moments I want to remember (from september)

First of all, can I just get a big "Wow!" that Christmas is right around the corner?!?! So much has happened over the past few months, and the only thing I can really tell myself to provide some measure of encouragement in the documenting department is simply, "Slow and steady wins the race."

Moving can be so emotionally draining, but oh, how we've grown to love the many great things Utah has to offer! Every month we seem to discover another great reason as to why we're here.

The kids have been adjusting so well to their new school! One thing about it, we have always been so well-taken care of when it comes to teachers! They love their classroom environments thus far.

Years ago, and a few years before AnnMarie was even old enough to go to school, I came across an article in The Deseret News entitled, "Why Schools and the World Need our Children." I loved it so much that I immediately cut it out and saved it in a file that I refer to as needed (like when our family moves, haha!).

It described how daunting it can be to send your child into a stream of kids at a new school! It went on to say that 'Part of you wants to hold them back because they might not be the best swimmers in this type of sea.' The article summarized three succinct reasons we should send our kids into the chaos of our untidy and imperfect public schools: 1.) The world needs our kids. 2.) Teaching moments come from opposition, and 3.) Good missionaries get out.

Similar to the author, I still have the same misgivings at times: Are they keeping their heads above water? Will they lose their footing? Will they be able to hear my voice in a crowd of constant noise?

So far, the answer has been YES.

Utah has a plethora of delicious fruit and produce this time of year! I canned Elberta Peaches and freezer-packed raspberries with my girls. Later, I drove to Kamas, Utah mid-month to spend the day with one of my best friends, Stacey. Kamas is such a charming little community! We had a wonderful afternoon letting our youngsters play together while we chatted and canned applesauce.

The girls and I had a memorable night at the General Women's Session in SLC on Saturday, September 23rd. Jared drove us to the Conference Center, but we decided to take the FrontRunner Utah transit home just for fun! We ended up missing our connection in North Salt Lake by about 9 minutes...which meant that we had to sit in the rain for nearly an hour, haha! Poor Carlie didn't have her coat, so I wrapped her inside of me, but she was definitely shaking from the cold! It made for some silly conversations, fun mind games, and extra delicious hot chocolate w/marshmallows when we got home.

I finished another semester of school last week which feels AMAZING!! I drove to Pingree at the end of the month and spent time with my grandparents in order to interview them for a research paper/project for my Audiologic Rehabilitation class. Their ability to reach out past pride and fear of failure closes the space between generations.

Grandma reminded me to NEVER be afraid of growing old, and that even though I'll end up doing crazy things, creativity does not diminish with age. Grandpa told me to ALWAYS find purpose at any age by being useful for another -- through complimenting, encouraging, and serving our fellowmen daily. #silverhair #goldenhearts

Spring Break in the Snow

Last April we journeyed southeast to McCall, ID for the kids' annual spring break. "Why not?" we thought! Little did we know it'd be an extension of our long and drawn out winter that we had just said goodbye to, haha! McCall is fast becoming a favorite place of ours. Neither Jared or I had ever been there prior to blending with the Thornton family, but my step-dad, Mr. Brad Thornton, is invested in a timeshare which includes the Hearthstone Townhomes along the golf course in McCall's beautiful Spring Mountain Ranch.

We should've known better than to expect nothing but snow outside of July and August, but we didn't realize it'd be a winter wonderland! We've dubbed it forever and always, our "Christmas in Spring."

So we made the most of our days in the cold -- hiking along the Payette Lake, ice skating, soaking in the hot tub...rolling in the snow...then soaking in the hot tub again, visiting a Christmas shop, playing boardgames, and last but not least, eating a giant cinnamon roll & drinking hot cocoa at The Pancake House.

We had such a wonderful time embracing our last hurrah before fully welcoming la primavera (spring).

Carlie Joy's Baptism

Dear June 2017...you started off beautifully with Carlie's baptism on Saturday, June 3rd, yet ended with a Mack Truck hitting us in the face towards the end of the month. :) Thank you for blessing us with light before the storm!

Like all sacred ordinances in the gospel, it was such a special day filled with family and love. The school year was still winding down, so the week leading up to her baptism was especially busy. My dear mom came to help me with the final preparations a few days before her baptism.

I had been preparing for Carlie's baptismal service (as a primary president) for nearly 4 months -- because there were several other children from our ward who were also getting baptized that same day. It was a different experience than having a private baptism all to ourselves, but I wouldn't trade it! I really enjoyed teaming up with other families to share the responsibilities of the event. There was a lot of positive energy in the room considering the number of families involved, but it certainly had a sweet ambience of joy and gratitude that I will treasure.

I was nominated to be the pianist, Aunt Katie Wolfley led the music, and big sister AnnMarie gave the talk about baptism. And I must say (bragging moment)...that she truly did such a marvelous job! She wrote her talk all by herself using the word BAPTISM as an acronym to discuss the important principals of this sacred ordinance. It was particularly reverent during her talk, and I was so pleased that she had the courage to share. She will be a wonderful missionary someday.

Prior to Carlie's baptism, I discovered a bookmark in our house that read, "Newly Baptized and Bright as a Daisy!" To me, this described Carlie Joy to a T on her special day. She was so smiley and giggly.

We were blessed with an abundance of family support from the Wolfley bunch and Thornton clan. It meant so much to us to have everyone there that came -- including nearly all of the Wolfley cousins. And of course we celebrated afterwards with yummy food...homemade Cafe Rio pork tacos, sweet corn, and Carlie's favorite dessert of all time, brownies.

June is the gateway to summertime! It's always been my favorite month, and although 'most loveliness is likely reserved for Heaven, I know in my heart a great portion of it must be experienced in June.' - Abba Woolson