church callings

when we first moved into the douglas ward all we wanted was a calling we could do together.

(well we really hoped we could sneak by without callings for at least a few months)

we got lucky, and only a week after we moved in, they called us to help at the bungalow.

the bungalow is a special needs home, and we would go with another couple

and conduct the meeting, pass the sacrament, and give a short lesson.

we go right after sunday school and it only takes 20 minutes so we're back for our sacrament.

before we went i was a little nervous, but as soon as we got there we loved it immediately.

they are so excited for church each week and their spirits are so sweet.

you can feel the spirit so strong during every meeting, 

and trust me, you will never leave a fast and testimony meeting there without laughing.

our regulars are: 

john, who passes the sacrament for us and tells us what he ordered at iceberg that week

debbie, who likes to wear her shoes on the wrong feet and is the best helper.

brenda, who proudly shows us her bowling card every week (she usually scores in the 100's!)

mike, who is very shy but comes and sits in the back every week and listens intently

alan, who's pants are always falling down and he drinks his coffee during the meeting

rachel, who loves all animals but especially puppies and kitties

herman, who is rachel's boyfriend and sweetly walks her back to her room each week

marilyn, who gives the same prayer every week and asks to bear her testimony every week without fail

debbie and brenda

after 4 months in the ward they decided that we needed callings in addition to the bungalow.

what can i say, i guess we're just super star ward members.

i got asked to teach the CTR 5 class in Primary.

the class had 4 boys in it to begin with, and then one boy moved and a new GIRL moved in!

they are super crazy and it is well known that i have the wildest class in primary,

but it's been a blast watching them grow up through the year though.

they've all learned to color inside the lines now!

my favorite thing to do is ask them questions and hear the answers they come up with.

it's made me realize how much influence parents have on their kids,

because you can definitely tell what has rubbed off on them from their parents from what they say.

some of my favorite quotes from the kids:

"so you're telling me the holy ghost has a sword and cuts peoples arms off?"

"the atonement is when jesus was bleeding in the forest of god."

"but i've done lots of bad stuff that i forget to repent for."

"my uncle is coming home from his mission... he's been gone so long i forgot his name."

(sometimes we have to take a break from the lesson and go run off some energy outside)

and of course they couldn't let dawson go without another calling,

so they called him to be in the young men's presidency.

it's amazing to me the he takes the same amount of time to prepare for his lessons

as i do for mine (which is about 10 minutes) because his are WAY more complicated.

he does a great job connecting with the boys though,

and i know they are as blessed to have him as a leader as he is to be able to teach them.

it's very different being in a family ward with actual callings,

instead of being in singles wards where your main calling is to socialize and find a date.

it was rough at first having to wake up and be on time for 9am church,

but i know that it has been a blessing in our lives and i couldn't be more grateful

for the gospel, the ward members, and our callings.

pioneer trek

i was so excited when they called me and dawson to be an aunt and uncle at pioneer trek

did that sound believable?

ok, i'll admit, i might have had a little bit of a bad attitude about going.

i hadn't gone on trek when i was younger because i HAD to go to cheer camp

and i kinda thought i had gotten out of it

i guess it really wasn't that bad though.  we had a fun little group of kids, and since we weren't technically a ma and pa, we didn't have to do too much work.  we did however, still have to push that dang handcart and it just so happened that our particular trek was just one huge hill after another.  

gabby and dacia, my fave two girls

red (the horse) was my bud

overall it was a good experience.  oh, and the best part was on the first day we had all these "pioneer activities" planned, and i discovered that i have incredible skill in throwing a tomahawk.  dawson was a little jealous that i was better than him, but i told him if we were in hunger games i would use my skills and save him.

note dawson's tomahawk flying one the logs.  then note my first tomahawk dead center in the top one.  and yes, my second one went right next to it.

i am absolutely positive that the pioneers had angels helping them along the way, especially the handcart companies, because i just don't see how they could have walked that freaking far, in those conditions, with no food, and not have just died in their tracks on the plains.  i know i sure would have.
dawson (who would have been pretty much would have been the best pioneer ever) would have had to carry me on his back or else leave me and find a new heartier pioneer wife.  although i think he'd have a real tough time finding someone who could throw that tomahawk as good as me....

Adios for 2

Saying good-bye to Alex (in the parking lot by the MTC) 3 weeks ago was bitter sweet.  But since he's been gone the Utes have gone undefeated so now I'm ok with him not being here.
He is doing great though and his letters sound like he is pretty much an official missionary with extremely nerdy humor.  He leaves the MTC for New Zealand this Monday!

