My journey to Utah

Sorry this is late.

October 11th 2012

"Fly over States" by Jason Aldean

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lkvGCTtZz8

I figured I would write about my trip to LasVegas. This may be boring or it could be interesting. We'll see how it ends!

Driving down the freeway going to Memphis!
LOVE the trees & greenery!

P.s. I feel like everyone's life should have a soundtrack! It makes things so much more fun :)

9:36 am Tennessee time baby! Well, I've been up since 5 am. I finished packing a few things and brad made me breakfast. He made me waffles, eggs and a CAKE! Yes, my husband is amazing. I'm flying out of Memphis so we had to leave kinda early to drive here. It took about an hour and a half. I drove while brad took a nap. We brought Nelly with us and she just slept in the back for most of the trip. She found a stick that was in the car from when we went to the park earlier this week. I guess she was hungry because she ate part of it. We got to the airport, I got my ticket and kissed Brad goodbye. As I started to go through security, they made me hold out the palm of my hands and swabbed them to check for explosives. Now that they swab everybody, I definitely feel safer flying. Although if someone touched explosives they were probably smart enough wearing gloves that they could dispose of. Well, we never know now a days. Maybe they were smart enough to wear gloves or something. Now, I'm waiting to board, listening to Walking in Memphis by Lonestar and writing this update. Listening to Walking in Memphis felt like an appropriate song since I'm here. It's totally Cheesy but i don't care. In about an hour and a half, I will be off to Georgia!

"Walking in Memphis" by Lonestar

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtTVWeKoFFg

9:56 am  Two "elderly" guys are having a race doing todays crossword. Im telling ya, it's pretty intense...

10:29 am The Pilot and copilot are getting ready to board. The pilot looks like a very wise man, I trust him. The copilot looks really young. Lets hope nothing happens to the Pilot...

11:00 am I got a window seat!!! I am very happy :)

Goodbye Atlanta....

2:30 pm Georgia time. The flight went really well! I sat by a very nice guy who is from North Dakota. We talked the whole time so it went by really fast. He talked to me about his 12 year old girl who is a volleyball player, his 9 year old, and how he was hungover from the night before. His exact words, "I'm getting too old to go out and drink on these business trips. I can't keep up with these younger guys. I don't know how they drink all night and still get up in the morning." He then asked me about my experiences of being hung over. Well...... I'm Mormon. I don't drink. Second, even though I've been married for over TWO YEARS, I'm still not old enough to drink.... That's basically what I said for the next part of our conversation but I said it a lot nicer. He was really fun to talk to. The Atlanta Air Port wasn't bad. I walked through some of the shops to kill time. A person can find the most random objects in the airport stores.


3:00 pm I'm not racist at ALL just to get things straight. I'm sitting by these big black guys who are all in there 50's and they are hysterical! Ive been talking with them for about 20 minutes. They asked if I was Mormon. Oh course! Then they asked if I liked Mitt Romney. Every time people find out that I'm Mormon they ask if I like Mitt Romney and what I think about him. I though politics and money were two things people shouldn't talk about? Seriously though, these guys are some of the funniest people I've ever met.

3:35 pm You sure can learn a lot about someone while waiting for a layover or flying next to them. You learn where they are from, where they are going, about their job, their family, and other random information that you wish you didn't know...

3:46 pm I am ready to go! But, My layover is about 3 1/2 hours... Almost there! YAY!!!

3:50 pm ...It's only been four minutes... It felt like much longer.... On the plus side, people watching is very enjoyable. This big bald biker guy sat down with a pink suitcase. No, it is not his wife's, it's actually his.

6:00 Georgia time i think. We're somewhere over Alabama ish. So far so good. Just enjoying my flight. Listening to music and drinking my cranberry-apple juice :)

I have no clue where we are at. We keep repeating 6:00 ish because of all the time zone changes. I just wanted to let everyone know that the little cookie graham cracker things are pretty good, way better than the pretzels. The pretzels needed more salt. Hawaiian airlines will give you a sandwich. The cookie things aren't as good as that but, it's close.

6:50 pm Vegas time. After a long plane ride, I finally made it to Vegas. I sat by someone name Mrs. Pamela. She was darling. She lived in Atlanta but was originally from South Carolina. She told me about her three kids, two of them are doctors. Long story short, she was very nice. We went through a storm so there was a lot of turbulence at on point and some lightning but, we survived. It did feel like an earthquake in the sky though. Now it's time to drive to Cedar. We should get there at about midnight UT time. I'm almost there!

