Our visit from the Templetons, Ashley and Erica

Sometimes I am VERY slow at getting posts up but I still want to share them!  This is one of those posts! 

 

We were blessed to have some of our family visit us just before Christmas! 

 

 

Our daughter Megan and her husband Ben and three of their children were the first to arrive on Christmas Eve.

 

 

 

Then our daughters Erica and Ashley joined us just a few hours later!

 

After a fun lunch together we left for Bariloche...some on the bus and some in our car!

 

 

We had fun shopping and...

 

...eating at McDonalds...

 

Look who we ran into at McDonalds!

 

We introduced them to some of the best chocolate and ice-cream in the world!

 

We rented a house by the lake for a few days.  Karlie loved her room!

 

 

 

The Spalinos were also in Bariloche for Christmas so we invited them over for dinner.  Brother Spalino is over all of the physical facilities for the South America South area.  They have lived all over the world.  We loved hearing about some of the many wonderful experiences they have had.

 

It was so fun to just spend some time together! 

 

We always love to take people to Camanario to see the beautiful view of the lakes of Bariloche.

 

We also rode a boat on Lake Victoria and stopped at two of the islands on the lake!

 

 

The seagulls would eat crackers right out of your hands!

 

 

 

We attended church in Bariloche and we all made new friends!

 

There is a wonderful place in Bariloche called Los Baqueanos where you can ride horses right up the mountain! 

 

 

We loved it!  All of us were able to ride our own horse.  

 

The scenery was beautiful!

 

This is my favorite picture!

 

 

 

 

 

One time Karlie's horse lagged behind.  We were a little worried but she handled it just fine!

 

We stopped for lunch and had time to share the gospel with those who were helping us!

 

 

 

We were all pretty dirty but we had a great time!

 

 

 

I was in the group that wanted to ride the bus on the way home to Neuquén.  It was so comfortable that I slept most of the way home!

 

 

For New Year's Eve we had an asado with those in the office. The Elders could go with a family in the ward for New Year's Eve but they were kind enough to spend the night with us!   Elder and Sister Arnaudin organized all of the food. 

 

David loved helping Elder Arnaudin do the cooking!

 

 

The Elders and our grandkids had a great time together!

 

Our Elder from Brazil is VERY good at chess!

 

We had a wonderful meal together and just as we were starting to play a few games for New Years Eve...

...the power went out! 

 

But that didn't stop us from enjoying our evening together!

 

 

The Elders needed to be home by 10:30 but at midnight the rest of us went outside to enjoy the fireworks of the New Year!

 

All too soon it was time to say good bye to Ashley and Erica so they could get ready to start school again.

 

 

We had a few more days with the Templetons to visit some of our favorite families here in Neuquén.

 

This is the Zuniga family

 

 

We also went to visit Lorena and Roldolfo and little Lorenita.

 

Our Stake President, President Paredes and his family, made some delicious pizza to share with us!

 

Nick had the opportunity to go teach with the missionaries and really enjoyed it!

 

 

The Elders also took them shopping!

 

Grandpa took them over to his office to show them some of the things he does here in the mission.

 

All to soon it was time for them to return home!

 

As we were missing them all we found a sweet note from Karlie on our blackboard in the Mission Home. 

 

Families are the best!