The No Name Blog אנה מארי

Friday, July 13, 2012

Carol Frogley Ellertson

To take a break from all the Jerusalem updates (and since I never did a Mother's Day post), I wanted to highlight my beautiful, wonderful, brilliant mother!

I had a really special experience yesterday afternoon:

So much to the JC's surprise and elation, we were told Tuesday morning that Elder Jeffery R. Holland was coming to visit and stay at the center! He is here on vacation with his family, not for the church, and so he is gone mostly...we see him every now and then. But yesterday afternoon, I happened to be sitting out in the lounge on the 5th floor when he and his wife came down the stairs from an outing. They were going around saying 'hello' to everyone - he was sporting an Under Armor shirt and some rockin' shades.

As he came over to me, I mentioned how I was Keith Frogley's granddaughter (he used to live in my grandpa's ward years ago). He got excited and asked who my parents were and when I told him my mom's name he yelled for Sister Holland to come over and meet me and said to her,

"If she isn't Carol Frogley's daughter I don't know who is!"

I cannot tell how much this meant to me...my mom is the greatest woman I know and that someone could identify me as her daughter is the biggest compliment they could possibly give!

She is an outstanding teacher, a great wife and an amazing mother and grandmother with lots of love to go around :)

LOVE this picture! Mom with my niece Josephine

And here is a pic of my family at our first family reunion they had a few weeks ago (SO sad I had to miss it!!)

I love you Momma!

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Jordan Highlights

Machaerus

This is where Salome danced and demanded John the Baptist's head on a platter.

Jerash

Who would have thought this gem would be right in the middle of Jordan? Just as big and almost as cool as Ephesus!

These bagpipers were rockin' out! They accompanied us while we sang 'Praise to the Man'. This was extra cool since we visited Jerash on June 27 (the day Joseph Smith was killed)...

chills!?!

Probably the least exciting part of the trip...walking through a long museum of old cars... really? Cars?

Hotter than hot! But worth it...

After our day trips, we had lots of free time to explore Amman and one night we stayed out late at a sports bar in the middle of town to watch the Eurocup Semi's!

Stay tuned for PETRA!!

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Ein Karem

Ein Karem is the place where Elizabeth and Zacharias lived when Mary came to visit while they were both pregnant. This town today is a little slice of Europe in the middle of beautiful, green hills. I stepped out of the van and honestly felt like I was on a different continent! SO green!

And churches, churches, CHURCHES!!

And what's an outing without some gelato...

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Once Upon a Time

The title of this post is part inspired by the new Sara Bareilles song "Once Upon Another Time" (unfortunately I cannot post it on here due to lack of access to the YouTube) which is currently stuck in my head...and part inspired by the fairy tale I feel like I'm living! (....coincidentally also the name of a Sara Bareilles song but not currently stuck in my head)

Field trips on Mondays - this one was at Neot Kedumim

We learned about the agriculture and economy of ancient Israel. So we got to herd sheep, plow wheat, crush olives, make pitas and much more! (I also got to draw some water from a real live well!! Fulfilling a life long dream of mine...sadly, no documentation...)

Go out to a movie Friday before Shabbat (this was at some kind of West J, hipster theater...Moonrise Kingdom...pretty good movie! Narrator def the best part...)

Then welcome in Shabbat by going to Synagogue

These two rascals are my Israel teacher's kids Yemima and Mitzhel (who for some reason was dressed up like a pirate or lost boy or something) that came with us on our Friday night field trip to a local synagogue. This was one of my favorite experiences so far...LOVE going to synagogue...so much singing!

And Tel Aviv on the weekends! (We've gone the past two Sundays which brings me to an even three on my Tel Aviv count)

Eating at Moses

Eating on the seaside

Kickin' it at Banana Beach...no there was no Banana Stand for those Arrested Development-ers who were wondering...

Fairytale right?! Am I dreaming?! If I am...don't wake me up...I LOVE this place!!!

Dominus Flevit

...like for reals one of my top favorite experiences in the Holy Land so far! So there were some who had visited a week before and made friends with the pastor Father Sebastian...

...he invited them to come back for lunch the following week in return for help with their entrance garden. So I tagged along and this is what we did:

Hard Core!! My first time using a Jack-Hammer

We had lunch after as promised....SOOOO GOOD!! Father Sebastian? More like CHEF Sebastian! He is originally from Iraq so we got some authentic Iraqi cuisine! The veggies were fresh from his garden, fruit was from Jericho and the olive oil in the pasta was made from olives of The Garden of Gethsemane (which sits right below the Dominus Flevit church)...can you say culture?!

We cleared away the food, Father brought out a violin and a flute and we sang and danced and fiddled and fluted(?) until the mid afternoon.

...And the garden never looked better!!

Before:

After:

(I promise there is a BIG difference...)

City of David

Field Trip to the City of David.

It is still largely an excavation site but it was a blast!

We walked through Hezekiah's water tunnel which is a winding, narrow (like no more than 2.5 feet across) 175 foot tunnel with no lighting and water up to your mid-calf.

Beginning

Middle

End

At the bottom of the hill are the actual steps of the Pool of Siloam (which is a big deal because almost every actual site of Christ's ministry is buried below the Old City.) This is from John chapter 9 where Christ healed the blind man on the Sabbath and it was a big deal. Said the blind man "Whether He be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know, that, whereas I was blind, now I see" (John 9:25)