Catching up...

What happened here?? Two weeks...no posts...I'm already falling behind on my goal of at least one post a week...gotta get back in the groove...Let's see what has happend...

Direct from the MTC: Josh is on fire!! His Spanish is coming along great and he says that the promises in his setting apart blessing are coming true. He was made a Zone Leader after just 2 weeks in the MTC...WOW...I knew he was a natural-born leader... He says he is the youngest in his zone of 42 Elders and 6 Sisters (Hermanas). Elder Jeffrey Holland spoke at a Tuesday night devotional and Josh was so close that there were several times he just knew "he looked directly at me when he was speaking"!! Yes, I sure miss him...but I feel such peace in my heart and our home as I read his awesome emails and letters.

Matt had a few days off between semesters and flew over to Kona (on the big island of Hawaii) with a few of his buddies. His best friend Vasu (from India) was getting married to a girl from Brazil in the Kona Temple because the Laie Temple is closed for 18 months for renovations. Matt was bummed about that (the temple closing, I mean) because he lives right next door to the Laie Temple. How cool is that view to wake up to every day!!! Lucky bum! He has promised to send me some pictures to post. He graduates the end of this year and I think he will have a hard time leaving his island paradise!

Jon is busy, busy, busy!! When he came home from his mission a couple of months ago he thought he would have a hard time finding work because of the bad ecomony/housing market. But he's doing tiling, woodworking, painting, drywalling, and all kinds of stuff...his skills and great work ethic are in demand! And he's on the RM speaking circuit in our Stake! I hope he will pause long enough to enjoy a social life and start college.

Katelyn (and 2 friends) played "Love One Another" on the violin during our Easter Sunday Sacrament Meeting. They sounded great and it was a nice addition to the piano accompaniment and choir. We were very proud of her because that's a scary thing to do in front of the whole ward! The Thursday before Easter I took her and her brother (he lives with another foster/adopt family) and her grandmother to see the Easter Pageant on the Temple grounds. (We allow contact with her paternal grandmother because she was the one constant/positive in Katelyn's early life. She came to Katelyn's baptism and we have been "gently" teaching her about the gospel.) I think she really enjoyed the pageant and hopefully went away with a better understanding of our Savior's life and ministry... Katelyn played her violin again last Tuesday evening for the talent portion of the Daddy/Daughter Night at the church. And she gave her first talk in Primary yesterday! It warms my heart to see this little girl growing in the gospel and sharing newfound talents...

Mark is putting in some pretty loooong hours at work lately! It is one of the fastest growing companies in Arizona so there is lots to do. But, he enjoys the challenge! And hey, in this economy, it's great to have a job!!! He celebrated another birthday last week...He's such a techno-toy freak (or geek?) and I'm not... so I never know what to buy him. I just put the Fry's Electronics Ad with his card and say "Go pick out what you want!" But I know more than anything, he would really love a Harley!! And I just keep putting my foot down no matter how good his argument in favor of it is....(great gas mileage, can take the commuter lane to work, fun to ride on Saturday trips through the beautiful desert highways, etc.) So last Christmas I was so tired of hearing about it that I finally broke down and bought him one...a remote-controlled Harley...he was the only one not laughing!!!