Share The Gift (Maxey Christmas Letter 2014)

2014 with the Maxey's

So much has happened this year but I'll just hit the highlights because when pondering on the last 12 months, Lenayah is the only thing that comes to mind. She is the center of our world! Even with that being the case, so much was involved to make this year the best of our lives.

The beginning of the year I took my massage therapy licensure test, which I passed and officially become licensed! I continued to work at the school that I went to until June when I went into preparation for baby mode.

We faced so many trials but allowed each of them to make us stronger. The beginning of the year seemed engulfed in 2 things. Grad school applications, and our growing baby. Applying to school allowed our focus to change. After a series of interviews and prayer we felt inspired to go to one school and got accepted to the other. Because of our faith in answers to prayer, Myles considered looking into other career options since we felt so strongly that we needed to be in Logan, UT. Shortly after we accepted that our plan wasn't what God wanted for us, Myles received a call from Utah State University who invited him to be a part of a BS to PhD program, studying Family and Human Development. They told him that upon acceptance, he would be the recipient of a scholarship fund which would allow him to go through his entire 83 credit program and only pay for 13 credits. Not only did they offer him the funding, but they wanted him to be a part of their program so badly, that they told him he would be given a job on top of all that! We knew that our prayers were answered and now that he is in this program, he is loving it! So much more than he would have loved the Marriage and Family Therapy program he originally applied for. Thank goodness God knows what is best, because we would be lost without him.

In March we were privileged to take a trip to Oregon to see Les Miserables starring my awesome sister, Hannah. Mom also helped to direct the production. It was a great experience to be able to go! April brought the opportunity to fly down to New Mexico to celebrate Mariah's Birthday. Both were quick trips but we were glad to see our family. 

With USU set in stone the search for housing options led us to the decision to buy. That was a terror in and of itself. Buying a house is a very stressful process, I assume for everyone who ventures into it. After a lot of hiccups, including a water damaged wall in our almost house, we closed and signed the papers the day before Lenayah Lorraine arrived.

In June we did the annual sand castle building contest with the Jessops. I was 33 weeks pregnant and trying not to take offense to the many comments of spectators. "Wow! How pregnant are you?" "Are you going to deliver soon?" "Don't you have that baby on the beach!" To their credit, I did look like I was nearly 40 weeks pregnant because of my Polyhydramnios. As a team we won 3rd place!!! This was the first time for us to place in the Master's (aka Professional) Division!

Many of you know the story of Lenayah's arrival, and if you don't, read the blog or two before this. She came with trails I never dreamed of facing. Myles and I grew so much over the 15 days our baby was in the hospital. We truly believe that she was upheld by angels until she could build the strength required of her little body in this world. I prayed, cried, loved, and celebrated more than I ever have in my life during that time. We were fortunate to have the support of our amazing ward family. I think in the whole 15 days we stayed at the hospital, we took care of our own dinner 3 times. What a blessing! We were also relieved to have our parents and some of our siblings come and meet Lenayah in her frail little state.

 
My sister Hannah came to help us move to Logan and it seems like yesterday that we got into our now house and started unpacking. Now our humble abode is the place we call home. Myles started his PhD program at the end of August and was eager to get back into the swing of school and learning, especially since this time school would be focused in on his area of interests. He quickly selected his major advisor/mentor for the time that he is in the program and was happy to be working as a teaching and research assistant!
 
 September brought the blessing of our angel Lenayah. We had both families drive and spend the weekend with us. The day of the blessing brought a full house. It was a wonderful experience for Myles to be able to bless our little girl and there were many amazing blessings and promise pronounced upon her. 

Myles continues to work high school football and basketball, which he loves. He refereed his first high school football playoff game this season and it was fun. Lenayah and I traveled with him most Friday nights, making it a family affair!

Lenayah Ready to Ref with Daddy

We went to Oregon for Thanksgiving. That was our first holiday with them since we got married so we were pretty excited to be there. We even got to do a "mini-Christmas" with them. Good times were had by all.


