I haven't blogged for several days because I have so much to do. It seems like our list for things to do for the move and to get to Denmark is getting longer, not shorter. I check off one thing and it seems two more pop up. I will be glad when it I actually check off things and the list starts dwindling. But questions are getting answered that have been weighing on me and we finally met our language tutor. He is actually a native Dane. I think they may have given us a national because of some of the terms we need to know. He is really excited to be able to tutor in his own language. We will start next week.
It is raining and miserably cold today. I just cannot seem to get warm. Maybe it is in part because I finally have had a day to let down.
Friday, April 12, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
For a small fee...
It has become a joke with Clyde and me that every time we turn around, this mission is costing us money that we had not budgeted for. For example - we had not planned on having our passports expedited (well I hadn't even planned on passports - so there!). That was where the joke started: "For a small fee..." in the booklet we got. Every time we have to pay some money on paperwork, etc., Clyde and I smile and each other say, "For a small fee...!" I had also very carefully been collecting dresses and skirts, knowing that for the next 2 years that would be my dress code. Imagine my surprise when I found out that I will be wearing pants. I am suddenly looking at pantsuits, dress pants and sweaters to smarten up my wardrobe to business casual. We will never get out of the mid-70's for highs and can get as cold as -20 for lows, so there is not need for broomstick skirts anyway. Another 'small fee'. Clyde's dress too is business casual but that is easy, he wears that every day. However they are suggesting long sleeved polo shirts for him Try and find those in the springtime in the US!
We were also thinking of something that I thought at the time was really weird. For those you that don't know - Clyde's last name was changed when he was a child. In the infinite wisdom of the Virginia courts, they changed his name on his birth certificate too. We spent 6 months trying to get that clarified and back to Bailey. Finally, just before we sent our papers in, Clyde got a certified copy of his birth certificate and we were good to go. He also had the premonition to get a certified copy of our marriage license. We will need that for our visas. I am glad someone was listening to the Spirit in this household.
We were also thinking of something that I thought at the time was really weird. For those you that don't know - Clyde's last name was changed when he was a child. In the infinite wisdom of the Virginia courts, they changed his name on his birth certificate too. We spent 6 months trying to get that clarified and back to Bailey. Finally, just before we sent our papers in, Clyde got a certified copy of his birth certificate and we were good to go. He also had the premonition to get a certified copy of our marriage license. We will need that for our visas. I am glad someone was listening to the Spirit in this household.
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Peace, Peace, Be Still
For some reason, ever since I walked into the temple on Friday afternoon for our shift, that phrase has been running in my head. I have been nervous and anxious about this mission call. When I walked into the temple - as always - a peace came over me and I immediately calmed. It helped immeasurably to talk to another couple that are on a records preservation mission here in Boston until the end of May. I was able to discuss with her what she wore, what they did and who they interacted with. She gave me hints on what words we would need to know and things we need to be aware of before we went.
Friday, we also linked up the with the MTC and will soon get our language tutor to help us with Danish. I need to find out what letters are silent and proper pronunciations. Clyde downloaded a Danish dictionary with sound - so we have been practicing with that but I am not hearing the same thing as Clyde and words alone do not sound the same as phrases or sentences. However, I had peace as I spoke to the language coordinator and knew we could do that too.
Conference, as always is bringing me peace. What a blessing it is to listen to these people that have been called of God. I have been lifted up so much already.
This week, I will go in and see my Dentist plus make an appointment to talk to my Doctor. Clyde does not see how I can get 18 months worth of RX but I say, if the Church says do it - DO IT!
Oh, our tentative flight date out is Sept 10. This is subject to change, however (because of problems with visas, etc.)
Friday, we also linked up the with the MTC and will soon get our language tutor to help us with Danish. I need to find out what letters are silent and proper pronunciations. Clyde downloaded a Danish dictionary with sound - so we have been practicing with that but I am not hearing the same thing as Clyde and words alone do not sound the same as phrases or sentences. However, I had peace as I spoke to the language coordinator and knew we could do that too.
Conference, as always is bringing me peace. What a blessing it is to listen to these people that have been called of God. I have been lifted up so much already.
