If you have been reading our Blog, then you know we (me and my hubby of 46 years) have been living in Reykjavik, Iceland for the past 10 months. We were asked by our local Church leaders if we would consider moving to Iceland for one year and participate in a Family Search Records Preservation project. We agreed, actually honored, to even be considered for this amazing task. It took a few months to get organized and say good-bye to our family, friends, neighbors, and business partners around the world.
So, here we are, 10 months later, and ALL of the Church Census records have been captured, sent to Frankfurt, Germany, and then on to Salt Lake City, Utah. From there, the records have been organized by Family Search and placed under the 'Indexing' tab at www.familysearch.org where the records we have been capturing for the past 10 months will be 'Indexed'. This means every name and information next to it on a captured page will be pulled off and placed individually on www.familysearch.org where YOU or others of Icelandic descent can connect and create their family.
If you are not Icelandic descent, no worries, similar projects have been and are still going on around the world. So, WHO are YOUR ancestors? Where are YOUR roots. Would you love to either read stories about your ancestors or share some of your own? This is the place to do it, www.familysearch.org and you can even add pictures. Go, Enjoy, and Share/Find YOUR story!
We have been busy having fun, seeing, learning, and making more great memories. Below are random pictures of what we've been up to and who we've been hanging around with.
There were LOTS of rainbows in the fall sky for weeks
Our daughter, Tracie, sent us all of doTERRA's new products!
It was great adding to our personal beauty collection (yes, Terry loves them too)!
My cute sister has been busy at home, canning for the winter.
Precious friends (and found out we're cousins) are ALWAYS welcomed
We love it when the young missionaries come to the National Archives of Iceland to visit and see what we do all day long :)
Ever since our son Tyler visited in August, Terry loves to take pictures of the penny candy (above) and pylsurs (below), just to show Ty his two favorite foods in Iceland
Honest, we did not go looking for this waterfall or water tank. We went shopping at a new store, looked out the back window, and there they both were. LOVE ICELAND!
We decided the most scary thing in Iceland for Halloween were the prices for the Trick or Treat candies. Those same bags would sell for around $15 in Utah. In Iceland they are between $45 and $55. YIKES!
It is always a treat when the young missionaries share their talents.
Arnar is still our favorite at Church. He's a perfect example of Christ-like love and service. He's responsible, kind, happy, and loves everyone. He asked Terry if he could go home with us in January. Ah...maybe :) We are very proud of him.
Late October and the first snowfall covered the mountains. So Pretty!
At home, the deer hunt started, and pictures like these made Terry's heart drop and soar. He loves that his grandsons love the outdoors.
One of the main things that makes it 'ok' for Terry to be missing the hunt are watching the Northern Lights. He checks the forecast every single day, if the chances of seeing them are high, his nose is stuck to our kitchen window. We never get tired of watching them.
The first snow outside our apartment in Reykjavik. So Pretty!
See Flat Stanley...he visited us in Iceland. He LOVED the Icelandic horses.
WOWSER - the books come in all shapes and sizes. Those little skinny books were really hard to capture, for me anyway. It takes patience to get them 'just right'. Terry said "let me do them." He has the patience of Job and does an excellent job of capturing. I'm so grateful for a wonderful companion.
We have made it a tradition to take the young missionaries and their companions out for a fun lunch, the day or so before they return home. After serving, caring, sharing, loving, and smiling, they deserve more. This was good-bye to Elders Stirk and Geslison. Elders Stewart and Ludwig were happy to join in.
Elder Ludwig was the first done with lunch and pie.
Elder Stirk enjoying his Icelandic ice cream shake.
Elder Geslison was second in line to finish his pie.
Elder Stewart enjoyed every.single.bite!
We had a lovely lunch, where hamburgers are about $25 each...worth every single penny :)
Elder Shepherd and I were too full to get pie, so we took home a cupcake that looks like a hamburger. So yummy and clever!
This picture MELTED my heart. Our grandson, Boston, turned 11. His mother (our youngest daughter, Katie) gathered his cousins and surprised him after school for a fun party. Left to right, Kylan (Ben's son), Boston, Jack (Tyler's son), and Brit (Tracie's son). I am so grateful Families Can Be Forever....I just have to know these little guys and their family's are mine, forever.
