GNOME RESCUED IN DARING COMMANDO RAID!

Our precious Mr. Gnome was kidnapped and held for ransom.  You all saw the nefarious ransom note.  The ransom demand was clearly beyond our ability to pay, so we began planning a 3 AM rescue of poor Mr. Gnome.

First, we recruited a spy from the enemy camp...

Our Spy Accepting His (Her) Bribe

Then we had a panel of expert analysts examine the ransom picture for clues...

Expert Conclusion: Victim is in the Ballroom with Colonel Mustard.

After planning every detail of the rescue mission, we paid a tribute of apple cider to the enemy (see Mosiah 22:5-12)...

We prepared a decoy Gnome so the enemy would not know a switch had taken place, and trained

for the raid....

 At zero hour the spy let us into the enemy camp while the enemy was in a state of thoughtless stupor, and we made the switch.  The rescue involved repelling down a zip line (all good rescues have to use a zip line) and escape in a GnomeMobile.

The decoy was very successful.  As far as we know, the enemy still thinks they have the genuine Gnome.

We took Mr. Gnome to a safehouse.

Mr. Gnome Recovering from his Ordeal

We asked Mr. Gnome if he wished to be debriefed.

"Oh, I would be too embarrassed." He replied, "Besides, I think they are painted on."

Ransom Note to the Dixons!

Josh's Baptism

Everyone's invited!

Where: West Point Stake Center, 550 N 2300 W, West Point
When: Saturday March 29th at 1:00 pm

There will be a meal at the Thompson's afterwards.  Anyone who would like to bring anything (cookies, brownies, desserts) is welcome to.

Special Monthly Fast

We are all concerned that Katie is not showing as much chemotherapy progress as we have all been praying and hoping for.  Julie and I feel that maybe a more focused petition using fasting and prayer coupled with temple attendance will help.

We invite all who are able to join us in fasting and prayer every fourth Sunday of the month, and to attend the temple of your choice the day before, or earlier of that won't work.


We love you all!

Mom and Dad

SATURDAY: Pearl Harbor

We left our lovely room on Saturday morning and made our own way to Pearl Harbor.  This was a mistake (we should have booked an excursion).  I thought there would be shuttles to take us there and back, but we ended up taking expensive taxis.  One driver gave us a scientific description of what causes a tropical depression.  It was hilarious, with explanations of salt evaporating, then 'a molecule separates out' and it wants to get back to its other freind molecule (or something), and somehow that makes us all have a tropical depression.

The film presentation at Pearl Harbor was very good and had lots of footage of the attack, including a lot of Japanese film. It was very informative and was the first time I heard from media the reasons behind the attack correctly explained without spin.

We were tired by then, and went to the airport early, where we met Lance and Melanie Adams (who had spent the week in Kauai and saw our boat sail).  They flew home on our flight, and we saw them at church Sunday.

We will never forget the cruise and the wonderful sights and people, but we missed you all and a glad to be home!

  

FRIDAY: Shopping

Julie finished her souvenir shopping Friday morning.  I took a picture of a chicken (they run wild all over Kauai).  In the afternoon the boat went by the Napali coast; a rugged and still unsettled part of Hawaii.

I never figured out why he did it (crossed the road)

Jonathan, our steward who cleaned our room three times daily.  Every day he folded towels into a different animal.  He is holding a cobra, which is eating a mouse he made the previous day.

Na Pali

This is a spot on the coast.  It is where South Pacific filmed the scene where Mitzi Gaynor meets Rossano Brazzi's children.

Linda Beach and her brother Larry Corbett.  Julie made special friends with Linda

THURSDAY: Kauai island

We took a bus tour around the island.  Our first stop was at the gorgeous canyon on the west side of the island, called 'the grand canyon of Kauai'.  Then we saw a beautiful waterfall and river (where lots of movies have been made), and a fern grotto (a grotto is a shallow cave) that was sacred to the ancient Hawiians.

Julie with Jeeves, our butler who also answers to 'Susan'.

Waimea Canyon

Another beautiful Hawaiin feature

Opaeka Falls

We were serenaded by a Hawaiin band on the boat that took us to the Fern Grotto.  They were awful.

But the hula dancers were great

The Fern Grotto

This flower on a long stem looked like a snake

WEDNESDAY: Captain Zodiac dolphin watch and snorkeling

We didn't take this picture.  It is from the Captain Zodiac website.

Wednesday was at Kona beach, and we went on an inflatable boat with big outboard engines called a Zodiac.  We sat on the edge of the boat as it zoomed 40 miles per hour through the water.  We saw dolphins, whales and a shark.  The pilot whales were interesting, they swam close to the boat and stuck their heads up out of the water to see what we were up to.

We zoomed for about a half hour, went to a small inlet and did some snorkeling.  Julie was having trouble with her mask and how to use the snorkel at first, then she got the hang of it and was like a little fishy.  We saw countless varieties of brightly colored tropical fish and a striped eel.  The water was warm and clear, and it was amazing!

In the meantime, the wind had started blowing and the water was very choppy with four or five foot waves.  Julie and I sat at the bow of the boat and got a really rough, wet ride, and I saw a side of Julie I've never encountered before:  I was hanging on for dear life wondering when I would go over the side, but Julie was howling with delight ('best day ever!').  My wife likes life lived on the edge.  Better never get her near a base jumping cliff.

Both Julie and I think the snorkeling trip was the highlight of the cruise. Sorry-not a lot of pics because we had to put the camera away when things got wet.

300 Horsepower of Sheer Terror

Hawaiin Dolphin

At Home Without the Parents

While Mom and Dad were off having the time of their lives, us kids still had to go to work and school, but even with all that we still managed to get some excitement into our lives.