Myles finished the first semester of his program with a 4.0 and loved ALMOST every second of it.

You may have noticed that I have titled this with the ever popular hashtag, Share The Gift. I have been thinking a lot about sharing the message of Jesus Christ. I am serving as the Choir Director in our church congregation and Myles as a Sunday School teacher. Because of my calling I was asked to put together our ward's Christmas program. The experience of praying for direction and following through seemed so intimidating to me, but I know the result was a strengthened testimony for me, and I hope those who participated. I wrote this program from the perspective of a women who experienced the Saviors birth, and life from afar. I imagined that she might tell this story to her grandchildren.

Christmas in Zerahemla

S: I have heard of the signs in the scriptures since I was a child, I had faith that they would come as prophesied, I was humbled to witness them come to pass, but I never dreamed that I would have a personal relationship with this man called Jesus. I am here to tell you of the very first Christmas; Christmas in Zerahemla.

Each night as my parents taught me the history of my people, I was filled with hope and wonder with each reference to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. Even from the beginning of our time in this land, Nephi prophesied and saw visions of his coming.

B: Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world. (1 Ne 10:4)

S: Having been blessed with a loving mother, I can imagine with the help of Nephi’s words the beauty and spiritual strength the Saviors’ mother had.

B: And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and she was exceedingly fair and white. She was a virgin, most beautiful and fair above all other virgins. And an angel came unto me and said, “Behold, the virgin whom thou seest is the mother of the Son of God, after the manner of the flesh.” And it came to pass that I beheld that she was carried away in the Spirit; and after she had been carried away in the Spirit for the space of a time the angel spake unto me, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the virgin again, bearing a child in her arms. (1 Ne 11:13-20)

SOFT, SOFT (Choir)

S: I loved to gather around with my brothers and sisters and listen to my parents teach us about the prophecies of the Christ-child and the many miracles that would be fulfilled through His life. My favorite was the teachings of eternal life and salvation made possible through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

King Benjamin taught his people:

B:  And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body, hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his anguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people.

 And he shall be called Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Father of heaven and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning; and his mother shall be called Mary

And lo, he cometh unto his own, that salvation might come unto the children of men even through faith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a devil, and shall scourge him, and shall crucify him.

And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. (Mosiah 3:7-10)

S: Jesus Christ was going to be killed for my sins, for the sins of my family, and for the entire world. He was going to bleed from every pore in his body for me. They were going to hang Him from a cross so that I can live again as He did. Jesus Christ is the ultimate example of love.

Alma teaches us something more of our Savior:

 B: And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities. (Alma 7:11-12)

S: Not only was Jesus going to save us from death and sin, but from every infirmity, both spiritual and physical, will he succor us. The word succor means, “to run to”. Jesus Christ truly is merciful. I have experienced his mercy first-hand. His birth was the miraculous beginning to a lifelong example of love and service.

O HOLY NIGHT (Meidell)

S: I remember that when I was a child, Samuel came to prophesy unto the people of the birth of Christ. Although the people rejected his message and threw rocks and shot arrows at him, Samuel was protected until he had delivered his message.

B: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.

And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.

Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.

SAMUEL TELLS OF BABY JESUS (Senior Primary)

B: And it came to pass that there was no darkness in all that night, but it was as light as though it was mid-day. And it came to pass that the sun did rise in the morning again, according to its proper order; and they knew that it was the day that the Lord should be born, because of the sign which had been given. (3 Ne 1:19)

S: My family, and all the other believers in Christ had been saved from the wicked people in our city. The signs had been given. The Christ-child was born that day. Through the years, my faith and testimony in Him increased, however there were many people who were disobedient to the commandments of God. Now we looked to the signs that Christ had been crucified by the people of Jerusalem.

SILENT NIGHT/PEACE PEACE (Choir)

S: The great storm came, the signs of His death were upon us. The earth did quake and tremble and although I was now an adult, my heart and soul did fear and yearn for the spirit of the Lord to be upon my loved ones and me. Entire cities disappeared into the sea, buildings crumbled, the land north and south became unrecognizable, and the people of God were spared.

