The last couple of weeks

Since the start of this blog I don't think I've gone so long without a post. The last couple weeks have been busy to say the least- and I'm just now finding the time to recap. There have been some difficult moments the last couple weeks for sure- but with those moments there have also been many blessings and tender mercies.

1. The GRE is done! This is probably the number one reason I have not written on my blog lately. Through all that I've been keeping up with, if there was ever a spare moment I was trying to squeeze in some studying. I've been wanting to post about why I'm doing this and all that- but I think that will have to come with more details in another post. Basically though I'm trying my luck at getting into the CIDE program (under the education department) at BYU for a MA degree. Historically I've never been much of a test taker- and since its been 7 years since I've had to go to school or study, and10 or more since math it was a major review. I didn't have a ton of time, and the time I had was cramped with a lot of activities- but Saturday from 8am to about noon I sat in a testing center and took the test. Didn't do fabulous- but not horrible either. I'm hoping that it'll be enough to not hinder my acceptance into the program since I really don't want to take it again. I'm most thankful that its over. Saturday when I got home I finally took down my fall/thanksgiving decorations and put up some Christmas ones, and even started compiling my Christmas card list and addressing some envelopes. It felt good to have time for things like that.

2. My first time hosting a big Thanksgiving dinner. The only other time I've hosted Thanksgiving was when I was in Guatemala- but I don't really count that because it was just me, Rebecca, and two sister missionaries- and there were no turkeys to be found- so we did whole roasted chickens- and everything was pretty simple (boxed mashed potatoes, gravy mixes, canned corn, etc.) Jakes whole family pretty much came- his mom, brother and sister and law with their daughter, sister brother-and law with their two kids- and then Brea and Tom are already here. Jake's mom did stay with Brea to help ease sleep space and shower times here- but everyone was here during the days. I did all kinds of searching to find the best brine and basting recipes and cooking methods I could. Also searched for the best rated rolls and appetizer ideas. Then of course there was figuring out how to seat everyone in our small dining area and setting the tables to look somewhat festive. It all turned out pretty well. Jake's family helped out of course- preparing the cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, yams, and rolls. It truly was a fest. They are a fun and crazy bunch, and the whole weekend was full of lots of activities- and when we weren't busy I tried to cram in a little studying.

3. My family's surprise visit to town. Unfortunatley it wasn't under the best of circumstances- but it was a neat experience anyway. My mom called me Saturday morning and told me my cousin Eric (age 31) had passed away during the night- What??? About a year ago he was diagnosed with colan cancer- but as far as I knew- though treatments had been difficult- he seemed to be doing okay. She told me that she would be riding back to Utah with my brother Garrett the next day and then ride home with my uncle Mike (who's already left) after the funeral. It worked out well that all of Jake's family left Sunday morning/afternoon so that I could quickly wash sheets and get everything ready for my mom and grandma to stay with me. All of my aunts and uncles came to town for the funeral- and several cousins. It was really neat to see how the whole family came to support my aunt and uncle through the difficult time. There were many tender mercies surrounding the passing- the greatest one being that he had been able to spend Thankgsiving (prepared the meal almost single handedly) with his dad, mom and sister (the only one missing- his brother in Washington. They were sweet moments apparently- him trying to show them how much he loved them and telling them of the dreams he'd been having of grandpa coming to visit him. Though it was still a shock of course to find him Saturday morning- those last moments really did make his passing much easier. They all felt very lucky to have been with him his last few days.

Well- this is a very quick overview- there have been many other fun things as well.
Monday we got our Christmas tree, Thursday we took the boys on the "Polar Express", I got a girls night out to see Twilight and Jake and I went on a date to see the new Bond movie. We had a fun ward Christmas party Saturday evening.

Josh got sick and threw up 3 times last night- but fortunatly seems to be doing better this morning- and though now I'm not feeling too hot- I'm sure we'll all survivie!