Santo Domingo Temple

This is the Temple we attend every week, most of the time we attend an endowment session, and sometimes we have the opportunity to participate in the sealings.

We live less than a block away from this beautiful Temple, The MTC and the patron housing are also there next to the Temple. When I see the Santo Domingo Temple from our balcony, it reminds me of the primary song

"I love to see the Temple."

Our home in Santo Domingo

Yes, there we are looking at the temple from our balcony. The climate is warm all year around. No snow or bitter cold weather.

We are residents of torre conservatorio and are loving it. On the front of our home there is a park with a building dedicated to the arts surrounded by many, many trees, not a common thing here.

Our new Calling

We are now living in the Dominican Republic since January of this year. Daniel is now the new Director of Temporal Affairs for the Caribbean area. He is so far doing a good job considering all the work he had to do with the earthquake in Haiti. He is working 24/7 as usual.

Daniel was recently asked to be a counselor in the East Santo Domingo mission presided by Guillermo Antivilo. We go to remote places to see how some new branches are doing and to give support to the members. I have been asked to help with instructing the sisters as well. here we are in this picture in the antivilo's home with the rest of the counselors, former counselors and their spouses.

my grandson Nixon

This is the newest member of our family and a miracle too. Nixon Dame was born on February 17 2010. For many months my daughter Cristi was told of so many possible complications with her baby from downs syndrome to not making it full term. Her feeding tube was blocking the nourishment that the baby needed and wasn't growing at the normal rate. All that caused Cristi and Brooks to be very anxious for their child to be born and to know exactly what they were up against.

After many agonizing months of speculations, the baby came as beautiful as any new born could ever be. He was perfectly form and the miracle of so many prayers asking for his well being was evident at his birth. Our Nixon has been born to goodly committed parents who love each other and will care for him forever. This is a fortunate child who was born to a covenant family.

A day in Bianca's life

Bianca moved from Richmond Virginia to New York after her husband Joseph Graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University in Advertising.

Bianca graduated from Utah State University in Music Therapy. She has been working on recording more of her music. Her first CD "Promise" came out on November 2007. She is now working on producing her second album.

She is a talented singer and song writer. She was working as the chorister in Primary and now she works with the Young Women. She is an amazing speaker and has done wonderful firesides for the young women. Another hobby of hers is making beautiful jewelry.

Around June 2010 she participated in the Lilith contest of 554 participants and finished 5th overall and 3rd as a semi-finalist. Her artistic ability to do good music has finally started to show.

Turning 50 on January 3rd 2010

Yes I have come of age and my daughters and Daniel wanted to celebrate it in style. On Jan. 1st They invited people to the house for dinner and got a mariachi band to sing las mañanitas and produced a very touching dvd of people saying nice things about me. they gathered several pictures of me to produce it. toward the end they even hired a DJ and turned the home into a real disco. Amazing !!!

A tradition of sub for Santa

First Christmas and New Years with all the children was great. We had to combine and accommodate every body's traditions so that we all would enjoy the holidays.

Tradition #1 The annual family picture x-mas card

Tradition #2 drawing names for the gift exchange. The children were separate from those over 18

Tradition #3 going to Chachis for her annual Christmas dinner and white elephant game.

Tradition #4 stuffing the stockings with fruit, not just candy

Tradition #5 choosing a needy family to do a sub for Santa

Tradition #6 bake cookies or goodies to take to neighbors

Tradition #7 reading Luke and dramatization

Tradition #8 staying up late to open one gift at midnight

Tradition #9 for new years eating the 12 grapes

Tradition #10 watching the New York count down

Tradition #11 dance till you drop at Bettons which we didn't do this year because we decided to have our own party

Of all those traditions the one that has always kept us from being too greedy is to think of someone else to give. this year we took gifts to a family that didn't know or will ever know where those gifts came from. We got together as a family and wrap all the gifts according to their name. We then took them to their home to surprise them. That family had nothing, not even a x-mas tree and that my friends, was the highlight of the season.