Fantastic Christmas/Bridesmaid Gift

I discovered this project (done by none other than Martha Steward) through another blog several months ago and have been excited about trying this project out. I bought enough to do six of these necklaces (four gold and two charcoal grey), and they ended up running me about six to seven dollars each. (Shhhh!!!! Don't tell!) They'll cost more (about ten dollars) if you do just one. It took me 45 minutes to do the first one and only about 20 to 25 minutes to do complete necklaces. It ties in the back with a ribbon. The girls I gave them to LOVE them. I realized they'd make easy bridesmaid gifts or Christmas gifts, so I'm posting this in time for the holidays/upcoming weddings.

p.s. Don't you just LOVE that shirt?! I found it at Banana Republic on sale, and just LOVE it! I don't normally button the top button, though.

A few notes on how to approach this:
1. I don't have time to dye my own pearls, although it doesn't look hard. The problem is that I wasn't sure what color the pearls would end up if I did them on my own, which is important so that they match the tone of the satin ribbon. As a result, I opted for already colored ones.
2. I bought everything for the project from Joanne Fabric (pearls, ribbon, tapestry needles, stretch cord, and crimp beads). I had everything else I needed (pliers and matches) at home. You will probably want to purchase nail glue as they recommend, though. i thought I had some of that at home but didn't.
3. Matches? Yes. Once you're done, make sure you hold the end of the ribbon close to a burning match so that it melts slightly (don't go too close, though, or else the ribbon burn gets clumpy instead of remaining unnoticeable).
4. I crimped mine different than Martha did, but mainly because I didn't have the glue and was afraid the necklaces would come undone.
5. Questions? Call me. I'd be happy to tell you more about what I did, what type of beads I bought, etc. Happy crafting!

Singles Wards

Two very late posts/pictures, and two reasons why I love singles wards:

1. Girl-Ask-Guy activities. I loathe asking guys out, which is one reasons I'm TERRIBLE at it. This also explains why asking my home teacher to go to our stake rodeo may have been THE MOST AWKWARD DISCUSSION/ASK OUT IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. I will not be sharing the story as I would like to retain at least a portion of my pride that it has taken months to recover. Fortunately, he was a good sport about it, and it was a enjoyable evening. (Thank heaven for home teachers, although I bet all of you in family wards will never call on your HT's for the same reason!).

Can you tell I'd been to the lake that day?


JM sharpening his lasso skills.

B showing us how it's done.

2. Talent shows: As you can see (sort of--sorry about the fuzzy photo, but that's just what I ended up with), our ward was well represented at a multi-ward talent show. If you wonder what they are doing, so do I: the speakers weren't working so well. Still, here's a shout out to J,P, and J.

Testimony

Here are a few thoughts from fellow church members who shared their testimony today followed by some of my own thoughts. These messages touched my heart, encouraged me, and lifted me up. I hope they do the same for you.

• God knows our problems and needs. He will clearly answer our prayers.
• One girl carries a Book of Mormon with her every day because she loves it so much that she always wants to be ready and able to share it with others who need it.
• As one man has focused on obeying the impressions of the Holy Ghost, he's found that he is more aware of the Lord's love for him.

Happiness can be found in any moment of our lives as we realize and recognize the Lord's blessings. I've been praying to feel the Lord's love and see His hand in my life. I know that the Lord hears and answers our prayers because of the following:

• Immediately following such a request, I opened a book I've rarely read which discussed this very topic. I was reminded of some unique ways that the Lord is involved in my life. Because of this experience, I know God heard and answered this prayer.
• When I was in college, I found that I was short $1,000. A bishop told me that when he returned from his mission, he also found himself struggling to support his family. He got on his knees and told the Lord he had done all he could to faithfully serve him, including on his mission. He requested the Lord's help. I felt that I needed similar help and decided to try it out. I got on my knees and noted I had faithfully served the Lord and paid my tithing. I told him of my needs. The next day in class we recieved a presentation about how to obtain scholarships, and the presenter commented that many scholarships often went unclaimed. I immediately applied, and on Friday of the day I needed the money I received a one thousand dollar check in the mail.
• I was blessed in high school with good friends, who carried me a bit until I was spiritually strong enough to stand on my own.
• I have felt the love of the Lord in moments when I quiet my soul and listen for His words. I don't always understand what those feelings mean, but I do my best to follow them and believe that I then receive more encouragement and affirmations from the Lord as I do so.
• I was reminded the other day that it's a great blessing to know that our families can be together. I understand why I am here on earth. As I read the Book of Mormon, I receive peace and direction guiding me in my life.

