No Greater Joy...

Taylor's Mission Call!!

2010-12-19T21:39:00.002-08:00

Taylor- Where's a Map?

2010-12-19T21:39:00.001-08:00

Cody Storm's Mission Call

2010-06-19T11:11:00.000-07:00

I am posting this video of Cody Storm's mission call for my son, Elder Spencer Keables, so he can watch one of his best friends open his call.

An Banner is Unfurled! Young Women in Excellence '09

2009-11-20T13:56:00.001-08:00

Two Amazing Trips in Less Than Ten Days!

2009-09-11T19:58:00.000-07:00

With Spencer safely settled in the Provo MTC, and Jordan home for just three short weeks, we had to take advantage of our time together. First stop was Brandon and Whitney's house in Virginia, so that Jordan could meet his new brother-in-law. We had a wonderful time visiting with the newlyweds! The first day they took us to North Carolina to a place called Nags Head. We spent the day in the sun, and sadly Jordan got the sunburn of a lifetime! He literally blistered and peeled all over! On Saturday we went to the Washington D.C. Temple and then over to the monuments for a warm, but rainy afternoon. Welcome to east coast summertime! Anyway, we had a wonderful time together.

This Week's Letter from Spencer- August 21, 2009

2009-08-25T18:54:00.000-07:00

I moved Spencer's letter to the blog page I set up for him. See the link under his picture on the sidebar. :) Stay posted for more mission letters and pictures to be posted on Spencer's page.

2009-08-25T18:48:00.000-07:00

Homecoming....WooHoo!!

2009-08-14T07:05:00.000-07:00

This is what every missionary mom dreams of for two years!!!

2009-08-14T07:04:00.000-07:00

2009-08-14T07:03:00.000-07:00

2009-08-14T07:02:00.001-07:00

Return with Honor Elder Spencer Keables...We love you!

2009-08-12T07:39:00.001-07:00

The Family
The whole gang out to say goodbye!

Spencer and Curt
Spencer and Lili saying goodbye without a hug

Close friends from Hamilton High.

Cory came dressed to match just for fun!

Spencer Departing for his Mission this morning

2009-08-12T07:36:00.000-07:00

This is not the best quality recording, but you can get the idea. Now we can starting counting down until his return! Saying goodbye is the hardest part. Luckily, two years passes quickly.

Announcing...Mr. and Mrs. Redfern!

2009-07-05T22:32:00.001-07:00

Congratulations Brandon and Whitney- married on July 3rd in the Sacramento Temple

2009-07-05T19:51:00.000-07:00

Various favorite pictures from the day:

We had an amazing day, filled to the brink with family and friends, smiles and celebration. We are very happy for Brandon and Whitney!

Spencer and Whitney took out their endowments on July 2nd

2009-07-05T19:44:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, July 2nd Whitney and Spencer took out their endowments at the Sacramento Temple. Spencer, in preparation to depart for his mission on August 12, and Whitney, in preparation for her wedding the next day. It was a day of harvest!

Tyler and Natalie's Sealing- Congratulations!!!

2009-07-05T19:38:00.000-07:00

A wonderful day at the temple on Saturday, June 20th. We are so happy for Tyler and Natatie!!

2009-05-26T16:49:00.001-07:00

Spencer's Mission Call

2009-05-23T21:39:00.000-07:00

Melissa modeling a dress for Whitney

2009-05-19T17:31:00.000-07:00

This one would look good with high shoes.

Janae Modeling Dress for Whitney

2009-05-19T17:25:00.001-07:00

I don't think this dress would look very good with high shoes, but that's just my opinion.

Janae's First Prom

2009-05-12T07:46:00.001-07:00

Janae looked beautiful as she departed for her first prom with date, Kyle Webb. I remember her asking me many times in the past if I thought she'd ever get asked to prom. Now we know the answer, YES. And it wasn't even her senior year!

Keeping it All in Perspective...

2009-05-05T07:11:00.000-07:00

I love this quote by Marjorie Hinckley. Whenever I read it, I find that things fall back into their proper perspective.

"I Really Lived"
By Sister Marjorie Hinckley
"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and the tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

Congratulations Natalie!!

2009-04-23T10:19:00.000-07:00

The message below is from Natalie, Tyler's wife

Hey Everyone!

