So Robbie left the teenage years behind without even looking back. April was here to celebrate!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Holly's Adventures in Palma de Mallorca
11/5: Wow. The work here is moving. We are doing a lot of menos activo activation, which is emotionally draining... but well worth it. I am learning so much. The language is coming without any problems. I can understand everything that most people say, but struggle a little when I try to talk back. We just go go go! Lot of work, lots of people. It feels like the middle of winter here. The mountains here are amazing.
11/12: We went to lunch iwth a member named Debbi from England who is rich at this great restaurant (I am sure that we are the first missionaries EVER to go there!) and the food was fantastic. authentic med food. You would have loved it! The Keralos from Chile fed me a BUFFET of vegetarian food last night.
11/19: We just got back from Soller the most beautiful place on earth! Well, not quite, but it was amazing. We went hiking on a cliff that overlooed the mediterranean ocean. Sheesh. the seconds count so much here on the mission! guess what? it snowed here!
oh! Zone conference... wow. can i tell you that Elder Johnson (Kenneth) is AMAZING! I was so on fire after the conference with wanting to just get out there and give my all the the people here. he talked about how missionary work is about loving people.
oh mom. can you belive that i have been a missionary for 3 months on the 22? really, where has the time gone? Some days last FOREVER! other days just fly! But I love it.
11/26: Mom! What a crazy week. so many things happened. so it was thanksgiving, eh? all the members wanted to celebrate with us since it is an american holiday. so we drove to the other side of the island (it only takes an hour) and we ate with a less active family. turkey, corn, potatoes... even a very warped pumpkin pie (they don´t have canned pumpkin here!) It was so great. I was so full after we ate. blah. and then just last night we had another thanksgiving feast wtih another family. they are really great. they are the Queirolos and they are from chile and oh my goodness. i can´t even tell you how great the food was. they made me a special vegetable soup that was so great. i am going to get the recipe from her and send it to you so that you can try it! it was so great.
So you wanted to know what we do on pdays... we just catch up, buy groceries, laundry, roam the city, write our families, and EXPLORE! there are so many beautiful places here to explore. yikes! so little time. and our first transfers are on December 1. I am almost 100 percent positive that i will be here for at least 4 months or so. But my trainer will probably go, which will leave me to do all the work... ahhhh!!!!
We had a pan carta yesterday which is where we set up a display and talk with people. it was so cold i couldn´t hardly move my mouth. and trying to speak a different langauge when your mouth won´t move is VERY difficutl. haha. needless to say, we got 3 phone numbers and maybe God is preparing these people´s hearts. who knows? our days are full of appointments. with less active members, recent converts and investigators. we have 2 hours during 2-4 for language study and lunch... but sometimes we don´t even get that cause we are at a cita. Oh, so yesterday, the primary had a program here. i had to play the piano and it was so funny. it reminded me of you cause there was just pure chaos once again. our rama is so great. the members here have to work so hard to fulfil their callings. there just aren´t enough of them.
can you belive that i have been away from home for 3 months now? Remeber how I used to come home like every weekend in college? SHeesh. But the time here is going so fast. SUndays are crazy, and then mondays come and it´s so nice to take a break! missionaries live p-day to p-day i have decided.
12/4: AHHH!!! I am left alone on the ISLAND! yes. my companion did get transfered to MURCIA. I get my new companion tonight at 8 and so I get to hang out with the ELders all day and sheesh. I am so nervous. I have to navigate the entire island all by myself. The funny thing is that the first week that I was here I knew that my companion would be transfered. We were walking around the city and I was learning where everything is and the Lord told me that she would only be with me for 6 weeks. I feel so overwhelmed, but very humble that Heavenly Father would trust me with this responsibility. My new companion is Hermana Sorenson and she has been out for over a year.
the family that we are teaching from peru is super great. Cesar, the father, didn´t belive in god, and the last time we went to visit him he was crying and telling us how he knows that god answers prayers cause when he was 10 he prayed that his grandmother would live cause she was dying from cancer and she did. it was so great. they are super people. Vanessa is still coming to church, and it was AMAZING that we had a cita with her mom and taught the plan de salvacion. she really opened up to us and told us that vanessa is a better person because of us. sheesh. it´s so crazy how much god is in charge of our lives.
whoa. spain has amazing chocolate. pan and chuches. i am going to send some chuches for christmas cause they are way better than anything ever! they will be a suprize.
12/10: Mom! So much to say, so little time. so yes, i have a new companion. i am doing everything. making appointments, teaching the lessons and takling on the phone (which usually doesn´t happen until later on in the mish, like 4 transfers or so),so i am super busy. but the lord is blessing me with all sorts of abilities that i never even knew existed. it´s amazing. yesterday we had a 10 year old in church. her name is Angela. her mom was listening to the discussions, but doesn´t really want to but her daughter is so excited and she wants to go to allt he activities and everything. she made a ton of friends at church. it was great. the lord has BIG plans for her!
