Abby Mission Prep

It was an interesting experience, having a kid preparing for a mission. It was like there was always something looming in the future, but there were so many unknowns. So many factors to consider, but not enough knowledge about what to do. When would she fly out? Where would she go? Who would meet her? What should she do about securing a phone? Would she need money with her? What will the weather be like? What if we pack too much? What if we pack too little? What does sending packages look like?  

Sooo many questions! In addition to our myriad of questions, Abby was often preoccupied with working at the preschool as an Educational Assitant, squeezing in "lasts" with her friends and cousins, working on learning foundational Romanian concepts and terms and completing a long list of "To Do Items" that had been sent to her from the mission office.

On one hand, time seemed to be flying by and I was constantly racked with guilt, knowing that the day was fast approaching when I would long for just one more day with her. On the other hand, I needed her mission to start, because I felt certain that only then would this nagging feeling of confusion and anticipation dissipate. 

It was a very strange time.

Much to our delight, however, the Drews (in our ward) invited us over one night to enjoy a bit of the Hungarian culture. Their father and brother had both had opportunities to serve as mission presidents over the Hungarian/Romanian mission and the Hungarian portion of this mission was particularly special to them. Even though Abby will likely spend most of her time in Romania, her call has been to the Hungarian/Romanian mission. How fun to get to see a bit of the culture!

Peter and Colleen Drew (along with siblings Warren and Laureena Toth and Katherine) shared everything they could. They showed us currency and art, told us about the people and culture, and fed us the most delicious and interesting Hungarian food!

The paprika chicken was amazing, the egg drop noodles were yummy when covered in paprika gravy, and the cucumber salad was so refreshing. The poppyseed-filled pastries were surprisingly good too. 

What I enjoyed, most of all was the company and the generosity of these good people.

By the time we said our goodbyes, the worries of my heart had been replaced with EXCITEMENT for all that Abby would experience on her mission. 

This family inspired me and I hope that I will have the chance to open my heart and home to others who may be in similar situations to Abby. 

It's not going to surprise me if her mission ends up being a life-changing experience for our whole family!

 

April = Family

April was full of many meaningful moments, some of which I will share in upcoming posts. I would hate to leave out the following memories, as they were equally important to my family. 

I'm actually not entirely sure why this first picture made it into this post. Perhaps it is because I wanted to remember how funny Sam has come to be, how every evening he has us in stitches with some silly antic or another, usually dragging Nate and Jess into the wildness as well.

Or maybe I had simply wanted to share it before raving about the awesome brother, friend, and cousin he is to so many. Little kids adore him and I can see why. How many young men do you know that would allow a handful of giggly girls to put makeup on him and then take a picture? 

For a kid who caused me a lot of parenting grief, he's really made me laugh, lately.

April brought about the passing of my Aunt Colleen Mauceri. She is my Dad's sister and it was especially sweet to travel up to Calgary, meet up with my siblings and several cousins, and celebrate her life. 

It is moments like these that remind me how sacred family bonds really are.

My siblings have all been trying to meet once a month for dinner. Each sibling takes turns hosting. It has been so fun getting to connect and getting the cousins together. 

This is a special group of people to me!

Family really matters most of all!

 

All the shades of purple and green

Ooooh...the skies have been good to us lately. This spring, I have seen some of the prettiest northern lights I've gotten to see yet! On one particular night, we went a few minutes out of town, and stared up at the sky, watching it shimmer and change right before our eyes. There was a pulsating flicker of light that took my breath away and, despite my frozen fingers and toes, I could not move my eyes from the show above me. I'm so thankful for moments like this. 

 

February and March Birthdays

In February and March, our family had some pretty important birthdays!

Jessica, Radar, Jeanne Gladding, and GRANDPA are some of our favorite humans (and creatures) ever and we were SO glad to get to celebrate them!

Disclaimer: The following pictures don't really belong with the topic of this post but it'd be a shame to not plug them in somewhere. I mean, this kid is growing up on us too. 

 

Basketball season in photos...

Provincials for the three stooges

As March approached, it became apparent that our Varsity boys and girls teams would likely get the chance to compete at Provincials in Edmonton. After competing in Lethbridge at zones, it was determined that both of our teams would get to go to provincials as wildcards, making that potential trip to Edmonton a reality, not just for Sam but for Jessica as well, as she had been floating up, playing with the older girls whenever possible. 

Jess and Sam stayed at a hotel with their teammates, while Nate, John, and I stayed somewhere else.

I can't find a picture of it, right now, but Nate was also competing in provincials that weekend, only in Archery, not Basketball. 

Though we didn't know it at the time, Nate's archery team would win zones, and provincials, and then go on to win nationals for their division, as well. While in Edmonton, I went with Nathan and watched him shoot while John went between Jess and Sam. 

Neither Sam or Jess's teams placed in the top ranks, but the boys did take home the award for consolation. 

The girls placed 16th (out of 16) BUT let's not forget, they were there as wildcards anyways. They grew a lot, ok! 

Jess actually REALLY enjoyed herself and actually had a coach from NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) approach her about attending some basketball camps, etc. This scout was really interested in Brooke, who graduates this year, but Jessica caught her eye too, which was flattering to her. 

It was a great way to wrap up a busy season!

 

Sam Seniors night

Sam definitely had a basketball season to remember! 

I had such fun watching him play, and always enjoyed it when others would approach us with positive things to share about him. 

* He brought energy to the court

* He was fierce

* He always thanked the refs

* He was a great teammate

* He practiced hard

* He was the defense guy...

These were some of the things that were often said of Sam. It has been fun to watch him grow in strength and in confidence this year. I have felt so proud to be his mom. 

Toward the end of February, Sam played the final home game of his High School Basketball career. "Senior night," as it is called is always a big game and it was fun to work with other moms to try and make it a great evening. 

We definitely love our #4!!