The Muffin Man

I know you've been wondering what Duane really does for BYU. Well, here you have it. He's known as the Muffin Man.

Every year BYU is asked to raise money for United Way. People contribute these adorable and delectable items to be sold.

Duane, aka The Muffic Man goes from division to division and sells these yummy treats.

He is quite the Muffin Man, wouldn't you agree?

School Year 2010-2011

OK, so I'm a little behind in blogging. I wanted to show off my great class I have this year. On the first day of school, I always take my picture with each individual child.

I have eighteen children this year, which is 3 less than last year and we also have one less teacher in the grade level. Every 3rd grade teacher has less children than last year. Even 3 kids makes a difference.

These kids are sweet kids and so far, we've had a great year. Yea, for happy kids and a happy teacher.

Heidi Moves

As I said in my last blog, I went to Provo last week to help Heidi move. She leased her home for 3 years to a very nice family. The man is starting law school at BYU and will be in school for 3 years. He and his wife have a 10 month old baby. They are just ecstatic to move in. Heidi knows they will take good care of her place. Before I arrived Heidi had already gone through a lot of her stuff and had it boxed up. I helped her pack what was left and then she got a U-Haul and we started loading. Her home teachers and some other men and boys came to help Duane load the furniture.

As you can see in the pictures her place is clean and ready for her tenants to move in.

Heidi is moving to California.


I'll keep you posted with more news later.

Mt. Timpanogos Temple

Last week I went to Provo again to help Heidi pack up her house and move. One morning while I was there I wanted to go to the temple in Provo, but it was still closed for some renovation. It's been closed for several weeks. I decided that I could still go if I went to Mt. Timpanogos Temple. I left early and drove to the exit. Once I got off I thought I could easily find it but I drove around for quite a while. I asked several people how to get there. After a while I finally found it. I couldn't believe how beautiful it was.

The grounds are just beautiful. Compared to my struggling yard, it was like the Garden of Eden.

The flowers and trees were so beautiful and colorful. The morning was so peaceful and serene. As I sat inside and meditated I thanked my Heavenly Father for so many blessings which I have. The chandoliers were the most exquisite I've ever seen. I've been to this temple before but this day it seemed extra special. I felt like I was in Heaven.

I am truly blessed.

Going back to Interlaken

Here we are on the little train going from Murren to where we get on the cable car.

Some breathtaking views going down.

Back to the green in Interlaken

It was a wonderful but very tiring day.

Back Down the Mountain

We are on our way back down the mountain. The last time we were there we stopped at this restaurant in Murren and saw that they had apple strudel. They have a sauce that they put over it and it is delicious! We wanted to stop again. In their little restaurant you sit down in a booth that overlooks a pretty severe drop off. It kind of seems scary to look down and know that you are just sitting above this big drop.

Here is this delicious treat!

Heidi taking it all in.

This is real life for the people that live on the mountain, simple and laid back. Oh, what a life that would be. It makes me think of my Great Grandmother who came from Switzerland and what her life was like. She left this beautiful country and her family, never to see them again, to join the church and come to America. Thank you, my dear grandma for having the courage and testimony to sacrifice leaving this beautiful place and your family to become a member of the church and give your future family endless opportunities for happiness.

Gimmelwald

This is a view of Gimmelwald. Heidi is looking up at the Alps. The thing that surprised me is that some of the small towns are actually down at the bottom inbetween the Alps. The mountains are surrounding the small towns. Even though they are down below some of the mountains, we still had to ride two trains and a cable car to get up high enough to get to these towns. They are very high up.

This is the only road to get to the town. I don't know how they get enough supplies up here to live. There are no cars up here, and no public transportation. Little carts and by foot are the only way to get here. I don't even know how they get the little carts up here. They mostly just live off the land. They eat a lot of bread and cheese.

This is a very typical scene that you see as you walk along. Mostly everyone has a small house and a barn of two. When it's warm enough in the summer, the cows graze on the hill. In the winter they take them down to warmer places.

One thing we commented several times about is how neat every home had their wood stacked. Almost every home you see has a wood pile like this. It is cut to almost the exact same length. Everything in Switzerland is neat and orderly and very, very clean. Even in the bigger towns like Interlaken, they sweep the sidewalks daily and they don't sweep the dirt and debris into the street. They get a dust pan and pick it up and throw it away. It is a wonderful country indeed.