Helicopter crash in Aurora

We had a bit of excitement the night before last. At around 12:30 AM a medical helicopter ran into a radio tower and crashed in a field nearby. You may have heard about it on the news. The tower is only about a quarter of a mile away from where we live. As a matter of fact I can see it out the back window. They have started dismantling it today around 5:30 PM. If you look close at the picture you can see people on the tower It is raining a little bit today. I would not like to be the one on the tower undoing the bolts.

Thoughts on Fall

"I like spring, but it is too young.

I like summer, but it is too proud.

So I like best of all autumn,

because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer,

and it is tinged with a little sorrow.

Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring,

nor the power of summer,

but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age.

It knows the limitations of life and its content."

- Lin Yutang

-Shelly

A Time Capsule in Michigan!!!

Lynn and I were extremely fortunate while we were visiting my sister Ami in Dearborn, MI to tour a partial sector of automobile industrialist’s Henry Ford’s Greenfield Village. Lynn and I felt like we stepped back into time viewing buildings from the 17th century to the present. Model A’s and Model T’s were taking passengers and guests on tours around the village to heighten their experience. Stone by stone, Henry Ford was determined to recreate homes, stores and buildings from personal and historical heroes and he created a time capsule of a period in time when life seemed simpler than they do now. Candy stores, a pottery barn, along with a tin house, and a working train roundhouse, churches and homes (etc.) dot the landscape. Historians will see a glimpse of Orville and Wilbur Wright, Thomas Edison's laboratory, furniture from President Abraham Lincoln and George Washington, and other historical items and landmarks. My sister Ami said Greenfield Village takes on a different atmosphere for every season and holiday. So, if you find yourself in Dearborn, MI for the upcoming holidays you might want to visit Greenfield, breathe in the fresh air, and tour a remarkable village and see for yourself what is considered to be the largest (and for me ... the most beautiful) outdoor museum in America.
-Shelly

It is a Special Day for us!

The Incredible Adorable Seth Min Cheol !

On Friday (10/3), mom, Lynn and I made our way north to Glenview to visit with Cori (my niece) and to meet our new nephew, and for mom to see her second great-grandson. We had a wonderful time. Cori (like her sister Kristi) are wonderful moms and it is so fun to see the new generation of Larsens, Bates, Hills and Mohrs coming into their own. We spent probably more time than we should have with Cori and Seth Min Cheol . Because they are adopting their son from South Korea, they have guidelines that will help Seth Min Cheol have an easier adjustment to his new family, surroundings and culture. We were heading out of the door when Jeff came home. After a long hard day, Jeff was as cordial and gracious as ever to pose for a few family portraits.

Lynn and I had a wonderful week with mom. We tried to cram too much into a short period of time, but we were so glad and felt so grateful to have mom stay with us as long as she did. Next year we are hoping mom will stay with us for at least 2 weeks. :o)

-Shelly

PS
I still have one more post coming of our trip to Ami's and our adventures in Greenfield Village. Stay tuned! ;o)

Pictures of Love

Words cannot describe what a wonderful feeling it is to be with our families. Here are just a few of the pictures I took while in Michigan with my nephews, my niece, my sister, my mom, my brother-in-law, my husband, my brother, along with Shirley and Lee, who may not be related to us by blood, but they are indeed a part of our family by the love they have for us and through the love we have for them. I have and am a part of the BEST family(ies) ever!
*Shelly

CONGRATULATIONS MAX!!!

Lynn and I spent a fantastic and wonderful weekend with my sister, Ami and her family, in Dearborn, MI. My sister as always was a gracious and talented hostess. My mom who lives in Utah was with us as well as my brother, Richard, who flew into Dearborn from Utah on Friday to be with us for the weekend. I presented my family with Chicago Bear jerseys and my family proudly put them on, even being in the country of the Detroit Lions.

The reason we all congregated in Dearborn was because my nephew, Maxwell, was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by his father yesterday. Max and his father are dressed in white to represent purity, and how spiritually clean an adult or child (being eight (8) years of age) becomes when they are baptized. Once Max was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church we gathered together and had a wonderful dinner. (Max and Ryan (Max's friend) had their 8th Birthday a day apart, so both Ryan and Max were baptized by their fathers on Saturday.) The entire day was special, spiritual and a supportive gathering for family and friends who loved Max and wanted to honor him on his monumental day.

