Carlson Family

Christmas in Colorado - 2011

2012-01-08T11:58:00.000-08:00

I arrived in Colorado in time for a women's club luncheon, which I attended with my mom. For the entertainment, a ballet troupe was there to perform highlights from The Nutcracker. After my mom's church service, we posed with Santa Claus.

As the grandchildren arrived, we made gingerbread (graham cracker) houses and the little girls

decorated them (and ate a lot along the way).

We enjoyed a very nice snowfall, which lasted us through the holidays. It was a white, but sunny, fairly warm Christmas. We went on walks, caroled and played piano duets, built snow forts, sledded, had a birthday party (for 17 year old Barrett), read stories, played games, did puzzles, played catch and did lots of indoor playing and talking and baking and laughing. David worked on some Ambigrams (words that read the same upside down) of family names. So cool! For Stephanie, one of my "Greek" nieces, he made her name read Stephanie one way and upside down, it also read her name, but in GREEK!

We talked with Ryan (AKA Elder Carlson) on Skype. We were able to capture a family photo of sorts with him. Fun!!!

As I flew home, I happened to have a window seat on the correct side of the plane and we happened to have the flying route of going directly over the city. I was able to capture some photos of my neighborhood. Look for the park (square greenish area on the upper side of the Danube). It's near a large white building surrounded by greenery. That square park is where our apartment is - just on the left side. How fun to have that view coming home!

Our holidays were fabulous And now we begin a journey for a fabulous year of 2012.

Scotland

2011-12-01T11:50:00.000-08:00

Arvid and I went to Edinburgh in October 2011. We went all around town and saw lots of the major sites, including the Edinburgh Castle.

We visited the Royal Yacht Britannia that was used by Queen Elizabeth and family for years. Pictured are the queen's bedroom, study, Charles & Diana's room from their honeymoon and many of the other rooms on the yacht. It was fabulous!

Arvid is posing outside of our townhouse (turned into a hotel). We had our own apartment with a huge living room, bedroom and a tiny bathroom and kitchen. It was such a great place that we wish we could have hosted a party.

We also rented a brand new Mini Cooper S and drove around the countryside. We visited Loch Lomond (and of course had to sing the song about the loch). Here I am posing with "my" Mini.

The last place in the country that we visited was St. Andrew's Golf Course - the birthplace of golf. As a golf enthusiast, Arvid was so glad to be able to be there. It was beautiful!

Krista's 10 year High School Reunion

2011-10-04T03:07:00.000-07:00

My beautiful daughter, Krista, recently went to New York for her 10 year High School reunion. They graduated in May 2001 in New Delhi, India. In honor of her and her friends, I am posting pictures from then and now and a few in between.

Krista and Melissa – Senior year – acting in an Indian themed “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

Sayaka, Erika, nameless guy and Krista after a choir concert.

Krista, Sayaka, Adlina, Melissa and Erika after an Award's Night
Krista and Melissa prepare for graduation...
...and decided what to wear under their robes.A group of some of the girls - Adlina, Sayaka, Krista and Melissa (standing)Adlina, Krista, Melissa and Sayaka ham it up for the camera...and the four of them in a more serious pose.The whole family after the ceremony:
Scott-11, me, David-13, Ryan-9, Krista-18, Erika-16, ArvidKrista came back that December for Christmas.
At that time she got together with another good friend, Wook Jin (not pictured elsewhere)In June 2004, Sayaka and Melissa came to Utah for Krista's wedding.
They are joined in this picture with Krista and Erika at Krista's Bridal Shower.New York City 2011 - 10 Year Reunion
Miklos, Melissa, Krista, Rahul, Sayaka and Arjun
Sayaka, Melissa and Krista 2011Congratulations! It's been a great 10 years for all of you!

2011-07-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

Back bedrooms

2010-11-27T13:59:00.000-08:00

Budapest entryway

2010-11-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

July in Utah

2010-11-02T12:52:00.000-07:00

We arrive in Utah and meet our first grandson, Austin Thayne Fenwick.

He is pictured here with his parents, Sterling and Erika.

Austin is blessed the next day with both sets of his grandparents, pictured here.

He is the first grandson for all of us.

Erika's family, including Cami.

Austin with both his grandpas, Arvid & Monti.

What a happy little boy!

Austin and his Grandma Joyce

Three of our kids - Ryan, 18; Erika, 25; David, 22

In the midst of being with my kids, I attend a reunion lunch with a bunch of HK friends.

front: Kim, me, Marj

back: Heidi, Denise, Lynelle, Tara

And another one with Lily & Athena.

Arvid also gets to talk with a good friend, Craig, when he and I visit the Palmer family.

We have a small family reunion with some of the relatives on Arvid's side.

For part of it, we went to the Bull Wars in Kamus (and met the Wade's there - from HK).

Bulls, bulls, bulls.

Arvid's sister, Cindy (front center) flanked by a cousin, Kurt and his wife, Linda,

with me and Cindy's husband Daryl in the 2nd row).

Me, Austin, Daryl and Cindy

We spent a day in Park City and went up a chair lift...

(Ryan, Gloria-Arvid's mom, and Bill-her friend)

and down the Alpine Slide.

(Cindy, Daryl and Ryan)

We celebrate Cami's 2nd birthday

Ryan takes her outside for a walk...

...while her parents play with her new toys.

Great-grandma Gloria and Cami

Playing games with Erika, David's roommate, David and Ryan

Cindy, me, Linda and Gloria in the Wasatch Mountains....

... on an ATV trip

(Arvid and I are in the front seats - Arvid driving)

Ryan, David, Erika and Sterling get a turn.

Sterling shows how dirty we all got!

We also get to celebrate Cindy's birthday.

(One hundred points to any of you who can guess how old she was turning...)

Look at all the fun we're having....

