Amber's farewell

Today we had Amber's farewell celebration in anticipation of her leaving on a mission in 8 days! Can you believe it? Time has flown. This year the holidays are going to be different without either of the girls here. Still, we are so incredibly proud of the choices they have made to serve as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They are dedicating 18 months of their lives to bring the joy of the gospel of Jesus Christ to those who are ready and willing to accept it. This gospel has brought such peace and joy into my life. Life isn't always easy...but it is made easier by knowing its purpose and having faith in an all-knowing, all-loving God. I know my Savior Jesus Christ loves me. I know He sacrificed His life for me so that I can one day return to live with Him. I don't understand everything, but I do know the peace I feel in the knowledge I have...and I know that knowledge comes from God. In any case, today Amber gave a talk in church about her knowledge and faith. Prior to that, we held a brunch at the house for family and closest friends. There were about 50 people present so I was a little stressed, but as Amber hugged me and thanked me that night, I knew I would do it all over again. I love Amber. I admire her positive attitude and her tenacity. I love how honest she is and how willing she has been to accept me into her life. I will miss her, but I can't imagine a better place for her to be than serving the people in Barcelona, Spain!

Labor Day Weekend

I can't believe we're already in September! Didn't we just celebrate New Years? This year has flown by...and the summer flew by even faster. This weekend marks the unofficial end of summer. So what did we do? We went camping! This will be our last camping trip of the year. The weather is already getting cooler and colder months are ahead of us so we took advantage of the long weekend to enjoy pine trees, campfires, and family fun. We reserved a camping spot at Tinney Flats in Santaquin Canyon. I love having a canyon literally minutes from our house. It made it convenient when Jonas got sick halfway through the weekend to just come home with him to sleep instead of sleep in the trailer. Other than that, the weekend was fun for everyone! We enjoyed shooting pellet guns, fishing, hiking, and of course tons and tons of good food! The canyon was beautiful. The leaves were starting to change colors and there was always a cool breeze blowing. We have decided to make this an annual tradition.

We checked out of our campsite on Monday (9/5/16), Labor Day, and headed back down the canyon. After quickly cleaning up, we decided to go to Payson's Onion Days (I still hate that name) festival. Each year, Payson City puts on a festival with a parade, carnival rides, booths, and (our favorite) a car show. We enjoyed perusing the cars and dreaming about which ones we would purchase if we could. That evening, we ended our weekend with a family BBQ. Jeff's parents, Grandma Thompson, and Greg and Katie joined us. It was a memorable weekend and a great way to end the "summer"!