Author: Stephen and Jodi

On your marks…The kids loved the shirts you gave them, I had to post a quick report so Dad could make it his wallpaper before he goes to bed tonight 🙂

get set…

Go!

They look great

Comments:

Grandma and Grandpa Parker said…

Thank you all so much. We were really missing the noise of our big family. It was so fun to see you open the presents. Thanks to Stephen and Jodi for getting them there and wrapping them all so nice. Oh how we miss you all, but what a strong influence for us here. We feel the power of your prayers every day.
Sunday, December 07, 2008 2:16:25 PM

Steph said…

They were so excited to see Grandma and Grandpa, it was like having them there. I love the shirts, I am going to have to order one for me. I am so proud of these kids, they all get along and help each other, they don’t choose favorites or leave anyone out. I love all of you so much. It is good to be close to family, I love you all tons! Have a good season of giving.
Sunday, December 07, 2008 9:40:51 PM

Jodi said…

All my kids are wearing their shirts today! They each even slept in her shirts so they would be all ready with her Portugal shirt on. Thanks so much!
Monday, December 08, 2008 11:49:36 AM

Thanksgiving Day at Grandpa and Grandma Baldwin’s House – such good food!We are sooo thankful to come from good families! We had a wonderful thanksgiving in Utah with the Baldwins. It was so much fun seeing everyone and making another memory. Taking it easy, making music, and just eating good food with the people we love – what more could we ask for? We missed Scott and Jeana and their fam…hopefully the turkey was good down in Texas!

Seriously – our families’ (Baldwin and Parker) make the top of our Thanksgiving list this year! We love ’em!!!!!!!

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Amen. Olivia is sure looking a lot like Alexis in that picture.
Sunday, November 30, 2008 8:18:42 AM

Magan said…

Memories were made with all those cousins. Grant can’t stop talking about his blow gun he made with Stephen. Good to see all of you.
Sunday, November 30, 2008 7:29:10 PM

Anne said…

What a fun time! Glad Lily is healing, hope it continues to heal quickly! It was fun to see you and your cute family! Hugs!
Tuesday, December 02, 2008 10:12:02 AM

Dinner with investigators at Sharon and Bruces (the Branch president and his wife are the best!)We made it home after almost 24 hours! It was a long day. It was great to come home to a clean house with a banner from our kids and a happy babysitter! Even though it was midnight we had to go and wake everyone up long enough to let them know we were back. JT woke up at 1 am to say hello. He was so excited to see us that he couldn’t get back to sleep for a good 30 minutes. We had a party this morning and ate the chocolate granola we brought back from Portugal.

What a great experience we were able to have! We will never be able to thank Sharon and Bruce enough. We had so much fun spending time with them and living their lives for a few days. They are such wonderful and happy people and truly dedicated to the cause of sharing the gospel. It is definitely another world there. I personally was so proud of both of them everywhere we went.

Sharon is so genuine and sweet – it is true how much that little Alex loves her and also the people from their ward. I am especially proud of her for serving this mission. It has to be hard when they get talking so fast- even though she is doing so well with her Portuguese! (I was only there for a week and didn’t know what people were saying and couldn’t communicate.) It was hard for me to want soo badly to converse but be limited. Bruce is so awesome with his magnetic personality and way with people. The people all want to be around him and talk to him. He does so much to help the people there. He drives A LOT to pick up members and investigators and missionaries. He teaches institute, conducts sacrament meeting, and teaches Sunday school. (Only a few of the things he does) It is easy to why they are loved so much.

The people we met have changed our lives for good. We have so much in life to be thankful for. Here a the last of our photos. We were able to be a part of a dinner where Edna (the branch president’s wife) made pancakes (crepes with chicken) and had invited a nonmember lady who does her fingernails. She brought her two daughters and husband. The missionaries and Bruce shared some thoughts about families. It was very special. We also went to institute and church. The members all wanted to feed us – they are very hospitable. The missionaries there are also very great. It is hard to stop thinking of all of the wonderful memories that were made, but it is time to end for now.