After all the bad news (Tyler's accident) I shared with you a couple days ago...I have some GREAT, FANTASTIC, EXCITING news for you!!! I got accepted into the Fall 2009 NURSING PROGRAM!! FINALLY!! WOOHOOO!! Thank you for all of your prayers and support while I waited for this fabulous news. Love you all!

Love,

Natalie

Congratulations, Natalie!! We love you and are so happy for you!

Tyler was very blessed last Friday...

2009-04-21T17:09:00.000-07:00

Tyler was in a car accident last Friday when a man pulled out in front of him. He was very blessed because, even though his car was damaged, he wasn't injured. He will find out within the next couple of days if the car is totaled. We are all so grateful that he wasn't injured!

Another Post for Whitney and Jordan

2009-04-21T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hi Whit and Jordan,
I thought you would enjoy seeing Spencer (soon to be Elder Keables :) in his new mission suit. He's pretty excited about it! Now all we need is a call :) I think that's going to be a few weeks, since he's still working on the reading that the Chico Stake requires. But it won't be long, and we'll certainly keep you posted. Love and Hugs to you both. We miss you!

Dear Whitney and Jordan....

2009-04-14T20:57:00.000-07:00

I'm posting this video (below) especially for Whitney and Jordan. Today was Ryan's 10th birthday. He had a great day! We started with scones for breakfast, then he opened his gifts. Of course, he asked for Legos. Later in the day, we went to the movies to see Monsters vs. Aliens in 3-D. That was fun! After that, Curt took him to Big-5 to spend his birthday money. That's where the Ripstick came in. For dinner, Ryan chose homemade pizza, and then we ended with cake and ice cream with Tyler, Natalie, and Cory. I was missing Jordan and Whitney (and Brandon, too :) Overall, it was a great day. Happy 10th Birthday, Ryan!

Ryan's 10th Birthday with new Ripstick

2009-04-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Are You Going to Finish Strong?

2009-04-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Nick Vujicic is an inspiration!

Congratulations Brandon and Whitney!

2009-03-27T22:50:00.000-07:00

One of the highlights of our trip was when Brandon proposed to Whitney! He was kind enough to ask her while we were there visiting, which was so much fun for us! This picture is of them standing on the porch of the house that they picked out. Brandon was still in the bargaining process, but has since settled the deal. We are looking forward to July 3rd, when they will be married in the Sacramento Temple.

25 Years of Marriage! And the Best is Yet to Come...

2009-03-27T22:42:00.000-07:00

We celebrated our anniversary by taking a trip back east to see Whitney and to visit Washington D.C. We had a wonderful time! This is us standing in front of Mount Vernon, George Washington's home. We had no idea how much of the beginning of our nation took place in Virginia. There is so much history there. We hope to go again sometime in the future, but next time we want to take the kids. The monuments in D.C. are amazing. They would love it!

The Miracle of Daffodils

2009-03-14T21:31:00.000-07:00

I think it's amazing that during the dead of winter, through rain, sleet, and snow daffodils bloom. I think it's no accident that just when the winter blues threaten to overcome us, daffodils bloom. Out of the ground comes a miracle; a tender mercy from a kind, loving Heavenly Father. There's nothing more cheerful than daffodils!

Women of God

2009-03-09T14:39:00.000-07:00

I love this quote by Maragret D. Nadauld:

Women of God can never be like women of the world. The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.

Being a Mother...Part 2

2009-03-07T20:54:00.000-08:00

Last night I sat down and wrote a post that I’d been composing in my mind for a couple weeks. I wanted to share the things I have learned, and the joys I’ve experienced from being the mother of boys. Ironically, less than two hours later, I was so mad at Spencer, I wanted to string him up! It was 1:40am, and he still wasn’t home. Earlier that evening I sent him a text that read, “Please don’t stay out too late. I need my beauty sleep…..desperately.” He responded, “Ok, I won’t. I’m getting up early tomorrow.” What is it about young adults? I swear they are nocturnal! I lay in bed and reminded myself that both Whitney and Jordan lived away from home at the age of 18, and probably stayed out till 2 am or later all the time. “Go to sleep, Jeanette, he’s fine,” I told myself over and over. Of course, Curt was lying right next to me sleeping like a rock. “Doesn’t Spencer know I’m in charge of the youth snow trip tomorrow, and need to be rested?” I fumed. Eventually, I fell asleep. And eventually, he came home. Sigh. How many weekends till he leaves for his mission? The truth is, being a mother is no cakewalk.

