Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!

Love, Erin Ann, Natalie, Scott, and Steph

Every year for Mother's Day/Mom's birthday (which often land on the same day) we add to this ever growing blog post with new pictures and stories for the year. Some pictures and thoughts are contributed by my sisters. Not all of the pictures are family pictures, but just images to represent some of our memories.

I has been almost 6 years since we've been able to spend holidays with our parents. And we all look forward to making up for all of the missed birthdays, Mother's Days, Father's Days, anniversaries, and Christmases with you next year!

It's been lots of fun to see you become a world traveler.

Thanks for teaching us to love all the animals. And for loving all of our fur babies. 

And for taking the nephews on awesome trips.

You are a great example to us all for choosing to serve the Lord!

Thanks for all the great dresses and fun presents from around the world!

Thanks for the pretty weddings and loving our in-laws so much.

And for raising Scott to be an awesome dancer and soooo humble.

Thanks for supporting some of our more ambitious and crazier ideas. And for encouraging our creative sides.

--------------------------- Everything below this line is from last year's post. Everything above is the new stuff.------------

Mom never went to medical school but she is one darn good Witch Doctor.  What ever ailment you may have mom knows how to fix you right, and 9 times out of 10 it works.  Thank you, Mom, for always taking the time to keep us healthy.

She scored when she married the handsome Naval officer!

My mother might not realize this but she gave me a gift by teaching me to always see the gentle beauty and humor in little children.  She always gets a kick out of the cute things children do and say and she also points out the sweet innocent faces that might have gone unnoticed.

Baby Scotty

Baby Porter

Baby Dallin

Not so baby Dallin

Dallin

Handsome Tell

Who doesn't love a nekkid toddler? 

First grandbaby - Tell

A fun memory I have of you is that if you saw a strange fruit you would always buy it and bring it home for us all to try together.  I always enjoyed that and I now continue that same fun tradition with my own kids. (From Natalie, pictures by Erin.) 

Fun Surprise from Samoa

How fun is this?
My parents are serving a mission for our church in Samoa right now. I called to tell them about my book arriving today. They surprised me with all these fun videos!

Sharing the Gospel

Sharing the gospel is a topic close to my heart and often on my mind these days. My parents left for their 18 months mission to Apia Samoa this weekend. My cousin Remi comes home from his mission to Texas later this week. So naturally, I'm thinking about missionary work.
I've never been very good at opening up and sharing my thoughts on the gospel. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the most personal thing in my life, and I find I have to trust someone before I will share my feelings on something so intimate. And yet, as followers of Christ we have been taught to "Feed my sheep" (John 21:17).
Each Sunday for the past few months I have had the opportunity to share my testimony with the young women at church. The more I share my testimony of the gospel, the more comfortable and open I get with sharing it. Still, I have a long way to go.
I wrote "Sharing the Gospel Through Social Media" for both people who are comfortable sharing and those who are more passive about sharing. While some people may have the desire to type out their testimony and share it for the world to see, others may be more comfortable sharing a nice thought or quote. I admit, I'm more the quote or thought kind of girl, although I wouldn't be surprised if people thought I was more forward than I am.
In less than two weeks, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will hold its semi-annual General Conference. It is a big event for us with speakers from the Church leadership around the world. (Not to mention good food and music as well.) Many people will share quotes and thoughts from the conference. Some will do it well, some will does it less well.
As we lead into conference I aim to share a quote or thought from past conferences each day, to help me warm up or prepare for conference. I hope you will enjoy them!
Consider this my own efforts at practicing what I preach (after all, I did suggest something like this in my book), and my own way of more openly sharing something very personal and special to me.

The Saratov Approach Washington DC Premiere

Washington, DC Premiere of "The Saratov Approach," Thursday, January 30th, 7:15 pm

Ballston Common Regal Theaters

671 N. Glebe Rd
Arlington, Virginia 22203This one night, exclusive showing will include a Q&A session with the film's director, Garrett Batty.

THE SARATOV APPROACH is the extraordinary, untold story of Elders Travis Tuttle and Andrew Propst and their week-long abduction in Saratov, Russia.
On what seemed like any other day during their two-year LDS missions, Elders Travis Tuttle and Andrew Propst are approached by Nikolai to meet a friend. But then the missionaries experience the unimaginable -- kidnapped, beaten, and held for ransom for nearly a week -- on the other side of the world in Saratov, Russia. While their family, friends and the world pray for their safe return, Tuttle and Propst are tested physically, emotionally and most of all -- spiritually.

 Limited Seating. BUY TICKETS BEFORE IT SELLS OUT!
 https://www.ticketriver.com/event/9806

Can you spot the LDS missionaries in this picture?

 Can you spot the 2 elders in this picture?

Clue- look closer!!

There they go! (Can you see me in this picture??)

Hey Elder Part 2

On my way back to work after lunch on Thursday I passed the same 2 missionaries on bikes going the opposite direction, that I saw a few days ago. I know they saw me, but there wasn't time to say anything or even wave.

After work today on my way home I was alone in the tuk-tuk as we passed through the slum. Suddenly I heard an American accent very close by me say, “Hey look, there's that same white girl we saw earlier.” I turned around to see the missionaries no more than 3 feet behind me on their bikes. (I knew they had to be talking about me. Trust me, there are no other white girls in that area!) I smiled and said, “Hey Elders! What's up!” The American elder nearly fell off his bike with surprise. The Khmer (Cambodian) elder just laughed. I guess that was the last thing they expected me to do! I can only imagine how completely unexpected that was.

Moving along in the crush of rush hour they attempted to ride alongside my tuk-tuk and talk to me. It wasn't easy for them to dodge cars and motos, and go so slow while talking, but I think they had fun trying. We kept next to each other for a good distance, at least long enough for me to find out that Elder Wright is from Connecticut, and Elder Sick is from a nearby province. I told them where I work, and they said they would be sure to keep looking for me. I didn't hear their answer but I think they may live close to my office.

So there's a fun follow up to the missionary spotting the other day. I hope I do get to keep running into them. It will make for some fun experiences in the future I am sure.