Heidi's night out with 7 gentlemen, We took her to Swan Lake
She had 2nd row seats in the middle of the theater.
It is the seconded Ballet we have been able to go to, we went to
the Ballet in Novosibirsk in January.

This video is taken 3 or 4 days after the picture

below of Sister Bowden standing in front of the Branch

Building. It warmed up and in 3 days it has almost

all melted. We expect another storm next week, it is

not over, just taking a breath. Lots of mud and water..

Sister Bowden ask me, what I wanted for a birthday dinner, today was district meeting

so I told her lets have Hamburgers. so Just before time to eat I asked the elders to run over and

find some bread to make due for buns, Elder West found these rare 8 inch bread buns. So we had build your own bar. Elder Gardner is debating if there is anything that he has not put on it, then decides, No, got everything I believe, it must be ready to eat.

Elder West and Ryser go home in 3 weeks . Elder West said that he hopes they have the barbeque going the day he gets home , he has missed the American Burger. He was in heaven today , when he left to get back to work, he was holding his breif case with one hand and his tummy with the other. He is ready for the awaiting home barbeque

Elders singing at English

Happy birthday too me...

A spring day in Tomsk

Sister Bowden infront of the

Branch Building

The torture of having a birthday on a mission.

Elders were feeling silly, so I made them put it on tape for moms could see that they are still the same young men that left home. They do so many great things over here, it is fun to see that they are still normal some times.

Elders having dinner at senior apartment

family night was a lot of fun

After family night , the Elders sang a song for their moms. enjoy

When we left for our Visa trip it was a -43c and everything was a
white winter land of frost. When we got back it was only a -16. the last several days it has been -2c (30f) and only -16c at night, All the roads and sidwalks and Parking lots have started to thaw out.
It reminds me of a big defrost. Yesterday I took these pic's next to us and in our parking lot. the snow has turned from white to mud and looks this way everywhere. they chiped the stairs off, and this shows the ice we have been walking on for 4 months.
This is out our bedroom window this morning. haven't seen these blue skies for a long time in the city.

What do you think ?? am I ready

for a ride or what ??this is my spring

and fall wear.

this is a picture from last year when

we got here. this is what it will look

like the first part of April...

We were over in Kemerovo this last week, we had a project scheduled, but the contact had to

postpone to another date. Kostya and Uliana, asked us to go skiing with them. So we went for a

couple hours, the owner found out we were american and insisted that we ride his Russian

snowmoble. big mistake. my back was sore for several days. but it was fun to talk and visit with the man, and caperon two of our members. Kostya is trying to serve a misssion this fall, but he is waiting until july to see if the army inlist him or not. Uliana has helped us alot with russian and lives in Tomsk. we have spent alot of time with both of them over the last several months.the snow is about 4 to 5 feet deep and hard packed. There is a layer of fresh snow that we are skiing on. But when I push the poles down. they never bottom out, everything has a frozen state here. it is different snow than in Utah. the tempreture never comes above freezing until late march or early april. it doesn't pack, it just freezes in layers. Then in april it turns to mud, deep mud until it soaks or runs off some wheres.

The people here in Almaty believe that the first apples were grown here, they are proud of their

apples. they will have the 2011 asian winter games here, they are working on the oval ice

stadium, they have many ski resorts, there are over 7 in this city alone.

the beetles played somewhere in Kazakhstan , so they made a monument for them here in

Almaty. Heidi thought Sherri her sister would love to she her sitting on there laps. she is such

a fan of them. the mountains look alot like Utahs, they are quite high and deep. rugged country in some places. people are very curtious, but they now how to hussle for a buck, they are very

persistent in what they want and they become very street wise early in life...
There is a line of stars, close to 900 that you can walk up, from the oval ring to the road that winds above, it is a great quad worker for those that give it a try, that is over a 600 ft climb.

the elders love to see who can do it the fastest, the seniors like to see if they can even do them, i took pictures of them and told them I know I can, so I will be the witness for them. I have been

doing 2 to 3 stair laps at are apartment most mornings, their is about 220 steps per lap. we live in a 11 story apt. It is a nice break from the cold out side.

Some of the statues around Kazakhstan


the senior couples that we went with

there were also 10 elders.
Elder Royer and I had fun at the market.

Sister Bowden is aquiring quit a collection of hats

I decided I had better make an effort to keep up...