Young Womens

Our ward has been keeping me very busy as of late. For the past year and a half that Dillon and I have lived in this ward we have been the Sunday School teachers for the 16-17 year old class. Last spring I got put in as the Secretary for the Young Women's organization and now, for the second year in a row I have been the YW volleyball coach and Girl's Camp assistant director. So yes, if you need help counting, that means I have 4 callings right now. All of which have been keeping me very busy between practices, games, meetings, and activities. But I love it! I love working with the youth in our ward and in particular the young women. We have some very challenging young women that keep us on our toes, but all of them are so so fun to be around! On February 3rd and 4th we braved it all and took our girls on an overnight, New Beginnings, outing at our Bishop's cabin in Ashton. We really had SO much fun!

The mutual theme for 2012 is "Arise and Shine Forth" so Saturday morning we got the girls up bright and early and hiked a short ways up to the top of a hill right behind Bishops cabin. Up there the Young Women's president (Dillon's aunt) gave a short little devotional introducing the theme. After that we watched and waited for the sun to come up over the Tetons. It was cold but I would say very worthwhile. After the sun came up we hightailed it back down to the cabin to warm up and finish our devotional. We had all the older girls prepare a little story and a short little message about a woman from within church history that 'arose and shone forth' as an example to us all. After that each of us leaders read a letter that a parent of each new beehive from 2011 and 2012 wrote about them to introduce them into the Young Women's program.
The rest of the day we got to spend all day out in the snow with sleds and snowmobiles. I know that the girls had a good time and from what they say a good experience. I know that I sure enjoyed it. Even Dillon said it was better than he expected. Haha, yes, Dillon got to go too. Bishop called the week before we went and asked him to come as an extra priesthood so it wasn't just Bishop with all us girls. Although he was not thrilled about the idea he did admit when we got home that it was fun, thanks to the snowmobiles. haha. Such a good sport I married :)

Eating dinner at Big Judd's Friday nightFriday night pony tail partyMe and another leader made one of these for each girl. The plan was to light them, pass them out, then hike to the top of the hill with the lanterns lighting the way. That didn't happen. But they were still cute :)Devotional Sat morning waiting for the sun to come upPlaying in the snow

Christmas

I'm a little behind in my updating. Sorry. Christmas morning I woke up with a nice cold and after fighting with that for 2 weeks I started throwing up and am just now starting to feel better. It was a LONG few weeks and my house suffered tremendously but....I'm on the mend and the house is cleaned so I guess I can take a min to update ya'll on our Christmas.

We got to kick off our Christmas fun with a good ol' Hunter Family Christmas Party. We had it in SV this year and had so much fun seeing so much of my mom's side of the family. This year we added a fun little extra to our party, we made it an Ugly Sweater Party. Some of the family chose to be party poopers (slackers) but Dillon and I made sure to find some uglies and go strut our stuff.The men that represent our family. Scary.

We had voting and Dillon actually placed second (and I know it was cuz I FORCED him into the turtle neck. What a good sport :)

The winners:
Ugliest (1st place) Gabe. Uglier (2nd place) my handsome hubby Dillon. Ugly (3rd place) my cousin Brittney sporting the absent Uncle Andy sweater :)

We also made sure to eat lots and lots of food, do the traditional Hunter Family white elephant exchange (which did not disappoint), had Santa come, had Grandma and Grandpa read us a Christmas story and even got to go take a few rides on the magic carpet with a team and sleigh.

Cody and Gabe ganged up on me and I had to fight back.
(Poor Kirsten looks scared, haha)

While fighting back I managed to get Gabe off and in the snow. After a little white-wash I wasn't his favorite aunt :)

Me and Sof enjoying the ride

It was a fun day and a great way to kick off the Christmas season.

Most of the family left that evening to make the trek back to Utah but a few of them stayed over for a sleepover. The next morning we all got up bright and early (even managed to get everyone showered) and off the church to listen to Cody report his mission. He did such a great job!

After the fun filled family weekend we headed back over here to Blackfoot so I could work for a few more days before the real Christmas vacation could begin! :)

Since we were spending Christmas with my family in SV we decided to start the trip a day early and stop and stay the night in Shelley with Dillon's family. It was great to eat chocolates, play cards and hot tub with them to celebrate the Christmas season! Then it was off to SV. It was SO good to spend Christmas with ALL of my family. Despite sharing all of our germs and everyone, yes everyone, getting sick (either during the stay or after going home) we managed to have a GREAT time!

Christmas Eve Day the boys bundled up and ventured outside to shoot skeet while the women stayed inside getting the Christmas Eve feast ready.

Big D out with the boys

When the boys came in and the last of the stragglers got there it was time to feast! And feast we did YUMMY YUMMY! After we stuffed ourselves completely full and got the kitchen all cleaned up it was time for some presents. This year we started a new tradition. Growing up we would always draw names between siblings and that is who we got a present for, so we weren't buying 6 presents each. As we have gotten older and have married we stopped that tradition and started instead picking a family to do Christmas for. This year, in addition to the Christmas family, we kinda went back to drawing names, but changed it up a little bit. This year we all drew a name, a color, and an alphabet letter. We then had to find a present that was said color and started with said letter to give to said person. Dillon ended up with Emily, gray and S (gray scarf) and I ended up with Jake, red and Z (box of red Zingers). It was so fun to see what everyone came up with and the creativity of some. haha. We also let the grandkids join in the present opening fun and open their presents from the cousin that had their name (no colors and letters) and some pj's from grandma and grandpa, then it was time for my dad to read the Christmas story to us all.

