It's Christmas Eve...

Yup... well, actually it's after midnight, which makes it Christmas DAY.  I've envisioned Elder Colby Haymond snuggled up in his top bunk in his new Christmas pajamas that we sent him.  He was supposed to open them tonight.  I wonder if he was sneaky, and opened them early... hmmm.  Better not have =)  I can envision the cute little tree we sent him with all the decorations all set up on his small desk, with the packages he's to open in the morning scattered around it.  The packages are larger than the tree, hee hee.  I know he will be cared for and loved tomorrow by wonderful ward members, but I can't help missing him just a little...

We do get to hear his cute voice at 1:00 tomorrow when he calls, I am excited for that!  I'm excited to see the look on Rian's face when she gets her turn to talk with him.  He sent us a card...

total Colby face, like he's not sure exactly what he's doing or how he's supposed to pose.  I love that he thought to send out cards! I know he is right where he needs to be, and that this will be a wonderful Christmas for us all.  I look forward to sharing it with him "cellularly..."

We love you Colby, Merry Christmas!

Colby is alive!

We were a little worried about Colby after the happenings of last week... they had several earthquakes last Saturday, the largest registering 5.6 - and tornados not too far from him.  When he didn't email on Monday OR Tuesday I was getting even more anxious.  I knew he was "fine," but I really needed to hear from him just to re-assure myself.  FINALLY today we were able to chat for a little bit and he has survived the natural disasters happening around him. Thank heavens!  =)  His email today is under the "Colby's Letters" page above this post.

newest email...

Colby actually gets to enjoy his p-day ON his regularly scheduled day... MONDAY!  we've been hearing from him on Tuesdays for the last few weeks, so it was surprising to get an email bright and early THIS morning.  =)  I was able to chat with him for a few minutes (via email) and he is missing family, but doing great.  Truly, great.  It's heart-warming to hear him so up-beat about things, especially finding investigators and his companion.  Elder Rowley comes home in December, and Colby has even suggested that we visit him... he must really like him =)

We truly miss Colby, but we know that he is where he needs to be at this time in his life.  His mission is a great opportunity for him to grow and learn life lessons, and we are SO very proud of him for making the choice to serve the Lord.  We love you TONS, Elder Haymond!  (Todays email is under "Colby's letters")

newest email

it's monday, which means an email from colby...  it's on the "Colby's Letters" page

He is enjoying the camel back we sent him... he fills it with gatorade when they are on their bikes =)  he is enjoying his companion, they are getting along very well, and he is just excited to be there and spreading the message of the gospel.  we love him tons!

each monday we receive an email from colby... todays is in "colby's letters" =)

the computers in the family history center (where they go each week to send their emails) are apparently super slow, so we might have to wait for pictures.  he's having a hard time uploading them.  he thinks it would be simpler to just send me the sd card when he fills it up, and purchase a new one...  bummer.  i was hoping for some pictures of my boy... =(  he sounds great tho... =)

email!

Today we received our first email from Colby since he arrived in Oklahoma.  He is well and happy... click on "Colby's letters" above =)

(When I copied and pasted it it showed up in all caps, grrrr..... I have no idea why, sorry...)

Hmmmm...

It is the end of day five for Colby in Oklahoma.  I wonder what he is doing, and where he is.  We haven't heard from him since he arrived at the Mission Home in Tulsa, so we don't know where he has been assigned.  The Oklahoma Mission covers parts of four states...Oklahoma (of course =), Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas.  He could be anywhere by now =)  we are hoping that tomorrow is his p-day (preparation day, when they can do laundry, relax, exercise, grocery shop, etc)  so he can WRITE A LETTER TO HIS FAMILY!!  We are dying to know what he's been up to since he arrived.  I'll post it as soon as we get one =)  until then...

photo of the week...

Rian so enjoys getting letters from Colby.  She gets all excited and can't wait to get them open.  She colors him pictures all the time to mail to him, and when you visit her one of the first things she will tell you is that "Colby on a mission.  He be back two years."  It's so cute.  So when I saw this picture I had to post it.  I love, love, love it!

Three Weeks

Has it really only been three weeks since Colby entered the MTC?

I will be totally honest... it seems so much longer =(  It was great to talk to him today, and he sounds so sure of himself and so wonderful.  There is a definite change in him in the last three weeks.  He is so ready to serve, and I'm excited he is finally in the field.

I got an email from my sister Nancy today (she lives in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, but don't tell anyone...)  One of the Elders in her area went home today, so there is a possibility that Colby could be assigned there!  With my luck it won't happen, but it would be so nice for me to know that someone he knows is close by for his first few weeks.

