A Birthday Away From Home

HAPPY BIRTHDAY today to our favorite missionary!!! 

19 years old!

It is his very first birthday without us.  {So, I'm feeling kinda weird!}

To "celebrate" without him, here's a look back...

1 years old

2 years old

3 years old

4 years old

5 years old

6 years old

7 years old

8 years old

9 years old

10 years old

11 years old

12 years old

13 years old

14 years old

15 years old

16 years old

17 years old

18 years old

And TODAY......(the most recent photo I have of him)

He is serving as a full-time missionary for 

The Church of 

JESUS CHRIST 

of Latter-Day Saints 

in the West Virginia Charleston mission.

We have a lot of birthday traditions that I obviously won't be able to do for him this year, so I hope he doesn't mope about missing all of that.  (But, honestly, I don't even remember my own birthday out on my mission!  It might be because it was so long ago ;) OR it might be that it's really not a time when you focus on yourself!??)  

I'm sure he won't even have to worry, he has a WONDERFUL "second family" out there who take such good care of him and are so generous with their time, food, gifts, fun memories they GIVE to him!  

{I'll ALWAYS be so grateful for the Young's and the Heller's!!!} 

I trust he is in good hands! (theirs and Heavenly Father's both!)

Thank goodness for all these other great people who serve, because, there's a high likelihood that he will be transferred tomorrow, and he didn't want to deal with packing up an extra box of birthday stuff I'm sending, so he told me to just mail it to the Mission Home address and then they could forward it to him, whether he stays where he's at or if he gets sent to a new area.  Knowing the USPS, though, and not knowing how quickly mail gets attended to in the Mission Office.......I don't know if he'll get any birthday from home until WELL AFTER his birthday has past!  So anti-climatic. :(

It Owns Me

Ever since I started wearing my new Fitbit (first full day was Dec. 26) I HAVE to get my 10,000 steps a day.
 
If it is 11:00 p.m. and I haven't yet achieved my steps, I will "sneak out" to go walking around the neighborhood to get them.  Apparently, the first time I did this, someone at home "needed" me (WHEN don't they need me?) and they couldn't find me, and no one knew where I was, and mayhem broke loose.  When I returned, Matt requested I please inform them in the future if I am going out.....ya know, in case something happens to me.  Like what?!?  Get abducted by aliens up the street?!?
If the day is almost over, and I don't have my steps AND we're experiencing inclement weather, I will pace back & forth on our covered porch.  Or run up & down the stairs.  Or do laps in our garage.
If I'm thirsty and need a drink of water, I STOP myself from asking someone else to get it for me......because if I get up and get it myself, that tacks on several extra steps.
If I need something while I'm making dinner from the cold storage room in the basement,  I don't call for Kyle anymore like I always used to......I want the steps myself!
It's no longer one of my kid's jobs to go and get the mail.....because if I get it, I know that's another 250 steps!

I'm telling you - I'm a SLAVE to this Fitbit.
I WILL NOT let myself NOT get my 10,000 steps a day.
EVERY day.
EVEN on the weekend.
If I let myself go just one day without getting my steps, then it'll just be easier to go another day, and then another, and another.....and I DON'T want that to happen!

 (BTW, it says 0 on the water because I would have to manually enter it in....and I don't.  I just like the Fitbit to crunch all the numbers for me.)  

I mostly wanted to start doing it for health & fitness, but ya know what's ALSO happened?  That was a pleasant surprise? 

I'm spending MORE TIME with my family and children!  The kind of TIME where I'm really WITH them.

Because I'll ask if anyone wants to go out and walk with me - and someone usually does.  Katelyn & I just walk & talk about her favorite subject - The Pioneer Woman (she's the one who "introduced" me to the Fitbit in the first place).....and then Katelyn asks when we can do that again!  ;)

Matt has decided he has to protect me against those "aliens," so he'll come out walking with me at night and we walk & talk.

One day, I needed a bunch of steps, so Brookelle, Katelyn, & I went up to our church.  I thought we'd just do laps around the church, but, NO, they had a grand idea to play "Tag."  So I obliged.  We were up there all night.....or at least an hour!  And I was "It" the majority of the time! (Because I kept getting caught!)  They LOVED it and didn't want to quit, even though I kept "suggesting" we did. (my bladder can only take so much "Tag!")  Again, Katelyn repeatedly asks when we can do that again! 

I ask her, "WHY?" 

And she tells me, "It was so fun." 

And I say, "Really?!?  'Cause I totally stunk at it."  

