Denver

We went out to Denver a few weeks ago to see Doug put in as the President of the Heart Rhythm Society.  We really enjoyed being in Denver and hanging out with the Packers.

Passing the gavel

At the President's Reception

The Blue Bear at the Convention Center

Brad and I took at walk around downtown Denver and found this tour bus as we were walking around.  You can't see them, but the inside is lit by colored Christmas lights.  And yes, there was banjo music blaring.

We took a drive out to Red Rocks on Saturday.  It was beautiful!

While hiking around we found this owl hiding out in the rocks.

On Sunday, we visited Arvada, one area where Brad served on his mission.  We went to the ward there and a lot of people actually remembered "Elder Packer".  It was really nice to meet the people that Brad has told me about.  We also got to see Aurora, another of Brad's area's.  We didn't really have time to look up people, but we did get to see where the dental school is.

I loved getting a little taste of Colorado.  Who knows, we may be living there in a year.  It's weird not knowing where we will be living in a year, but if we do end up in Colorado, I think we'd be happy there.  Thanks Doug and Janet for bringing us along for a great weekend!

Houston

On Brad's way home from Nicaragua, he had a 5 hour layover in Houston.  So, Brad got to hangout with Greg and Lauren and the twins.

Aren't they just the cutest twins?

Nicaragua Dental Clinic

The dental clinic was set up in the stake center in Managua.  It was quite a huge undertaking to set this up. Workers spent days setting up giant air compressors and rewiring the building. We had 20 dentists, 3 endodontists, 3 oral surgeons, and physicians there to get nearly 500 pre-missionaries ready to serve. They came in the morning with blank mission papers and had them turned in by the end of the day.

While in the clinic, I assisted the dentists. I suctioned, prepared filling material, etc.

Taking digital x-rays.

He's only smiling because I told him to. He just got his wisdom teeth out.

Paradise

This shot is from Montelimar Beach in Nicaragua. After working 6 long days in the dental clinic, this was the perfect place to relax.

Smiles for Nicaragua

Nicaragua is an amazing place. While I was there, I felt like I was in a completely different world. Most of the people there live on nothing. Many live in shacks, and for some, that's an overstatement. Some areas are nicer than others, but corrugated tin was common to almost every home. We visited several of these homes and delivered bags of rice, beans, and flour and gave toys and school supplies to the children. These families were so grateful and it was a life changing experience for me to meet them.

The baker's home and bakery

"Thanks for the candy, take our picture"

The village water boy

They won't go fast, but they will go anywhere

Door to the roofless house

Window shutters

Nursery wall

The tree from Endor

Preparing for Nicaragua

I thought I'd let everyone know a little bit more about what Brad is going to be doing in Nicaragua.  Here are some excerpts from emails Brad received for the trip:

"We look forward to another great year as we continue to serve our brothers and sisters in Central America.  We are pleased to announce that we have been invited to serve the future missionaries in Nicaragua this April and anticipate treating 400 to 500 young men and women.  As many of you know we held a brigada in Managua two years ago this past November.  I have spoken with the leaders there and they are very excited about our returning to their country.  Our wonderful Honduran friend, Elder Durate of the Seventy, was recently given the assignment of Nicaragua and what a thrill it is to be working closely with him again.  He sends his love to all of you and is anxious to see you again in Nicaragua."

"Most of the [missionary] groups have journeys of under three hours.  However, there is a group from a remote area of the country that has a 26 hour bus ride each way to and from the clinic.  They will be traveling mostly on very rough unpaved roads in 90 degree plus weather.  Mission President Frautz estimated some 65 to 70 future missionaries will make this journey."

"If anyone is not convinced the service we are providing is meaningful and appreciated by these people, they might ask themselves the question:  Would I spend 52 hours on a hot bus on extremely rough road to get my dental work and preparation for a mission completed?"

It's pretty exciting for Brad to be going.  We've got a bit to do before he leaves, but it will all work out.   Brad's going to be assisting the dentists while they work on the pre-missionaries.  He might even get to do x-rays since he is x-ray certified.

Brad leaves in just four days.  I'm getting nervous for him to go the closer it gets, even more than Brad is nervous.  I hope he'll be safe, but reading about how Americans have reported increasing "muggings, robbery, kidnappings, and worse" does make my stomach squirm a little bit to say the least.  Most of the time he will be in church buildings and in guarded hotels, but there will be times when he will be outside of these protected areas.  The organizers of this trip are trying really hard to make sure everyone is safe (they've even hired armored cars to drive with them wherever they go), but they have advised everyone to still be careful.  Please pray for Brad while he is in Nicaragua.  I'm sure he'll be fine, but prayers couldn't hurt.  Still, I'll be counting the days till he gets home.

Easter Eggs

Sorry these are late for all of you who have been waiting.  Brad's computer died last week taking with it his picture files and editing software.  We thought everything was gone.  We even bought a new laptop.  Luckily, Brad found out that there was a recall on his graphics card from someone who had their computer die in the same exact way.  So, Brad brought his computer into the Mac store and they fixed it for free.  The new laptop we ordered has been cancelled and even though Brad isn't getting a new computer he is so happy to have his old computer back.  And having his old computer back to life means you get to see the easter eggs we dyed last week.  Enjoy! 

Can you tell what all of these are?

Happy Easter!