I had a very special delivery this week.

Thank goodness for FaceTime.  I have been able to talk to her every day.

I was gifted with my 16th grandchild.  Jenna and Jim brought a sweet little girl into the world to join our family on Wednesday, April 1.  Elizabeth (Ellie) J Petersen was about 3 weeks early and weighed in at 5lb  11oz.  What a beauty!

Notice that tiny hand holding Dad’s finger

Going into week 2 of lock down…   You must think that all I do is play at the beach.  Well you would be mostly right.  That is the only excursion I take outside of my flat.  It is a 10,000 step, almost 2 hour exercise period every day from my flat to the end of Takapuna Beach and back.  But what a gorgeous walk it is.

Dogs everywhere along the beach enjoying the surf

This friendly lady on the beach was most proud of the “cute bikini sweater” that her dog wore.

Sister Lucas

Walking in the surf up to mid-calf is a lot of work!

The beach is covered in many places with deep shell layers.  The sea plant is hollow and when
it is stepped on it sounds like popping bubble wrap.  I call this area of the beach the
Rice Krispie area because of the “Snap, Crackle, Pop” sounds as I step on shells and sea plants.

Fall is beginning to show her colors.

Along my walk to the beach I began to notice a week or so ago, that as I passed many houses, high rise apartments, and yards, that they were “decorated” with stuffed animals.  Sister Lucas and I wondered about the phenomena so I Googled the question:

“A mass teddy bear hunt is under way around the world to help distract the millions of children locked down because of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Stuffed toys are being placed in windows to give children a fun and safe activity while walking around their neighbourhood with parents.  

The hunt is inspired by the children’s book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, written by UK author Michael Rosen.  

Teddies have been spotted around the world, including in the UK and US.  

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has also joined in, putting two bears in the window of her family house in Wellington.”

Calls from missionaries and my work as mission nurse has dropped off to almost no calls.  Last week I mentioned that some of our missionaries were leaving.  More than half of our mission has now returned to their home countries.  85 have gone.  5 are scheduled to leave in the next 10 days.  We still have the 10 missionaries on the Cook Islands and Niue who can’t leave as the islands are still shut down to flights coming into the airports.  No one can enter or leave.

I have had only a hand full of calls this week.  Elder and Sister Wright helped me get two missionaries to doctors for various reasons.  None related to COVID-19. 

I have made and eaten muffins (I froze most of them), chicken enchiladas with refried beans, left over chicken soup I made last week and oven roasted vegetables again.  Just can’t get enough of the oven veggies.  Nothing gourmet!!

While looking through my patio sliding door to admire the blue sky and clouds,
I noticed this spider web attached to the corner of the wall and the fence

Spider webs intrigue me.

On my walk to the beach, I have passed this car every day.  You can tell this car has not been driven.
This spider web has been undisturbed all week.

I have passed a woman a couple of times this week as she takes her dogs for a walk.

The weeping bottlebrush tree, otherwise known as creek bottlebrush, Melaleuca viminalis,
or Callistemon viminalis, is a tropical plant in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae.

I so look forward to and love my weekly conference call with all of my family.
We each shared most embarrassing moment stories.  What fun!!  

I have really quite enjoyed the time to study and prepare for conference this last weekend.  Due to the time difference, I got up at 4:00 A.M. on Sunday morning to watch the Saturday morning session of conference live.  So of course that meant getting up at 4:00 A.M. on Monday to watch Sunday morning session.  It was worth the effort!  What a spiritual blessing to participate in each session but particularly the Sunday morning session.  It was a memorable conference as President Nelson promised.

I love this slowed pace I am experiencing with the lock down.  It provides opportunity to read and study more than I would normally.  I look forward this week to prepare mentally and spiritually for Easter and the celebration of our Savior and His resurrection.

I love my Savior.  I love you my family and friends.