B: And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease— …all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them. (3 Nephi 8:18-23)

S: Later I would look back and understand the significance of this severe darkness. The earth itself truly did mourn the loss of its King. The Light and Life of the world had been taken, both physically and spiritually and the earth made it known. When the darkness dissipated those people of faith who had been protected began to regroup and rebuild.

And twice we heard a voice whose language we could not understand, even so the spirit of God burned within me.

B: And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them: Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name—hear ye him.

And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

And behold, I am the light and the life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying: Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world. (3 Nephi 11:6-14)

S: My husband, my children and I went forth and did feel the wounds in His hands and His sides. We knew for ourselves with a personal witness that Jesus Christ died, and lives again. My family and the rest of the people were filled with so much Love, Joy, Peace, Redemption and Testimony that we shouted hosanna’s to the Lord, and fell down at his feet to worship him.

JOY TO THE WORLD (Choir)

Jesus Christ lives! We have experienced His love first-hand in our lives this year. God bless you and Merry Christmas!



More pictures from the year:

12 week whirlwind!

Lenayah is going to be 12 weeks old on Friday, can you believe it? Its really crazy to me, all that has happened in that time. Most importantly, Lenayah Lorraine joined our family!
I can't even begin to describe the experience of labor and delivery. I had an incredible team of people who love me there to support the process. My mom was directing You're A Good Man Charlie Brown so naturally I had to have 3 people to replace her. It helped that she was able to join in on the phone a couple of times during the 18 hours at the hospital before Lenayah made her appearance. Having polyhydramnios (excess amniotic fluid) made it necessary for me to go to the hospital as soon as I knew I was in labor, to insure the safety of myself and Lenayah when my water broke. That time came around 2 am on the morning of July 18th, 3 weeks before my due date. Unfortunately after monitoring me for 4 hours they decided that I was not really in labor and were prepping the paperwork to send me home. 2 hours after that they came back with the papers and asked if I wanted them to check my cervix one more time. I of course said yes, as I really thought I was in labor. When the nurse checked me she was surprised to find that I had indeed progressed to 5 cm and 100% effaced, further proof that my waves of contractions were actually doing what they were supposed to. She went to call and consult my OB again and came back a half hour later with news that I was being instructed to stay in labor and delivery.

My timing is way off, but I think it was around 11 or 12 that my wonderful friend Natalie showed up with snacks and encouragement. Thank goodness she loves the process of childbirth because she stuck around through the whole process. Again, my time may be wrong, but I think my aunt Lesa showed up 30 minutes or so after Natalie. With these powerful ladies by my side, along with Myles, I was prepared for my water to be broken by the on-call doctor for my OB's office to break my water at 1:40pm. I'm told it was like watching him open the flood gates, or turning on a hose. Even with my water broken labor seemed to be moving somewhat slowly so I told Myles he could go to a job interview that was essential for us to be employed when we moved to Logan. I told him to be fast but it seemed like 20 minutes after he left I really started to have some hard contractions. Nat, Lesa and I found a little "hill" in the halls of the hospital. The "climb" helped me move through the contractions while they increased in intensity and speed. I explained to Nat how I wanted her to massage my hips through each contraction. We moved back to the room to be

monitored and sit on the ball to see how that helped. Lesa got cold wet rags to help me stay cool and relaxed. I was very ready for Myles to come back by 4:30 when he walked in the door. He changed out of his interview clothes and got involved. He did great jumping right into the chaos. The nurse came in a little after 5 and told me that I was allowed to get in the tub. (We thought I couldn't because my water was broken.) That was wonderful news for our little labor crew. My mom called somewhere in there to talk me through a few contractions. Telling me I was not going to be benefited if I growled through the pressure. Moaning was okay, but no growling. So that's what I tried to do... I don't think it worked very well considering soon after I got into the tub I was freezing! I probably had 20 contraction 2 minutes apart in the tub while I froze before I was beyond done with the whole tub thing and ready to push. I couldn't tell you how many people helped me, or how many contractions I had between the tub and the bed. The nurse checked my cervix and said I was at a 10 and ready to push, but that I couldn't start until the Dr got there. She insisted that it would only be 10-15 minutes; I think it was more like 25! This point in delivery really speaks to the fact that I was not in control of this journey. When your body is ready to push, it means PUSH and its going to do it without your help if it has to. Finally the Dr came and coached me through a couple of pushes. He left "to do paper work" which we all thought was odd, but looking back I think that he could see that I was well taken care of by my team. On the birth end of pushing Lenayah got the hiccups. That was a weird feeling for sure! After 40 minutes of pushing, our beautiful girl was officially outside of me and in the world.