Christmas morning was a little different this year seeing as how it fell on Sunday. Since my parents had 9 am church we all got up and ready and headed to church before opening any presents. There was a few close calls but everyone survived not opening presents until after church :)

Dillon showin off his new socks

Watching Payzli open my presents from Dillon :)

Digging thru our stocking from Santa Brough

Well all got spoiled. As usual! HUGE thanks to both my parents and Dillon's parents for spoiling us completely rotten this year.

The rest of our Christmas vacation was spent being sick, eating, playing with the kiddos, playing "Just Dance" on the Wii, laughing and just hanging out.

Thanksgiving and more

Christmas is in 11 days.... E.L.E.V.E.N days! Seriously? Wow! Where has the time gone? I have no idea.

Well, before we get into the thick of the holidays I decided I better do a quick update. Otherwise it would have to wait until after the holidays which would then make the post forever long and would probably even bore me.
Thanksgiving was great! It was our year to be at the Merrill's and got to go with them to Pasco WA to celebrate with Dillon's gparents and aunt and uncle that live there. One of Dillon's other uncles came too with his wife. It was a long drive with lots of us crammed into the suburban but we made it there and back. We definitely enjoyed the time we got to spend with some of Dillon's family that we don't get to see all that often, but we did miss Taya and Chase who stayed home to celebrate with Chase's family.
We spent our time playing lots and lots of games, eating, playing/watching people play Michael Jackson dancing on X-BOX (which was hilarious by the way), bowling, eating and hanging out. The meal was nothing short of delectable. Dillon's aunt Lisa is an AMAZING cook :) We were sad when the time came to pile back into the suburban and make the trek back, but we were so glad for the time we were able to spend in WA. Thanks again Lisa and family for letting us invade your house and eat all your yummy yummy food! And for everything else, we love you!

Here are a few pics of our fun, but just a few cuz I'm not so good at taking pictures sometimes.
Most of the crew bowlingThe ladies (Aunt Lisa, Momma Merrill, Grandma Merrill)
The men, minus Uncle Todd (Grandpa Merrill and Papa Merrill)
Grandma Merrill showing off her mad bowling skillsTosha bowling, Logan (boyfriend) enjoying the view :)
Uncle Todd and me taking our turn
Dillon bowling another strike I'm sure
Such a cute couple. If I do say so :)
And I did make sure to pull the camera out during the dancing.... here are a few of the best moves :)

Dillon's dad showing us how it's doneMom's turn
LOVE the face Lisa :)
And the best pic I snapped.....Dillon's cousin Kyle.... hahaha
As we wrapped up the Thanksgiving fun we were only 3 short days away from picking my little brother up from the airport. After spending 2 yrs in the Philippines he was finally coming home! On November 30th the ENTIRE Brough family was together at the Idaho Falls airport to welcome Elder Cody Brough home!

....waiting....
HE'S HOME!Huggin mom
Huggin dad
The entire herd back together again!!!
After enjoying a little food I jumped in a car going to SV and Dillon headed back to Blackfoot to finish the week at his internship before coming to join in the fun. We spent the weekend helping Cody speak English again, hearing all about the Philippines, eatin lots of food of course and even tasting a little Filipino food. We also managed to find time to go watch Abbi Jo play basketball and even drug Cody into the freezing cold to chop us down a Christmas tree. Basically we just had a blast hangin out with my little bro again! :)

Cody made us some yummy Filipino food then taught the little ones how the Filipinos eat with their hands. They LOVED that :)
#22, Abbi Jo
Cody freezing. He said that it never got below about 20 degrees celsius his whole mission. That's 68 degrees fahrenheit. He was COLD! :)
Our tree
That's it for now ... MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR :)

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is almost here. Just 2 short days away. I think it's time I sat and made a list of a few of the things that I am thankful for this Thanksgiving Season.

• I am thankful for all the bills that come with living in a home. It means that we have a home to live in and are not crammed into a little apt. It means that we have a little yard and an area where we can have Skeeter.
  
• I am thankful for student loans because they mean that we are able to have the money that we need for Dillon to get a good education and that we have the money we need to buy groceries and pay our rent.
  
• I am thankful for my part time job because it means that I have a job. It means that I have a job doing what I love, teaching and working with preschoolers.
• I am thankful for my trials and struggles because it means that my Heavenly Father loves me. It means that he trusts me and has confidence in me and knows that I can do hard things. It means that I have the opportunity to study the gospel and the scriptures more thoroughly. It means that I am more earnest in my prayers, thus bringing me closer to my Heavenly Father.
  
• I am thankful for my family and for Dillon's family. I am thankful for the love and the support that they give to us. I am thankful for the sacrifices they are willing to make on our behalf.
  
