Traveling
- St. George - I made it to St. George twice this year - President's Day weekend and Thanksgiving. It was nice to relax and spend time with my parents. This year included hiking in and around Snow Canyon; biking the river trail and into Zion's National Park on Thanksgiving - really fun; putting up Christmas decorations and watching Hallmark movies (two of my favorite things); and the temple.
- Phoenix - Cari and I went on a first ever sisters' trip. It was really fun! We spent Easter weekend in Phoenix attending the three temples in that city (Mesa, Phoenix, and Gilbert), watching the Mesa Arizona Easter Pageant, and hiking most of Camelback Mountain. It was a great weekend and fun new tradition (I hope)!
- Kansas City to St. Louis - I spent a long weekend meeting up with Mom and Dad on part of their cross country trip. I got to drive across Missouri with them. I flew into Kansas City and we attended the Kansas City Temple, visited the Independence Visitors' Center and the Harry Truman Library. Then we got to visit Sedalia and head on to Jefferson City for a couple of nights. We stayed near the state capitol building and explored that as well as the path along the Missouri River (which was extremely high and muddy this May) and the MKT Trail in Columbia. We watched a few tornado clouds along the way, too, which was kind of exciting! (We're not in Kansas anymore.) Then we made our way to St. Louis. We biked part of the Katy Trail in St. Charles, attended the St. Louis Temple, saw the St. Louis Arch, and walked across part of the famous Eads Bridge. It was really fun to explore Missouri and spend time with my parents.
- San Diego, Oahu, and The Big Island - The big trip this year was to Hawaii and it was wonderful! We met as an immediate family and spouses on the Big Island for a week. Some of the highlights included Waipio Valley, our own private beach (with manta rays and sea urchins), Pu'uhonua O'Hanaunau, swimming/kayaking with the dolphins at Kealakekua Bay, sunset at Kahaluu Beach and Makalawena Beach, Punaluu Black Sand Beach with the turtles, Volcanoes National Park, waterfalls of Hilo, Saddle Road, the Waikaloa, Pololu Valley, Kailua-Kona town walking, and the Kona Hawaii Temple. I left a few days early to stop in San Diego where I visited the San Diego Temple and the Mormon Battalion Historic Site and the sea lions at La Jolla. Then I got to visit Oahu for a couple of days to do all my favorite things - sunrise at Lanikai, hike to the bunker, run the beach from the boat ramp to the rock, swim at Kalama Beach, Kailua pool, Makapuu, hike to the lighthouse, Kokohead Stairs, and friends at church in the Keolu Ward. It was a wonderful trip!
- New York City - It was a real highlight to spend Christmas weekend with Matt and Megan and their family in New York City. It was rainy and freezing but wonderful! I walked nearly 50 miles while I was there from Times Square, to the Upper West Side and all the "You've Got Mail" sites, to Riverside Church and Columbia University, to Central Park (and the Columbus Circle Holiday Market), to the Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park, Wall Street, the Freedom Tower, Washington Square Park, Soho, Greenwich, the Flatiron Building, to Bryant Park, the Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall (and the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular), the High Line, Chelsea Market, Christmas Eve Children's Nativity Mass at St. Paul the Apostle Church, the Lincoln Center and to Church/the Temple. It was fun to see the city all decorated for Christmas and to explore, but the best part was spending time with Matt's family. Some of my favorite things - scootering around town and the Bryant Park "race track" (even in the cold and rain), learning about all the subways, finding all the best parks and bagels and books, watching and singing Star Wars, racing cars, putting together puzzles, acting out the nativity, eating chocolate and all of Megan's delicious dishes, praying, playing, and just talking and being together. :)
I read 90 books this year, plus the Book of Mormon twice. The first time through I studied about love and charity - and it's FULL of love! ;) The second time through I studied about Jesus Christ, his names/titles, his words, his characteristics, and his mission - I learned a lot about our Heavenly Father, as well, and our Savior's mission and love. Truly the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ and the plan of salvation, our purpose here on earth. I'm grateful for it and know it's the word of God. This was a wonderful experience and I hope to continue this focus as I read the Old Testament next year! I also read much of the Doctrine and Covenants, and about 1,100 General Conference talks (from 1983 to 2001). I'm grateful for chances to learn and study.
