Week #41, April 30-May 6, 2018, SLC, UT

We sure do love the beautiful flowers of Spring!  In fact, I have been mourning the fact that the tulips and daffodils are just about done.  They don't get to stay with us nearly long enough.  I was feeling kind of sad about it and then yesterday as we walked around Temple Square with Eric, I noticed all the next phase flowers starting to appear--the peonies, irises, and all kinds of other lovelies!!  I'm no longer sad about the loss of the early Spring flowers but really looking forward to the new ones ahead.  The rose bushes are going to bloom soon and they are everywhere!  What a glorious season!!  Such a beautiful analogy to life!  We can be sad about our yesterdays being over or we can be grateful for the joy those days brought us and look forward to even better days ahead.  We can rejoice in the day that we are in and really look all around us for the beautiful assurances of God's love and the reality that He is real and His handiwork is everywhere!

Last night, we got to babysit for Violet (and Addie) so that Hannah and Chase could have a much deserved date night!  They got to go to dinner and a movie and we got to have Violet all to ourselves!  She was a perfect angel and we loved every single minute of it.  Eric held her for a bit before he headed back to his apartment and she was completely enthralled by him.  She would not take her eyes off of him.  It was the sweetest thing!

One of the great things about serving a mission here on Temple Square are the free concerts.  We got to see the musical production of "The Lamb of God" by Rob Gardner on Friday night.  It was a beautiful portrayal about the Savior's last week.  The Davis County Interfaith Choir and Symphony did a fantastic job.

The next three pictures I took because I just got such a kick out of how much fun the percussionist was having every time he got to crash the symbols.  He had the biggest grin on his face and clearly loves what he does!

This week Eric moved into his brand new apartment in American Fork.  He is so happy to have his own place.  He has fabulous views of Mt. Timpanogas out all of his windows.  It really is incredible. 

We had a great week at the Library!  We really are getting a little better at helping people each week.  We get to work with wonderful people and the people who come in to do research are so eager to search for their ancestors and so excited when they find anything!!  Mike got to work with some Brazilians this week with their research and I got to help a family from the Netherlands get signed up with Family Search accounts.  They were all so happy they came in!  It is such rewarding work!

This is a picture of our coat room just outside our breakroom.  We come to the Library to serve no matter if it's raining, snowing, windy, or sunny!

 
My latest bulletin board with pictures of our wonderful missionaries!  Mike earned his Level 2 Certification this past week.  He's doing really well and has a great way of relating to the guests.

My sister Kathy, has come across some old family pictures and has been sharing them with us via social media.  Here's the Brady Bunch in California in 1979!

Here's my dad just kicking back at their home in Longmont, Colorado.

Cute picture of Justin and I when he was an only child!

Since I'm posting a few pictures of my past, here's one of our chapel in Longmont.  It turned 50 years old this weekend!  Lots of great memories from that wonderful building.  I first attended there when I was in high school and then returned to raise my children there.

Since we have been here, we have seen little Violet grow from 1 pound 15 ounces to over 8 pounds!  She is a delight and we are so very blessed to be able to watch her grow.  I don't take a single day for granted.  I realized how very blessed we are and I thank my Heavenly Father every day for letting us be here.  We love all of our family and are blessed to spend time with the ones who live in Utah and we love communicating with our kids in other states via Facetime.  We are so blessed with technology and yet feel overwhelmed by it at times.  We hope to always use it for good and to not let it be a distraction from the things and people of most importance to us in our lives!

We hope you have a wonderful week!  Get out there and smell the flowers and make the most of every day!  Kiss you loved ones and tell them how much they mean to you!