Yep, just sitting around...

...but talking, laughing and having fun!

Arriving in the USA

2010-11-02T10:43:00.000-07:00

After leaving Hong Kong, we went to the DC area to get ready for our new move.

We stop at Krista's home in Maryland and visit her family.

"Princess" Kate playing with her new fairy tale toys.

Ryan and Travis being entertained by Brooklyn.

Krista and I swim with the girls.

Krista shows us "7 months pregnant."

We get together with the Johnsen's, whom we knew from Hong Kong.

Ryan and I play with Kate and Brooklyn...

Callie, Wendi, Krista and I go to the midnight premier of the newest Twilight movie.

Visiting my dad's grave at Arlington National Cemetery.

Ryan and I take Arvid to see the Changing of the Guards as he'd never seen it.

Visiting with our friends, the Rollins, whom we knew in South Africa.

Mary and Krista pose (8 months & 7 months, respectively)

Grandpa and Kate

Grandpa and Brooklyn

We say goodbye and head to Utah. But I plan on going back for the new baby!

Saying Farewell to Hong Kong

2010-11-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

Some friends at the Lai's fabulous end of the year party

(before all the expats go to the USA for the summer)!

Some of us in our Institute class.

A bunch of my friends all go to the Jardine's Noon-day Gun....

...and one more sam pan trip in Victoria Harbor.

End of year party at the Hillam's: Terry, Suzan, Katie and Marj

And Chris, Carrie, Helen and Lily.

Cheryl, Lynelle, Arvid and Wylie.

Nadine, Kim, Brian and Mike.

One last trip to Macau - to see the Cirque Du Soleil.

The three of us in the lobby of our REALLY nice 5 star hotel.

(And I admit - this trip was before Ryan's big shave in April...)

A farewell dinner with some of our friends -Bradford's, Wade's, Lew's and Westergard's.

Our last Sunday - saying goodbye to the guards at church.

Farewell party at the Consulate - Arvid, me, and his staff:

Christine, Amy and Sharon...

...and Joey and her husband PC:

Christy and Kelly on the Peak.

Dinner with the Perkins.

Magnificent Hong Kong and Victoria Harbour.

My last view from the back window of our flat.

And then we're off!

But we'll only say Farewell - and not goodbye. We love Hong Kong!!!

Out and about in Hong Kong

2010-11-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

On our way out to Tai O Island and to see some pink dolphins (which we did, but I couldn't manage to snap any pictures of them - just the splash as they dove back into the water!).

We chat with a local merchant.

Blaire does some bargaining...

and snags this bamboo hat.

We enjoy a Dim Sum lunch. Mmm-mmm-good!

On our way up to Victoria Peak! Cute cousins...

Mother and daughter...

The HK skyline poses for our picture. Isn't it glorious?

On the peak enjoying the view!

Down from the peak, we walk across the street and visit the US Consulate.

You never know what you'll see on the streets of HK.

These people were doing some kind of "picketing" - for lack of a better word.

What's a trip to HK without visiting Monkey Mountain?

They're everywhere!

A little monkey family...

Ryan, Blaire, and yes, even Arvid do their own monkeying around at Victoria Harbor

while waiting for the Light Show to begin.

Once home, Ryan teaches everyone to make sushi!

Ryan and Blaire make themselves up to get ready to do a little sushi video to send the third cousin their age, Sara, who wasn't with them.

So don't feel too left out, Sara, they thought of (and talked about) you a LOT!

Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping

2010-10-31T13:07:00.000-07:00

As many know, Hong Kong is famous for its shopping.

We took the girls to the Flower Market...

...with just about any type of flower you can imagine.

Orchids, orchids everywhere!

And on to the Bird Market

A little "grocery" shopping at the Wan Chai Market:

Blaire hides her own hands, lest they have the same fate as these pig's hooves.

Karen passes on the goodies here...

...and opts, instead, for these great little shawls.

The Jade Market was a big hit!

Ryan and Blaire show off their finds - shoes for about $2.00 (USD)

with the Hong Kong flag and the US flag they glued on for decoration.

Sisters!

2010-10-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

What timing! My sister Karen, her daughter Blaire and our Mom all arrived in HK during Ryan's graduation ceremony. As we were driving into our apartment building, their taxi was pulling up.

(There was confusion about their airline tickets and they didn't understand they would lose a day. So they thought they'd be arriving the day before graduation! Oh well.) Blaire graduated just a couple of weeks before Ryan and this was part of her graduation present - a trip to Hong Kong with her mom.

The first morning, we suggested that everyone take it pretty easy as they'd be jet-lagged

(12 hours ahead of Florida time).

But Karen and I got up and took a nice long walk - with a camera.

Here are some of Karen's first sights of the island:

The four light blue buildings in the center is our apartment building.

Below, at the end of Karen's finger is our home.

At the Tin Hau Temple near our house, Karen befriends one of the local dragons.

On one of our first trips, Ryan shows Blaire around the school, starting with the senior banner displayed at the front gate. David (HKIS class of 2006) created the banner, sent the file to Ryan, who (as a senior class officer) had it made into a great little banner.

All the seniors signed it.

The bus is our friend. Here are Karen and our Mom on the top front of one of the double-deckers. We're headed to Victoria Harbor for some exploring in downtown Hong Kong.

We arrive at the bus depot and we're in the heart of Hong Kong - the banking district!

We went all the way up the escalators -

the longest outdoor covered escalator system in the world. The entire escalator system covers over 800 metres in distance and elevates over 135 metres from bottom to top. It was constructed in 1993 to provide a better commute by linking Central and Western District on Hong Kong Island.

(Thank you, Wikipedia.)

And then we went all the way back down. Karen, Blaire and my mom all had extremely sore legs the next day. Ryan and I were used to all the climbing, so it didn't bother us.