Since Colby left life hasn't been too exciting for us, until two days ago.  Ashlee and Steven welcomed cute little Ella Rainn into their hearts, home, and lives, and we are so excited to have her safely here.  She is simply beautiful!  Next week Austyn has high school soccer tryouts, a fourth year overnighter and hike, and things get exponentially busier after that.  That's good I guess... it will keep my mind busy and not worrying about Colby.  Not that there is anything to worry about, he will be fine, and do fine, and get along fine.  It's all me.  Hopefully the next 101 weeks won't be as long as the last three weeks =)  I promise that as time goes on, I will handle this better...

Phone Call!

Yesterday we learned that Colby would be able to call us this morning before he headed out to Oklahoma, needless to say we were excited!  I was a little nervous, wondering if I could say goodbye all over again, and worried that I wouldn't hear the phone ring this morning (our only phone is downstairs, and it's hard to hear it when it rings.)  We thought he would be calling before 6:00 am.  He had to be at the travel office at 3:00 am to get to the airport to make his 5:55 am flight to Denver.  So I expected an early phone call.  I woke up at 5:50, and panicked!  Did the phone ring, and I didn't hear it?  Is he going to even call?  Needless to say I spent the next little while straining to hear the phone, and "sleep" at the same time.  I have one ear, that since my tumor removal last summer, still doesn't hear very well, so I layed on my back, and propped up my pillows so my ears were both available to hear any noise at all.  Pathetic, I know, but I didn't want to miss it!  I must have dozed periodically, because each time I looked at the clock about half an hour had passed.  Finally at 8:00 the phone rang!

I lept (don't you love that word?) from my bed, ran down the stairs, and grabbed the phone and it was COLBY!!  It was SO good to hear his voice!  He sounded truly wonderful!  He was in Denver, with a few other Elders and two Sisters who are all headed to Oklahoma.  He has a layover there for a few hours, after which more missionaries will join them, and they will ALL head to the Oklahoma Mission together.  (As I type this he is on his next flight from Denver to Tulsa)  His whole district at the MTC is headed to the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission.  Pretty cool, if you ask me =)  I thought he might end up flying by himself.

He had a funny story about packing his luggage, and an encounter he had at the security check... I had his luggage all packed correctly when he left home, one suitcase for the MTC, the other he wouldn't have to touch until he got out in the field.  I even had his backpack all packed as his carry on so he would have what he needed for the mission home stay, and still be able to get through airport security (small bottle of shampoo, body wash, etc, in the ziplock bag) anyway, in his panic to get packed and keep his luggage under 50 lbs, he ended up carrying on his first aid kit that I had packed in one of his suitcases.  (The mission home one, which he didn't even need to get into, grrr...) =)  He didn't think about it until he got to security and tried to get through with a rather large bottle of peroxide =)  He was so embarrassed!  The security lady just laughed and said, "Sorry Elder, I've got to take this..."  good thing peroxide is cheap.  AND after all that stressing over how much the luggage weighed, the airlines didn't even weigh it!  He was a little ticked, that he could have shoved his first aid kit in and not worried about it, instead of dragging it with him all day today...  oh well, at least he's prepared for any emergency =)

While we were talking on the phone I asked him if the other missionaries were on the other phones around him also calling their families... he told me there was only one phone, and that while they were waiting for their turn (they each got 20 minutes.  we talked for 20 minutes 23 seconds =) they were talking to investigators!  He looked at the cover of the pamphlet they were showing to someone, and said "yup, that's the pamphlet on the Atonement!  They found an investigator!"  Too funny!  They didn't waste any time at all getting down to business. 

He lands in Tulsa about 12:30 our time, and will probably spend today, and possible tomorrow there.  We are so excited he's finally on his way.  He is an exceptional young man, and we are so very proud of him.  We love you, Elder Haymond!

And he's...off!

 Our stop in the MTC drop off line.  My favorite number!

 - - - - -

We started our day with a Doc's Pizza buffet.  Colby's choice =)  Britanee, Brian & girls joined us there.  Colby must have had a nervous stomach, because he only ate two pieces from the buffet!  I could tell he was anxious to get going, he kept looking at his watch.  We wanted to take pictures up at the Provo Temple before we dropped him off, so we headed that direction.  We got some great family photographs there (Christmas card style) and even met a gentleman who served in Colby's mission.  We wanted a picture of all of us, so we kindly asked this gentleman across the fountain (whose daughter was going in today) if he could help us.  He was very sweet, and took several of us sitting on a bench in front of the temple.  Britanee in turn, took a picture of their family.  He shared with Colby how wonderful his mission was, and how he loved the area.

