She's a Missionary!

 

Tuesday night, May 11, 2021 Bethany was set apart to be a church service Young Performing Missionary in Nauvoo this summer.  It is her dream come true!  She'll be testifying of Christ through word and music and dance for the next three months.  I remember this when Clark got set apart as well-- all of a sudden, I feel how much they are in the Lord's care and I don't need to worry about them.  Now, I understand it is true that we are all in the Lord's care and we can have faith and not fear, but it is definitely taken up a notch when they are set apart as a missionary.  

Bishop Perry set her apart and it was very special and tender.  I was so grateful we could all be there for the moment.  

Wednesday morning started dark and early at 4:00 AM to get her to the airport for a 6:20 AM flight.  There were no tears-- just smiles all the way around.  I mean, it is only for three months and we get to see her halfway through, so I think we'll all be just fine.  Actually, we'll be better than fine.  

A few hours later we got a text and a picture of her from St Louis with her missionary tag and companion, Sister Miess.

We were so happy to see several pictures of the group beginning their rehearsals in Nauvoo today on the parents and families Facebook group.

Do you see her there in the USU sweatshirt?  There was a clip of then singing and it was like a choir of angels!!! I can't wait to hear the in person in July.

The Best Weekend Part 2

In addition to being Bethany's mission farewell before she heads off for the summer to be a Young Performing Missionary in Nauvoo, IL, it was also Mother's Day!  I can't remember ever having a happier Mother's Day.  

Thankfully we had church at 1:30 so we had plenty of time to put the finishing touches on the after gathering before church.  Bethany did a great job on her talk.  I was playing the organ and it was so lovely to look out at the congregation and see not only our full ward (we recently went back all together) of people we have loved for years, but also to see the faces of so many beloved family and friends.  

The bowtie boys were both sporting pins of the US flag and the Illinois state flag.

We consider our book club family our third extended family-- we have our Cannon family, our Fox family, and our book club family.  I like how Camille and Bethany were inadvertently twinning:)  What good taste they both have.

A few more of our favorite Foxy Ladies.

Elinor's cousin gang.

The D&D crew.

Jon and Misty and the gorgeous little ladies-- and the first of Hayden's photo bombing success stories.

Dear childhood friends-- Raven and Bethany

We had a nacho bar, which I was very pleased with.  Except that we ran out of taco meat.  I really thought the sixteen pounds I prepared would be way more than enough.  I was mistaken.  Ooops.  Note Hayden the photo bomber.

We were very grateful for the beautiful weather.  We wouldn't have fit very comfortably in the house.

We've gotten a lot of mileage from Abe's tents and tables from his Winder Farms days.

Raven, Elliot, Jacob, Maddy, Trevor, and Bethany

Lindsay and her fiance Andy, Marjorie, Chris, and Kyli.

Jules and Greta.

This amazing lady-- my sister-in-law Tiffany--will pull off two weddings within a week of each other this summer for her twin daughters.  And no doubt they will both be stunning.

I told you she was amazing!

Dave Young and Abe.

There was a fair amount of drama from these little ladies. 

Nikki and Bethany-- childhood neighbors and friends.  Nikki recently returned from a full time mission.

Bethany really hit the jackpot with great roommates up at Utah State.

They're pretty cute.

When everyone was done eating Bethany treated us to a little concert of a few of her original songs.  She did great and I am excited to see how her performance quality and confidence improves after a summer of performing in Nauvoo day in and day out.  I love this picture of Elise's adorable curls.

If you want to hear her first song she has professionally recorded and released on Spotify, Amazon Music, etc.  Just look up Bethany Fox-- Eleven Eleven.  

It was a magical day filled with all the best things in life and all the fruits of the spirit. 

And look what my beautiful daughter Alexa gave me for Mother's Day!  

The Best Weekend Part 1

 Today is Thursday, but we are still reeling from one of the best weekends of our lives!  Bethany went through the Jordan River Temple and received her endowment on Saturday and then spoke in Sacrament meeting on Sunday and had a farewell gathering at our home afterwards with so many of our family and friends.  Everything about the weekend was even better than we hoped it would be.