We stopped at In N Out burger in St. George which was a yummy treat and made it to Cedar safe and sound. It's weird being back in UT and not living here but I'm excited for the next month. I learn new things everyday but here are the two most important things I learned from this trip.

When you feel like you've almost reached baggage claim because you've gone across half the airport, you're wrong. Keep walking for another 10 miles and eventually you might reach it.
Ask for their name. This trip was different because I sat by complete strangers on the plane and not my husband. Sitting in the airport, I watched people talk on cell phones, play with iPads and scurry off to where they were going whether it was New York or California. Each person passed one another completely ignoring each other so focused on ttheir individual lives. I sat on the plane next to Mrs. Pamela for about 5 hours without even asking her name. Here I was, I knew so much about her kids, her life and what her future plans were but I didn't even know her name. She was just another person I was making small talk to... So, I'm making a promise to myself. If I meet someone or don't know someone's name, I will ask. I may forget it but I will ask because each and every person has a name. They are an individual that our Heavenly Father loves just like the rest of us. Whether they are a parent, son, daughter, student, musician, grandparent, artist, athlete, whatever they are, they all have a name, each and everyone of them and in one way or another, they are important to someone. So, when I meet someone new, I'll ask their name even if I don't remember it because they aren't just another person. They are an individual.

Don't be just another person scurrying off, remember, "Don't miss your life."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AxQCdBT7mY

"In all of living have much of fun and laughter. Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured." - Gordon B. Hinckley

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1996/04/stand-true-and-faithful?lang=eng

Sunset <3

I came across a story today on KSL. It's about a little girl that will die tomorrow. I cried when I read this story. How sad that a little 4 year old will loose her life.

I am so grateful that I have been sealed to my husband and that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. One of the greatest blessing is knowing that Families are Forever and knowing that if anything ever happened to one of us or our future children, we will be together again.

The Sealing Ordinance Links Families Eternally
https://www.lds.org/ensign/2011/09/the-sealing-ordinance-links-families-eternally?lang=eng

Mia McDonald

How Mia met Jacob

http://vimeo.com/32950978

Mia

*This is merely a tiny part of Mia's story as shared by friends and her family

Mia, one of our heart friends and her mommy and family left yesterday for her Make-a-Wish trip to Disney World. Mia has suddenly become very ill and has been admitted to the children's hospital in Orlando.

Sweet Mia is 4 years old and had her heart transplant when she was 4 months old. The doctors have told her mommy that Mia is in rejection (meaning her new heart is very sick). She is so sick and it came on so suddenly. Please keep little Mia in your prayers. She is such a precious girl.

From Ali (Oct 3 at 9:24pm):

Here is an update from Mia's daddy:

This is John. Please everyone pray for our perfect little girl. We need a miracle and I know God loves us and hears our pleadings. Things went wrong during the procedure and Mia is hanging on with the help of the heart lung machine (ECMO). Our hearts are broken. Please pray.

From Ali (Oct 4 at 9:15pm):

Updates from Mia's parents:

Keep praying for our sweet Mia. She is in a critical time where we need to see brain activity. Mimi's mom is here andher sister and my parents, brother, and several of my sisters on the way. We are so grateful for the outpouring of love. She is strong and we feel your prayers. Please pray that she will open those precious eyes of hers. We love her so much!

I know John updated but I want to ad that Mia can pull through this. She is strong and she is supposed to meet her donors mom in a month. I really need for that to happen. Jessica has waited so long to meet Mia and has Mia talks about giving hugs to Jacob's mommy all the time. We need a miracle. We need her brain injuries to be minimal and her rejection to reverse. It can be done. Please don't give up on her. I truly believe the Lord will see us through. Also please pray for my other kiddos who are with my dear friend Rebecca. They need their sis to come home.

