Happy Birthday to Marc --- Number 44 - What? When did that happen?

 Christmas isn't Christmas at our house until we celebrate the birth of our baby boy, Marc.  This year he turned 44, and still has his youth enthusiasm for life.

With all our love, Marc.  Happy Birthday!!!!

And to all a good night.  What a wonderful end to 2023.

Christmas 2023

 This December was a back and forth drive for plays, baptisms, Cameron's homecoming, Marc's birthday and Christmas.  That is what the month of December is all about -- Family and Christ.  We celebrated it all this year.  These are times I wouldn't give up for anything.

I love the lights of Christmas; I love the spirit of love the prevails; I love our family times; and I love Christ.  I am so grateful for his birth, his atonement, his resurrection, his life, his example.

This year was especially fun because Theron and I got to take the younger grandchildren to the Aquarium and hang out for a day together.  I have to think of ways to be together because we don't have a home up north anymore to come to, to bake cookies or make gingerbread houses - guess we've been there and done that.

It was also special to have Cameron home.  Together at last, all of us.

Everyone got plenty of presents and good cheer.

and Christ was celebrated!!!

Lauren, Brookelyn, and Jesse Schaefermeyer - 8 years old - October 13, 2023

The last of our grandchildren, Lauren, Brookelyn and Jesse, turned 8 years old on October 13, 2023.  These are three very special children in our family and we are eternally grateful for their decision to be baptized.  This means that all of Theron and my children and grandchildren have been baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This is the first step onto the Covenant Path.  Continue firm in the faith and knowledge of Jesus Christ.

They were baptized on December 2, 2023, by their father, Curt.  I think this jump for joy says it all.

Cameron's Mission Homecoming - December 16, 2023

 To return home honorably and to have served the Lord for two years is a great accomplishment for anyone; even more for our first grandson and first grandchild missionary - Cameron Paschal.  He served a Spanish speaking mission in the state of Georgia (Georgia Atlanta North).  The first person with the hug was his mother, Adrian, she deserves that hug.

The dad, Todd, was next.  Then the brother, Taylor.  What great brothers

Here are some snapshots of his homecoming reunion at the airport and his first night home.  We were so grateful that we could see this wonderful young man who was glowing with the light of the gospel.  His homecoming talk the next day made all of us burst with pride -- the good pride.

Cameron overcame some difficulties to get to this point, but when he puts his mind, heart, and soul into something, something wonderful happens and this was the culmination of all that effort.

Cameron's former mission president was there to meet him and gave the family a full report on how effective and full of the spirit Cameron was as a missionary.

Then, life begins.  As Cameron tells us of some mission experiences, brother Taylor, has listened for long enough.  You know, the suitcase remains packed because he and Taylor are on their way to Rexburg, Idaho, to attend BYU Idaho.

Welcome home Cameron.

The Grandchildren Perform (November and December 2024)

Our Ali, what a wonderful young lady and a terrific performer!  This was the last play we attended this year - Shriek.  Ali played Fiona.  She can sing, she can dance, she can act, she is the total package when it comes to the stage.  Thank you for your enthusiasm and performances this year.

Tyce performed and is learning to jump rope.  These are important big muscle skills and we are so proud of Tyce for his ability to stick with hard things.  Brittney works with him on these muscle development skills.

Kacy, is our princess.

Jesse was acting crazy one day with Adrian's costume container.  Just clowning around.

Lala the hippie queen can pose and make the greatest impressions.

Brookie gave a wonderful dance review.  A little orphan and some cabaret.

We love how these grandchildren are learning new skills, how to perform in front of an audience, and joyfully participating in life.

Kacy Marie Schaefermeyer - 8 years old - October 5, 2023

 2023 is a year of four important birthdays and baptisms.  Kacy is the first of the four.  Her birthday was on the 5th of October and on Saturday, the 7th, she was baptized by her father, Marc.  A glorious day and one we are eternally grateful for.  Kacy is such a sweet young lady.

Our 4 Generations: Me, Marc, Grandma Spendlove, Kacy.

