Annual Thanksgiving Breakfast!

Travis and I have been blessed with a very wonderful group of friends. I've known Rob and Colby since high school, but Travis has known them since elementary! They have stayed close friends ever since- not even 5 years in South America could break up this group of boys!

Yesterday, we all got together to have our annual Thanksgiving breakfast. The boys started this tradition in college, and though it used to be a dinner, for the last few years it's been a breakfast. And, boy what a breakfast! Each of the boys has his own job to do, which he and ONLY he can do! Travis is in charge of the orange rolls and hash browns, Colby is in charge of the sausage and eggs, and Rob is in charge of the juice (which is no menial task...). It always turns out to be fabulous! We are so grateful for this group of friends- they are truly the best friends anyone could ever have! I'm personally grateful for this group, for if I had never met Rob and Colby, I would have never met Travis! What a tragedy that would have been!

p.s. We absolutely love the "Mormon Messages" the church posts on their website. This one is on Thanksgiving- it's great! Hope you all get to see it! You can view it here or by going to the church website directly, www.lds.org, and scrolling to the bottom.

Can't Wait for the Holidays!

Having graduated in History Education, I obviously have a great love and appreciation for the history of this country. Growing up, it would always irk me when I'd hear of people decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving even hit. However, this year it's been difficult for both Travis and I to wait to put up our Christmas decorations! I don't know what it is! I'm feeling pretty guilty about it too- but not guilty enough to make me turn off those Christmas tunes in the car!

We distracted ourselves from the urge to decorate by staying busy with work and school. Travis is trying to get a jump start on final projects, and I'm trying to organize a chess tournament with a neighboring junior high in American Fork. (I'm in charge of the Chess Club at my school, though I don't play well at all...).

On Friday, we went to the play, "Joseph and the Amazing, Technicolor, Dream Coat", put on by my parent's ward in Orem. Donny Osmond's son is in their ward, and he played the part of "Joseph", which made it extra special. My siblings Brigham and Jasmine were also in it, and they especially did an AMAZING job! We were grinning ear to ear during the whole production. In the play, Joseph sings one particular song after he gets his colorful coat, part of which goes, "I look handsome, I look smart! I'm a walking work of art!" Travis keeps singing that line around the house, but he stops after "smart" and repeats the line over and over again.

We had stake conference this weekend, which was incredible. We have an awesome Stake Presidency, and they all gave very inspiring talks on sticking to our priorities, staying firm in the faith, and creating good habits in the home.

All in all, we had a great week. We're still excited for the holidays, and can't wait to spend time with our family and friends.

Wonders of Utah Valley

Knowing that winter is well on its way, Travis and I decided to enjoy was what left of the beautiful fall weather. So, hand in hand, we went on a short walk to the base of Bridal Veil Falls. I forgot how much more beautiful it is up close than when you're driving past it. It made me realize how lucky we are to have grown up in Utah Valley and be surrounded by all its beauties. Seeing the sunset glimmer off Utah Lake, the tall, majestic snow capped mountains, scenic drives through the canyons, so many things it has to offer! I don't know where Travis and I are going to end up as we travel down the road of life, and though there's no doubt we will be surrounded by other beautiful scenes there, I will forever be grateful to have been born and raised in Utah Valley.

Also, there's a company that wants to rebuild the old tram that used to run up to the top of the falls. That might be fun, but I'm not sure if they're going to get a lot of support for it. I could see it being a very profitable thing if they handled it correctly. It would definitely alter the natural appearance of the falls, but...I don't know. I guess we'll see what happens.

New Calling

Our stake (BYU 8th stake) has been deemed a "training stake" by our stake presidency, which means members are only allowed to stay in a calling for up to one year. Shortly after we moved in to our ward last August, I was called to be a membership clerk. I've absolutely loved that calling. I've learned a lot, and it has given me the opportunity to work closely with Bishop Reeder and to get to know all the members of our ward.

My year was up last September, but our bishop didn't want to let me go; he said it's really hard to find good clerks. He asked if I'd help train the new clerk, which I've been doing for the past month. It was sad when I had to stop counting the attendance in sacrament meeting!

Then today I was released and called to be the second counselor in my elders quorum presidency. This will be a great calling and a great opportunity to serve. I'm excited to get to know the members of my quorum better and to "counsel and be counseled," as I was told would be my privilege in my setting apart today.

Halloween Rush!

Wow! Halloween sneaked up on us this year, but it was tons of fun! Travis and I have been trying to decide what to dress up as, and it wasn't until the day before Halloween that we finally decided. During lunch that day, I noticed one of the art teachers had dressed up as Peter Pan, and it didn't look too hard to put the costume together. So, we ended up going as Peter Pan and Tinkerbell (Travis was Peter Pan, I was Tinkerbell...just to clear up any confusion...).

Right after school, I dashed to Travis's parents house to see if they had anything with which I could piece together the ensemble. Then, it was off to Savers where I got 2 green shirts I could cut up, and a green bed sheet I could use to make a skirt for myself.

We were a hit at the ward Halloween party, and although Travis got comments such as, "Hey, where's the tights?" it was a lot of fun!

We then went to Rob and Kim's house where we made and decorated sugar cookies, and watched a scary movie. We especially liked how Robert had cleverly carved the symbol of pi on his pumpkin. "Get it? Pumpkin Pi!" He also showed Travis this really funny clip (or is it only funny to engineers?). Here it is, Travis was almost on the floor, he was laughing so hard!

http://www.funnyplace.org/stream.php?id=13174

On Halloween, we continued the celebration by going to Pirates Island with Travis's family for a yummy pizza dinner, and fun at the arcade. We were also able to stop by my parents' house and enjoy homemade root beer, served with orange and raspberry rolls. Scrumptious! Who needs candy when you got that?

We hope you all had a safe and happy (and spooky!) Halloween!

En Guarde!

So, you want to hear something random? I decided to take fencing lessons. They only went from September to the end of October, but it was really fun. Don't ask me why I decided to do it, I just did. You should've seen Travis's face when I told him I wanted to take fencing lessons. "Oh! Uh...okay...are you serious?"

It's much harder than it looks. I came home sore every Wednesday night and was limping around my classroom every Thursday.The class started out with about 6 students, but one by one they dropped out, and only two of us survived...champions of the beginning fencing class! What can I say? I'm a natural! Luckily, we were both left-handed, so that made fighting easier...easier for me to find my target and STRIKE! (by the way, in the bottom photo it looks like the epee [sword] is bent...it's actually supposed to be like that!)

Wedding Weekend

Some of you were already aware of this, but my littlest sister, Sessely, got married last Friday to her husband, Chance. Everything went beautifully, and it was so great to see family and friends again. Travis and I were so blessed to watch the ceremony in the temple, and it reminded us of our own sealing just over a year ago in the same temple, and how we've grown to love each other even more since that day. I am so excited that my sister and new brother-in-law are able to be with each other for time and all eternity. What a blessing that is to have as members of the church! The luncheon was delicious (yay for pasta!), and the reception was awesome with ice cream sundaes and, of course, a dance/lip-sync by the siblings! Even Travis joined in, and he looked great! We recorded it on Travis' camera, and were going to post it for all our friends and family to see, but it "accidentally" didn't end up recording any of it. Sure... :)