From Ali (Oct 6 at 1:27pm):

Update from a relative of Mia:

I spoke to my Dad a few minutes ago. He is in Florida now at the hospital with Mia and John & Mimi. He would like me to post an update to those praying for Mia...a neurologist/specialist will be diagnosing her in an hour or so, and meeting with John and Mimi shortly after. As John & Mimi said before...they really need Mia to open her eyes and respond to light. Based on this diagnosis, they will make a plan to stabilize her heart enough to get her off the ECMO. Their other kids have been ale to stay this week at the Disney World housing (110 miles away) that was already arranged for the family by Make-a-Wish -- friend Rebecca has been with the kids. My mom will join her soon. Make-a-Wish has also arranged for a hotel room near the hospital for family members. My Dad said that John & Mimi have felt a huge wave of support from their friends and family from afar...it has been a blessing to them to feel that. Please continue to pray for Mia's miracle.

From Ali (Oct 6 at 8:39pm):

This is an update from one of Mia's relatives:

Dear Friends and Family..........John and Mimi asked me to let everyone know the latest news on Little Mia. Today she was examined by a cardiologist to check her heart and a neurologist to check her brain activity, since she was deprivedof oxygen when her heart stopped beating a couple of days ago. It was determined that her heart had gotten a little stronger, but I'm so sad to say that there is no brain function. The doctors say there is no hope. We are absolutely devastated to lose our precious Mia. Her donor's mother is on her way to see Mia for the first time. Please please continue to pray for John and Mimi and their family to help them cope with this terrible tragedy.

Mia

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgNAq8dcMUg&feature=player_embedded

From a friend of the family (Oct 6) description on this YouTube video:

My college friends John and Mimi McDonald's sweet little girl Mia was born with a heart defect and received a heart transplant when she was an infant. She is now 4 years old and thanks to the miraculous gift of life and her donor, has lived a vibrant, beautiful childhood. For her Make-a-Wish, she decided that she wanted to meet Minnie Mouse. So three days ago, their family (Mia, her mom and dad and her 3 siblings) flew to Florida to visit Disney World. But as soon as their plane landed, Mia was unexpectedly rushed to the hospital. Her little miraculous heart was in dreaded and shocking rejection. The doctors did a biopsy and while doing the procedure, something went wrong and Mia was put on heart and lung bypass machiines to keep her alive, fighting for her life. Late last night, John and Mimi found out the terrible news that their precious daughter's brain function was gone and there is no hope or chance for her survival. Tomorrow they are taking her off of the bypass machines. Their sweet little family is now far away from home, loved ones, and their regular and familiar doctors. And their other kids, instead of going to Disney World have been in a hotel room and in a hospital, praying for and trying to understand what is going on with their sister, just wanting her to wake up. Those of us who know the family are in complete shock. A donation was set up to help with Mia's medical expenses. Now that we know sweet Mia will not make it and instead, will be joining her donor and returning to the arms of her Heavenly Father, the McDonald family is still going to need help with this great financial burden. Perhaps now even more than ever. Now they will have to not only pay for this hospital stay, but also cover the cost of a funeral and burial for their dear little Mia (in what is already a stressful and heartbreaking time). Please, even if you are not in a position to contribute financially, consider sharing their story with others. Every little donation and prayer will help.

http://www.giveforward.com/achangeofheart

Paying with Pennies

I decided that I am going to try to update our blog on Monday’s instead of Sundays. Why? Well, Sunday is the only day my husband is actually home and I like spending time with him :) 

I forgot to tell everyone, the weekend before last, our ward asked volunteers to help with the rebuild in Louisiana from Hurricane Isaac. I was extremely excited to go help and take pictures but then they called it off so we didn’t get to go.... 

I did sooo much homework this week. My record: 9 1/2 hours STRAIGHT! Well, except for bathroom and food breaks. After that experience, I pretty much proved that it’s not psychologically okay to do homework for that long. I finished my Math assignments last. By the end, I was crying. I got to the point where I would have rather had the Second Coming come then finish Math.... You would think that after 9 1/2 hours of homework, I would be done, NOPE! I now do homework in increments and have discovered that watching youtube videos makes me feel much better. For those who don’t know, one of my favorite actresses is Kate Walsh :) I find her interviews to be entertaining. She has so much personality! 

Pizza Rolls!

Kate Walsh on Lopez Tonight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EpF36oer-U

Kate Walsh on Ellen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjaLtF5B3Do

I was going to go to chapel this week with Brad but wasn’t feeling well... I’m going to go to the next one. 

