****Walt & Eileen Petersen**: Traces of Time . . . March 21 to 26, 2016

Traces of Time . . .

This week

~ March 21, 2016
to
March 26, 2016

in IDAHO ~

March 21, 2016 - Monday ~ ~

This afternoon Walt gouged his arm while working on the fence. "It's just a little scratch," he said to me when I saw it.

Tonight was our Neighborhood Empty Nesters' monthly Family Home Evening. Gary and Colleen McCall served delicious shrimp with wild rice and are always very gracious hosts. They cooked almost 60 shrimp and had these four left.

The tulips added a colorful touch of Spring.

Other yummy additions were brought by...

Tossed salad - Ormonds

Vegetable salad - Fronks

Hot, homemade rolls - Petersens

Homemade brownies with ice cream - Dan Black.
The group photo that I thought I took, didn't turn out so Bonnie Fronk, below left, is not in the group photo. Luckily I got this photo with Bonnie helping Colleen and Sherry dishing up and serving dessert.

For the lesson, the McCalls had "Twelve Resurrection Eggs" hidden in the living room. When they were all found, each one read the scripture inside the plastic egg and showed the item with it.

Colleen made these with the primary girls for her March Activity Day. However, the 12th egg is just empty, to represent the empty tomb from which Christ had Risen.

This was a wonderful way to focus our thoughts about the Savior and His Atonement for us.
Here are Gary and Dan. Gary has just read his scripture and we are discussing it.

Each of the twelve scriptures were chosen that discussed what the Savior went through during his last day of life on this earth. Ken and Bonnie Fronk always have insightful comments to add to our discussions.

We felt a great spirit and shared tears thinking about this great gift Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer, has given to each one of us.

Three of the couples--Scott and G'lenn, David and Marilyn, Ken and Bonnie Hansen--had to be out of town, and with two of our couples serving missions--Gortons and Roskelleys--we had four couples and one widower.

Front left to right: Eileen, Walt, and Dan.

Back: Ken, Colleen, Gary, Sherry, and Steve.

We enjoy being together. The McCalls always make us feel so welcome in their beautiful home. It was a chilly day and was nice to be greeted by the friendly, roaring fire as we entered. Thank you, Gary and Colleen, for a delicious dinner and inspirational lesson.
Here are The Ormonds, sitting by the fire place. Many of the beautiful paintings in the McCalls home were painted by Colleen's mother, June Carey.

March 22, 2016 - Tuesday

We have hope that Spring--which "officially" arrived on Sunday, March 20th, may be here to stay. Anyway, the daffodils are blooming along our front porch.

March 23, 2016 - Wednesday

We rendezvoused at the temple with Dale and Connie. The wind was so strong that it blew everyone's clothes and hair out of place. Connie said I couldn't put this photo of her on the blog, so if I make it "extra-large" I think it will cut her out of the photo.

Here are Walt and me. The weather forecast was "wind gusts up to 40 or 50 mph."

It was Walt's turn to choose the restaurant. He chose Idaho Joe's. We love our day each Wednesday with Dale and Connie. It is a great tradition to be at the temple together, then have supper with each other.

nnn This photo of the full moon tonight shows why Easter is in March this year. In looking up how the date of Easter is chosen, I learned this. By next Easter I will have forgotten again what determines the date of Easter each year.
Easter always happens on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Equinox.
Last Sunday, March 20th, was the Equinox (first day of Spring), tonight March 23rd is a full moon, so Sunday, March 27th is Easter.
If you look closely you can see the full moon between the branches of the Elm tree in our backyard taken at 10:44 p.m.

March 24, 2016 - Thursday

Happy Birthday, Brian.

We went to the viewing of our friend, Gale Gillett. Two of Gale and Jolene's daughters--Tanya and Janet--were nurses for Walt.

We thought this was a wonderful family photo taken at the Snake River.

Gale's brother, Ted, was Walt's best man. We have always loved Ted's darling wife, Sharon.
And Ted, along with another brother, Dan, were at the University of Idaho with Walt.

The last time we saw Ted and Sharon was in March 2005 when we were in the MTC the same week before they went on a French-speaking mission to Tahiti, and we went to a Spanish-speaking medical mission to Central America--living in Guatemala.

We also saw our friends Charles and Reneé Clark. We haven't seen them for years!

March 25, 2016 - Friday

We went to Gale Gillett's funeral in Declo.

He had been chief of the Fire Department in Declo. We thought it was very fitting that they brought the Declo Fire Engine to help escort the cortage to the Declo Cemetery.

We drove past the home on the Main Street of Declo that Gale's parents, Joe and Maida had lived.

Then we headed to Idaho Falls to see our Fisher grandchildren compete in the Gem State Classic Ballroom dance competitions that Shawn and Janie Fisher began several years ago.

It keeps getting bigger each year. For 2016 they had 1,400 dancers come from Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon. They had 44 cabaret couples this year, so had to have some of them dance Thursday evening. The event was just scheduled for Friday and Saturday.

Next year they are going to three full days.

Shawn and Janie took time out of their busy schedule to see that we got to the Idaho Falls High School okay, got parked, and had special soft chairs set up for us to sit on instead of the hard bleachers.

Michael Mecham (in the white shirt) was M.C.-ing and Janie, (in the gold jacket) was helping keep everything go on schedule.

This afternoon we got to see the Ballroom Team Formations for the Idaho Ballroom Academy that Janie & Shawn started shortly after Shawn was chosen to be over the Ballroom Dance Department at Ricks College in 1995.

Two of their children--Sam, 17, and Ashley, 15-are on these teams.
Here's Ashley performing on one of her IBA team formations.

And here's Sam on one of his IBA teams. (He is looking to the side, smiling.)

Janie, helped to hand out awards. I think she told me there were 124 formation teams competing. Here the mayor of Idaho Falls -- in the green outfit -- is welcoming everyone and thanking them for choosing to come to Idaho Falls.

It is spring break for the IF High School, that's why they could use this facility.

Janie, hired her friend, Mary Jones, an excellent chef, to prepare and serve the meals for the judges--who come from all over the United States.
Shortly after Janie and Shawn had moved to Rexburg, she told us she had found her "kindred spirit." She and Mary have been soul mates and best friends since then.

For supper on Friday, Mary served a choice of three kinds of pasta, with marina or Alfred sauce, homemade French bread, and tossed salad with homemade or other dressings.

Dessert was individual, homemade cheesecake with either cherry or blueberry topping. And the judges were still raving about the homemade soup she had served them for lunch.

Then it was back to the competitions out on the big gymnasium which was a dancing floor instead of basketball or volleyball.

Michael Mecham is still doing a masterful job as the Master of Ceremonies and keeping everything going.

Here's Ashley and her partner sitting in front of us waiting for the time that her Ballroom formation team goes on. She is on the Ballroom team and the Latin team.

and I will finish this tomorrow

Sam--

They dance so fast...I had to delete about 20 photos that were a blur....like this one

next Ashley is gettiing tired

We made it to the end.....about midnight.

March 26, 2016 - Saturday

Thanks, Shawn, for our wonderful room at the Fairfield Marriott. They serve a yummy breakfast.

Ready to head to another day of ballroom competitions.

next Pleasant Grove, Utah

Michael Fisher, age 12, cha-cha competition.

From the main gym, we went over to the auxiliary gym where Ashley and Sam were competing in the Jr. High and High School age events.

March 27, 2016 - Sunday

Happy Easter . . .

and a Holy Easter . . . "He is risen as He said." The Atonement of Jesus Christ that gives us the hope of being resurrected is the greatest miracle of all time.