Full Fun Weekend

Our week was fun, and then the weekend just kept it going! This post feels so long but there was so much about this week that I want to remember.

Our friend/my roommate Allison (from our study abroad in Jerusalem) came to visit us! We hadn't met each other's kids before, and we have been really looking forward to her visit. We actually hadn't seen each other since our wedding, which is way too long. Her kids are adorable, and Westin was so happy to have friends around for the beginning of the week. We had fun at the zoo, they helped us take care of our friend's pets, and we visited some parks and Cafe Rio. I'm so impressed she tackled a drive to San Francisco onto a red-eye flight back to North Carolina after all our fun. She's such a good mom and good friend and we really, really loved seeing her.

On Wednesday night we had a fun dinner with Michael's colleagues from his plastic surgery rotation. It was fun to meet everyone he's been working with the past four months, and fun to eat a meal where I was only in charge of feeding me and not a baby and toddler, too. His coworkers are so nice. We feel really grateful for the vibe of Michael's residency program and the training that he's receiving here in Fresno. It's definitely why we ended up here for this stage.

Thursday night was wonderful. My friend told me about a scripture study class that a woman in my ward teaches on Thursdays, and I have not stopped thinking about it since we went. It felt like being back in Susan Easton Black's class at BYU, where you sat down and she was instantly just pouring out knowledge a mile a minute for the rest of the hour. This specific class was all about our premortal life, and honestly nothing has given me a better shift into having an eternal perspective than this class, apart from trips to the temple. It was incredible. She recommended we read this Ensign talk for more study material on the things we covered that night. (The talk is by her husband, and they are the parents of my bishop. There are some really wonderful people in Fresno and I felt so grateful to learn from her on Thursday.) My friend and I went straight from class to a High Fitness class, and I realized more than ever that day that taking time out for spiritual and physical fitness has a huge impact. I know that's a simple and obvious truth, but experiencing manifestations of it always feel significant to me.

On Friday we finally grabbed tickets for the Amtrak to Hanford because we knew Westin would love a train ride. We've been talking about doing this for a while, and he loved it just as much as we thought he would. We went to a delicious Pupuseria for dinner, then went to share a HUGE banana split at Superior Dairy after. The boys were up late but they both loved the night and the train, so it was worth it.

Then we woke them up early Saturday morning and went to a hot air balloon festival. We were maybe slightly annoyed that the event said to be there by 6:30 for take off and then balloons didn't launch until an hour later... but hey, bragging rights that we got our kids out the door by then on a Saturday. Then we found a cinnamon roll food truck for breakfast and all was well. I thought Westin would love the balloons, and he did like them, but Bennett was actually the one who was just super into them. He has started to point and wave and it's adorable. 

We came home and borrowed our friend's dog for a walk to run around the campus of the community college by our house. Westin asks about Sammy a lot and has fun running around with him. Then Michael put the boys down for a nap while I ran to set up for a baptism for one of my sweet primary kids. Baptisms are so joyful, and I liked spending time by myself filling the font and just thinking.

That night we went to our ward trunk or treat, then Michael and I came home and jumped into Stranger Things. Season One. Because we're late adapters like that. (Also, I have FOMO and you guys are all just talking about Stranger Things SO MUCH. So we're finally here at the party.)

I loved this week AND this weekend, and it felt like the perfect end to Michael's plastics rotation. On November 1st he'll be back to his oral surgery clinic and life is about to get crazy again. He'll be there four months before his next rotation, and I've got to learn how to deal with call again. Stranger Things is not going to help that situation at all.

"Mama, I'm a little bit sick."
Sick and 15 years old, is what it looks like to me.

"Look Mama, I drew a loooooooooooong cat!"
I love this picture so much. Westin went on his own into the backyard while I was putting Bennett down for a nap, and played with chalk for 20 minutes. He came inside covered in blue, and said, "I wanna show you my cat!" Then he brought me to this, and it's his first picture that looks like what he's talking about. I thought it was so cute, and it was just one of those moments that made me stop and look at him and realize he's really growing up. I told him I'd take a picture of him with his drawing and he said, "Ok, I'll go stand by the tail!"

I've never liked Halloween more than when I was dressing these two up on Saturday night.
Bennett's nose. Westin's... Westin-ness. I was just cracking up so much.

Superior Dairy doesn't mess around.

Pupusas! We loved those and the plantains but those tamales (in banana leaves) weren't our favorite.

He loves to play pretend and feed you all your lines in his made up scenarios. He's "sleeping" here and I'm supposed to ask the Kitty why he doesn't want to wake up. I don't know why he loves this random bag, but there you go.

Westin and Anders hit it off right away. Such sweet boys.

The whole crew.

I love the toddler class at the zoo. These owl crafts were so easy and cute.
Just cotton balls glued on a pine cone, then a little beak and eyes glued on.

Bennett wanted to be all up in Westin's business on this blue carpet square.

Allison! She's one of the best.

