Christmas 2023

 Our Ward Christmas party was at the Agridome where we had dinner, games and a live nativity.

When we were in Calgary for a basketball tournament with Calgary, we got to go to a Giving Machine and donated the money for a goat.

It was a Perkins year for Christmas, so Jill and Larsen had Christmas in Panguitch.  James and Hanna had Christmas in Wyoming. Christmas in Cardston included me, Austin, Lucy & Carly. Christmas Eve was on a Sunday so we got to go to Christmas church - one of my favorite Sundays of the year. Austin even sang in the choir with me this year. It was a good meeting.

The Lees came to Grandmas after church for dinner and a program. We had meats, cheeses, crackers, soup, fruits, vegetables, etc. Then we had a program in Grandma's basement - a few songs and reading the Christmas story from Luke. Austin's contribution was that he had Carly make a video with pictures of family members who have passed away with the song "Christmas in Heaven." To keep the tradition alive, Lucy and Carly got new pajamas to open on Christmas Eve. Jill sent us the picture of Will in his new pajamas - apparently he didn't want to get his picture taken.Christmas morning was great. Lucy got new luggage. Carly got new airpods. There were lots of other meaningful gifts exchanged. After a delicious Christmas breakfast, we headed to Taber to celebrate with the Lees. The weather was so nice that we had a football game outside - it is usually our Thanksgiving tradition, but we didn't get together on Christmas this year. It is rare for it to be nice enough to be outside on Christmas, but it was that day for a short game.

Then we had a fancy and delicious Christmas dinner that Sarah made and played some games to end our Christmas day.

Lucy's Endowment at the Cardston Temple

Along with preparing for a mission, Lucy had gone to mission prep class a few times and received her temple recommend to be ready to go to receive her endowment.  We bought her a temple dress while we were still in Utah, and then we bought her garments and temple clothing when we got back to Cardston.

On December 23, we went early to the temple session so she could meet with the temple matron, go through initiatory and learn more about the temple. Then she received her endowment. We invited Grandpa Buck and Grandma Nunn, the Lees (Sarah, Rod Julia, Kaela, Taylor and Kaden), Eve Verdon (young woman leader), and Kendall and Jewel Hardy (great friends), and Taylor Heninger (high school friend who had her mission call).

To be completely honest, Lucy didn't love her first time to the temple. It was different and new. Garments were not her favorite thing. It took her a bit of time to want to go back.

But Austin, Lucy and I did go back and it seemed better to not be the new person. Plus there was a tender mercy when we got to the veil. Jackie Olsen was one of the temple workers that came in to help at the veil. I was hopeful Lucy could go to her, but I wasn't sure the logistics would work out that way. But it did. Jackie hugged her and knew it was only her second time at the temple so she was so helpful and patient.

The next week Austin and Lucy went to the temple to do initatories. The temple was getting better.

They invite the preparing missionaries to come and work at the temple before they leave if they want to. It took Lucy a little bit of time, but then she talked to the Bishop to tell him she wanted to be a temple ordinance worker. She ended up working on Tuesdays, and she really actually loved it and liked all of the nice ladies on her shift. They really just train her a couple times and then she was on her own to do initiatories and new name issue and the veil. It was a good experience for her. I was thankful she had the experience, and I think she was too.

 

Kaylynn's Birthday & Trip to Lucy

 My birthday celebration began a couple days before my birthday since I would be in Utah on my birthday. Austin made a delicious breakfast and gave me two birthday gifts that he had picked out and bought all by himself - two cute shirts. Martha gave me a red/black checkered table cloth. Barb Salmon gave me a lotion, body wash, chapstick kit and Marilee Cahoon gave me a pottery mug that her daughter, Laurel had made.

Then on Monday afternoon, Austin drove me to Great Falls so I could fly down to come home with Lucy from college and hopefully open her mission call. 

Diana and Lucy came to pick me up at the Salt Lake airport. Lucy and I slept at Jeanette's house that night. The next morning we hoped her mission call would come and after a couple worried hours, we got the  message that it was ready. After Lucy took her religion final, we went out to lunch and did some shopping. The next day Lucy took her last final, packed her up, said goodbye to King Henry apartments and BYU and went to Idaho Falls to stay on our way back to Cardston.

Lucy's Mission Call

During General Conference in October, Lucy decided to go on a mission so she quickly started her mission papers. She had everything ready except her medical appointments which she needed to get in Canada, so she did those when she came home for American Thanksgiving. When she went back, she met with her Bishop again and then the Stake President, although it took 2 weeks to get an appointment with him.

Her papers were submitted on December 10. I decided to go down to Utah to drive home with Lucy, partly since her car had broken down on her way back home after Thanksgiving. Partly we were hoping I would be there for the mission call. 

We know mission calls usually come on Tuesdays, so we were waiting for the message.

At 9:30 am she got a text that said her mission call was ready. Thank goodness.

Jeanette was gracious enough to host the mission call opening. She even fed all of my Utah County siblings dinner. Then Lucy's roommates came, and she opened her call. We did Facebook live and Instagram live so our family and friends everywhere could watch. First Facebook had no sound, so we had to start it again. Then she started reading her call. You could see when she got to the point where she could see where she was assigned to go because she took a big breath and smiled and read her assignment. But on Instagram live right at that moment, someone clicked share screen and interrupted the video so those watching couldn't hear where she was assigned to serve.

Puerto Rico San Juan Mission. Mexico MTC. Starting February 12.

She had debated finishing the school year or putting her 19th birthday as her availability date. She said she decided she wanted to just go now and also be back in time to start the school year in 2025. But she didn't try to sell her contract or defer school until she got her call. February 12 clearly answered the question that she wasn't going to the second semester. 

Puerto Rico seems like a great place for Lucy to serve - she gets to learn Spanish, be on a warm island, and it is a US territory so she won't have to get a visa or anything since she is already a US citizen.

We were grateful for all of the people that came or watched her mission call opening.

Austin's 50th Birthday

 Austin turned 50 on November 30.

We had an early birthday dinner while Lucy was still here and went to a stake dinner at the Keg.

On his birthday, we had a birthday breakfast. We invited some friends to come and have ice cream cake with us - Roger & Cheryl Lewis, Bob & Monica Wilson, and Grandpa & Grandma. We invited Rod & Jackie Olsen but they ended up not coming.

Then we did a FaceTime call with the girls and we each shared 10 things we love about Austin - so we go to 50.

My idea for his birthday was to plan a birthday trip with Jon and Kari Traveller, one of Austin's mission companions who also turns 50 soon. We ended up delaying the trip to later in 2024.