Welcome Home Elder!

My brother, Elder Dillon Chad Falslev who has been serving the people of the greater Portland, Oregon area has returned home! What a marvelous day. My sister, Megan, and her two boys were also able to fly in from Juneau, Alaska to be here for his big return. It was so much fun to have the family all together again (minus Zach)! Here is the moment we eagerly awaited for 2 short yet long years:







Megan said that she imagines our return to heaven to be similar to that which we experienced in the airport that day and I would have to agree. It’s good to have Dillon back. While Megan was here we got to spend some great time together as a family. The day after Dill got home we all went on a shopping trip to get him and Megan some new clothes (Juneau has NO place to shop for clothes and Dill out grew a lot of his clothes), the four ‘kids’ stayed up late listening to Dillon’s missionary stories, adding in where we could, and just enjoying some time together. It was really nice to be able to have all of us together for a little while again. We also went bowling, shooting, watched a few movies, played some games, and just enjoyed being with each other again. Dax sure did find a way to keep us laughing. One morning, this is what we woke up to:


Twinners!


Shooting



Dax so happy with his bowling ball

We were able to take a 4 generation picture while Megan was here
Our family was very blessed while Dillon was on his mission. There were several layoffs that could have affected my dad but he was safe through all of them. Hopefully, that blessing continues. My mom was able to find a full-time job, Megan and Zach were able to have their second healthy baby boy, Easton, Brett was able to get into PT school, and by some miracle I was able to finish a Master’s degree. We are so grateful for his faithful and diligent service. We can see how much he has grown and how much he loves our Lord and Savior. Dillon says that one of the hardest things he had to go through while being on his mission was losing one of his best friends, Jake Hawks. I can still remember that awful day in August (2009) and how I hated making the call to his mission Pres – I had to do it because my mom couldn’t even speak a clear word without sobbing. That one experience very earlier on, prepared him for finding and serving the people of Oregon. He had no one but the Lord to rely on when he got the news and I’m sure the pain was unbearable at times. But I know, and he knows that the Lord was there to comfort him and that it needed to happen so that he could learn how to teach the people of Oregon to rely on the Savior. It’s an experience that I wish never had to have happened and the Jake could still be here with us now but Jake helped Dillon serve his mission better and I believe Jake had to die on that day not because he was being reckless but the Lord knew that Jake’s influence would save hundreds of people; people’s lives were changed, not just in Dillon’s area but in several other areas around the world with missionaries who were also struggling with the same loss of their friend. Thank you Jake for helping my brother be a better missionary and for the influence that you have had on people around the world.
Now that phase of Dillon’s life is over we wish him the best of luck with the years to come and the reality check that is settling in. Welcome home Elder!

We Survived!

This post is a bit over due but the reality of actually being done with school is just setting in so it seems like perfect timing.
The past 2 years I have spent in the Master's program at Utah State University studying Marriage and Family Therapy, which has been the most challenging, yet rewarding experience that I have ever had in my life. I have been pushed mentally, physically, emotionally, and even spiritually. There were times that I seriously considered what on earth I was putting myself through and if it was worth it. But I will assure you that it was and is worth it! I remember a few times when I would burst into tears for pretty much no apparent reason and Brett would look at me like 'what have you done with my wife? Can i have her back now, please?!?' He has been a huge support to me through it all and am sure glad I didn't have to go through all of that alone. The people that I spent the last two years with truly have made a lasting imprint on my heart and soul (oh man - that's cheesy but oh so true!). They are wonderful, incredible human beings who supported me, teased me, made me cry, made me laugh, and kept me going. They have helped me grow in so many ways. I was blessed to be able to be in such a great cohort. They were awesome! Thanks f or all the good times guys!

