Homecoming 2011!

It's homecoming week in North Ogden,

Weber High School's 2011 Homecoming!

Courtney has waited a year for this night,

and she looked beautiful.

I was able to be there on skype while she got ready.

I watched her curl her hair, apply her make-up and

then she tucked herself away in her room and put on her dress.

Up to this point I hadn't seen the dress yet, she had just

told me about it.

So needless to say when I saw the entire package, I cried.

Drew and Courtney,  

she was so excited when Drew asked her, like

I said before, she's waited for this moment for over a year.

Heather and Brad took her group's pictures, they turned out

so cute, this is her group.

the girls, Chelsie, Courtney, Karlee, and Courtney

I'm so happy for her, it makes the sacrifice so worth it.

Fall is here!

The leaves are turning in Canada, 

last year they turned and then all fell.
We were cheated out of our beautiful autumn.

This year they turned and stayed on, they have been gorgeous.

I love fall!

Far West, Liberty, Independence

This morning we met in the front lobby and boarded the bus,

we are going on a little church tour.

This is the gorgeous country side, flat, but still American beautiful.

This is the new Kansas City Missouri Temple, currently

being built, virtually out in the middle of nowhere.

This is a new stake center being built next door to the temple.

And this, is the temple presidents brand new home, oh

to have a brand new home to live in.

(still wouldn't make it any easier living away from home)

This temple reminds me of the Brigham City Temple being built 

back in Utah, according to the pictures I've seen on line.

Enjoy the following photos. . . .

I liked this one

This is a painted water tower, advertising the amusement

park across the street.

The Missouri River

This is the temple site, purchased for the building of the

Independence Missouri Temple

The spire of the reorganized church's temple,

there's no comparison if you ask me.

Meet our group of missionary friends and family.

the corner stone for the Independence Temple

"our" visitors center

our dear bus driver, 

they're not usually members, and 

I always wonder what they think or feel when they

hear the tour guide talk about the history of our church.

another river

The burial place of Oliver Cowdery, unless his remains washed down

the road in a flood many years ago. (rumors)

a gnarly tree

We've been here before, but the sites and spirit is amazing

every time.

This was amazing the first time we visited, years ago,

the Historic Liberty Jail is enclosed in a building.

what a terrible ordeal these men went through,

I can't even imagine

we owe so much to our first modern day prophet, Joseph

Kansas City, Missouri

We had our first day of meetings, today.  We broke off

in the afternoon, the President's in one room and the wives in

another.  This is a group of amazing women, some just

starting out, second years like me and those in their final year.

We met together and shared stories, ideas and testimonies.

To be real honest, I still don't know what I'm doing here.

There are still a great many days that I just feel like I'm having

an out of body experience.  Outside my body looking in.

Mission President's Fall Seminar

Sooooo, we are getting out of the country, a chance to get

away, change of scene, not subject, but scene.

But guess what day they are flying us. . . 

That's right, 9/11, couldn't be the day before, or the day after,

nooooo, had to be on the 10 year anniversary of one of the

worst flying days in history.

Needless to say, I was scared to death.

Couldn't pass up the signs, the date was everywhere.

This was a fun little store in the airport in Minneapolis,

cute moose!

The flights were actually very nice, uneventful,

just the way I like them.

Our pilot on the last leg of the flight came on the intercom 

and paid tribute to the fallen and thanked us for not

showing fear by continuing to fly.

Remember. . . .

I remember. . . . .

I'm too young to remember where I was and what I

was doing when President Kennedy was killed, but I

will never forget where I was and what I was doing

when the twin towers came down.

Every day of the week, I get the kids off to school

and then go to the gym downtown, to exercise.  

This Tuesday morning was no different.  I grabbed my yoga

mat and was off to yoga class.

I heard the news of the attacks on the radio, while driving to the gym.

I was stunned,  shocked.  It was very surreal.

I got to class, and yoga went on as usual, as if nothing had happened.

Well, half way through class, I just couldn't take it any more.  I couldn't

stop thinking of what was taking place on the other side of the country and I couldn't

stop the tears, so I packed up my mat, left the gym and headed home.

The entire country was a buzz, the entire world for that matter.

Every television channel was covering it, and all eyes were watching.

I personally couldn't pull myself away, I just sat there, crying and watching

in horror.  It was the worst thing I had ever experienced,

and it was very devastating to our young children.  None of us

knew exactly what to do or how to feel.