R.I.P. Vacuum
December 2011 - September 2012
This week I learned that a person should empty out the vacuum FREQUENTLY. I on the other hand, did not. I only empty it every once in a while because its gross or I wait for Brad to empty it. Because I waited too long to empty it, all the dog hair and stuff I vacuumed up got stuck in the motor and it killed the vacuum. We got a new one this week and had lots of fun assembling it! Nelly is TERRIFIED of vacuums. It doesn’t matter if the vacuum is on or off. She won’t touch it. We've learned that we can use the vacuums to contain her into an area and because she's afraid of them, she'll sit there and won't move! She is also afraid of lighters and combs. We have such a strange dog! But, lesson learned. Even if it’s gross, I have to empty the vacuum..... 

$13 in change

We went out to eat to a place called Steak ‘n Shake. They are known for their “Steakburgers.” I really liked their fries but 5 guys has better hamburgers. See that picture to the right, yep, that’s how we paid for our meal! We had $13 to spend and it was all in pennies, nickels, and dimes! Our meal was $9.09 and we left a tip of $1.50! I felt bad leaving a tip in change and it was embarrassing when we had to pay but it was sort of fun. One day, we’ll look back and laugh at that night!

On Saturday, we had the missionaries  over. Brad made very yummy food! We had home made pizza and breadsticks. He also made Nutella Croissant dessert things. Not one bit healthy but they were DELICIOUS!!!! 

Spying on Nelly

We’ve been leaving Nelly at home when we go places and she’s been doing so well! She only barks if someone walks by but doesn’t tear up anything. It’s such a relief to come home to a house that isn’t destroyed. Lol.

As of today, its been a crawl in bed-cuddle up-watch a movie-play board games-make-soup sorta day. It’s 60 degrees and raining. I love this weather and am excited to see what this week has in store for us!

We are blessed

We all hear about poverty. We hear stories about homeless people living out of shopping carts. I remember when I was little, living in Vegas, I would see people on the streets begging for money downtown. We watch the news and see people’s home destroyed by hurricanes and tornadoes but do we really know what living through that is like?

Tornado that hit Union University in 2008 (less than 1 mile from our house)

I’ve been very blessed growing up. I’ve always had food in the fridge. I've never had to worry about not having a place to live because of tornados or hurricanes. I’ve always had new clothes and whatever else I needed. I also had what I didn’t need. 1,000 channels on the T.V., cellphones, ipods, trips to the beach, Disneyland, Hawaii, Philadelphia to see Liberty Bell, etc. Some may say, “Cell phones are necessary and so is the T.V.” But realistically, these things aren’t. If a person can have these things, it is truly a blessing. 

Park Discovery Cedar City, UT

One of the neighbor kids asked me if he could play with Nelly today. I took Nelly and we went outside and played fetch with her. He lives with his grandma. I asked him if she ever took him to the park. He told me that sometimes she did. He continued to talk to me for a while. He told me which parks were his favorite and told me which parks not to go to because at night, there are shootings. (We already know not to go outside to parks at night.) Being around kids in Cedar, you would never hear this. This is not a normal conversation. When I was in High School, we would go to the park Discovery in Cedar often and play night games all night long. My favorite was playing cops and robbers from Park to Discovery all the way down to Burger Ally. Getting shot never crossed my mind. I knew it was safe.

I accidentally called his aunt his mom and he told me how he lives with his grandma because his mom passed away in a fire. She was cooking and fell asleep. His 3 year old brother and dog died in the fire also.

Later, he asked me if living in Las Vegas was fun. He asked me if we got tornados there. I told him that we didn’t even get snow there! He asked a little about Utah and I told him about the weather. I told him about the beaches in California and a few other things. His eyes lit up when I talked about Disneyland, he said he wants to go there someday. He told me about the weather here. He said that the thunder we get scares him and he doesn’t like the storms. I agreed! The thunder here is terrifying! It sounds like a monster is coming out of the sky! He then preceded to tell me about the tornados we get. This is something I am NOT use to hearing about. I asked him if we would definitely get tornadoes next year and he just looked at me and shook his head yes. It was a heartbreaking look. He said that one time, his dad fell asleep and his mom tried waking him up to hide but his dad wouldn’t  wake up. They had to leave him to take shelter. After that tornado, the whole roof on their house was gone but his dad was okay.

Tornado that hit Union University in 2008
(less than 1 mile from our house)

I’m not saying Jackson is a bad place to live. I absolutely love it. There are really nice areas of town where people people well off live, but, there are a lot of kids here who aren’t privileged. A lot more than I saw in Cedar. It’s not easy earning those kids’ trust. They come from rough backgrounds. But, when you get them to talk to you, it’s an amazing experience. It’s an experience worth the time and the effort. Today I learned so much and what I learned, was from an 11 year old. 