One of my most favorite moments in my mission happened last night when we were taking her home. she lives far from the church and so we were walking a little bit to the bus station and the bus was coming, but still had somewhere around 10 minutes and i was sitting at the bus station and we were playing a game where you slap hands and sing a song, like patty cakes, kind of and i just felt so much peace. it seems strange, but i realized that this is the mission. just loving people. i am here on my mission to love people. and that is what i am doing. it´s great.
alvaro has a baptizme date for the 22 of dec. he is the 9 year old boy that is the son of a menos activa, and his mom helena is coming back. they are both from spain. angela is from ecuador. that is the great thing about serving in spain. it´s like i am serving in south america also cause there are so many south americans here. i love it. so much culture. alvaro told me i was the most guapa (beautiful) missionary ever. haha. 9 year olds, eh? so i knocked on my first door this week. i moved to the bottom bunk. wahoo!!!!
11/12: We went to lunch iwth a member named Debbi from England who is rich at this great restaurant (I am sure that we are the first missionaries EVER to go there!) and the food was fantastic. authentic med food. You would have loved it! The Keralos from Chile fed me a BUFFET of vegetarian food last night.
11/19: We just got back from Soller the most beautiful place on earth! Well, not quite, but it was amazing. We went hiking on a cliff that overlooed the mediterranean ocean. Sheesh. the seconds count so much here on the mission! guess what? it snowed here!
oh! Zone conference... wow. can i tell you that Elder Johnson (Kenneth) is AMAZING! I was so on fire after the conference with wanting to just get out there and give my all the the people here. he talked about how missionary work is about loving people.
oh mom. can you belive that i have been a missionary for 3 months on the 22? really, where has the time gone? Some days last FOREVER! other days just fly! But I love it.
11/26: Mom! What a crazy week. so many things happened. so it was thanksgiving, eh? all the members wanted to celebrate with us since it is an american holiday. so we drove to the other side of the island (it only takes an hour) and we ate with a less active family. turkey, corn, potatoes... even a very warped pumpkin pie (they don´t have canned pumpkin here!) It was so great. I was so full after we ate. blah. and then just last night we had another thanksgiving feast wtih another family. they are really great. they are the Queirolos and they are from chile and oh my goodness. i can´t even tell you how great the food was. they made me a special vegetable soup that was so great. i am going to get the recipe from her and send it to you so that you can try it! it was so great.
So you wanted to know what we do on pdays... we just catch up, buy groceries, laundry, roam the city, write our families, and EXPLORE! there are so many beautiful places here to explore. yikes! so little time. and our first transfers are on December 1. I am almost 100 percent positive that i will be here for at least 4 months or so. But my trainer will probably go, which will leave me to do all the work... ahhhh!!!!
We had a pan carta yesterday which is where we set up a display and talk with people. it was so cold i couldn´t hardly move my mouth. and trying to speak a different langauge when your mouth won´t move is VERY difficutl. haha. needless to say, we got 3 phone numbers and maybe God is preparing these people´s hearts. who knows? our days are full of appointments. with less active members, recent converts and investigators. we have 2 hours during 2-4 for language study and lunch... but sometimes we don´t even get that cause we are at a cita. Oh, so yesterday, the primary had a program here. i had to play the piano and it was so funny. it reminded me of you cause there was just pure chaos once again. our rama is so great. the members here have to work so hard to fulfil their callings. there just aren´t enough of them.
can you belive that i have been away from home for 3 months now? Remeber how I used to come home like every weekend in college? SHeesh. But the time here is going so fast. SUndays are crazy, and then mondays come and it´s so nice to take a break! missionaries live p-day to p-day i have decided.
12/4: AHHH!!! I am left alone on the ISLAND! yes. my companion did get transfered to MURCIA. I get my new companion tonight at 8 and so I get to hang out with the ELders all day and sheesh. I am so nervous. I have to navigate the entire island all by myself. The funny thing is that the first week that I was here I knew that my companion would be transfered. We were walking around the city and I was learning where everything is and the Lord told me that she would only be with me for 6 weeks. I feel so overwhelmed, but very humble that Heavenly Father would trust me with this responsibility. My new companion is Hermana Sorenson and she has been out for over a year.
the family that we are teaching from peru is super great. Cesar, the father, didn´t belive in god, and the last time we went to visit him he was crying and telling us how he knows that god answers prayers cause when he was 10 he prayed that his grandmother would live cause she was dying from cancer and she did. it was so great. they are super people. Vanessa is still coming to church, and it was AMAZING that we had a cita with her mom and taught the plan de salvacion. she really opened up to us and told us that vanessa is a better person because of us. sheesh. it´s so crazy how much god is in charge of our lives.
whoa. spain has amazing chocolate. pan and chuches. i am going to send some chuches for christmas cause they are way better than anything ever! they will be a suprize.