What happened next will have to be another blog as there is no real good place to stop once I start. LONG story short, Lenayah spent 15 days in the NICU learning to breath on her own.
A week after she was born my parents came to see us in the hospital. (Myles and I were blessed enough to be allowed to stay in the hospital while Lenayah was there) After they left the Maxey's were able to come. Ann had to go the day before we went home, Mariah stayed with us until we got to come home, and Chelle joined us shortly thereafter. We had 5 days to be our new little family before Hannah came to help me pack up the house and move. What a blessing she was! I don't think I could have done it without her, since Natalie's back was injured.
Logan has been treating us well. Myles is enjoying school and the people he is meeting. Lenayah and I don't have a social life but maybe soon we will. She is learning and growing every day! At her 2 month appointment she had gained 5 lbs and 4 inches since birth. She is a pro at rolling over, smiling, diaper changes and barfing. She is starting to work on her interest in toys and noises and is building her sitting muscles!

Thanks for checking in, I know we are blessed. Looking at Lenayah's gorgeous face every day is a constant reminder!

2013 with the Maxey's!

2013 At the Maxey Pad

 Our 2013 is finishing off much more exciting than it started. As I was making note of all the things to mention in our Christmas blog there was only a few things all the way until June! Rich, Myles' brother, and his wife, Lindsey got married in January. That was a fun party! 

Our surprise visit

In February we surprised my family and joined them in Oregon for a few days! That was more fun than words can describe! In April we drove to the Phoenix, AZ area to see the Easter pageant at the Mesa Temple, as well as go to a wedding reception for Myles' cousin. While we were there we picked up a kid that attended EFY with Myles as his counselor. Collin spent a week with us in Las Cruces and he surely kept us busy! We even took him to a carnival and made him puke, right after he cooked us dinner all by himself! At the end of his week with us we, along with Mariah and Ann drove him all the way to Springville/SLC area where his family met us. We were all there for General Conference. That was an amazing experience! Not to mention we got to see the Boyack extended family and my dad, Hannah, and Lillian! Both of our drives to AZ and UT were within a week of each other and they wore us out. After that we decided we didn't want any other exciting things until GRADUATION!

Graduation

 

 Myles Graduated as a Crimson Scholar with Honors from NMSU with a Bachelors in Family and Child Science. He even walked with his class!

Collin and Myles

 In the end May we moved to Bluffdale, Utah so that I could attend Healing Mountain Massage School. We live in the basement of a sweet family. We have become really good friends with them and we love to spend time with them and their three little ones! We even went sledding with them yesterday! We only dropped our things off for a few day before we headed off on our Summer trip.

We toured Myles mission first. I met a lot of great people there! It's good to know he was so well taken care of while he was out. They sure did feed us well!

In Oregon we played with my family and went to our annual Sand Castle building contest. Mariah and Ann even came to join in with the fun! Sand Castles is one of our favorite things to do in the summer time and when you combine it with our favorite people it is even better!

Sand Castle team!