I will be breaking my trip to Michigan up in bits and pieces for my next few posts since we did so many fun things, such as touring Greenwich Village (an historic town created by Henry Ford), we attended Max and Tim’s soccer games, and just had a wonderful family weekend. If I tried to put all my pictures of the trip on our blog it would probably clog the system and no one would be able to download our blog or any other blog site on the web due to my extensive Dearborn photo album. (I guess that means if you want to see more of our trip to Michigan, you'll have to tune in or log on to our blog and check it out for at least the next few weeks!)

I love my family. I can’t get enough of being with them and I value the times we do get together.
-Shelly

In honor of tomorrow and the first day of fall, and the fact that Lynn and I are having astounding adventures with our move to Illinois, I am reminded of Robert Frost’s poem.

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
two roads diverged in a wood, and I --
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-Shelly

Welcome to the Family Seth!!!!

I couldn't wait to post today. Lynn and I have wonderful news!!! Our niece, Cori, and her husband Jeff, is in South Korea picking up my new baby nephew, Seth Min Cheol Mohr.
Seth will be twelve months old in November and has been living with a foster family until Cori and Jeff could get the necessary adoption paperwork from the US and South Korea completed.
Jeff and Cori met Seth for the first time when these pictures were taken (today or yesterday in Korea) and will be picking him up for real on Thursday and heading for home on Friday (9/19). It is a glorious time for our family(ies) who have been praying for this day to come, and now it is nearly here.
I hope Cori doesn't mind that I have borrowed a few pictures from her blog site so you can see how beautiful and healthy my (great) nephew is. It is indeed a happy day for our family.

-Shelly

PS

Jeff's grin was as big and as captivating as Cori's when he was holding Seth, but I couldn't pull off the pictures of him from their slide show. There is nothing like a mother and father holding their son (or daughter) for the very first time.

Wind Pipes of Love

I am calling the 'wind pipes of love' the loud and deafening Illinois insects known as the cicadas. The noisy mating and social rituals make the night sounds (crickets, frogs, etc.) of Davis County (in Utah) sound like whispering gnats. When I first heard the cicadas this summer I thought our house had been invaded by rattle snakes. Lynn told me the noise was coming from the cicadas. Have you ever stood under a noisy light pole and heard a constant buzzzzz? That is what the cicadas sound like but amplified by 100 decibels.

The cicadas I've heard this summer are annual guests. They emerge in the summer from their larvae stage under the ground and immediately crawl, climb, or fly clumsely to the closest plant, tree, building, etc. and begin singing, and singing, and then singing some more. There are periodical cicadas that emerge in the midwestern states on a 13 or 17-year cycle. Last summer (2007) Illinois was lucky #17 for the cicadas. If Lynn and I are still living in Illinois in 13 or 17-years, we will be investing in a few good pairs of ear plugs so we can sleep at night.

As with crickets, it is the male cicadas that ‘sing’ to entice the female cicadas. Large groups of males clump together. The loud(er) the noise the more females they attrack. All the loud racket disrupts the birds and other insect or animal species that might try making a cicada sandwich for dinner. (It is the usually the early cicadas that are gobbled up by dogs, cats and the birds. But, there are sooo many new cicadas (even when we are not on a 13 or 17-year cycle) that emerge every day that the dogs, cats and birds are sick of them and leave them alone. ) The louder they sing, the more females they attract. It’s a stereophonic symphony of sorts. It will seem like one tree will vibrate and sing, a neighboring bush will pipe in until the whole day or night sky is filled with the rattling boisterous music or noise of the cicadas.

The cicadas are buzzing their last breaths as we approach fall. They will all die out until next summer's generation appears and begins their energetic and earsplitting 'wind pipes of love'.

-Shelly

Summers Last Fling

Naperville had summer’s last fling on Saturday, Sunday and Monday (Labor Day). We went, along with our friends Donna and Daryl Miyasaki. The Last Fling had tons of things to do, along with food to eat, and things to see. We had fun watching tossing and pole events from the Highland Games. Saturday was also a day for the dogs!!! Dogs were in their element as they ran and caught Frisbees at a dog’s Frisbee competition.

Donna has been a constant source of comfort to me over the last few months. A few weeks ago she was afflicted with Bells Palsy. Her affliction though didn’t stop her from having a great time in Naperville. We had a barbecue and a fun card game on Labor Day to celebrate our friendship.

With cool air and a down pour of rain today, seeing pictures from our ‘Last Fling of Summer’ makes me feel warm inside. (now .... if my family will note, in a few pictures how big my smile is and what I have in my hand ... it's COTTON CANDY!!!)

