Long Time Coming!

Hello family! I am so looking forward to the revival of the blog! As I know Stacie can attest, living far from family makes me yearn for the connections that come through phone calls, texts and blog posts. I miss all of you so much!

We  are alive and doing well up here in the Great White North. We're in the midst of yet another snowstorm, but our temperatures are quite a bit warmer than they have been, so I'm not complaining. Like much of the states, we had a very frigid winter.... and uncharacteristically for here, we haven't had many chinook winds blow through. The boys have adjusted amazingly well to the cold and are just used to "gearing up" before heading out... balaclava, toques, mitts, snow socks, boots and all... even snow pants many days.

The boys are enjoying school but are very happy to currently be on spring break. Ryder has joined a swim team, which he is loving. Hudson and Cannon start swim lessons pretty soon. And Ryder and Cannon are counting down the days until baseball starts. Hudson will be playing soccer this spring, as they don't have a baseball team for his age... much to his disappointment. Hudson has been attending a "tumble" class (gymnastics), and often talks about his teacher, Miss Heather, and all he is learning. It's been so good for him to have something of his own. The older boys took ski lessons at the beginning of the year at the nearby Canada Olympic Park, and we just recently took a weekend trip to Montana where the boys had their first full ski days. They LOVED it!! We are grateful Ryder is finally embracing a "Canadian sport"... ha ha! The long days on the mountain really helped to improve their confidence, and both Ryder and Cannon are now much better than me. :)

Nixon is getting bigger by the minute. We met up with some friends last night who have a three week old, and I just can't believe how quickly the last six months have flown by. Nixon is such a happy baby and the older boys adore him!! Ryder has always said he wants a sister, until recently. He's now convinced a sister would ruin his playroom setup and destroy his legos, so he's very content having just brothers and "boy" toys. :)

Todd is doing great and really enjoying his practice. The work is growing, slowly, but surely. Up until March he had been scheduling OR time whenever needed into whatever spots were available. But now he has one full OR day a week, and I can tell he loves having those full days of surgery. Hopefully before too long we'll be adding another day per week into that. He has been working so hard in visiting with dentists and orthodontists and attending meetings around the city and province. Dad continually reminds us that it just takes time. :) We have until September to decide if we are staying put and buying in. As things stand now, it looks as though we will be here. Todd keeps in touch with the oral surgeon down in Lethbridge that just started up an office, but the timing may not work out for us there... and I'm quite enjoying Calgary and have a hard time imagining leaving.

I am managing to keep up with the boys and all of their energy... somehow. I feel like I'm just now coming out of the baby fog and am ready to rejoin life again. :) But that probably won't last very long, as I am scheduled to have a tonsillectomy on April 30 and will be down for about three weeks. :/ I'm very ready to have that all behind me!

We had such a wonderful visit to Utah last month! We loved all of the cousin time and seeing Greg, Kristin, Scott, Mom, Dad, Grandma, and Amy... plus some reunions with friends from San Francisco. The time, as always, went by way too fast. Hudson keeps asking me when we are going back to "Grandpa and Grandpa's" house. :)

We are so excited to see all of you soon in Newport!! As mentioned in my previous email, we will be hitting up Legoland that Saturday and would love anyone who wants to join us to come! I think Amy and Zach are in. I know in another email regarding whether or not to go to Disneyland, someone asked what else we should do. I agree with Amy that another beach day would be fun. It seems every time we're there, I leave wishing we had had more time at the beach. :) But I do also agree with Kristin that one year it would be great to go to Sea World!