Good Friday

Easter is such a special time. Although we were in Jerusalem in the summer time, every group has a Seder meal led by our Judaism teacher, Ophir. I loved learning about Passover from him. Our BYU professors also taught us about the significance Passover has in Mormon history in this dispensation as well. Everything we learned that summer taught me how eternal the Gospel of Jesus Christ truly is. 

There are competing sites in the Holy Land for just about every scriptural event. Below are pictures of a probable location of Christ's tomb. There is a special spirit there, whether it's the actual site of Christ's resurrection or not. Christians from all over the world walk through the gardens here, sing, study, and worship the God they know. They feel His spirit together, no matter their differences of specific beliefs.

Mathew 28:6 - "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

You don't have to come and see the tomb to know that this is true. The Spirit you feel there is so special and unique, but if you pray to know that Christ lives, you will feel that same Spirit wherever you are.

This Holy Week is full of significance that needs to be remembered, and studied. My Jerusalem professor, Chad Emmett, has posted scriptural accounts of each day with pictures of Holy Land sites where sacred events happened: Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. "Awesome" Friday.

I know that Christ lives. He died for us, and now He lives again. It's because of this sacred act of the greatest love that I can live with Him again, and with my Heavenly Father, and with my family - for eternity. His Gospel has since been restored to the earth, and it teaches me how to follow Him. Living like Christ did on this earth is the best chance at happiness we have. That is exactly what He wants for us all, happiness. And through prayer, we can feel His love and guidance that helps us to achieve exactly that.

This talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, and this video below, intensely remind me what Easter truly is. They remind me how much I have to be grateful for, and how much I love, and am indebted to, my Savior Jesus Christ.

A Reminiscing Day

My friend from my semester in Jerusalem is coming home from his mission tonight!

France will miss him. 

A lot of people from my Jeru group are going to meet him at the airport,

and ooooh how I wish we could be there.

Just thinking of that Jerusalem summer sends me through a whirl of emotions, always.

First I'm just so, so happy and grateful. Then usually some specific memory makes me laugh.

But then, my heart really does just long for that time. Just one more day of it.

Don't worry, I know how important it is to live in the present and love today.

I try to not even crave Fridays, thanks to sweet Sister Samuelson.

But I will always ache for Jerusalem,

and I will always miss that summer.

Here's to a little nostalgia.

(Michael is my favorite souvenir.)

An Easter Declaration

"In our hour of deepest sorrow, 

we can receive profound peace from the words of the angel 

that first Easter morning -- 'He is not here, for He is risen.'"

-Thomas S. Monson

He is risen! He is risen!

Tell it out with joyful voice.

He has burst his three days’ prison;

Let the whole wide earth rejoice.

Death is conquered; man is free.

Christ has won the victory! 

-He Is Risen

I know that Jesus Christ lives. Easter Sunday is so special to me.

I hope you enjoy watching this as much as I did:

More to Miss

Left my home.

Enjoyed 17 hours of flying (thanks to Nyquil).
Would have been much harder if I didn't get to...

Eat this,

and wear these,

and hang out with them.

Still...
intensely missing Jeru.
And the friends I spent every minute with.

Jet lag is not helping the missing.

One last Jeru post coming soon (a.k.a. an overload of pictures).

Southern Utah?

Nope, Jordan.

But Petra felt like home.

Looks like Zion, yeah? Maybe Bryce Canyon. Either way, I loved Petra. Partly because it's just amazing, and just because the colors of it all felt just like a hike with the fam in Southern Utah.

The Treasury. Thanks for making me watch Indiana Jones with you before I left, dad.

A Garage? Not pictured: the goats surrounding it.

The Monastery. Worth the hike, but donkeys smell bad.

Mt. Nebo

Tyler found an umbrella in a hidden room we discovered in the Center. His famous words: "I think I'll hang onto this..." I think Sister Brown was glad he did, because he was a gentleman all through Jordan.

No, we did not visit Hogwarts. But we did go to the King Abdullah Mosque, so we had to be sufficiently modest.

Jordan River (I liked the little gold church.)

We're about as low as you can get on earth, on a day that's about as hot as it gets...sweating together is a bonding experience for us all.

Jerash -- the most preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy.

They stole Ramzi from our group and put him in the gladiator show. He was totally in his element.

We stopped for a fireside. And cookies. :)

Dead Sea Scrolls!

We spent a night in Amman hanging out with some seriously talented skaters. We taught them how to play Ninja. Good thing that game knows no language barriers.

Every hotel needs a good roof. Even if it means getting locked out and finding creative ways to get down four floors from the outside when you're done staring at the city.

As much as I love Tells, sometimes I miss London's castles. I got excited when we stopped at Shobak Castle...but it looks mysteriously like the other ruins we frequently explore. Still liked it.

And those are some Jordan highlights! Minus the long list of pirated movies people bought and the high high high temperatures. I loved the trip, except field trips stole July.