A Wonderful Weekend

This weekend was wonderful. Friday night was Rachel's first ski club of the season. I drove up to Shawnee and watched her ski a little bit. She can ride home on the bus but it leaves about 9ish and they can ski until 10 when most of the falling ski club kids littering the mountain are gone so it's the best time to ski. Because of that, many of the parents pick up our kids so they can get in extra ski time when the crowds have dissipated. Friday was a bitterly cold night, with frigid temperatures in the teens and a brisk wind, particularly at the higher elevations of the resort. Before I arrived to pick her up, Rachel called and said they were making snow and it was blowing right into their faces as they skied down the mountain, freezing them. Normally she's not even cold even when she skis so I was worried. But she and her friends got hot chocolate and they were on the mountain the rest of the evening. Once again, when I saw Rachel skiing, it made me want to strap on some skis and hop on the lift. So I'm sure I'll have do it sometime this winter.


Rachel and Lauren arrive in the lodge after a long night of skiing


I made them ski down the bunny hill one last time so I could get a picture.


Mission accomplished!

Saturday, I spent the day running errands. My cousin's husband, Ben, posted a facebook link to this website called "People of Walmart." Readers send in pictures of bizarre people they see at Walmart. Because I was thinking about the site, I had a great time people watching while I was at Walmart picking up socks for the kids. Good grief, there truly are a lot of strange people at Walmart. I swear, I could have taken 100 pictures for that site (and I am not exaggerating.) It's not just the shoppers. There are many odd looking employees as well. The thing about Walmart is that it truly is a slice of Americana because people from all walks of life shop there. I guess I shouldn't have been amusing myself that way. Maybe I'll be the next weirdo featured on the site! I'll repent I promise

That evening, we left all the kids with Rachel for our first date night without having to hire a babysitter. Yeah, baby! I've been dreaming of it forever! Paul and I went to see Leap Year. I really enjoyed it. It was somewhat predictable but it's just the kind of romantic comedy that I love. Plus it was set in Ireland and the scenery was exquisite. It's a great date movie.

Sunday was exciting because I had the honor of speaking at Kim Joseph's baptism. She's the girlfriend of one of the boys in the ward and has been coming to my young women class for quite a while. Lincoln (her boyfriend) is an awesome young man with a powerful testimony. He left on his mission a few months ago and I'll never forget his talk: it was so full of the spirit. I wondered if Kim would keep coming to church after Lincoln left but she continued attending faithfully. A couple of months ago, she bore her testimony in young women and said that she wanted to be baptized but was afraid to tell her parents because she didn't want to disappoint them. Wouldn't you know my lesson that day was on courage to try. Long story short, she did tell her parents and they came and supported her at the baptism yesterday. The spirit was so strong in the service. Our entire chapel was full of people--nonmembers and members alike--who wanted to show their love for Kim. She is such a sweet girl and I'm so pleased that she made this important decision in her life. It makes me feel so happy to know that she's on a path that will lead to her eternal happiness.



Can you believe this sunset? This was our view as we drove home from the baptism. What a gift from the Lord!