I love the Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I have felt their love for me. They love you, too, and I hope that you feel that as well.

AC/DC Rocks! (and the big news!)

My favorite picture EVER of AC/DC (as we loving refer to these two kids):

One of THEIR favorite pictures ever:

A NEW favorite picture (check out the bling-bling!):

See how happy this girl looks? That's sort of how I feel about getting her as a sister. Welcome to the family, A! We're so excited!

You can read his story of the engagement here: New Beginnings

You can read her story of the engagement here: He liked it, so he put a ring on it!

Dear Claire's Boutique...

As seen in a Phoenix area mall:

The 1980's called. They want their models and fashion back. ALL of it: the fake animal skin print leggings, leg warmers, neon colors, and plastic belts.

It's Autumn Time

During October Julia and I decided to host an Autumn Party. We had a great time making homemade Caramel Apples and watching Monster House.

J and his fantastic creation:

A few more of the masterpieces:

I loved this picture, but mainly because of the post-it-note on the cabinet:

Miracles

I'm taking a break from updating the posts to announce some really great news that has me crying. Well, at least SOME of the news. I can't share one piece until it goes live onto someone else's blog.

That being said, I am grateful beyond measure to announce that my brother-in-law, after ten months without work, has received a job offer. The family is moving to El-Paso Texas, and I'll be spending Thanksgiving with them. Since we'll be at a hotel (more than likely), I'm hoping to do Thanksgiving dinner at Bennihana's. What's more American that that? :)

Also, something else REALLY good happened this weekend to our family, but you'll just have to keep checking back because ... well, like I said... I'm waiting for another blog post to hit, after which I will link you all to the wonderful news.

Blessings...

I hit the REI garage sale a few weeks ago, and I knew I had three things I really needed: a new hiking backpack, a 3 1/2 sleeping pad (I know--I'm a wuss), and new hiking shoes. The morning I got ready to go I had the thought I ought to look for a GPS system, which I've never wanted before. The results of the trip: Backpack, CHECK! Sleeping pad, CHECK! New hiking shoes, CHECK!!! And appearing out of nowhere after I'd checked the table a few times: GPS SYSTEM!!!! CHECK!!!! I scored a sweet deal on the GPS system. I think in total I paid about $100 for all four items when I would have paid about $700-750 for the items brand new. The extra bonus? The GPS has blue tooth in it, which means I will now have BOTH hands on the wheel while I take phone calls through my navigator. (Goodness knows, that can only help.)

Old and New

I've been really blessed this year with tremendous roommates. I was so excited to enjoy dinner with Emily's family last weekend. I LOVE her family! They are just tremendous, and I love Em's sweet new baby L. Such a cutie! She has two sisters out or just leaving on missions, which seems to be a habit for them. The last time siblings went there were three out at one time. I'm so lucky to know this family. They are just FANTASTIC!


However, no post would be complete without adding a little diddy about my new roommate Julia. As you can tell from the picture below, Julia is clearly a quality person because she, like I, enjoys orange flavored hot chocolate with whip cream is added. This is only bettered by the fact that we were born on the same date, both grew up riding horses, both wear Hebrew rings on our right hand middle finger, love shoes, are both blondes who died their hair brown, and obviously love life. Oh. And one more thing. Did I mention we own a pair of jeans that fit both of us, even though she's four inches taller than I am? Obviously, these can only be called our "Traveling Pants".

General Conference

How was yours? Ours was simply smashing. As you can tell, we made a delicious brunch between sessions that resulted in a food coma. Don't worry, though--we still caught most of conference. (I think.) I'm looking forward to receiving the Ensign with all of the talks in just a few short days!

Ballet at the Park

My new roommate J and I went to see Phoenix Ballet's free ballet in the park performance by Tempe's new performing art building. Although not typically a fan of modern style design, I really loved the reflections in the water fountain (see picture below). The ballet performance itself was mostly fabulous, but I won't upload the video I took even though they asked us not to. I'm not uploading it because, of course, I feel guilty. However, the point is that the performances were mostly amazing, and I wanted to quit my job and become a dancer. At least, that's how I felt until I saw the last number: an interpretive ballet dance which was definitely NOT my favorite. Still, a fabulous night and another reason to love living in Phoenix.