Being a Mother of Boys

2009-03-06T23:19:00.001-08:00

I grew up with one sister, Khristine, who was fives years younger than me. Our parents divorced when we were very young, so for several years it was just my mom, Khristine, and me. When my mother eventually remarried, she married Rich who had three daughters from a previous marriage. Consequently, we did not have lot of experience with boys. I definitely came to my own marriage with preconceived notions about men and boys. Now, after nearly 25 years of first-hand experience as a wife and mother, I've learned a few things about the male species. Here are a few of the lessons learned: First, boys have a ton of energy! And if they have the opportunity to expend that energy, all is well…but if not, you may just get a ball through your window! The picture above was taken just a few days ago. Spencer is banned from basketball for six months because of shoulder surgery; however, that doesn’t stop him from dragging Ryan all over the countryside to play Frisbee golf, ride bikes, or shoot hoops. Second, I’ve learned that men and boys are very tenderhearted- they just hide it well most of the time. They might have a gruff outside at times, but they have a very soft inside. The trick is to tap into that tenderheartedness. Third, men and boys take pride in being strong, muscular, and manly. At our house, the boys are very proud of their facial hair. I cannot count how many times one of the boys has said, "Look mom, how do you like my new beard?" I ooh and ahh no matter how insignificant the tuft of hair on his chin might be. Praise a man on his muscles ("guns") or strength, then watch him strut around like a he's on top of the world. Fourth, good men get better with time. I am seeing this unfold with Curt. Those rough edges have been knocked off over the years, probably from enduring being married to me, and now what’s left is a kind, considerate, unselfish, loving, and patient man. Fifth, boys love their mothers. I never knew the bond with my sons would be so strong. Boys rely on their mother in quiet ways, not wanting to seem dependent, but needing her love all the same. For me, the relationship with my boys has been worth enduring dirt tracked through the house, Legos spread everywhere, dirt clods in the neighbor’s pool, broken windows (too many to count), and dirty socks tucked under the sofa cushions. Lastly, boys are just, plain fun to have around! I love being a full head shorter than Spencer, but still having the power to make him take out the trash. I love watching him get up from a complete meal, walk over to the fridge, gaze in, and look for something to eat. I love watching Ryan follow in the footsteps of three amazing big brothers. I love watching Tyler treat Natalie with such tenderness. I love counting down till August 13, when Jordan will be home!! I love watching Curt interact with his sons, whether he’s shooting hoops with them, or teaching them how to fix the car. I love being the mother to four fine boys, and the wife to one wonderful husband.

I'm lovin' that outfit, Ryan!

After Nine Months, Elder Keables is Being Transferred!

2009-03-03T06:47:00.000-08:00

Here's an excerpt from today's message from Elder Keables:

I’M FINALLY GOING!!!!!! I’M BEING TRANSFERRED, AND I’M WAY EXCITED!!!!!!! Nine months was a long time, and I am ready for a change. I have had 7 companions, and have been here since June ‘08. I’m packing, and to tell you the truth, I am having a hard time fitting it all. Well, I bet you would like to know where I’m going? Well, it is a place called Sheffield. Now, let me tell you about Sheffield; I have always wanted to serve there. It is the most southern zone in the mission. Second biggest to Leeds, and has a stack of really good missionaries there. Also something that is interesting, remember the big house in the Pride and Prejudice movie? Well Mr. Darcy’s house is in our area, so in the next 5 months I will be visiting it for sure. Also, Sherwood Forest is in the area as well, so I’ll be able to see where Robin Hood hung out in his supposed days. I am so excited to go. I have been waiting for this call for a long time, and this could easily be where I die as a missionary. Oh and also, do you remember the Elder that I took the pictures with, when I was wearing the wig and facial hair? Well, that’s Elder Combs and he is my new companion. He is really short, so it is going to be a great transfer. He is from Las Vegas, and has been out for about a year now. Wow! I can’t wait!

I AM Christ

2009-02-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

A friend sent this beautiful video this week. It brought tears to my eyes. I thought of my little grandma, Georgia Beatty, who turned 97 on February 22nd. Her life has been incredibly blessed, but also very difficult. She offers inspiration to all who know her.

Happy 13th Birthday Melissa!

2009-02-22T14:57:00.000-08:00

Melissa decided to invite three friends (Megan, Shayla, and Aislin) to go to the snow on Saturday to celebrate her 13th birthday. The weather was perfect, and Dad even talked me into going, too! He got me on the sled with him, although I screamed to entire way down. :) At the end of the day, Melissa told us that she had a great day! We love you Melissa! See two videos below.

