Christmas time is here!

The kids were very excited to put up the Christmas tree on Friday as is our family tradition. It took all of 10 minutes and they had it all decorated. It always makes me laugh when I think about the first couple of years we were married and how I had to make sure that all of the ornaments were placed on the tree just so. Now, I just let the kids have at it and they have the best time going through all the ornaments and remembering where they all came from.

We also had a fun night at the Safford downtown tree lighting. They had lots of games and activities for the kids and it was nice that we didn't have to totally bundle the kids up just to go outside. We think the weather is great, but all the locals have been saying it was the coldest Thanksgiving in 80 years. I just imagine how cold it probably is in Utah at any given moment and enjoy the fact that it's 60-70 degrees here!

Thanksgiving

I was telling a friend of mine last week that I was finally feeling like life was slowing down a little lately and she said "Aren't you having Thanksgiving at your house this year?". I did host my first Thanksgiving this year. My parents, Matt and Nikki, Jenny and her fiance, Matthew were all there. I didn't really stress a lot beforehand, I just made sure we had all the food we needed and we all had a great time cooking and eating together Thanksgiving Day. We didn't have any fancy tablecloths or centerpieces, but the food was great and the company was even better. It was probably one of my all time favorite Thanksgivings. I wouldn't mind having Thanksgiving at my house every year!

Pima Turkey Trot

Ben and I ran our first 5K last Thanksgiving. This year we decided to do it again and make it our annual tradition. What better way to start Thanksgiving day than with a little exercise? So when we found out about the Pima Turkey Trot we were excited that we wouldn't have to go very far. Matt and Nikki joined us along about 450 other people which I thought was pretty good for little ol' Pima. We had a great time and my mom came along to cheer us on.

The Kimball Branch

A few weeks ago, the stake president, President Sanders, called us into his office and asked if we would accept a call to serve in the Spanish Branch in our Stake. We were not totally sure why we were meeting with the stake president, but we kind of figured it might have something to do with the Spanish Branch because we had recently been talking to Eliza's soccer coach and his wife about how they were members of the Spanish branch and the possibility of us coming there. We were surprised, however, that they also called Matt and Nikki at the same time to see if they would be willing to attend as well. We all said we would be willing to go and I think both Matt and Ben are excited at the prospect of using their Spanish and associating with the Latin members in our valley. (So even though we no longer live in the same house, we will still be attending church with Matt and Nikki. So too bad if they wanted to get rid of us;)) As for me, I have mixed feelings about attending the branch. I know that this can be a wonderful growing experience for our family, but I also really loved the 5th ward. We felt very strongly that we should buy a house in this neighborhood partly because we wanted to stay in the ward. But, for now, the Lord has other plans for us and we'll just look at it as an exciting new adventure for our family! I know that if we let it be, this will be a great opportunity for our family to not only learn about another culture, but, more importantly, for us to serve the Lord and His children. Wish us luck!

Women at the Well

Tonight I had the opportunity to participate in the Women at the Well program by Kenneth Cope. This is such a neat program that tells, through song, the stories of women in the scriptures who knew the Savior. My good friend, Carol, wanted to do this as a fireside in our ward and I'm so happy I got to be a part of it. Each of the ladies who participated really bore their testimonies through their songs and it was such an uplifting experience. My song was "Greater Love". It was the last song in the program and from the perspective of a woman in the modern days. Thanks to all the ladies and to Carol for making this such a great experience!

Marcus

My brother Marcus passed away on Friday November 5. He had been diagnosed with stomach cancer a mere seven months ago. And although he was told that it was a serious case he had been receiving radiation and chemotherapy treatments and was doing quite well. It came as a shock to us all when we heard the news that he had passed away suddenly outside an apartment complex in Meridian while on his way to visit a friend. He left behind his wife and soul mate, my sweet sister-in-law, Colleen.

Marcus has always been fun-loving, outgoing and a friend to everyone he met. I remember Marcus' teenage years. Marcus was different from my four other studious and reserved brothers. Marcus was actually "popular" and so my friends and I really looked up to him as someone who was "cool". Most teenage brothers would probably have thought it was annoying to have their ten-year-old sister and her friends hanging around, but Marcus never acted like that. He would talk to us as we were skating out on the driveway and joke with us like we were friends and not annoying little sister-types.

As I grew into a teenager myself I found that, personality-wise, Marcus and I were very different yet I still enjoyed hanging around with him and his friends. I remember that Marcus and Colleen's very first date (or one of the first) was actually a double date with me and one of Marcus' friends. We went to a "skating to gospel music" night at a local roller skating rink.

Because we are so different, Marcus and I certainly had our share of disagreements. I remember very well one particular time when we were on a family reunion. I was probably about ten or eleven and Marcus was sixteen or seventeen and had just begun to drive. I remember that he was driving the car and I was in the passenger seat and he must have said something that made me really mad because I started smacking him as he was driving. I have no idea what it was, but you have to understand that ten-year-old girls can be very sensitive so I may have overacted and put all our lives in jeoprady, but anyway...A couple of days later we visited a theme park of some sort and I found myself sharing a car on a carnival ride with none other than Marcus. The car could be turned upside-down by turning a wheel and Marcus, never letting anyone be angry with him for long, held the car upside-down and refused to turn it right-side up again until I promised that I would forgive him. I had forgotten about that memory until just a day or so after Marcus had passed away and the memory of that lovable Marcus made me smile.

I am grateful that we were able to live close to Marcus and Colleen for a little while about three years ago while Ben was working for Albertson's and later for the State of Idaho. When Ben first started working at Albertson's he went ahead of us and Marcus and Collen let him stay in their home, as they did for so many others. Ben was remembering the other day that the first night he arrived at their home they had a basket full of goodies and things to make Ben feel more at home there. Marcus and Colleen were always so good to welcome everyone into their home and make you feel comfortable there. I had my fourth child, Brigham, while we were living in Boise. The day I went in to deliver Brigham I had been contracting all day, but talked to Ben as he left work and assured him that he needn't rush home. His commute was lengthy at the time, but I felt certain that I would be fine until he got home. A little while later, I was wishing I had told Ben to hurry home a little bit faster and I called Marcus and told him that we would have to leave for the hospital as soon as Ben got home from work. Marcus came straight over along with happy meals for all the kids and still beat Ben to our house. I was so grateful to him for being there when I needed him.

We will all miss Marcus dearly. I am sad when I think that he won't be there at family gatherings to "liven things up a bit". He was such a special person and he touched so many lives. How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the knowledge that I have that I will see him again someday.

Marcus, I love you so much. I am grateful that I could call you my brother and look forward to that day when we will meet again.

The end of soccer

The soccer season has come to an end. Rachel and Eliza both had a great season. Eliza particularly enjoyed playing soccer this year and also became quite good friends with several of the girls on her team. I must admit I am somewhat relieved that it is over because it will free up our Saturdays, but I'm glad that the girls enjoyed themselves. The girls were thrilled to get these neat trophies which will proudly be displayed in their new bedroom.