Since we will be down there anyway and since we won't be doing Disney all together, Todd and I are thinking we'll probably stay an extra day or two after Newport to take our boys to Disneyland. If anyone is up for a Monday theme park visit, let us know!! :) I am planning to make a trek (again) of the trip and drive down to Utah before and stop there after Newport to enjoy some summer time at Mom and Dad's. I'm hoping to be able to swing by Cinda and Dave's new home on our way up through NorCal too! Cinda - call me back! :)

We love you all and hope you've had a peaceful Sunday! Let us know when any of you would like to make a visit!!! (hint, hint) I've added a bunch of recent photos below for your enjoyment. :)

Love,
Jenny

  

   

     

 

Welcome Back Family

Dear Family,
Welcome back to our blog!  I can't believe it has been six months since anything has been posted on our blog.  I know we can do better!  Life continues to be busy for us here in Utah.  Tonight for family home evening we joined Kristin and the children (while Greg attended a class) for dinner at a restaurant just down the street and then went to a wheelchair basketball game.  One of the youth in our ward organized this event for his eagle project.  There were several groups that each took turns playing against this very professional youth basketball team where each of the members was disabled and confined to a wheelchair.  Those that were not disabled had to play in wheelchairs as well.  It was fun to watch and very inspiring to observe individuals who had worked so hard to adapt to a variety of disabilities and become so proficient at what they were doing.
Spring is trying to come here in our valley....We have had some very pleasant days but now and then are surprised by a light snow storm that doesn't stay around long.  In anticipation of warmer weather, Dad and I have been looking for play equipment and furniture to use outside.
I had a great trip to CA the first of the month.  I was able to spend time with Kevin, Julie and family as well as see Cinda and Dave's new home.  I was so glad to be able to help Kevin and Julie and the kids for a few days.  Lizzy and Tyler are doing so well and busy with school, singing group, sports, etc. and Emily is so fun and entertaining.  I was constantly amazed at her vocabulary and how well she understands what we are saying and asking her to do.  I miss singing with her, taking walks and just kissing her chubby cheeks!  It was plain to see that Kevin and Julie are loved by many and we are so grateful for the members of their ward and other friends who have brought meals, offered to help with rides for the kids and many other things.
Cinda and Dave's new home is beautiful and it was fun to see how they've arranged everything.  I'm anxious for all of you to see it.  All the kids seem to be growing up so much and so fast....
This morning I went to Grandma Horne's assisted living home to see her participate in a St. Patricks Day program.  Their director was giving a presentation on the history of Ireland and their traditions.  As part of his presentation, Grandma sang the "Irish Washerwoman", a song she used to sing with three of her sisters.    She dressed up in an apron and with a towel on her head and used a large tub.  She did a great job, actions and all!  I was actually amazed she could remember all the words!
I have been attending a BYU continuing education course on the Pearl of Great Price/Old Testament on Wed. mornings.  It is similar to an institute class.  The teacher is wonderful and gives many insights from past, as well as present, presidents of the church and other general authorities.  Last week we talked about establishing Zion and what needed to take place.  After much discussion what was concluded was that each of us needs to be more concerned about preparing ourselves become what we need to become and not be so worried about what others are doing or not doing.  There was a wonderful conference talk by Elder Condie he suggested we read:  "A Mighty Change of Heart" .  I looked it up and read it and recommend it to all of you to read.  He also quoted President Hinckley:  "There is so much of bitterness in the world.  There is so  much of pain and sorrow that come of angry words.  There is so much of tears that follow disloyalty.  But there can be so  much of happiness if there is an effort to please and an overwhelming desire to make comfortable and happy one's companion. I m satisfied that if we would look for the virtues in one another and not the vices, there would be much more of happiness in the homes of our people.  There would be far less of divorce, much less of infidelity,  much less of anger and rancor and quarreling.  There would be  more of forgiveness, more of love, more of peace, more of happiness.  This is as the Lord would have it."             
President Hinckley always expressed himself so well.  His entire talk, "Living Worthy of the Girl (or Boy) You Will Someday Marry" is wonderful and one that would be good to teach to our children and our youth.
I am going to end....I will ask Dad to add a few words.  We look forward to hearing from all of you!
 Love, Mom
   
