A Sweet Event

Sam turned 12 years old this past Wednesday. He has been waiting for this day for at least two years because he is finally free of primary. I have watched him suffer through singing time (which he hates) and be completely bored through Sharing time. His classmates here in Australia are horribly behaved and he can't stand them and their noise. This day has been a long time in coming. He got a new Lego set. The Endor scene where the Ewoks ambush the Stormtroopers with the logs rolling down the hill. Kyle surprised him with a go-kart outing on Saturday. The go-karts were similar to Formula 1 racing cars, with the big over-sized wheels in front and back and the body of the car is low to the ground. Sam drove his own car in a race against Kyle. They had a blast. Sam did not want birthday cake, he wanted donuts. But donuts were out of our reach that day so we had a small chocolate cake with chocolate, vanilla, and mint ice cream. Yummy!
On Sunday, Sam received his certificate of completion for the Faith in God program. He was also sustained by the ward to receive the Aaronic priesthood and be ordained to the office of a deacon. For the past few weeks, Sam has been showing signs of growing up. It started with him being more thoughtful in his prayers when it was his turn to pray during family prayer. Instead of rushing through the prayer he would stop and take his time, thinking of what he wanted to say. He also decided to stop bringing a notebook and pencil to church which he would use to draw pictures and write stories to occupy his time while he waited for church to be over. In his words, "I decided I was too old to keep doing the same thing I've been doing since I was 5." Along with that decision, he started to sing the hymns in Sacrament meeting and even more amazing, to sing during singing time in primary. Wow! He hates to sing. He used to sit in his chair with his elbows on his knees, plugging his ears so he wouldn't have to even listen to everyone else sing.
Kyle told him that Bishop Parton would be coming over to our house to interview him for his ordination to the Aaronic priesthood. The interview took about 15 minutes, some of which was spent talking about Legos. Turns out, Bishop Parton is a huge Lego fan! The interview went very well, and on Sunday, during third hour with the Young Men, Kyle ordained him a deacon in the Aaronic priesthood. It was very sweet. The adults who stood in the circle were Kyle, Bishop Ashley Parton, Brother Rodney Keller, (first counselor in the bishopric), and Brother Julian Smith, (young men's president). Kyle invited the young men who were ordained priests to also stand in the circle. They were surprised, and it was clear they had never participated in giving a blessing before. They didn't know what to do and it was a sweet teaching moment for all involved.
Here comes a beef I have. I do not like that blessings are not allowed to be recorded. I think it would be so wonderful for the blessing to be available to read whenever the person wanted to. So, having said that, even though I don't like it, I do abide by it. Which is why, once I got home from church, I immediately wrote in my journal all the things I could remember. Here is what I wrote.
Kyle told Sam that he was blessed with humility that allowed him to be taught. He told Sam that he had a tender heart and the ability to feel the Spirit whispering to him and guiding him. He also told Sam that he was blessed with challenges and those challenges had helped to make him the special young man he is today. He blessed Sam to counsel with his parents and youth leaders to understand the responsibilities of the priesthood he now holds. Kyle told Sam that he is a blessing in our family and he brings great joy to the hearts of his parents. 
Sam told Kyle and me that turning 12, graduating from primary, and receiving the priesthood made him feel special. How right he is. He is such a sweet and caring boy. He has become more thoughtful and more willing to try new experiences. One of those experiences is passing the sacrament. After church, two of the young men, Lincoln Krieger and Fraser Parton, took Sam into the chapel and spent 20 minutes teaching him how to pass the sacrament. Sam looked like he was enjoying it. He will pass the sacrament for the first time next week. He told me that he is worried about making a mistake and having everyone see it. Kyle told him that a lot of the time he passes the sacrament he makes a mistake but no one notices. I think that made Sam feel better. The other boys will take care of him. When we were in the parking lot Sam said it had been a fun day for him. It was obvious he was feeling happy.
This is a new chapter in Sam's life. He has come to it with an open and willing heart. He has touched my heart with his maturity and desire to do what is right. It is going to be an exciting time for him and I am blessed to share it with him.

Tough Bloke

 The Tough Bloke competition. Held annually in Australia. Nothing but Mud, Sweat, and Tears.

 Oh.....and some colorful character participants. These were some of the more tame costumes. One man (who I did NOT take a picture of) wore only latex underwear. Camouflage briefs. (Shudder).