My mom poses in front of an ad "Single unattached billboard looking for love."

Blaire and Ryan pose with one of the HSBC lions.

Then we crossed the street and took some pictures around some fountains

with some very cool modern art.

Homeward bound. It was a long day, but these two still look very chipper!

HKIS Graduating Class of 2010

2010-10-31T02:24:00.000-07:00

Ryan graduated from Hong Kong International School on June 4, 2010.

177 graduates

Ryan with his diploma.....

...and he's off to...

Brigham Young University (Provo, Utah)!

End of Senior Year Activities

2010-10-30T13:17:00.000-07:00

The HS Choral Music Dept. had their final concert of the year.

Ryan was a member of the Vocal Jazz group - an auditioned 5 person group.

I tried adding a clip of them singing, but couldn't - it's probably too big.

Besides performing their own numbers, their small group was invited

to sing in the all-choirs piece.

Afterward, awards were given. Pictured are two of the Vocal Jazz members,

Ryan and Rachel (also from seminary). I don't remember exactly what Ryan's award was,

but the feather boa was part of it.

Baccalaureate was held on Sunday, May 30 at the church affiliated with HKIS.

All of the seniors in the Concert Choir and Vocal Jazz sang a song for that event.

Seven girls and five guys (Ryan was one of the basses) took part. They sounded great.

Afterwards, the Senior Dinner was held at a very nice hotel in downtown Hong Kong.

As part of the Senior Class Presidency (Ryan was VP), Ryan took part in emceeing this event.

Below is the class presidency:

Arvid, me and our senior, Ryan.

Seminary Graduation

2010-10-30T12:50:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night, May 16, Ryan, along with 6 others in his class

(and 2 girls in another class), graduated from Seminary.

Arvid had just been released as the District President that morning

and I was the Seminary Teacher.

Pictured below are: Jehonna and Ami (the other two in our district), and the 7 graduated from our class: Michael, Sarah, Brian, Alex, Ryan, Andrea and Rachel.

We also previously celebrated their accomplishment with a dinner up on Victoria Peak. Only Brian, Mike, Sarah, Ryan and Alex (pictured) made it to that.

Senior Project

2010-10-30T06:41:00.000-07:00

All seniors at Hong Kong International School are required to do a Senior Project.

Student choose something they want to accomplish (from sports, singing, plays, to science - the sky is the limit) and outline the procedures they go through.

(David did his on drawing cartoons and Scott did his on 3-D sound.)

Ryan chose to do his on Surviving in the Hong Kong Wilderness. As it had many dangers involved, Jai Leal, a teacher/Med. Tech./wilderness expert, volunteered to go with him. Jai (pronounced Jay) let Ryan do everything himself and would only occasionally offer suggestions. The days Ryan chose to do this (April 5-8) were, unfortunately, very rainy ones. It was difficult building a fire with wet wood and kindling (not to mention the flint and steel). He lived on snails, various plant species, a dead fish he found on the beach and water he collected and boiled. Jai kept him safe, but Ryan managed to burn his hand in the fire and get his arms covered with mosquito bites, despite the netting he used at night.

Here he is returning from the trip, holding some of the things he used and/or collected.

His burned knuckles.

He passed this portion of Graduation Requirements and was on his way....

Prom 2010

2010-10-30T01:12:00.000-07:00

On May 22, Ryan meets a group of friends at one of their homes for a pre-prom party.

He greets Noa (pronounced Noah) and puts her corsage on her wrist.

The group makes a toast as the party begins.

Ryan and Noa.

(The big joke was that they were the Mormon and the Jew.)

The group partying before the prom - overlooking the South China Sea.

I know there are only 3 girls and 5 guys, but some guys went stag.

It was mostly a group date - nobody really paired up.

Ryan was crowned Prom King, but refused to pose in his crown after prom.

Instead he put it on me (while I was reading and eating a banana) and took a picture.

I look thrilled - NOT!

I am not photo-shopping this, so you just have to use your imagination.

He reports that he had a great time.

She said "Yes!"

2010-05-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

Ryan recently made this poster to ask his friend, Noa, to go to the Prom.

If you can't read it well, it says:

Dear Noa, I hope you don't Snickers but I was hoping To be (the) one to Zip you to prom. I wanted to hari and Rope you first. Yorkie to a bueno night! I would jump to Mars if you Chews me! Your Musketeer, Ryan

Evidently the freshman girls all saw the poster and have been "swooning" over it and saying how lucky Noa is. This is not the schmaltzy kind of thing they do here, but maybe it'll have to become the norm. This Saturday night is the Prom. It'll be held at the 5 star Marriott in downtown Hong Kong. I'll post again to show the pictures.

Tai O

2010-05-12T22:11:00.000-07:00

On April 26, I went on a day trip with a group of friends from church. We taxied our way to the Star Ferry Pier where we ferried out to the westernmost part of Lantau Island. We then took a bus ride to the village of Tai O.

This is the village where Ryan went on a service project a couple of years ago. There was a massive mudslide that practically buried the village. A group of about 30 men spent a day digging homes and businesses out of the mud. It was really hard work.

Here you see Denise, Charisse, Christy, Rosie (holding Amelia), Marj and a random Chinese man who must have wanted to be in our picture. We walked the main part of the village where we looked at the wares being sold - mostly assorted dried fish. We bought and ate coconut buns that were so yummy. Terry and I are pictured with an unfortunate shark.

Then we boarded a sampan and boated out into the South China Sea looking for the pink dolphins. But those creatures must have found something else to do rather than entertaining us as we had no luck spotting them. Several in the group had seen them many times before. So I'll just have to go back and look for them again!

As we returned, the sampan "driver" took us through the canals where all the homes are built on stilts and accessed by boat. It is known as the Venice of China.