We spent much of last week just partying, eating, and having fun. We went to one of our professors house (Thanks Kay!). He did his undergrad degree in concert piano so he played for us. His son, Parker, has mad skills on the electric guitar but says he is not very good because he's only been taking for 6 months. He's amazing and pretty much my hero. Kay's wife, Glenna, is a singer. She sings in the MOTAB and has an incredible voice. We even talked her into singing for us and it gave me the chills. They have a beautiful family and we were so lucky to be able to get the chance to be in their home and share their talents with them. Here's a picture of the whole gang, my cohort, the 1st year cohort, and Kay.

The next night 4 of us from the cohort got together and went shooting, had dutch oven potatoes and chicken, and sat around the fire. A great time was had by all. Of course some photos to document the occasion.


On Friday, May 6, 2011 I graduated with my Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy! YAHOO! Brett's ceremony was the next day but he decided not to walk and after sitting through mine, we were all glad we didn't have to sit through another one! Here are a few pictures to document the occasion.

Evidence of the hooding, the walk across the stage, and shaking hands with a whole bunch of people i don't even know, just to get this empty book...

Everyone from the MFT program that walked with us from left to right, Kay Bradford (professor), Justin Gordon, Jonathan Zabriski, Heather Thompson, Stephanie Hebert, Me, Wade Stewart (didn't walk because he's finishing his thesis but was there to support), Emma Hanks, Jeff Allen (his kids are in front) and the director of the MFT Program, Scot Allgood.

My AWESOME cohort (l to r): Stephanie Hebert, Justin Gordon, Me, Wade Stewart, Emma Hanks, and Jeff Allen

The best in-laws ever!

My cute parents

The graudates

No graduation celebration is complete without some good food or cake. We ate the Bluebird and had cake there too.

cutting the cake - Precious!

My cousin, Jacob, graduated with his Undergrad on Sat, so we had a little ice cream party that evening to celebrate with the three Grads.

Flowers that I got from everyone all looked great in one vase.
Brett graduated with a BS in English, emphasis Technical Writing with a minor in Biology and Chemistry. It has taken him 7 years to figure out what he wanted to be when he grows up (the growing up still hasn't happened yet) but he has decided on Physical Therapy. He has been accepted to Sacred Heart University and University of Florida. We have to make the big decision by May 12 (THIS THURSDAY!) Please cast your vote as to which school you would like us to attend the most, taking into account that you WILL be out for a visit.
Thanks for everyone, expecially our families, for the love and support through all of the tough decisions and the hard times of school. We sure appreciate your love and prayers.
Now it is on to bigger and better things! Don't forget to cast your vote....

Happy Birthday Brett!

