MIA or AWOL?

SK went to the temple this morning to assist with baptisms, while I went to the center to have it open for anyone who wanted to come in during the time of the temple assignment.  No one came in until after 12, and I thought that would be the case, so I made cinnamon rolls.

The Facebook announcement said there would be what we in the states would call a "potluck" lunch.  I thought it would be fun for everyone to come in with their lunches and smell the rolls....that always makes a good impression.  It is the first time I have made them here....without a mixer.  But they turned out quite well, and were a hit, and the kneading was a great arm exercise!

Although there were nearly 30 at the temple, only about 18 came to the center.  Only one brought food, and it was a sandwich for herself....which I think was the thing that was supposed to happen.  Everyone was hungry.

I went to the store next door and purchased some things for spaghetti and went back to the center and got a big pot going.  By the time it was ready we were down to 12 but they polished it off.  It was a bit of a hassle to make a meal at that point, but I reasoned that since they had been at the temple since around 9:30 and had a meeting at the church at 4 (it was for the entire stake), it would be a good thing.

The meeting at 4 was the culmination of a week-long celebration of the 10 years since the temple was dedicated.  It was excellent, with talks from the temple president and the stake president and the visiting area authority.  We had some wonderful music from the stake YW/YM and the missionaries.

But the really funny thing was that they served food!  Great big hoagie sandwiches, fresh fruit and fresh vegetables!  It was an excellent meal.  I could have saved myself some time in a hot kitchen and just served the cinnamon rolls.

But the good news is that I discovered that I don't have to labor away cutting onions and garlic and making italian sausage to put together a spaghetti sauce that needs to be gently simmered all day.  Ground beef and cheap pasta sauce from the grocery store thrown together in a half hour was not only about half as much as the "approved" sauce but tasted just fine.....so I am going to keep that in mind for the next spaghetti night.

After the meeting, we all met out on the temple steps where a picture was taken for the temple history.  So one day, if any of our grandchildren or great grandchildren serve in this beautiful city, they can see proof that we were there at the temple on the 10th anniversary.

We returned to the center to do cleanup and then home.  Around 9 p.m. we took a walk around the lake.  It was incredibly lovely.  Even at 10 it wasn't completely dark.  Birds swooped into the water to snap up small fish or bugs, the swan family was out for an evening swim, baby ducks were paddling around the shallow water, and people were everywhere - relaxing on benches, the grass or the steps of the planetarium.

This is a panorama shot on SK's phone...can you believe it?

Another Panorama....the reflections in the water are amazing...you can see the pink of the clouds at sunset....but how very still the water is.

It is not the most beautiful structure in Denmark, but the planetarium IS very distinctive, especially with a mirror image.

One thing disturbed our walk....there is one little swan missing.  The mother was regal as she swam with two fuzzy little ones swimming in her wake....the father following closely behind, watchful.  But there were only two babies.  We have no idea what happened to the one, but it made us sad.  We are attached to that little family.  It could be that it just didn't survive, or a predator could have gotten it...or maybe it just fell in with a family of cute little ducks and is now considered an ugly duckling!
At any rate, he is MIA....missing in action....or maybe that is AWOL.