12/10: Mom! So much to say, so little time. so yes, i have a new companion. i am doing everything. making appointments, teaching the lessons and takling on the phone (which usually doesn´t happen until later on in the mish, like 4 transfers or so),so i am super busy. but the lord is blessing me with all sorts of abilities that i never even knew existed. it´s amazing. yesterday we had a 10 year old in church. her name is Angela. her mom was listening to the discussions, but doesn´t really want to but her daughter is so excited and she wants to go to allt he activities and everything. she made a ton of friends at church. it was great. the lord has BIG plans for her!
One of my most favorite moments in my mission happened last night when we were taking her home. she lives far from the church and so we were walking a little bit to the bus station and the bus was coming, but still had somewhere around 10 minutes and i was sitting at the bus station and we were playing a game where you slap hands and sing a song, like patty cakes, kind of and i just felt so much peace. it seems strange, but i realized that this is the mission. just loving people. i am here on my mission to love people. and that is what i am doing. it´s great.
alvaro has a baptizme date for the 22 of dec. he is the 9 year old boy that is the son of a menos activa, and his mom helena is coming back. they are both from spain. angela is from ecuador. that is the great thing about serving in spain. it´s like i am serving in south america also cause there are so many south americans here. i love it. so much culture. alvaro told me i was the most guapa (beautiful) missionary ever. haha. 9 year olds, eh? so i knocked on my first door this week. i moved to the bottom bunk. wahoo!!!!
Sunday, December 9, 2007
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Asher's First Birthday 10/27/07
Asher is growing up! I got to go see him and Becky on his first birthday! He was a dino for Halloween! We had so much fun!
Trip to Flagstaff 10/6/07
Here are pictures from my trip with Sue and Conor to Flagstaff. We visited Di and Dave and kids and had a wonderful time!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
Where in the World is Hermana Holly?
She's on the Island of Mallorca in the city of Palma! We were so happy to hear from her finally. Her story continues. Here is her address for the next few months and some excerpts from her email:
Hermana Holly Michelle Thomas
C/Teniente Escandell 2, 3B
07010 Palma de Mallorca
SPAIN
10/29: So, we arrived at the Barcelona aeropuerto and met my mish pres and wife (super great!) and then we got into a box (a big van shaped like a box) and drove to the top of the world (it seems like) where we could see out over the Mediteranian and we could all of Barcelona and up the coast towards France. Then we went back to the mission office and had dinner and ice cream with them and then we had our interviews to find out where we would be serving and then we met our trainers!
Can you guess where I am??? Yes. I am a child of the Island. I am serving right now in Sunny Mallorca, in the city of Palma! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??? Of all the places to start my mission, here I am. Wow. It´s so beautiful. On the plane ride over I could just see the clouds resting on the island. It was like heaven. Wow. So beautiful. Can´t believe how blessed I am. I can´t even tell you how beautiful it is here mom.
I am only the second sister missionary to start their mission here ever (the island has only been open to sisters for 2 years). I am thinking that I will probably serve here for close to 4 months or so since that is the trend with other missionaries.
My companion's name is Hermana Evans from Virginia. She has been here for 3 months and she is great. I am going to learn so much from her. She has been out for 10 months now and there is a lot of work to do here. I am excited to be here preaching the good word of God, eh? So yeah, after we found out where we were going, it was off to the airport to travel to the island.
My first cita or teaching appointment was the night that I arrived. we taught a recent convert, Diana and she is an angel. she is amazing. so strong. and then we just dove right into the work.
So far we have been doing a lot of member activation and teaching a lot of citas. We taught an española yesterday teh first lesson and she was so sweet. The people here are so kind once you can make friends with them. We have one baptism this Saturday with Vanessa, she is 13 years old. No thanks to me though, she was already for baptism when I got here. I am just seeing the fruits of someone elses work. But the members seem so kind here and I hope that I will be able to do the work that is needed to be done here. There are so many people to love and to get to know. I need LOTS of prayers! Missionary work is a hard thing to do and I already feel like I have been here for 10 months like my companion. Wow. It´s crazy. We put on a halloween festival for the ward on friday and that was fun. we dressed up like 80´s and had a costume contest. We wake up at 7:30 and we return to piso at 10:00, plan and go to bed. I haven't even been to the store to get food yet. I am exhausted and it's only been one week.
My español esta bien. puedo hablar casi todo, menos unas palabras y frases en que necesito trabajar. es un milagro de dios que puedo hablar como puedo.
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Holly Arrives in Barcelona!
I received the following email today from Holly's mission president along with a photo of Hermana Thomas!