-Shelly

New Opportunities and Challenges

I started a temporary job with US Bank today for Kelly Temporary Services. It is a position for two maybe three months.

Another piece of GREAT news, “I HAVE A JOB”!!!!! A real job!!!!! A different job. A non temporary job. It’s a part time position that will move into a permanent one. I will be working with the Samaritan Counseling Center in Barrington, IL. I am so excited. The Samaritan Counseling Centers are dotted across the country. This is the first counseling center in Barrington and it will open in October. I will either be starting on September 15th or the 1st part of October. Here is Samaritan Counseling Center’s website http://www.samaritancounselingnwsub.org/. Naperville also has a Samaritan Counseling Center. It has been open since 1971. Here is their website http://www.samaritancenter.org/. This webpage will provide you with additional insight to our center's goals.

Barrington http://www.ci.barrington.il.us/
is another exquisite and small town in Illinois. I may be whistling a different tune on the first snow day, right now the drive is awesome, except when I'm at a dead stop at a light signal for five minutes or so. But, the job is worth it.
-Shelly

An adventuresome visit with Morton!

Lynn and I had the wonderful opportunity [Lynn is still questioning my enthusiasm after 8 long hours and sore feet to boot if he had a good time or not.] to tour Chicago's world acclaimed Morton Arboretum, which is located in Lisle, IL. The Morton Arboretum is one of the largest Arboretums in the country. This is the same ‘Morton’ who is the founder of Morton Salt and has ‘Morton’ factories surrounding the Great Salt Lake. The Arboretum’s 1,700 acres is the home to 4,000 different species of trees. In fact, 185,000 plants, bushes and trees, from various global terrains, have been catalogued and are viewable while touring the 14 miles of hiking trails and nine miles of roadways.

Lynn and I, of course, started our tour on the tram that shuttled visitors around the park. After our guided tour we took our car around the park so I could get better pictures of the Arboretum and plant life. Some of our favorite moments were walking through the interactive ‘Children’s Garden’ and the ‘Maze Garden’. They were spectacular and so fun to explore. This summer the Arboretum’s landscape was dotted by humongous ants. The ants were made entirely out of wood fibers and sticks. I hope you can see in the pictures the intricate detail of the ants.

I apologize in advance for all the pictures, but I did scale them back from what I did have for our blog site. You are viewing the short(er) version of our visit to Morton Arboretum. Lynn slept through most of the complete epic screening of our trip.

-Shelly

(TSO) Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Okay Okay!!!! I know it is early but if you have never had the chance to go to a TSO (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) concert and you like to listen to rock like I do on occasion, you will have to either go to one of TSO's concerts or purchase one their albums. TSO only does Christmas concerts and their tickets are going on sale shortly. If you have never heard them, I have included a link on the side margin (Wait for the page to finish loading before clicking on one of the song titles in the side bar, then sit back and enjoy a few moments of one TSO's Christmas songs.). I am sure that you have heard some of their music before. Shelly and I have been to 2 of their concerts and have seen children from 2 years of age to people in their 80s. Shelly had to drag me kicking and screaming to the first one I went to. After the concert was over I told Shelly that we would have to go to the next one when it came back into town. You can click here to go to their site so you can find when and where they are playing near you. I think that it is a great concert, but then again I have always been a bit strange.

Chicago, at last!!!!!

Last Friday Lynn and I ventured into the west part of Chicago for a possible job opportunity. These are pictures I took from our car window as we were driving into Chicago. WOW!!!!! It’s a beautiful and spacious skyline. In October (2008), Lynn and I will be celebrating our first year in Illinois and this was the first time we ventured downtown. I am EAGER to explore more of the city. Lynn, on the other hand, said as we were driving into Chicago that he could see himself living in Castle Dale, Utah.

The future and the past!

Last Friday Lynn and I toured Walter Payton’s Roundhouse in Aurora. Walter Payton was an NFL Hall of Famer and played with the World Champions Chicago Bears. Walter renovated and (re)opened the Roundhouse in 1996. The Roundhouse is a restaurant and brewery. A museum of Walter Payton and the Chicago Bears memorabilia lie within the Roundhouse. The brick building is completely round and it was amazing as Lynn and I walked through the circle. Besides the restaurant and museum, we found a gift shop, piano bar, a comedy club, banquet facilities and a large ballroom. An open air courtyard is perfect for the setting. While we were touring the courtyard they were beginning to fire up the barbecues. The hot dogs, hamburgers, meat and chicken, smelled heavenly. Lynn and I were fortunate also in our wanderings to discover the Roundhouse brewery for rootbeer. Being the rootbeer coinsurers we are, we just had to try the rootbeer. Hmmmmmmm!!!!