And she says, "No, you didn't.  You were really good.  You can run fast.....for a Mom your age!" 

And I say, "No......you always tagged me, and I couldn't catch you very much."

And she said, "THAT'S why it was so fun!"

Instead of driving my child to her friend's house to play, I walk her over there......and then I walk back when it's time to come home.  And Brookelle talks my ear off the whole way.

Same goes for getting Katelyn to Activity Days.

I'm also walking to the school after school to meet my girls and walk home with them (& their friends - gotta take advantage of that while it's still happening).  I heard Katelyn explaining to one of her friends, "Ya know how some moms pick their kids up from school and give them a ride home?  Well, our mom picks us up from school and then makes us walk home!"



I'm liking this "by-product" of my Fitbit (more time spent together with my fam) that I didn't realize would be one of the results.  My family is all on board with the idea.  They will frequently ask where I'm at for the day - and WANT me to accomplish my 10,000 every day.  Good thing, because my obsession dedication would exist with or without their support. ;)  I love it!

I ALSO overheard Katelyn tell one of her friends, "My mom has a Fitbit, and she HAS to get 10,000 steps a day.  She's going to do that EVERY day until my brother gets home from his mission, and then she's going to be SKINNY!"

Oh, WOW!  The pressure's ON!

This Weekend:

YES!  I am actually going to write a post that is not about Elder Brenchley!  ;)

THIS WEEKEND:
*Matt & I were in charge of our ward Christmas party this year.

It was on Friday night, the 12th.

But, I worked on getting it ready all day Friday.

And Thursday.

And Wednesday.

And the whole month before.

We had an awesome committee, though, who contributed a TON!

{Thanks Christensen's, Derrick's, Evans', Floyd's, Becky & Gina}

Some of the HIGHLIGHTS:

  ~"Neighborhood Trivia" was projected up on a movie screen up front as people arrived.

First, the "clue" would come up on the screen for people to read, and then a while later, the answer (person's name) would go up on the screen.
(THINK: movie theater before the movie starts.)

It was a great "mixer" to get people talking to start the party!
The ones from our family were:

This woman had a leg hair growing contest with a guy – and WON!

This person drove 140 m.p.h. in a blue Mustang GT – and lived to tell about it.

This [non-native Japanese] married couple both know how to speak Japanese. 

This person played on an ALL-GIRL baseball team (with pink uniforms) in a BOYS’ league.

This person has a purple belt in Karate.

This person cracked his head open doing a flip off the couch. 

This 6 YR. OLD likes to eat tomatoes, green peppers, avocado, cauliflower, & green salad! 

This missionary has now picked up the “Southern” patterns of speech. 

(Can you guess them all?!?)
~A "Green Screen" Photo Op

(THINK: weatherman on the news)

People literally just posed in front of a green screen......THEN......

it turned into THIS:

~Dinner with food from Mo' Bettah Steaks

I broke tradition and did away with the chili & soup (not my favorite) they'd done in the past!  I'm such a rebel!  But, that's one of the perks of being in charge!  

PLUS, this menu had the "gluten free" crowd in mind.

~Entertainment/Musical Program

{The Primary sang, "Stars Were Gleaming"}

Katelyn is 3rd from the left (fuchsia pants, turquoise vest).  Brookelle is 5th from the right (pink camo pants, navy shirt).

We also have this TREMENDOUSLY talented Sister Missionary serving in our area - she plays the ukelele, she sings, she plays the piano, she does it all together!
(Too bad [for us] she is returning home this week.)

She performed, "A Hallelujah Christmas."  Have you seen/heard this song?!!?

I've been watching/listening to it on YouTube ever since the party!
 

 You won't be able to get it out of your mind, I tell ya!

*On Saturday, we spent the whole day in bed recovering from the ward party.

HA!

NOT!

I WISH!

But, we had the Fowers Christmas party at our home that night.

We barely got all the dishes & small appliances from the night before washed up & returned, then started cleaning up our house before the people started to come!

{Scenes from the evening}

One of the highlights from the evening was when my Aunt Louise shared experiences

from her mission to Australia back in the late 60's and her news reporting career at KSL television.

(She started at age 22 and was the 1st and ONLY woman reporter at that time in the Salt Lake area!  She was just the 2nd woman in the nation to do it, and the ONLY woman on the air at that particular time.)

Many of the youngest generation did not know any of this family history, so it was great to have her share it!

She brought a few clips of her news stories she reported on from the past, too.  They were fun to watch!