Dear Families of our new missionaries,
We are pleased to inform you that your daughter has safely arrived in the Spain Barcelona Mission. Hermana Waddell and I, along with the two assistants, met her at the airport. The group of missionaries we received are wonderful young men and women, ready to go to work. Their enthusiasm reflects their love for the Savior and we are grateful for the privilege of guiding them along as they serve the Lord.
Every area in the Spain Barcelona Mission is unique and beautiful, rich in history and tradition. More importantly, each city is full of children of our Heavenly Father, waiting to hear the glad news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the trust you have put in us to shepherd your daughter. Please know that we feel a great responsibility to guide and protect “our” missionaries. We love your sons and daughters as if they were our own. With the Lord’s help, we intend to make their mission experience in Barcelona the most memorable time of their lives.
Sincerely,
President and Hermana Waddell
We are pleased to inform you that your daughter has safely arrived in the Spain Barcelona Mission. Hermana Waddell and I, along with the two assistants, met her at the airport. The group of missionaries we received are wonderful young men and women, ready to go to work. Their enthusiasm reflects their love for the Savior and we are grateful for the privilege of guiding them along as they serve the Lord.
Every area in the Spain Barcelona Mission is unique and beautiful, rich in history and tradition. More importantly, each city is full of children of our Heavenly Father, waiting to hear the glad news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the trust you have put in us to shepherd your daughter. Please know that we feel a great responsibility to guide and protect “our” missionaries. We love your sons and daughters as if they were our own. With the Lord’s help, we intend to make their mission experience in Barcelona the most memorable time of their lives.
Sincerely,
President and Hermana Waddell
Holly at the Madrid MTC
Holly's amazing story continues . . . here are some excerpts from her Madrid MTC stay (no pictures yet):
9-11-07: I'm on the airplane . . . Sharing the gospel is so amazing and I want to share it with everyone and anyone who wants to listen. Yikes! Watch out Spain!!! I can't even tell you how amazing this experience has been and will only begin when I get to Spain! We just took off and I said my last goodbye to the city of Salt.
9-12-07: Oh mom, it's beautiful here. I can't even hardly function right now cause I am so jet lagged out. . . Spain feels like Central America . . . the Temple is beautiful! It's almost as if I live at the Temple cause it's my backyard. There are only 16 missionaries here because nobody is getting their visas. . . On p-day we get to leave the MTC and take the metro around and play at the park or to go the mall or just go explore. It is so awesome. . . The language is going to be so much easier to learn while I'm here. I plan on spending every second of the day either studying or learning the language. On Saturdays we get to take the metro into the city and contact people in the Retiro Park in El Centro de Madrid. I am scared-nervous-excited about this. . . I can't believe that I am actually here. It all feels like a dream. I am actually in Spain right now. And I love it. Best ever.
9-20-07: Can you believe that I have been in Spain for an entire week as of yesterday? . . . And that I have been a missionary for a month! . . . I got an ear infection and my companion has been sick all week long. . . we're both better now. . . Today we went to the Temple. Ah. The Temple here is so amazing. . . Oh mom. I wish I could let you into my mind right now. There is so much in there and so little time to transfer it from my brain to my fingers to you! I am so happy. Things make so much sense in the gospel. Joseph Smith saw God. It's a fact. He just did. The Book of Mormon is true. It just is. It was written for you and for me and for the people of Spain, because God loves us. We are going to live with God again. This life is but a probationary time for us to prepare to meet our Father in Heaven. It's true. And I am living it! And I am loving it. And I am going to give my all to the people here in Spain . . .
10-08-07: Welcome to the beautiful dia de Reposol (Sabbath Day). I am sitting here here in my study spot admiring the beautiful Madrid Temple. I am definitely going to miss the Temple when I leave in 2 weeks! Can you believe it? . . . I am so excited though. I will miss the MTC. It has been so great. And I have learned so much. . . My espanol is improving and I am able to communicate better finally! We went to the park on Saturday we got three referrals! It was way cool too, cause I was with 2 Italian sisters who didn't speak any Spanish and we had prayed to find some Italians to teach and the first 2 people we found were Italian and got a referral for them! It was so cool. And then we found an inactive member from Bulgaria and we are sending the missionaries to teach her again, and some guy from India who was way excited about hearing the missionaries. It was really great. . . So. What can I say about the awesomness of serving a mission? Once again, it's pretty much the coolest ever. I can honestly say I haven't looked back once and I would never miss this opportunity if I were anyone else!
10-12-07: Hermana Fuerer (my new comp) has been an answer to my prayers. She and I are exactly the same. We both snowboard intensely, we both love to mountain bike, we are both fitness and health freaks, and we both have the same mannerisms and all that jazz. We were definately sisters in the pre-exist and I hope hope hope that we will get the chance to be companions while we serve in Spain . . . The work is still going. I will be in Barcelona on the 23rd of October . . . I miss home, but I am in love with Spain.