Brett turned 27 today. What an OLD man he is turning into.... Brett had LAX practice tonight so we were not able to celebrate his birthday much on the actual day (today). But he has been well taken care of this year. He got to open presents a few days earlier because I couldn't take his whining anymore. I had all of his presents and didn't know if I was going to have a lot of time at home without him being home, so I wrapped them and set them in our front room last Wednesday (6 days prior to his actual birthday). Well his whining was relentless. He started whining on Thursday about how he 'just can't take not knowing what is inside' and by Saturday I couldn't take the whining anymore and so he got to open them all up a few days before his birthday. One good thing that I did learn was that if I don't want Brett to open his presents before his birthday, well then, I better not put them out early at all. What a funny guy!
Because he'd already opened all of his presents and we went out for birthday dinner to Savannah's BBQ Grill on Saturday after the Priesthood session (which is EXCELLENT by the way and if you haven't tried it - you should) I thought I needed to do something on his actual day to help make him feel special. I tried REALLY hard.... and failed miserably!
First off, I went over to my in-laws because I'm working on a project and needed their computer. So I threw some cake batter together, (by this I mean, I cut the plastic bag it was in and dumped 3 different ingredients in and stirred it together, of course, breaking a sweat while doing all of that), I forgot to check and see if anything was in the oven before turning it on and a few minutes later, smelling a burning smell, realized that there was a plastic spatula and frying pan in the oven. OOPS! I grabbed the closest thing I could find (dish rag) and grabbed the plastic spatula - BAD IDEA! It stuck right too it. After getting that taken care of, I put the cake in and got back to work on my project. A few minutes later there was a sweet aroma in the air. About 15 minutes later, there is once again, a BuRniNg smell coming from the kitchen. I go to see what could possibly be wrong now.... Sure enough, the cake had boiled over the sides of the pan and was spilling everywhere inside of the oven.... Great! Just a reminder, this is NOT my oven... Well great, what am I going to do now?!? I checked their pantry for a new cake mix - they had a few but not two that are the same. I need two because I'm taking it to Brett at LAX practice and there are about 40 people that are going to want some. Find a brownie mix buried in the back of my pantry, run to the Newton Market to pick up a second package, run back to in-laws, clean up the cake disaster, and threw the brownies in the oven.
Meanwhile, the whole time I'm thinking that the project in the next room is working out just fine.... NOPE! Everything is going disastrous in there too! UGH!
Finally, the brownies come out alive and finally smelling oh so tasty. At least I can still attempt to make Brett feel loved on his birthday.
When I show up to practice, he is just about to do agility drills with the players, when he blew his whistle for them to start, instead of starting they proceeded to chase his down, tackle him to the ground, and then the whole team doggie-piled him. It was great. It all happened so fast that I wasn't able to set down the tray of brownies in time to get to my camera so you'll just have to trust me that it happened. But here are a few pictures of the FINALLY successful birthday brownies for Brett. Whew!
His Birthday Haul
Being silly.... It's a great look him, don't you think?
Yet, another very stylish, sexy look for Brett
Brett on his 27th Birthday
The Brownies
Brett with the team
Happy Birthday Sweetheart. I love you!

Love is in the Air...

It's now becoming spring in little Cache Valley and the weather is doing lots of crazy things. It will rain one day, snow the next, then be nearly 60 degrees. Gotta love the spring weather. Even better is the feeling of LOVE that seems to come right along with spring. Just a few things to show that Love is in the air and we are loving the side effects at our house.
My dear friend Heidi got engaged and is planning on getting married either sometime in June or July. We are so happy for them and are excited to have childless couples to hang out with once again.
Brooklyn and Gracie (Brett's nieces) came for a sleep over at our house last weekend. While they were there Brooklyn and Gracie wanted to dress up.... So we did. Here are the beautiful gals! Brooklyn said to me after she was all 'dolled up': "I wish Payden (her boyfriend) was here to see me. He would fall over because I am so beautiful." Man I love that girl!




As a side note - we made an awesome "fork" for the gals to sleep in and I would have to say it was quite comfy. I had a great nap in there the next day. :) I just love being an aunt. I get to have all the fun with the kids and then send them on home and get a good night's sleep the next night.

Dustin got married last night! YAHOO! Many of our prayers were answered when he finally said "I DO" yesterday. We are so excited for him and just love his wife, Katie. I'm kind of lame and didn't ever get a good picture of them together on the big day. But here are a few pics that I was able to snap.







A few weeks ago, we were able to go to St George for Spring Break with Heidi and Scott. We loved the warm weather and even got a little color back to our pasty-white skin. Here are just a few pics of the hiking that we did.




"Sea of Galilee"

It was my both of my parents 50th Birthday and we decided to throw them a big party. There were lots of people that came to visit and share their love with them. My parents are the best and have the best friends. They were glad to be able to visit with many people that they do not get a chance to see very often. Here is a pic of the two in their birthday shirts with their cake.

A few weeks ago, my dad also did an awesome thing... He put his tractor in the river... Ok, it didn't go into the actual river but it was pretty darn close and he is SUPER lucky that it wasn't worse than it was. It's just a good thing that they live in Benson and pretty much everyone has a tractor. So half of Benson 1st ward showed up to "do their home teaching" and pull him out. The pictures really don't do it justice but it was pretty funny. Again, just a few pictures to give you an idea.