 When we came home to Utah life was in full swing before we could take a breath! We brought Chad home with us and he spent a week here! We enjoyed having him here although, I think we are too old and boring for him now. ;)
 Through a series of interviews, job offers, and prayers we ultimately ended up with Myles working at the Work Activity Center as a Program lead. Allow Myles to explain: I applied for a completely different position, but they liked me so much that they offered me a higher paying "mid-management" job. I work with adults with disabilities ranging from physical to severe intellectual. I'm in charge of one of the departments, where each day I provide recreational, social/communication, vocational, life skills, and community learning activities to enhance their lives and assist them in become more independent. I also write daily reports on incidents that occur throughout the day and a monthly report on each client that is on my caseload. I absolutely love my job, more than I thought I would and the clients that I work with each day help me to grow and become a better person.
I am almost finished with school. I will Graduate on the 31st and be eligible to take my Licensing test to be come a Massage Therapist. I have loved my program and am thrilled to be able to apply it in the real world.

Our Journey to Utah, our new home

Myles has applied for Graduate School to BYU's Marriage and Family Therapy Program and is finishing up his application to Utah State University's program to begin next Fall. We will know by the middle of March where he has been accepted. We are hoping and praying for BYU, as it will put us closer to family, but we are willing to go where the Lord needs us most.
In our new ward I am the Relief Society Activities Coordinator and Myles is the Gospel principles teacher. Myles refereed again this year, both football and basketball. We are too busy to enjoy our new area too much.

In line for General conference

Beside all of the hustle and bustle of our lives, our testimonies of our Savoir Jesus Christ as once again increased! We are reminded again in this Christmas season that we are forever indebted to him and we will ever serve to show our love for him. Jesus lives! He was born of a virgin mother and an eternally powerful Father. His life and mission was to glorify our Father in Heaven. We strive daily to be disciples of Him and His Gospel. Although we fail in our endeavors, we know that through the Atonement of Christ, we can repent and be saved. So, as this new year begins, remember that there is a way to return to God, the Father. Strive for a better relationship with him, He is there with open arms waiting for you to take the first step. We know this with all of our hearts!

Have a blessed Christmas and a very successful and happy New Year!

A Whole New World!

Zissimato's kids! (from spokane) They call Myles "Order Maskey"

Our new world and new life has been a whirl wind! The last three months have raced by way faster than I anticipated. I am shocked to realize that I am nearly two months through my 6 month program at school! I don't even know where to begin. I'm ashamed to admit that the last time I wrote was in April. Since then so much as happened! I will try to hit the highlights.

Stopped in the Tri-cities to see Collin!

Biggest one is that we moved to Bluffdale, UT! We are thrilled to be here and finally feeling set in. Leading up to our move we had packed most of the house, but Myles finished packing it up alone as I flew back to Oregon for a 3 days to bid an untimely farewell to one of my dearest friends! Jill Tharp was a woman of integrity, love, humility, kindness, humor, sensibility, laughter and God. I am beyond blessed to be able to say that she was such a good friend and leader. I see so many posts on facebook on her wall, telling her how much she is missed, how hard it is to be going along in the day and then be overcome with the pain, how much she taught every person she came in contact with. I feel the pain seer my heart at the most random times, and I have come to the realization that no matter how long she is gone, she will always be loved and missed. And that's okay. She was an angel on earth and she is now an angel in heaven.

Lillian flew a plane!

Going back to our move, I got back 3 days before we left our home in Las Cruces that I grew to love so much. We had a ton of support from the ward. We had so many people come to help load up and clean that I didn't know what to do with all of them. In the process of moving I injured my ankle. I visited the ER (Because my only access to insurance in NM is through the ER)  on the day we were leaving town only to find out that I only had a bruise. I'm not entirely sure about the bruise because I am still feeling it two and a half months later. We stayed the night in Albuquerque with Rachelle (Myles' Sister)  to split up the drive at least a little bit.
We were up way too early to start our drive the following day. It was long but we made it safely and that is what is important. The moving truck was not a fun ride to be in while I was in a splint up to my knee.