(i love this picture...)

It was approaching 1:00, Colby's check-in time, so we headed back to the car to say our good byes.  Colby & Rian walked hand in hand, and it was so dang cute.  she was talking up a storm with him.  I hope she can remember him and welcome him home with the same wonderful enthusiasm.

We all said our goodbyes at the car, so that the drop off would be quick.  I am going to miss his hugs.  He hugs with everything that he has!  It felt so wonderful to be in his arms, and remind him of my love and admiration for him.  I can't express in words how much he means to me.

Colby and I made a deal: 
I promised Colby that I wouldn't get out of the car and make a scene when we dropped him off, and he promised me in return, that he would gather his "greeters" so I could snap a quick picture of them.

When we pulled up to the drop off, the sweet elders that greeted us invited me to get out of the car and say my goodbyes!  I was surprised, I thought they were trying to stream-line things!  I told them I had made a deal with Colby...and true to his word, after getting his bags from the car, he gathered the three elders there for a picture.  They all looked at me and smiled, I took the picture, then received this message on my phone:  "Memory is full. This picture will not be saved."  SERIOUSLY?   THE most important picture I have ever needed to take, and it wasn't going to be saved.  Needless to say, I didn't have time to go through and delete older pictures so that I could take a new one, so Grandma H. and linzi saved me.

Our missionary!

(and his three cute "hosts" who are headed to mexico city)

They each took pictures, but the FOUR elders are not looking at their camera, because they were looking at ME!  I was truly bummed, but Colby made up for it... as he was walking away, he turned around and smiled, the sweetest smile I think I've ever seen on his face. I told him I loved him, and he was off!  My heart hurts knowing I will be without him for the next two years, but my heart is also filled with such love for a wonderful son, who is a shining example to all that he comes in contact with.  He will serve with honor, and I couldn't ask for more than that.  We love you Elder Haymond!

Setting Apart

What a beautiful evening!

We had a lovely family gathering in our living room...our family, Britanee, Brian & girls, Ashlee & Steven, Grandma Haymond, Grandpa Haymond & Janis, Bishop Lee, and President Bowen.  President Bowen talked with us a little about some of the promised blessings given to those who serve missions valiantly, he had Colby read those to us from a talk by President Hinckley, I believe, in 1995.  He then set Colby apart as a Missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, to serve in the Oklahoma Tulsa Mission, and then pronounced upon Colby a beautiful blessing.  He encouraged us to remember the things mentioned in the blessing, and to write them down afterwards.  He blessed Colby with health and strength, with protection - that NO harm or accident would befall him while he served.  He blessed him to take the "high road" with his companions, and to be a peacemaker.  So many wonderful things, that i can't even recall.  We did come up with a list as we nibbled on our ice cream, which we wrote down and will send with Colby.  President Bowen has a wonderful spirit about him, and we are so grateful we were able to meet together in our home.

After the setting apart, President Bowen excused himself, then turned the time over to anyone who would care to share their testimony and/or thoughts and feelings with Colby.  It was nice to sit and listen to family testimonies, those shared by grandparents, brother-in-laws, and David and I.  I was proud of myself, I held it together pretty well.  Colby stood, and shared his testimony with us as well...he also has a sweet spirit about him.  He thought this day would never come, and now here it is!  He remembered being an insignificant deacon, who wasn't sure how to pass the sacrament, and now he's an elder, ready to share the gospel.  He's ready.  President Bowen mentioned that, too.  He's seen many a young man in his office, and Colby is one of the few that are truly ready to serve.

Colby left with me last night his "last will and testament" along with all his usernames & passwords.  I have instructions on how he would like to expand his city in Cityville on Facebook.  He bequeathed his laptop to Britanee, his cell phone to Austyn, and his iphone as an ipod to Linzi.  She's already filled it with games.  He'll be thrilled when he gets home =)  Now to get through tomorrow...

ps. his drivers license arrived today, so we won't have to worry about sending that out to him.  whew! One less thing...

Colby's favorite holiday...