It was really interesting, but I prefer my high rise apartment building!

It was a fun day.

St. Baldrick's Day

2010-04-23T22:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday, April 22, 2010 was St. Baldrick's Day here at Hong Kong International School. Ninety people were shaved, including some women and girls. Ryan and a few friends formed "Team Alex" in honor of their friend, also a senior, with lymphoma. Alex is shown in two of the pictures with them (wearing the BYU shirt). He's bald for real as he's still in chemotherapy.

Five HKIS students have cancer. They all stood on the stage while the types of cancer and the stage they are in was explained. Alex didn't enjoy that part.

Andrea, one of Alex's and Ryan's good friend, is also in two of the pictures - wearing red. Alex's sister, Sammi, is pictured with Ryan and Andrea - they're all great friends.

I took videos of the process, with a long one where most of his hair is shaved - leaving him with a mohawk. He yelled during most of that video. Funny. The one included here shows the mohawk and then him losing it, leaving a small clump of hair. The barber then shaved that and left a really tiny piece front and center. It reminded me of a cartoon picture of a baby with one tiny piece of hair. Then that was gone, leaving Ryan bald!

It was a good experience for everyone. Ryan doesn't mind being bald and as Arvid says " At least HIS hair will grow back!" Team Alex raised about $1700. I have no idea how much HKIS raised in total, but I'm sure it was a ridiculously wonderful amount. When I find out, I'll post it. The hope is that many children can be helped in finding cures for cancer through the money raised. Thanks to all who contributed!

From an HKIS newsletter:

St Baldrick Day: “HAIR” TODAY, GONE TOMORROW!

On Thursday, April 22 in the Middle School Gym, that’s exactly what we all witnessed. 100 brave Shavees including students, faculty and parents were shorn to raise funds for childhood cancer research. And thanks to the Shavee’s families, friends and the HKIS community a “hair” raisingHK$1,093,946. was donated to the cause. And that number continues to climb as donations are still coming in!

Hong Kong International School for the third year has been a strong supporter of the World’s largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research. See you all next year!

We have made a difference

Rugby Champs!

2010-02-18T20:54:00.000-08:00

In October, Ryan flew to Shanghai to compete in the APAC Rugby tournament (Asia Pacific Area Conference). Six schools competed with Ryan's school, HKIS (Hong Kong International School) winning first place! Hooray. Ryan had previously broken a bone in his hand and it did not give him too many problems during the tournament.

Taiwan!!!

2010-01-14T04:43:00.000-08:00

David was able to come to our house in Hong Kong for Christmas – hooray!!! We spent Christmas Eve on the beach and afterwards feasted on Sushi that Chef Ryan made. We had a nice Christmas Day and enjoyed the company of seven “family-less” people at our Christmas Feast. The next day we packed up and flew to Taiwan. David served his mission there and speaks Mandarin fluently. Scott is now in Taiwan serving his mission, but he's in the north instead of the south, like David.

We arrived in Kaohsiung on Dec. 26, 2009, exactly 6 months to the day that David left it! After picking up our rental car and checking in at our hotel, we had enough time to take a taxi and a ferry out to an island - Qi Jin. There we walked the streets, tried on silly hats, and ate some street food - calamari on a stick, shrimp, strawberries, mango milk, and something that sounds like the word "guabao" - it's meat in a bun. David used to eat it while living there.

The next day was Sunday and we went to church in Fengshan. We met many people David knew and taught. Most he had taught new member lessons to. David translated at church, but found it difficult when the speakers would jump from subject to subject, but I didn't care. I thought he did an excellent job as translator (and navigator – we rented a car and did a LOT of driving!) on the entire trip. I LOVED it!!!

After church we drove to Lotus Lake and walked through and around the Dragon and Tiger Pagodas.

We then went back to town to meet a family that David had taught. Their home was in the back of the Chiropractic shop they ran. We sat in the waiting room chairs and visited with the family of 4, and 2 of their extended family members. A patient came in and the dad closed the curtain and worked on the man while we chatted. We could tell the family enjoyed David’s company – and that it seemed to be special for them to meet his family as well.

We then drove to Meinong to look for an umbrella shop where all the missionaries would buy these really nice bamboo umbrellas with nice paintings on them - purely decorative. We had trouble finding the shop so stopped at a "Seven" (7-11) to get some directions. David was in there for a while and finally came out with one of the employees. I wondered why this guy was coming to the car. It turned out to be Kyle, the Bishop's son – a young man David knew. That was very random - what are the chances - at one particular 7-11 out of many, in this one city, on a Sunday evening???

The next day we drove to Tainan, David's last area. We ate at a hot pot restaurant with 3 converts - Paul, Terrance and Wesley (those are their English names). All joined the church in 2009 (in about April, May and July). David had taught them new member lessons. We tried to get them to practice their English. We had a nice visit. It was fun to see David with all these people he knew. Somehow I was just amazed to listen to him speak Mandarin with everyone. We shopped at Carrefour – a store that is similar to WalMart. We drove through Fangliao and saw places David lived and served. That was the end of touring the places he served.

Then we drove down to Kenting - the beach. David had been there on a mission trip. We ate hamburgers at Smokey Joes - it was good. We ate breakfast the next morning at a local breakfast shop. David wanted us to try all sorts of foods that he normally ate. I liked the little breakfast burrito things they served.

While we tried many different foods, we also enjoyed laughing at (and wondering about) the translations of the menus, including:

“Fried crisp the chicken leg”

“The diverse beer buys two get one free”

“Crispy Guts … and … Guts with Spicy Sauce”

I actually have pictures of menus with these phrases!

