See you guys in Okinawa!!!!

This past week, Jocelyn and I drove to Wichita Falls to visit Ashlee, Shane and their boys ONE more time before they move to Okinawa, Japan. We were so blessed to have them within a days drive this past year. We took advantage of it while we could! It is still surreal that they will be SO far away for the next three years, but I know they are going to have such a wonderful experience over there. We are saving our money to go visit them in Japan! How cool will that be?!?

On Monday, we hung out at Ashlee's. The kids rode their bikes, played in the pool, hunted for bugs and worked up a sweat in the Texas heat! Ashlee and I talked and talked and talked...just what best friends love to do!

Tuesday: We got ready to go to Jump for Joy and drove there. They were closed from 10 to 2 (how silly!) so we came up with Plan B. We rented a movie for the kids, built a fort and popped some popcorn. After Jaydon's nap, we headed to Jump for Joy.

We brought Jocelyn's bike to Texas with us so she could practice riding without training wheels. She was determined to do it b/c Gavin rides without training wheels now....THEN Shane took them off and Ashlee ran around with her (I'm not sure how you got stuck with that job, Ash!) and Jocelyn realized it's not instant! She was so frustrated that it didn't happen right away, silly girl. Oh well, we will keep practicing and I'm sure she will get it down soon. Tanner got a new bike and is learning to ride without training wheels too!

Wednesday: Ashlee and I started a new tradition, which I think is brillant! Every time we get together, we get a babysitter for the kids one day and have a GIRLS DAY OUT! We went to lunch at Cheddar's, went to see Pirates of the Carribean and then went shopping for the surprise birthday party we had for the kids on Thursday. It's great to get away for the day! It sounds like the kids had a blast with the babysitter!

We decided to have a party for everyone since we don't get to celebrate birthdays together! We had a blast! I think the kids were a little confused at first..."does this mean we are seven now?" Gavin asked. Hahaha. Then Jocelyn informed us that Ashlee and I are now 31. No thanks!

Love these crazy kiddos!

Jaydon. Ohhh, I can't get enough of this little guy! I asked Gavin if we could take Jaydon home with us. Unfortunately, he didn't think that was a great plan. Bummer.

Everyone had fun running through the streamers all day long. Jaydon ran around saying, "RUN! RUN!"

Jocelyn loves watching Ashlee in the kitchen! She always wants to sit there and watch her cook.

We played BINGO with skittles.

Tanner was happy about that! Love him.

Jaydon with a mouth full of skittles. "What? There's no way I was saving those!" hahaha.

Next we played Pin the Tail on the Donkey.

Can you tell which tail stickers were Jaydon's?

Jocelyn wanted to play Limbo and then we blasted music and danced around.

After lunch, we sang happy birthday and had cupcakes! After that, we took the kids to pick out their own birthday presents from the store. Jaydon got a ball, Tanner picked out a gun and a magnifying glass, Jocelyn and Gavin picked out bug houses and magnifying glasses. They hunted for bugs ALL WEEK! The day before they had their bug houses, they caught a baby praying mantis, but had to let it go so it would live. The day we bought their bug houses, they came inside and Jocelyn had caught a WASP and Gavin had caught a BUMBLEBEE! Seriously?!?!?! We had to have some new rules about what they were allowed to catch!!!

Friday: We went to see CARS 2!!! It was so cute! We bought some CARS 2 tattoos from the store, so they each picked some out and Ashlee helped them put them on. We grabbed lunch and headed to the movie.

The cute couple. We are determined that they will get married some day! Arranged marriages can work, right?!?!

Tanner man. He is so sweet. Every time we leave, he comes over to me SO sad and tells me how much he wants us to stay. Melts my heart!

Jaydon cracked me up. He was so excited to get a tattoo on and then he kind of freaked out when he realized it was stuck on!

The kids right before we left. We miss them already! Can't believe you guys are leaving us for some gorgeous tropical island! I mean, really?!?!?! :)

Ashlee, you are truly the best! We have so many wonderful memories over this past year that I will always remember. (And I'll remind you of! hehehe!) I adore the time we get to watch our kids grow close and create their own memories. I truly hope they will ALWAYS be close. Your boys are such sweet and loving boys and it's because they have you as an example. You are a fabulous mother to them and they are blessed to have you. You will never completely understand what an example you have been to me over the last 18+ years we have known each other. You are strong, determined, talented, beautiful, caring, dependable, devoted, and always striving to be better. (Just believe me, okay. Say it, "YES! I am all those things!" Good.) I am so thankful for you in my life and I know we have many, many years of memories still ahead. I'm excited for your cute little family and this new adventure you guys are about to have! (Maybe a little jealous too considering you are leaving me in a desert!) I don't want to wish these three years to go by fast, BUT I am definitely looking forward to having you back in the states! So my dear best friend, I will miss you guys! See you in Okinawa!


Lop O Vop E Yop O U Top O Nop Sop!!!!!!!

Jocelyn: "Mom, I know you and Ashlee know Spanish!" :)

Our AMAZING Girls Weekend!

I wish that I was a writer and could adequately put into words how amazing my weekend was with my Mom and my best friend, Ashlee!! ALL WOMEN need a "time out" and that is what we had! My Mom and I drove to Oklahoma City on Friday to meet up with Ashlee who came from Texas and we attended Time Out for Women put on by Deseret Book. It was FABULOUS! Wonderful, inspiring speakers and beautiful music!

