Hello from the NW

Hi Landon and Mason,

Hope this posting finds you both doing well.  We have been in Washington this last week.  The Findlays and Fotheringhams were here too until Friday and Saturday.  Grandma and Grandpa's house was full of people.  Kaitlyn and Brett slept at Matt and Jamas but they were mostly at the house all the other times.  Last week was also record breaking heat so it was hot.  Reaching almost 100 degrees most days and that is HOT for Washington.

We spent a lot of time at the lake.  Jack and Jacob pushed each other off the dock one day for over 5 hours.  They were so tired and burnt when the day was done.

Gracie has been enjoying herself too much.  Too much that she has now gone 7 days with out a normal nap. I'm a little worried about when we get home if she will nap again. 

 

One day we went to into Seattle.  Rode a Ferry to Bainbridge Island and went to Pikes Place.

One day we also went to Snoqualmie Falls and hiked down to the bottom. 

Lydia was at Girls Camp most of the week.  She had a lot of fun with the Auburn girls!

They have a spirit walk the first night of camp.  I wasn't there but a little bit about it is they go on a short walk, in the dark usually holding a candle or light.  This year along the way they heard little talks.  The talks were about the burdens we feel in life.  As they walked along they put rocks (to represent burdens) in their back packs. At the end they placed the rocks below a picture of Christ signifying turning our burdens over to the Savior.  This was Lydia's favorite part of girls camp. 

We went to Mill Pond Ward today.  It was different but there were still a few familiar faces. Sister Forrest was there and asked about you.  The Guisingers are also back and so we saw them too.  Brother Hatch is the Mission Leader and he invited Dad and I go to got Gospel Essentials class.  It was just him teaching, Caleb and an older man that joined the church a few months ago.  The lesson was on Sacrifice.  I thought a lot about the two of you and the sacrifice you are making for two years.  There was also such a sweet feeling in the class as this new member asked questions, expressed his testimony and we also shared ours.  It made me excited that in a short time you both will be out in the field teaching and finding other people.  We could tell this gentleman had had a pretty rough life, but he was a changed man.  He sat there with his scriptures and the class manual which he had been so diligently reading. He also wore a suit which I bet was not something he had done much of before his conversion.  I thought about the sacrifices and changes he had made to become a member of the church, but then how that sacrifice was blessing his life.  Making sacrifices are not easy, and sometimes very difficult.  But I know through sacrifice we can become like our savior and that is our ultimate goal.   

Love you too more than you could ever imagine!  We think and pray for you continually.  And thou we miss you every day we are blessed having you serve a mission and are so proud of you!