We started off the day with the Provo Freedom Fest Parade... thiss year I actually got a chair!  every other year i've been sitting on the ground with the little kids, but this year I was able to nab a chair with a great view.  Colby sat a couple of chairs down from me next to Taylor.  They've (Colby & Taylor) been able to spend some time this weekend together, Colby spending the night at the Elison's and going golfing with Taylor, Grandpa & Chandler Saturday morning.  They are good friends, and by the time Colby returns, Taylor will be heading out.  We hope for a little time in between so they can reconnect.  Guess we will see if that works out. 

after the parade we drove to the Elison's house for a yummy feast of bbq beef sandwiches, salads, and desserts.  the kids played with water balloons and have a great time.  We left about 2:30 so we could catch a matinee showing of "Mr. Popper's Penguins" at the theater down the street.  Colby's last Jim Carrey movie for a while.  It was cute.  After that we came home, and David and the kids went out for a bite to eat.  I wasn't hungry and my stomach wasn't cooperating, so i stayed behind and labeled Colby's belongings so we could pack them.  We will hopefully finish that tomorrow.  I'm not looking forward to it, and have asked for special help from above to keep myself focused and emotions under control while we do this.  So far, so good.  Tomorrow is his setting apart...

Took Colby to the dentist for his last cleaning this morning.  No cavities!  yay!  =)  It was funny, after the dentist checked out his teeth he proceeded to give Colby "mission advice."  I would say "only in Utah" would that happen, but I HATE it when people say that.  Instead I will say "only an LDS dentist" would do that =)  His advice?  Be obedient.  Follow the rules to the "t", because "when ye do what I say I am bound." In other words, when we are obedient the Lord blesses us, missionaries are blessed in that they are lead to those who want to know the truth, and are ready to accept the gospel.

The rest of the day should have been spent getting things ready to pack, labeling his belongings, etc.  but instead we played Mario Brothers =)  Rather, Colby played, and I kept sending Luigi off the cliff.  Colby is  much better at the game than I will ever hope to be.  Maybe tomorrow we will play Galaga...  THAT I know how to play!  =)

I can do hard things.  =)

The Mission home called today to see how things were going, and to let Colby know how excited they were for his arrival.  They asked about his bike, did we have on yet, and did we have the address of the mission home where we need to ship it.  We do have the bike (many thanks to that super wonderful "bike fairy" that purchased one for Colby and had it delivered to our doorstep a few Sunday's ago...) and I even have the correct address for the mission home.  =)  The young man I spoke with was very sweet, and let me know that they would take good care of him.  I don't doubt that they will, and that the Lord will look out for him, the hard part is just me letting go.  sniff, sniff...

Today Colby is at the Salt Lake temple going through a session with his dad, his grandma Haymond, and his cousins Kelsey and Clark.  I'm sure they will make a day of it, I'm glad he has the opportunity to go.  I went through his first aid kit that we put together for school last year, and it's in good shape.  He didn't need a thing out of it, and the medications haven't expired yet, so it's good to pack for the mission.  We just have a few little things to pick up, then we start packing and crossing stuff off the list so we know what we've packed.  I still need to mark everything with his name (didn't I do this when he went to preschool?) and then I think we are all set.

