The long awaited first day finally came last Tuesday. The boys hopped out of bed and quickly got dressed. I made cinnamon rolls (with the help of the Dough boy) and then we took pictures and then made our way to the school. The boys were so excited to see their friends and get back into the school routine...so was I!!! The first week they had half days every day to ease the kids (and the teachers!) back in but today, oh blessed day, is the first full day! It's been nice so far...I'm actually blogging so that should tell you something!
My mission president and his wife live in Canada so our mission reunions have been few and far between. I think it's been close to 10 years since our last reunion. So, when I got the notice that the Orrs would be in Utah and a reunion was being planned, I knew I had to be there. I'm so glad I did! Even though I have seen some of my companions often, there are some I have not seen in a long time. It was so fun to chat with them and rekindle our friendship. A few of us brought our mission scrapbooks and we had a great time looking through them and talking about all of our mission experiences. I loved seeing the Orrs again and feeling their love for me. Pres. Orr has such a gentle demeanor and is so funny. I loved being with them again. We didn't have a huge turnout but those that were there had a great time. I think heaven will be similar to this experience...being embraced in warmth and love by people who have shared in your special memories. Pres and Sis Orr with some of the Sisters of the South Africa Johannesburg Mission
Sam's oldest brother, Rick, got married to a lovely woman, Tonja on the 22nd. We were able to go to their very intimate sealing in the SL Temple. It was a beautiful ceremony that reminded me how blessed I am to be sealed to Sam and my children for eternity. We are happy to welcome Tonja, McKenna and Dakota into the Preslar clan and look forward to getting to know them better. We are so excited for Rick and Tonja and know they will be so happy together!
Lots has been going on the last month of summer. I have lots of pictures to post and stories to tell so I'll be writing a few different posts with accompanying pictures.
First up: Evans Family Reunion We spent a weekend in Idaho for the annual Evans Family Reunion. This Family consists of about 370 people all descended from Thomas and Jennie Evans-my dad's grandparents. The last of Thomas and Jennie's daughters, June, passed away the week before so her funeral was held the morning of the reunion. It was a beautiful service and we will miss Aunt June. We then headed to the Malad park and set up the tent and enjoyed a fun evening with cousins of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th varieties. We got rained on really hard that night and the next morning felt more like November than August. But, the kids still had a blast and I had a great time visiting with my relatives. Sam is such a good sport; he can't keep anyone straight because there are so many people, so this year he decided he was going to remember names and who they belonged to. I quizzed him and he ended up remembering quite a few. He kind of grumbles before we go to the reunion but always ends up finding someone to have a good conversation with!
Next up: Millcreek Cook out My sis in law Rachel and I decided we needed to get together since we always enjoy each other's company, live a few miles away from each other but hardly ever see each other. So, we quickly threw together a little cookout up Millcreek canyon. The weather was great, the kids were pretty good, and the food was enjoyable. The kids had fun running around, playing in the dirt and cooking hot dogs/marshmallows over the fire. Can't wait to do it again!
