Second Post in One Day!

 

The Musical Instrument Museum has been in Phoenix for two years.  It is an interactive experience that allows you to listen to and see instruments from nations around the world.  It is described as "the most extraordinary museum you will ever hear."

 

 

We were given headphones and an "electronic device" that we put in our pockets.  As we moved through each country, we were able to hear audio and view video of the instruments played in their cultural context.

 

 

 

These are shofars from Israel which are the only biblical instrument in continuous use since ancient times.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This was the "restoration room" where repairs were being made on many instruments.

 

 

Then we headed into the "Experience Gallery" where we had fun trying out many unusual instruments.  Beth really enjoyed the harp, and I felt that my musical calling was the gong!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By this time we were tired and headed back home and Beth promptly took a nap.  (She had worked on the computer fixing a snarled up Mcafee virus install for two hours prior to today's adventure, hence our slow start this morning.) I worked on the computer and got my things ready to pack..............heading back home tomorrow!  Thanks, Beth, for a great time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The District at Desert Ridge

Today, after a slow morning, Beth and I headed out to The District at Desert Ridge, which is a shopping and entertainment district.  The weather was beautiful and there were very few people out and about!  These first two pictures show the entrance into the shopping area.

 

 

 

 

We enjoyed browsing at Barnes and Noble and I purchased some much-needed long sleeved shirts for the wee boys.  It was pleasantly warm with a nice gentle breeze.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We decided to eat lunch at "Smashburger", which was new to me.  We split a hamburger, had fries, and splurged on malts.........delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We definitely had to walk off our lunch, so we headed over to the Musical Instrument Museum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Simple Sunday

We started off the morning by attending Mountain Ridge Church here in Glendale!  It was a good worship time with a very convicting message about not keeping a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5).  Beth and Drew's church is very different than ours................they even had a coffee shop in the lobby!

After changing clothes, Beth and I went for a nice walk along a trail in the neighborhood.  The lake was lovely, as well as the green grass and trees!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ended the day by having gluten-free pizza and watching one of my all-time favorite movies, "Time Changer"!

Good Times in Glendale

This weekend I am spending time with my good friend Beth.  We have known each other since we were 15 and have lots of memories of growing up together!  It's funny that we both ended up in Arizona!  So today I arrived about mid-day and Beth and I immediately went out for Mexican food............can't beat "On the Border" for a great meal!

After that, Beth and I walked around a small historic neigborhood dating back to the 1920's.  Many of the houses have been converted to boutiques and craft stores.

Afterwards, we drove by the construction of the new Mormon Temple in North Phoenix.  It was interesting to see the building process.

It was a great day and I'm looking forward to going to church tomorrow with Beth and Drew!

Outdoor Church and Fellowship

Once a year, our church holds a service outside with a wonderful time of fellowship and good food.  One of the families in our fellowship opens their acreage to all of us for a really great and memorable afternoon and evening.  They had a delightful play area where Isaac and Joshua spend the majority of their time!

Sweet Isaac.....he had so much fun playing with all of the other children!

Joe and our dear friend Mr. Doughty.

David (in the red shirt at left) enjoyed eating with all of the other young people.

Lovely young ladies!

Joshua, ready for the ride home.......one tired boy!

I know that these are duplicate photos for those of you that follow Rachel's blog, but hey...........I have to have something to blog about!  You'd think with our busy home and six children there would be more to say.  I'm looking forward to a very exciting weekend, so stay tuned for a blog update!

A Tale of Two Brains

Oh my, this is so funny! Learn about the difference between men and women's brains - Mark Gungor's humor gets the point across.......men and women are indeed made differently!

Time To Catch Up

I haven't posted in quite awhile because life is so........daily.  Things are just plodding along, for the most part, and much of what goes on is not really too interesting!  But for the sake of the grandparents and for Courtney, here are some glimpses of life in our home these days.

This one really made me smile this afternoon! Isaac came to me all decked out and introduced himself as "King Isaac".  I love little boys who use their imagination!

Last weekend was the annual "Rex Allen Days" celebration in the little town of Willcox.  It's a three day celebration, honoring the legendary cowboy singer Rex Allen.  Only Joe and David attended this year, but they thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

Now, Courtney, these following three pictures are for you.  Dad insisted that they be put on the blog so that you can see that your Black Beauty is being well taken care of.

First, Dad installed a new air filter.  Then he recharged the A/C with Freon (a chore CK never had the pleasure of experiencing).

Finally, Dad replaced the broken battery tie-downs and repaired the electrical cables.  See what you missed while away at school!

Okay, moving onto something very sweet.  Joshua, our four year old, tries so hard to be a big boy, but he still has lots of baby in him.  Isaac is definitely the leader of the duo and Joshua is more than happy to follow along and copy everything that Isaac does.  

David is continuing to play baseball and is learning how to balance schoolwork and sports.  He has gotten some practice at pitching and says he really likes it.

Rachel is very busy these days!  She is studying to take the SAT in December and that takes up much of her time.  She is also volunteering at the Crisis Pregnancy Center in Tucson. She is a tremendous help around the house and blesses her younger brothers in many ways.  Photo shoot coming of her soon!

Joe and I are going to try to get some pictures of the two of us sometime soon.  But for now, this is a quick update on those still here at home!