Colby's Farewell

Today was the day...the farewell.  For those of you not familliar with "Missionary Farewells," this is the day when the young man (or young woman) who is heading out to serve a mission for our church, gets the opportunity to speak in church.  The Bishop assigned Colby the topic "Trust in the Lord."  I was pretty sure that the bishop gave Colby this topic for the benefit of his mother, not Colby, and I was right =)  Colby knows all about this, and gave a beautiful talk.  Several ward members came up to me afterwards and told me that Colby sounded more like he was returning from his mission rather than just leaving.  Colby is an amazing young man, we love him dearly, and are so incredibly proud of him.
I wanted to include his talk here, more for my recordkeeping, but also so those who were not able to be in attendance today could share in the spirit of the message.  Here goes:
"My talk today is on trusting in the Lord.  I find that it is similar to faith in the Lord, but taken a step further.  They are both similar in the fact that they require you to depend on the Lord, but just in varying ways.  The Bishop gave me this assignment roughly one month ago, but I started to prepare about 1 1/2 weeks before today, so I've had some time to think on this matter.  When he gave me this topic, the first scripture I thought of was, of course, a scripture mastery in the Old Testament, Proverbs 3:5.  It states:
  'Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not on thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.'
If you don't learn anything from this talk, you can at least remember this scripture.  From my researching and thinking on this matter, I have come up with three steps, or patterns, that we go through when we put our trust in the Lord.  The three steps are first, faith; second, trust; and third, confidence.  I will now go through these patterns or steps.  
Step One- Faith
In the 4th Artile of Faith it states:  'We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the gospel are:  first, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, repentance; third, baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost. '
In order for us to repent, be baptized, and have the gift of the Holy Ghost, we need to have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  For if we have no faith, we cannot proceed with the next three things the article describes.  Faith is a hope or belief in something that isn't seen, but is TRUE.  You can't have a true faith in something that isn't true, such as a unicorn or a dragon, because they don't exist.  Having faith in Christ is a true thing to believe in.  What I have said is illustrated perfectly in Alma 32:21:
' And now as I said concerning faith - faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore, if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.'
This is what faith is.  A belief of a true principle.  All of us have some degree of faith since we are all here at church hearing this talk.  Between all of us are different degrees of faith.  We all exercise our faith on our own time and by our own means.  Whether it is by scripture reading, coming to church, actually participating in Sunday School (Brother Sawyer encourages this), or home teaching.  All of these things are ways we can strengthen our faith in Christ.  Faith is something that has to be proactively used, you cannot develop faith then sit back and watch it grow.  In order for faith to grow you have to keep reading the scriptures, keep going to church, keep home teaching and keep magnifying your callings and Priesthood.
In my many years of playing video games and basketball, you can't improve by lying dormant.  You have to keep practicing and doing in order to continue to develop.  It works the same with faith.  In this mortal life I know that it is hard to find time to do these things.  In Ether 12:6, there are some comforting words:
' And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.'
The comforting part of this scripture is in the last phrase of the scripture, 'For ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.'  We will have loads of trials in this life, but once we have gotten through the trials, we will find that our faith is strengthened since we had faith in Christ to overcome our trials.  If we continue to develop our faith, we will have faith much like the brother of Jared, who even had the faith to see Christ's finger.
Having faith in Christ is an important step in the gospel, and a big step for those who haven't exercised their faith in a while.  It is an important step because you cannot do anything in Christ's Kingdom if you do not have faith in him.
Trust - Step Two
Step two is next.  It is where our faith is solidified into trusting in Christ.  Trusting in Christ is much like having faith in Christ, but now we depend on him and look for ways to keep Him in our lives.  Mosiah 4:6 is a good scripture for this:
'I say unto you, if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life, I mean the life of the mortal body.'
As it says in the first part of the scripture, 'If ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men;' you can achieve these qualities that Christ has ONLY by putting your trust in him and keep on putting your trust in him until the end of your mortality.  That will take a lot of patience for us to wait that long, but it will be more than worth it.  In Morman 9:20 it describes to us what we should not do with our trust in Christ:
'And the reason why he ceaseth to do miracles among the children of men is because that they dwindle in unbelief, and depart from the right way, and know not the God in whom they should trust.'
We should not lose our trust in God, or miracles will cease to happen.  It is fortunate that miracles do happen in this age.  Our country is a miracle, the Restoration of the gospel is a miracle.  We still have miracles today, but we should heed to Mormon's words and not dwindle in our Ttrust in Christ.  You don't need to worry that Christ isn't watching you, or know that you are trusting in Him, for it says in Nahum 1:7:
'The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth then that trust in him.'
If you trust the Lord you will be known by Him.
Because Christ can't be physically with us, he has his servants on this Earth the help us with our trials.  In the book of Daniel, we have the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.  They have refused to worship the golden image, and in chapter 3 verse 28 Nebuchadnezzar says this:
'Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed by the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that tyrusted in him and have changed the king's word and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.'
Servants of the Lord are our Priesthood leaders who do only what the Lord tells them to do.  They need to have trust in the Lord in order to carry-out their callings.  They need to have this trust in order to know how things need to be done, if the speaker is not going off topic on his talk (pause).  I would like to end this second step with a historcal account of Abraham Lincoln in 1863.  The first conversation was with a wounded General when he was talking with Lincoln about what he was feeling during the battle of Gettysburg:
When Lee crossed the Potomac and entered Pennsylvania, followed by our army, I felt that the great crisis had come.  I knew that defeat in a great battle on northern soil involved the loss of Washington, to be followed perhaps by the intervention of England and France in favor of the Confederacy.  I went to my room and got down on my knees in prayer.  
Never before had I prayed with so much earnestness.  I wish I could repeat my prayer.  I felt I must put all my trust in Almighty God.  He gave our people the best country ever given to man.  He alone could save it from destruction.  I had tried my best to do my duty and had found myself unequal to the task.  The burden was more than I could bear.  I asked Him to help us and give us victory now.  I was sure my prayer was answered.  I had no misgivings about the result at Gettysburg.
This next account was observed by General James Rusling, who gave the following account of the conversation:
'In reply to a question from General Sickles whether or not the President was anxious about the battle of Gettysburg, Lincoln gravely said, "No, I was not; some of my cabinet and many others in Washington were, but I had no fears."  General Sickles inquired how this was, and seemed curious about it, Mr. Lincoln hesitated, but finally replied; "Well, I will tell you how it was.  In the pinch of the campaign up there, when everybody seemed panic-stricken, and nobody could tell what was going to happen, oppressed by the gravity of our affairs, I went to my room one day, and I locked the door, and got down on my knees before Almighty God, and prayed to Him mightily for victory at Gettysburg.  I told Him that this was His war, and our cause His cause, but couldn't stand another Fredericksburg or Chancellorsville.  And I then and there made a solemn vow to Almighty God, that if He would stand by our boys at Gettysburg, I would stand by Him.  And He did stand by your boys, and I will stand by Him.  And after that (I don't know how it was, and I can't explain it,) soon a sweet comfort crept into my soul that God Almighty had taken the whole business into His own hands and that things would go all right at Gettysburg.  And that is why I had no fears about you.'
If Abraham Lincoln could depend on God and trust in Him to win him a war, then wy can't we put our trust in Him for just small things, or sometimes big things?  He was not a member of this church, he could have been, Lincoln was about 20 years old when Joseph had the First Vision.  The experience Lincoln had was that comforting of the Holy Ghost, with him having the Light of Christ.
Confidence - Step Three
We have reached the third and final step.  Which is having confidence in Christ.  The main examples I have of this are mainly prophets, apostles & characters in the scriptures.  It was the brother of Jared's faith and confidence that he could see the flesh of Jehovah when he touched the stones to light the barges.  It was Moses' faith and confidence that he was able to load the children of Israel towards the promise land.  Moses didn't walk up to the Red Sea and say "Oh we need to part the sea in order to cross," he had confidence in Christ that he would lead them over the sea in some fashion or another.  It was Nephi who said to his father that I will go and do the things which the Lord does command for I know that he gives no commandment unto the children of men, save he prepares a way for them to do it.  Nephi couldn't have said that half-heartedly, he meant it because he exercised the utmost confidence and faith in Christ.
This may be a step that will take most of us awhile to attain, but it will be the more worth it for us to have.  The opposition that we have in this mortality will test us of our confidence in Christ, may we do what the prophets of old and today do, and what Abraham Lincoln did, that is to exercise the faith necessary to do so, whether by prayer or reading the scriptures we need to develop our faith, we need to develop our trust, we need to develop our confidence in the Lord.  For there is no other person in which we should put our trust in, and that trust should be to Jesus the Christ.