Melissa, Ryan, Shayla, Megan, and Aislin Tubing in the Snow!

2009-02-22T14:53:00.000-08:00

The kids had a blast linking tubes together and taking a train down the hill!

Ryan, Melissa, and Dad sledding down the hill!

2009-02-22T14:51:00.000-08:00

Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessings of Heaven...

2009-02-18T19:55:00.001-08:00

Here's an excerpt from today's email from Jordan:

So this week we are doing something different. Our zone is struggling with getting people to church, so we had to do something. I prayed about it, and while sitting in bed on Sunday night at about 12, I thought of this line in one of the hymns we sing, “Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven...” Our zone is working really hard, but we were still having a hard time getting people to church. Well, my idea was this: For this whole week we are going to sacrifice all of our lunch hours in the whole zone. Not fasting, but just not taking the time out of our day for lunch. Now we started on Monday and from the get-go, the blessings have flown. There have been teams that usually struggle that have been doing really well. We have found a great African family who is now coming to church. All kinds of blessings are being seen. Each morning we send out an answer phone message to the zone informing them of all the blessings received the last day. It’s great! The zone’s all fired up. Really, it’s great how Heavenly Father works; we relied on Him and he has blessed us because of it.

Happy 17th Birthday Janae! You are beautiful inside and out...

2009-02-17T23:56:00.000-08:00

When Curt and I were young parents, and we were having baby after baby, people used to warn us, "Oh, they're cute as babies, but just you WAIT till they're teenagers!" Yes, I'll admit, we've had our moments, but overall I've been pleasantly surprised by the adolescent years. Teenagers and young adults are a blast! Their energy is infectious, and they are just plain fun to watch. I've thoroughly enjoyed having teenagers. Last night, the group shown above came over after Young Womens to celebrate Janae's birthday. They were definitely high energy; between that and American Idol blasting from the family room, no one could hear a thing. But I loved it! And I hope they'll come again soon :) Happy Birthday, Janae! We love you!

Playing in the San Francisco Bay!

2009-02-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Fun Times in San Francisco

2009-02-11T10:30:00.000-08:00

Last Wednesday we went with Aunt Khristine and her gang (minus Rich, Darn!) to San Francisco for a fun day at the Exploratorium. When we finished, we drove across the street to the San Francisco Bay and let the kids run and play on the beach. As we were leaving, Curt suggested we park the van and walk out to the first pier of the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was setting and the lights were beginning to flicker on all over the city. What a gorgeous sight!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

The kids had an absolute blast. They were extremely enthusiastic as they ran from exhibit to exhibit.

Aren't cousins the best! We are missing four of the bunch (Tyler, Whitney, Jordan, and Spencer). They always have a great time together.

Julia providing a classic teenage snapshot!

Jacob, Katie, Julia, and Janae on the Golden Gate Bridge.

Adam, Joshua, and Ryan on looking over the railing! Scary!

Curt enjoyed the exhibits, too.

Cousins are friends for life :)

Siblings, too!

Ten Things I Miss About My Mom...

2009-02-02T21:50:00.000-08:00

Five years ago today, my mother passed away after battling lung cancer. Before my mother died I had never had anyone really close to me pass away. I'll admit that you never stop missing the person, and those feelings don't diminish as the years pass. Five years have passed, but I think about her all the time and wonder how she's doing, wherever she is. Here are ten things I miss the most about her:

1. I miss the daily phone calls, just to say she was checking on us. Almost everyday, the phone would ring around 10am and it would be my mom just calling to see how things were going.
2. I miss stopping by Rich and Mom's house to see what new project they were working on, or how their yard was shaping up. I've never known two harder working individuals, nor two people more suited for each other.
3. I miss telling her all about the things the kids are doing. She was never too busy to talk about her beloved grandchildren. Sometimes we talked about the same things over and over, but she didn't care.
4. I miss sharing events with her such as holidays, weddings, new babies, etc. She loved holidays and always went crazy decorating and preparing.
5. I miss her fun birthday traditions with her grandchildren. Shopping trips and birthday dinners at Round Table Pizza.
6. I miss road-trips with all the kids in the Suburban to see Khristine and her family. Those were such fun times. We started at 4am and arrived in S. Cal. by noon!
7. I miss special days to the movies or whatever fun event she planned. She always did something special with the grandchildren to celebrate HER birthday.
8. I miss watching her caring relationship with Darlin and Papa and how good she was to her parents. It nearly broke their hearts to lose her.
9. I miss taking the kids up to visit her in the library at Chico State. Many times we'd surprise her and show up unannounced. She loved those visits.
10. I miss how everything smelled really good; her car, her house, and especially HER! For the first year after she was gone, I would find something of hers around my house, and I would hold it up to my nose and smell her. That was so neat. She always smelled so good! I really miss that smell.