She is also a talented musician, and we always gather around the piano and sing a Christmas song that she wrote, "Waiting for the Child."

She's written other songs, too.  You can see one of her pieces on YouTube here:

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsWIvnQHEa8

and here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cZm8Ny0CoI

(That's my cousin singing the song!)

*On Sunday, we finally rested & recuperated all day.

(HA! again.....In my dreams)

Our darling niece, Megan, recently returned from her mission to Madrid, Spain on 12/9....

 YES!  I cried at the sight of the reunion between missionary & parents - THIS one AND strangers I don't even know!

 {COUSINS!}

Megan had her "Homecoming" (reported on her mission at church) on Sunday - at 9:00 in the morning!!

We got to attend that and hear her testimony (in Spanish - don't know what she said!) and her contagious enthusiasm for the Gospel!

We went to my brother's house afterwards for food and visiting and stayed well into the afternoon.

*We had Tithing Settlement with the Bishop later Sunday evening.

GOOD THING we discovered those missing checks so everything really could be "settled." ;)

*I realized I have 9 days to get ALL the Christmas stuff done, now!

THE LIST for this week started rolling through my mind at extraordinary speeds!

So Thankful.....

On Thanksgiving, right before we were getting ready to eat, my text went off, and I checked it, only to see an unknown number.....with an attachment.

Should I open it?  Was it OK?  Would it make my cell phone crash?  Was it spam?

I hesitated.....but I opened it anyway, and to my great delight (& surprise) it was pictures and a message, "Your son with his companion after a fun game of touch football this morning."
(I love how she clarified that it was touch so I wouldn't worry about him getting hurt in tackle football or breaking the rules by doing so!!  She's a mom - she knows how we think!)

 My son, as in Ryan, who is away from home, serving a mission, on his FIRST Thanksgiving.

 A minute later, I got another text; this one with the message, "It was quite muddy!  This is Kristi H.....a sister from the ward."

I have heard so much about this GOOD family from Ryan's letters.  They are so great to him; having him over for dinner often, accompanying them when they teach the people, working hard to get permission from the Mission president for them to proselyte at a high school football game where there would be many important contacts, serving him, driving long distances to help, etc. etc.  The list goes on and on.

I sent her a text telling her I've heard all about her family and thanking her for all she does for Ryan.

She replied, "Your son is a wonderful missionary and we love having him here."

By this time, the Brenchley's were READY to start our feast, but Matt & I were on our phones looking at the pictures & texts.  Matt's mom (I don't think she knew what had happened?) had to scold us saying, “Now, I made the teenagers put away their phones for Thanksgiving – you put yours away, too!”  And I was like, “I’m getting photos of Ryan, I’m not putting it away!!”  What a rebel "teenager" I am!  ;)
This is about as close as we can get to having any contact with him - except for the Christmas and Mother's Day phone calls (or Skype?) that are allowed in the future.  The way technology has changed the whole missionary correspondence - amazing!  I was so thankful for this "tender mercy."  I did get a little emotional and teary after that, though.  Just KNOWING he was OK - more than OK.....Turkey Bowl?  Nothing could be better!!  He's so passionate about that annual tradition!  But, he's away from us, yet he's still getting taken care of.  It's a mixture of feelings; not really too sad, but relief, assurance, and thankfulness. 

A little more than an hour later, my text went off again.  Kristi was sending me more....

 ....with the caption, "I promise he's not starving today!"

"We were happy he could spend Thanksgiving with us."

There were actually two families from the ward in this photo.  I guess they both wanted the missionaries for Thanksgiving dinner (along with 5 other families from the ward - what competition!) so they combined forces and did it all together.  

I have heard a lot about this other family from Ryan, as well.  In fact, Ryan has already "pegged" one of their daughters as Kyle's future wife because he wants to be a part of their family, they're so awesome!  ;)  This family has done so much for Ryan, too.  For example, they have been known to drive 30 minutes to sit in on & fellowship at an investigator's lesson, just to be "stood up" and they have to drive all the way back home for nothing.....but, at least, invite the missionaries for dinner still.  (It makes me feel lazy!)  They have a missionary son out, too, so they understand the life.

I am so thankful for these fantastic families who are working in the Lord's vineyard located in West Virginia!  I'm so thankful for these "surrogate mothers" he has to watch out for him while he's away - it's such a blessing!  They are doing such a good job!!  I love them (his family away from home) and I've never even met them.

