A Missionary Christmas

TEN REASONS WHY A MISSIONARY CHRISTMAS IS DIFFERENT

1. Last Christmas we were counting our money; this Christmas we are counting our blessings.

2. Last Christmas we were giving thanks for gifts from stores; this Christmas we are giving thanks for gifts from God.

3. Last Christmas we valued things that were costly; this Christmas we value things that are holy.

4. Last Christmas we were wrapping gifts; this Christmas we are wrapped up in the work.

5. Last Christmas we looked into people's eyes when we spoke; this Christmas we look into their hearts.

6. Last Christmas we prayed to obtain a testimony; this Christmas we pray to share our testimony with others.

7. Last Christmas we were impatient with the weaknesses of others; this Christmas we are working on our own.

8. Last Christmas we read the scriptures as a duty; this Christmas we read them as a joy.

9. Last Christmas we thought it was enough to celebrate the holidays; this Christmas we are finding ways to consecrate them.

10. Last Christmas, Guatemala was just a place on a map; this Christmas, it is a place in our hearts.

-Written by Sally Tielemans, Henderson, Nevada

A special winter friend

Along with 10 inches of snow this morning, we also welcomed someone very special to our front yard!!!!

Do you think we miss Jordan? Um ya......just a little bit! Counting down the days for our best Christmas present ever, our long anticipated phone call. Can't believe we've gone 7 months without hearing his voice!

A thankful heart

I have been blessed to receive answers and miracles to a prayer that I have said over and over for a long time now. I feel very grateful today. I woke up this morning with a happy heart and a big weight off my shoulders. It's really a small thing in the eternal realm of life, but to me, a mom, it's huge.

I felt inspired to share my testimony of the truth of this gospel and my love and devotion to my Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ. I felt it was appropriate to share on Jordan's mission blog as well. Rather than seem redundant or try to say it all in a different way, you can click here to read it if you wish.

Sometimes it's hard to count our blessings amongst all our trials, but it sure keeps me going each day!

Hello Fall!!

Since I bid Summer farewell in my last entry, I couldn't wait to welcome the best season of the year. FALL!!! This year we have been treated to a spectacular Fall with lots of color and beautiful weather. It has almost felt like summer again this past week. Nice warm days, but with those cool crisp Fall nights.

My friend Kari invited Allison and I up to her family's Sundance cabin for a Girl's Only Day. We of course had to get the suckers at the General Store first, then we headed up the ski lift for a breathtaking 45 minute ride up and down the mountain.

We did a little photo shoot with the girls and then ended the night with dinner at the cabin. SO MUCH FUN!!

We tried to do smores, but our fire starting skills were a little sad. Next time we'll remember to pack our Scouts(husbands and sons!)

Of course Utah always has to give us a little bit of crazy weather to keep us on our toes.

We had an hour long hail storm last week that pelted the leaves and fruit off everyone's trees. That's the bi-polar Utah weather for you!

Goodbye Summer 2010

The days are shorter, the nights are longer and cooler, the air conditioner can be turned off, football games are here and Summer has now said goodbye much too quickly. Here are just a few fun things that we enjoyed during these last few warm months. I hope to be able to keep a little more up to date during the upcoming Fall.

A little target practice just for fun. This was Allison's first time. She did great!

We got together a ton with family which is always fun. Below we had a rare moment when EVERY grandchild on Brendan's side was together (except for Jordan on his mission and little Charlie who was weeks away from being born. Now we know of two more on the way!)

Is is just me or does anyone else get this excited about new school supplies!!! It's my most favorite thing to walk down the aisles of the store and just take it all in. The bright colors of the notebooks and folders, the fun pens, and all the new backpacks make me smile from ear to ear! Here arethe fruits of the fun that Allison and I had for the upcoming school year!

First day of 9th grade and 11th grade.

They really should just still be going to preschool together.....oh my babies . . .!

We had a fun and crazy adventure with Nicole's family as we attempted a family picnic up American Fork Canyon.

Jake got a little love from a secret admirer one morning. . . toilet paper AND ketchup!

The day before school started, we were able to go see The Lion King at the Capitol Theater! Wow! What a show. The music, the sets, the puppets, the acting, the adaptation to the stage from the movie....all of it was absolutely amazing. Very fun way to end the summer.

On September 10th, we went to Lehi's Homecoming Football game. What a great game even though we lost 33-36. Way to go Pioneers! You made us proud! A perfect place for us to celebrate Jordan's 7 months on his mission. Time is flying by...

