Heartbreaking News

Last night I found out that my visiting teaching companion's husband got in a bad car accident on Wednesday night. He was in a car with his two daughters driving to drop them off to their mom (his ex-wife), and they hit a patch of ice and swerved into the other lane and head-on into an SUV. One of his daughters, who is 18 and who has been living with them, died in the accident. His other daughter is doing pretty well in the hospital, but he is still in really bad condition in the ICU of another hospital. He has all sorts of complications--broken bones, crushed face, internal bleeding, nerves not responding to anything, etc. It's so bad that they might withdraw support from him today. I've been praying for them all day.

Nicolle and Brian are our neighbors and some of the best people you'll meet. They've only been married a couple years and they seem so happy together. Brian is a jokster and would try to scare me when I came to their door. When Nicolle would drive to our visiting teaching appointments, he'd make a noise to pretend like she ran over his toe or hit the garbage truck or something, just to tease her. He is so fun and you could tell they are so in love.

He also is really hard-working, and always busy doing things to help our neighboorhood committee. He has a lot of knowledge and connections when it comes to the issues we have as a neighborhood, and he was always so willing to help out in what we needed to get done. We had a committe meeting this morning, but it was cancelled, because without Brian, there's hardly anything to report. Just a couple days before the accident he had shoveled all the sidewalks from the neighboorhood entrance to where the homes start (probably about a one hour job), and that was definitely not the first time I saw him do this.

Brian and Nicolle are also the ward activities committee chairpersons, and they plan the best activities! They put so much time and effort into them so they will be fun for everyone. Chad and I have felt so indebted to them for how these activities have helped us meet people and feel apart of the ward. On so many occasions Chad would say, "You know who I really like? Brian and Nicolle. They are just the best couple." Needless to say, they are always serving and we love and appreciate them so much.

I feel so bad, because Kristin (Brian's 18-year-old daughter) has been my neighboor for about six months now, and I never got to know her. She seemed so sweet and I regret not reaching out to get to know her more.

Please pray for them. Everyone in our ward is fasting for them tomorrow, but if you could please keep them in your prayers, I would really appreciate it. I'll keep you updated on how things go.

Curly Hair

Look how curly my hair went in Hawaii. It just dried like that! I didn't even have to do anything. I wish that's what my hair did in Utah.

A Unique and Unexpectedly Happy New Year's Eve

I have been really depressed since leaving my family last week, and I had an especially hard day yesterday. It was New Year's Eve and everyone was celebrating with their families and I was going to be all alone. Chad was working in the ED at night and when I asked him about coming to celebrate with him in the ED, he said I could come, but he wasn't sure how much he'd be able to see me or if he'd need to go see a patient at midnight. So I bagged that idea and decided I'd ask to babysit my visiting teachees kids instead.

But when Chad got to work, he called me and said the other resident he was on with, Tara, told him that her husband, Brian, was going to come and celebrate with her at the hospital, and if I wanted to come too, he could give me a ride. The couple I was babysitting for were going to come home before midnight anyway, and so I decided to call Brian and ask to join him in driving to the hospital so we could kiss our spouses at midnight.

And then another happy thing happened--while I was babysitting Adam called and told me that he and his roommate, Loren, were at a party in my area, and wondered if I wanted to join them or if they could stop by my home and say hello. I ended up only babysitting until 8:30, and then Adam and Loren came over to my home at about 9:30 and stayed until about 10:15. We drank hot chocolate and chatted and looked at the wedding album Audra gave me. It made me so happy. So I got to celebrate New Year's Eve with family after all!

Brian picked me up about an hour after Adam and Loren left, and we had a nice chat on the way to the hospital. He is from Louisiana and we talked about the South, which of course made me happy considering that's where most my family is. Brian is really nice and it was good to be able to get to know him better. We both brought sparkling cider to celebrate with, and it was funny because he said he had never even drank sparkling cider before--I guess he just bought it because he knew Tara wouldn't be able to drink alcohol. When we got to the hospital we said hello to Tara and Chad, and then we waited in the cafeteria for them until 11:55, when their attending let them leave for a five minute break.

The four of us celebrated New Year's Eve together in the third floor stairwell where we could see all of the Salt Lake Valley and all the fireworks being put off. We counted down together and drank sparkling cider and laughed at how unusual of a New Year's Eve it was. I was so happy to be able to be with Chad, and it actually was a great view to bring in the New Year's with. We were all in really good spirits, and it was definitely a New Year's Eve I will remember for a long time.

Happy 2008 Everyone!

Christmas 2007 Highlights

Chad and I got back from Atlanta today and I am so sad it's over! We had a blast! To see pictures of the trip, go to my sister Audra's blog. Here are some of my favorite parts of the trip, in no particular order:

Running with Jessi--it was so nice to spend one on one time with Jessi and see the pretty countryside by where she lives.

