn't white and puffy, it was long and circular and I could see it starting to spin! I was SOOO excited! Was this the beginning of a tornado? I went to get my phone so I could get a video of the cloud because it was moving away from me very quickly but just as I grabbed it out of my purse Alaina sent me a text saying that they were in the basement at Connor's and I should get down to ours. My kids do such a good job taking care of me. I was really torn because I wanted to get a video of that cloud - just think cool it would have been if I could have posted that! But I grabbed the phone (and my laptop so I could track the storm) and went downstairs. The big storm moved through our area quickly and we were left with intermittent thunder and lightning and heavy rain.

Now I don't believe I was actually in or even near a tornado, but I definitely saw circular cloud formation and I've seen Twister enough times to know what that means.

I just turned on the 10:00 news to see what the final result of this storm was. There have been no confirmed tornadoes but lots and lots of wind damage (between 60 and 70 mph) in surrounding suburbs.

O'Hare actually removed all of their passengers and employees from the terminals and moved them to the baggage claim area as the storm moved through that area. I'm SO glad we weren't traveling tonight. Can you imagine the lines and delays as they had to rescreen everyone and make sure none of their equipment was damaged.

Wrigley Field was evacuated when the storm moved through that area and after a three hour rain delay, play has resumed. They didn't say where the fans went when the sirens went off in Wrigleyville.

There were multiple tornado warnings throughout Chicagoland tonight and fortunately, there don't seem to be any injuries which is really amazing considering how large this storm ended up being. I am so grateful that we live in a newer subdivision because that means we have power tonight (which means we have air conditioning and a working sump pump).

We Interrupt this Program

I still have some more fun cruise pictures to put up but I wanted to talk about Girls' Camp since it ended today.

The theme for the year was "Happily Ever After" and the Junior Staff (known in many LDS camps as YCL's) were Fairy Godmothers In Training. Alaina had already planned on packing her wings before she found out the theme, so she was a little disappointed because she had hoped to be the random Jr Staffer wearing wings, but she got over it and consistently wore them all week long.

I had been asked to help in the kitchen again this year and agreed to be there from Monday morning to Wednesday afternoon. We kept so busy in the kitchen that we didn't get out of the lodge to see any of the fun activities that the stake leaders had planned for the week. We heard great things and saw lots of smiles though.

After we got things unpacked and organized in the kitchen we headed out to Aldi's and Super Wal-Mart in Delavan so we could get fresh produce and dairy for the next day. The four of us (Eileen Leite, Mary Alice Butler, Carol Moreki & myself) got a little silly and looked for little gifts for each other. M.A. and I picked up a Magna-Doodle for Eileen because she loved to say that she had an Etch-A-Sketch brain (just don't "Shake Her") and a Disney Princess Purse (really a lunchbag) for Carol. We also found a Disney Princess Chair for our Stake Camp Director (not that she ever had a chance to sit) and a giant sized Disney Princess Coloring Book. We had a blast coloring whenever we had a spare 10 minutes to sit. Of course we had to make sure ALL of the Princesses were wearing MODEST clothing. We posted the pictures on the wall in the lodge when we finished them and got rave reviews from the girls. I think they liked the pictures as much as they liked the food. Eileen did a great job with the food and has things so well organized that being in the kitchen was not as stressful as years past.

True to form, I didn't sleep much the first night but I was tired enough that I actually got close to five hours of sleep Tuesday night! Boy did that feel good.

Some of Alaina's Girlies

M.A. and I headed home Wednesday after we had lunch cleaned up and dinner well underway (and after our replacements finally arrived). Thursday afternoon I headed right back up to Williams Bay again with Rob so we could be there for Bishop's Night. Big Jeff (Frye) and his wife were out with the cooks so during the Feast on the Beach I went over to say hello and catch up on their lives. Debbie has had some real health struggles since she was diagnosed with Lyme Disease three years ago.

One of the stake leaders wrote up a little skit for our bishops to perform at the end of the slideshow. They were the Knights of the OCTAGON Table (yup, you guessed it, we have 8 bishops) and the girls got a kick out of seeing their bishops being a little bit silly.

SIR HENDRICKS THE HUMOROUS

Also known as Bishop Hendricks.

After dinner, the slideshow and the skit all the wards dispersed for their ward time. This was Rob's sixth trip up to Wesley Woods as bishop of the Naperville 6th Ward.

After the testimony meeting (although for some reason this one kind of turned into a bit of a friend-a-mony meeting) and all the hugs and tears were out of the way we met together as a ward for Singing to the Trees and ward prayer. Then Rob & I headed home. We pulled into the garage about 12:30 after stopping at McDonalds for ice cream cones and a soda to help keep us awake.

Alaina finally made it home shortly after 2:00 pm. She promptly laid down on the couch and fell asleep for almost seven hours. I think that was a good sign that camp was a success.