10-18-07: Yep! It's the last p-day that I have here in Madrid! How do you like that? I'll tell you that I am so excited to go to Barcelona! I don't feel nearly as prepared as I need or want to be, but I am ready to get out there and start baptizing some Spanish souls!
10-22-07: Surprise! Since we leave tomorrow, we got permission to write . . . we leave the MTC for the airport at 5:30 am. . . Can you believe it? I am a real live missionary as of tomorrow! Yikes. . . Oh mom. It is been so amazing, and it is only going to get better. Wow. What a life. And tomorrow, I meet my Mission President and find out where I am going to be sharing the gospel for the next 6 weeks. . . Life is good. I am not struggling at all. I am speaking the language and I am ready to preach the good world of God to the people. Scripture of the day is Mosiah 7:33 and Moses. I forgot, but it's when Noah builds the ark and God holds it in his own hand. That's what God is doing for me. He is holding me in his hand and helping me become my best self. So yeah. Do I sound like a missionary or what?? . . . Madre, te amo. Te amo, Te amo. Quiero compartir me testimonio en espanol que se que Dios vive. Jesucristo es su hijo y nuestro hermano. El Libro de Mormon es la palarbra de dios. Con todo mi corazon se que Jose Smith era un profeta.
9-11-07: I'm on the airplane . . . Sharing the gospel is so amazing and I want to share it with everyone and anyone who wants to listen. Yikes! Watch out Spain!!! I can't even tell you how amazing this experience has been and will only begin when I get to Spain! We just took off and I said my last goodbye to the city of Salt.
9-12-07: Oh mom, it's beautiful here. I can't even hardly function right now cause I am so jet lagged out. . . Spain feels like Central America . . . the Temple is beautiful! It's almost as if I live at the Temple cause it's my backyard. There are only 16 missionaries here because nobody is getting their visas. . . On p-day we get to leave the MTC and take the metro around and play at the park or to go the mall or just go explore. It is so awesome. . . The language is going to be so much easier to learn while I'm here. I plan on spending every second of the day either studying or learning the language. On Saturdays we get to take the metro into the city and contact people in the Retiro Park in El Centro de Madrid. I am scared-nervous-excited about this. . . I can't believe that I am actually here. It all feels like a dream. I am actually in Spain right now. And I love it. Best ever.
9-20-07: Can you believe that I have been in Spain for an entire week as of yesterday? . . . And that I have been a missionary for a month! . . . I got an ear infection and my companion has been sick all week long. . . we're both better now. . . Today we went to the Temple. Ah. The Temple here is so amazing. . . Oh mom. I wish I could let you into my mind right now. There is so much in there and so little time to transfer it from my brain to my fingers to you! I am so happy. Things make so much sense in the gospel. Joseph Smith saw God. It's a fact. He just did. The Book of Mormon is true. It just is. It was written for you and for me and for the people of Spain, because God loves us. We are going to live with God again. This life is but a probationary time for us to prepare to meet our Father in Heaven. It's true. And I am living it! And I am loving it. And I am going to give my all to the people here in Spain . . .
10-08-07: Welcome to the beautiful dia de Reposol (Sabbath Day). I am sitting here here in my study spot admiring the beautiful Madrid Temple. I am definitely going to miss the Temple when I leave in 2 weeks! Can you believe it? . . . I am so excited though. I will miss the MTC. It has been so great. And I have learned so much. . . My espanol is improving and I am able to communicate better finally! We went to the park on Saturday we got three referrals! It was way cool too, cause I was with 2 Italian sisters who didn't speak any Spanish and we had prayed to find some Italians to teach and the first 2 people we found were Italian and got a referral for them! It was so cool. And then we found an inactive member from Bulgaria and we are sending the missionaries to teach her again, and some guy from India who was way excited about hearing the missionaries. It was really great. . . So. What can I say about the awesomness of serving a mission? Once again, it's pretty much the coolest ever. I can honestly say I haven't looked back once and I would never miss this opportunity if I were anyone else!
10-12-07: Hermana Fuerer (my new comp) has been an answer to my prayers. She and I are exactly the same. We both snowboard intensely, we both love to mountain bike, we are both fitness and health freaks, and we both have the same mannerisms and all that jazz. We were definately sisters in the pre-exist and I hope hope hope that we will get the chance to be companions while we serve in Spain . . . The work is still going. I will be in Barcelona on the 23rd of October . . . I miss home, but I am in love with Spain.
10-18-07: Yep! It's the last p-day that I have here in Madrid! How do you like that? I'll tell you that I am so excited to go to Barcelona! I don't feel nearly as prepared as I need or want to be, but I am ready to get out there and start baptizing some Spanish souls!
