C&B came came for the weekend!!! Update to come...
sigh, I miss being newlyweds and going places on a whim...
May 23, 2009
Best. Weekend. Ever.
May 17, 2009
May 14, 2009
Happy Birthday D!
He's 32 now. His birthday was awesome. A ton of REI gift cards (thanks to mom and dad E and P) and now he can safely climb rocks with a helmet. Zoey was saw mariokart and HAD to get it for Dad. It has become a very entertaining purchase. Top it off with ribs, yummy spinach poppy seed salad, mashed potatoes, homemade rolls and a Culver's custard cookies and cream cake, and I think it was a success...
Things I love about D
He is a really good kisser
He hides love letters for me to find when he leaves, and sometimes he even sends them to me via the mail on long trips!
He's Hot.
He is my best friend.
D when he was about 3ish? So adorable!!
Told ya he's hot...
This is who he learned it from... Dad P. Doesn't L look just like his Daddy?
He is The. Best. Husband.
He can make really good french toast.
He loves to teach our kids the gospel.
He would rather be home with me and the kids than anywhere else. (I have to tell him to go and do manly things with other manly men...)
He is awesome.
He takes great pride in making me laugh.
He is a amazing provider and works so hard for our little family.
He puts up with my many annoying quirks...
I just love him, and all his 32 years...and love all that is to come
May 13, 2009
"A Fantastic Week"
My Brothers letter for the week. Its a good one.
FAM + BAY,
What a great week this has been! Elder Freeman and I both agree that we've never enjoyed being missionaries than we have these past few weeks. It's not normal for us to have a long period of time with no trainings or meetings so we were able to just go to town. We found more new investigators than anyone in the mission and truly found some amazing people. You would NOT BELIEVE the family that we're teaching. Last week we were on exchanges with the Latvian zone leaders and Elder Freeman and Brown knocked into a young mother with a two year old girl that said we could come back. Elder Freeman couldn't really remember anything other than that she had the light of Christ burning in her eyes. Two days later we were on an exchange with the Lithuanian zone leaders so Elder Brimley and I went back and the woman's husband answered the door. I started to introduce myself but couldn't finish because he smiled wide and said "What are you doingstanding out there! Come in!" We came in and he invited us into the kitchen. "Does Tatiana live here?" I asked. "Yeah let me go get her." He went into the other room and in walked Tatiana, Nellie (the daughter,) and Kolya (a friend.) We started the lesson and they all payed perfect attention... listening with half smiles on their faces. We taught what seemed like a perfect Preach My Gospel lesson... their answers were great and we could just feel how good they are. We left a Book of Mormon and they invited themselves to church. The next day we were in the area so we dropped by and gave them a box of chocolates as thanks for being so kind. Kolya was the only one home and he said "Thank you thank you. I'm reading the Book of Mormon." The next day they ALL came to church! They had the whole branch staring back over their shoulders. They sang out during the hymns and reverently took the sacrament. Nellie made good friends with the grandmas and grandpas of the branch. They had to leave after sacrament meeting because Nellie needed a nap but before they left, Ruslan (the father) said "Elder, we really enjoyed this... we want to invite you over again tomorrow to talk some more... we'll make cake and everything." We returned the next day and brought a great member named Viktor Mironovich who lives pretty close to them. Nellie recognized him from church and sat on his lap through the whole lesson. I asked how they liked church and the answer blew me away. They all started talking at once but the general idea was: "we loved it. We were only there for an hour but when we left we all just felt so good. We felt like we were home with people that we loved."Then I asked how their Book of Mormon reading was and to answer they pulled out their copy and showed me three different bookmarks sticking out of 1stNephi. They love it and are excited to see what happens to Nephi. I suggested reading together like a family and Tatiana said "That's what I wanted to do but they wouldn't get up!" We committed them to start and they promised to. We taught the plan of salvation and it went very well. At the end Elder Freeman and I felt very prompted to commit them to baptism so were ad the account of Jesus' baptism from Mathew and I said "There will be a baptismal service on the 6th of June and we want to help you prepare for baptism so that you can follow the example of your Savior... Kolya, will you be baptized on the 6th?" "Yes I will" "Tatiana, what about you?" "Why not!" "and you, Ruslan?" "But I've already been baptized... I can't do itagain can I?" We started to explain infant baptism but Tatiana butted inand said "Come on, Ruslan, that wasn't your choice! You were a baby!"After a little more explaining he also enthusiastically agreed. It's still sinking in to my brain that a whole family wants to be baptized. I swear that the heavens have just exploded over us lately. I get so sad to seemissionaries that come near to the end of their service and become complacent and homesick because that is the time of your mission that youhave the most skill and the best understanding of how these people think. I loved talking you to on Mother's Day, but I really don't want to come home.... I'd be fine staying for another 2 years.