The roundhouse was constructed in 1856 when Aurora was considered to be the site for a railroad car building and repair shop for Chicago Burlington and Qunicy Railroad. There were 42 car stalls which made a complete circle. An engine would come in and either pick up or deposit a railcar in one of the stalls.
A train depot was built later connecting to the Roundhouse. Today the train depot is the last or first stop (Depending on which way you’re traveling. Lynn and I are about a mile away from the Route 59 stop.) on the Metra Burlington Northern Santa Fe Line from Aurora into Union Station (downtown Chicago). The Roundhouse is the oldest existing limestone roundhouse in the nation.

Pretty good storm in Illinois

This week we had a storm come through that produced some 3 tornadoes. One tornado passed to the north and 2 to the south of us. The storm was awesome! I have never seen so much lightening at one time or from one storm. I captured two pictures of ligthening. I had to shoot the pictures through our windows because of the strong winds and rain, so our windows didn't cooperate due to the down pour of rain running off the glass.

This shot is what the sky looked like during a minor strike in the sky (a little light but not much.)

During some of the multitude of strikes in the sky it looked like this. (You can see a little tail of lightning coming out of the bottom.) The sky looked like this much of the time during the storm due to the tremendous amounts of lightening strikes in the air.

The house in front of the complex where we live looked like this.

This was my one good shot at the same location. If you click on the picture it will show it in more detail. I did not notice how intricate the lightning bolts were unitl I clicked on the picture.

This storm passed us at about 8:00 to 8:30pm when normally it would still be light outside. You can see how black it got.
-Lynn

August 08, 2008

Last weekend the sun went dark as the moon completely covered it. The total solar eclipse took place from Northern Canada to China. In honor of China and the 2008 Beijing Olympics, here is a picture of the total eclipse taken at Xinjiang, China. Due to the darkened sun, the planets Mercury and Venus can be seen in the upper left portion of the picture. The next total solar eclipse will take place in July ('09) and be visible in parts of China and India.
-Shelly

A Garden Party

Every spring the Naperville’s business community sponsors artists to paint sculptures that dot Naperville’s downtown and Riverpark landscape. The first few pictures, within this slide show, are taken of Naperville's downtown community. Several of the sides of Naperville's buildings are painted with lovely murals. Bronze statues pose elegantly along city benches, outside of Starbucks Coffee, the public library, etc. all year long.

Naperville's seasonal statues have a theme this year titled, ‘Garden Party’. They are on display throughout the summer. In September the sculptures will be auctioned off. The donations will then go to Naperville’s United Way.

fyi: There are a few frog chairs and dragonfly benches that have caught my eye much to Lynn’s chagrin. If I bid on a few frogs and dragonflies statues I might come away from the auction as a new owner of a chair or bench; then, I have no idea where we will put it in our townhouse.
-Shelly

Eclair Dessert

My sister Alicia sent us a recipe for an Eclair Dessert some time back, but we have not had the opportunity to use it, at least not until last Saturday. We had a Church function last Saturday and took the dessert to it. It turned out very good. (Thanks Alicia.) (The poor people that ate it did not know that they were guinea pigs as we had not tried it ourselves first. Good thing it turned out okay.) They had a Pie Tasting contest going on. Now I did not know that the Éclair Dessert classified as pie, but I think that they judged all the desserts that people brought.) Anyway the Dessert came in third place. Everyone that tried it liked it, and some people called it a Cream Puff Dessert. It was beaten out by a Lemon Cream Pie and some kind of Chocolate pie. (I did not try the Chocolate one as I can take or leave Chocolate and I usually leave it.) I am going to post the recipe here for anyone that wants to try it. It is easy but very tasty.

When the recipe says a 12 X 17 pan it means an 12 X 17 pan. We used a cookie sheet with sides and at first I was sceptical that it would hold the dessert but the cookie sheet did its job.

Lynn

ÉCLAIR DESSERT

CRUST
Boil together:
1cube butter
¼ tsp salt
1 cup water
Take off heat and add:
1 cup flour
4 eggs- add one at a time and blend
Spread in 12X17 pan. Bake 400 for 30 min
Cool

TOPPING
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
Mix together according to package instructions
Add 1 8 oz package cream cheese. Beat till smooth
Spread over crust. Top with non-dairy whipped topping
Drizzle chocolate topping over

Summer Night Lights

Lynn and I have had a wonderful and an amazing time viewing the hundreds of fireflies around our townhouse. They are beautiful spectacles of light. The fireflies begin to flicker as the sun goes down and they dance, hover, and fly over the twilight and darkened sky. I have tried to capture them on camera with little result. Other folks on the web have managed to capture these brilliant and luminescent insects.

