Letting Go....

December 7, 2015

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 On the 28th of November we joined The Boy and his beautiful fiance
 at the Draper Utah Temple. It was a very special day full of tender mercies. 
 It was a cold and snowy day...
it was perfect!
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Aunt Cedar drove from Idaho to be with us which made the day extra special! 
 We didn't expect to know anyone in the temple that day, 
but it turned out that some very special people "just happened" to be 
there when they had not idea that we would be there.
 I love it when those blessings happen.
I sent the photo of us in front of this beautiful temple to our family that was not
able to be with us that day.  One of my dear sister's-in-law replied with this...
"I can't help but notice how tightly you are holding on to your boy's arm...you are just
about to let him go...I am guessing these are very tender, bitter sweet moments."
And she was very observant!  I guess I really didn't know how tight I was holding 
on to him.  Although as thrilled as we are, it is a change.  
A change for our little family...our clan.  
It's time for that Boy of ours to begin his new life with his bride,
He is ready...she is ready...
Together they will be great!
We are grateful...We are blessed.

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October 29, 2015

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Dear Precious,
 You are 21! Where did the time go?
It seems like it was just yesterday that you were a newborn...a huge fat baby
amidst the tiny preemie babies in the NICU section of the hospital.  Ten days later you were in the
arms of your big brother who could only mutter the words "Babe...Babe..." over and over
again as he patted you so tenderly.  And now you are  a beautiful young woman with so many
hopes and dreams.  You have had a rough year.  You have had so many challenges that you never
thought would be yours, and you have navigated through them with such grace and strength. You
have amazed your parents with your goodness and with your desire to be your best.  Thank you for
blessing our family.  Thank you for blessing your parents...For lending your strength to us when we have needed it...
For loving your brothers and being their biggest fans.
Thank you for helping us laugh and laugh and laugh!
Thank you for being you!
We are blessed that you are our daughter.
Heavenly Father know you PreSh...he knows the desires of your heart...
and He will bless you with those desires....
This I know for sure!
Thank you for choosing to be our girl!
I love you madly!
SMOOCHIE!!

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Grateful...

September 8, 2015

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It was a beautiful weekend for our family. 
13 years ago The Rooster was only 5 years old and The Farmer was
called to serve in church leadership in our area. 
The Rooster is now 18...and 
The Farmer has finished with this assignment.
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It has been a great 13 years...but it has also been a very difficult 13 years.
 The Darlings sacrificed the most I think. 
But we have been blessed. 
I am grateful that The Farmer will answer a call to serve God, 
no matter the location, or what may be required of him.
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These great men spent the weekend in our home. 
 They taught us, and they loved us.
 It felt like we were old friends when the weekend was done. 
Our family is looking forward to seeing a little more of that Farmer of ours...
 I am grateful for the experience of the past 13 years...
and I am looking forward to the future.
   stake presidency - sept 2015

Picks and Shovels...

August 28, 2015

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“God gives the picks and shovels to the ‘chosen’ 
because they are willing to go to work 
and get callouses on their hands.” 
Gordon B. Hinckley
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We have big changes ahead for our family.
 A release for The Farmer...a marriage...and many more changes. 
They are all good changes.
 I am so grateful that he has labored with such commitment and love. 
 He has been a wonderful example of 
 "Enduring to the end." 
I love him so much for that.

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It's Official!!...Part 2

July 28, 2015

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The Boy worked and worked, laying out each and every letter that spelled the special 
messages for his Girl. He calculated...he measured....he worked...he sweated ;)
...and finally it was done. Ready for the plane ride. Uncle Dave first flew over the 
Colonia Juarez temple...a perfect beginning.
Next he flew over the lake...which was near the spot that the words were written. 
Finally he flew in the direction of the message...he lined up the plane, flew a little lower and
passed over the words that would change The Boy's life. 
The first pass by...His Girl didn't see it!
 Coached by PreShie...the next pass by was perfect.
 PreSh and Uncle Dave caught it all on video and It was perfect! 
The Farmer and I, along with Grandma Vicki were waiting there by the 
words as they flew over...it was a pretty special moment.

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Back on Uncle Ron's runways...where they would land...waited our family... 
And The Boy of course. It was just what he wanted...to be surrounded by the 
people who helped raise him, The people he loves and who love him...the most. 
And then the big moment came....

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The plane landed. And then this happened....

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We then headed back to our house for a celebration dinner...
again...perfectly planned out by The Boy. 
We had Enchiladas...red and green, rice, salad, steaks...
and watermelon. A perfect ending to a pretty perfect day!!

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It's Official!!...Part 1

July 24, 2015

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Around this time last year we were on our annual vacation to Utah. 
 The Boy was there working trying to earn money for the next school year. 
 Presh was getting ready to enter the MTC, and The Rooster was just having a good time!
 The Boy would spend most days with us...at least the days that he wasn't working. 
 It was a really great time for our family. Anyway, during this time The Boy met a really
 beautiful and kind girl. He called one afternoon and asked if we didn't mind if he 
brought her over so we could meet her. Of course we thought that would be fine 
and then we waited for them to arrive. Our rented house was filled with
visiting cousins from AZ.
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Certainly the little cousins were excited to meet The Boy's "friend." 
 I wondered if this girl he was bringing over would be completely overwhelmed 
with the energy that filled our house. I thought that might scare her away pretty quickly. 
 It really was quite a crowd! The time finally came and they arrived together. 
 The cousins were peeking out the window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her before 
they reached the door step. I heard things like..."they are here!!!"..."oh wow...she's so pretty!"
 and then they rushed to the door waiting for The Boy to open it. It was a fun scene to watch. 
 The door opened and there they were...and yes...she was beautiful! 
 But even better than that...she was sweet, kind and patient with all of those sweet 
cousins who wanted to talk to her and hug her. Immediately she jumped right in and
 helped serve cake and ice cream...chatting with everyone around her. 
 And then I thought..."she is fitting right in...interesting!"
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We spent the rest of our summer days in Utah getting to know The Boy's "Girl"
more and more. The more we got to know her, the more we like her. 
 Some were even heard to suggest that we keep her, in exchange for The Boy! 
 Our vacation was finally done and we headed back home. 
PreSh entered her mission, The Rooster began his Senior year and The Boy 
returned to USU for another semester of college and
The Boy..and his Girl continued to date and fall in love.
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Nearly a year passed and it was becoming quite clear that The Boy was smitten.
 Finally, he came home for Spring Break. During this time he confided in The Farmer that 
he was in love. He would say things like..."I love that she is always happy!"...
"I love that she is always so kind"...and he began to think about marriage. 
 At the end of the Spring semester he left for Texas to work. One afternoon I got a text from 
The Boy...it said..."I kind of bought a wedding ring" to which I responded...
"you either did or you didn't...there is no "kind of"....to which he replied...
"I did." We were thrilled!!! So happy with his decision and who he had chosen. 
 He planned the week to come home...that's where he wanted to be when he proposed to her
...and began to come up with the perfect proposal. The plan was put in place. 
 His Girl would fly to Mesa where Grandma S. would pick her up and drive her to Mexico. 
 A great excuse to have the Grandma there too! Once there Uncle Dave would take 
her on a plane ride along with PreSh and The Rooster. They would circle the Colonia Juarez 
temple and then they would fly over a special message that was written out for her on 
Grandpa Max's old runway. They would then fly back to Uncle Ron's runway where 
they would land, and The Boy would be waiting surrounded by family.
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So off they went....
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