Another exciting week...this time from El Salvador to Tennesee

This week...on Monday, August 27 we...
   ...Gringa Sisters had our monthly brunch at the home of Stephanie Dawson whose husband works at the U.S. Embassy.  Eleven of us gathered and enjoyed getting to know each other better:
Stephanie, Diane, Nancy, Arlene, Joanne, Marilyn, Eileen, Delena with Dallin, Celeste with Sofia.

Two friends who came after this first group photo was taken...Janice and Melissa.  The ones there whose husbands work at the U.S. Embassy are Janice, Melissa, Stephanie, and Celeste. Delena's husband is running a Call Center here, Joanne is a PEF missionary with her husband, and the rest of us serve at the San Salvador El Salvador Temple.

I related with this saying that Stephanie had on the wall above her computer...

Here's one of the many beautiful flowers in their back yard...none of us knew the name of it.

Monday evening we...
  ...had family home evening at the Gibbons apartment. Dave taught us a great lesson from Doctrine and Covenants Section 76.  We got to verse 42 of 119.  He promised he'd continue it when it's their turn again on the fourth Monday of September.

On Tuesday, August 28 we...
   ...opened the temple at 5:30 a.m.  A very sweet experience was helping a 92-year-old sister receive her endowment.  Her home teacher and wife drove her to the temple with her great-niece caregiver.  They told us the doctors said she has only 2 more weeks to live because of the stage of her cancer.  She has no children.  That is true home teaching!  She was all smiles when we were waiting for her when they wheeled her wheelchair into the Celestial Room.

On Wednesday, August 29 we...
...had lunch at the cafeteria after Walt met from 9:00 a.m to Noon with his counselors and the temple recorder for the weekly Temple Presidency Meeting. I met with them for the first 20 minutes or so.  And I had brought Hershey chocolate bars for them, which I had done once before a while back and which they have asked about ever since.

From there we went to the temple for our 12:30 Noon to 9:30 p.m. shift..

On Thursday, August 30, we...
...packed to get ready to fly to Atlanta, Georgia, on our way to Tennessee. The only photo I got was of Walt cutting a pineapple when he got back from the temple.  We didn't have a shift that day but he usually goes over on those days, too, to see how everything is going.

Friday, August 31, we...
...had Hno. López drive us to the airport for our flight to the U.S.A...

We only took one check-in suitcase each and our carry ons were our laptops...

Our 3 hour 42 min flight got in 30 minutes ahead of schedule, but being stuck in an elevator for 20 minutes made up for any time gained. (If I wasn't claustrophic before I am now! A scary time!!  Walt kept trying to calm me down.)   Brian met us in the Atlanta Airport at 6:50 p.m. and we were on the road by 7:00 Eastern Time...6:00 Central Time, which McMinnville is right on the border for.  We arrived at their home at 9:30 p.m. and were greeted by three of Brian & Michelle's darling daughters--Emma 12, Taylor 9, and Avery 7. Lizzy 2, had already gone to bed.

Saturday, September 1, we...
   ...had a great time just talking and being with Brian and Michelle and their family.   Looking at their 8-acre yard...Brian said it takes under 2 hours to mow it on his wide riding mower if he does it every two weeks. But if he lets it go longer, it can take 4 hours.

Emma drove Lizzy, and Taylor drove Avery on their 4-wheelers till it started to sprinkle.

Then they found refuge in their log-cabin playhouse...

The girls are standing in front of their 4 cute pairs of cowgirl boots that are lined up by the front door...

After lunch we headed to Nashville for a tour of the Grand Ole Opry...billed as "the place that made country music famous." We were allowed to have our pictures taken on the actual stage. It was all set up for the performance that evening, featuring Carrie Underwood.  
   We had told Michelle we weren't really interested in seeing an acutal performance but would like to do the tour.  Half-way through the tour I asked Walt if he was enjoying it. "I really am!" he replied.
"Would you like to see the show?" I then asked.  "Maybeee..." he answered, with the flexion meaning "Yes, I really would."
    However, the show for that night was sold out....all 4,400 seats!
     We learned that it started in 1925 as a radio show....just 5 years after radio was invented.  From 1939-1974 it performed in the Ryman Auditorium that just held 2000-some.  In 1974 this current huge auditorium was built.  The lighter wood on which we are standing is a part of the stage from that Ryman Auditorium.  It was saved when most of Nashville, including the Grand Ole Opry, was flooded in 2010.

We got to see the stars'-performers' entrance that goes by a fountain that Minnie Pearl's husband had made for their 25th wedding anniversary.  This year the Opry is celebrating the 100th year of Minnie Pearl's birth.  These are her actual size 10 shoes in front of her picture.  She died in 1996 at age 83.

On the way home we had dinner at the Cracker Barrel, which I didn't know has been one of the main sponsors of the Grand Ole Opry.    The girls had fun in some of the many wooden rocking chairs that line the entrance to this famous Restaurant.
Here's Avery and Lizzy...

Here's Emma and Taylor...

And there's our 20 photos highlighting this week...an extra-special week, indeed!~ We thank Brian and Michelle for furnishing our tickets to fly here and for being such a kind and caring host and hostess.
   I haven't downloaded our photo from this morning at Church.
     I think I'll join Walt now for a nap before Sunday dinner...