New York Trip to Visit Jessy

For my birthday, I flew to NY to see Jessy.  She had told me that for her birthday, she wanted to go to the Michael Jackson show in NY, so we made plans to go together for both of our birthdays.  We went to the city one day, went on a hike, got pedicures, went to kids events, and just hung out.  It was so good to just be with her, visit tons, and help her with things and her kids.  One day we organized all the kids old clothes and listed them on Facebook Marketplace to sell.  It was so fun to see her and I wished that she lived closer.

I got there late Tuesday night and Wednesday morning we took the train down to the train down to the city.  There was traffic and we came so close to missing the train.  We got on and it started moving immediately.  When we got to Penn Station, we met up with Josh's sister Casey.  She and I felt like we have know each other a long time through Jessy, but we aren't sure that we have ever even met in person.  We went and had the best tacos at Los Tacos and then went and got cookies at Levain Bakery.  Then we went to the Michael Jackson show.  It was so good.  We loved it and wanted to go back the next day.  Then we walked through Central Park, went back to the cookie place and got more cookies, and went shopping.  I bought 2 really cute dresses.  Then we took the train back home to Albany.  It was a really amazing day!

On the train.  We were super sweaty because we had run our buts off to make the train.

West Point.  We would see it from the train.  I sent this picture to Shannan because her son Eli is going to school there.

Los Tacos.  So YUMMY!

MJ Show.  So good, but so loud.  We could feel the bass in our core.

Walking in Central Park

The streets in NY are so pretty

The original Levain Bakery location

Friday we went hiking at Potash Mountain in Lake Luzcerne.

On our way home, we got a flat tire.  We stopped at a lumber company and a cute young guy helped us change it.  We drove home an hour on the spare on the back roads.  It was a scenic ride. 

We got pedicures

Annie made cute bows for her hair

The cute twins before their choir and orchestra concert

Jack did not like being in the choir

Annie singing in the choir

Annie playing her violin in the orchestra

Annie playing softball

Jessy and I went to the Cheesecake Factory for lunch.  I had a free cheesecake for my birthday.

 

Mother's Day

 Garret bought me this cool gift and wrote me a nice card for Mother's Day.

Katie's letter for me for Mother's Day

Happy happy mother’s day! I have been thinking what to say this whole past week, and how to accurately describe and express my grand appreciation for the mother i have in my life. 

A lot is unsaid about our Heavenly Mother. Literally all that exists is a short line in a song, “Oh my Father”, and word of mouth information that Joseph Smith talked about a Heavenly Mother with the early saints of the church. But, when we think about it, we are who we are because of our parents. Just think of Jesus Christ. His heavenly parents are Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother. He is the and was and will forever be, the only perfect person. That speaks to His parents, how they raised and taught Him and showed Him who to be. I also had a women’s conference about three months ago in my mission, and our President emphasized the vitality of women and mother’s in our lives. He listed some good examples: Eve being the last creation in the plan of God, Jesus appearing first to Mary, and one of the first witnesses of the Book of Mormon being Mary Whitmer. There are no mistakes or happen chances in the chronological cosmics of God! The world is not complete without the amazing women and mothers that populate it! My last, and most pressing thought I have had, is how I learn about our more “mysterious Heavenly Mother” by seeing the qualities that you have! It is no longer a mystery to me about who she is, what she is like, what she would see, because I see it in you! You are divine! Here is some of the great divinity I see in you:

You are so goal oriented, diligent, and driven. You so potential and you seek to obtain it. You know you want your exaltation and nothing is going to get in the way of it. You also have taught me how well we must respect the agency of others. We can never force anyone. You teach me to teach good principles to my friends here, Lilly, and my future kids, and let them choose eternal life or not. Thank you for helping me to focus celestially and know that that is my most important goal. Thank you for showing my that my Heavenly Mother is someone who once was not perfect, but sought perfection through humble repentance and time. You are so good at trusting the process. I hope you can understand that you are amazing!!! Thank your for always building me up and helping me to see that I am likewise divine. Thank you for always taking time to do services that are out of your way. You are so good at taking the time for the one, even if it is really inconvenient or the opposite if what you want to do. I understand from you that I must just see people for who they are, and not as someone to fix, but someone to help turn to the Savior. Because I don't need to pay the price for what they are going through becayse HE ALREADY DID. Thank you for supporting me in all things and letting me grow into a woman of God (I hope.. ). 

I love you so much! Thank you for helping me be like my Heavenly Mother and showing me more of who she is by reflecting her character. I miss you dearly, and I hope you felt celebrated on this special day! You are priceless, amazing, awesome, DIVINE! Thanks for helping me feel divine as well. I love you!!

Katie 

Tanner and Emilie Lake Powell Trip

Tanner had never been to Lake Powell before so he and Emilie decided that they needed to go before they moved to Hawaii.  Unfortuantely they weather wasn't very good, but they still had fun.  They took the jet ski, went to Horseshoe Bend, and had smores.  Tanner even saved a lady that was on her paddle board.  The wind came up and she couldn't get back to shore and Tanner took the jet ski out and helped her. 

 

Northern Lights

 We heart that we should be able see the northern lights in Spokane this weekend.  We went out to the Freeman area to try and see them.  We couldn't see them at all but we had heard that sometimes even if you can't see them, that your camera could capture them.  So we snapped some pictures and we could totally see them in the photos, but we wouldn't have know they were there with our naked eye.  It was so strange. 

Emily's 48th birthday

 Tanner, Emilie, and Garret got me roses for my birthday.  Tanner and Emilie financed them and Garret picked them up.  It was funny because he kept asking me questions like "if someone was to get someone flowers, where would they by them or if someone was to buy some flowers, what would they put them in?" He was so hilarious.  I went to lunch with my friends Delphia Fry, Heather Wiberg, and Jolene Minarik.  Then I watched Garret play tennis, and then Kirt took me to dinner at Thai Bangkok.  I got to talk to Katie during dinner (hence the headphones).  It was a good birthday.