It's Still There!

By my calculations, it has been a few weeks since I have been able to fly an airplane. Which explains my nervous twitch and constant desire for ice cream nourishment. But today I got an opportunity to at least see my airplane when I went to pick up my AED for a software upgrade. I took a couple of pictures of my baby, and perhaps even said a few kind words and patted it gently. I miss it! Look how pretty it is! And it doesn't even matter if my flaps are drooping down! That can happen when an airplane has been sitting for a few weeks, since those things are held up by hydraulic pressure supplied by operating jet engines (vroom vroom!). Without any power to refresh those things, the hydraulic fluid will eventually empty from the lines and let the flaps sag. It's not flattering, especially on an older airplane in need of some cosmetic surgery. But did that stop me from wanting to hug my airplane? Not at all. I really do miss it when I don't see it more often. And by "seeing it," I mean flying all over North America in it, all week, every week.

As for my mission of the day, we carry an AED/defibrillator on board the airplane. And I have been First Aid and AED-certified to know how to handle one of my passengers taking a nap slightly too seriously. Sometimes I wonder where I would be able to actually USE a defibrillator on my airplane, since floor space is pretty limited. With any continued luck, I will never have to find out. The AED was due for a software upgrade, and I was willing to do anything to look at my airplane again. So I picked the equipment up at at Sky Harbor Airport before heading to my work headquarters, The Towers, to have the company nurse bring everything up to date. I passed some lovely churches on the drive and thought I'd share. I don't go to downtown Phoenix very often, and it's always fun discovering new buildings along the way. Have I mentioned I love this town? And it has nothing to do with 85-degrees and sunny...

After the software upgrade was complete, I got a call from my sister inviting me to hang out for the day. I rushed over, knowing that having family in town all weekend would mean I would have to "share" some beautiful babies with my out-of-town sister and mama. So I spent the afternoon with Evan and kissed on him plenty.

And I am sure you can see why...

A Photogenic Building

Less than two blocks away from my home stands a beautiful building. I drive past it a dozen times a day and smile at its magnificence each time. I have been meaning to take some pictures of it for months and finally had such an opportunity last night while John was in class. The temple has been closed for two weeks for maintenance while the Easter Pageant commenced on its grounds. In honor of the reopening of the temple today, here are some shots of the first temple built in Arizona, which was announced back in 1919. Ground was broken two years later, and in 1927 the temple was finally completed and dedicated for work. It was closed in the mid-1970s for some renovations and rededicated in 1975. Inside these walls? Beautiful. It is one of the most amazing buildings I have had the privilege to visit, and certainly one of my favorite temples. I married my husband there almost eighteen months ago. Can you believe we have been married that long? And just over three years ago, I went through for myself just two days prior to watching my baby brother get married there. My sister, brother, and I were all sealed to our eternal companions in the same room over a two-year period. So I have some rather partial attachments to this building and love it greatly. I was rather happy it cooperated in having some pictures taken.

Easter Means Lovin'

We had such a nice Easter. It happened to coincide with General Conference this year, so we had a nice, lazy weekend at home listening to prophetic council on how to better our lives. I love Conference. We have been anticipating it for the past month and have been so excited. I love how so many of the talks focused on Jesus Christ as our center. If we rely on Him, everything else seems to fall in place. It was a good reminder of how wonderful life can be because of Him.

In addition, my sister and her family joined us for Easter Dinner! Since we usually head to another home for such a festive occasion, I got to experience cooking my first Easter ham. It was a success, but Tyler Florence recipes usually are. It was accompanied by my Mom's recipe for Funeral Potatoes, but I substituted real scalloped potatoes instead of frozen hash browns. T'liese still won't talk to me because of it! She brought salad (Jeffy Jell-O...yum!) and drinks of berry lemonade and ginger ale, which are good alone but a knockout when combined! It's about as rowdy as a Mormon Easter Party can get, I tell you! Dinner was concluded with the Barefoot Contessa's Lemon Cake, which was incredible (she is by far my favorite chef). I got a little scared when adding one-third of a cup of lemon zest, but the cake was so light and delicious and refreshing! It was a hit, and mostly everyone went back for seconds.

On Saturday night, John arrived home after the Priesthood Session of General Conference with an Easter bouquet of flowers in hand. He is always so thoughtful and generous. These may be the most beautiful flowers I have ever seen! After being gone later that evening (helping put away hundreds of chairs at the conclusion of the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple, just a few blocks from our home), he came home to an Easter Bunny attack! Several of his favorite treats, Snickers, had been left in Easter grass nests all over the house. This was something my Mom would always do for us as kids, and I loved it! Some traditions die hard, and with any luck, this one never will. Overall, Easter treated us pretty well!

Now I'm off to finish the last few dishes. It may be the only downfall to a big holiday dinner, but my husband kept me caught up in the kitchen sink all day! He is a lifesaver in so many ways, and I am rather partial to him. Also in so many ways.