Road Trip 2014- Part One

This summer is slipping away, and it is time for me to record some of the great adventures we have had these past couple of months!

It is interesting how things just kind of unfold and work out...earlier in the year we knew that Dad and Pat were getting ready for their church mission but of course, we didn't know where they would be going.  We kind of knew that with them leaving we probably wouldn't be doing our annual summer trip to Utah.  Then they got their mission call....to Stillwater, Oklahoma...which is almost exactly half way between here and San Antonio, Texas.  And we have been wanting to take the whole family to Texas for a long time.  It seemed like a no-brainer and before we knew it, we were headed off on our road trip 2014!

Our first destination was Oklahoma, and we were SO excited to anticipate seeing Grandma and Grandpa as missionaries!!  I felt just as excited as my kids!  The drive was about 9-10 hours which actually seemed pretty short to us!!  Luke was not super happy about his road trip, but he managed to survive.

The drive down was beautiful...after being in the Midwest all these years, we truly find such beauty in the green rolling hills, the farm fields and flat land.  The open space and enormous sky is something to behold.  If you ever think the world is crowded, just come to the Midwest.  We just love it.  We drove through some storms in Kansas which was exciting.

And then, finally, we saw the turn off for Stillwater...and we were there!!!  We checked into our hotel and called Dad and Pat to let them know we had arrived....it was so thrilling to see them  as full-time missionaries.  They looked so happy!!!!  After lots of hugs, we headed to Braum's (an Oklahoma favorite!) for some yummy dinner.

After we ate, I got to go to their Institute class that they teach each week on the Book of Mormon.  They are amazing teachers, and I was thankful to Tod for unpacking all our stuff and swimming with all 5 kids so that I could enjoy their class.  It was neat to see Dad and Pat "in action"...teaching, interacting with the students, learning and serving.  I am so proud of them.

The next day, we were all anxious to see Stillwater.  First stop was Elder and Sister Anderson's apartment: 

 The kids loved walking around the surrounding lake and area:

These kids absolutely love their grandparents.  It is hard to put into words that gratitude I feel for the examples that they are to my children.

Next stop was the Institute Building where Dad and Pat spend lots of their time.  There are places for the college students to play, cook, learn and just be together.  If I had a college student, I would love for them to hang out in a place like this!

Right next door is the actual Oklahoma State University campus.  I just love college campuses, and our kids have really enjoyed visiting different campuses in different states.  OSU was wonderful.  We loved exploring and seeing all the orange that is everywhere!

After a Chick-Fil-A lunch and trip to the bookstore, we ventured down the road to Boone-Pickens Stadium...wow, it was a very impressive stadium and was a highlight of the trip for Snarr.  We love college football, so seeing this was quite legendary.

At this point, everyone was getting tired, so it was time to head back to the hotel for some swimming!

That night we ate at another famous Oklahoma restaurant called Eskimo Joe's....it was so yummy.  I am still dreaming about the cheese fries!

 I really need to find this sign for Tod to hang in our house!

Oh what a good day we had!!  As we were driving around, one of our kids said, "Maybe we should move to Stillwater!"  It was a really neat place and felt like the "right" place for Dad and Pat as they are on this mission.  After dinner, we came back to their cozy apartment for movie night.  We all enjoyed "Mary Poppins" and of course, Pat prepared yummy treats for all!

Even though I was anxious to get to Texas, I was really dreading the next morning of saying good-bye.  I really do not like saying good-bye...and especially not to my dad.  But I just kept telling myself that I am going to come back to Stillwater while they are there!  I love them both so much.  They sent us on our way with a box full of sack lunches for the road.  We were all thrilled with the sweet effort they had gone too..filling our lunches with healthy food and fun surprises (car activities for the kids, magazines, etc.)  It was so thoughtful and really indicative of these two great individuals.  We are SO blessed to have them in our lives.  I am so thankful that we were able to spend time with them and see their mission area.  We loved our time in Oklahoma.

A Very Special Weekend

So along with turning eight, Regan had even more reasons to celebrate...as many of you know, age eight is very special in our church...it is when you can finally be baptized and became an official member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  And Regan was so excited and ready for this big step.  She had been preparing for a long time and looking forward to this special event.
I have a dear friend who recently moved away...but before she left she snapped some priceless photos of my Regan girl.

Regan's baptism was especially memorable because she was able to be baptized with her dear cousin, Kayla (Tod's sister's daughter).  These two little girls are just a month apart and have always seemed like twins!  They are very close and so it seemed perfect that they could take this big step together.  We love Kayla and her family so much.

After having a couple of children baptized, I learned to arrive early and do the picture taking before the event!  I'm not sure how everyone else felt, but I was thrilled to get all these special photos taken (love the Iowa corn in the back!)

Right before the service, Grandma presented the girls with their very own sets of scriptures.  They were thrilled!

Finally, it was time for the actual baptism and these girls were bursting with joy and excitement!

It was beautiful...some things to remember about the day...all the wonderful friends who came to support Regan, the way the girls glowed after they were baptized, the beautiful blessings that Tod gave each of them, the special necklace that Regan wore that belonged to my mom- I wore it on my wedding day and Ashton and Jordan each wore it on their baptism day, how Regan kept saying, "I am clean! I am clean!", the overwhelming feeling of love.

My Dad and Pat were not able to attend the baptism since they are currently missionaries in Oklahoma.  Of course, we missed them dearly but knew that we would be seeing them just a few days later.  But they made sure to follow through with one of their baptism traditions of having a quilt made for the grandchild.  The quilts are made by my dear Grandma Mary.  Regan was so happy about her beautiful blanket.  What a treasure!

We are so proud of Regan for her choice to be baptized.  We know that as she makes good choices, she will find much happiness in her life.  We love her so much!

After the baptism, we had a barbecue at the house to celebrate the day.  Of course, I didn't get any pictures because it was so hectic, but it was really fun and enjoyable.  It was a wonderful day!