May 8th was a beautiful sunny day for a 10:00 am session.

We sure love this girl.

She was surrounded by family, friends, young women's leader, and mentors.  And of course, if she weren't limited to only 16 people, she would have loved to have so many more loved ones there as well.

All the endowed members of the Abe and Betsy Fox family.  Being in the temple all together was so wonderful.  So much light and goodness.  I am beyond grateful for the experience.

We love that Andrea has been another mother to Bethany and Clark.

We loved having three of Bethany's friends from USU come down for the temple-- Trevor, Maddy and Noah.  It's been so much fun to get to know them better.

Bethany and her cousin Kyli whom she adores.

Here is the Fox/Cannon family contingency.

Maddy is Bethany roommate up at school.  

Those that could make it enjoyed lunch afterwards at Schmidt's Pastry Cottage.  I really like that place-- there is something for everyone, it's delicious and it's not usually very crowded.  But besides the food, the company and conversations was the BEST!

Here's a cool story-- Trevor was a missionary in the Orem, Utah mission, back when Riverton was part of the that mission.  HE ACTUALLY SERVED IN OUR WARD!  I mean, that doesn't mean that we actually knew him- missionaries in Utah tend to cover a lot of wards so they don't necessarily spend a lot of time in all the wards.  But still-- for him it was coming back to his mission.  So when he came to the farewell the next day, he knew people in the ward.  Small world, huh?

Trevor actually stayed at our house over the weekend and he fit right in-- Here was a hysterical moment Friday night during a game of "silent Pit" (highly recommend) when most of us were losing our minds trying to get all the cards we needed.  

Saturday night was a rousing game of The Great Dalmuti-- even if Clark and Jacob Endemano are big cheaters!!!  We love them anyway.

There was a lot of laughter in he house all weekend.

Trevor was a very good sport about his entourage of adoring fans.

Sleeping In My Van

 

One of us is happier than the other to be leaving the house at 4:35 AM.  Faith has started 5 AM practices in Lehi on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 6 AM on Saturday, in addition to afternoon practices five days a week.  Basically she is a BEAST and as soon as she's eaten after a practice, she is just living to get to the next practice.  She loves the Lehi Aquatics swim team.  It's worth the drives and the early morning to see her working so hard and loving it so much.

When I drive her down in the mornings I often walk in the neighborhood surrounding the rec center.  But occasionally I am tired...

... I sleep on a bench in my van like a homeless person.  

And then I take a selfie of myself sleeping like a homeless person--- because I'm a dork like that.

She likes being outdoors for the afternoon practices.

We had Bethany home for a few days and I had to get a picture of the violin girls together. 

Several of my siblings recently went out to dinner to celebrate my dad's 70th birthday.  We went to Los Cucos in Sandy-- the company and the food were fantastic.  We really must go out together more often.

This ring was my Grandma Beth Clark's wedding ring.  I don't know if it was her original ring, or one she got later in their marriage.  Somehow, when my mom passed away I ended up with this ring and a few years ago I started wearing it and I really, really liked it.  It was rather bent up and a little too big.  Abe had been wanting to take it into a jeweler to get it fixed up-- a new, thicker band and replaced prongs.  He wanted to have it partly be from him, if this was the wedding ring I wanted to wear.  

I thought it was somewhat unnecessary, but since I tend to be less sentimental than Abe, I was willing to follow his lead.  And I must confess that when I saw this ring all gussied up so sparkly I was enchanted.  I love it more than ever and I do love that it meant so much to Abe.  He's pretty great that way.  

Saturday evening we went to a graduation party for a long-time family friend-- Matthew Johansen.  He is the older brother of Bethany and Elinor's closest childhood friends..

Greta went to town eating churros...

... and cotton candy.  And now she's been sick with a cold all week.

We love the Johansens are are so glad that we still get to associate with one another even though they don't live in our neighborhood anymore.