6 years ago today...

this was me...

headed home.

some days i feel so different from that person... it seems impossible to keep up that level of spiritual understanding, to have such a strong and personal relationship with Heavenly Father when you get back to regular life. and that makes sense, because i was always doing His work, my will was so completely and totally aligned with His.

but the thing is i'm still about the Lord's business... e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y. it just looks different. it used to look something like this...

parke phillips' baptism

and now it's more like this...

i can honestly say that the joy i feel when teaching my children eternal, true principles is the greatest feeling! and seeing them live those principles, and show love to one another, and teach one another about Christ... that's what life is about. true, pure happiness.

so i'm grateful to have been called to serve on another mission, the mission of motherhood. a mission that never ends because we're all headed home together.

now that it's almost christmas...

it's funny how life comes and goes in swells. this is a busy swell and we're enjoying it. days are running into weeks, weeks into months... the girls are growing. case is staying busy with his woodshop. i'm busy with piano lessons and a dabble of photography. happiness is happening. life is happening.

so... about thanksgiving. it happened. it was fun... i cooked for 2 days straight and LOVED it. then the food was devoured and we were fat and happy watching movies as a family in our living room.

we even pulled out the china!! we've never ever used our china.

my grandma ferol gave it to us as a wedding gift.

it was hers.

so it's sentimental.

that said...

i definitely wouldn't be too upset if this adorable little china family showed up under the Christmas tree...
in little bits of pieces here and there of course
since getting the whole set plus some (not all) of the matching serving dishes is
$2000

yah... i'll never spend that much on dishes.
but if i did, it would be on these.

see more here

back to the food... mmmm.

it was my first time making a green bean casserole, and i've gotta say wow!
i seriously loved it... like, really really loved it.

i also tried out a new dessert recipe... cranberry pumpkin cake.
it was a big hit with me. not so much with anyone else.

i would show you pictures of us sleeping but i was sleeping.

and that was thanksgiving...
and we were thankful.
 for food.
 family.
truth.
socks for cold toes.
leftovers.
love.
allrecipes.com
and to be free.

smile

we got us some family fotos by my friend amber mozo.

i like amber.

she's young.

down to earth.

easy to talk to.

talented.

humble.

always smiling.

oh yah... and she surfs. i still haven't learned how to surf....

seriously.

and here we are, as she sees us.

              

i like to camp

we went camping a couple times this summer. we're gonna go a couple more times before rainy season really hits. i really really really like camping... a lot. more specifically, i really really really like hawaiian style camping. basically you take your house to the beach and stay close to a grocery store.

this was our set-up:

 an ez corner that was eventually surrounded by 8 tents...

this was ward camp #2.

ward camp.

think girls' camp, or scout camp, but bigger. the whole ward comes! and their cousins. and aunties. and friends. people bring their couches and TVs, inflatable pools, beds, and kitchen sinks even! (true story.)

this summer we went to 2 ward camps: our current ward and our old ward. all i wanted for my birthday was to go camping... and whadya know our old ward was camping on my birthday weekend!! how perfect is that!!

why i love camping...

no schedule

play at the beach all day, don't have to wash off the sand afterwards

addi gets to run around and do her thang 24/7

the mornings

no chores

loads of friend time

late nights

card games

singing and playing the uke

campfires

tin foil dinners

having a cooler as a fridge

just being outside...

we found gwen's twin at camp... she's 1/2 hawaiian, believe it or not.

(i know you won't.)

the other 1/2 is swedish.

we had loads of beach time... and with daddy!

the girls and i go beach it quite a bit, but we hardly ever get daddy-O too!

and like i said, plenty of friend time and kajillions of kiddos

  

and then the last day there was a carnival for the kids...

i was so proud of little gwenner for actually hitting stuff with the bean bags toss games!

and addi...

well, addi was always gone.

riding her bike.

running around the field with friends.

telling me to leave her alone cause she was a big girl.

eating other people's food.

dancing.

playing soccer.

swimming.

i really never knew where she was.

true story.

and that's camping.

in a nutshell.

i like to camp.