I do know one thing, though. I KNOW I will see her again. And I look forward to that joyous reunion in the future.

Excerpts from Elder Keables' recent letter...

2009-02-01T09:28:00.000-08:00

Another transfer has come and gone and Jordan is still in the Leeds area. At the end of this transfer, he will have been in one area for 9 months. He did get a new companion, Elder Read and he is doing very well. He is thoroughly enjoying serving the people of England. Since there is large university in Leeds, he says he meets people from all over the world. Here is an excerpt from this week's letter. As always, he finds ways to make life fun!

"Well Elder Read is a good guy, I love being his companion. No, we didn’t know each other at BYU, but we know some of the same people, which is fun. I can already tell that this will be one of my favorite transfers. We just have so much fun together. The other day I zip-tied his arm to one of his belt loops, and we were out knocking doors so we had nothing to cut it with, so he just walked around with his left arm at his side for about 3 hours. Haha, it was pretty funny. He had a good laugh. In the end, he was pretty happy to get it off.
Also, while knocking the other day I had a pretty crazy experience. I knocked on this door and I said, “Hi, I’m Elder Keables and this is my friend Elder Read and………blah, blah, blah.” Well when I had finished my little speech, I noticed she was looking at my name badge. She said, “You’re the first person that I have met with the same last name as me.” I was shocked! “Your surname is Keables?” I said. And she said yes, and spelled the exact same, too. She was the first one I’ve met! Her full name was Rebecca Keables. I asked if she had any relatives in America and she said that she didn’t know. I set up an appointment for us to come back, but she had to cancel it, so I haven’t been able to meet with her since, but I thought that was really weird. We probably do have some kind of relatives in England. I think you should look in to that and let me know."

The Stuff Memories Are Made Of

2009-01-25T10:41:00.001-08:00

Friday is traditionally date night, but as we sat around the table after dinner, we just didn’t have the heart to leave Ryan and Melissa home by themselves. Janae, Julia, and Spencer were all gone for the evening, so it was just the four of us. “What should we do?” I asked. Someone suggested we go for a walk in the dark. “How about the walking path at Wildwood Park?” Someone else added. We decided that Curt and I would walk the length of the circular path while Ryan rode the scooter and Melissa rollerbladed. Everyone liked that idea and Ryan and Melissa were thrilled to be invited on our date. On the way there, it started to rain, but did that stop us? No way! By that time, we were up for an adventure. The four of us spent the evening walking and running, skating and scooting around in the rain. Melissa found an umbrella in the car, so she looked like “Singing in the Rain’ on skates. In the end, we played tag and took goofy pictures at the adjacent playground. And the best part: we had a wonderful time together, laughing, playing, and enjoying a rainy winter evening, and it didn’t cost a dime!

The Tee-Peeing Era (1998-?)

2009-01-24T09:33:00.001-08:00

Early this morning, at precisely 1:40am, I awoke to our front door slamming shut. I got up to investigate and Ryan and Melissa were out front reveling in streams of t.p. hanging from the tree. "Get back in here!" I shouted. "Someone might steal you! Besides," I fumed, "you scared me half to death!" Reluctantly, they ran back inside. "We were trying to sleep," they exclaimed excitedly," and we heard the dog barking, and then someone knocked on the door, and we got up and looked out the window, and there were people running away!!!" Unfortunately, I know this drill all too well. I think the first time we were tee-peed was somewhere around the time Tyler was 13 or 14. The signature of a tee-peed house is this, teenagers live there. Consequently, since we've had teenagers in our home for 10 years, we have been tee-peed at least once a year for the past decade (I say, at least). I think, all those years ago it might have been thrilling, or exciting, or mysterious when we heard that now familiar, "Bam! Bam! Bam!" on the front door at 2am, followed by a car racing away. Now, when we discover toilet paper draped all over our front yard...again, Curt and I just look at each other and sigh. And wouldn't you know, it rained last night! Maybe with the struggling economy, people will have to ration toilet paper and The Tee-Peeing Era will end prematurely. We can only hope. :)

"It's giving life that counts..."