10-22-07: Surprise! Since we leave tomorrow, we got permission to write . . . we leave the MTC for the airport at 5:30 am. . . Can you believe it? I am a real live missionary as of tomorrow! Yikes. . . Oh mom. It is been so amazing, and it is only going to get better. Wow. What a life. And tomorrow, I meet my Mission President and find out where I am going to be sharing the gospel for the next 6 weeks. . . Life is good. I am not struggling at all. I am speaking the language and I am ready to preach the good world of God to the people. Scripture of the day is Mosiah 7:33 and Moses. I forgot, but it's when Noah builds the ark and God holds it in his own hand. That's what God is doing for me. He is holding me in his hand and helping me become my best self. So yeah. Do I sound like a missionary or what?? . . . Madre, te amo. Te amo, Te amo. Quiero compartir me testimonio en espanol que se que Dios vive. Jesucristo es su hijo y nuestro hermano. El Libro de Mormon es la palarbra de dios. Con todo mi corazon se que Jose Smith era un profeta.
Holly at the Provo MTC
Holly's stay at the Provo MTC was only 3 weeks. Below are some pictures she sent right before she left for the Madrid MTC. She had a wonderful experience at the Provo MTC, as you can see from the pictures and read from some excerpts from her letters:
8-23-07: Hola! Saludes de el MTC. Wow. Can you believe that I am a missionary? Yeah. Me neither. So, I have survived my first day and a half. How exciting, eh? . . . The MTC is so much work. I am pretty much in a classroom all day long. And the classrooms are tiny. But don't worry, I am doing great! Missionary work is fun. I can't wait until I get to Spain, and start teaching the people.
8-28-07: The MTC is so great. So so so so great! I love it here. Absolutely. The language is good but I am struggling definitely to catch on. I feel like I have gained a lot in terms of my testimony since I have been here, but not very much when it comes to the language. I am still trying and I have 8 weeks left to learn, but 8 weeks will come before I know it!
9-4-07: YES!!! I got my visa! I'm scheduled to go to Spain Sept. 11 at 6:00 a.m. Yikes! . . . Today is my last p-day, which means that it is the last time that you are going to hear from me before I leave for Spain. . . Last Tuesday night Jeffery Holland spoke to us about missionary work and that totally lit my fire and my desire to serve my mission with all my carazon alma mente y fuerza. It was so amazing. The language is good. I am learning so much Spanish it is incredible. . . Oh man. Mom, the mission is already the best part of my life, ever! I am so happy that I am here. . . I wish I could lend you my eyes and ears for a day to see what goes on here.
9-10-07: So. This is it. The night before I leave for Spain. . . Wow. I still can't believe that this is happening. It has already been 3 weeks since I've been here. I have learned so much and have grown even more. It is amazing how little I actually knew my strength and the strength of the Lord before I came here. I have gotten to know so much more about myself in these short 3 weeks than I have in an entire 21 years of living with myself and searching for who I am. It is unbelievable even to me. And I still have 17 months and 1 week to discover myself even more. How exciting. I can't wait! Teaching is coming really well. I have taught the first lesson probably a dozen times . . . but I am more excited to get out and teach real people. It is going to rock my socks. Yaya. . . Oh, so get this. Sister Susan B. Tanner was our Relief Society guest speaker this Sunday and my comp and I were asked to give the opening and closing (me) prayers! It was so cool. We got to sit on the stand and we got to meet her and shake her hands! It was so great.
This is awsome -- it's a rubbing from her missionary name badge!
8-23-07: Hola! Saludes de el MTC. Wow. Can you believe that I am a missionary? Yeah. Me neither. So, I have survived my first day and a half. How exciting, eh? . . . The MTC is so much work. I am pretty much in a classroom all day long. And the classrooms are tiny. But don't worry, I am doing great! Missionary work is fun. I can't wait until I get to Spain, and start teaching the people.
8-28-07: The MTC is so great. So so so so great! I love it here. Absolutely. The language is good but I am struggling definitely to catch on. I feel like I have gained a lot in terms of my testimony since I have been here, but not very much when it comes to the language. I am still trying and I have 8 weeks left to learn, but 8 weeks will come before I know it!
9-4-07: YES!!! I got my visa! I'm scheduled to go to Spain Sept. 11 at 6:00 a.m. Yikes! . . . Today is my last p-day, which means that it is the last time that you are going to hear from me before I leave for Spain. . . Last Tuesday night Jeffery Holland spoke to us about missionary work and that totally lit my fire and my desire to serve my mission with all my carazon alma mente y fuerza. It was so amazing. The language is good. I am learning so much Spanish it is incredible. . . Oh man. Mom, the mission is already the best part of my life, ever! I am so happy that I am here. . . I wish I could lend you my eyes and ears for a day to see what goes on here.
