Fallen Heroes

This evening Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Walter "Kent" Mundell died. He was shot a week ago and had been in Critical Condition ever since. On Monday December 21, he and his partner Sergeant Nicholas Hausner responded to a domestic call in Eatonville. The situation went bad and both officers were shot. Deputy Mundell took several shots and was able to shoot back and kill the man that had shot them. Sgt Hausner was able to go home Christmas Eve, but before he went home he went to Harborview Medical Center to visit his partner.

On November 29, 4 Lakewood Police Officers were ambushed and killed. Sergeant Mark Renninger, Officer Ronald Owen, Officer Tina Griswold and Officer Greg Richards were slain in a coffee shop while preparing for their shift.

On October 31, Officer Timothy Brenton of the Seattle Police Department was killed in a drive by shooting. His partner, officer trainee Britt Sweeney was injured during the incident.

On August 18, Lewis County Sheriff's Deputy Stephen "Mike" Gallagher died after a car accident. He was heading to back up another deputy on a domestic violence call when his car hit an Elk on Highway 12.

These men and women gave their lives in the line of duty. I have law enforcement officers and fire fighters in my family and I worry about them every time I hear about a shooting or injury. The 7 left behind spouses, children and other family members. I can't imagine what they are all going through, especially during the holiday season.

I would like to ask each of you to remember not only these fallen heroes, but the other law enforcement officers and fire fighters that work to protect us and keep us safe every hour of the day, every day of the year. Please pray for them and their families. Whenever you need to call 911, these men and women are ready for us and for our families.

Please take a moment, the next time you see a fire fighter, or law enforcement officer, tell them thank you. They have recently lost their brothers and sister and they are mourning the loss as well. I have so much respect for them. I hope that someday there will be a time when I can do something for them.

Deputy Walter "Kent" Mundell

Officer Greg Richards

Sergeant Mark Renninger

Officer Ronald Owen

Deputy Stephen "Mike" Gallagher

Officer Timothy Brenton

Officer Tina Griswold

What did you GIVE for Christmas?

Over the next couple of days one of the most frequent questions we are going to ask or hear is "What did you get for Christmas"? It is a very reasonable question as Christmas is a time for exchanging presents. We have spent a lot of time planning our lists of presents to buy, we spent time shopping, and we spent money.

Last Sunday at Church our former Bishop, Bishop Stephen Walker, gave a brief talk towards the end of Sacrament Meeting. In his talk he encouraged us to change the word get to give, so it now becomes "What did you give for Christmas"? He did not mean what present did you buy for who, how much did you spend or who did you buy for. He was talking about what did we give of ourselves, our talents and our time.

Did we donate to a charity? Did we help someone in need? Were we there for a friend? Most important is what did we give to Christ? He gave everything for us so why not give something for Him?

Let's try and forget about how commercial Christmas has become, and let's remember what this day is all about. President Thomas S Monson of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints said that asking that question "prompts stimulating thought, causes tender feelings to well up and memory' fires to glow ever brighter."

Take some time and think about what you have given, not just at Christmas but all year. Let's all make an effort to try and give a little more of our time to helping and serving others. Christmas Gifts can become Christmas Blessings.

I wish all my family and friends a very Merry Christmas. I hope your day is full of love and laughter. If you can, tell me a little about what you gave for Christmas.

Kirsten's 50th Birthday

On my birthday, my loving family put a candle in a cookie and sang Happy Birthday to me.

Daphne helping blow out my candleVideo of singing Happy Birthday

The end of my birthday was spent with Michelle at two different Walgreen's in Olympia. We were doing some last minute deals with coupons. We also went to two Target's! Personally I can't think of a better way to end the day.

Then on Saturday, we had a big party with family and friends. Our closest friends from Utah, the Jefferies family, surprised me by driving out here for my party!

My daughter Laura catered desserts and appetizers for the party. We feasted on:

Zucchini and Potato-Stuffed Sweet Peppers

Avocado-Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp

Bruschetta

Pesto-Stuffed Mushrooms

Chocolate Truffles

Rocky Road Fudge

Cranberry-Brie Bites

And the most delicious cake I've ever had!!

Michelle and I made one of our signature birthday quilts for the party. I'm having family and friends sign their names on my birthday quilt.

It was an absolutely fun filled week and I am so glad I have friends and family to celebrate with. It was a major milestone for me, but I wanted to celebrate it instead of mourning.

Philippines #3 Malatapay Market

On Wednesday mornings there is a huge open market here. It starts very early in the morning. The cooks for the resort get up early to make sure they get the best selection for the restaurant.

We went today, a little later, to experience the market. We had a briefing on it last night so we knew what to expect. Our dive guide Marco, another dive guide Simon and the Tokos Restaurant Host took us on our journey.