2009-01-19T18:41:00.000-08:00

A classic clip from a classic movie! And, oh so TRUE!!

It's Amazing What a Little Dose of Sunshine Can Do

2009-01-19T17:34:00.000-08:00

Last week we had one of "those" weeks when everyone was snapping at everyone else, including me. We'd been in the house for too many days in a row. We woke Thursday to a beautiful, clear day. We had much to do that day, but somehow none of it seemed as important as the need to be outside. I figured a hike would do us good. Janae (who happened to be home that day), Melissa, Ryan, and I decided to cast the schedule aside and go hiking. It turned out to be just the medicine we need for a case of the "winter blues". Afterward, we felt so much better! It's amazing what a little dose of sunshine can do!

Happy 1st Anniversary Tyler and Natalie!

2009-01-12T20:53:00.001-08:00

Congratulations on a wonderful year together! We are so happy that you found each other! We love you both.

"Finding Joy in the Journey"

2009-01-09T08:39:00.000-08:00

I read President Monson's conference talk this morning titled, "Finding Joy in the Journey". The entire talk is beautiful, but he shared a quote that I loved so much, I wanted to post it.

"Both abundance and lack [of abundance] exist simultaneously in our lives, as parallel realities. It is always our conscious choice which secret garden we will tend...when we choose not to focus on what is missing from our lives but are grateful for the abundance that's present- love, health, family, friends, work, the joys of nature, and personal pursuits that bring us [happiness]-the wasteland of illusion falls away and we experience heaven on earth."
~Sarah Ban Breathnach (quoted by Thomas S. Monson)

How can life be anything but fulfilling, when we are led by a prophet who helps us understand what is really important and where our focus should lie? How blessed we are. ~J

Five Weeks of Fun!

2009-01-05T15:13:00.000-08:00

Whitney has been living in Virginia since the end of May '08, and it was a huge treat to get to have her home for five weeks. She arrived just before Thanksgiving, and went back to VA on December 30th. We had five weeks of fun; actually it literally felt like a party most evenings. With the rest of the teenagers and their friends hanging around, there is a considerable amount of "night life" around here during any school break. December was no exception. They stayed up late watching movies, visiting with friends, and listening to David Archuleta's new CD over and over. One Sunday, I had all four of my girls in Young Womens. Of course, Janae, Julia, Melissa, and I are usually there, so we convinced Whitney to come with us and skip Relief Society. The girls thought it was the lesson that was making me so emotional, but truthfully I was just feeling sentimental about having them all there together. What a blessing to have four daughters!

Greetings from England

2009-01-05T14:44:00.001-08:00

It was wonderful to talk to Jordan on Christmas! Who needs gifts when you have a phone call to look forward to? Each member of the family took a turn. He definitely has a British accent, although he can talk without it if he tries. We asked him to turn on a thick accent and he sounded just like a native! About two weeks before Christmas, he wrote home and told us that he had been asked to participate in the Leeds University Atheist Society's interfaith panel. He and his companion had the opportunity to sit on the panel and answer questions with members of other religions. He told us that they had webcast the meeting, and if we wanted to, we could find it on the web. What an opportunity! I found the Leeds Atheist Society and emailed them. The next day they emailed me back with the link. It was amazing, to say the least, to watch him in action as a missionary. Every missionary parent wishes they could be a fly on the wall and watch their child, and we had this unique chance to do just that! Click on the link below, and you will see the panel. The meeting is quite long, so if you just want to hear Elder Keables bear his testimony, fast forward to 57 minutes and watch for about 5. It's a treat!
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/876396

Memorable Moments From 2008...not in any particular order...

2008-12-26T22:02:00.000-08:00

...fun with face paints...
...football in the fall, with Dad as coach!
...Sisters playing in the snow...

A fun trip to San Francisco...

Janae's first formal dance...

...Good news from the England Leeds Mission!

...A wedding in January!

...A phenomenal basketball season, graduation, and an Eagle Scout Award for Spencer!

...Whitney off to VA for nursing school; and a trip to Washington D.C. with Aunt Khristine and Anna in the fall!

...Camping at Jedediah Smith!