Two - Four - Six - Eight...Who Do We Appreciate?!

Today's blog is dedicated to our dear friends, Kay and Larry Brown. 

Who knew six months ago that we would connect so completely with two strangers from Roy, Utah? Talk about tender mercies! Kay and Larry arrived in Curitiba just one week before us - giving them enough time to figure a few things out - like how to get a bus pass, where to shop, how to get to church, even how to do the laundry without flooding the floor with soap suds! 

They had been here as MLS missionaries in Canoinhas a year or so ago and thought it would be nice to do a six month mission in the Curitiba Temple. Those six months sure did fly by. They left this morning for home. We will miss them terribly. 

Today I'd like to share some random reasons why they will always hold such a special place in our hearts.

Random Reasons Why

  * Don and Larry were actually down here as missionaries over 50 years ago and remembered how Brazil was "way back when".

* We loved the Friday date nights after our shifts in the temple. 

* Neither of us went to the movies very much at home, but they were really appealing down here!

* Don and Larry were our "Lewis and Clark" with their compass and map. This kept us from getting completely lost on our adventures.

* We must have ridden 10,000 miles on the bus system together. Most of the time we knew where we were going.

* Kay and I loved shopping the malls and we knew them all! Unfortunately, we never found much that we couldn't live without.

* Larry and Don absolutely loved their banana candy. Kay and I thought it tasted gross. 

* Kay and I spent hours together learning all the temple ordinances in Portuguese. Because of her I was able to feel more confident quicker. 

* We explored the cities, jungles, beaches, and mountains together. Each time with its own set of memorable experiences.
*Kay and I ate enough cinnamon balls in the last six months to fill the Grand Canyon and rot every tooth in our mouths!

* Renting a car brought us even more hair-raising stories to talk about. Brazilian traffic is horrendous but we survived with our "pilot and co-pilot" forging the way. And I'm thinking that they only got four speeding tickets during these outings. 

* The guys never made it through a Sacrament Meeting without dozing off. We understood that Priesthood Meeting was no better!!! Kay and I were, of course, model church goers. We just couldn't figure out what was going on most of the time. 

* We all loved stracciatella gelato.

* Outback was one of our favorite places to eat. 

* We could always find something to talk about or do!!!

I could go on and on and on....don't cha know!

Kay and Larry Brown - thanks for the memories. We will always "treasure them up".

Yesterday the three American couples enjoyed one final outing together. 

And how fun it will be to get to know Wayne and Dianne better. We already have several adventures planned - and they even have a CAR!