C and I

I just love this girl. And, I love that she has to tip her head so far to the right and crouch down to get into a picture. We took this picture after our company's annual meeting at the Shriner's Temple in Phoenix. It's an interesting place, and I was loved that they have reserved parking spaces for their High Priest and Prophet. They obviously respect these positions, and I like that. I think I'm going to do some studying about this group, which seems to have a prominent and respected place in many communities

Sisters Weekend

Camille came out for Labor Day weekend, and we had a GREAT time. Here's just a few clips from the weekend. No apologies if this makes you jealous--I just lucked out and got a GREAT sister! I love you Camille!

On Friday we rode a train to the Grand Canyon.

We hiked five miles once we got up there, and LOVED the weather and scenery.

On Saturday we went shopping at My Sister's Closet--a terrific resale store. On Sunday we decked ourselves out in our newly purchased clothes and dolled up for church. I'm sure the boys were disappointed that this lovely lady was already taken!

Monday was our super busy day. C got a new haircut, and we went to In-N-Out Burgers for an early lunch. We followed this up immediately with Yogurtland. Lucky us. It was delicious!

Monday afternoon we died each others' hair. You know you have a great friendship when you can trust each other with that task...especially when it's the first time EITHER of you have done it at home. Of course, we were trained well by watching a YouTube video before hand.

Monday evening we went to my ward's Family Home Evening BBQ and then went to Scottsdale where we went on a gondole ride. We enjoyed the Italian singer pushing the boat around and then took a leisurely walk through the landscaped hotel grounds.

Palm trees are an obvious sign that you're on vacation.

Come again soon, Camille!

Notes

I've been thinking of these for a while and just hadn't posted them yet...

Dear Dr. B.,

I know you're an awesome dentist. I know you gave me a clean bill of health at today's bi-annual cleaning visit. I still don't like coming to see you. (Or the dental hygienist who talked about the bad economy ("No money means no jobs"...yes, thank you for the reminder) and Brittany Spears for the half hour she cleaned my teeth. I (mostly) didn't enjoy either part, and especially at 7 am on a Monday morning.) I do like having clean teeth, though. Therefore, I will return to see you and discuss the poor economy six months from now.

Dear ward (congregation),

The one-line "I know" testimonies you shared (a few months ago) about what you learned in our lesson were powerful. It's amazing how someone saying "I know that God is aware of all his children, no matter their circumstances" can be felt so deeply. Sometimes we feel we have to say a lot. But now I know we don't.

Dear Camille,

You're right. Receiving comments on your blog IS validating and makes you want to do more. I will try to do better when I read other's blogs.

Dear State of Arizona,

Really? You're selling the senate and house buildings and then renting them back? That makes me really sad. (Note to self: don't get into bad financial problems like Arizona did...)

FAL-AWESOME Israeli Food Recipes

A few of my friends from Israel have been looking for the recipes that the BYU Jerusalem center uses for the students. I happened to have saved the recipe sheet from the Enrichment class where they taught us what they did. So, to the benefit of all, I am adding the recipes to this blog. If you ever had the opportunity to attend a semester abroad there, you'll know that these are great recipes. If you haven't, then you should just know and trust that these are great recipes.

Yasser's AMAZING Donuts

1 ½ c milk (scalded)

½ c. sugar

½ c. butter or margarine

2 tsp. salt

½ c. lukewarm water with 2 Tbs. dry yeast dissolved in it

2 eggs, beaten

6 ½ c flour

Directions:

Add the sugar, butter/margarine, and salt to the milk. Then add the ingredients in the following order to a mixing bowl: the water/yeast combo, eggs, milk mixture, and HALF of the flour. Mix on low speed, and then put in the rest of the flour until it’s not too sticky. Grease a pan and let the dough raise until it doubles in size. Roll out the dough to 1/3 inch and cut into circles, allowing them to then raise again. Deep fry at 190 F, and then sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon, or icing. If you do this right, then you'll find everyone sneaking into the kitchen for seconds like we did for Yasser's doughnuts. Of course, he was always yelling at us when we did so, but if you got out with a second one it was worth it...

Falafel

2 lbs. Chickpea (garbanzo beans) which should be soaked for 24 hours, drained, and then ground up

1 bunch parsley

2-3 green chilies (hot)

4 heads onion

1 clove garlic

1 Tbs. Cumin

1 Tbs. Falafel spice (try searching on-line for this. I haven't figured out exactly what spices they used in Israel, but you should probably know that most of the online recipes don't call for "falafel spice" and instead use only just the remaining recipes listed here.)