• I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful for his continual love and support. I am thankful for his calm personality. I am thankful for his hard work and his dedication to getting a good education. I am grateful for the sacrifices that he is willing to make to for us. I am grateful for the man that he is and for the opportunity I have to be married to him for time and all eternity.
• ....and the list could go on and on....
  

Wind

I hate the wind.

When I was 5 I was at the Lincoln County Fair with my family when a micro-burst came thru. We were under the big top when it hit and somehow I got hit in the head with one of the poles holding the big top up. I remember 3 things about that night.

1. Sitting with my family and an EMT in our suburban after it happened.
2. The ambulances were all full so the EMT rode with us to the hospital.

3. I had to stay the night in the hospital (I had a concussion) and I wanted my own PJ's so a family friend (Jean Mace) brought me my PJ's and some hot chocolate.

So, for as long as I can remember I have hated the wind and actually get scared when it is blowing really hard and there are things that could potentially fall on me.
Well, as it turns out, I am not the only member of the family that hates/is scared of the wind.
This young man does NOT like the wind.
One evening the wind was blowing super hard and I had to leave for a Relief Society something or other. So as I was leaving I went to put Skeeter in his kennel and noticed that his dog food thing (a big garbage can) had gotten knocked over by the wind (it was almost empty). I set it back up and called for Skeeter and told him to get in his kennel. Usually he will just tromp right on over and get in with no problem.
Not this time.
He wouldn't come within 20 yards of his kennel. It took me 15 mins to get that dang dog in his kennel and I literally had to half pick him up/half drag him into it.

Now whenever the wind is blowing really hard Skeeter starts acting all weird and "clingy" and jumpy. He acts all scared, doesn't stray too far from the porch, and barks at things the wind blows around or down. He has recently discovered the side of the house that gets the least wind and on any given windy day, that is where you will find him.
Right now the wind is blowing 32 mph and and right now this is what Skeeter is doing.
Curled up in a ball on the side of the house waiting for the wind to die down.
Good luck with that Skeeter, we live in Idaho.

Blessed

In the spirit of the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, here is a little story that helps me remember how blessed I am.

The other day Dillon came home from a morning of doing farm work for his cousin. As usual I asked him how his day was. As usual his response was "It was fine." Dillon went and got in the shower and I got busy doing things around the house. That was the end of our conversation until later that night. As we were gettin ready to say the prayer before dinner Dillon says, "So...I almost got my arm ripped off at work today!"
WHAT!?!?!?! That doesn't sound like a "fine" day at work!
He then proceeds to tell me what happened. Him and his cousin were moving wheel lines across the fields to be next to the fence for winter. Well they were moving this one particular line that is really old and breaks down a lot. As it was moving the drive line wasn't working right and it was really crooked. So Dillon starting walking along the line, pushing against it to straighten it out. As he got farther down the line pushing, something happened one of the times and his arm sleeve got wrapped up in the drive line.

*Just to clarify the drive line is the little thing that runs the length of the line that the motor spins really really fast to make the line move*

He was yanking his arm as hard as he could and trying to wave to his cousin to kill the motor. Just as it was starting to hurt his arm, the motor turned off and Dillon was able to free himself. After they were finished and Dillon got back to where his cousin was he told him thanks for saving his life. His cousin kinda laughed and asked how he'd done that. Dillon proceeded to tell him what had happened and that he had turned the motor off just in time. To which his cousin replied, "I didn't shut it off."
Dillon started to tell me how it was an old motor and something is wrong with it and it randomly shuts off for certain reasons when they are trying to use it. I quickly interrupted him and told him, "Um NO! It shut off because your Heavenly Father was watching over you."
Boy am I ever grateful that He was and that Dillon was able to keep his arm.

Fall

Fall is quickly disappearing and winter is coming in.
(As I'm cuddled up on the couch in 2 blankets listening to Christmas music. SHHHH...don't tell)
This fall has been beautiful though and we have had such good weather. It has been pretty chilly but has only snowed once. And that was this weekend and it didn't amount to much of anything and was gone by that night. We have taken advantage of the nice weather and gotten out and done some hunting...

fishing...and rounding up some of the Carter's cattleI haven't been on a cattle drive or even a horse in a LONG time. Like a ridiculously long time. So, I was quite sore for the days that followed but sure had fun! Wish we could have gone more than the one day.

Other than that we really haven't been up to a whole lot. Even our Halloween was lame. The weekend before we made a quick trip up to SV since Dillon hadn't been up there since July. We got to go with my parents to their ward Halloween dinner and trunk or treat which was fun. Then on Halloween night we had witches fingers (maybe? just kinda? ok fine, homemade corn dogs)
for dinner when Dillon finally got home from school then watched a scary movie. And that was it. That was all we did for Halloween. No costumes (unless wearing an orange pumpkin shirt to work counts) , no trick or treaters, and not even any carved pumpkins. LAME I KNOW!! Oh well. We made LOTS of pumpkin cookies and even decorated Halloween sugar cookies earlier in the month. Hopefully that makes up for some of the lameness :)

Now we're just anticipating the upcoming holidays and the return of my handsome little missionary brother in just 23 short days!!