From the famous Crossroads of the West, in the shadow of the Everlasting Hills

Dear all,

We just got back from Utah yesterday evening. We're very grateful to Val and Diane for flying us out--thank you!

While in Utah, we mainly hung out with Melanie's family, but we did find time for a trip to the zoo, four-wheeling, shopping, and a massive barbecue that attracted half of the population of South Weber. (The airmen at Hill Air Force Base must have thought they were under attack.) The pictures follow below.

Here's the crew at the zoo, figuring out which animals to see first; I believe they settled on the "Madagascar" exhibit.



Like her grandfather (and her aunt), Libby loves maps.



There's my Abby, the daredevil, walking along a high fence.



Kallie was content to just take it all in...



...and hang out with her grandmother...



...until playground equipment came into the picture.



Some people may chide us for coming to a zoo and playing on the equipment when we could be seeing the animals. Some people are dumb. (And we saw plenty of animals, thank you.)



The daredevil goes at it again. Man, all these girls are really athletic.



When there's a camera around Libby...



...she tends to be in the picture. (Good thing she's cute.)



Back at Val 'n' Diane's house, Kallie loves to hang out in Lindsey's old bedroom, which MIL painted two shades of pink.



Introducing baby Bella, the latest of Blake and Erica's supermodel children.



You know, I just realized that I didn't body-slam Mike the whole time I was in Utah, and this would've been the perfect opportunity.



The girls had a sleep-over at Grandma's house, and Lindsey got in the act.



Here, Ryan is playing around with his new toy, a water bottle that will filter any degree of filth. Supposedly, you could drink water straight out of the Amazon with this bad boy.



And, yes, the four-wheeling. Here's our Ashley.



This is up in Bountiful Canyon. I wasn't there, because I was going on a [limited] shopping-spree for my wife.



On Memorial Day, we had a huge barbecue, and all extended family members were invited. My family actually flew up from California and surprised us.



All in all, a lovely (if fast) trip. Again, thank you, Petersens.

At Long Last, a Crah-fish Boh-all

Dear all,

Our good friends Shelley and John Scott invited us to the coast this afternoon (after the pancake breakfast that Melanie was involved with for the youth in our ward) for a crayfish boil with their ward. So we drove an hour south, following the sweet aroma of boiling crustaceans.

Actually, truth is, we'd never tried crayfish--I'm allergic to seafood, and Melanie's not big on fish. However, crayfish boils are a BIG deal down here in the South--people go nuts over them, so I wanted to go and partake in the cultural phenomenon.

Here are the pictures:

"The Boil" was held at the meetinghouse in Gulfport. They have a nice awning outside that we clustered under--just seventy miles south and the sun is ever more intense. (I loved it, but everyone wanted to sit in the shade.)



The kids liked playing with their food before it was cooked.



This is John and Shelley's niece, Kayla. She loves her crayfish; this is a particularly large one.



Here's Kayla's mom, Kelsey. Like mother, like daughter.



So you throw the crayfish into a large pot with tons of seasoning, light a propane-fired burner underneath, and wait for the goodness.



Ah, here they come...



Shelley demonstrates how to peel a crayfish. There really isn't that much meat in the tail...



...so John likes to flip the bodies around and suck out whatever's in the head...



...and Shelley's dad does, too.



The girls (the girl in the red is Carmen) had a blast. Here, they are applying cake frosting like it's lipstick.



...hmm...



...I always get 'em in the end.



And, for you, MIL, I saw these critters--there was a house that backed up to the church, and its yard was full of yapping chihuahuas. I thought of you.



Ah, the South. We almost went to Jefferson Davis' house after the eatin' was done, but it was closed. Alas.

Catching Up

Dear all,

Howdy; J. here. It's been a while since we've posted, so I thought we, well, should post.

Things are moving along at a fairly rapid clip here in Hattiesburg. My dear wife planned and ran an excellent Day of Service last weekend, so I'll include some of the pictures below. Suffice it to say that the Hattiesburg City Council wants her to come to the next meeting. Pictures appear below--I apologize for the lack of pictures with Melanie in 'em; she was the main cameraperson.

