Updates from this Week

I've been super busy moping around this week, so there's a ton of stuff I haven't even told you about.  Here's a bulk download of all the pictures in my phone that I should have posted days ago.  And yep, I know there's still a DC post waiting...

On Saturday, our friends, Danny and Cali came to visit us all the way from Allen with Danny's sister, Marsha, who was visiting them from California.  Marsha met Megan and Emma last summer, and the girls all loved each other so it was a great reunion for them, and a really fun weekend for the rest of us.  We loved having our first house guests!

We played tons of games, ate a LOT of food, took them to church with us on Sunday, toured them around the area, and explored the lake.  

For the 4th of July, we went to the little community celebration in town, which was a whole lot like Pioneer Day in Mendon (except WAY hotter and so much more humid.)  The little town square here is so much like Mendon that I was immediately in love.  

It's always fun have visitors, and they're also a great catalyst to get those things done that we've been putting off.  The basement bedroom only has two twin beds in it, so we let the girls all sleep down there between the guest room and the big TV room couches, and Emma let Danny and Cali sleep in her room.  We finished Emma's cute wall of E's thanks to Pinterest and a LOT of trips to Michael's and multiple 40% off coupons!  

They're all black and white (and silver) and she wants to paint the walls a really pretty grey.  Her bedding is all grey and black with turquoise sheets and pillows, so it'll be super cute.  But right now those walls make it look a little sickly.  I'm thinking Girls Camp might be a really good time to paint!  :)

Since I was working on the girls' rooms, McKay managed to talk Craig into doing a little modification in his room.  Um...seriously, he is the craziest kid!  He has been asking for a hammock in his room since we first started talking about this relocation, so as soon as we moved in, he started doing Google research on exactly how to secure it to the walls!  And then he found the exact hooks he needed on Amazon, so all Craig had to do was order them.  It's too bad McKay has a radar for the UPS (aka: Amazon Prime) truck and figured out what was in the box, otherwise it would have been an awesome surprise for his birthday.  It's pretty cool, though, and he's so happy!  

All that stuff is finally hanging on the walls in my office now, too.  Craig did all the hard stuff that required levels and screws, and I did everything else.  I kinda love it!  

Last Wednesday night, we dropped the girls off for a 3 day Youth Conference trip to Nauvoo, IL to see multiple church history sites and to go to the temple.  

There were two charter buses, 18 chaperones, and about 100 kids, and all we've really heard is that they had a great time, they're super tired, and they met their future husbands.  It might be a slight challenge that those future husbands happen to be missionaries and are currently living in Nauvoo, but who knows...love can move mountains, right?  What is it about guys with guitars? 

Their phones were either dead or didn't have wifi the entire time, so I barely heard form them while they were gone.  Emma has been asleep since she got home this morning.  But Megan did tell us that they made some new friends, they both bore their testimonies, and they barely saw each other the whole trip!

Oh, and I got this cute text from an old friend from Mendon who happened to run into Emma on Thursday night, so that was a happy surprise!  

And speaking of happy, unexpected texts...this one came on Sunday morning while I was sitting in Gospel Doctrine...

I had no idea who it was from.  I just assumed some really nice person from Utah was traveling in Austria and happened to take a picture of some cute missionaries and then offered to text the picture home to their moms.  I found out later from Savannah's comp's mom (who obviously thought to ask more questions than I did) that it was from a member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on tour in Austria!  Savannah's letter on Monday said the rest.  But holy cow!  I was excited just to get a picture of her, but then to find out it was from someone in the choir that I love!  Um...best day ever!!  :)

That KINDNESS talk I have to give is still looming out there.  Fortunately I'm feeling slightly more KIND than I was earlier in the week, and I've had a few tiny inspirations.  I'm procrastinating pulling all the pieces together because I don't have to actually deliver it until 7:00 tomorrow night.  But I might regret that.  Hopefully not.  

I'm also accompanying the YW while they sing the special musical number at the fireside, Come Unto Christ, so there's been a little bit of mad practicing happening here today.  Fortunately it's not a super hard song.  

(Oh, this is a funny piano story...Gretchen, my VT, apparently really likes piano music and when she came over last week and saw the piano, she asked if I would play for her.  There wasn't time and I really didn't want to, so I conveniently busied myself and forgot to make that happen.  And then today she texted and said, "Don't think I've forgotten that you owe me a recital."  I said, "haha...I guess I should probably brush up on something besides hymns then, huh?" and she said, "No pressure, I like everything...Barbra Streisand (yuck,) Michael Buble, Alicia Keys, John Legend."  um...???  Whose idea was it to get a baby grand piano anyway, and then invite people inside and let them SEE it??  Note to self: Avoid Gretchen for the rest of my life.)

Oh, and the Bishop just texted Craig that he would like us both to come in tomorrow morning and meet with him.  I'm hoping Gretchen told him about the piano and he's going to call me to be the Primary pianist!  #dreamcalling :)

OK, going to sleep now, so I can stop imagining all the possible callings the Bishop might have thought up for us.

Goodnight...