The Lord has us here in Jackson for a reason. It could be any reason. My friend Jen has taught me to learn all that I can while I am here. This little kid is just the beginning. I have been so blessed growing up and have been very privileged. I hope that one day this kid will graduate from high school and maybe even go to college. It made me realize the little things I take for granted and made me so much more grateful for all that I have been blessed with. 

Tornado that hit Union University in 2008
 (less than 1 mile from our house)

This is just one of many stories to come. I hope that I can learn so much while I am here. I hope that I can make a difference in these people’s lives whether it’s just being a friend or being able to share the gospel. If I could challenge everyone one, I would challenge everyone to get to know one kid that comes from a rough background. Listen to their stories, be there friend and I promise, they will touch your heart in the most amazing way.

*Seeing a tornado was on my bucket list of things to do before I die. Now that I live where there are tornados, I changed my mind.

Tennessee Air

Do you  know how you can go to a big city like Vegas and the air stinks. Or you can go to Cali and it smells like the ocean mixed with some smog? How about Montana, Montana smells like the fresh outdoors. Well, Tennessee has it's own smell. Call me crazy but it does. I can try to describe what it's like but it won't give it justice. It's that smell of all the trees and flowers mixed with some BBQ whenever the the wind blows a gentle breeze. It's amazing. 

This week I realized that I spend a lot of time at home. A lot... Someday I'll be able to go out and shop and go out to fancy restaurants but as of now, we're college students...need I say more.  We did window shop which is always fun. I had fun going to the store and trying on random clothes and looking at jewelry and at decor for our "dream" house. Lol. Sometimes it makes me sad that I can't have a life style where I can go on vacations or shop endlessly or even just go out to Olive Garden or Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner but then I remember a quote I once read:

"Someone else is happy with less than you have." 

We don't have a mansion but, we have a home. We don't get fancy dinners but we have food. We don't have iphones but we have cell phones. We don't get to go on Vacation but we have air conditioning and a heater. Then I remember another quote: 

Brad wrapped my ankles!

"What a wonderful thought it is that some of the BEST days our lives haven't happened yet." 

Heck, I'm only 20 years old. I'm not suppose to have this pinterest life style that I dream about. Maybe someday we will because we will work for it but as of now, we've just got to live life and be grateful for what we have!

I went to school with Brad one day this week. Since he is going into athletic training, he has to practice a lot. I let him practice wrapping my feet, ankles, toes, etc. It's actually pretty fun. The baseball team played a game Saturday at practice. Which means it wasn't technically a game but I don't know what else to call it. A mini game? A practice game? I don't know. He went 2 for 3 and threw someone out at home which was good! He loves Baseball so much! This week he has to also go to "chapel." I'm going with him to "chapel." Oh, I am D.E.F.I.N.I.T.E.L.Y excited for that :)

Greyhound Bus Station

I got a bug bite on my finger this last week which beats the one I had on my foot. Bug bites on your finger hurt MUCH more than your feet. Whenever I use to think about bug spray, I would think of camping. Normal people only wear bug spray when you go camping. I'm not normal...then again, I never was. I now wear bug spray every day BUT because of that, I'm no longer getting bit! Hallelujah!!!

Lastly, we went downtown last night. It's really old so there's tons of history. They have plaques on the side of the buildings so people can see what was originally in the shops in the 1800's and 1900's. It's really neat. We went down there to take some pictures but there's a lot to see so we're going to go back again sometime. I want to take a lot more pictures and go inside some of the shops. 

Greyhound Bus Station

The whole time we were at the old Greyhound bus station I had the song "Backseat of a Greyhound Bus" by Sara Evans stuck in my head. It wasn't until I got home and listened to it that I realized it makes reference to Jackson and Memphis.

Backseat of a Greyhound Bus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WYe-m8R7KU

Brad and Nelly

Almost 1 Month!

We've almost lived in TN for a month. It's been an amazing journey so far!