Elder Geslison and Elder Stirk stop to pose one last time, with the wonderful young Elders who came to replace them for the next two years. Welcome Elder Wintch, Elder Rose, and Elder Clegg.
Week two of the deer hunt . . . more pictures for Terry to drool over.
Terry and I had the opportunity of spending three days with our Family Search supervisors. Left of me is Chris from England and right of Terry is Olaf from Germany. After we got our 'work' finished at the Archives, we had time to show them some of the beauty of Iceland.
Olaf REALLY wanted to take this rig home with him.
There is always a beautiful Icelandic wool sweater to gaze at in the shops.
LOOK WHAT'S COMING TO ICELAND!?!?! AWESOME :)
This is what we passed on our walk today. The Icelandic horse is beautiful as is this adorable rider.
There were plenty of mallard ducks showing off...
Some were hiding, others were enjoying the water
The ducks and geese swim right next to this bridge. We love to walk over it and watch mother nature's beauty in action.
We can hear this water flowing from our bedroom window, it's a beautiful sound that brings peace to our soul.
Lots of beautiful tress and bushes on our walk
Why does a path like this give our hearts hope? For me, it's because it reminds me that my Savior, Jesus Christ, has created a path for me to return to him and our Father in Heaven. I'm grateful for those who have held my hand, taught me, and helped me in finding my way.
Terry always LOVES IT - NOT, when I stop to take pictures :)
Terry and I had Birthdays in September and October, respectively. The children and grandchildren made the Happy Birthday 2016 book you see. Every single page has a picture and message of each person. One page for Grandpa and one page for Grandma. It has become one of our favorite books.
These are TWO adorable dancers that I had the opportunity of watching them at a competition in Reykjavik. The young man's mother, Andrea, works with us at the Archives. She invited me to go watch. It was the best Saturday afternoon. Let me tell you, Iceland has got talent when it comes to dancing.
The dancers were between 8 and 18 years old.
They were adorable to watch
Brought a smile to your face
And wished for just a moment to be young again :)
Thank you Andrea for the invite, your friendship is priceless.
When I left the dance competition the sun was just going down and I snapped a picture of this old church and the reflection captured in the river flowing by.
Ok, I know I'm a little (maybe a lot) strange. I just LOVE the baby buggies here. I couldn't help myself. I had to stop the mother pushing this buggy in the grocery store to tell her how adorable her, and her baby, and the buggy was. She said a woman here in Iceland custom makes the covers that snaps on, that are extra warm, with lots of fun colors and designs. One other thing about these buggies, you see them outside of stores, under tress, just about everywhere, WITH the babies in them. It's very customary for mother's to leave their babies outside for a nice sleep in the cold, fresh, air.
There's our Icelandic son again, Auðunn.....he's a busy tour guide here in Iceland. Sometimes he will work weeks and weeks without a break. When he lands in Reykjavik for a day, he always gives us a call to meet him for dinner and then comes home with us to visit. We always enjoy his company.
Now, take a look at this beautiful little sweater for a two year old. We went to a birthday party for Emma, our little friend. This is her grandmother and she knitted this sweater for her. Oh My Goodness. Every Icelandic woman, young and old alike, knit beautiful sweaters, hats, gloves, and socks. Many of them line the items. Just beautiful, both the sweater and the sweet grandmother.
After a day of service with the young Elders, assisting with the funeral of a dear sister, I asked the Elders to stop and pause, while I take their picture. I told them their mother´s would see it, so of course, I got the best smiles ever. (Elder Johansen was especially happy because he won his favorite soda drink to take home.)
Another day, another walk, with another beautiful picture to capture.
Neither of us can ever get enough of looking out our kitchen window. We are going to dream of this view for years to come, it is tucked away in a happy place in our hearts.
It is always fun to meet people at church who are touring Iceland and you find a connection. This is Zac Oates, his father is Bart Oates, a center who played on BYU's football team. Zac also knows the Randy and Susan Booth family really well, from Spanish Fork. It's great to meet people who also love Jesus Christ and take time to honor him and the Sabbath Day.