Hello everyone,
Mom's told you most of what is going on but in addition I have been serving in the Temple as a sealer 2 shifts a week, Wed. PM 3:45-10:00 and Sat. AM 5:45-11:00 or 12:00 depending on what is going on.  I have had a chance to perform 3 sealings for the living (2 licensed marriages and 1 child to parent sealing) as well, of course, as many proxy sessions.  It has been enjoyable but getting up at 4:15 AM on Saturdays is a challenge.  I had gotten use to not getting up that early since leaving Fresno so I have had to readjust again.  I am in the process of planning and installing soon some raised bed garden boxes so we can grow a garden.  It will be good and help us hopefully with our emergency preparedness.  I am going to order some seeds that are sealed in a container and supposedly good to still germinate after 20 years.  We loved having Jenny and Todd and family, and Amy and Zach and girls and Kevin and Julie come in Feb. and of course love having Scott, Kristin, Greg, Jake and Eliza close by.  We miss all of you and would love for all of you to be able to come more often and look forward to Newport this summer.  I am going to close and go out and plant some Spring flowers and then hope we don't get a significant cold spell.  A little frost won't hurt but several nights of freezing weather wouldn't help much.  I think of all of you daily and pray the blessings of our Heavenly Father to be with all of our family that we might be worthy of the sacred blessings all of us have been promised in the Temple if we honor our covenants.
      All my love, Dad and Grandpa                                                               

Where Did August Go?...

Dear Family,
It seems like just yesterday that most of you were here with us at the temple!  It is hard to believe that special surprise happened a month ago and it is now the first of September!  Time seems to be flying now....At the beginning of this three year time of service, the end seemed so very far away - now I'm afraid it will be here all too quickly!  We have a busy month planned with stake conferences, other meetings and various dinner invitations as well as a dinner here at the temple home for our maintenance workers.  Somewhere in all of this activity we need to pack our things so we can move the majority of them when our temple is closed the first two weeks in October.  During that time they plan to install the murals in our temple.  Dad will be taking the last third of the shutdown period so he can be here while they are installing them.  I'll return near the end...We definitely will miss the temple and all of our wonderful workers and friends.  What a wonderful memory it will be and how very much we have learned....
We love all of you so much and thank you again for all the effort that was put forth when you came here to be with us at the temple.  We will always treasure that special temple session and the time we were able to spend together afterward in the Celestial Room.  Thank you for the wonderful lives you are living and for the great parents you are to our wonderful grandchildren...We pray for all of you several times every day and hope that all of the children are settling in to a new school year and are happy.
The holidays will be here before we know it and so I was thinking about the family calendar today...Would anyone like to volunteer to be in charge this year or should we ask someone?!  Let us know what you think.
Please take a minute to write a note to let all of us know what each of you is doing. 
I (Dad) will add a note to what Mom said above.  I echo Mom's sentiments about the wonderful surprise visit.  We also want to thank Greg, Matt, Todd and Zach for making it possible for their wives to come.  We so wish all of you could have been here also.  We are grateful that Dave and Julie lived close enough that they could come and made the effort to do so.  It meant so much to us to have all that could come be here and to know that those that could not wish they could have.  We made a visit to Corcoran branch a month ago.  That is a small branch about 20 or so miles west of Hanford.  While there a man came in a little late and it was obvious he was visiting also.  After Sacrament Meeting I introduced my self to him in the hallway.  He said he was from Temecula and so I asked him if he knew any Pulsiphers.  He said, "do you mean Allen Pulsipher?"  So we talked for a minute and then I said, "Also, my late mission president has a daughter that lives there and her first name is Lanae."  He said, "Do you mean Lanae Turley."  I told him that was her maiden name and asked how he knew that and he said, "She's my wife."  He was there working on a computer system in the state prison that is in Corcoran.  What a small world it is in the Church.  Reminds me of the time we met a friend of ours from San Francisco in the elevator of the hotel in China when we were there with Amy, Jenny and Todd.  We love all of you and look forward to reading something soon from each of you on the blog.  As Mom said, it is hard to believe we are about finished here.  What a special opportunity and experience it has been for us.
            Love, Mom and Dad

Busy!