This week, I will go in and see my Dentist plus make an appointment to talk to my Doctor. Clyde does not see how I can get 18 months worth of RX but I say, if the Church says do it - DO IT!
Oh, our tentative flight date out is Sept 10. This is subject to change, however (because of problems with visas, etc.)
Thursday, April 4, 2013
What special thing did you do with your father?
The thing that pops in my mind first is attending the symphony and occasionally the opera with Dad. He always bought 2 tickets and then 3 for the symphony so one of us could go with him and Mom. (Later on it became Grandma Tuttle, Dad and one of us). Marianne and I would take turns and I loved it. I know that is why I love classical music to this day. I was reading how there were outdoor classical music concerts all over Denmark in the summer. I am looking forward to that.
Dad took us to historical sites wherever we lived. In Europe it was mostly the castles - because that is what Mom wanted to see. If it was just Dad and the kids, then we would go see museums and go wandering around in parks, etc. We did more outdoor things and tended toward the less touristy things in Europe, if Mom wasn't there. Then we moved to the Washington D.C. area on the Centennial of the Civil War. We saw more battlefields than I can remember. I loved Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia - they were not battlefields - but the rest I could have done without. I take that back. Valley Forge was quite fascinating but only because of the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish factor.
No matter how busy Dad was - he always took the time to talk to me. If I needed him - he was/is there.
The other thing I did with my dad was read. Because of my observance of him studying and reading every morning - I too picked up the habit of reading the scriptures everyday. Our family is a family of readers. Both of my parents instilled that in me.
Dad took us to historical sites wherever we lived. In Europe it was mostly the castles - because that is what Mom wanted to see. If it was just Dad and the kids, then we would go see museums and go wandering around in parks, etc. We did more outdoor things and tended toward the less touristy things in Europe, if Mom wasn't there. Then we moved to the Washington D.C. area on the Centennial of the Civil War. We saw more battlefields than I can remember. I loved Williamsburg and Jamestown, Virginia - they were not battlefields - but the rest I could have done without. I take that back. Valley Forge was quite fascinating but only because of the Pennsylvania Dutch and the Amish factor.
No matter how busy Dad was - he always took the time to talk to me. If I needed him - he was/is there.
The other thing I did with my dad was read. Because of my observance of him studying and reading every morning - I too picked up the habit of reading the scriptures everyday. Our family is a family of readers. Both of my parents instilled that in me.
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
41 Years Ago This Week
41 years ago this week, the Brugger family - along with my fiance' - Clyde, went to Denmark. It was a memorable trip in many ways. First of all: March and April is not the time to go to Denmark. There were gale force winds blowing the whole time we were there. It rained almost every day - actually sleet - and the temperatures never got out of the 20's or 30's. Weather wise was not ideal. To keep us quiet, Dad kept telling us we would not camp that night but find a hotel. He never intended to do that because he didn't want to leave hundreds of dollars of camping equipment unattended while we were in a hotel. We had seen other people take their tents down and a couple had blown away and one actually ripped in half as they tried to fold it. If Dad had just explained this to us instead of telling us that 'this night will be better', it would have been better to take, I think. Dad didn't confess that to me until just a few years ago!
However, I got my dream of seeing my favorite author's home and getting his collection of books. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Hans Christian Andersen. My mother had bought a little blue collection of books and I wanted the same collection going into my marriage. I was thrilled to be able to do that. I wanted to see the 'Little Mermaid' statue in the harbor in Copenhagen and see the original statue of Christ that Thorvaldsen created. Those are the things I remembered. I remember thinking that the people were extremely friendly and the even though the weather was awful, the towns were beautiful. My sister, Marianne, once said that nothing could make that a pleasant trip. I am sorry she feels that way. Though the nights were horrendous, the day trips were wonderful and I guess that is what my selective memory has chosen to hang on too.
I am overwhelmed with this calling. I keep thinking it is going to sink in and be fine but so far it hasn't. I still feel like I am floundering. It isn't that I feel incapable - I guess I am still in shock. I like to know everything - I really don't like surprises. I like to be well prepared so that there aren't surprises. This has all of the markings of too many surprises for quite a while. I will not be in a comfortable spot for quite some time.