9-10-07: So. This is it. The night before I leave for Spain. . . Wow. I still can't believe that this is happening. It has already been 3 weeks since I've been here. I have learned so much and have grown even more. It is amazing how little I actually knew my strength and the strength of the Lord before I came here. I have gotten to know so much more about myself in these short 3 weeks than I have in an entire 21 years of living with myself and searching for who I am. It is unbelievable even to me. And I still have 17 months and 1 week to discover myself even more. How exciting. I can't wait! Teaching is coming really well. I have taught the first lesson probably a dozen times . . . but I am more excited to get out and teach real people. It is going to rock my socks. Yaya. . . Oh, so get this. Sister Susan B. Tanner was our Relief Society guest speaker this Sunday and my comp and I were asked to give the opening and closing (me) prayers! It was so cool. We got to sit on the stand and we got to meet her and shake her hands! It was so great.
This is awsome -- it's a rubbing from her missionary name badge!
Friday, August 24, 2007
Taking Holly to the MTC
Wednesday, August 22, MTC Day, finally came!! Asher got us started with big smiles at breakfast. Holly says goodbye to out cats and home. The ride to Provo seems to take forever. Grandma and Grandpa come with us, so do Ana, Brittany, and MaryJane. I get to put Holly's name tag on her. We say goodbye and off she goes!!!!
Here's her address at the MTC. I know she will love to hear from friends and family, but don't wait very long to write, because she's scheduled to leave for the Madrid, Spain MTC on September 11.
SISTER HOLLY MICHELLE THOMAS
MTC Mailbox # 104
SPA-BAR 0911
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793
Here's her address at the MTC. I know she will love to hear from friends and family, but don't wait very long to write, because she's scheduled to leave for the Madrid, Spain MTC on September 11.
SISTER HOLLY MICHELLE THOMAS
MTC Mailbox # 104
SPA-BAR 0911
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793
Packing for Espana!
The night before MTC day, we stayed up very, very, very late trying to stuff everything in Holly's suitcases. It wasn't easy! Simba, Holly's favorite cat was there for moral support.
Family and Friends Fun
It was so much fun to have April and Becky home for the fun with Holly! We haven't all been together since Robbie graduated. I love my kids so much! Grandma and Grandpa make everything complete!
Holly's Farewell
Holly's farewell was Sunday, August 19. It was so much fun to see everyone. Thanks for coming out and supporting Holly!
Becky and Asher Visit!
It was so much fun to have Becky and Asher visit Utah for Holly's mission week!
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The New Robbie
Working outside in intense heat calls for desperate measures! He begged me. I had no choice but to buzz it off. The smile says it all. I'm still his favorite mom.
P.S. Look at the load of hair on the floor. It's enough to make a wig!
P.S. Look at the load of hair on the floor. It's enough to make a wig!
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Mothers Day Continues
Mothers Day is winding down. It was a wonderful day! I love being a mom. I have the greatest kids! I love having a mom! She couldn't be sweeter!
Holly surprised me with this beautiful figurine, cute card, and "Families are Forever" wall hanging when I walked in the door after church. Actually, she had to point them out to me, even though they were right in front of my face, because I couldn't take my eyes up off the floor! Thank you so much, Holly! I love them! I love you!
I finally have a "Families are Forever" sign hanging above the doorway into our family room!!
We went over to G&Gs for a tasty dinner. It was supposed to be a my home, but we're not put all back together again yet, after the floor project. So this is the THIRD Sunday in a row that we've had dinner at G&Gs!! It's getting to be a Sunday tradition and I LIKE IT A LOT!!!!
Holly surprised me with this beautiful figurine, cute card, and "Families are Forever" wall hanging when I walked in the door after church. Actually, she had to point them out to me, even though they were right in front of my face, because I couldn't take my eyes up off the floor! Thank you so much, Holly! I love them! I love you!
I finally have a "Families are Forever" sign hanging above the doorway into our family room!!
We went over to G&Gs for a tasty dinner. It was supposed to be a my home, but we're not put all back together again yet, after the floor project. So this is the THIRD Sunday in a row that we've had dinner at G&Gs!! It's getting to be a Sunday tradition and I LIKE IT A LOT!!!!Afterwards, the kiddos konked out on the deck.
Mom showed me the quilt she made for Uncle Ted. It's beautiful! She and Dad will take it to him when they go on their Alaska trip. How exciting!
Here's mom and dad with some friendly flowers!
Here I am with my beautiful mom!
The kiddos in the mini-monster truck!
Mom and Dad, the sweetest parents on earth, in front of the Stevens Homestead. What a wonderful place to be.
Mom showed me the quilt she made for Uncle Ted. It's beautiful! She and Dad will take it to him when they go on their Alaska trip. How exciting!
Here's mom and dad with some friendly flowers!
Here I am with my beautiful mom!
The kiddos in the mini-monster truck!
Mom and Dad, the sweetest parents on earth, in front of the Stevens Homestead. What a wonderful place to be.
Happy Mothers Day to Me!!!!
After pictures!