We had limited time to get up north and lots of driving to do, so we chose to drive up the coast instead of the inland route as it was supposedly faster. So we didn't go through Fuli or Yuli, where Scott recently served. I think that's my biggest regret as it is the most beautiful country as Scott and others have told us. But it was probably a good decision as we got in to Hualien pretty late. And the roads were still very narrow and winding. It was a pretty drive, but had much road damage from the typhoon. We stopped and took pictures on the Tropic of Cancer. David had done the same on the line on the west side of Taiwan.

After checking in to a hotel, we asked the hotel staff where we could get a bite to eat. He suggested a famous dumpling shop around the corner where the President eats. So we went there and while eating, who walks in but two families we know from Hong Kong (with a total of 10 small children). We knew they'd be in Taiwan at the same time, but didn't know in which city what days. What are the chances to meet branch members from HK in the same town, same restaurant at the same time???!!! A cute story that happened that night: at the dumpling shop, we ordered near the front door, got our receipt and found a table. The food was later delivered. While waiting, David was reading all the characters on our order receipt and got a real chuckle out of their description for us. It simply said "Foreigners". He thought it was amazing that they had that character on their machine.

After dinner, David made more phone calls of people he knew - including Lin Zheng, a fellow missionary. David hoped to meet up with him the next day, but he had to work. So, the next morning we went to Taroko Gorge. We drove around, went on several hikes, walked across swinging bridges and took lots of pictures. It was really beautiful. After spending several hours there, we started driving out of the area and saw a bridge we had missed and stopped to walk across it. As we parked, Lin Zheng pulls up on his scooter. He got off work, drove about an hour to see if he could find us - and he DID!!! Isn't that amazing? We had so many little things happen to find people David knew.

After the gorge, we drove that evening to Yilan. The drive was longer (and more rigorous) than we thought and it was dark and rainy with LOTS of bad roads, but we got there safely and slept well. The next morning (Dec. 31) we continued on and arrived in Taipei. We first went to the equivalent of the US Consulate (called the American Institute of Taiwan) and Arvid went in to say hello to the Med. Unit workers. Only one of their staff was in - Lynn, a nurse. She took us to lunch at a Dim Sum place. Yummy! She tried to help us find a hotel, as we didn't have one lined up. No luck! Who knew most hotels would have been booked for New Year's Eve? We sure didn't.

We then drove to the LDS Temple and looked around there. We didn't go into the Taipei Mission home, which is Scott’s mission, but it was nice to see these places that he is familiar with. Scott’s Mission President denied our request to take him and his companion out to lunch one day. He wants the missionaries to focus on why they are there, and not to be potentially distracted by family. We respected those wishes and just enjoyed being in the country in which Scott serves (and very near where he currently lives).

We stood at the little LDS gift shop on the corner there while David talked with a woman who was trying to help us find a hotel. Nothing was found, so she talked us into staying in little dorm rooms in Banciao that she lets out to students. So that's where we ended up on New Year's Eve. I asked David how these rooms compared to his mission apartments. He said most of his places were nicer. It was on the 5^th (and top) floor of a little, old building. Of course there was no elevator. It was an adventure!

That evening we went to Taipei 101 (for years, the tallest building in the world) and had dinner at Macaroni Grill. (I guess we’d had our fill of Chinese food.) Afterwards, Dad, Ryan and I were chilly and tired and didn't really want to wait for a couple hours for the big fireworks show. And it was SO crowded. David decided he just had to stay, but the rest of us decided to go home as we knew it would take awhile to get there – about a half hour subway ride along with LOTS of walking. Once “home” we settled in and all 3 of us had the lights out before midnight, so didn't see any fireworks but heard lots of firecrackers. And we saw the Taipei 101 "show" on youtube later- does that count as ringing in the New Year? David got in about 2 am, so I'm not too disappointed that I didn't stay.

The next morning before flying home on New Year's Day, we visited the Longshan Temple. It was bustling with people praying, giving offerings and burning incense. One picture shows three very different building styles from diverse time periods. Enjoy!

That is pretty much the run-down of our holiday. I am so glad we were able to see many of the places David and Scott will have spent 2 years of their lives. And mostly it was wonderful to meet so many humble, good Taiwanese people – our brothers and sisters in our great big world.

Ryan - a senior

2009-12-14T15:23:00.000-08:00

Ryan recently submitted two photos to be included for his half page in the yearbook as a s
enior. I decided to post them here. And to ask the age old question "Where do the years go?"

Summer of 2009 Overview

2009-10-06T17:45:00.000-07:00

This posting is an update of a few of our activities this summer! We sure had a great time together and getting to know those sweet little granddaughters better. Fun times!

As I mentioned in the earlier blog, all seven of us were together for 1 day before Scott left for his mission. (He stayed at the Missionary Training Center for about 12 weeks and as of about a week ago, he is in Taiwan - see his blog for updates on his mission - scotts2years.blogspot.com

While in Utah, we did many things. Pictured at a table at a wedding is Chris Lew, Scott and Andrew Chenn - all friends from Hong Kong. They are 3 of our 8 current missionaries from church here in Hong Kong. Chris is serving in Anaheim, California, speaking Spanish and Andrew will soon be in Sydney, Australia speaking Cantonese. It was fun for them to have this little reunion while celebrating the wedding of another HK friend, Chelsea Messick.

At the same reception, Cami is seen here with another little girl who was born about the same week as she. We thought it was cute with the little European and Chinese babies together (both are very American).

My sisters, Karen and Karla, had two of their daughters, respectively - Blaire and Sara, in Utah where we all got to visit. Sara, Blaire and Ryan are all the same age - in the order I listed them. Sara just graduated from high school and Blaire and Ryan are now seniors. They are shown here hanging out at our condo in Midway - and they're in age order!

Kate had her 3rd birthday on July 21 and Krista planned a big bash at the Spanish Fork pool and park. Here is a picture of Krista's and Travis's little family.