A few facts: The firefly is from the beetle family. There are over 100 varieties of fireflies. Each firefly family has different hues of colors. All fireflies have different reasons they flash. Some fireflies want to congregate, the majority want to mate, while other fireflies (usually the female firefly) want to snack. The flash is actually a cold light versus a warm light. *“Some 90% of the energy a firefly uses to create light is actually converted into visible light. By comparison, an incandescent electric bulb can convert only 10 percent of total energy used into visible light, and the remainder is emitted as heat.” Fireflies can be found over lawns, by streams, on bushes, in the trees, around meadows, and for us, right down on our front yard and in the back on our side street. Unfortunately for my family and friends in Utah, Idaho and California, the fireflies are only found as far east (at least in the U.S.) as Kansas.

*Wikpedia
-Shelly

More Opportunities For Us ...

I went on a job interview last Friday and I was informed today by Kelly Temporary Services that they hired someone else; however, Kelly had another opportunity for me. Instead of having a 30 minutes or longer commute, I will only have a five (5) minute commute. The company’s name is Crown Cork and Seal Company and is located in Aurora. I will start my temporary service on Monday (7/21/08) while the person I am temping for is on maternity leave. My hours are from 6:00am to 2:30pm, Monday through Friday. YIPPEEEEEeeeeeeeeEEEEEeeee!!!!
-Shelly

Storm in Chicagoland

Last Thursday we had a storm front go through. It put down about a half an inch of rain in about 20 minutes. It also was very interesting to look at as it was coming in so I decided to post a couple pictures. This is called a shelf cloud.
This is the front of the storm looking toward the northwest.

This is the Storm looking toward the northeast.

I tried to get some pictures of lightning, but the lightning would not cooperate with me so I did not. Another day perhaps.

Prehistoric Find

Last Saturday (July 5th), Lynn and I took a delightful walk and Mastodon Express tour of Phillips Park in Aurora. Phillips Park is an extraordinary park; it has several large and very old trees, picnic areas, and places to fish, an aquatic center, softball and baseball ballparks, sand volleyball courts, a small zoo, and a riding tour. (The zoo’s animals include: mountain lions, elk, wolves, foxes, raptors, turkey vulture and several reptiles, etc.) The Park sits aside one of the ultimate golf courses. There is a fantastic and very quaint spot known as the Sunken Garden. Lynn and I took a 30-minute ride on the Mastodon Express to actually tour the whole park. One of the interesting facts in the park is that while they were digging the small lake in the 1930s, they excavated several bones of a prehistoric mastodon. The mastodon's skull and a few bones are in the Visitor Center at Phillips Park.

Photos of Grandparents and Parents of Lynn

As my sister Alicia, was kind enough to send me the following pictures I have decided to post them here. I will post them according to the age of the people. That would mean that the first honor would go to Grandpa and Grandma Hook.

Alicia tells me that this was taken at their 50th wedding anniversary in 1961. Someone took pictures of the original picture and split it up. Alicia is going to see if she can find one of them together for me. If so I will remove these and post it. Grandpa George Hook passed away in 1964, and Grandma Stella Hook in 1978.

____________________________________________________________________

Then I have my Grandpa and Grandma Kotter. These would be my mothers parents. I think that this also was taken for their 5oth wedding anniversary but I am not certain. If so it would have been taken in 1970.

Grandpa Victor Kotter passed away in 1984 and Grandma Edna Kotter in 1987.

____________________________________________________________________

Then it comes to my parents. The following picture is their wedding picture. They were married in 1951

This picture would have been taken in the mid 1980's. I don't have an exact year.

Mom (Larene)passed away in 1989 and Dad (Alfred) passed away in 1998.

___________________________________________________________________

My goal is to print these off and have a pedigree wall made up of photos of grandparents, parents of both Shelly and myself. I am going to need some good quality photos of Shelly's side of the family to do this. Anyone out there who can help in accomplishing this for me? If so please email me with the jpeg images and I will do the same for her on the blog here.

Thanks

The Declaration of Independence

In the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America, the framers made the following statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness". From this website,
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration.html, you can download your own copy of the Declaration of Independence.

*Shelly & Lynn*