Hello.

I saw mom's email and then her post so I decided to take a couple of minutes and post a note.  I will have to have Dave and the boys help me post pictures later (maybe they can even figure out how to put the clip of Austin opening his mission call on), but if I don't do this right now who knows when I will get back to it. :)

Mom, your meetings sound wonderful!  You and dad have been extra busy!  I had some friends just return from Women' Conference and I was remembering the time that we girls all went.  We need to try and do that again sometime - it is such a rejuvenating experience!

We are excited for Austin's call to the Phoenix, Arizona mission.  The news that he will be reporting on June 19th really took us all by surprise.  He had made plans to work as a summer counselor at the beach in San Diego so he had to rearrange his plans and he is now here with us which we are thrilled about.  Unfortunately, he doesn't have a job so we are tying to keep him busy and trying not to make him go in to Dave's office too much since he REALLY does not like that. :)  We are proud, anxious, nervous, excited, thrilled, hesitant...so many emotions!  We know that this is where he is supposed to be at this time in his life and pray that the Lord will guide him on this next part of his journey.  He received a letter from his mission president this week also.  His name is Scott Taylor.  The mission includes suburbs of Phoenix but the map seems to say that downtown Phoenix itself is not in his mission - we will have to see.  Other areas include Prescott, Flagstaff, Sedona, the Grand Canyon area and they say there are many Indian Reservations in his mission as well.  We don't know if he will have the opportunity to serve on the reservations, but it is a possibility.  It is nice that he has some of the cooler areas of the state in his mission so hopefully he can escape some of that brutal Arizona heat.

We wanted to let you all know about the plans for Austin to take out his Endowment and to give his talk at church.  We know that circumstances being as they are many of you will not be able to make it.  However, we want you all to know that you are welcome and we would love to have you if it is something that can work in to your schedules.  He is going to take out his Endowment on June 8th at the 12:00 session in the Fresno Temple.  We will then drive back up to Roseville for him to give his talk in Church on June 9th.  He will not be set apart until the following Sunday or Monday.  We will leave Tuesday, June 18th to drive to Utah and he will report at the MTC on June 19th.  It will come fast!

I am also busy planning camp which is June 10-15.  It is because of the dates of camp that we are doing his farewell the weekend of June 8-9.  The day Austin's call came I had been talking to my assistants about how much less stressful it was to plan camp without a graduation and an Eagle court of honor...then that night I found out that I would be planning camp while trying to get a missionary off - I think I jinxed myself. :)  With camp, preparing Austin, all the end of the year field trips and projects we will be busy for the next few weeks.  However, after we drop Austin off at the MTC Katelynne and I will be in Utah for almost 3 weeks, which will make for a good recovery.  Katelynne and I were planning to head to Utah on the 22nd or 23rd so she can attend a gymnastics camp with Eli at the U of U starting the week of the 24th so we have decided just to stay after dropping Austin off as it doesn't make much sense to go back and forth.

Dave, Cordon & Cameron are going on a backpacking trip in Yosemite the week of June 24th.  The boys are really looking forward to that and the thoughts of all they have planned for the summer are making it hard for them to concentrate these last few weeks of school.  They have all done well in school, but are anxious to be done.  Cordon will also be working at SunSplash (our local water park) over the summer.  Since he isn't 16 he can't lifeguard, but he can cool off a bit in the water when he is working collecting tubes, etc.  It will be fun for him since he can go any day he is not working for free and bring a friend.  Cameron has taken up golf this year and really likes it.   We were hoping to find a fun golf camp for him in Utah, but nothing seems to line up right for when we will be there.  He does get to go to Scout camp, though and he is looking forward to that.  Both Cordon and Cameron have taken up fishing.  They fish some little wetlands and small lakes near our home(neighborhood man-made lakes...it is pretty funny), but they are looking forward to the fishing in the mountains and streams on their hikes this summer.  Maybe they can even get some fishing in when they come to Utah for the reunion.