Arvid and I spent a wonderful weekend in Minnesota with his family. He is pictured here with 5 of his siblings and his mother, Gloria. Back row: Kevin, Karla, Arvid and Bob. Front row: Gloria, Karen and Cindy. We really had a nice visit and are currently making plans to meet up again next summer!

Ryan and I then spent a couple of weeks with my mom and Karen's other 2 kids, Barrett and Brendan. Neither Karen nor Blaire made it to that little reunion as Blaire started school very early in August. But the 5 of us had some great times together. Pictured here, we're hiking at the Garden of the Gods.

Last, but not least, I'm including a picture of Ryan with his best friend, Alex Lew - also at Chelsea Messick's wedding. We found out on Oct. 6 that Alex has cancer - lymphoblastic lymphoma. It's treatable, but may be a really tough road ahead for him. He has gone back to the U.S. to begin treatment. Ryan is doing okay so far. Our prayers and best wishes go out to Alex and his family.

Again, check out Scott's blog for updates on him. And check in here every so often to find out what we're all doing!

Summer Family Pictures

2009-09-15T23:32:00.000-07:00

On July 7, 2009, we took Scott to Salt Lake City where he was set apart as a missionary by Elder Donald Hallstrom, our former Area President.

Afterwards, the family toured around Temple Square while Arvid and I picked up Krista and her girls from the airport. They arrived safely from their home in Maryland. Although they weren't there in time for the setting apart, they arrived in time to take a few pictures on Temple Square and go out to eat before seeing Scott off to the MTC the next morning. Although a few hours really isn't long enough, at least we got all 5 of our children together!

Our five children, with their children and one spouse, are shown here as follows: Krista holding her daughter Brooklyn, Erika holding Krista's daughter Kate, David, Scott (the new Elder Carlson), Ryan and Erika's husband Sterling holding their daughter Cami. Only Travis, Krista's husband is missing. He joined them several days later. (He said good-bye to Scott at Christmas.)

The famous Lilly-Carlson children pose. I "inherited" this pose from my parents who always took pictures of me, my brother and 2 sisters in this way. It's always oldest to youngest. So here they are: Krista, Erika, David, Scott and Ryan (KEDS®.)

This is a 4-generation pose with my mom, Peggy Lilly, myself (Kelly), Krista with her two daughters-Kate and Brooklyn, and Erika and her daughter Cami.

Scott

2009-09-09T20:47:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, Scott was able to come to Hong Kong and spend a little time with us after the year at BYU and before his mission. While here, he was able to get a full-time temporary job at the U.S. Consulate. There's a picture here of him leaving for work one morning with his dad.

We were able to some hiking together - and got a great shot of our apartment building from the back - an interesting view. (If you know EXACTLY where to look, you can see Ryan's bedroom window!) Also I got a shot of Scott and Ryan playing a "duet" on the piano. Fun.

The Mission Call finally came after an exciting wait. Scott was called to the Taiwan Taipei Mission, Mandarin speaking, and entering the MTC on July 8. Arvid and I took him to the Hong Kong Temple to receive his endowment. We had a wonderful experience together. Afterwards, we met outside with his friends Andrew Chenn (called to Australia - Cantonese speaking) and Alex Nightingale (called to Singapore - Mandarin speaking). The three boys are pictured together. Scott and Alex entered the MTC the same day, with Andrew and a couple other friends entering later. It is so great that they are all out serving the Lord "together."

(If anyone wants to teach me how to put the pictures in the right order, feel free!!!!)

New Zealand

2009-05-31T05:45:00.000-07:00

Welcome to New Zealand!!!

Arvid, Ryan and I arrived in New Zealand on April 10 (Brooklyn's 1st birthday!). Here we are at the airport!

We did SO many fun things, but I will have to spend lots of time chronicling everything. This will take some time. So let me start by adding a picture of the harbor in Auckland at the beginning of our trip...

That afternoon, we went to a maritime museum and had a great time. Later we took a ferry to an outlying town where we strolled the area, went to dinner, and browsed at a bookstore.

Among our many activities, Ryan did his first bungee jump. This was off a platform that jutted out from a cliff. He landed in the water - from his head to his waist (in that order).

In the close up, you can see the cliff and the platform - and, of course, his wetness!

Crazy kid, but he'd do it again!

Hooray for Scott!

2009-05-31T05:26:00.000-07:00

Not only did Scott get his mission call, but he also changed my blog so the toolbars are in English instead of Chinese. So I can now READ how to sign in and post a new blog. YAY!!! And it's about time as I was tired of looking at those old pictures of my big glasses and frizzy hair.

Since the name of this post is about Scott, I will show you a picture of what he's been doing...

That's right: lounging on our balcony overlooking the South China Sea while sipping cool drinks with tropical umbrella decorations and chatting on the phone with Emily. Ah, the life!

On June 1, he starts work at the Consulate. He'll be working in CLO (Community Liaison Office) until June 26.

Here he is holding his mission call - right before opening it. If you haven't heard, he's been called to the Taiwan Taipei Mission (Mandarin speaking). He enters the Provo MTC on July 8. It'll be fun to have him serving in the same country (different mission) that David has been in for 2 years. David returns to Hong Kong on June 26 - we're on the countdown!

Past Birthdays

2008-11-21T00:14:00.000-08:00

Ryan pulled out these old pictures, after being inspired by the old ones of me that Krista posted on her blog. I think Ryan mostly got a kick out of my old glasses (gag - thank goodness for LASIK!)

The first two are from my 30th birthday, Nov. 1988. Krista was 5 1/2 years old - and note the bunny ears I'm giving to my innocent little 4-year old, Erika. Incidentally, I spent the night at the hospital with 7-month old David. He was sick with croup and couldn't breathe. We had him on some breathing machine, where he spent most of the night. It was miserable for him. Poor little guy. I think the picture from my birthday that Krista has on her blog is from my 32nd or 33rd birthday (maybe 34?). We were in Price then - so 1990 or later.