 

It’s GREEN:

 It's incredibly green here!!! When I moved to Cedar from Vegas, I thought that Cedar was green. I was wrong... Although with the green comes bugs. EVERY TIME I go outside I get bit by a bug. Seriously. I've had bug bites on my arms, legs, hands, wrists and feet. The ones on the feet are the WORST. I tried bug bite itch lotion but that didn't help. So, I went on pinterest to figure out what else I could do... I've tried deodorant, soap, and nail polish. I've gotten over my fear of bugs. When I see one, I SQUISH it! Except spiders. Spiders are an exception...

 

When it rains, it pours:

After Hurricane Isaac we had some really heavy rain. When it rains here, it pours. The thunder is terrifying. It's honestly the scariest thunder I've ever heard. It sounds like a monster is coming out of the sky! Even when it’s not raining here, it’s REALLY humid.

Here’s an example: Last night we went to a couple different stores. Every time we went outside, we could actually see the humidity in the air. If I’m wearing my glasses and I go from being in a nice cool store outside into the humidity, my glasses will fog up for a second.

 

Muse Park:

We found a park not too far from our house. It's called Muse Park. We like to go to the park at least once a week. I love sitting on the dock doing homework. Nelly also loves it. As soon as Nelly sees the lake she gets ecstatic. She can swim FOREVER. Last week we threw a stick in the water for her to fetch but, she saw another stick that she wanted instead. She started tugging on the stick and began to struggle. We thought she was going to drown dragging this branch that she insisted on bringing to us. Finally, she made it to shore. She brought us a small tree! She almost drowned getting it but hey, she was proud that she got it!

 

 

Baseball:

Baseball Locker Room

Brad loves the baseball program. He is very spoiled here. The team gets a locker room, indoor turf field, the dugout has bathrooms and the playing field is really nice! My favorite part is that the field house has washers to wash all the baseball uniforms so we don't have to wash them at home! Whoooo! School's also going great for him. Union is a Private Baptist University so Brad's the only undergraduate that's a Mormon. He's in the Athletic Training Program and is spending a lot of time working with the soccer teams on campus. We went to a minor league game last week (Jackson Generals who are the farm team for the Seattle Mariners) and it was a TON of fun! Brad got to hit later  that week with one of the coaches! MLB here we come!

Union University Baseball Field

 

Drive with Caution:

Lastly, we’ve learned to drive with CAUTION. The roads here will sometimes stop. They will literally just stop. No reflectors, no dead end sign, no lights, nothing. Brad and I were driving down a road and then, all of the sudden, there were trees and plants! The road was literally gone. It turned into a forest. So, if you’re driving, pay attention and don’t accidently drive into a river or tree.

- A

Church in TN

Where is Jackson, TN?

Jackson is 80 miles from Memphis and about 180 miles from Nashville.

 

What is the Population of Jackson?

About 65,000 people

How many Wards are in Jackson?

1 ward

Our town has 65,000 people and it has 1 ward with about 120 active members. I absolutely LOVE it.  People were very excited to have new members in the ward and have been so helpful and welcoming!

1^st Sunday: We were invited over to a couple different families’ homes for dinner.

2^nd Sunday: I was volunteering in Nursery.
3^rd Sunday: I taught the 6 year olds and we spoke in Sacrament.

 

Nashville TN Temple (about 180 miles away)

We love the fact that we’ve been able to jump right into things. As of now, I’m teaching the CTR 6 class and love it! I have about 9 kids and they are all really cute! On Sunday, in primary, the sharing time teacher was showing different pictures. One of the kids in my class shouted out, "I have a picture of the 2,000 stripling warriors in my room and I have another picture too!" Another kid instantly shouted out, "I have a picture of Darth Vader in my room!" All the adults started laughing. The kids crack me up!

A lot of the members are either kids or people in their 30’s or older. I haven’t met a married couple that’s our age yet. We're definitely not in Utah anymore. The missionaries are the closest to our age. We have both sisters and elders in our ward. We’re having them over for dinner in a couple weeks. I suggested that we feed them something really WeIrD and GrOsS but Brad said we had to be nice... That last sentence was in a joking voice :)

 

Memphis TN Temple (about 80 miles away)

It’s weird how small the ward is but I’m getting use to it. When I go back to UT, it’s going to freak me out how big the ward is. When I helped in Nursery a couple weeks ago, there were only 4 kids! In the chapel, there’s 7 rows of benches and the over flow is only 4 rows of chairs. In Relief Society, they only set up 3 rows of chairs. It’s also weird that we don’t have to share a building with anyone else but like I said before, we LOVE it!