Holding Audra's little Joshy! I am head over heals in love with that sweetie pie and I am so sad I can't hold him anymore. He is just the cutest, sweetest thing and I miss him so much already. It was also really special to be there for his baby blessing on the 23rd.

Singing Christmas carols with Jessi's girls in their van on the way to Audra's house.

Playing around in a gymnastics gym for Lydia's birthday party--there were so many fun thing to do there! A rope to swing on, balance beam, huge inflated slide, trampolines, mats to do flips on, etc. We also played keep-away frisbee on the gymanstics "floor" for quite some time, and that was so fun!

Watching "Bride and Prejudice" with Audra! I LOVED it! It was so funny and fun--I would totally reccommend it to those who love dancing and light-hearted movies (not to mention the Pride and Prejudice storyline).

Playing "Loaded Questions," "Catch Phrase," and "Cranium" with the fam. We always laugh so much when we're together! Audra gave me "Loaded Questions" for Christmas, which is one of my favorite games, and I look forward to playing it more. Thanks, Audge!

Playing tennis with Chad, Dave, and Audra. When I don't play tennis for a while I forget how much fun it is and how much I really love it. It was such a treat to be able to play outside in nice weather, since it's too snowy and cold to play outside here. After we played, Chad gave a mini lesson to Lydia and Jordan and it was fun to see Chad coach and Lydia and Jordan learn.

Going running on Christmas day with Jessi and Dave, Audra and Mike, and Chad. It was so much fun to support Jessi in the last few miles of her Fitness Challenge, and it was fun to see the responses of people walking by, driving by, and from their yards and homes. We made quite the unusual sight of six people going running together in the rain on Christmas day. :)

Looking through the wedding album Audra made for me. She took all sorts of pictures during the wedding celebrations that totally capture the emotions and feeling of the day, and she put them together in a really nice album for me for Christmas. I love it so much!

Visiting Chad's friends Ezra and Crystal. They had us over for a really nice meal and then we played Settlers of Catan (my first time playing that game). It was fun to hear Ezra and Chad reminisce about their mission. They have a lot of shared memories, since they lived together for three quarters of their missions and were companions for 5 months of their missions. We had so much fun talking and playing the game together. We look forward to visiting them again the next time we're in the area!

Hiking Stone Mountain with the whole fam. Tanner held Chad's and my hand for about half the way up and it was fun to chat with him. He is such a fun kid! He LOVES garbage trucks, garbage cans, and the like, and so for a good chunk of the hike we talked about the wonders of garbage trucks. :) It was fun to see everyone, even the little kids, hike to the top.

And of course, the usual, but still as exciting as ever, Christmas celebrations:
Playing with and tickling the kids.
Watching football. (Way to go to BYU for winning their bowl game!!)
Eating delicious food every meal for eight days. (Thank you Audra and Jessi for buying all the food and preparing all the meals!!)
Giving and receiving presents.
Reading the Christmas story and seeing the kids dressed up for the nativity scene.

I love my family so much!! I just get giddy when I'm around them. The last week was pure bliss to be able to spend time with them and not have to worry about anything else. Again, thank you to Audra and Jessi for hosting us and making the vacation one that we'll be thinking about for months to come!

Christmas Fun

Chad and I have gone out three nights in a row this weekend! On Thursday we went standby to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert. We didn't end up getting in, but I really didn't mind because we got to walk around Temple Square instead. And we even got to listen to some of the concert in the Tabernacle (where it was being broadcast from the Conference Center). But my favorite part was walking around Temple Square with Chad! It was all wintry and snowy and there were beautiful lights everywhere--I loved it! I don't think we've ever gone to Temple Square together before, and with the lights it was just so beautiful. He even got down on his knee and proposed in one corner of the temple grounds! :)

Another really happy part of Thursday night was running into one of my best friends from London who I haven't seen since then (she went on her mission right when we got home from London and I haven't seen her since she's got back in June). It was so good to chat with her--hear about her mission, reminisce about London, and have her and Chad get to know each other better.

On Friday night we went to the work party for Chad's clinic that he goes to once a week. It was fun to meet some of the people he works with there, and there were a few really witty people that made it fun. Plus, there was yummy food, which always makes me happy. :) I think Christmas parties are so fun.

And then yesterday we got to go to the M* family Christmas party in P*. THANK YOU CARRIE for planning and doing all the work for that party! It was a huge success. Even more delicious food than the food we had the night before, and by far better company. :) I love Chad's family so much--it feels so good to be in their big circle of love. The party started with basketball (which Adam and Jessie joined us for, we were so glad!) and then we had a dinner and watched some slideshows Curt and Carrie made. It was fun to watch clips from old family video footage, when all the now-parents were the little kids and the now-grandparents were the busy parents of little ones. Family is the most joyous part of life, and I can't wait to join my immediate family next Thursday!
P.S. Adam and Jessie, everyone was so disappointed that you had to leave--everyone kept asking why you didn't stay for dinner. You'll have to schedule your calendars to join the M* Christmas party next year. :)