1 Tbs. Baking soda

Notes: the first time the chickpeas are ground, you grind just the chickpeas. The second time, you grind it you should add in the parsley, onion, garlic, and chili. After this, you mix in the cumin, falafel spice, and baking soda. Fry at 190 F. Serve with Pita, cut up cabbage, tomatoes, cucumbers, French fries, pickles, and (if desired) hot sauce.

Humus

Soak chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for 24 hours, drain, and then boil.

Add 1 tsp. Baking soda to shorten the boiling time. Mash, and add sesame sauce.

Sesame Sauce

½ C. sesame oil

½ C. lemon juice

3 cloves garlic-crushed

Sale and cumin to taste

Serve with parsley, paprika, and pita

Eggplant salad

Wash eggplant, poke holes with fork, and broil in oven until soft. Remove skin, cut up and add sesame sauce.

Cucumber with Lebon (Yogurt)

3 Med cucumbers peeled and finely chopped

2 C. Yogurt

2 tsp. salt

2 clove garlic

1 tsp dry mint0crushed

Add all ingredients to cucumbers. (Note: the instructions I received don’t suggest that the garlic is crushed, but I would assume this is the case)

Bakdonsia

1 c. parsley finely chopped

1 tomato finely chopped

Add sesame sauce

Tabouleh-Lebanon, Syria, Jordan Favorite

1 c crushed wheat (wash, soak till soft, drain, squeeze out water)

1 ½ c parsley finely chopped

½ c mint finely chopped (must be fresh)

2 med tomatoes finely chopped

½ c lemon juice

1//2 c olive oil

Add all together, salt and pepper to taste.

NieNie

One of the first stories that inspired this blog is about a woman who, having survived a near fatal plane crash, was supported in the most inspirational ways about the women who read her blog. (You can read more about the story here.) Today's blog post is inspired by her, as she posted a picture of herself for the first time in a year, along with this quote:

There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire,which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity. -Washington Irving

This woman has struggled in accepting her body image, and I'm amazed at this bold step in accepting her past, present, and future.

Phoenix Treasure #3: Building Mural and Lorax Tree

You might recall from this post and this post that I love finding querky things in Phoenix. Here's another one site I frequently pass (located at 19th St and Indian School Rd).

Thanks, B, for turning around so we could take a picture of the mural. The lighting at night makes it look especially cool.

I LOVE this mural for a few reasons:

1. The mural/painting itself is AWESOME. (And so is the building, which you can inspect in greater detail by checking out this picture from google maps (you may have to move around to find the building, but you can get a pretty great view of the front of the building, too...)
2. I LOVE the color choice, which looks especially cool at night. The colors are so summery and refreshing, and seeing this makes me want to escape to a beach when it's so hot (115 degrees) outside.
3. You can tell the landscape was selected to match the mural itself.
4. Don't you agree that the tree in front look like a Dr. Seuss tree? (In case you're questioning my judgement, check out this blog entry (go down to the second picture and read the line below it) from someone else commenting on similar landscaping and the book cover for Dr. Seuss's book "The Lorax".)

Unfortunately for you, what you're NOT seeing in the picture is the wall along the side of this building which is also decorated like a seascape until you hit a really random set of bald eagles and a woman driving a Cadillac...

Liquid Force Synergy 133

Last weekend, I went enjoyed a day on the lake with several fine folks (not all pictured)...

...so I could do some of this:

and a heck of a lot of THIS:

and this:

I went down again and again in the morning, hardly doing anything one would describe as wake boarding. However, I had a set of really great runs later in the day where I crossed the wake (both sides) for the first time and finally got the maneuvering down a bit more. Amy didn't have her camera out for those runs as we'd been out for several hours already and tons of pictures had already been taken. Sad, but I have witnesses to prove that it actually happened.

My friend's runs were a lot more successful. It's always fun to watch them out on the lake, so here's a few pics of them out on the water:

Amy (who gets a big THANK YOU for taking all of these pictures! Her best runs also happened later in the day when the camera was put away.)

Judy (who just finished an ironman and is AWESOME at all she does!)

Jeff (who finally got the life jacket on correctly after putting his head through the armhole first, and who obviously makes me laugh!)

Brian (clearly better at this than anyone else. He had a jump that I think went eight feet up in the air. It was so fun to watch! Also, he's the driver and owner of the boat, and deserves a huge THANK YOU for taking us all out!)

Brooke--who held up the flag for much of the day and just came out to enjoy the lake. We're so glad she was there, too!