To the Baltics - Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, France, England, and the Netherlands (September 2023)

 Theron and I were talking one day about what we wanted to do for our 50th wedding anniversary (which will be in 2024). I had never been to the Baltics and with the war in Ukraine and Russia and unrest in the Middle East, we thought that might be a good safe place.  In mentioning this to our neighbors, Steve and Marlene Harker, they said they had just booked a cruise to go exactly where we wanted and they could get us a great deal - done!  We were going to celebrate early.

On September 11, 2023, we left St. George and flew to Copenhagen, Denmark.  We spent an extra two days there before we caught our boat to sail away.  I was fascinated by the canals:

One of the fun things to see in Copenhagen was the original Christus statue and the statues of all the apostles.  It is located in a small church somewhat in the center of the city.  This is the same statue that is now the symbol of the Church.  These are the same apostle statues that the Rome, Italy visitors center were modeled after.

Each day as we walked the city, we noticed the large number of bikes that everyone rides.  We also noticed a large smoke stack and facility across the bay.  Wondering what it was, we went exploring and found it to be a garbage burn facility that they had built a ski slope and park on top.  Along one of the sides was a huge climbing wall.  A great use of a garbage dump.

The ski slope is all artifical grass.

We left Copenhagen on the 16th and traveled to Warnemunde, Germany.  This is a port to get to Berlin.  We have been to Berlin, so we decided to do something different; we took a high speed train to Mecklenburg and rode a narrow gauge railroad.

Harkers went with us and neither of us had any Euros.  We always use a card but in this small town on the coast, they don't take cards.  We didn't realize this until after we had, had our street waffle and ice cream.  Steve and Theron had to walk 3 miles to an ATM to get some Euros to pay.  Yea, we almost missed our train to go back.

We were also traveling with Marlene's cousins all from Hawaii.

Our next stop was Kalundborg, Denmark, where we visited a Viking village.  Theron found a friend.

Sailing on, we stopped in Gothenburg, Sweden, where we walked around the city and enjoyed a little rain.  Sailing on again, we traveled to Oslo, Norway where we enjoyed seeing Michelangelo's Madonna and Child statue.  This was a work of art stolen by Germany in World War II and later found in a salt mine, recovered and returned to the Church.  It is his only work located outside of Italy. We also visited the Kon Tiki Museum.  What a marvel that these men built a raft and sailed from Norway to the Pacific Islands.

Kon Tiki Museum:

Now to London, England, where the boat stayed for two days while people enjoyed going into London and seeing all the sites.  We have been to London several times and so we decided to go as far up the Thames and Greenwich.  This town houses the tower that all watches and clocks are set from - Greenwich Mean Time is the zero hour for our 24 hour clocks.  While on the hill where the Greenwich tower ball is located, we witnessed it setting the hour where the ball goes up the pool and then fall to indicate the exact hour of the day.

These are pictures from the Cutty Sark ship.  They have a museum with replicas of all the ship mascots that ride on front.  What a variety, including Theron.

Our next stop was Le Havre, France.  This is a gateway to Paris which we had also been to, so we decided to take a trip up the coast to a seacoast village called Entreat.  It was a beautiful town and the cliffs were enchanting.

This is a World War II ammunition bunker built by Germany.  It has pictures of what the town looked like before the Germans bombed it.  What wasted destruction.

Now to Bruges, Belgium.  We signed up for a waffle making class and then toured the city.  I love this town, it is so quaint.

The red house is where the waffle making class was held.

The last stop was Amsterdam, Netherlands.  We stayed here an extra day and interesting enough, Brent and Clair Padilla were ending their tour of Europe here and we met in the cheese shop.  We learned how windmills work, how to make wooden shoes, how cheese is made and how to ride the train from one end of the city to the other.  On the streets, there is a walking lane, a bike lane, a train lane and a car lane.  You have to look both ways for everything as bikes have a right of way and can come from any direction.

The inside workings of a windmill.

This picture was taken showing the bombings in Amsterdam during World War II.  The child alone symbolizes the devastation.