The Perfect Day!

Today has been a perfect day! Those kind of days don't happen too often so I will document it well. It started off at 6:00 am with me making cinnamon rolls and cookies for the gathering we had today while Carter opened his mission call.  I also made final preparations for the Relief Society lesson I was blessed to teach today.  During church we enjoyed a wonderful Christmas program that really set the tone for my lesson on "A Christ Centered Life".  The lesson went well.  I am always so grateful for the many comments that these wonderful sisters share.  They really strengthen my testimony and add so much to the Spirit and the lesson.  The most important aspect of the lesson was the importance of obtaining charity.  Charity is the pure love of Christ.  It is a gift of the Spirit that we can receive through prayer and righteous living.  Charity allows us to see others as our Heavenly Father and Savior sees them, to love them as our Heavenly Father and Savior loves them, and to understand them as they do as well.  This Christmas season, may we all have eyes to see, hearts to love and understand, and ears to hear so we can lift and bless the lives of those around us.

Immediately upon returning home from church are house was filled with guests.  This little adobe was packed.  There was truly "no room in the inn today", but it was awesome.  The house was filled with love and excitement.  Carter opened his mission call after everyone had the opportunity to guess where he might be going.  Wouldn't you know it, Uncle Gary guessed where he would be serving - the Argentina Buenos Aires East mission.  Carter will be leaving us on February 17th.  That is just around the corner.  He is so excited, and we are all so proud of him and excited as well.  Hopefully all those years of taking Spanish will serve him well!  Carter is such a good boy and he will make an excellent missionary.  Just remember Carter that charity is the one and only way to be a successful missionary.  My mission trainer - Sister Melissa Roddy - told me the first day I was in Mustang, Oklahoma, that if I didn't love the people of Oklahoma I had better get on my knees and pray until I do, because the work would go nowhere without it!  I give that same advice to you!  "Pray with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love."

Can I have a drum roll please....

So happy to have Aunt Kim, Uncle Mike, Keaton, and Uncle Gary with us today and all of our other friends!

I love my three sons!

No room in the Inn!

After everyone left, we as a family sat around and just enjoyed the feeling that was here.  We had family prayer and then hopped in the car and headed to Salt Lake City.  We stayed in the Salt Lake City Plaza Hotel which is right next to temple square.  It is a newly remodeled hotel and very nice, and for only $89.00 it was a super deal!  We walked over to temple square and stood in awe at the beautiful sight of all the lights.  Temple Square was packed with people.  Everyone was excitedly taking in all the sights.  I noticed on a few different occasions that Carter stopped and offered to take pictures for families who were trying to figure out how to get everyone in the photo.  He is already off to a good start of service and love.

There are those three handsome sons of mine again!

I love this!

Beautiful Sunday Evening at Temple Square

Here it is again!

I love to see the temple!

What a wonderful and blessed day we had.  I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for the many, many blessings that He has given me, and especially for this most wonderful day that we spent with family and loved ones!

Today's Ponderize Verse:

2 Nephi 5:27: And it came to pass that we lived after the manner of happiness.