Getting ready for Christmas

After spending a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with our family, several people asked me if it was hard to come back.  I responded each time with, "No--we really feel that this is where we're supposed to be!"  We started right back in, energized to continue our work. It became official this week that our transfer dates will change, which means that I have to completely redo the entire 2013 calendar and change the zone conference luncheons and other luncheons after I have already scheduled the buildings and the luncheons with the stake Relief Society presidents.  It has already taken me hours to schedule them, and now I will have to start all over!  I also have to change every single missionary's departure date on IMOS since the transfer dates have changed--can you believe it?  So scary!  I just have a ton of work to do.

David texted me this picture of Clarissa with this message:  "Grammy, I want to be just like you. I am an office missionary in training. I love you."  Is that the cutest thing ever?  She is just so adorable.  Maybe you could come and help me, Clarissa, with all of my work!

 I kind of had my heart set on decorating the office for Christmas and putting up a tree with the name of each missionary on an ornament.  But we didn't have a tree--or any ornaments!  I went over to magical DI and voila--they had a tree AND some ornaments!  Sister Conder worked on typing the names of each missionary and then we cut the namestrips and put them on an ornament--160 of them!  We weren't sure if they would all fit on the tree, but they did and we were so excited about it!  The true test was if the missionaries would even notice.

Not only did they notice, but as they came to the office, they wanted to find their own ornaments!  They would search and once they found them, they would take a picture of it.  Here are Sister Fisher, Sister McKnight, and Sister Luamanu trying to find their's.

And Elder Jacobsen and Elder Pennington looking for theirs.  I also put some garland under the counter  and  put my olive wood nativity from Jerusalem on the counter over the cabinets, and it looked so nice!  I was so excited about helping to make the office look so festive for Christmas. 

On Thursday night I was able to go teaching with Sister Carr and Sister Dewey again.  I just love that! 

 On Friday, Bryce and Dawna (Glen's brother and his wife) came to Las Vegas and we were able to have lunch with them at the mission office.  We were so excited to see them!

On Saturday night we went to the famous Stratosphere on the north end of the strip and had dinner with Bryce and Dawna and then went to the top of the Stratosphere, 109 stories!  The elevator went up so fast that our ears couldn't pop fast enough.

We went to the look out and saw an incredible view of the Las Vegas valley.  This is the strip side.  Too bad the picture is so blurry!

Then we went up one more floor where they have some rides and we rode the ride on the very top where we were strapped in and then lifted up on the big tower and then dropped at a fast speed.  We were screaming!  It was so much fun--we just wanted to be able to say that we did it!  We are seated on the chairs that are halfway up the tower.

They spent the night with us at our condo and then went to church with us.  We just loved seeing them and being able to spend some time with them.