Wow

Chad and I teach the Sunbeams in our ward, and I had the best Sunday last week with them. They were so good, and I felt like I taught a really good lesson, and everything went so well. I wanted to tell you something profound one of my Sunbeams said during sharing time:

The lesson was on Samuel the Lamanite and how he stood on a wall and told people that Jesus would be born in five years. The Primary Presidency member told the kids that they could tell others about Jesus just like Samuel the Lamanite did. She put a step ladder in front of a table at the front of the room and had each child get up and stand on the step ladder and tell everyone something they knew about Jesus. She had the CTR 7's go first, and they said things like, "He helps people, He died for us, He loves us, etc." Most of the rest of the kids said similar things, the most common being, "He loves us." It never got old to hear that phrase from those sweet children. It is so important to know that Jesus loves you and everyone else around you.

So when it came time for the Sunbeams to take their turns, I was a little interested to hear what they were going to say. The first Sunbeam to stand on the step ladder was little Isaac, a big-eyed sweetheart with really long eyelashes. He stood there with a somewhat frightened look on his face, and then said in a quiet, timid voice, "He holds my hand, and...walks with me." !!!! Yes, those were his exact words (including the pause). Can you believe that?! Everyone, including the Primary Presidency member standing behind him ready to help him if he needed it, just sat there in silence for a second, so taken aback we were by his testimony. It was a really special moment. I don't know where he got that from, but I sure am glad he shared it with us.

Since then I've thought about that a lot, how Jesus really can hold our hands and walk with us through our daily lives. He can walk with us through our struggles, triumphs, frustrations, joys, and those times when we are so confused as to what to do next. He can sometimes lead us and guide us, and sometimes He just lets us decide where to go and supports us along the way. But either way, life is always better when we walk with Him. I hope that I can be like Isaac and take the Savior's hand and walk with Him.

After that, our bright-eyed and attention-loving Cami stood up and said happily and loudly, "He gives me all my presents!" Haha! Oh, how I love Cami. And she is right--all the good things in our lives come from the Savior! I hope I can remember that like Cami has. :)

And the other Sunbeams said "He loves us." So sweet!

And one more funny story before I let you go:

One week there were three kids in class--Isaac, Nefi, and Mayci. During the middle of the lesson, Isaac has something to tell me--"I am spiderman." I indulged the interruption and said, "And who are you, Nefi?" He said, "Superman." And I said, "And who are you, Mayci?" Her response, without skipping a beat, in a high-pitched, sweet voice: "An angel." :)

I love my Sunbeams and am so grateful for my calling!

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

We woke up to lots of snow on the ground this morning, and it kept snowing until about 2 in the afternoon! As you can see by this picture, we got about a foot of snow.

I love the snow because it makes everything so pretty, but it was sad today because the snow made the roads really bad and so we weren't able to make it to Preston's baptism! After making a valiant effort to drive to L* where Preston was being baptized, we (Nate, Michelle, Curt, Carrie, their boys, Jon, Grandma C*, and me) turned around and spent the morning and early afternoon at Grandma C*'s. It was another fun Saturday with the fam. But we missed Chad because he had to work. Once I got home and it stopped snowing, I decided I probably should shovel the driveway, sidewalks, and walkway in front of our house. I was so proud of myself, because that was a lot of snow to shovel. It took me about an hour to do it all. Here is the final product:

Another very happy thing I wanted to share with you is that Chad and I have decorated our home for the Christmas season! Chad had the day off yesterday and we spent part of it at Target buying Christmas gifts and some stuff we needed. Well, I wanted to buy some Christmas cards and so I asked Chad to come with me to the Christmas section and help me pick some out. And while we were in that section, Chad suggested we buy a Christmas tree. My initial reaction was that we couldn't because we'd have to spend a lot of money on the tree, lights, and ornaments, but he convinced me that we could spend the money.

I am so glad he did, because I had so much fun picking out ornaments for our tree and then decorating the tree with him. He also bought some lights for the outside of the house and a wreath to go on the door. He did such a good job, don't you think?

(This picture absolutely cracks me up, because it looks like there is a full moon in the background, but there totally wasn't! It's like a little tender mercy from God, because He knows how much I love the moon. :) But really, I do think it's pretty strange that that random light showed up looking like a moon in the picture.)

And here is our tree:

It's funny, because our tree only has a few ornaments on it, but it feels like the prettiest tree I've ever seen. I just love to sit and look at it. Our first Christmas tree together!

We also got to put up the nativity scene Carol gave me for my bridal shower. I love nativity scenes and would like to collect them like my sister Jessi does. And I really like my first one! Thank you so much, Carol!

I am so grateful for this Christmas season. It is a time of such joy for me. I love the gift-giving, the Christmas music, the tromping through the snow, the family get-togethers, the opportunities to participate in charities, and the abundant reminders of Christ's love, miracles, humility, and salvation. And I feel especially happy this Christmas season, as it's my first with my wonderful husband. Merry Christmas everyone!