Dave and I seem to stay up later and get up earlier than ever before, but still don't seem to be getting much more accomplished....but we are trying our best and working hard.  We know we are blessed and are so excited to be able to spend time with all of you in just a few short weeks.  I know that many of you have some busy weeks ahead of you also and many life changing events in the near future.  Our prayers and love are with you all!

Love, Cinda & Family

Let's Do Better!

Dear Family,
I just noticed it's been a couple of months since anyone posted on our blog....We have been busy as well, but let's try to do better!  This is a great way to keep in touch since we don't all have the opportunity to talk to each other on the phone regularly...
We just finished a DELICIOUS Mother's Day dinner!  I asked Dad if we could do this on a regular basis (every week - at LEAST once a month)...He fixed the entire dinner - complete with grilled salmon with Kristin's delicious mayo/tomato/basil sauce, fresh green beans, baked potato, french bread and green salad with all the trimmings.  For dessert, we're having some left-over cheesecake we served at a dinner we had here at the temple home last night, but Dad bought all the fixin's for the pineapple sherbet/vanilla ice cream dessert...So, we'll have that another time - soon!  We had wonderful meetings today.  We had a farewell message from a missionary leaving soon as well as a mother's day message.  The speaker was especially sensitive to those women who have not had the opportunity for marriage or to bear their own children, but who have (in every sense of the word) been great nurturers and "mothers" to many.  I wish mother's day could last a little longer...
We have been SO busy...I was asked to give a class at a stake women's conference last week, then the next day we had our yearly coordinator's meeting at the temple.  Yesterday we had a special session for all our sealers and their spouses followed by a dinner here.  It put the "cap" on a very busy two weeks, but was such a nice experience.  This last week we also traded a couple of our shifts at the temple with Dad's counselors and we escaped to SF with Callisters where we went to "Mary Poppins" at the Orpheum Theater and spent a night at the suites.  We are grateful for the opportunity to trade shifts because it allows us to take advantage of special opportunities, but it makes for difficult shifts coming up...But...we had a wonderful time even though we needed to hurry back to get ready for last night.
The opening session of the women's conference I attended was one of the best I have ever attended.  The stake president gave a great talk...I want to share some of it with you....He asked:

Wonderful Meetings

Dear Wonderful Family,
We have had such fun reading the recent posts...all about Amy's and Zach's moving plans and Stacie and Matt's busy schedules and trip...Keep the posts coming - we love them and look forward to having them as a kind of history about our family.
We have had some wonderful meetings lately.  Last weekend we had a priesthood leadership training meeting with Elder Christofferson, Elder Rasband and Elder Bassett, our area authority.  Dad was invited to the priesthood meeting which was held in our Fresno North Stake Center for priesthood leaders in the area - as far south as Porterville and as far north as the two Modesto stakes.  He and I along with our mission president and his wife (President and Sister Gelwix) were then invited to attend a lunch for the general authorities and all the stake presidents.  At night there was a special meeting for all the youth, their parents and leaders that was also held in our North Stake Center, but then was broadcast to all the youth and their parents, etc. throughout our area.  We then went to a dinner with the Gelwix's, Elder and Sister Bassett, Elder Rasband and Elder Christofferson at a local Mexican restaurant here.  What a day! One of Dad's counselors and his wife worked through their shift on Sat. to cover ours except for about the last three hours when we rushed back to the temple after the lunch to work the last little part so they could go home.  But...what a feast we had- both physically and spiritually!  It is truly a privilege and a blessing for us to be able to "rub shoulders" with such amazing and inspiring leaders.  It is a "perk" that comes with our calling that will be so very much missed in the future. (I, Dad, will continue for a minute while Mom starts dinner and then she will add some more)  On Sunday we were invited to attend a special stake conference in Visalia with Elder Christofferson and Elder Bassett which was a treat.  We were not on the program so we thought we would be able to just enjoy the meeting.  That was the case for me but during the intermediate hymn Elder Christofferson walked over and asked Mom to say a few words and bear her testimony, which she did a great job of as usual.  Elder Bassett and Elder Christofferson were wonderful and of course Elder Christofferson spoke for about 40 minutes which was a real treat.  One of the other speakers was a Sister Sanner who is the widow of the bishop who was shot and killed in Oct. of 2010 on a Sunday while he was at the church.  She gave a wonderful talk about facing challenges and following the Savior.  You might recall, but this sister and her parents were our neighbors in our first home in Merced for a couple of years.  Her father is a pharmacist and was working at Long's Pharmacy.  They were there to support their daughter and it was fun to visit with them after the conference.  They live up north in Gridley, CA.  Another interesting thing is that after each of the meetings (Priesthood Leadership, Youth and the Stake Conference) Elder Christofferson invited people to come up and shake hands.  In the Priesthood Leadership meeting the last half was a question and answer session which was special, except when I was asked to respond to a question, and then at the end Pres. Gelwix and I were asked to share our testimonies.  They are all so caring and helpful.  What a treat! This week we received a personal letter from Elder Christofferson thanking us for our service in the Temple and for our participation in the weekend meetings. He makes you feel so comfortable and is so personal.  He came to a stake conference in Hanford last Nov. and he personally phoned me to ask that Mom and I participate and speak at the Sunday session.
On March 4th we drove to Carmel/Monterey for the day and stayed overnight and came back on Tues.  It was fun to get away and see the beautiful area.  We just walked around and went down to the beach and walked along for a while enjoying the ocean.  That night we went to a fun little restaurant in Carmel which was great.  The next day we went to a breakfast place in Monterey and walked again along the path next to the ocean and then took the 17 mile drive which of course is beautiful.  There was this recently remodeled home right on the beach with the golf course just behind it.  There were sales brochures so I picked one up and they are only asking 11.5 million.  A little out of our league.  It was a quick but fun trip.  Not quite like the great cruise Matt and Stacie had but still fun.
This week has been our busy week as we have been on every morning.  Today we attended our own ward and then went to a YSA ward sacrament meeting.  We are looking forward to Amy, Addi and Bella coming this Friday and then the following week Mom and Amy will drive to Utah as the Temple will be closed for the first 2 weeks of April.  I will join them a few days later after I cover the first part of the Temple closure period for the work being done.  (Mom will add some more now) 
I just wanted to add a little bit of the counsel Elder Christofferson, Elder Rasband and Elder Bassett gave.
They talked about "being consistent in the simple things" - prayer, scripture study and family home evening.
They said "being consistent brings the blessings" and "the best principle of preparation is the Book of Mormon."  They talked about the importance of learning how to recognize and follow the spirit.  Also, they mentioned how President Monson always stresses the importance of serving "the one" - how Jesus  ministered and blessed those in the Book of Mormon, "one by one" and that is what we should do.
We always learn so much from these wonderful men....Today we visited a couple of wards - actually, we went to our own ward and to the YSA ward that meets in the same building.  One of the speakers in our sacrament meeting was talking about the importance of putting God first in our lives and talked about how easy it is to "worship false gods".  He made a comment that I thought was so good - "Whatever man puts his heart and his trust in is his God."  I thought a lot about how our heart is the key....
I know I have rambled on too much...but just FYI:  I have reserved units at Newport July 27 - August 2 for summer of 2014.  Please plan ahead so we can have our own family reunion then.  Also, we are planning to go to Hawaii this Nov. from 16 - 23.  We have two units and as of now, we are planning on Scott, Kristin & Greg and Cinda & Dave joining us this year.  If we save Nov. 2014 and then have two units in Nov. of 2015, would the Hansens, Gruwells and Fairbanks be able to go with us then?  Would that be more fun than going separately a year at a time?  Let us know....   Also let us know if another month would be better.  As far as this summer goes, we will be in Utah the night of June 29 - July 8.  We have traded some days with Dad's counselors so that we can have a full week. We look so forward to seeing everyone then.....We love you so much and you are always in our hearts and prayers.  Love, Dad and Mom

Escape

Hello Family! 