Here were some of my favorites books of 2017:
- Seek This Jesus by Neill F. Marriott
- That We May Be One: A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family by Tom Christofferson
- One by One by David A. Bednar
- Be Thou An Example by Gordon B. Hinckley
- Changed Through His Grace by Brad Wilcox
- Worth the Wrestle by Sheri Dew
- Planted: Belief and Belonging in an Age of Doubt by Patrick Q. Mason
- Love Kindness: Discover the Power of a Forgotten Christian Virtue by Barry H. Corey
- Let God Love You: why we don't, how we can by Wendy Ulrich
- Loveable: Embracing What Is Truest About You, So You Can Truly Embrace Your Life by Kelly Flanagan
- Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
- Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption by Bryan Stevenson
- Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson by Gordon S. Wood
- Joseph Smith: The Prophet and Seer by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
- How We Got the Book of Mormon by Richard E. Turley, Jr.
- The Inevitable Apostasy and the Promised Restoration by Tad R. Callister
- The First Fifty Years of Relief Society: Key Documents in Latter-Day Saint Women's History by Jill Mulvay Derr
- At the Pulpit: 185 Years of Discourses by Latter-day Saint Women by Jennifer Reeder
- The Witness of Women: Firsthand Experiences and Testimonies from the Restoration by Janiece Johnson
- QB: My Life Behind the Spiral by Steve Young
- An Unseen Angel: A Mother's Story of Faith, Hope and Healing after Sandy Hook by Alissa Parker
- Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
- Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan
- The Girl With Seven Names: A North Korean Defector's Story by Hyeonseo Lee
- A Hope More Powerful Than the Sea: One Refugee's Incredible Story of Love, Loss, and Survival by Melissa Fleming
- The Lightless Sky: A Twelve-Year-Old Refugee's Harrowing Escape from Afghanistan and His Extraordinary Journey Across Half the World by Gulwali Passarlay
- The Boy Who Spoke to the Earth by Chris Burkard
- Temples - This year (in addition to the weekly temple visits here in the Salt Lake valley) I attended six new temples - Mesa Arizona, Phoenix Arizona, Gilbert Arizona, Kansas City Missouri, St. Louis Missouri, and San Diego California. I'm grateful for the blessings of the temple in my life!
- Service - I finished my weekly teaching at the ESLC in May, but have filled in as a sub a few times and still enjoy being a part of the community and learning with the sweet refugees. I also helped at a Mother's Day event for homeless women in May, and was a hostess again at the Festival of Trees in November. I also started to develop a giving strategy, setting aside some money that I'd like to give each year to worthy causes to help make a difference for good in the world and community.
- Church - I was involved in my ward this year and got to know a lot of people, mostly through visiting teaching and missionary outreach - we had two baptism this year. I also enjoyed our ward choir and a chance to sing in an interfaith concert in April.
- Fitness and Nature - I ran the American Fork Half Marathon in June (my new favorite half - I might have to do it again). I also spent a good amount of time hiking and in nature - my happy place! I tried to bring along friends and family a few more times this year, which was fun. Some of the highlights include Lake Blanche, Red Pine Lake, White Pine Lake, the Snowbird Tram, Willow Heights Lake, Dog Lake, Cecret Lake, Albion Basin, Lakes Mary, Martha, and Catherine, Bell Canyon, The Living Room, and lots of other adventures in Big and Little Cottonwood Canyons and the Draper trails. I'm grateful for our Heavenly Father's beautiful creations and how being out in them helps me feel close to Him!
- Relationships - This year I tried to focus more on individual relationships with family, friends, and everyone around me. I don't know that I made it to my goal of 365 thank you notes, but I was more conscious of goodness and blessings around me and tried to express that any chance I got to friends and strangers.
- Other Events - I finished up as our BYU MPA class rep this year, but not before I had the chance to help out with some presentation reviews for the EMPA graduating class, and attend our yearly board meeting. I also attended our yearly picnic and an Education Week fireside which was nice. The best MPA related news this year though, was a Loto Taha reunion - it was so fun to spend time with my first team of great friends! A couple of other fun events - I don't see many movies, but this year I did really enjoy La La Land (by myself on Valentine's Day - kind of great!) and Wonder. I also loved seeing the Nutcracker, hearing the Christmas concert at the Cathedral of Madeline, and taking a tour of the Provo MTC's new addition - brought back so many sweet memories!
Life is great!
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