 Kyle and Jacob entered the competition in December, but it wasn't held until the first weekend in March. Held at Wonga Park, it involves many obstacles where the contestants are required to run, crawl, slog, swing, swim, climb, and generally drag themselves through as much mud as possible. One of Kyle's co-workers, Blair, entered as well.

 It was rainy and just the slightest bit chilly but 2,000 participants showed up to compete. The rain only added to the fun. Kyle and Jacob's start time was 11:30. I was glad we weren't there later in the day when it was pouring rain.

 They had to start one at a time so the timer clipped on to one shoe of each competitor could accurately record the start time. On the website for the race it was noted that areas for spectators would be available along the race route. So I was hoping to get some great pictures. That didn't turn out to be the case. The course was set up so only the competitors could be on the course. Analee, Sam, and I could only see them at the start and the finish. I was bummed, but got a good position to see them come down the home stretch.

 You can see Jacob's white knees and muddy legs. After crawling through this muddy concrete pipe, the racers had to run downhill to a muddy lake.

 His head is the only thing that looks clean. Up close, that was not the case.

I'm pretty sure there are some pictures of him as a little boy on the farm that are similar to this one. Covered in mud and smiling from ear to ear, having a fantastic time.

 Even though the race was not about who finished first, you tried to finish in the fastest time possible. This meant that Jacob was not going to wait for me to get in position to take the pictures I wanted. He was moving.

 If the lake is this high on Kyle, you know Jacob was swimming for sure.

 Muddy swim=most of the mud washed off. But very far from clean.

 The final obstacle called "Hell's Gate". There are mattresses down below in case of falling. If a contestant fell they could choose to go back and begin the obstacle again or proceed to the finish line on the ground. This is where most of the spectators were waiting. When Jacob began his crossing, he was like a spider. Everyone began cheering him on calling, "Come on, Junior!" And, "You can do it, Junior!"  He made it across faster than many of the adults. And, of course, ahead of his dad.

 I was worried Kyle's shoulder would give him problems but he scrambled across just as easily as Jacob did.

 FINISH LINE!

 Jacob crossed the finish line faster than I could get there. Each contestant received a free drink token. The kids received a water and a soda. The adults a water and a beer. It was awesome. Only in Australia do you receive a beer after a grueling race. For any beer connoisseurs, the beer brand was Pure Blond. I've never heard of it.

 The after shot with wet, happy boys, muddy bibs, race medals, and a raindrop covering Jacob's how-cool-am-I face.

Just before the boys cleaned up in the showers, Kyle found he had collected some mud in one of his pockets. Just the cherry on top of the experience. Kyle and Jacob finished the race in just over 40 minutes. They said  waiting for the racers ahead of them to clear the obstacles so they could have their turn was what took the longest. They had a fabulous time. We will be looking for similar races back in Texas, and next time, I'm entering as well.

Winkel's behind bars

 Saturday afternoon found me very restless. Kyle and I attended an early morning program and breakfast with Analee and her Young Women's group at the Shrine of Remembrance. After that, Analee spent the rest of the day with a friend and we didn't see her until that evening. Kyle had some work to get done which left me to entertain the boys, something I wasn't very happy about since I feel like that is my role during the week. So I refused to stay at home. I decided I wanted to go see the Old Melbourne Gaol and if the boys didn't want to go with me, then I was going to go by myself. Once I read the description off the gaol's website to the boys, Kyle decided he wanted to go as well. He could finish his work later that evening. So we hopped on the tram. The top picture is a shot of the back of the gaol and the courtyard that was the view for the prisoners on that side of the gaol. What a dismal looking building.

 This is the entrance to the gaol. It used to be the guardhouse.

 This is a shot from the top floor of cells. There were three levels and some of the private offices were on the top level. Each office was about the size of four individual cells.

 If Kyle were a prisoner, he would have to watch his head and turn sideways to enter the cell. Jacob is sitting on the floor behind him pretending to be a downcast prisoner.

 This is the inside of a cell. It is a bit longer than shown in the picture.

 Jacob is looking through the food service door in a cell. The boys had a good time going in and out of cells trying to imagine what it must have been like.

 Sam on the stool with a goofy face and Jacob pretending to be a sleeping prisoner.

 Not every prisoner was sentenced to death, but those that were had a death mask made after their hanging. Both men and women were hanged, some for crimes they insisted they did not commit, and other for crimes very horrible. One woman was hanged for killing her husband and two small daughters. She had met another man, and tried to kill his brother by giving him rat poison in his drink, and almost succeeded in killing her fiance when she was discovered and imprisoned.