Ok, so I am far away in Iceland, but thanks to modern technology, I was able to watch my friends and business partners present LIVE at a huge Direct Selling MasterMind event in Florida. Justin Harrison is above and Peggy Smith is below. I am so grateful for honest, kind, and happy friends who share from their hearts the goodness they know which allows others to have a better life. They ROCKED the house!
So here we go, Thanksgiving in Iceland.
First the turkey, raised in France, 15 pounds, $63, has 15 different languages on the package. WOWSER!
Here he is, stuffed, and overflowing the pan. Good thing my Mama taught me to use tinfoil if your lid won't fit cuz the turkey's too big. He turned out delicious.
There is not a Shriley's Bakery to purchase rolls for the occasion, so Lil's rolls had to be created.
There was pumpkin pie, made with cream, because there is no such thing as evaporated milk here. They turned out yummy. Oh yea, I only have one round pie dish, so the other pie was oblong. It tasted great, too.
The best thing about making pies is making pie dough cookies with the left over dough. There would have been more cookies, but we (me and Terry), kept eating the dough :)
It's time to eat and we were blessed to have nine beautiful people sitting around our table.
Thanksgiving is a time when your heart wants to be with your family and those you love most. This year, our hearts settled to a new family, and the time spent was wonderful. We truly are one big family, under the watchful eye of a loving Heavenly Father.
The best part, YUMMY PIES, three different kinds to choose from. My pumpkin and my very precious friend, Björg, made an apple and a blueberry. It was a feast to remember.
How about this?!? Our son Ben, and his sons, made their own Thanksgiving feast. I'm only sharing two pictures with you, but there were lots more. Brendyn was well pleased the way his green bean casserole turned out.
While his father, Ben, tried to figure out, for sure, how to cook the turkey in this new contraption. Final word, took 45 minutes and it was delicious.
Yes, we missed being home with those we love most. Yet all was ok, there is a purpose in all we do.
YEA for precious friends who have become like family. This is Sabine and Mario, from Austria, and their little daughter, Lia. They are on our doTERRA team. When I met them five years ago, they were good people. Now, they are even better people, as they have learned to love themselves, trust themselves, care for themselves, and build a life full of abundance and love for others. I trained them, now they came to Iceland and trained our doTERRA Team Iceland.
We always visit the big waterfall, Gulfoss, when visitors come.
It was great having another crowd to share our Thanksgiving leftovers with. Mario, Sabine, and Juergen and Brenda Suckrow from doTERRA Europe Corporate, and my cute companion.
We learned of a new Christmas tradition last night, the FOURTH SUNDAY before Christmas. It is called the Advent Christmas Celebration. It is a German custom to have a dinner on the Fourth Sunday before Christmas, and have a wreath or decoration with four candles. The first Sunday, only one candle is lit, the second week, the second candle is lit, and so on. You can burn the candles during the week, but ONLY the candles allowed up to ones already lit. My good friend, Björg, had a German mother. This is a custom she has taught her children and now teaching her grandchildren. I feel blessed to know of this tradition.
These were our darling napkins at our Advent Christmas Dinner. My sister loves Snowmen, so I couldn't resist, to take a picture and share with her.
Christmas is in the air, the stores, streets, and homes. Here is just a preview of what we are seeing and enjoying.
Take your pick, LOTS of beautiful Christmas treasures. Even Terry was impressed and helped me shop to buy and take home with us just the perfect keep sake.
Love this Santa House
Plenty of Christmas Cookies in the stores
Yes, we have to buy and taste most of them
But no worries for the waistline, we just have a taste and give the rest to the young Missionaries. They will ALWAYS take whatever is offered.
Our Christmas Village of 13 Christmas Elves, their parents, and the naughty black cat. More to come about them on the next post.
Finally to the end . . . . Phase Two has started
This is our NEW Family Search Project. First we captured Church Census Records. Now we are capturing Ministerial Books. Just in case you were wondering how to say or spell National Archives of Iceland or Ministerial Books in Icelandic, your wondering is over . . . here you go.
Have a wonderful December as love, share, give, and receive. As we fill the hearts of others our hearts are filled too. Remember our Savior, Jesus Christ, as we celebrate his birth and gifts he freely gave to each of us.
Merry Christmas or Gleðileg jól
From Beautiful Iceland
Elder and Sister Shepherd
aka Mom and Dad, Grandpa and Grandma, Terry and Lil