Playing in the park! :D

Again, we had a lot of support from the ward, only this time it was from our NEW ward. We made it to our house and there were people here to help us unload! They did it super quickly, and we were able to sleep in our bed just 3 hours after we pulled into our driveway. We like our little basement apartment and our land lord a lot! We are blessed to be here in this little "country" town. Surrounded by horses, deer, orchards, frogs. The works! It's a beautiful place and we are blessed to be here.
We spent a week visiting people in the Spokane Mission that Myles worked with while he served there. That was an amazing week and I am so glad we got to be there. There were so many good people and they increased my love for the stories I've heard and my gratitude that he was able to serve there.
Following our week in Spokane, we made our way to my mom's house for our visit with her, and the annual sand castle competition. There were so many good times in the week and a half we were there. It was great to be blessed with the time with my family. I wish there was more opportunities with them, but they aren't as available as we wish.

BEACHIN! Haystack rock in the back ground!

Since we have been back in Utah we were blessed with not one, but two job opportunities! He accepted both, but has since resigned from one with a boys' home to open up for more time for his full-time job and football officiating. He is working at the Work Activity Center full time. He loves it there! He is working with developmentally handicapped adults. They provide a learning environment, activities, and positive interaction with them daily. He is loving the work and the population that he is allowed to work with. He will soon be promoted to a position in the employment department. That is where they provide work opportunities for their clients. It's a great place and the blessings continue to pour out.

Watched Lillian's softball game the day I got my wisdom tooth out.

I am LOVING school! Every day it is confirmed to me that I made the right choice coming here. It's a wonderful program! I start in the clinic tomorrow so we will see how it goes! I am blessed to be there.
In the ward we are one of 3 young couples in the ward with no kids. haha we were  the first and then the other two couples moved in within the last two weeks. Myles has been called as the Gospel Principles teacher, and I am called for the second time in a row as the Relief Society Activities Coordinator! We are both excited about both of these opportunities.
As I have repeated so many times so far, WE ARE BLESSED.

Road trippin with Chadly!

Studying with my school buddy Andie!

FOOTBALL SEASON IS UPON US!!

Collin came to visit!

So Collin... What an awesome fireball! He has so much energy I could hardly keep up! He is such a sweet kid and it was a great experience to have him with us.

Ashamed that he likes The Voice

Sunday night we got home from Arizona and I gladly introduced him to The Voice. He thought it was silly at first, but soon he was saying, "I hate this show! Why do you make me watch this?" (I go to change the channel... "No! Wait, I'm watching this! I love this show!" Basically he hated the fact that he really did like it. It was a crack up!

Oh, ya know!

For the weeks leading up to his visit I was extremely worried that I wouldn't be able to entertain him much because despite the fact that he was here, we could not stop working. So, He got taken to work! He didn't mind that much because soon after the start of our first dealership he realized that he got to sit in and drool over all the nice cars we work with. The Yellow Camaro's and the sleek black Cadillac's got his attention.  :) We finished work with just enough time to get ourselves fed, courtesy of Collin, and to the Carnival that happened to be in town! Dinner was delicious! It was a big dinner of quesedillas and salad! Notice I said Carnival in one sentence, and big dinner following that. Yeah, BAD CHOICE, MCKAY! The carnival was a lot of fun, but I had to make myself spew halfway through so that my stomach would let me go on more rides. It took a lot of effort, but I finally was able to keep going and it was a blast! We rode every ride worth going on for us big kids, got some cotton candy, and even tried to get Mariah a fish!

This is why these two are friends....

Tuesday we worked again, but to finish off the touches of the day, we went to Chopes! The BEST Mexican restaurant in the area! They make some amazing food! I love their Chili sauces, both green and red! We go there as often as we can. Which isn't often since we try not to eat out a lot, but Collin gave us the perfect excuse!
Wednesday we worked again... it was a REALLY long day. At least I remember it being so... Maybe that was Tuesday that was long... Anyway, I got everything packed up to leave Thursday. Collin helped me clean the house and got himself ready, and Myles did computer work. The second we were ready for the road trip to SLC, UT we headed out the door to meet Mariah at Sweet Cici's. (The only self-serve frozen yogurt place anywhere near here.) We loaded up the sweets and prepared ourselves for the brawl! MARIO CART WII!!! That is a serious game between Myles, Mariah, and Myself. I'm pretty sure Collin thought we were nuts. We stayed there long enough to watch the new Criminal Minds episode. What a great story it was!