However, I got my dream of seeing my favorite author's home and getting his collection of books. Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved Hans Christian Andersen. My mother had bought a little blue collection of books and I wanted the same collection going into my marriage. I was thrilled to be able to do that. I wanted to see the 'Little Mermaid' statue in the harbor in Copenhagen and see the original statue of Christ that Thorvaldsen created. Those are the things I remembered. I remember thinking that the people were extremely friendly and the even though the weather was awful, the towns were beautiful. My sister, Marianne, once said that nothing could make that a pleasant trip. I am sorry she feels that way. Though the nights were horrendous, the day trips were wonderful and I guess that is what my selective memory has chosen to hang on too.
I am overwhelmed with this calling. I keep thinking it is going to sink in and be fine but so far it hasn't. I still feel like I am floundering. It isn't that I feel incapable - I guess I am still in shock. I like to know everything - I really don't like surprises. I like to be well prepared so that there aren't surprises. This has all of the markings of too many surprises for quite a while. I will not be in a comfortable spot for quite some time.
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Monday, April 1, 2013
What changes in technology have you seen in your lifetime?
When I was a little girl, televisions were black and white and the biggest screen was about 6 inches x 6 inches. TV shows started at 7 am with shows like Howdee Doodee and ended with the Star Spangled Banner at 10pm and the question - "Do you know where your children are?" Meaning - every child should be home and safely tucked in bed. We got our first colored television when we moved to Denver, Colorado in 1966. Even then, not all of the shows were presented in color. It would be announced at the beginning of the program if the show was in color. That is how NBC got that colored fan - which is in truth a peacock. It used to be proud as a peacock before the 'tail' went Technicolor. Color was saved for the big budget and top 10 shows. Soap operas and other shows were much slower to go to color. It was big deal that one of soaps premiered in color, because then all of them had to switch.
When I was 8 years old, I wanted a transistor radio more than anything. I got one for my birthday and it was orange. I hated the earphones so when it wasn't just beside me, I would listen to it under my pillow. I loved that radio. I literally used it until it wore out.
When I was 12, I got my first stereo record player. That too was my pride and joy. I listened to records every night to go to sleep. When the last record played it had an automatic cut-off that usually worked. I had that until Carianne was born, then my brother, Bob wanted it. We have now gone from records to reel to reel tapes, to 8-track to cassettes to CDs and I-pods. That is quite a change in really just 40 years!
I remember when I was taking typing in High School on an old fashioned, manual typewriter (the cheapest kind they could find) - dreaming of day when you could type and automatically correct what you were doing before it hit the written page. Imagine my delight when we got our first computer and printer - even though it was a dot matrix printer - that my dream had come true.
It is amazing to me how we have gone from huge computers that literally filled rooms to computers that literally fit in our hands. Technology has made life so much easier as far as genealogy and other Church programs but it has also made it easier to bring negative things into our homes. Parents have to be more vigilant than ever with the media. These are truly amazing times.
When I was 8 years old, I wanted a transistor radio more than anything. I got one for my birthday and it was orange. I hated the earphones so when it wasn't just beside me, I would listen to it under my pillow. I loved that radio. I literally used it until it wore out.
When I was 12, I got my first stereo record player. That too was my pride and joy. I listened to records every night to go to sleep. When the last record played it had an automatic cut-off that usually worked. I had that until Carianne was born, then my brother, Bob wanted it. We have now gone from records to reel to reel tapes, to 8-track to cassettes to CDs and I-pods. That is quite a change in really just 40 years!
I remember when I was taking typing in High School on an old fashioned, manual typewriter (the cheapest kind they could find) - dreaming of day when you could type and automatically correct what you were doing before it hit the written page. Imagine my delight when we got our first computer and printer - even though it was a dot matrix printer - that my dream had come true.
It is amazing to me how we have gone from huge computers that literally filled rooms to computers that literally fit in our hands. Technology has made life so much easier as far as genealogy and other Church programs but it has also made it easier to bring negative things into our homes. Parents have to be more vigilant than ever with the media. These are truly amazing times.
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