No More Chapel

Since we got back from Utah, I've felt like we've been on a whirlwind...so busy! That's probably because I work full-time, so the few hours I have before bed is the only time I have to do anything, and I'm usually pretty tired by then.

Friday I went back to work. It wasn't a normal day, but a full day. Overall, it wasn't terribly hectic, but it was different and I definitely felt like it was a full day at work by the time I got home. As it was Friday night, I believe Mark wanted to treat it as our date night, so we went out and I caved-in and let him buy a Blu-ray Player. I figured that we have the big screen TV and are getting a surround sound system already, so being without a Blu-ray is just pointless. Let me tell you, it's been one of the best purchases we've made. We got a player that has a wireless internet connection to stream directly to Netflix and Pandora. So we can gather several movies onto our instant queue and pick what we want to watch that night. We can also go through the mail for the Blu-ray quality movies and it's just been really fun. I think we've watched something on Netflix almost everyday since we got it. Also, the Pandora allows us to listen to music that we don't have on CD that is of the genre that we'd like to listen to, but it doesn't have commercials or static like the radio would. Mark has really been enjoying that feature! (He can't wait to get the surround system hooked up for the music...probably even more than for the movies!)

Some highlights from the weekend were (1)figuring out the features of the new Blu-ray and get it hooked up to the internet, (2)the movie Angels and Demons, (3)Stake Conference (which had the Sunday Session being broadcast to several chapels in the Northeast Region from Utah), and (4)the important announcement after the closing prayer of Stake Conference.

Well, the announcement was this:

The Longfellow Park Chapel from our stake had a serious fire that morning. There were people packed in that chapel too for the Stake Conference Broadcast, but they were all evacuated before anyone was hurt. I guess that chapel was dedicated by David O. McKay back in 1955 and is one of the (if not THE) oldest LDS chapel in the area, and it was quite devistating for our stake to lose that building. Mark and I tried to drive by the building to see what it looked like, but there was so much smoke that filled blocks and blocks surrounding the fire that the police and fire departments were blocking off the roads that led into the area. We were surprised to see that the smoke didn't go up more and stayed in all the trees like a thick fog for several blocks.

Monday after work Mark wanted to go check out the chapel for our FHE. We stopped by, but I didn't have my camera. I tried to take a few shots with my phone, and this is what I was able to get:

You can see that the charred roof caved in on one side. There are now boards on the windows.

You can see the sky right through the windows because there is no roof and most of the inner walls are gone.

You can see that there was charring up the steeple and that there were other sections of the roof that are totally ruined.

After visiting the chapel briefly, we then went to the mall to get some more suits for Mark then to do the grocery shopping. He was going to be staring his job at the courthouse this week, and he will need to wear a suit everyday to work. We took advantage of a sale at Men's Warehouse of buy one get one free for a couple of their brands.

Tuesday Mark picked me up from work and we did the grocery shopping , forgetting the shopping list on the table at the apartment. Wednesday I had another prenatal appointment, and that night I was actually able to cook dinner and watch a movie at home. Thursday we got to bring dinner to some friends who just had their baby...and it was a good excuse to go see the new little girl. It was really fun to be there because we also had a recent convert of our ward join us for dinner, and it was just a great conversation with everyone there.

(left) Delys holding new baby Katelyn Mae Tyler, (center) Delys and John Tyler (holding Skylher, Angela's baby), (right) me holding Katelyn Mae.

Now it's Friday, and I'm not really sure where the week has gone, but I'm glad for a weekend. I'm hoping to do some "window shopping" on Craig's List and see what baby gear I can get for cheap. As for the Memorial Day weekend, we're not completely set on what we're going to do, but I think we'll end up going for a drive to Maine and Vermont since we've never been to either state, and this is a good chance to do it. All I know is that I am going to enjoy a Monday where I don't have to go into work, even if all I do is stay home and work on a sewing project, or finish my Mothers' Day gift to my mom. :)