Week 17

This was a different kind of week. We taught some lessons to some wonderful people, and Dwight was able to tutor his cousin in accounting again, but other than that everything was different than our normal routine. Dwight was able to go to the temple early Wednesday morning with a friend he's known forever.

Darry and Dwight

Dwight was also able to go help his cousin, Johnny Huggins, stand up Dwight's Uncle Charles' headstone that had been broken for some time.

You can see the headstone to the right of Johnny.

Then one day, Dwight was able to take his childhood friend, Junior, fishing (something Junior used to do regularly with his dad who recently died.) They didn't catch much but had a great time.

While Dwight was off on all his adventures, I stayed home and worked on super secret Christmas presents for our kids and grandkids and on the blankets I'm making for foster children. Don't get too excited kids. 

On Friday we went to Raleigh to visit our family. Anna and her son, Kieran were here from Utah. We met them, Alyssa, her friend, Daniel, and Elayna, and Jake and his family at Hill Ridge Farms.

This slide was one of the highlights. Even the adults couldn't resist. Thankfully, no one had their camera out when I went down. I think everyone was too shocked to think about taking a picture of Nana. ;)

Jake

Von and Kieran

Alyssa, Anna, & Elayna

Crashing at the bottom of the slide!

I had my camera ready for this one! :)

There was another activity that was a favorite of some, but at least one of the kids was not at all impressed. Check out Kieran's expression in the picture below and then in the next one.

It was so fun to see these two together again. Cousin buddies for life!

Elayna was chasing this chicken. When she got too close, she turned around!

The last activity was a tractor ride to a pumpkin patch where we all got to "pick" a pumpkin.

Kieran

Elayna & Sullivan

On Saturday we went to Duck, North Carolina to visit Dwight's brother Kevin and his wife, Tami, at their beach house. We had a great time visiting, laughing, driving on the beach, laughing, looking for wild horses, laughing, bird watching, laughing, playing Phase 10, laughing, watching BYU play football and crying. ;) (Tami thanks for making sure we had some pictures!)

Wild horse!!!

NC and Virginia border

Watching the tear inducing BYU game.

Dwight took the next picture. He's very proud of it, so I have to give him credit. Although, he did have a lot of help from the Creator. We are so blessed to live in this beautiful world.

Sunrise at Duck, NC

Here is another beauty of the earth I saw this week. I kept seeing fields of snowy white cotton. It's just beautiful. One day we saw this field full of cotton, and on the way home it had been picked.

Cotton baled and ready for market

We saw so many beautiful creations of God this week... our family, pumpkins, cotton, seagulls, horses, the ocean, the sunrise, the sunset... I am in awe of the "beauty of the earth" (Hymns #92). Each day when I leave the house I see something that makes my heart swell with appreciation for my Father in Heaven "for [His] bounteous blessings" (Children's Songbook #21b). It may be as simple as a small flower or as grand as a flock of geese in formation or as sensational as an incredible sunset. I am so grateful to "live in this beautiful world Heavenly Father created for me" (Children's Songbook #228). If you can't tell I feel like singing all the time. In the Doctrine and Covenants section 104 verse 17 it says, "For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare..." We have truly been blessed. We have the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives, we have a Savior who has atoned for our sins and sorrows, we know families can be together for eternity, we live in a free country that is beyond beautiful, and we can become more like our Savior every day by caring for each other. 

We love you all!