I got to go to Arizona and visit family. Unforunatly Bryan coudn't come, hopefully next time. While I was in town my neice Nyah had her first B-day Party. She picked up her whole cake and cradled it in her arms and took little bites from it. It was so cute!

      Me and my niece Mia                     

In church I work with the Laurels, and before I left to AZ they wanted to have a photo shoot. They wanted it inside with pretty sheets and what not. They had a lot of fun, and it was fun to see them get all excited about it. They are such good girls!

                      Here is them looking at all there pictures after!

I was running a little late for church this morning, and ond once I arrived to church Iwas not able to find any parking ANYWHERE! Our church building doesn't actually have parking, it is just street parking, and you find any place available. Finally I had to park in paid undercover parking and walk about 2 blocks to church in 15 degree weather. So yes church cost me $4 today, as you can imagine this was a little annoying, but as the sunday went on I felt more and more grateful for the experiences we are having here that we will never get again.  Our ward had our Christmas program today because we got snowed out the Sunday we were supposed to have it. The readings were all done by people who have been baptized in the last year. In 2009 we had 38 baptisms.  The primary kids got up to sing, there is about 10 in all, with all different ethnicities and backgrounds. Then the French choir  got up and sang, (we have a french branch within our ward) not the best choir in the world, but it was so good, because you could feel them trying to share there testimony through song. I loved that the lady next to me today kept out loudly agreeing to all the things said example person on stand "we all need christ in our lives" lady next to me "mmm hmmm you bet we do" and so on! We have a ward that is very diverse, and very cutural, and it was expressed so beautifully today.  At the end a couple was leaving us, so as tradition when anyone is moving we all stand up and sing God be with you till we meet again, which always makes me tear up! I guess what I have learned is that God loves all His children, and even though we all have different walks of life, different skin color, different languages, different trials, and family situations we are all the same in that we are all children of God.

This last week my parents were around,  and we were able to do so much fun stuff! I felt like I was on vacation

The Thomas Jefferson Memorial

We toured the national cathedral

We saw the Masonic temple

And went on a Ferry ride to national harbor where they have the only peep store in America!

We went to a play at the Ford theatre, behind us is where Abrahm Lincoln was killed

We went around an saw all the Christmas trees and a little ice skating to bring in the New Year, thank goodness there were no catastropies on the ice!

This is just a little sample platter of all we fit in, it was so fun, this is such a neat place.

Happy New Year!!!