Chopes!!

Thursday we busted out the work and hit the road! We left town around 12:45 pm and drove... and drove... and drove... and stopped for the potty, and drove and drove... Holy cow it was a lot of driving. Collin has so much energy and he was holding nothing back in that little space! He kept asking if he could drink the Rock star that was in the car, and we would tell him no. He ended up drinking it anyway and that was more than I was every expecting! He was bouncing off the walls! lol at least it was a little comical for us. He commentated the entire Batman: The Dark Knight movie with such intensity that I can't even explain it! We pulled into Springville, UT to my Dad's childhood home at 1:30 am. What a long day! I crashed out hard once I hit the bed!
Friday was spent apartment hunting and on temple square. We parted ways with Collin shortly after the Temple. His parents also -came up for conference so we dropped him off at their hotel. I will go more into the conference weekend in the Next blog. It was great to have Collin with us and I know that he and Myles enjoyed their time together!

I couldn't find any pictures from the Carnival.. :(

Road trippin' part one!

The house of the Lord in Mesa, AZ

We have been crazy busy over the last few weeks! We had two short work weeks in a row with 2 long busy "vacation" weekends! The first was the week leading up to Easter. What a blessed week it was! We got help from our family in town to get everything done, and were able to do it with plenty of time.

Myles doing one of his favorite things!

On Thursday we spent the majority of the day in the car with Myles' family. We did the 6 hour drive to Mesa, AZ to spend the rest of the evening at the Easter pageant that is held at the Temple. What an inspiring production it was! If you ask Myles, I was hysterical the whole time. I, however, think that I sat there, quietly letting the tears of joy and humility run down my cheeks. The show is about Christ's life with a special focus of his last week on this earth. It quotes the KJV Bible and puts many of the stories into music! The power and awe that was impressed upon me is in describable.
I am beyond thankful for that opportunity. I know that my Redeemer lives and he lights the way for me in all things! His Atonement is REAL and it is for YOU!

Diamondbacks game!

We were housed by the hospitality of Myles' Uncle Bruce. He had all 8 of us in every inch of his house! Myles and I were lucky enough to get a real bed. :D
Friday the long awaited trip to the Temple was finally here! I love to sit and bask in the knowledge that comes when you spend in the peaceful environment of the Temple. The LDS Temples truly are places where Christ resides. Following the 2+ in the Temple we went to the massive mall to shop and have lunch with our Friend Austin. It was great to get to know him a little better. What an honorable young man and a good friend! I don't enjoy shopping much, but I did end up surviving and I even purchased some new church shoes. Even though we hadn't been home since 8 am we went trucking on to the last spring training game for the Diamondbacks. It was a really slow game, but it was really fun anyway. We even got to be on the camera in the background of a outfielder trying to catch a home run!
Bruce is a real estate agent so he helped us try to find some apartments in Salt Lake City. We found a couple but only one responded. (See the results of that in a blog soon to come.)
Every road trip needs a touch of Mabee! We were able to spend 4 or so hours with Paul, Gena and the boys. Gena made some delish salad that was a breath of fresh air compared to my previous fast food meals! We told some funny stories, watched Paul be the star of Marshals video for school, Myles and I even went to their ward's Easter activity with them! It was so cute, it seemed Gena was almost bragging about us as she introduced us to everyone she saw!

Myles, myself and Jess at the open house

Enjoying ourselves in the car by feeding the dog hot cheetos

We made it back to Bruce's house in time to get changed into nice clothes so we could get in the car and drive for an hour to their cousins wedding open house. It was a nice gathering with tasty food, nice company at my table, and short and to the point! We left around an hour after we got there because we needed to get to the airport. Here is where our next adventure begins! We were picking up Collin Howald! He and Myles met at EFY the same summer we did, and he was coming to spend his spring break with us.

The set for the pageant

Sunday we got up early and spent the day in the car again. Home again, Home again, Jiggety jig.

We LOVE to see the Temple!