Comments:

Jana said…

I have to second that blog, we have been so blessed by the visit to Portugal and the people over there have made an impact on our lives for good. Mom and Dad are truly changing the lives of many. Being with them for that short week has made me realize how blessed we are to live where we do the church is defiantly true and is the same everywhere. I loved that chocolate granola too yum!
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 9:10:05 AM

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Thanks for coming. We loved the visit and your comments were especially kind. We do sincerely love these good people and the opportunity to share the great message of the restoration.
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 3:42:12 PM

Magan said…

We are glad you are home safe. The Parker’s look like incredible missionaries. See you this week..
Tuesday, November 25, 2008 6:34:22 PM

Meg the gem said…

I loved reading about your trip! What an awesome opportunity! It was also great to see what one of my fave seminary teachers is doing (post-seminary!) I was very blessed to be taught “in my youth” by someone who is still so dedicated to the Lord!

On a side note–today at the grocery store I was in the produce section and the bags of potatoes said they came from Rexburg, ID. I sniffled a little bit inside, and the people around me probably thought I was a little strange to be staring at a bag of potatoes!
Wednesday, November 26, 2008 9:48:36 PM

For those of you who are planning on coming to visit Bruce and Sharon in Portugal, here is some “heads up” information. Don’t forget to bring your tennis shoes! Oh, and you might want to train at least for a few months so you’ll be able to keep up. These two missionaries have the energy and stamina that most 20 year olds would covet! We are amazed at how many steep castle stairs Sharon can climb in her missionary attire. She is definitely not a wimp! Bruce is amazing with his navigation skills and knowledge of cool places, the roads here are very hard to follow and figure out. They both are fun to listen to when they converse in Portuguese. The people we have met from their ward help us understand how easy it is to love and humbled at the sacrifices they make to be a member of our church.

Helping serve at the soup kitchen was gratifying. The man who owns the kitchen has a heart of gold. It was a privilege to get to be able to help and witness that goodness. I hope it will be a lasting impression that will keep us wanting to be a little bit more giving and especially more thankful!

We went to some more catellos and to the beach! It is very beautiful here as you can tell from the pictures. It is wonderful to be able to see the beautiful world and visit with the sweet people and then come back to Bruce and Sharon’s to eat American food! (I wasn’t too excited when I saw a baby pig and also a rabbit shrink wrapped in the meat section of the grocery store) They do have some very yummy granola with chunks of chocolate and nuts – I plan on bringing some of that home!

It is fun to meet the people that we’ve been reading about. We are grateful we’ve had the opportunity to come and share a little bit of this time with The Parkers and learn from their examples. Missions are not easy, but the good things that they are accomplishing is fun to watch as it is rolling forward.

Comments:

Patricia said…

I love reading your blog and seeing the pictures! You all look so good. Keep having fun and enjoying your time with the Parkers. It’s great seeing them as missionaries! Love to all!
Saturday, November 22, 2008 11:26:27 AM

Jana said…

We are thinking we need to have another trip to Portugal we missed out on some cool stuff! We thought we saw it all. And my legs are still burning from the fast pace those two have!! Glad your having fun.
Saturday, November 22, 2008 4:50:59 PM

John said…

We are in training. I hope we will be ready by June to take on the fast Portugal pace. It will be a great time. We loved the photos. Thanks for sharing. We are a bit jealous to see you so close to Grandma and Grandpa.
Sunday, November 23, 2008 4:03:20 PM

We are having a great time here in Portugal. We are doing it “Parker Style” we don’t just take the beaten path up the castles we take the secret paths which makes it even more exciting. I wouldn’t have it any other way. We go from 7 AM until midnight everyday so far, so we can fit in all the fun. We hit the beach this morning and gathered some fun shells for the kids to enjoy. We are off to the soup kitchen to do some service. More to come later.

Comments:

michelle said…

Looks like a wonderful time. It’s fun to see you with Bruce and Sharon. Can’t wait to hear all about your trip.
Friday, November 21, 2008 12:29:24 PM

Whitney said…

Jodi, I didn’t know you were going to get to do all of this traveling. How fun. Looks like an awesome trip. Have fun.
Friday, November 21, 2008 9:47:19 PM

Mi Madre y Padre!It was great to hear our children’s voices tonight! Everyone sounds soo good. We are now in Portugal and very excited to spend time with the Parker missionaries of Portugal.