We love and miss you! Here's an update on us: It has been a busy couple of months, to be sure! The highlight, of course, being Greg's visit here a couple of weeks ago. :) He stopped through when in the Ohio area for business, and we got to steal him for a night. Thanks for putting up with our running-around routine, Greg! 

We had multiple weekends of travel in February for the girl's activities. Three weekends away at gymnastics meets and friend's baptisms, and another at an ice-skating competition for Ashlan. One of the gymnastics meets was in Philadelphia, and so we decided to make a family trip of it, take a long weekend, and play in the area. Unfortunately, we were ALL hit with the stomach flu throughout the weekend....luckily Elli had it first just before going so she was able to compete. Honestly though, we still had fun! I love cities, and it was just fun to be there. We found a great deal on a hotel right downtown and were able to visit the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall (the old State House), and Betsy Ross's home. The meet was HUGE, it is called PINK, and is one of the largest meets in the country. ALL proceeds go to supporting breast cancer causes. Nastia Liukin came and Elli got to meet her. It was great to be a part of. 

March began with an escape for Matt and I as we left for our cruise. Melinda came to stay with the girls, and we are so thankful to her! They had a fun week....and we had a fabulous one! Our stops were Costa Maya (Mexico), Belize, Honduras (Island of Rhoatan), and Cozumel. We went on three dives (scuba diving) in Mexico and Belize, had fun on a zipline, and explored the jungle and beaches. In Cozumel we arranged for a day at an all-inclusive resort on a private beach. It was beautiful. Most of all, we enjoyed the time away together. Thank you to my sweet husband for surprising me with this anniversary gift (15 this year). 

Now we are back in full swing! Our Stake RS Women's Conference is a week from Saturday and has been consuming, as is expected. I worked hard to have things rolling before leaving on our trip, and now I'm catching up and moving forward with all that has to be done right before. We are excited for the day and I am looking forward to being with the wonderful women of this Stake. Ward Conferences begin this weekend, as well, so I'm preparing lessons and trainings for those. I always love the opportunity to visit the other units at Ward Conference time because there are such great people to brush shoulders with and learn from.

Matt is always busy with research and classes, and his consulting. Exciting things have happened in all areas and he works hard to keep up. The girl's have had art shows, and book fairs, and Ashlan's big Skating Show is coming up, as well as a hockey performance with the skating team. Oh, and somewhere in there we will celebrate Easter! :) 

Sincerely though, Easter is more important than all of it of course, and I'm looking forward to taking the time to study in the scriptures and celebrate with our nightly Easter readings the week before. That and Conference will be such spiritual feasts. Speaking of feasts, I wish we were closer to have Easter dinner together! It looks like we will go to Buffalo and celebrate the holiday with friends there, which will be fun. 

We are looking forward to being together in June/July, and it will come faster than we think! Let us know each of your plans as it draws closer so that we can make the most of our time together. It looks like we will be in Kaysville from June 29th - July 7th.  Let's play!  We love you all!  Stacie and family

On the ship

Stacie on the zipline.  Look at that ocean view!

Suspension bridges in the jungle (Matt's favorite!)

