Crazy for Ice Cream in Wisconsin

Belts is famous for their ice cream.

Great anticipation to be lst in line for ice cream.  They actually camped out in the COLD!

January 2012 Zone Conference and Wisconsin Rapids District

Zone conference  January 12, 2012

Elders Bethers, Parker, Alleman, Richards,  Averett, Jones, Black, Berry        

President Jones, Sister Jones, Elder Bowring, Sister Bowring Sisters Johnson and Black

Ripplinger,              Harper, Shamo, Evans, Vang

Elder Bethers (Salt Lake)  Elder Shamo (Delta

Sister Johnson (St. George)  Sister Black (Springville)

Elder Evans (Salt Lake)  Elder Harper (Washington)

Elder Jones (Salt Lake)   Elder Berry (Salt Lake)

January 2012

January snow...mildest winter in many years!!

One of the Magnificient Barns!

See the black squirrel going up the tree?

Sister Beth Black from Springville, Utah. Sister Katie Johnson from Ivins, Utah.

Notice the "cool" duck tape ties and scripture covers. Missionaries are very creative.

This is how we set up cameras for a group district photo shoot. All are on timers and boy can those Elders run fast to get in place for the pictures. Just check us out below!

Wisconsin Rapids District - February 2012.

back row: Elders Harper DL, Elder Parker, Sister and Elder Bowring, Elder Shamo, Sister Black and Elder Bethers. front row: Elder Evans, Elder Ripplinger, and Sister Johnson

Ducks enjoying a winters day!

February weather with no ice and very little snow.

Family Time

Kaylie, Emri & Parker

Kaylie, Grandma, Grandpa on our favorite walking trail in Plover

Marci & Emri

Kaylie loving King Kone ice cream!

Parker at King Kone..mmmm good

Emri's turn!

Kaylie & Emri

Sweet moments with Parker and Amber

  

Emri, Grandpa and Parker

Amber & Kaylie

Grandpa & Grandma time

Playtime with grandpa

Marci, Emri, Kaylie, Parker & Amber at the train in Stevens Point

Kaylie, Parker & Amber

Stevens Point Caboose  

Christmas in Wisconsin 2011

Christmas gift from President Brent Redd, White Mesa Branch.

We are hoping President Redd doesn't know what he is talking about. ha ha!!!

But from what we are hearing.....he is right!

Wisconsin snowman this year. This was in December!!

The Wall Family invited us for dinner on Christmas Day.

Sterling Jr., home on leave from the service. Taylor, home from BYU Idaho and getting ready for a misssion this summer. Myriah 16, Sister Natalie Wall, Megan 14. Brother Sterling Wall, professsor at Wisconsin University Stevens Point, and Hannah 8. The Wall Family is a great strength, great examples and friends to all in the Branch and help the missionaries all the time!!!

Piano recital by Megan and Hannah

Sister Johnson, Sister Durfee, Megan, Myraiah and Brother Wall by the tree.

Jane & Liz Holtz. Liz is Sterling's girlfriend.

Sister Durfee, Megan, Myriah, & Hannah

David Munk, return missionary from Sister Maryanne Munk & Brother Michael Munk

Pre-Christmas dinner at the Munks. Elder & Sister Bowring, Sister Johnson, Sister Durfee, Maryanne and Michael Munk

Sister B, Sister Tina Cooper, Brother B

Sister Ruth Czernicki & Sister Johnson

We had a few decorations to bring the Christmas spirit into our apartment.

Bratzleys and a homemade bi-plane made by Maxi and Spencer. We had enough Christmas cards to fill the bar and around one wall in the living room. So fun!!

Our "Christmas Tree" this year.

Elder Bowring's Missionary Christmas sock from Marci and Taylor Family

Sister Bowring's Missionary Christmas sock from Marci & Taylor Family

Fireplace mantle

"Family" Christmas Tree. We both cried when we opened this one! Made by LeeAnn and crew, it has family memories all over it. It is like the scriptures....you see something new everytime you look at it. Thanks for the memories, and thanks for being such a great family. Love you all!!

Christmas Eve 2011

Stevens Point Train

Elder & Sister Bowring and the Christmas Train

Our Christmas caroling party. Kuangdi Lao, Sister Katie Johnson, Sister Chantelle Durfee,

Sister Bowring & Elder Bowring. It was a cold night but we spent a couple of hours

Christmas caroling to some of our members and at an apartment building. Lori Harper also went with us, but left early for a family party.

This home is decorated every year for Christmas. We thought it was a park when we first found it. Beautiful and truly amazing!

Another view of the home.

Sister Johnson, Sister Durfee & Kuangdi Lao

Still another view!

More of the same home!

We really liked this display just down the street from our apartment.

So clever!

Keeping the family tradition alive.

Sister Johnson and Kuangdi making their "Christmas train" boxes!

Kuangdi and Sister Durfee really getting into it!

Sister Durfee

Sister Johnson and her jewelery box! Haha!! The story that goes with this is that when we had the "Ugly Sweater Party" we each brought a white elephant gift. When the Elders were here in

Stevens Point, the postman brought 2 boxes to their apartment. The Elders told him that they

didn't order anything but he said he had to leave them there because of the address on the boxes. Well, they opened the boxes and they were full of little boxes of jewelery. Very strange looking

jewelery. The two boxes were just chucked away in a closet. When the sisters moved into the

apartment and found them we all had a good laugh about the Elders jewelery. Well when they needed a white elephant gift.....the jewelery was the perfect answer.....and what was even better, Elder Bowring chose (unknowingly) the jewelery for his gift. We have had alot of fun with that one and quite often someone gets a "special" gift!

Snow Popcorn!

There we did it again!!!

Our "mish" Christmas train 2011!!

Christmas carmel candy and nuts apple from Mark & Tamra Lyman!

Delicious!!!!