Here are some photos from today’s fun. We hit the Louvre and saw lots! of art, walked down the road where the Tour de France ends and also the Paris marathon! We tried to go on a recommended boat ride from Jana and Ryon, but it was closed for today. Instead we made it back to the Musee de Rodin to look at “the thinking man”.

Our flight from Paris to Portugal was delayed for one hour, but we finally arrived here. It is good to be here and so fun to see Bruce & Sharon!
Enjoy.

		The Louvre is enormous!
Mona Lisa	lots of bare nakedness	sculpture of the married couple
front of the Louvre	Tour de France Route (and Paris Marathon)	Big leaves
Pretty Fall Day in Paris	The Thinking Man

Comments:

Patricia said…

I’m sure enjoying your comments and pictures of your trip. Thanks for sharing them. It is good to see Share and Bruce. They look geat! Continue having a good time. Things are fine at home. Be safe! Love you, Mom Baldwin

Thursday, November 20, 2008 8:50:58 AM

Patricia said…

I’m sure enjoying your comments and pictures of your trip. Thanks for sharing them. It is good to see Sharon and Bruce. They look geat! Continue having a good time. Things are fine at home. Be safe! Love you, Mom Baldwin

Thursday, November 20, 2008 8:50:58 AM

Dad said…

It looks like Pat is getting a little forgetful, and is starting to repeat herself. We are really appreciating the visit.
Thursday, November 20, 2008 12:44:55 PM

Notre-DameDay Two – Mardi (Tuesday)

Stephen knows how to pack it in – here are the highlights of yesterday…he also has been good at intermixing languages. He keeps people guessing with his mixed languages, English, Spanish, Korean, and he even said hello to a little boy in Chinese. He has been able to communicate using his Spanish when English doesn’t work! It is kind of comical at times.

First stop – Pantheon
The great and the good of France are buried here including Voltaire and Victor Hugo. Also Louis Braille. There were some cool modern art statues around as well.

Second up – Notre Dame
This great Gothic Cathedral was completed in 1334 (took 170 years to build). It represents the geographical heart of France. The details were amazing.

Stopped by a street vender for lunch and enjoyed a crepe.

Next – We tried to go to the Centre George Pompidou (home to the Paris Museum of Modern Art) but it is closed on Tuesday. We had fun admiring the exterior- the architects of the building startled everyone by turning the building “inside out”. The pipes are color coded and run along the outside of the museum: bright green for water, yellow for electricity, and blue for air conditioning. There is a cool fountain called the Stranvinsky Fountain located next to this Museum. It was inspired by composer Stravinsky’s ballet, The fire bird. The bird spins and sprays water. Our kids would have loved it – so we took lots of pictures!

The Louvre – We should have done a little more research, because we made the trek to the Louvre and found out it is closed on Tuesdays as well. We are planning on going there today.

We enjoyed a beautiful Fall walk along the Sein River on our way to see the outside of a few buildings. The Musee de Orsay (another art museum) and Hotel des Invalides (the building built to house the wounded solidiers of the 17th century – Napoleon Bonaparte’s body rests in a crypt directly below the golden dome).

We tried to go to a Jazz club for dinner and some Jazz music. When we found it, we saw that is was no longer in business. We eventually stopped in a McDonalds – because of our lack of French speaking we aren’t quite sure what we are getting into, so we opted for something we know. We aren’t that adventurous when it comes to food. Although McDonalds can be an adventure – I got the Paris salad.

We walked past the Saint-Chapelle on our way home. Something was going on with this building because there were three police with machine guns located at every door and two huge police vans loaded with police. This chapelle is called “a gateway to heaven”. It was built to house relics collected by St Louis on his many crusades. It is considered the most beautiful church in Paris because of the beautiful stained glass and domed roof.

Here we go for another day in beautiful Paris!

again with the metro music – it is really quite amazing how talented these people are.	Centre Georges Pompidou	Sein River Walk – the leaves on the ground are enormous!
Hotel des Invalides	Inside the Dome Church where Napoleon is burried.	Mini car
Stephen really wanted to go see “the Thinking Man”, but the Musee de Rodin was also closed!	Where we get our pan de chocolats by our hotel.	Saint Chapelle
Lots of stairs to get to the Metro, and I was worried about getting my exercise in!	Pan de Chocolat – good thing we are walking alot and going up and down stairs!	Stravinsky Fountain
Music on the Metro.	Pantheon	more details
Serious details on the building of Notre-Dame.	beautiful stained glass in Notre-Dame	Look at that chandelier!
First view of Notre-Dame inside. The ceilings are amazing with their Gothic design!	More detail on the door!	Crepes are good here!
Metro – our mode of transport!	more metro music – Jodi’s favorite!