almost got it all

so it's been a busy week, getting colby ready to go and other things!  colby went through the temple on wednesday evening.  he was joined by david and i, britanee & brian, kip & diana, bishop lee and valerie, and aunt karen.  it was a lovely evening, and i so enjoyed sitting next to him in the celestial room at the temple.

today we renewed his drivers license and got a copy of his driving record.  he had a hard time passing the eye test...weird.  the lady asked when the last time was he had his eyes checked.  yeah, TWO WEEKS ago, and he's wearing his new glasses.  i've decided they need new eye testing machines.  dirty, old, not functioning properly.  pretty sure the eye doctor's equipment is better.  =)

his new suit is ready.  we will pick it up on wednesday when i go to orem for summer library.  he looks pretty sharp in it.  we've got his shirts, belts, ties, tracking slacks, shoes, socks, umbrella, bug spray, sunscreen, luggage.  we are putting a sewing kit and a letter writing kit together for him, and i need to write my letter to the mission president.  whew!

anyway, we just have the little things to finish up before he's totally ready.  he speaks this sunday in sacrament meeting on the topic "Trust in the Lord."  guess that's what i will be doing for the next couple of years, more so than i have in the past.  lots of changes in our family these next few months, almost all of us are facing new endeavors in the immediate future.  colby on his mission, austyn entering high school, linzi entering junior high, me with my new school, britanee and ashlee with sweet new additions to their families.   Trust in the Lord...

HE GOT IT!!

Oklahoma Tulsa Mission
English speaking =)


He reports to the Missionary Training Center in Provo on July 6, 2011

So I've learned that Colby works on his own time-frame. Just because WE "turned in his papers" doesn't mean he visited his bishop or stake president. He has NOW, finally done just that, and the papers are officially "turned in." Because of General Conference last weekend, we don't know if we will receive the big white envelope this week or next week, but it's sure to come much sooner than I would like. =)

My friend Mitzi's son just returned from the London England Mission. Now there's a great mission! One that will "allow" me to pick Colby up when his two years are complete. I've never been to London before... or anywhere east of Nauvoo, Illinois (or Minneapolis, Minnesota, whichever is further east.) So that would be exciting!