So, I clearly love the lake. Which is why I walked out of a store yesterday with one of these:

(Yes, that's the actual board. It's about 133 cm, and it's supposed to be a great board. It was also a GREAT deal. I confess there are other boards that had a better design, and specifically one that was pink and came with bindings that had pink rhinestones on it, so you know I loved that one!) However, I saved about $120 going with this one instead of the pink one. (I have two weeks to decide if I want to go back for the other one instead, though, so you may find that I end up posting another set of pictures...) I only paid about $100 for it, which is actually a great price for the board even though it's a 2006 design (which is, I'm sure, the reason the store was selling it at such a low price). I also got awesome bindings (also Liquid Force, which is not the BEST company but rated pretty well) at a really great price as well. All said and done, I walked out with a board, bindings, and a bag for about a third of the full price. Considering how much I enjoy the lake, I felt like this was a worthwhile purchase and think you'd be hard pressed to find a comparable deal for a brand new board and bindings. I'm really satisfied and excited to get out on the water to try it out!

If I ever got a tattoo...

...I'd put it here.

*The images and names of the other two individuals in this picture have been removed (or will not be named) to protect their identity. But I will say that one of them MIGHT be about my age and has the initials CCL. The other woman MIGHT be related to me as well, and her initials just MIGHT be KRC. This is what happens when you put these three characters together. Dangerous business, I tell you. Dangerous business.

PJ Chipman, 1921 - 2009

You might think the trip from the last post was as busy as it could get. However, our family had another very significant experience we were working through at the time. This was an emotional time for all of us, as we waited and prepared the week before my parents left for my grandmother's passing. I love my grandmother, and had a great friendship with her. She is such a wonderful woman, and I'm grateful that I have had the honor and opportunity to be her granddaughter. This post is in honor of Phyllis Jensen Chipman.


Phyllis Jensen Chipman passed away on Thursday, June 25, 2009 from natural causes associated with aging. She was born in Springville (January 14, 1921 to Franklin M. and Ovanda Miner Jensen), grew up in Mapleton, and raised her family in Bountiful, Utah. After serving in the Great Lakes Mission (1942-3) and graduating in accounting from BYU, she worked for IBM in Oakland, California, Endicott, New York and Salt Lake City, Utah. She married Dean Whitaker Chipman in the Salt Lake Temple and together they raised the nine surviving of their 10 children. They made a great team as they worked together with family, church, and his business of tax and estate planning. She loved her family, gardening, family vacations, teaching children and adults in her church, and continuous learning.She lived long, learned much, and taught many lessons to her family by example.

A few great stories about grandma:

• Grandma grew up in a time when ladies wore silk stockings. During the depression, when there was no money for stockings, she'd draw a line up the back of her leg for the same effect. The line had to be STRAIGHT.
• Grandma had a great job at IBM, but it took some politics to get her a job in the state where she and grandpa lived just after marrying. The gentleman she was working for in Salt Lake didn't like Mormons, so she went to her old boss in California. This boss went above her current boss's head and got the transfer for her.
• Grandpa proposed to Grandma in ten days. Sometimes love's just like that, and what a love story they had. When grandpa died of cancer 17 years ago, he wrote out TEN years of cards for Valentine's Day, her Birthday, Christmas, etc. so she would have something from him.
• Grandma typed family letters for YEARS on a type writter. The envelopes always said that they were coming from "PJ Chipman". She worked hard to keep her family connected, even though the nine kids were spread out all over the US.
• I loved the blanket Grandma brought me when she came to see me just after I was born.
• Grandma had an INCREDIBLE garden. I loved the raspberries, as well as the grape juice that came out of it. I especially liked the grape juice when it got mixed with 7-up.
• Grandma made sure that all of her daughters took sewing lessons. I took my first formal sewing lessons from the same teacher--Margaret Farmer--when I visited her during the summer before sixth grade. I made a purple and blue plaid jumper--and matched the lines. I've been sewing ever since.
• The summer before David went to BYU we went on a family trip to Seattle and took grandma with us. I loved walking around escorting her. I felt so lucky to be in her presence.
• Some of my sweetest memories with her included visiting her while I attended BYU. I'd bring my sewing projects up to show her and she would tell me such marvelous stories. We'd come home from church and she'd direct me around the kitchen to make the most delicious dinners. Sometimes I would read stories to her as well from the books she was reading.
• How many women do YOU know who went back to school when they were past 70 to go to masters level classes so that they can take over the family TAX business? I wouldn't even do that at 30!
• Grandma was (is) such a lady, and not one to complain. I don't know how she lived with arthritis for so long, but I am so thankful for her example. Some of you may know that this has great significance to me personally. She is such a champ! She was very crippled towards the end of life, and I am so happy at the thought that she is no longer burdened by the difficulties of the disease and the pain that she was in towards the end of her life.