So long, Farewell

Alex's farewell was last Sunday, and just so you all know he did a FABULOUS job on his talk.  Even brought a tear to my eye.  He had many, many girls in the crowd who came to send him off.  I'm not gonna lie, my brother is a ladies man.  So girls, be sure to write him a lot the next two years!  I'm sure he'll appreciate packages as well as letters from males too.

Yes, I did make these myself.  Be impressed, it was my first try.

The last known picture with the infamous rat tail. 

Alex's Mission Call

Alex got his mission call!  We're so excited for him, he leaves on October 26th for Auckland, New Zealand.  We're realllly  hoping that we can work it out with the family to go over there and pick him up in two years (as long as I can survive the 16 hour flight).

It's the perfect place for him and I know he is going to love it.  He already thinks he's part poly so he's going to fit in very nicely.  We found out the average weight gain for the mission is 40 lbs, so we're expecting Alex to try to set a new record and come back 300+ lbs.

By the way, when did missionaries get so young!?  Growing up the missionaries seemed so old and grown up, but now I see my baby brother and his friends going and they seem so little.  So proud of him for being so studly and brave, because let's be honest, there's no way I could be!

Utah vs. Montana State

Final Score: 27-10

Football season is finally here!  I'm torn between being incredibly excited and incredibly stressed.  I love me some Utes, but when they aren't winning by at least 3 touchdowns my anxiety level is through the roof.  I usually get very focused and involved in the game, but luckily we were up the whole time so I was able to be a little bit social.  Which is good because we had some very important visitors this game...

My brother and sister-in-law, Andrew and Jen, were able to come to the game!  Jen is a true Ute and I love her for it.  Andy, on the other hand, we have to convert from the blue side.  He did show up in a red shirt however and you bet I heard the words "GO UTES" come out of his mouth on more than one occasion!  Not as impressive as me and Jen dancing and singing the whole fight song, but still.  He passed the test and will now be able to be invited again.

I love my sista, isn't she stunning? 

Let's see if you paid attention to that last pic and can figure out who the other visitors were... Ok I'll just tell you.  President and Sister Uchtdorf!  President Uchtdorf is a big Utah fan and has gotten to know my dad over the years.  They wanted to come to a game, and were given the option between the box seats or the stadium seats right behind the team.  They chose to be in the seats where all the action is, which I think is so great!  It was an awesome experience to get to meet an apostle and his wife.  They were the nicest people, and took the time to take pictures and shake anyone's hand who asked (me and Jen could just feel the blessings we were getting while we shook his hand).

I know my huge mug is ruining the shot, but it's a good pic of Dawson and Pres. Uchtdorf

Swoop giving Pres. Uchtdorf a hard time, I think he enjoyed it

Here are some more pics from the game for you to enjoy, including my cute husband in his new UTE shirt, our favorite Uncle Freddie, my little brother Alex and his date, and my darling cousin Kaela:

Go Utes!

After the game, a tragedy happened.  While driving home from the game, a drunk driver hit the car of Ron Tongaonevai's wife, Janelle, killing her instantly.  I had gotten to meet Janelle at a Player's Wives BBQ we had just a few weeks ago, and she was the sweetest girl.  An absolute doll who was so friendly and had a big smile on her face the whole time.  It broke my heart to hear of the accident, Ron and their family are in all of our thoughts and prayers.

T & J are home!

Two of my favorite cousins got home recently from their missions.  Trevor was in Columbus, Ohio and Jason was in Columbia, South Carolina, both Spanish speaking.  I can't believe it's been two years!  They left in a whirlwind, it was absolutely crazy.  They got their calls when I was in Europe, I had to listen in on the phone at about 3 am my time.  I got back a few days later made it to their farewell, and they ended up leaving that same week.  So they left about a week after they got their calls, it was nuts.  Only their mom, Lynita, is an amazing enough person to pull that off.

Me and the twins were best friends growing up.  I would sleep over at their house and we'd play video games like "Battle Toads" (don't knock it til you try it) and "Twisted Metal".  Is that normal for a 10 year old girl?  Lake Powell trips with them were the best too, going lizard hunting and making sand traps for people to fall in.  And of course, going to all the Utah games with our family while my Grandpa was coaching.

Now that they're home Trevor is going to BYU and Jason is going to the U, but I don't think it will divide the family TOO much.  We know Trevor is still a Utah football fan, especially because Jason is playing football for the Utes starting next year!  Both boys are phenomenal football players, and it's been a blast watching them play throughout the years.

It's so exciting that the twins are finally home, there was definitely something missing at family parties without them.  They are so much fun and are the life of the party, especially during family dance off's.  I'm glad we have a few months with the whole family together before the next missionary (my little brother Alex) goes out.  I'm so proud of the twins for serving missions, they're awesome boys - and officially on the market single ladies!