Colby has just two weeks left of school to finish out his second semester at Snow College. He's done well, and we are very proud of him. His last final is on the 26th, and we will bring him home shortly after that. I hope all that stuff he has accumulated in his dorm room fits in the back of our car...

Colby has been home for his Spring Break this week. It's been nice to have him, and he and David got the dentist all taken care of. The dental papers have been mailed to Colby's bishop at Snow, and I guess we now play the waiting game. One week? Two weeks? THREE WEEKS?? I just might lose my mind.

I did find on facebook a group of missionary moms...they just might be my best friends for the next couple of years. One said that she's sending out her fourth son, and it still "freaks her out" to send them. It will be nice to have a place to share my anxiety, pretty sure it won't be with David =)

SO... I'll update things when we hear anything! until then... =)

Last night we all joined together (David's side of the family) to hear Stewart open his mission call! (Stewart is my nephew, Colby's cousin, on his father's side) after some waiting and adjusting of all the audio/video equipment, Stewart began to read...

"Elder Stewart R Perry, you have been called to serve in the...

MOZAMBIQUE MAPUTO Mission

for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." Africa!! Not what I expected for Stewart at all! I envisioned him going somewhere like Paris, or London. He speaks French, so I guess I anticipated him actually using that language on his mission. We did a little research on the Mozambique area, and the speak Portuguese, Swahili, and other local dialects. He will be a great missionary there, and I'm excited for all that he will learn while serving the Lord.

I will admit, when I first heard him say "where" I was relieved it wasn't Colby. My first thoughts were, Africa? Hot, lots of walking, very rural, and very dusty. Maputo is actually a fairly large city, right on the Indian Ocean. The pictures we looked at were of a very pretty area. I'm sure there will be plenty of walking, plenty of heat, and plenty of dust, but there will also be plenty of help, plenty of opportunities for service, and plenty of support for him.

Colby's papers will be officially submitted in two weeks. I figure three weeks until he gets his call? I wonder where he'll be headed to serve the Lord...

I have officially finished my part of Colby's mission paperwork. I filled out the information for the health insurance, and even uploaded a copy of our benefits summary so they have that on file, just in case. Now we just have to get two small cavities filled and his bishop can hit the "submit" button. I'm slowly getting excited =) When I picture him out there working hard and doing what he's supposed to I get a nice, warm, fuzzy feeling inside. When I think of me, with him gone, and no project to keep me busy, I start to get anxious. Guess I better get a project lined up. Any ideas?

We skyped with him again yesterday. It seems to have become a ritual, Sunday evenings between 6-7 pm. This time our video stream couldn't keep up with the audio stream, so we just talked. His stream was fine, but ours seems to be SEVERAL minutes behind. The wind must have been blowing the wrong way... =) He's doing well. Had a PE test today, and a presentation in his public speaking class tomorrow, but that seemed to be it for the week. We are trying to get him home for President's Day weekend, so that we can celebrate his birthday. I also need to get a package together to send to him for his ACTUAL birthday. A party in a box, kinda thing. Better get working on that...

We skyped with Colby again on Sunday, it's always fun to chat with him. This time we invited Lindsay and Lauren Greer over for dinner. Linda, Brian, Hailey, and Ally were out of town for a family wedding, and we didn't want Lindsay and Lauren to have to eat Sunday dinner all by their lonesome. They thought it was pretty weird that we ate dinner "together" through skype. I need to find better speakers though. This time Austyn brought up her ihome, and we plugged the laptop into it. It was better, but still not ideal. It cuts out sometimes, and then I only get about every third word Colby says. I have stupid hearing anyway, and that makes it even more difficult for me to understand what he's saying. We'll work on that =)

Colby is doing well. He isn't a fan of his Public Speaking class, but then we knew he wouldn't like it very well. He presented his first "speech" last week, a group presentation, so it wasn't AS intimidating. This next presentation is also a group, and they get to present a children's picture book! He called me to see if I had any ideas =) I love it when I get to collaborate with my kids on projects! He also sent me a paper he's working on, to edit and punctuate. That's always fun. I think I should be a book proof-reader. Now THERE'S a great job! =)

We are trying to figure out some fantastic way to celebrate Colby's 19th birthday coming up...he has class on the actual day, but I need to do something fun for him. Any and all ideas are appreciated! I would love to order a pizza and have it delivered to him, but I don't think there's a pizza place IN Ephraim. Party in a box?? Send balloons, goodies, etc. in a box and have Chris (his roommate) set it up for him? HELP!!

