Onward Ho! To Armenia We Go!!

After 18 hours in the air and 9 hours in various airports, we finally landed in Armenia at 4:00 a.m. After a few hours of sleep, Mark was ready to see the sights and I was ready to show him the country that I had served and loved. Here are some highlights of our trip.

One of Mark's favorite stories from my mission is that I fell in a manhole and had to get stitches in my knee. He gets a lot of amusement from the fact that I could actually fall in a manhole. I've told him with each telling of the story that Armenian construction crews have never heard of cones or warning tape. Our first day in Armenia, I was able to show him what I was talking about when we came across an open manhole right in the middle of the sidewalk. This one was at least marked with a stick and a yellow plastic bag. Not that it would do much to stop a fall. Watch out Mark!

We went to a barbecue at the mission home. All of the Armenians who have served missions were there. It was so cool to see so many people that I had taught as a missionary as returned missionaries themselves.


We visited a village south of Yerevan called Artashat. I spent 4 months here as a missionary. We spent some time with a family who have a daughter serving a mission on Temple Square. Vardan, the dad, insisted on barbecuing some fish for us. It was delicious!


Hot dogs are a new craze in Armenia. You can now find hot dog stands by most metro stations and along the side of the street. Mark was a little confused at one billboard we saw advertising hot dogs. He asked, "How is that appetizing???" I replied, "Typical Armenia..."


One day we took a trip to a couple of monasteries. Our first stop was Khor Virap - the cradle of Christianity in Armenia. According to legend, a Christian missionary, Gregory the Illuminator, came to a pagan Armenia to preach of Christ. The King of Armenia was not pleased with Gregory's preaching. He had him captured and thrown into a deep hole (Khor Virap means "deep dungeon"), where Gregory remained for many years. He was kept alive by a woman who would lower bread and water down to him each day. One day the King of Armenia grew very ill. Gregory was called upon to heal the King, which he did. From that day on, the King and his subjects became Christian. Armenians today pride themselves on being the first Christian nation. We were able to go into the dungeon where Gregory was imprisoned. Down you go, Markus!


I found out where babies come from! En route to our second monastery, we came upon a village of stork nests. All the people of this particular village place a tall pole next to their house, where storks build their nests. There were hundreds of them!

Our second monastery visit was called Noravank. I had never been that far south in Armenia. Mark and I were both impressed with the beauty of the monastery as well as the surrounding mountains and nature.


We spent some time in a village called Charentsavan. I spent the longest time of my mission in this area. I was able to introduce Mark to all of the people that I taught. It was so great to see them all again!

Armen was injured in a car accident several years before he met the missionaries. He was able to have a badly-needed operation to set him on the road to a better recovery. He was baptized after the surgery enabled him to sit in a wheelchair. The Sunday we were there, Armen was put in as the branch president in Charentsavan. This is a picture of us with Armen and his mom, Lianna.


I taught Maga (in the picture), her mother, and two brothers. All are baptized now, and it was so great to see how happy Maga and her mother especially are since they have been baptized. They have found good friends and a new purpose in the church.

Marine is a girl I taught who has since gone inactive. I was able to go with the sisters to meet with her. Mark asked her why she got baptized and she said that she couldn't remember. We then had a really good chat about how going to church, reading our scriptures, and keeping the commandments helps us to remember why we were baptized. Hopefully the sisters will be able to keep working with her. She is a such a sweetheart. Her sister Arevik was there also, so I hope a seed was planted for her as well.


While we were walking another day in Artashat, Mark noticed an excavator hard a work. Being a civil engineer and interested in that kind of stuff,he was amazed at how old the excavator was, and had to have a picture. The excavator was digging to enable new water pipes to be put into the ground.


We had a barbecue with a family that I taught on my mission. It was Tamara's birthday as well as the anniversary of her baptism. After the barbecue, the family taught us how to dance - Armenian style!

Ararat is a shy mountain, and it's hard to get a good picture of her. I finally got one on our way home from the party.

One day we hiked up Cascade, a set of stairs that takes you up a mountain in the city where you can look over all of Yerevan. It was hot, but the view at the top was worth the hike!


From Cascade, we walked to the statue of Mother Armenia. The statue was erected after the Soviet Union dissolved, and stands as a symbol of protection over the city. This site is also where Armenia was dedicated for missionary work.


We also came upon a carnival in the park. We decided to have a ferris wheel ride. I was a little nervous, as the ferris wheel had to be really old, but it held together, and we had another great view of the city.


Mark fell in love with the architecture of the buildings near Hraparak (the city square). With the growing economy, there are several new buildings going up around the city. They really are beautiful.


On our last night, we went to Hraparak and watched the fountain show in front of the museum. It was so cool! Definitely a rival of the Bellagio in Vegas.

Hello, Houston!

Here we are in Houston! We have started the adventure. The movers came and dropped everything off, and now we are going through the process of deciding where we want everything. We got as much done as we could before today, since we are leaving for Armenia tonight.

Yesterday, we decided to go find a Target and get some items we needed for our apartment. We went down to the parking lot, and there was our jeep, with the passenger side window smashed out, the dash ripped open, and the stereo gone. We were in shock. Our apartment is in a good area of town, and the parking lot is fenced and gated. How could something like this happen? And on our first real day in Houston?? We looked around the parking lot, and it looked like there were about 6 other cars that had been broken into as well. We filed a police report, and talked to management. When Mark talked to the police, he mentioned that we had just moved in the day before, and said, "I guess, welcome to Houston, huh?" The cop said, "Pretty much." From what we have heard from our neighbors and the management, this is a rare occurrence. But it definitely made us feel a lot more vulnerable. Yikes!! So, we spent the day getting the jeep window fixed and getting security measures put in place for our apartment and cars before we leave for Armenia.