Something funny happened in the middle of all this, too.  I kept looking and re-looking at the texts on Thanksgiving and somehow the wrong button got pushed because all of a sudden, I see that my cell phone has dialed Kristi's phone number.  When I realized it, I was like, “Oh No!  Oh No!” and I was frantically trying to end the call as fast as I could, but it wasn’t working.  That would be a big NO-NO to try to call him - or her if she was with him - but I didn't mean to, I PROMISE!  I don't want to be One of Those Moms!  ;)  I don’t know if she answered and heard all the commotion, but if she did, I also hung up on her!  ha-ha. 

Ryan's end of the story was that when Kristi's phone rang (from my inadvertent call), she pulled out her phone and showed Ryan the screen.  He was like, "Oh, no!" and he shot out of the room!  But, she did realize and told him it was just a "pocket-dial."  Whew!

Again.....I'm so thankful.

The Benefits to Having a Missionary in the States

Both Matt and I served our missions [for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints] outside of the country (Okinawa & Fukuoka, Japan).
My sister and both my brothers served their missions outside of the U.S. (Ukraine, Mexico, & Brazil).
All of Matt's brothers (5 of them!) served missions outside of the country (Puerto Rico, Spain, Chile, Uraguay, & Venezuela).
SOOOO.....I've always associated missions being synonymous with out of the U.S.  So, when Ryan got called to serve his full-time mission within the States, it was a NEW CONCEPT for me.

And I've come to realize how GREAT it is as far as the MAIL situation is concerned!!!
I can actually send him mail AND packages [for fairly inexpensively]......AND he actually receives them!!!  So many other MM's do not have that luxury, they will not be able to send their missionaries anything for the whole 18 month/2 years - I have been told I am very lucky, and I believe it.

Even before he ever got his mission call, I saw an idea of what I wanted to do for my future missionaries' care packages......and then his IN STATE mission made it possible.
It has been very fun!!
In the beginning, I sent him a small box tied up with 12 different colors of ribbon or pipe cleaner.

It included an explanation that he'd be getting color-coded care packages each month for the first year.  The color of the package would provide the CLUE to which tie he was suppose to cut off that month.  At the end of 12 months (and 12 color coded care packages), he could open the tie-free box.
(Shhhhh.....but inside the box he will find a picture of Christ, and a message from Him to Ryan, because he is one of the missionaries for His church.  The letter contains gratitude and encouragement to serve for one more year, etc.)

Did I mention this is FUN?!?

The first month (September) was GREEN.....BECAUSE that's what he was - GREEN, fresh out in the mission field.  For some reason, I did not take a picture of it before I sent it, but PICTURE THIS:
Each flap of the box was covered in green decorative paper, and I wrote on each one:
"Good Luck, Greenie!"
"How's our favorite 'Green Bean?'"
"We LOVE our 'Greenie.'"
"It's not easy being 'Green'" ~ Kermit the Frog

It included things like:
a can of green beans
Andes mints
Sprite
Apple Jacks cereal
Mike & Ikes
Listerine strips
a green Sharpie
Wet Ones wipes (green pkg.)
sour cream & onion Pringles
green apples
Ghiradelli mint chocolate squares
winterfresh gum
pad of paper (green border)
plus.....several other green items - you get the picture.

In October I did ORANGE.  But, this time, I had my brain and I took pictures.

 {The contents}

{All packed up in the box}

These FLAT RATE boxes (provided for FREE by the post office) are the way to go (if you're sending more than 2 things) - whatever fits in the box, can be sent for one rate - it can be as heavy as I want it to be, and it costs me the same!

In contrast, if I were to put it in my own box, and they determined the postage off of weight, it'd be  like $40+ just to ship.

The 4 flaps say:

"ORANGE you glad you're a Missionary?!?"

"ORANGE you glad it's time for another care package?!?!"

"ORANGE you glad We Love You!!!"

"ORANGE you glad you survived your 1st Transfer?"

To which Ryan responded in his next letter back to us:

"Thank you so much for the care package....ORANGE you glad I got it?"  ;)

Are you having fun, yet?!?  

In November, it was BROWN.

 {The contents}

 {All packed up, ready to be sealed shut}

The flaps say:

"A little BROWN-NOSING never hurt anyone!!"  :)

"What can BROWN (substitute Elder Brenchley) do for you?  ~UPS

"Yes!  We're trying to score BROWNIE points!"  :)

"Oh, the WONDERFUL THINGS Mr. Brown (substitute Elder Brenchley) can do!!"   ~Dr. Seuss 

In the upcoming months, hopefully, I'll post them as I do them, once a month, instead of in a group, playing catch up....
Colors still up on the docket:
Gray
Red
Yellow
Pink
Purple
Blue
Black
White
Fuchsia


My other kids all LOVE these packages, and wish they were for them, saying it's not fair, but I try to tell them, they live at home and get our presence, love, & attention (not to mention free access to the pantry) every day, but Ryan does not, so THIS is an attempt to give him some of that, too, while he is sacrificing/serving away from home. 