Paris AirportExusez-moi parlez-vous anglais? (par-lay voo ong-lay) That means, “Excuse me, do you speak English?” This is the phrase we are getting really well at speaking here in Paris! And YES the french people are very kind. They speak English actually well when they answer “A little bit.”

It felt like a marathon day yesterday. We were able to fit a lot in despite having little sleep. We made up for it by going to bed last night at 8 pm and not waking up this morning until 9:30 am. Hopefully we are good to go when we hit Portugal.

Our favorite thing we did yesterday was climbing the steps of the Eiffel Tower and then seeing it glimmer at night. It really was beautiful! We also saw the Sacre-Core, Arc de Triomphe, and Moulin Rouge. The Metro is as easy to use as Paul reassured us. We did run into a girl who quickly grabbed our hands before we could get away and she made us each a friendship bracelet each. We told her we didn’t have any money (we hadn’t gotten any euros yet) and she just continued making them asking us all about ourselves. When she finished and realized we really didn’t have any money, she said I’ll take some gum – you Americans always carry chewing gum. So now we don’t have any gum!

The Sacre-Core was our next favorite. It is very beautiful, and the atmosphere around the Sacre-Core is very nostaglic of Paris. There were many artist’s set up painting for the tourists, the streets are close together and made of millions of stones, and the apartments have window boxes oozing flowers. It is very lovely to look at.

We also ate our first pan le chocolat (pan le shoko-lah). The man at the shoppe gave us two extras with a wink. We have yet to meet any snubby French people. The croissants with chocolate inside were very delicious – all of the pastries here are very beautiful to look at. We were greeted at the airport by Jana and Ryon (waiting for their flight home) and they recommended this, and also gave us the low down on Paris. Thanks guys!

We miss our children like crazy but know they are well taken care of and happy at home. (We got them some fun souvenirs already) It would have been very difficult to travel with a baby, so I know JT is much happier at home. I am grateful that my friend Darla talked me into going without, even though it was a hard idea to embrace it was the right decision.

Au revoir (oh ruh-war)

Our Hotel	The Metro – much like the NYC subway and as easy to use as Paul promised.	Day shot of Tour Eifell – we saw two GIANT rats across the street (No exaggerating!)
Merry go round	Arc de Triompe – Napoleon’s triumphal arch, celebrating battle victories.
	Very lovely streets of Paris
Very Chic	Paris Artists	Sacre Coeur – watches over Paris from its highest point. The basilica was built as a memorial to the 58,000 French soliders killed during the Franco-Prussian War and took 46 years to build and cost 6 million euros to build.
French Kissing – G version	The steps of Sacre Couer – we saw a man taking pictures of his beany baby bear here! (We had to turn away and stifle a grin)	Pretty houses
Thes puppies cost us two packs of gum	Sein River	we walked to the top 700 steps – fascinating engineering!
Top of the Eiefel Tower	The Eiffel Tower at night is lit in blue lights right now- it “twinkles” 10 minutes out of every hour. Very beautiful!	Eiffel Tower was erected for the Universal Exhibit of 1889. Six million visitors a year ascend to the top of this most famous Paris landmark.

Comments:

Mom and Dad Parker said…

Welcome to Europe! If you like Paris, you are really going to love Portugal, and it’s at least 10 degrees warmer here. But people seem good everywhere. See you Wednesday night.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 10:12:45 AM

Scott said…

Wow, I miss Europe. Seeing those narrow streets makes me really miss England.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 1:53:28 PM

John said…

It looks great. We are getting excited. Take good notes for us. It sure doesn’t look like Bolivia. Enjoy the great food and beautiful landscapes. Say hi to Mom and Dad for us. We are excited to see all of your photos. Even if it is 5000 of them.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 3:12:13 PM

Paul said…

I told ya! Paris is my favorite spot in Europe. So much to see and so easy to get around.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 4:55:26 PM