Saturday, July 30, 2016

Blogger Break

Our oldest son, Chris and his family arrived yesterday.  We are off to Jutland until Wednesday.  So unless I can figure out how to post on my I Pad, there will be a break until then.
 As you can see, it will be a fun week!
I took the metro to the airport and discovered these clever little leaning "seats"
 As you lean against the rubber, it gives and you feel like you are against a cushion...clever.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Let The Lights Shine

Ten years ago the trees on the Temple Square were smaller than the  lights  This year hey have  grown to cover them.  Today they received a much needed trimming, and we can see our swan heads again.



Wednesday, July 27, 2016

The Nicest Temple President Ever

A week ago two families flew in from America at 12.30 and wanted to do baptisms for their Danish ancestors.  Their grandmother was born here and they are coming to visit the farm she grew up on. Going along with our philosophy to always say yes if at all possible, Jim  agreed if they could be at the temple by 3 pm, We are usually closed and home by then, but the Mordues stayed and they arrived  by 2.30.  It made a long afternoon but all those ancestors were, no doubt thrilled, to have their ordinances done in their homeland.

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

A Super Visit

We have had a super time with the Bains.  We took a quick trip to the island of Fyn and even over to Vejle.  Following are just a few highlights of their visit.

Just missing the thunder storm that caused this flash flood in Vejle,


 Faaborg Fjord right by our hotel last night
 A walk in a nearby forest looking for ancient ruins
 Fabulous dinner
 Darling old street in Svenborg
 Hollyhocks everywhere...

 Dinner outside at Dragør Bistro


Sunday, July 24, 2016

Coincidence?

Sharon and Brent Bain, our good friends from our neighborhood back home, are visiting for a few days.  We "decided" to go to the Frederiksberg Ward at 10 so we could do a little site-seeing in the afternoon.  When we arrived we found Elder and Sister  Carden of the Seventy were visiting with a nephew and wife.  We took them over to see the temple and they were all so thrilled with the opportunity they didn't think they would have.  It just reminded me again of how kind the Lord is with the little desires of our hearts.
 We drove to Roskilde with the Bains and enjoyed the beautiful weather.


Saturday, July 23, 2016

Visiting the Queen

During the month of July, the Queen's palace at Fredensborg is open for tours.  She lives there three months in the Spring and three months in the Fall.  She spends the summer in northern Jutland at a castle there and the winter in Amalienborg in  Copenhagen.  So we went to visit the Queen today, she wasn't there, but she keeps a lovely home and wonderful garden....
 This is from the back garden, the front is under renovation


 These yew sculptures have to be clipped four times a year.
The kitchen garden was a beautiful blend of flowers and vegetables.

Nifty bean pyramids

 And of course an orangerie for the tender trees during the winter and small receptions.


Friday, July 22, 2016

Home Town Connections

Our good friends, Sharon and Brent Bain, and their son, Steve and his wife, Brook,have just completed a week's trip to Iceland and stopped here for a couple of days on their way home.  Steve was a missionary in Iceland and they had such a great time reconnecting with people.
  Sharon and Brent will stay on with us until Wednesday.

 We had them over, after the temple, tonight for Danish smørrebrød.  And speaking of connections, Sis. Mordue, one of our missionaries, was Brook's pep club advisor and Brook was good friends with the Mordue children.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

History Adventure

Norma and Jim Brookes work in records preservation  with Lars who is a serious historian.  At Christmas time he took us to the top of the Frederiksberg Commune tower.  Monday he took us to a WWII Bunker.  In fact this particular one was used as a bomb shelter and probably built in the early 1950's when the Cold War was on.  It is identical to the hundreds they built in 1945, just before the war ended. (who knew when it would end?)  So it may not have had much use, but it was so interesting.


 It was made to hold 50 people, mainly those who were out on the street, during an air raid.  If you were in your apartment or home, you would go to the basement.


 8th and 8th grade students come here for field trips and they show them a film about the school being bombed just around the corner.

WE walked to the monument afterward.

Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Saturday on Wednesday

Saturdays are often busy, unpredictable and full of surprises.  Today was the same, busy and lots of fun surprises.
 We had an early 2 pm session as a culmination to the Senior Missionary Conference.
The couples came from all of Denmark, Iceland and Bornholm. A group of YSA from Iceland  came with Elder and Sister Michaelsen.  They are spending time in the temple and then going on to Festinord..(Big YSA Convention), next week. So with them and a mother and father bringing their son for the first time we had a nice baptism.
The Helsingborg, Sweden Relief Society Sisters came over for the evening as well.  Which meant we had two good sessions and three sealing sessions.  To top it off we had a sister come to receive her own endowments prior to her mission.  Sis. Mielsoe, who comes every Wednesday, was amazed as last week she was practically by herself.  The temple is always full of wonderful surprises.

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

Missing

It is funny the things you miss living in the city.  Today I went visiting teaching and had to stop to take a picture of the newly mown grass.

 We had our monthly senior missionary dinner at Knudsens, but there were only the temple missionaries as the rest are at a Seniors' Conference.  A cozy group of 12.



Monday, July 18, 2016

Early Farewell Dinner

Sue and Brett Manwaring will be going home in three weeks.  But since we will not have another free night with all the missionaries before that, we had our traditional farewell flaeskesteg dinner tonight.  In fact it was a farewell dinner for all of the missionaries from us.  The Mordues and Larsens do not leave until after we go home.
 We are so grateful to the Ladehoffs for coming for 2 months during the summer as missionaries.
 A special lagekage for the Manwarings...and the rest of us.  We just cut it in 10 pieces and finished  it off!


Sunday, July 17, 2016

Special Connection

Mileen is here doing BYU study abroad.  She came to the temple yesterday to do baptisms. As Jim was stamping her cards he noticed the submitter's name was someone we knew in Utah.  We talked to her afterward and found she is the daughter of Paige Marriott who went to school with our kids.  Her uncles and aunt were all in the same musical activities our children were in at Olympus High.

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But the sweetest connection was when I realized she was the excellent violinist we heard at church last Sunday when Jim talked and that she was playing on her aunt Georgia's violin. Georgia was a good friend of our daughter, Becky, and was killed in a tragic accident in college.  Mileen was only 5 at the time, inherited the violin and started taking lessons.  It brought tears to both of us as we both remembered and appreciated Georgia's life and legacy.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

Wedding Day

Benedicte Klein was my first visiting teaching companion in Denmark.  Today she was married to Aksel Krieberg from Odense. We have enjoyed watching the relationship blossom.
There was a large crowd waiting as Benedicte is from the Copenhagen and Aksel from Odense, so both stakes were invited.  It was encouraging to see 5 or 6 young couples who have recently been married in the temple or are planning to be in the next few months.  They will be the future of the church here.

Friday, July 15, 2016

Vacations

July is vacation month for the Danes.  The children are out of school and everyone is off, including our temple workers and patrons.  Fortunately other people are vacationing and coming to us.

 The Donnenburgs are temple workers and  we were so happy they were here as we had many guests  from Germany today including a family from Leipzig that comes annually while on their vacation to southern Denmark.  We had two sessions in English, one in German and one in Danish today.    We had people from Texas, Norway, and Germany to do baptisms and we had three darling girls on a BYU Study Abroad.  They only had one day in Copenhagen and I was impressed they chose to spend part of it at the temple.
It's hard to leave the temple....

Thursday, July 14, 2016

Lunch Special

Cute Pres. and Sis. Nilsson made lunch for all of the missionaries and invited us to their house to pick it up.  This is a Scandinavian favorite: buttered bread, mayonnaise, sliced hard boiled eggs, loads of shrimp and fresh dill.  Delicious!

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

After the Temple Treats...

Last night was our special session with Roskilde and Frederiksberg.  We always join them after for treats.  These people have become good friends.  One of the sisters, struggles being in groups, so when she comes, I am so happy.

 The chocolate flødebolle are marshmellow on a wafer, covered with chocolate...delicious.