 The infamous Ned Kelly was imprisoned and hanged in this gaol. He is still spoken about with admiration and awe even though he became a murder. The armor he wore in his last stand before being captured is on display in the State Library. Jacob and Sam tried on a replica of the armor. Jacob said it was hard to hear with the helmet on, and everything echoed when he spoke.

 There was a production of the life and arrest of Ned Kelly. Kyle got us seats right up front and when the actors needed three volunteers from the audience to be the constable, Dan Kelly, and Katie Kelly, Jacob was chosen to be Dan Kelly. It was a great performance. No photography was allowed during the performance so I wasn't able to get a picture of Jacob portraying Dan Kelly.

 These are the two actors that played Ned Kelly and his mother. They also switched to different roles once or twice. Kyle is wearing the helmet of Ned Kelly.

 This is the actual beam that Ned Kelly, among many others, was hanged from. It was moved to the gaol to be on display when it closed down. The last hanging from this beam was in 1965. Australia does not have the death penalty anymore.

 Our tickets to the gaol also gave us entrance to the watch house. It was in operation for a long time after the gaol closed, and it was where all prisoners were held while waiting to see the magistrate, who decided how long your sentence would be. Quite a few other people were lined up outside when the female officer opened the door and immediately went into the role of police officer. She made us line up and march into the watch house.

 When we got inside she separated the men from the women, and since Analee was not with us I was by myself across from my boys. The officer told us that when she asked us a question we were to respond with a  loud, "Yes, sargent" or "No, sargent." Kyle didn't hear her correctly, and when the officer asked a question and he responded with a loud, "Yes, sir!" she came and stood right in front of him and said, "Do I look like a "sir"? It was very funny and everyone laughed.

 We were then put into different rooms for a night experience, the men in one room and the women in another. There were 20 women so we were split up. This picture of four women were only a small part of the group in my night cell. There were seven more of us. There was one unflushable toilet, and the lights were turned off for a few minutes to give us an idea of what it was like.

 Then we were shown into the exercise yard. Benches in the middle and hardly any room to really move around. The prisoners were held there between the hours of 7:30 and 4:00. Complete and utter boredom. The cage that Kyle is standing in front of is where those prisoners who were in danger of being harmed by the other prisoners were kept for their safety.

 A shot of the exercise yard. This was the men's yard, and it was covered from the sun. The women's yard was open to the sun, but the women's cells were directly connected to the yard and they could go back and forth as they wanted. The women's yard also had a shower facility but after looking at it, I don't know that I would be willing to use it. The officer told us that the worst fights between prisoners took place in the women's yard. For anyone who has seen a "girl fight" you know that can easily be the truth.

 This is a night holding cell. Not much room at all. Definitely meant to be unpleasant.

 Then of course was the padded room. It was smelly.

 We took the opportunity to have mug shots taken. The light in the room was very poor and there were other people waiting to take their own mug shots so our pictures did not turn out well.

 However, our family was able to take a photo behind bars and I love this one. I look funny because I was saying something when the camera went off. The boys all look great. The Melbourne Gaol was a great spot to visit. The story of Ned Kelly makes me want to read more about him, and it is too bad that the movie is not one to recommend.

Bula!

 In Figian, Bula means Hello or Welcome. It is said everywhere you go and delivered with a fantastic smile. We went to Figi for another VISA trip. Our long-term VISA hit a snag and was not being resolved quickly or smoothly so we have dropped it. It was still the rainy season in Figi but with the exception of New Zealand, which we have already been to, it was the cheapest place to go. The top picture is at the airport. I like the picture because of the clouds over the mountains. The climate has only two degrees: wet and very wet. The air is full of humidity which makes it wet and when it rains it gets very wet.

 This is Ben. He was part of the staff at the Seashell Resort where we stayed in the village of Momi. He chopped the top off of three coconuts so we could drink the milk and eat the meat inside. So delicious.

 It looks like a coconut kiss.

 The village resort was gorgeous. So much leafy green.

 It was also very windy. We did not see the sun until our last day in Figi. It would rain suddenly and then stop only to start up again. At night, the rain really came down.

 This was our cottage. It is called a bure, pronounced booruh, and roll the "r" sound.

 This was the front room of the bure. There was a kitchen and dining area, which we didn't use, two beds, two bedrooms with a total of three other beds, and a bathroom.