Diagnosis complete

I have a slightly depressed daughter. Good thing I completely understand her symptoms. Good thing I have gone through the same thing myself. Good thing I know the exact thing that will cure her even though it's going to be about a month before the medicine kicks in. She is suffering from tour-is-over-itis!!! Let me post some pictures so everyone can better understand this tragic illness.

"Tour-is-over-itis" happens to everyone who is lucky enough to be a part of Colleen Collins Smith's School of Performing Arts Summer Dance Tour. This was Allison's first time going and I'm sure it won't be her last.

Can you think of anything more fun than boarding a huge charter bus full of some of your favorite friends and spending the next 11 days performing and playing all over southern California? I can't!!

26 years ago I boarded a similar bus and had some of my fondest teenage memories from a little thing called "tour." A time when I didn't need more than a few hours of sleep. A time when I could ride 15 rollercoasters in a row and not feel sick. A time when I could run around amusement parks day after hot day and not feel tired. A time when I didn't mind dancing in 100+ degree weather because I was on stage with all my friends. A time that I will forever remember as the highlight of my adolescence.

I was probably even more excited than Allison to see her off on tour because I knew what fun lay ahead and what amazing memories she would have. I am so glad that it was everything, if not more, than she expected. I'm so glad that she was able to bond with so many great friends. I'm so glad that it has motivated her to stretch and get her splits down once and for all, finally! I'm so glad that she was able to have this wonderful opportunity!

Brendan and I drove down to California to spend some time with my brother and his family (details on that will be on a forthcoming post) and to sneak a peek of Allison on tour. It was a little weird, and sad, to not have any kids with us on our long drive. But it was very nice to be together and have so much time to talk. We never run out of things to say. It's great!

We were able to spend one day of "tour' with Allison at Magic Mountain. It happened to be "super hero" day. Her friends swooshed through the park and had a blast.

Thankfully they all wanted us to hang out with them the whole day and we loved every minute of riding rides and hearing all of their stories. We went on "X-2" for the first time ever. I personally LOVE rollercoasters, but this one was the scariest one I have EVER been on. The track is above you the whole time. We sat on the very front row and there is no predicting what is about to happen next. I have never been so freaked out in my life. I'm glad I went, but it's probably a once in a lifetime experience.

Allison was able to perform at The Queen Mary, Adventure City, Knotts Berry Farm, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios Hollywood, Disneyland twice and California Adventure. They also got to go to Sea World in San Diego and the a few beaches just for fun. She said one of her most favorite parts of tour was going to Denny's with everyone each night after they got back to the hotel.

I can only picture how crazy a bunch of overly-tired teenagers can be at midnight ordering at Denny's.

But there is one problem. The sadness when it's all over is overwhelming. After spending all of June and July busy at rehearsals and local dance shows you kind of forget what it's like to sit around in the summer. You come home and say to yourself, "Now what?" You start looking at the calendar and fretting that it's still 5-6 weeks until dance starts all over again. You start missing your "dance" friends who don't necessarily live close enough to hang out with all the time. You re-live every dance tour memory over and over again.

SAYING GOODBYE:

So my friends, there you have it. The diagnosis is complete. We now wait until mid September until her life can resume to normal when dance starts again. And the whole cycle begins anew!

Recipe for a fabulous weekend

First you start with two adorable missionaries who are both serving in the Guatemala City North Mission: Elders Jordan Smith and Tayler Larsen

Next you add their two crazy moms who have shared many laughs and tears together over their missionaries. Who are as close as sisters and have discovered freaky amounts of similarities in their lives. I made a list that was almost a page long!

Then you throw in their two sixteen year old siblings who happened to set up a blind date with each other and to top it off it was their first official date of each of their lives!

Then you mix in their two awesome dads who went out of their comfort zone so their wife's could have a great time together. What great sweethearts we are blessed with!

Then you top it all off with the beautiful scenery of Glenwood Springs Colorado, add a few sprinkles of rain during a river rafting trip for added memories (ok, BIG sprinkles of rain), throw in some tubes, great food (I mean REALLY great food ala Chef Amy), a teenage all night party that lasted until 7 in the morning, an amazing golf course in their backyard, 3 more cute girls and 1 more sweet boy, a sacrament meeting to never be forgotten and there you have it folks!!! A dream weekend for the Smith and Larsen family. Thank you Lance, Amy, Kelsey, Lindsey, Zack, and Bailey for a fabulous time! Now if we could only get our missionaries to actually meet and serve together in Guatemala....ha ha!!!

Making Guatemalan lunch of handmade tortillas and yummy beans!

Amy accidentally squised a bug into hers. Oh well, more authentic we all said!