Wednesdays at Malatapay Market are always abuzz with activity. It is a place where livestock growers, local farmers and fishermen converge to sell their fresh produce. Aside from that there are also other vendors who display an array of merchandise such as plastic wares, household items, garments, slippers, sometimes even cheap children’s toys. It is a whole day fair for the townspeople, shoppers and visitors. Folks from the neighboring towns also take part in the tabo, a local term which means market day.

People go there not only to buy or browse around the market but also to enjoy the open air seaside restaurant that is popular for its fresh seafood dishes.

There were 102 of us so we boarded 2 Jeepneys to take us the 10 minute drive.



When we arrived I was surprised at how crowded it was. The problem is that they use this road to transport all the animals being sold at the auction.



Gary thoroughly enjoyed the hardware items for sale. He had his eye on a couple of knives. He said he collects knives which was news to me. He said he would take them home and put them in the basement. Well, Gary came back empty handed.


I am glad that blogs don't include a smell tab. The first two pictures are fish. Marco is from the Philippines and assured us that is tasted very good. I took his word for it and moved on.


Yes, let's keep moving on. More fish.


This is dried fish. Even after you dry it, it still smells fishy. Gary wanted to take some for snacks on the plane.


Fresh meat for sale.


Peanuts for only 5 Pesos. They were good!


Towards the end of the road is the market where all the livestock are sold. I chose not to go in and watch as I had seen enough of the animals being carried to and from along the road. I decided not to show you any of the pictures of the animals because it was hard enough for me to see and listen to. The pigs make the worst sound when they are being tied up. No slaughtering goes on here, lucky for me.

The road ends at the beach. At the end is a restaurant that sells roasted pig. We had a table set for us as we arrived to try some sticky rice, fried banana, roasted pig and more. Kirsten settled for some Sprite while Gary tried it all.

We had a wonderful man playing banjo for us at the end. He was a very friendly man and played the banjo very well. It was nice to sit and listen to. he even took requests!

Philippines #2

After about 30 hours of travel we arrived in Puerto Galara, Philippines. We drove from Chehalis to Vancouver, BC for our flight. Then we had a 13 hour flight to Hong Kong, layover there and a short flight to Manila. From there a 4 hour bus ride then a 1 hour boat ride.

The food here is wonderful. We have enjoyed some of the best food on any of our dive trips. Kirsten is not a seafood fan but there has always been chicken or beef. Gary is loving all the fresh fish he can eat. For lunch and dinner we always have a gourmet dessert. Laura we will get pictures for you at every meal.

Our dining area.


We have 63 stairs to climb up to our room every time. It reminds me of my trip on the Comfort! We make sure before we leave that we have everything we need. But, we have to go up and down and least 4 times a day, great exercise. That and being in the water swimming for up to 4 hours a day helps justify the desserts.

Yesterday, while our gear was drying, we took a walk around town. Gary found two hardware stores and enjoyed looking around.

The streets of Puerto Galara.


Think there are any copyright issues here?


A few of the boats we have been diving off of.


One day last week we traveled by boat to Verde Island where we spent a day of diving. Here are a few pictures of the island.





During this week two of our divers reached milestone dives. Russ had dive #1200 and Bob (Scuba Dad) had Dive #6400. No, that is not a typo! I am barely to dive #600. That night they each had to drink a beer out of a snorkel with a mask on. They made it look easy!
They each got T-Shirts to commemorate the event. My lesson in all of this is to NEVER tell them exactly how many dives I have had.

We have been here one week and we are packing our gear and headed for the airport. We are flying from Manila to our next destination, Dumaguete. We will be staying at the sister resort to where we are at now. It's not a lot of fun drying out the wet gear for a day, packing, getting up early and traveling, but it is necessary to go someplace else.

We are usually in bed by 8:30 at night and we are up at 6:00 am. For those who know my sleep schedule lately, that is a real challenge for me. But, I have adjusted and with the help of some great little blue pills I sleep well all night.

The sunset the night before we left.

This is the sunrise as we were leaving.

The shore of Puerto Galara as we were leaving.

Loading up on the boat.

JENNY!!!

Alright, I guess the truth is out (on facebook) so I might as well give up the game.

Jenny is pregnant! She is due on June 18th.

Her morning sickness set in nearly right away, but she is on a good medication that has her feeling much better. Her Dr said both mom and baby are looking healthy.

We're all SO excited!

Guess Who is Pregnant

The Klein family has some exciting news! Yes, someone is pregnant.


Instead of telling you right away I thought I would have a little fun (even though you've all been anxious for the last 10 days!). I am going to have everyone tell me who they think is pregnant.

I have added a gadget to my blog on the right for you to take the poll. Just remember our motto in Chicago for voting: "Vote Early. Vote Often."