Dressed up at night

The island of Rhoatan, our favorite stop

In the dive shop in Mexico, literally a "hole in the wall"

The beach in Costa Maya, Mexico

Changes

Hi everyone! I meant to post in February and time got away from me. We have had a lot of craziness the last week or so. Most everyone has probably already heard that we are moving to St. George!! Zach met with his bosses last Thursday (Feb 28th) and they told him that they were ready to have him go down there (even though they had told him that the idea was "off the table"). Talk about a surprise! Its just frustrating that it is all on their timetable. But we went down last weekend to look at homes and found a place we really like that is near some friends of ours. Its one of those things we feel is right but don't really want to do. :) But we are getting more excited...Zach has some family down there and we have some friends there as well. The Lord definitely works in mysterious ways. I hope you will come visit us! Its going to be a fast move too....about a month or so. It will be an busy next few weeks thats for sure.

Other than that there isn't a whole lot to report. We had fun going to dinner with Cinda and Dave this past Friday. It was too quick but still fun to get to see them.

Here are a few other pictures that kinda tell whats been goin' on since our last post...

2ND PLACE!!!

        Hey everyone, guess what? YESTERDAY I HAD MY FIRST GYMNASTICS COMPETITION!!!!!!! It was soooooo much fun. I got 2nd place overall! I got a higher score than everyone on floor. I definitely did not do my best on beam. Bars and vault I did good on. I got 2 first place ribbons for floor and bar. I also got 2 second place ribbons for vault and beam. I got a trophy also because I won 2nd place. My best friend in gymnastics, Maddy, got 1st place. She has been doing gymnastics way longer than me so I'm not surprised she got 1st. But, still, since I just started its pretty good that I got 2nd. Here are some pics...

This is me before going in to the competition.

This is me after meeting with my team and waiting to get started!!!

 

This is me, Maddy and our coach, Courtney, after the competition.

My ribbons, trophy and the flower that Cordon bought me.

Happy Valentine's Day - Late!

Dear Family,
Happy Valentine's Day - a little late!  A big "thank-you" to those who sent Valentine's Day wishes...we enjoyed reading them and seeing your pictures.  We love all of you so much and love to hear from you and pictures are a big bonus!  We had a quiet Valentine's Day.  We worked the afternoon shift at the temple (2:00 - 10:00 PM) and so we weren't able to go out to dinner - we went to brunch instead!  There is a really cute breakfast/lunch place down the street from us that has yummy omelets, pancakes, french toast, etc.  Our sessions at the temple were pretty full, so it was a good day.  We had a fast trip to Utah the weekend before...It was fun to see everyone there...We were glad we were able to catch one of Jacob's basketball games and play with Eliza, Bella and Addi.  Dad and some of the guys drove to Provo to see BYU play SF State (too bad they lost right at the end!).  Tomorrow we are driving to Mariposa to visit the ward there.  We have a lot going on the next few weeks....We have been invited to attend some meetings, lunch and dinner along with a special stake conference with Elder Bassett (our area seventy), Elder Rasband and Elder Christopherson who are coming for the meetings.   Our mission president, President Gelwix, and his wife were asked to accompany Elder Rasband to Merced for their stake conference and we are to go with Elder Christopherson to Visalia for the stake conference there.  I'm sure the meetings will be wonderful.  Meantime, I am working on a talk I have to give in a RS meeting in Visalia in a couple of weeks and a presentation I have to give at a Woman's Conference later this spring.  Dad and I have also been asked to speak at an institute meeting this week and at another RS meeting in June.....Thankfully, we can share a lot of the same material wherever we go...
I'm SO grateful for ALL of the help you ALL continually give us...Zach and Amy helped me format a DVD presentation I am presenting; Stacie made a card with a picture of our temple on it with a quote we like to use;   Jenny is always bailing me out of my computer problems; Scott, Greg and Kristin take such good care of our home in Utah, ice and all; Cinda and Kevin are so nice to let us come and stay with them when we can get away for a quick trip; and Kevin made my life much easier by giving me a shot of cortisone in the shoulder and hand!  I can now sleep undisturbed through the night, which is such a blessing!  You are all wonderful!  Just a reminder....February is almost over and we asked for a commitment of at least one entry on the blog from each of you each month....We hope to hear from you this week!!  Love, Mom