How many sons give their mom a new wood floor for Mothers Day? I think I'm the luckiest mom alive to have a son like Rob, who would give up almost a week and a half of all his spare time to my huge wood floor project! I dreamed of having this wood floor and he made my dream come true! Thank you so much, Robbie! I love you!!!! What a wonderful Mothers Day to wake up to my beautiful new wood floor!!!!
(With flash)
(Without flash)
Yay! It's done!!!!!
How many sons give their mom a new wood floor for Mothers Day? I think I'm the luckiest mom alive to have a son like Rob, who would give up almost a week and a half of all his spare time to my huge wood floor project! I dreamed of having this wood floor and he made my dream come true! Thank you so much, Robbie! I love you!!!! What a wonderful Mothers Day to wake up to my beautiful new wood floor!!!!
(With flash)
(Without flash)
Yay! It's done!!!!!Floor Day 10
Saturday, May 12, our last day of laying the floor! We had taken a couple of days off, since I was working late and were so excited Saturday morning to finish! Here's Rob hard at work, again!
This show shows the fridge moved out and the cubby where it fits into. The fridge gave us some trouble, because the water line sprang a leak. Help!! Dad/Grandpa to the rescue!!!! He soldered it and got us back in business. He knows how to do EVERYTHING!!!!! Thanks so much Dad!!! You are one in a million!
Here's Rob finishing up in the pantry. Almost done!!
Nailing the next to last board of the entire project!!! Then my camera's battery died.
This show shows the fridge moved out and the cubby where it fits into. The fridge gave us some trouble, because the water line sprang a leak. Help!! Dad/Grandpa to the rescue!!!! He soldered it and got us back in business. He knows how to do EVERYTHING!!!!! Thanks so much Dad!!! You are one in a million!
Here's Rob finishing up in the pantry. Almost done!!
Nailing the next to last board of the entire project!!! Then my camera's battery died.
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Lunch with April at Mazza!
I got to have lunch on Tuesday with my beautiful daughter April at my favorite little Mediterranian restaurant in SLC called Mazza. She thought the falafal (how in the world do you spell that?!) was almost as good as Jerusalem's! Now that's saying something!
Here is April with her adorable friends Shawn, Erin, and Kyra. They left Tuesday to go back to Vegas. What fun it was to see April and get to know her friends!
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Floor Day 7
We're into the kitchen now and here's what's left to do. Our plan to have it done by tonight got delayed a bit. It's pretty hard to get a lot done in a just a couple of hours in the evening after work. But we're making good progress!
Here's what we got done tonight -- where the bar stools go and down the angled wall where the cat window is. Yay!
All the mess is now in the family room. We got the sectional moved back. And put the kitchen table in there too. You can hardly see the floor we completed last night!
Here's what we got done tonight -- where the bar stools go and down the angled wall where the cat window is. Yay!
All the mess is now in the family room. We got the sectional moved back. And put the kitchen table in there too. You can hardly see the floor we completed last night!
Floor Day 6
Yay! We got the family room floor layed down! Here's the "after" picture (minus the furniture)! On to the kitchen floor! Then we're DONE!!! We can't wait. Especially Robbie! What a trooper he has been and what a great job he is doing! 
Monday, May 7, 2007
Floor Day 5
It's Monday, and we're about half done. The plan is to do the family room tonight and the kitchen Wednesday evening. Here are the before pictures. I can't wait to post the after pictures!!!
Rest Day 4
Sunday was a much needed day of rest. And April and her friends, Shawn (not pictured), Kyra, and Erin came up from Vegas to spend time at the Family History Center. We had a yummy Sunday meal at Grandma's and Grandpa's and enjoyed hanging out with them and the beautiful spirit of love in their home.
April made the best tabouli I've ever tasted!
Holly and the cats take a rest on the only couch they can find. We're all in construction confusion right now. But we can sleep just about anywhere!
April made the best tabouli I've ever tasted!
Holly and the cats take a rest on the only couch they can find. We're all in construction confusion right now. But we can sleep just about anywhere!
Floor Day 3
Saturday we finished the "mud room" and closet off the garage. It was a little tricky around the closet, but turned out beautifully. Rob is a pro! That's Dad's (Grandpa's) air compressor that keeps Rob going and going and going and going...!
Below this you can see we moved the furniture back into the living room and put up the baseboard behind the china hutch (we didn't want to have to move it again!). Hopefully, the couch will be replaced soon! And I'll get a area rug for in front of the new couch. Anyway, the floor looks great with the furniture!
Below this you can see we moved the furniture back into the living room and put up the baseboard behind the china hutch (we didn't want to have to move it again!). Hopefully, the couch will be replaced soon! And I'll get a area rug for in front of the new couch. Anyway, the floor looks great with the furniture!
Friday, May 4, 2007
Floor Day 2
Yay! We got the living room layed down after work!!!!! It looks beautiful! Way to go Robbie!!!!!!! (My camera has dust on the lens...sorry for the spots.)
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