In all of this, there is a miracle and a blessing. When we were going through the car to see if anything else was missing, I saw and extra key to the jeep sitting in the cup holder, right by the dash and the jockey box, which had been gone through. We had accidentally left the extra key right there in the Jeep when it was dropped off. So, instead of the stereo, the whole jeep could have been gone. It's a miracle that whoever broke into the car didn't see the key. I am convinced that God kept it invisible to them. We are so blessed that the damage was minimal.

In spite of that, we still feel like this is a good place to be, and that we are in a good area of town. Things like this could happen anywhere. We pointed out to each other all of the car thefts and break-ins that we heard about in Provo and Salt Lake. We are still so excited to be living here, and the weather is beautiful.

Welcome to Houston, everyone!!

Goodbye Provo

Mark graduated from BYU with his master's degree in Civil Engineering. I am so proud of him! Right after graduation, the movers came and packed us all up. It was the easiest move Mark or I have ever done. We couldn't pack anything, so we just watched while our stuff got packed for us. When the movers left, we started our Family Tour 2008. We traveled up to Idaho to visit family there, and then went back to Utah to finish our visits with the rest of our family.

First stop, Rexburg, Idaho. We went to visit my uncle Brent and his family. They have 4 very active children, and we loved every minute that we were with them. Talon, the oldest, is getting to be so grown up. We had a rousing game of spitoon, the official Crowther Family game, and Talon was right in there, getting cards and fighting for spoons. We had a grand time with him. Kieri, the second child, is getting ready for third grade. Mark quizzed her on her times tables and her spelling. She's ready to go! She also treated us to a back handspring. She's quite the little gymnast. Cache, the third child, is a hoot! He will be in kindergarten next year, and he is so excited to go. He begged us to take him with us to Houston, until we told him that he wouldn't be able to go to kindergarten if he went. He decided that kindergarten was the better choice. Makell, the baby, is adorable! She loves to be held, and while we were there she learned to click her tongue.

Next stop, Blackfoot, Idaho. We spent a few days with Mark's parents. It was great to spend some quality time with them. We helped get the garden ready and plant some flowers. We were also able to spend some time with Grandma and Grandpa Herbst.

On to Wendell, Idaho to visit Mark's Grandma J. She lives on a farm, and we got some down-home farm cooking. Woo! It was good stuff, and we got stuffed too!

Moving on to Soda Springs to visit my aunt Dana and cousin McKenzie. We had a nice chat with them, and then drove to Preston to see my uncle Blake and his family. After a quick visit, we went on to Logan to see my cousin Kacee and her family. We stopped for the night in Syracuse, at my cousin Cody's house.

Our last stop was Grantsville, Utah, to spend a few days with my parents. After Mother's Day was over, we went to the airport and flew to Houston.

So, our goodbyes have been said. It's a strange feeling to leave behind the life and all the people you know. But we are excited for the prospects we have before us in our new life. We have been truly blessed to have such wonderful family and friends that care so much about us. Thanks guys!

In All of Life, Have Much Joy And Laughter

I love this quote from Pres. Hinckley. We have a plaque of it hanging up in our house, to remind us to treasure the little things, and to in enjoy life. Here are some of the things we have done to make our lives more memorable:

Playing in the leaves in Blackfoot.

Hiking Timp with the Petersens.


We had a Halloween Party at Del Sol. My department went as "Sol White and the 7 Sols". We won first prize for our group costume. A special thanks to Benji for his role as Sol White. Ha ha!!


Mark went as Wilson from Home Improvement.


Being the drama queen that I am, I decided that it was time for me to do another play. I tried out for "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat" at the Center Street Musical Theatre in Provo. It was lots of fun getting to wear all the different costumes. My favorite was the Go-go outfit. Go, go Joseph!

We went to see the lights on Temple Square at Christmas time. We took the Carters with us. We decided to eat dinner, and wanted to take the Carters to Cafe Pierpont, my favorite Mexican restaurant. When we got there, we learned they had closed! So, we opted for our favorite Thai Food joint, just a couple of blocks down. Did I mention it was the coldest night of the year? We braved the frigid cold and walked to the Thai restaurant, only to learn that it, too, had closed! Bah! We hiked back and opted for a safe chain restaurant - the Macaroni Grill.

After dinner, we drove to Temple Square and again braved the cold as we walked around looking at the lights. Soon we stopped in the visitors center to warm our fingers and toes, and I asked about a sister who was serving on Temple Square who I taught on my mission. I was pointed in the right direction. We went in to see the Nativity movie, and there was cute little Mayranush, bearing her testimony. After the movie was finished, Mayranush walked out of the room, and I went tearing after her, but she was gone! I grabbed another sister and asked if she could help me find Mayranush, which she did. When Mayranush saw me, she came running, and we hugged for a long time. We had a nice long chat about Armenia and her mission. I was so glad to see her. I warmed my heart to see her there as a missionary, preaching the gospel that has come to mean so much to her and her family.

Mark got a job with ExxonMobil in Houston Texas. In March, we went out to find our housing. We took a day to go to the beach and enjoy the sun, away from cold snowy Utah! Find anything in the sand, Markus?