January 1st, 2014 Happy New Year

We had a very quiet New Years Eve.  I picked up my niece from her apartment and she came over for a couple of hours. She has been here in Orlando since August, working with the Disney College program, but she has been very busy and I have not been able to see her. She is done with the program so she leaves for Puerto Rico this Sunday. We dropped her off at Disney around 9:00 pm. She had plans with some friends to see the fireworks at Magic Kingdom.

Cristina and I on the way home

Then Brent, Conner and I just sat in bed watching the Studio C special on BYU TV. We love Studio C and Conner is obsessed with it!  Parker was across the street at the Marsel's house at their New Years party.

This morning was pretty relaxing and Conner had his favorite breakfast, pancakes and hot chocolate.  Parker just slept in.  Brent and I were going to go on a walk but it was raining.

We got Alison's email this morning.  She had some really good news.  About a year ago when she was in the Milano, Cimiano Ward, Alison and her companion helped re-activate a young woman and now she got her mission call!! She will be serving in Salt Lake City.  Alison sent us a video of this lady opening her mission call. It was awesome, but Alison asked us not to share it on the blog! 

I had given a spiritual thought a while back in presidency meeting and had made some copies of this picture of the Sacred Grove that I took this past summer. I had a couple of the prints left and had a thought that I should send them to Alison.  She answered back in her email that she already knew who to give them to!! She knows two ladies that will be getting baptized and she wants to give them the pictures! I love how she ended her email, "Just wanted to tell you one thing.  All of 2013 I was a missionary and it was the best year. I love you all."

I was reading on one of the missionaries blog in Alison's mission and she wrote to her family, "I don't miss you because I don 't feel far away from you.  With each passing day, you grow closer to me.  No, not because I 'm coming home sooner every day but because through my service, we're being knit together."

I love this, it is so beautiful! It made me think that as we are giving service to others, whether it is by going on a mission, serving in each of our callings, bringing a meal to someone in need, or just making someone feel welcome at church, and being Christ-like, it brings us closer to the Lord. When we come close to the Lord, our love and faith for Him grows which in turns "knits" our families together, our love for each other grows!

My hope for this year is to come closer to Christ and to strengthen my family, that through our service and obedience to the covenants we have made, we will be knit together as one eternal family!