We arrived Friday early evening to our awesome hotel, pulled up and the gentlemen opened our car door for us, took all our bags and parked the car for me. NICE! I wouldn't normally do valet parking, but it was lovely and a special treat! We got ready and then Ashlee got there and we went straight over to the OKC Cox Convention Center, which was conveniently adjacent to the hotel! The theme for this year is CHOOSE TO BECOME "All things are possible to him that believeth" -Mark 9:23. That night we heard from Emily Watts who is HILARIOUS. I love her. Macy Robinson also performed and told us her inspiring story. She spoke about her life and the ups and downs she has experienced including "Rusty Armor" (her ex). She was very entertaining and left me feeling uplifted. (Now she is happily married to her "shiny-armored knight"). After Time Out for Women ended for the night, we went back to the hotel to get a late dinner and ran into Sister Townsend and Sister Hickman who we know from Oklahoma! Such a fun surprise!!!! We ate great food, had fun laughing and talking and then went to bed.

Saturday morning: We woke up early, got ready, ordered room service...ahhhhh, and then headed back to the conference center. TOFW was from 9-3:45 on Saturday with a lunch break and a couple of shorter breaks. I was so excited b/c Hillary Weeks was performing on Saturday and I LOVE HER! She is so funny, adorable, she has a beautiful voice and has wonderful messages. We also heard from a lady named Mariama Kallon who was raised in Sierra Leone as a Muslim. She has been through SO MUCH, I can't even imagine. She witnessed so many horrible things, including the violent murders of her parents and siblings. She told us of one time she was captured by rebels in her town with her sister. There was about twelve or so women who were forced to stand in line and watch as the rebels chopped off the arms and legs of the other women. Tears were streaming down her face as she told us of her prayer to God that day to please save them. How my heart broke for her. She said she was number ten in line and when they got close to her, other men came to their rescue. Unfortunately her sister did not survive. She spoke about not having shoes until she was 13 years old and not having an actual bed to sleep on until she was 18. She made flip flops out of cardboard and used those for years and actually brought us a pair to show us. She told us about her mission in Salt Lake City at Temple Square and some of the wonderful answers to prayers she received there. Anyway, I could go on and on, but I have never been SO grateful for my circumstances than I was when she was telling us about her childhood. It was an incredible blessing to listen to her. What a strong woman! We also heard from Linda Eyre and Shawni Pothier (a mother and daughter). We heard from Mary Ellen Edmunds, Wendy Ulrich and S. Michael Wilcox. I'll share more of my notes from those talks later. My Mom was so sweet and let us pick a few books and cd's to buy and then later surprised us with a few more things she bought for us! She is so fun and generous! Right now I'm reading, "You Can Never Get Enough of What You Don't Need. The Quest for Contentment" By Mary Ellen Edmunds. AWESOME book! Time Out for Women was AMAZING and if you ever have the opportunity to go, DO IT! We laughed a lot, cried, were inspired and lifted up. It was wonderful. I also ran into my seminary teacher, Sister Tuckett, from Oklahoma!!! So fun to run into people that I haven't seen in so long!

Saturday evening: We decided to go see a movie so we went to Soul Surfer. Great movie! Then we headed over to The Cheesecake Factory...YUM. We headed back to the hotel and went to sleep.

Sunday: WE SLEPT IN!!! AHHHHH! Then we laid in bed and read....AHHHH! Next we went downstairs and had lunch and then went to the SPA for an hour massage and a 45 minute facial....HEAVEN!!! It's not unheard of for Ashlee and I to get the giggles at the most random and sometimes inappropriate times, but after a few laughs (insert inside joke here! holes in the massage table!!!), we quieted down and enjoyed our pampering!! We were all so relaxed and felt great. It was awesome! My Mom is the best! After that we drove to Ashlee's house where her husband had dinner waiting for us (what a great guy!!!!) so we ate and I got as much baby squeezes and kisses in as I could with Jaydon (Ashlee's youngest boy)...hehehe, then got ready to go see Celtic Woman in concert. We had FRONT ROW SEATS, people!!! SO FUN! The concert was seriously a blast and it was amazing sitting in the front row! We felt like it was our own private concert! I've been to their concert before but this was the BEST ONE! Ashlee and I screamed the whole way through....we're crazy like that....and we all had a great time. Then we went to Braum's for old time sake and had a milkshake. That rhymed. We laughed so hard I almost ended up wearing my Mom's milkshake!!! Right, Mom?!?! Hahaha! We dropped Ash off at her house, headed to the hotel in Wichita Falls. The next morning we picked up breakfast and ate at Ashlee's and spent time with the boys and then....dun, dun, dun....we had to leave. It was SO hard to leave such an amazing weekend!!!!! I wish I could bottle up the feelings I had and save it for when I need it! Sounds cheesy but....I really feel ready for anything and I'm excited to take what I have learned and apply it. I feel so motivated and rejuvinated and it is awesome! I'm so grateful to my Mom for the most amazing weekend and her generosity. I'm so glad that I got to spend it with her and with my best friend. We have wonderful memories from this weekend and I cherish those. I'm so glad that my husband was able to work from home and be home with Jocelyn. They had a great weekend together. I'm so happy that Ashlee's husband took care of their boys so she could come with us too! What great men we have!!!

Hillary Weeks!

Ash enjoying the water! lol.

The hotel.

The Spa!