 The activities bure where we played pool and table tennis. I love the roof. During the tourist season other activities are available. Diving, island hopping, snorkeling, surfing and surf watching to name a few. I wish we could have done those.

 The restaurant. There were only two other people staying at the resort along with us. That accounts for the lack of tables set up in the dining area. The food was very, very good.

 Lots of palm and coconut trees.

 So there were lots of coconuts, many of which were on the ground.

 Which meant this sign was necessary. On our last day, I was standing a few feet away from a tree taking pictures when I heard what sounded like a distant sonic boom. I knew what it was. A coconut had fallen to the ground just behind me. Jacob rolled it over and we saw the depression in the ground it had made. It didn't bounce. It just thudded to the ground.

 It rained most of the time we were there. During the lulls in the rain we made sure to be outside but even when it was raining, the boys had fun. They are playing in the ocean close to shore at low tide.

 Every morning, the water level was very low. About a quarter of a mile out was a reef where the waves were crashing. When the wind stopped blowing, you could hear it. At low tide, you can walk all the way out to the reef.

 This gives you an idea of just how far out the water recedes at low tide. Our village resort is in the distance. Kyle and the boys went even farther out.

 They picked up a lot of shells. Many of them had crabs living in them so we didn't take those. But we came home with plenty to enjoy.

 The roots of these trees will be covered once the water comes back in. It was fun to walk out so far and pick up shells and rocks.

 The water from the tap is not safe to drink so we got our water from the rain barrel. We have something similar at home in Texas but that one is used for watering the garden, or it will be, once we get home and plant it.

 We left the Seashell resort on Monday morning, the day we flew home. Our flight didn't leave until that evening so we drove to another resort in Natadola. Once we got there, some locals villagers took us for horse rides along the beach. I haven't been on a horse in so long that it is safe to say that I have never been on a horse. I definitely don't know how to ride one. But we had a great time. Riding horses on the beach in Figi was not something we were going to pass up.

 I think the stirrups are too short. Hee, hee.

 Kyle and Analee were the only ones who had any idea of what they were doing. Analee went to a week long horse camp when we lived in Minnesota so she was alright. She could put the horse into a canter, turn him, and stop him. I was impressed.

 My horse handler's name was Levi. Pronounce it with a short "e" and the "i" sounds like a long "e". I had a great time. We all got to gallop our horses. Except for Kyle, our handlers got up behind us and took control. I could sit the saddle fine when the horse was walking but when he galloped I couldn't stay in it. I kept bouncing up and down and my feet kept coming out of the stirrups. Did I mention I don't know how to ride a horse? I'm still feeling the effects of that gallop, but I would do it again.

 A few weeks ago, there was a huge flood that came down from the mountains. There is a river that runs through this resort and empties into the ocean. The flood came down the river and brought with it a massive amount of debris. It was washed up all over the beach.

 But that didn't stop us from playing on the beach. This is when the sun came out. We were not prepared for it and didn't have sunscreen so we all got burned.

 Jacob was the only one who swam in the ocean. The rest of us were tired and didn't want to change. I passed up the opportunity to swim in the ocean in Figi.

 Lots of driftwood all over the beach. It brought with it lots and lots of little hermit crabs. So cute.

 We bought some handicrafts from the villagers. We came home with necklaces and bracelets. Very pretty.

 For lunch, we ate at the resort cafe. This centerpiece was made fresh for our table. Beautiful.

 We were each given one of these flowers to wear in our hair. They are called frangipani and they smell like heaven. Isn't it gorgeous? This is Kyle's favorite flower from his mission to the Marshall Islands. He loved being in Figi.

 This is actually a family photo because Jacob is in the background in the water.

 This is Esaba. He gave us the flower centerpiece and the frangipani flowers. He was so friendly. All the Figians we met were friendly. It is part of the culture. They are such a happy people.

 Driving on the roads in Figi is an experience all it's own. There are potholes everywhere and people drive by swerving from side of the road to the next. It's almost like a video game where you have to get to your destination and try not to hit or be hit by anyone. There are also train tracks everywhere. This was the sign to indicate you were coming up on some tracks. I think it is cute. The tracks were tiny. I wanted to see the tiny train that could fit on the tiny tracks.

 Figi. It's the place to be. We will visit again some day but will make sure we go during the tourist season between April and November. It is a gorgeous island with super friendly people that make you feel welcome and like you are part of their family. I wish we could have stayed longer.