Saturday, April 18, 2009

Dallas is beautiful in the Spring

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Dad and I posing in front of the little sod cabin at the Dallas Arboretum
Melanie called and wanted us to come during the weekdays in between our temple calling.

So we left from Twin Falls on Saturday night (April 11th) and spent the night with Candace and family. On Sunday we flew to Dallas. Melanie met us at the airport with fruit and water-----we were hungry and it tasted really good. It was Easter Sunday. We went to Melanie's home and ate easter dinner of Ham and all the trimmings. Melanie has a beautiful house in a very nice neighborhood.

The next day was my birthday-----we went to the farmer's market and had a great time looking at all the beautiful flowers, and then picking out wonderful fruit and vegetables to eat during the time we were there.
We made potato salad, omelets, and some whole wheat-rye bread which turned out really good. It was fun shopping and cooking with Melanie.
We had fun going to the Penney's corporate office building on a very big acreage. It is huge (fitting for Texas). We got to see where Melanie works and meet her team, her boss, and her bosse's bosse's boss. What nice, cordial guys, and they really sing Melanie's praises. We were proud of her. The whole inside of the building had a skylight and plants and trees growing up the three levels. What a great place to work. They had everything in that building that any employee could ever need or want.

It was our privilege to go to Melanie's violin lesson with her and then to a rehearsal for the upcoming recital. Her teacher reminds me of Mr. Royster who taught Rozanne and Candace piano lessons. He is pretty intense and funny! Melanie can still remember a lot and she sounded great.

Melanie gave me a book and some cd's for my birthday which I have enjoyed immensely. The book is slow reading----I have had to read, re-read and digest and think about everything written. The author has spent his entire life researching and living in South and Central
America to study the history of the art, archeology, histories of the conquistadors and comparing them all to the history in the Book of Mormon. I have really learned a lot!

We went to get icecream at the cold slab icecream place-----mmmmmmm----chocolate cherry almond!!!


We went to the Arboretum in Dallas and walked through all the gardens (Wow)! All of the pictures in this post are taken there. We seemed to forget our camera all of the other places.


We went to see the new stadium being built there----Wow again!


We went to the Dallas temple and did some initiatory work there. It is the same floor plan as the Boise Temple. Its in an older neighborhood----but in a very quiet and tasteful place. Then we visited the only LDS bookstore in Dallas and purchased a few things including the JOSEPH SMITH PAPERS.


What a busy, full, and great week. Thank you Melanie for showing us such a wonderful time.

Dad was trying to get a good picture of the "red bird" He got this one and one of the bird flying.

I wanted to get my picture taken in the middle of the "Viola" display. These are all different varieties of Violas.


Dad and I in front of Hanzel and Gretel's gingerbread house.


We saw this frog fountain (very fitting because Melanie likes frogs). Dad dared me to go and play in the water. The ladies in the background thought I was a little foolish.