We also went to the Baton Rouge, LA temple a while back, so I'll put the pictures here--I've been told by some folks that they've never seen one of the church's "small" temples before, so you can check it out.


There was lots of painting involved in the Day of Service. This is the base of a large smokestack that, for obscure historical reasons, Hattiesburg has made part of the park where we were giving service.
Here's part of the work crew--we're getting instructions from Ms. Jones, who was from the city. She really did a splendid job, I must say.

...again, the crew.

...and they needed us to restore the basketball backboards. Man, if one more kid throws a rock at these things, I'm going to, as they say in the South, tear them up.

This is the Baton Rouge temple, with me in front for size perspective. Many of the church's meetinghouses are larger, but this is plenty for us.

...and this is also where the hurricane relief project for Baton Rouge was headquartered last year. There's an amazing picture of everyone kneeling (I think) in front of the temple during the administration of the sacrament--I'll have to see if I can find it. I'm sad that I wasn't there.

Anyway, I hope all is well with everyone. Laissez les bon temps roulez.

-J.

Thoughts on Ph.Ds and family and Happy Birthday Jeff!

Today my uncle sent me this photo of my mom's family that was taken when my grandpa Lester graduated with his Ph.D. My mom's the girl in the front row on the left. I think she looks a lot like my sister, Ashley, in this picture. My whole family is tall, but my aunt Linda (on the right) looks especially tall with her '60s hairdo! Doesn't Grandma Elaine look pretty? I love this picture of her. I miss my grandma and grandpa. My mom always says how much Jeff reminds her of her dad, since my grandpa was very smart and always used big words.

Don't worry, Jeff! There's hope. Our children will definitely NOT be this old when you finally get your Ph.D. By the way, happy birthday to Jeff who turned 28 last Monday. I'm so blessed to have him in my life. He's by far the most excellent husband in the world, and he's also my best friend.

New Orleans, LA

Dear all,

Melanie and I spent the day in New Orleans today. Afterward, we still have no idea why the place is called The Big Easy.

Here are some pictures:

We had breakfast at Surrey's Cafe, as featured on the Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives" show. Interestingly enough, we both ordered beans and rice, which is what we have every day at home, but, hey, the orange-mango-pineapple juice was quite good. (It better have been good, since a glass cost as much as an entree.)

This isn't quite in the Garden District of New Orleans, but it's close enough to give you a taste. Isn't Melanie splendid?

We caught a 3D movie at the IMAX theater. The movie was about the sardine migration off the coast of Africa. Believe me, it was better than it sounds--the underwater footage of diving birds was pretty unbelievable.

We also went to the Audubon Aquarium. Back in Salt Lake City, we went to the Hogle Zoo and saw Antoine, a white alligator who'd been evacuated from New Orleans during a hurricane. I think this must be Antoine's brother.

Eels have to be the most evil looking creatures on earth.

I have no idea what this is supposed to be--coral? seaweed?--but Melanie looks cute in it.

Here we are in the French Quarter, an area of New Orleans named after a hamburger at Mimi's Cafe. It could be a postcard, don't you think?

Here we are having beignets at Cafe du Monde, a famous French Quarter coffee shop. They dump enormous quantities on powdered sugar on the beignets, and, as a result, the whole floor is speckled. Tradition holds that, if it's your first time here, someone's supposed to blow powdered sugar in your face. I kept quiet.

Here we are in front of the famous Antoine's Restaurant, deep in the French Quarter. If you are in any way family-oriented, this is not where you want to be after dark during Mardi Gras. (Well, actually, the French Quarter is a little sketchy any time after dark.) Mardi Gras means "Fat Tuesday" in French, and it is the Tuesday before the start of Lent, when Catholics deprive themselves of something they love in order to show respect and devotion to their faith. I hear that, this year, many Catholic kids are going without text-messaging.

So there you have it. Laissez les bon temps roulez!

Young Women's Cooking Class

Jeff got out his chef's hat and apron for this special event. I think the girls had a good time, and the soup was excellent. I even learned a new way to cut an onion!