A Sticky Situation

I have lost my mind.

Instead of grabbing the deodorant, I sprayed my underarm with hairspray. Kerry was talking to me as I was getting dressed, and absent-mindedly I grabbed the wrong can. I didn't even really notice it until I had trouble putting my arm down.

It has been a delightful week here in the Ohio. The color of the trees is splendid - and it takes my breath away each and every year. I will never get tired of the change of seasons, for each one brings its own beauty.

My week began with meeting a brand new cousin. Jean and I met Betty and Fern and Jim at Olive Garden in Sandusky, where a newly found cousin from Draper, UT was staying with Fern. He had stayed once before, and now he and his lovely wife were there. We decided we liked these relatives. We laughed and talked and shared information. I had some pictures for him of some of his ancestral line that he had never seen before.

I stayed home the next day, but Wednesday was a whole different story. Kerry took a few days off, so we joined Betty and went to a Russian Festival that she and I had been to before. When Erik was on his mission in Russia, Betty discovered this festival and off she and I went. I sent pictures to Erik and told him of our adventure. He wrote back and said he was living the Russian Festival. I've included some pictures:
Presentation of the bread and salt.
One of the young dancers in costume. I'm so glad to see them passing their heritage along to the next generation.

This is probably one of the most common dances associated with Russia. Betty and I decided we would both end up in the hospital.
All of their dances tell a story. This was of a young couple who meet while among the shipyards along the Baltic Sea.
Young children learning the art of painting real eggs.
Some of their handiwork. Yes, these are real eggs.
Some of their nesting dolls. We received many of these as gifts from the lovely Russian people Erik introduced us to.

We were able to go to Russia at the end of Erik's mission to tour the area and meet some of the people Erik taught as a missionary. They loved Erik, and expressed their gratitude to us, as his parents, for raising a fine young man such as him. I was touched by the people of Russia - and going to this festival helped me remember just how warmly they had greeted us. Bless their hearts.

After running a few errands on Thursday, we decided against going to the Loudonville Street Fair. A threat of rain had been hanging over us all afternoon. There's no use being out in the raw and the cold.

Friday was a wonderful day at the temple. I love it when Kerry is able to go with me. That only happens once every six weeks - according to his day off.

After a wonderful day at church, we rested before going to a special devotional for temple workers - both past and present. The president and his counselors, as well as former presidents of the temple, always express their gratitude for our service in the temple. It's wonderful to be part of such a wonderful group as this.

Though I love it when Kerry is home, when he goes back to work on Tuesday, I must get back into a routine. Sometimes I let things slide, then have to play catch-up later on. I have a number of things coming up that will involve some travel, so I need to get things in order.

We are excited to go to Columbus on Tuesday to celebrate JJ's birthday - though he now wants to be called Jordan. He's growing up - 5 years old! He's a sweetheart - just like all of the grandkids. In our minds, they can do no wrong.

Enjoy this beautiful week. It's such a great time to be alive.