On the mission front, I've updated his file online with all the insurance info, so that parts done. just a-waitin' on that darn cavity filling appointment to turn in final papers. A co-worker took her son to the MTC this last week, and I was waiting anxiously for her the next day to hear her report...how she survived, etc. The first words out of her mouth? "Jeana, it was awful!" Great. Something to look forward to. =) She was impressed that so many families were sending children. "What great faith from so many, to send all those young men and women out into the world." I hope I have some faith by then...

Austyn's Birthday

Sunday was Austyn's 15th birthday. She was hoping we could get Colby home, but two weekends in a row is tough on his studies and his calling (he is the 2nd Counselor in the Elder's Quorum) so we settled with just skyping him. He "joined" us for dinner =) meaning we ate our Hawaiian Haystacks (Austyn's favorite) while Colby ate his microwaved ravioli. Chris and Stephanie had gone to the Badger Den for dinner, but Colby didn't want to. So we sat the laptop on the dinner table and "ate" together. It was fun! i need better speakers, we have a most difficult time hearing him when other conversations are going on, and no one seems to notice when i put my head right down by the computer to hear him. That should be their "sign" to stop talking, but they don't get it. We chatted for a while after dinner, Chris and Stephanie came back to the dorm after dinner, and settled down to chat with us, too. They are cute. We have a great time each Sunday as we gather around the computer to catch up on the happenings of the week. Britanee took pictures of us all talking (Rian joined in too, she was pretty darn funny) and I will try to get those up soon.

Colby really enjoys rooming with Chris. He's a funny guy, and I'm sure Colby enjoys his humor and the fact that they have similar interests. His classes seem to be going well, and after his successful first semester (3.6 gpa) I don't worry so much about his study methods...they seem to be working fine =)

I ran into Kyle Denney at Macey's the other day and he said that he would be sending in his mission papers at the end of February. We need to get Colby's cavities filled before we can send his in, and that won't be until the middle of March. Stewart (my nephew) said that four boys on his floor at BYU just received calls to Helsinki, Finland! Wow! Four? Crazy, I wouldn't mind tho if Colby went to Finland...I'm hoping for someplace exotic, so we can go and pick him up when he's done =) Australia, New Zealand, France...I'm not too picky. =)

Our Weekend

We've had a great 3-day weekend! Chris (Colby's roommate) brought colby home friday for the long weekend. It's been so nice! I thought we would have to wait until Spring Break in March to see him, but NO, we got a wonderful surprise! We are hoping he can join us for President's Day weekend as well, and then we can celebrate his 19th birthday! We haven't done anything spectacularly fun this weekend, just enjoyed being together. It's been wonderful... Tonight we did all get together for dinner...Britanee, Brian, Rian, Ashlee, and Steven came over. We kept it simple with sloppy joes, chips, and salad. It's great to all be together and sit around the table and talk and laugh. Again, it's been wonderful...

I usually look forward to the start of a new year, a new beginning...however, this is a year I've been dreading for quite some time. I know I should have a better attitude about it, and I'm really trying, but it's difficult. Maybe "dreading" is too harsh, but I haven't been looking forward to it. Sometimes we have to do hard things. I think this might be my motto for the year...

"I CAN DO HARD THINGS"

My emotions have been running high today...our lesson in Relief Society didn't help =) It was about simplifying our lives, putting the most important things first and foremost in our lives, to slow down. Interestingly enough, before church today I was online checking to see if there were any employment opportunities at our local Target store, and the local Macey's. My thinking being that I somehow need to pay for Colby's mission, AND keep myself busy while he's gone. The lesson let me know that an additional job was not the answer. I still don't know what the answer is, but I'm trying to be open to guidance and inspiration.

We drove Colby back to school tonight. It was great to see his new room (bigger) and get him settled in it. We hung his art prints that he received for Christmas, and the room looks great! He seems excited about the new semester (with the exception of his 7:30 am pe class) and about his new roommate, Chris. I'm excited that he's excited =)These are pictures from Colby's first new years...he loved all the confetti! This was the new years that we celebrated at 10:00 pm instead of midnight. The kids didn't even know, and we all got to bed at a normal time =) Too bad we can't get away with that still. I have pictures from Colby's 18th new years and will post those as soon as my camera battery is recharged =)