Sunil is set for Saturday... we taught him yesterday and at the end of the lesson he said "Some people want to just go to church every once in a while but I think that if you are in a church you should be deep in it and you should understand what you believe." Sunil is a very smart, successful man but it's hard to communicate certain teachings to him because of his English. We taught about eternal families and he's convinced that his wife will join the church. Steve is for sure going back to India which makes us all sad. At first he planned on returning without even telling his familybecause they payed a lot of money for him to get her and he's ashamed that his grades were too poor to stay. And he absolutely wasn't going to mention his meeting with the Mormons. But he decided to be straight up with them so he called, told them everything that's happening with his visa and he told them that he wants to move to Mumbai where he can be baptized and get ready for a mission. They told him to come home to Gujarat were they could talk about it together and decide as a family. He will be fine. Tonight we're going to their hostel were they promised us a roomful of Christian foreigners that will listen to our message. I just have too much to tell, goodness. I love you all and really enjoyed hearing your voices on Sunday! I talked to Elder Freeman's family too and their great... They already know that I'm going to be spending a lot of timeat their house in Springville haha.
Elder E
Who doesn't love a good missionary letter?
May 11, 2009
May 10, 2009
Mother I love you, Mother I do
To all mothers out there, I wish a Happy Mother's Day. I am so blessed to have such wonderful mothers in my life.
First off, and this may be a little unorthodox, but I always think of her a lot on Mother's Day, I am so grateful for my biological mother. I am so grateful for her, for keeping me, for realizing she could not give me the life she wanted for me, and for making the hardest decision, to give me up. I did not realize the enormity of that act until I became a mother myself. I've never met her, and I don't know if I ever will, but I will be forever grateful to her for her love and sacrifice.
For Mom P. Thank you for raising my amazing sweet husband. Also for helping to raise me. I was just 18 when I married D, and you have really helped me grow in the role of wife and mother, by example and advice. I don't think I have seen a more concerned momma bear as you. I always know that you are praying for us. I know you love us all so much. We love you too. And you are the ultimate 'Fancy Grammy", and your grand kids (Zoey especially) count down the number of sleeps when we are coming to visit. You always have such a spiritual perspective on life, and somehow always remind me in just the right way of what is really important as we go through our little trials.
This is Mom P with Rylee and the little boy is D. Remind you of anyone? And hello Beautiful Mommy!! Wow!
My Mom and Dad and me. This is the first time they saw me. Doesn't my Mom's face look like an angel?
Today at church Zoey ran up to the front to sing for Mother's Day. I just sat there, holding my Liam boy, and smiled at the tiny girl who's head barely cleared the stand. She jumped up and down and waved to me, so excited to sing. I am so grateful to be a mother. It is the hardest job out there, and the most rewarding.
Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.
~Elizabeth Stone
Happy Mothers Day.
May 8, 2009
Saying Goodbye...
I went down to AZ for the funeral. It was great to be down there, but I have to say it was REALLY weird to be without kids for 4 days. D was amazing, and my lovely friend Diana took them on Monday. I so appreciate it. Thank you Thank you Thank you.
I got there Friday, and it was so beautiful down there! After helping my Mom with picking up and dropping off cousin Jay who was in the hospital with mrsa (y.i.k.e.s.) We Clorox wiped the car and bathed in purell, and then headed home. GIRLS NIGHT!! You see, it was the father and sons camp out that weekend, which meant CPK, shopping, and a movie, 17 again. Funny movie, but don't take anyone younger than 16 to it...A few awkward moments with my baby sis... Arizona truly is the promised land. They have Harkins Theaters, who gives you the option of Red Vines or twizzlers, unlike all theaters here who only sell the ugly red-headed step child twizzlers. Licorice should taste like licorice, not strawberry or cherry...ugg.. I digress... Girls night out was a blast, although I think if I posted some of the convo, Corinn would be horribly embarrassed... if you want to know the incident with the fruit cup, you have to ask her...
Saturday I went to a cake tasting with Chels. The cake tasted like straight sugar, but the decorating was awesome. After we went to lunch and talked for 3 hours. I love Chels. She is so funny. Their relationship is interesting to me, She is the commitment-phobe...and I find that very entertaining. I really like Seth. She really nailed it with him. That evening I saw wolverine (totally amazingly awesome!!! but anything with hugh jackman would be totally amazingly awesome even if it was terrible...)with the fam, and Damon was horribly jealous. I'm taking him to see it tonight.
Sunday we went to church. I must admit, I love going back to the ward I grew up in. Everyone makes such a fuss over you. That is such a great ward. I made dinner for the family. Ribs, mashed potatoes, spinach poppy seed salad, homemade rolls and corn. It was delish, ...especially on fast Sunday... Chels and Seth came over that afternoon and played croquet with us. Dad won. He killed us. They stayed for a few hours, and it was great to get to know him a little better.
Monday was the funeral, and it was very well attended. I met her cousin Jerry, and her stepson David and his wife. Such sweet people. I played Massenets Meditation from the opera Thais, and I loved it, I hope everyone else did too. That song is so moving and beautiful. I love playing it. Its my Mom's favorite out of all the music I've played. I think I'm up to 12 requests for me to play it at peoples funerals. I don't know how many funerals I have played it at... Its very flattering. I think it is the one song I can play well. I hope Marian loved it. Saying goodbye was very bittersweet. She is greatly loved, and will be greatly missed.
I don't know if its weird to take photos at a graveside casket, but I couldn't help myself. I wished I had brought the heavy artillery (my camera), but Moms little point and shoot did pretty well...
A great trip, and now I need to get on editing a bunch of photos, I have 4 shoots on the block... Maybe I'll even update my photoblog... And I need to update this blog, we celebrated a birthday, and it deserves a good post, I just need to (again) edit the photos. heres a little hint MARIOCART!!
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