The third one was taken in about 1988 - 29 years old. I'm holding David. I think Ryan chose this one as he was laughing at my glasses and my tie. Hey, that was cool back then (maybe not so much the glasses...)!

Disneyland: Mickey and Me!

2008-11-20T23:58:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Mickey Mouse. He turned 80 the same day I turned 50. So what better way to celebrate? Arvid and I went to Disneyland where I wished Mickey a Happy Birthday. He gave me a big hug. Then when I said it was my birthday too, he proceeded to conduct the singing while I sang to the two of us. He gave me another big hug and kiss. Minnie, too. It was really fun. In the 2nd picture, both Mickey and Minnie are kissing my cheeks with their noses - it's hard to tell.

We then caught the Lion King Show, visited Tarzan's Treehouse and watched fireworks. We got there late, but bought annual passes, so we'll go back and visit other features another time. (We were also there a week ago, so got lots of rides and things in then, too.)

Kelly's 50th!

2008-11-20T01:44:00.000-08:00

On November 18, I turned 50 years old! What a great 50 years it's been, too. I woke up to find 50 balloon, all numbered crowding the floors - flying around from the air conditioner blowing them.

All day long I'd go by a balloon, look at the number and remember something that happened when I was that age. It was SOOO fun. That was Ryan's doing and I loved it! In the evening we had a family party, complete with the Famous Lilly Chocolate Cake (what else?). I got "Enchanted" and "Mamma Mia" DVDs and an ipod stereo/radio alarm clock. Fun!

David update

2008-11-07T00:46:00.000-08:00

David is serving his mission in Taiwan and is currently in the city of Gangshan. He is doing extremely well. He is a leader of several of the missionaries around him. He is humble, learning to really serve others and is doing so well all around. Attached are 2 pictures with him in them! We haven't gotten many of those. I'm also attaching another of his companion, Elder Shane Tisdale. I include it so you can note his living conditions, which are pretty good. You'll notice the "hole" in the wall, which is where an air conditioner unit could be. They don't have one and the window is open. So it's hot. They have about the same weather we have. When it stays in the upper 80's with about 80% humidity, it's pretty uncomfortable - thus they have shiny faces! But really, they look like they have really good living conditions.

And he has grown and changed - really mature. He says things like:

"We should not be teaching and testifying with our own words and then using the scriptures to back up what we say. It should be the other way around. 'The scriptures bring power and authority to your teaching, even in areas without a Christian background.' (from the missionary handbook, Preach My Gospel) "

We are very happy for him and really pleased with his progress. He finishes his mission in July, so is really making the most of his remaining months.

Fall 2008

2008-11-06T19:57:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure the season can really be called "Fall" as we had the warmest (about 90 degrees) October on record (in over 100 years) but, nonetheless, it IS autumn. Here are some photos of our Halloween celebrations. We start by visiting the 9th floor. This family really went all out. There were screaming witches, shrieking banshees, moving hands, blinking red eyes, etc. It was almost too much. But it was VERY Halloween-y. And very dark. I didn't really know what I was aiming my camera at, but my trusty flash captured it all.

Then I took pictures of our entryway. Ryan thought our neighbors, who share the floor with us, were "fun" because they decorated, so we joined in. Corey, the woman who lives there, dressed as a witch, as I did. And at one point, 5 little girl witches all came to the doors at once, so we took a picture of all 7 of us witches. Fun! We even had some scary music downloaded and playing on our stereo.

Ryan dressed in a large green sombrero and a big handlebar mustache. He looked very cool and I didn't get a picture! When he returned from the party he attended, the 'stache was gone. It fell and got stuck on the bottom of a girl's shoes and he refused to wear it after that. Imagine!

Summer 2008

2008-10-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

This summer we went first to Washington DC where we did physicals, etc. for our extension of time in Hong Kong - 2 more years here...

While in DC, we got to spend time with Krista's family. You should check out her blogspot:

tklundell.blogspot.com

We then spent a week on a beach in Florida for the Lilly family reunion (Kelly's family). The 4 Lilly kids, our spouses, all our kids (except for 3 of mine - I'll get to that) and our mom got together for our mom's 75 birthday. It was the first time we sibs and our kids had seen each other in 4 years! We had a fabulous time!!!

Of my kids, only my oldest, Krista (and her hubby Travis and daughters Kate and Brooklyn) and my youngest, Ryan, were able to go. Erika was due to deliver her first baby, David is on his mission in Taiwan, and Scott had just started summer school at BYU and HAD to attend classes. So they missed out and everyone really missed each of them.

After Florida, we flew back to the DC area and stayed at Krista's house in Maryland for a few days. I had such a fun time playing Grandmother, that I REALLY didn't want to leave. I had no idea it would be so fun. Kate and Brooklyn are so fun and so cute!!! Then we flew to Colorado. Ryan and I stayed a week there with my mom and Arvid spent only a day. He then flew up to North Dakota to spend time with his family. He got to see almost all of his brothers and sisters and their families - and there are a LOT of them! I would have loved to go with him, but had such a limited amount of time to spend one-on-one with my mom, so... I just love being with Arvid's family.

Ryan and I flew to Utah on July 14 to spend a week with Erika and Sterling before she delivered. Luckily we got there that night. After spending July 15 with her, that night she went into labor. Cami Lilly Fenwick was born in the early morning of July 16, 2008. She is a little doll. Included is a picture I took of her in her car seat coming home from the hospital at 1 day old. She is so beautiful!

I was lucky enough to be able to be with them for Cami's first 5 weeks - starting at day 1!!! The next milestone will be for Krista and Erika to see each other and meet each other's new babies.