Yes!  I can see, now, how it's pretty beneficial having a missionary in the States....how did I, and Matt, and all our siblings ever get our packages in those foreign countries?  Oh, yeah......we didn't.
Or they were just few and far between (If they even made it!)  And they took forever.  And cost an arm and a leg.

BUT, this may backfire on me, too, if my other children all go foreign, and they don't get any care packages......but remember that Ryan DID.....uh oh!

The Day of Awakening

You gotta get through 18 3/4 years of the [back breaking, heart aching, mind going crazy, blue-in-the-face] daily grind FIRST, but it finally comes.....it's the day when your child realizes AND admits JUST HOW GOOD HE HAS IT!  (and always has had it.)

We got this letter from our missionary son, Ryan, this week:

The letter was partially spurred on by him receiving some family photos we had taken before he left on his mission this summer.  They finally came back from the photographer, so I sent them to him in a little album:

We were kind of surprised to have our letter addressed to us in such a way, "My Eternal Forever Family" - such an upgrade from the usual, "The Brenchley's."  ;)

Then the content of the letter provided even bigger "revelations" to us:
"I am so grateful for what a great family I have!  The pics are just too precious!  Maybe it's the great color scheme or all our great smiles, but The Pictures just glows every time I look at it.  I took the album to church with me Sunday to show to some families and it got passed around to a couple of the other sisters in the ward.  Everyone who saw it was all, "Oh, what a Beautiful family you have!"  The other missionaries around the house were all commenting how much younger my family was.  (They're just jealous because their family grew up and isn't as cute as my family!)  I love you all so much.  You are all one of the main reasons I'm serving a mission.  I KNOW the happiness I have knowing my family can be together forever and I want nothing more than to share this message with others, and have them have the same Happiness I have!  I Love You all so much!"

(I think I want him to stay with this current group of missionaries who refer to us as the "YOUNG" family amongst the group!  ;)  In fact, when Ryan was telling his companion that his parents went on a 20th anniversary cruise, his companion pointed out that he's older than Ryan's parent's marriage!  His companion was born a few months before we were married....and he's the 4th child in his family to give ya an idea of the age difference in their parents!)


So, basically, now Ryan thinks we really are great!
(That's why we send them away!)  ;)
One child down, four to go!

My New Rank: MM

We took my son, Ryan, to the Missionary Training Center (MTC) on Wednesday to begin his 2 year mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

He will train there for just 12 days, then fly out into his assigned mission field of West Virginia (& parts of some surrounding states).  We will not see him again until he returns home, and only speak to him on the phone a handful of times on special occasions (Christmas, Mother's Day, & I've *heard* when he is at the airport, departing [but it's not confirmed]).  Our communication will only be through weekly emails or letters.  (SUCH A CHANGE from the instant communication we've grown accustomed to with texts, cell phones, & living in the same home over the past years!)

So many others who have already sent out missionary children have told me I am now a "Missionary Mom" (MM) - I didn't even know that I would now have a specific new title or rank!  They have been so kind to check up on me, share tips & tricks, send me texts, visit, and bring me "care packages" already!  :)

I got a bag full of assorted fun size M & M's (I was told it stands for "Missionary & Mom")

All my kids want to eat them, but I ask them, "Are you an MM?  I don't think so!  Run along now!"  ;)

I also got this cute card:

(front)

(inside)

And look at these bright & happy Gerbera daisies another friend brought to me:

A lot of people had told me that dropping him off at the MTC would be terrible, and HARD, and sad, and THE WORST, but truth be told, it was mostly happy!  To be a full-time missionary is something HE WANTS.  And it's something I WANT for him, too.  He was SO READY, he might as well just START!  Plus, I, myself, lived & trained at the MTC [for 8 weeks] 23 years ago, and when we drove into the entrance, I got this feeling of, "Ahhh, I'm coming home!"  And I think that helped a lot!  He's in a GREAT place!

