Thanksgiving

Instead of heading to Logan for Thanksgiving we headed to St. George. Our week was filled with lots of activities, family time, and food!

Each one of the kids had to come up with an activity for everyone to do. So we played some bocce ball, made turkey hats, made turkeys out of tp rolls, and did music therapy with Rebecca.

We also enjoyed some great food from everyone! It included all of the Thanksgiving usuals but also some banana bread, cinnamon roll french toast, pita pizzas, turkey sliders, ham & cheese paninis, swig drinks made by yours truly, and pies.

 Cam & Rebecca figured out you could peel potatos with the apple peeler. 

This is our "we ate too much food face"

For the major activities we went and saw Catching Fire, took family pictures, went to the farmers market, explored downtown Santa Clara, and had a penny auction.

Andrew and I also decided to brave Black Friday sales on Thursday night to try and find some last minute outfits for our family pictures. I didn't think it was going to be that bad but I WAS WRONG! After walking into Old Navy and realizing we were going to have to stand in line for 2 hours just to check out we left. We then headed to Target thinking it wouldn't be as bad since it was bigger store but it was worse. There was a  line down the whole street just to get into the building. We learned that we are never going to be Black Friday people, it is just not worth the time! The picture is of our "are we really going to do this" face.

One of my favorite activities was watching Ephraims Rescue the night before Thanksgiving. It was a great movie to reflect back on and realize how grateful I am for the pioneers and their sacrifice. They truly went through so much mentally, physically, and emotionally but pressed forward with faith in the Lord and their testimonies in the gospel. They truly are holy people and great examples to me.

It was a great Thanksgiving week that went by way too fast! We had a lot of fun and ate way too much food. I'm just so grateful for my family and the relationships that we all have with each other.

Surprise Trip to Logan

On Saturday November 23rd as we were watching the BYU vs. Notre Dame football game, we got a phone call from my parents. The conversation started out with my dad saying in a concerned voice "what are your plans for the night and can you change them?" I instantly thought something was wrong with someone in our family. As the conversation went on and we said "what is going on" my dad said "well, I've been called to be the new stake president." Andrew and I both just looked at each other and said "wow." My dad asked if we could come up to Logan that night to be with him and then support him on Sunday when he would be called and sustained.  After frantically trying to get work off, which resulted in paying people $50 to take my shift, we were on the road to Logan.

When we pulled into Logan my parents were at a meeting with the Area Authority and a member of the Presidency of the Seventy. So we patiently waited for my parents to get home with my brother Cameron and his wife Rebecca. It was a very special night to spend with my mom and dad as they were telling us about the whole day and how everything happened. As we were eating some cookies at 11 pm the doorbell rang. My mom just said, "it can't already be starting, no one else knows that he is the new stake president." When my dad opened the door it was my two brothers and their families. They had all packed into one van and drove six hours straight to surprise my dad.

It was a great experience to have my whole family go to church together. We knew everyone would find out that my dad was the new president when all 14 of us as well as all my grandparents came in together. It was very powerful to watch my dad be called, sustained, and set apart into this new calling. He is going to be a great Stake President that will help many people who stand in need. My testimony has been strengthened that this is the Lord's church and that he calls certain individuals to move the work forward. My mom said in her testimony to the stake that her husband is not perfect but he does have a testimony and will try his best. I second that! I know that my dad is not perfect but I do know that he has a testimony and love for our Savior Jesus Christ. A quote from President Uchtdorf's past conference talk sums it up for me,

"I suppose the Church would be perfect only if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect, and His doctrine is pure. But He works through us--His imperfect children-- and imperfect people make mistakes."-President Uchtdorf