Winter Fun

Christmas was so wonderful with all of our family here, I think the first time in 6 years!! How could we ever top that??

How grateful we are for the means that we have that help us stay in touch - Celeste and Anna's blogging, cell phones and email connections, boundless love and prayers!  All are shrinking our barrier of distance, bringing our experiences closer together and helping make our family be one. 

Please note our family goal for this year - to be more missionary minded through study and faith!  I realize this will only be a continuation of good things for many of you who already seek daily to walk in this light.  May we each become more like the Master as we discover our varied opportunities to share his love with his children.

I am very thankful to Martin Luther King, and to the many others of God's children who step outside of themselves to bring light and understanding to a world of oppression and sin! May we be found serving as well as they.

Bekah and Jose and I had a wonderful few days in sunny St. George this past weekend, enjoying the love and good company of Grandma, Grandpa and Lola. What a blessing to spend some quality time with them!!  The long visits in the kitchen were my favorite. 

Grandma continues to exemplify graciousness personified as she goes about helping her guests, despite the distress of her physical conditions.  We are grateful that her medication seems to be discouraging the amebas and pray for her to get a full night's rest!!  Grandpa is the ever attentive patriarch, making sure we all have French toast in our bellies and clean linen to sleep on while letting others dictate the activities of the day.  Their humble examples are very touching for me. 

Unfortunately, my camera lay useless at home while we were gone, but try to imaging us hiking Angels Landing in the bright, unfiltered sun, playing tennis in shorts and t-shirts and getting too warm, and discovering all my favorite jogging trails being washed out or torn out to make way for progress in the community.  Try to envision Mongolian BBQ and chop sticks under bright lights and attending the new ward chapel on the day of it's dedication.  And if you'd like, try to envision Bekah and Jose driving go carts for the first time with first concern then caution than real zeal written on their faces! 

And yes, we did make it once again through the slot canyons and dug deep tunnels in the sand, all the while drinking in the wonderfully fresh air, blue skies, red soil and sunshine.  Ah.....It was heavenly!!  Did I mention it?   Thanks, Mom and Dad.  We love you...