Sure, my eyes filled up with tears during the final hugs and my voice was all quavering as I spoke my last words, but I was able to SMILE a lot, too.  And it's a bit quiet around home.  And I've had him on my mind almost constantly....wondering what he's doing/thinking/feeling.  And, of course, we're praying for him in every prayer.  And we've lost our 3rd driver and overnight "adult" babysitter!  boohoo.  But, it's GOOD!

I won't be writing on this blog about HIS mission.  A separate missionary blog has been set up for him to share HIS experiences on:
http://elderryanbrenchley.blogspot.com

This Weekend:

*Friday Night was Katelyn's turn for her DATE with Mom & Dad!

She picked everything we did.

We went out to dinner at The Nacho House and

then went to Get Air trampoline park.

* Saturday was Farmington Festival Days!

We started by going to the breakfast in the park.

Still the best city "chuckwagon" style breakfast we've encountered:

French Toast on thick bread, with your choice of maple or vanilla syrup

Bacon AND sausage

Hashbrown patties

Cup of fruit (watermelon, canteloupe, grapes, blueberries)

Orange Juice

Milk

Chocolate Milk

*After that the girls and I like to browse the booths.

There's always this "bag" booth that has some cute stuff,

but this year we actually made our purchase at 

a maxi skirt booth - the girls each got one - very darling!

*We went to the parade.

The other people beat us to putting out chairs and roping off sections,

(It's getting earlier & earlier every year!  Aaugh!) so we were only partially shaded.

 As always, GOOD "candy" (not taffy) was given/thrown out including:  sliced watermelon

from Harmon's grocery, otter pops, gobstoppers, Reeses PB cups, Mrs. Cavanaugh's

Mindy Mints, balls, fans, water bottles, smarties, skittles, etc. etc.

*We came home in the middle of the day to COOL off!

I read a bit & cleaned a bit.

Matt got the garden weed-free.

Katelyn went to the movie with her cousin.

Then we decided we "needed" some Costa Vida for supper.

I first tried to call in the order, but they didn't answer, so Matt just drove over.

After a little while, I tried to call again, and was able to order.  Great!  Matt won't have to stand in line.

I texted Matt, I called it in, it's under 'Suzanne'

4 minutes went by and I didn't hear from him, so I texted again, 

Did you get my message?  No need to stand in line, it's ready for pickup at the checkout counter.

And then 1 minute later, he called me.  He hadn't gotten my text.  He'd ordered on his own and was driving home with our food.
Ooops!  My called-in order was still there waiting...

(I tried calling back, but no answer.  I called again, and they guy who finally answered couldn't hear me even though I repeated myself 3 times.  Oh well....)

*We returned to the park for the music performances (singers/bands)

as we sat on our camp chairs in the shade.

 The girls spent time on the playground, too.

*While there, we got word that Ryan & Kyle had returned home from their 

4-day high adventure camp to the Wind Rivers (13 mile/way backpacking trip) with the 14-18 yr. old scouts!!
(I've never really worried about the boys going on scout camps before, but THIS TIME I did a bit.
Ryan has his mission call.  He has to go on his mission!  Please don't let him get lost, or sick, or hurt, or worse! 

*They cleaned themselves up and met us just in time for the fireworks to start.

(And Yes! It was a respectable showing, so it help in satisfying my craving.)

But, I'll tell ya - the crowd for that is growing every year, too - not so small town anymore?

*On Sunday, Matt & I were able to go to the Missionary homecoming church service

of the West Virginia Charleston Mission president & his wife who just returned.

Fun Fact: He also used to be Matt's Bishop & Stake President.  In fact, he was the

Stake President who interviewed Matt & I when we were to be married.

(Ryan will obviously have the new mission president when he is out there in a couple months, but we wanted to attend to see if there was anything we could learn.)

We learned there will be:

Squirral gravy

Windy, curvy roads

Missionary-minded local members of the church who make it their life to help the missionaries.

Miracles following a missionary's faith

*Went to our own church, too.

I taught a combo of this lesson and this lesson to my Young Women class.

And I couldn't get through this [true] story without crying.

(Try as I might.  Geez.)

*I cooked a whole chicken (with various seasonings) in the crock pot for dinner.

It was "Haylee approved" - that's always a very GOOD THING.

*I made chocolate chip cookies for Sunday night treat.

*Ryan had a girl FRIEND (two separate words) come over to watch 

the replay of the World Cup final game with us...because she LOVES soccer and missed it during church, too. 

(We hadn't watched it live, nor had we spoken to anyone to find out the results.)

*I worked on my Personal Progress program - I am SO SO close to completing it 

as a Young Woman Leader! (I already did it the first time as a young woman back in the 80's)