These are, of course, just a few of the many wonderful memories that I have of this wonderful woman. Most of all, I am thankful for the testimony that I have that families can be together forever. I have so much respect and admiration and love for this woman. I love you, Grandma. And, I miss you.

Bon Voyage, Mom and Dad!

As promised, I am posting some pictures from the trip I took to Salt Lake just before my parents left for the MTC. Jonathan picked me up from the airport around 11 pm that night, which meant that the windows from the car went down, the music volume went up, and we rocked Salt Lake City until we arrived home. I personally love his hair in the picture....

Camille and her family drove all day and night to surprise everyone by getting to Utah early. We were thrilled, and soon headed to the family cabin built by great, great, great grandpa Whittaker. I still remember when the Cabin got plumbing, so that gives you a bit of a picture of the cabin. It rained all Friday and Saturday, which was okay with us since Saturday night was Karaoke night. I chose to start the night with Tina Turner's Proud Mary, complete with wig and high heels!

Tip: if one wishes to win a family karaoke contest, you must pull out all the stops. This includes using Tina Turner's "Proud Mary", learning the dance moves by watching youtube, using a wig, wearing something that sparkles (you can't show that until after the music takes becomes "nice and rough"), high heels, and jump on the couch as demonstrated in the picture below. Guaranteed crowd pleaser. GUARANTEED. Also, note that C bought a HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL microphone for us to use. And make sure that people take pictures of you that are REALLY (not) flattering. Classic.

We also got creative and created three matching wigs for mom, Camille, and I to wear. Doesn't that sound classy? We made them out of trash bags as we were very limited in our resources.... (below is sweet K modeling one for all of you).

Sunday was a beautiful day, and we enjoyed some family games like Penny, Penny, Who Has the Penny. However, this time we played with quarters. Not surprisingly, the kids were very interested in playing the game because you got to KEEP the quarter once you found it.

Monday was also beautiful, and we finally got to enjoy a few hours of play before we had to return to Salt Lake.

True Love! This was the place where my dad's cousins caught the two of them kissing just after they started dating. They still love each other 35 years later!

I love this shot of the kids. (Not included is the one where we were all doing the "Proud Mary" motions, which is evidence that I really did bring the house down on that one.)

A classic shot of Ben, in his pajamas. I walked this road so many times as a kid, and loved it when my aunts and uncles would swing me up into the air.

Smiling for the camera (above), and what was really going on (below).

Dad with his two "buttercups." Camille and I always thought that was our own special nickname from dad until we discovered him calling our niece by that nickname a few years ago. That was such a funny discovery for both of us!

Mom with baby C.

C and I. She's the best sister someone could ask for!

I'm not sure who won this game, but I understand it was quite competitive...

Tuesday Mom and Dad were set apart by Elder Holland. It was a touching experience, topped off by David, Mike, and Jonathan joining Elder Holland, my dad, and another Elder setting mom apart. I also appreciated Elder Holland's humor. When sweet Ben put his head on the ground and left his legs up on the chair (he's only four, and did a great job sitting still as long as he could), Elder Holland commented that he'd tried that once and it explained a lot. What a great man--so very, very loving.

We returned home and mom and dad began packing their bags. Weird. That's about all I can say on that one. I'm so accustomed to them being at my side while I packed for college, a study abroad in Israel, a mission, again for college, several moves in college, and then the move to Arizona. It was finally my turn, and to be truthful it was a bit emotional watching my mom pack for THREE YEARS. (Are you following their blog yet? You should be. It's so inspiring!)

Wednesday we took them to the Provo MTC (Missionary Training Center) where we watched them put on their tags, took a few pictures, and then left them.

Loved this license plate--we saw it when we arrived in Provo.

Mom and Dad entering the MTC.

Piura, Peru, where they'll be spending the next three years overseeing missionaries and mission work.

All the missionaries in the family: Hawaii, Idaho, Mexico/Peru, Peru, Brazil, and France.

So, there you have it. As promised, though, in three years we'll meet up here (at the family home), to enjoy each other's company:

Children will be older, spirits stronger, and more experience under the belt. Here's to the next three years!