Please feel free to check out Erika's blogspot occasionally for newer pictures of Cami:

sefenwick.blogspot.com

The remainder of the summer we spent in Utah. The guys all stayed pretty busy and I held Cami. That's about it. Scott is enjoying BYU so far, but is finding Physics tough! Several of his friends from Hong Kong are there with him, so he's having fun. Scott works at the Cougareat at BYU - a popular food court. He's at Teryaki Stix.

My mom came to Utah in August to see us one more time and to meet Cami. One of the pictures is a 4-generation with Erika, Cami, Peggy and Kelly.

Ryan started 11th grade in August. The picture of him with his backpack represents his first day of school - a traditional picture I take every year. However, I was still in Utah on his first day, so this is about a week later.

More to come!!!

Summer at the beach

2008-10-05T21:32:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from the beach in Florida! What a fabulous vacation we had with my family. My siblings all have younger children than mine. The oldest four cousins (girls) are very close to Ryan's age - all teens. So he had a bevy of beauties surrounding him (see the 6th picture).

We four siblings are Karen, Kelly, Karla and Kevin. The first picture is us 4 plus our mom. Next is our mom and our spouses.

Then we've got the entire group together. After that is a picture of the giant sandcastle we built. We had a professional sandcastle builder hired to show us the intricacies of building. We all had a hand in it. This was to celebrate the youngest cousin, Morgan Lilly's 8th birthday.

The pyramid features all the cousins (all except for my 3 middle children).

I'm including the family pictures of us four siblings: the Teeter's family (Karen), Carlson's (Kelly), Pavich's (Karla), and Lilly's (Kevin).

Reminder of names: Karen & Dan - Blaire, Barrett and Brendan

Kelly & Arvid - Krista (Travis, Kate, Brooklyn) and Ryan. Missing are Erika (Sterling, Cami), David and Scott

Karla & Todd - Sara and Samantha

Kevin & Demetra - Alex, Stephanie and Morgan

Kelly's new look

2008-10-05T17:58:00.001-07:00

So I went into an upscale hair salon in downtown Hong Kong to get a trim. Only a trim. But this Italian woman got so excited about the long mess I had and wanted to shape it up a little. She suggested a little fringe (bangs) and a tiny bit of layering around my face. I said okay. What she described and what she did were vastly different to me.

The first week, all I could do was gel it and "mess it up". I got LOTS of positive comments about that 'do, but it felt a little too young and funky for me. Now I've been trying to tame it a bit and this is what I get - sans gel. I have yet to decide if I keep it or grow it out. Arvid likes it more tame, but most of my friends like the young, cool, hip, gelled version. I'm in between.

By the way, I'm having trouble uploading the picture, so you'll have to use your imagination until I succeed.

Repulse Bay, Hong Kong

2008-10-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

We moved into a new apartment as our old one, US government owned, will soon be undergoing some major renovations. We are "officially" on the 11th floor (more like 15th as we're above all the parking floors and entry floors) so we have a great view. There are lots of amenities.

I have included 3 pictures of our view - looking straight out, to the left and to the right. It's fabulous! I also included the living room (tiny and crowded with our stuff, but nice) and the spacious, if not long and skinny, kitchen.

If you want to see our floor plan and examples of the apartments, go to: www.therepulsebay.com/apartments/rbaa_floorplan.html

Hong Kong sites

2008-02-10T04:25:00.000-08:00

The Church Administration Building of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 118 Gloucester Road in Wan Chai on Hong Kong Island. This is where we go to church!

On the top of Victoria Peak overlooking the HK skyline. It's not the greatest picture, but you get the general idea. Here, we're with the Galke's. This was during Arvid's medical conference held here in October.

At 10,000 Buddha Monument. There are actually around 12,000 or so. Here are at least 8 of them - including a female one!

Grandma Peggy in Bird Market Heaven!

Now she sits in our kitchen perusing the guidebooks to see if there is anything she missed. (I don't think so!)

Peggy and Kelly shop on Fa Yeun Street. Maybe you'll get a sneak peek at your Christmas presents for next year...

This is a view out our living room window. What you don't see if the view to the left - of the South China Sea and the amusement park, Ocean Park - and to the right - Victoria Peak.

Kelly and Peggy pose in front of the IFC2 - the tallest building in Hong Kong (for a little while longer...)

Arvid and Peggy in Hong Kong Park. They're on a path that leads them directly under a waterfall. It's beautiful there!

Hiking on one of the hundreds of trails in the area. This one is in the New Territories. Now don't you want to come visit???

Sailing, Sailing, over the bounding Main...

2008-02-10T04:18:00.001-08:00

Here we are on our sailboat cruising around Deep Water Bay in the South China Sea. Now how exotic does THAT sound???

"Land Ahoy!"

Nan Liang Garderns

2008-02-10T03:46:00.000-08:00

These Chinese Gardens opened very recently. It's a beautiful place - with Bonzai Trees, petrified wood, koi ponds, Chinese buildings with beautiful architecture (and models of that architecture), museums, a Buddhist Temple, and lots of other great sites. You'd think you were in China or something!

Monkey Mountain

2008-02-01T19:26:00.002-08:00

In December 2007, we took a couple of trips to "Monkey Mountain." It actually has a Chinese name, but you'll see why we fondly call it such. Grandma Peggy was wild about the monkeys and their antics. She loved being right there in the middle of them. It was so fun!

Missionaries

2008-02-01T19:15:00.001-08:00

In July 2007, we took David to the MTC (Missionary Training Center) in Provo, Utah - bound for his mission in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The picture is the current/former missionaries from our family. Arvid was in Louisiana and Mississippi, Travis was in Panama, Sterling was in Chile and now David joins the ranks moving to Asia (and a new language).