Believing Christ

I also just finished this book. It is an incredible witness of Jesus Christ. I enjoyed it so much. This is the source of the bicycle parable, where the little girl saves her pennies to buy a bike and it is not enough so her father makes up the rest of the price, and helps her purchase the bike. He compares this to how our Savior makes up for our shortcomings and allows us to still make it back to our Heavenly Father, through the Atonement. Wow. If you need a spiritual boost, read this book.

The Traveler's Gift

I just finished reading this book. It was so interesting and full of great habits to live by that will make people successful. I loved these ideas and I have already started to implement as many as I can. Check it out.

One of these days...

One of these days I will learn how to be a better blogger...I am in awe at all of the great writing and great pictures everyone ELSE has to share with the world. Hopefully I can get more creative and become a better blogger. Wish me luck.

Gathering Gleaves

Before we left Utah for our home in Hawaii, we had a family party with my Mom's side of the family, the Gleave Clan. We had so much fun. We had pizza, compliments of Grum, fresh fruit from Tannie, and great chocolate chip cookies from Kim and Kent, (Kent always takes the credit when they are amazing cookies...so we are never sure who really bakes the cookies, but they always rock!) and we swam and looked at all of our Chile pictures.



It was so much fun to get together with the family. I can tell that we will all miss my parents and Landon SOOOO much, but we know they are where they are supposed to be and that they are doing a great and marvelous work. We are all so proud of them and pray for them every day. Missionary work is so amazing.

I am so sad that this is all of the documentation I got of the night. We had so much fun, and we were only missing a few members of the family. I even got my camera out so I could take tons of shots, but I just had too much fun with everyone, and didn't get to take any pictures until after some of the group had left. :(


There is something about being with family that just makes me so happy. I love being around my family, they are amazing people and I learn so much from each of them. It is no wonder to me why Heavenly Father designed the plan the way He did, and put us in families on this earth. Eternal Families. We are so blessed!

President and Sister Laycock, and LandonCito...These kisses are for you. We blew them to you all the way to South America...we want you to know we were thinking of you this night, and that we all love you more than you even know.

117 Degrees!

The Chase Family went to St. George, Mesquite and Las Vegas.

While we were there we got to go see Donny and Marie perform. We even got to go back stage and meet with them before the show. It was so much fun. They are the nicest people! It is amazing that with all they do and how famous they are, they still make time for family and treat everyone so well. They are awesome.

This is backstage in Marie's Dressing Room. It was so sheik! Lots of Paris, black and white with paisley patterns. Beautiful.





Here we are with them after the show. They were so sweet. Like a million people waiting in line to see them, and they took time to get a shot with us! Wow.





Adam and Jess got a picture with them too! How fun!







This was dinner before the show. We ate at this restaraunt the night that Ryan proposed to me a little over 3 years ago right before we went to the Donny Osmond Concert too! Fond memories at this place. Jess is such a fun sister in law. She is great. We really get along and have a fun time together. She is one of the NICEST people I know.






While we were in Mesquite, the boys went golfing. I can't believe that none of them died in the heat. This was literally the hottest day of the summer in Nevada and they went golfing. They were so sweaty and hot when they got back. What troopers. (We were dying back at the hotel, and we didn't have to exert as much energy as they did, how did they survive?)





This is Adam (Ryan's brother) and Naomi (our neice) just relaxing out by the pool in St. George. Naomi is a Daddy's Girl for sure!





The Adam Chase Family! Mckay loved the hot tub! Naomi especially enjoyed the jets.





I couldn't believe everyone was getting IN the hot tub. I was ready for an ice bath! 117 degrees in the shade! (It felt even hotter than that too!)






We had a blast. We also went to the Tuacan theater but we were too hot to think about taking pictures. The show was great, Footloose. It was a good production, the cast did a great job and we even knew one of the actresses from high school. Wish we had some shots of that, but just picture us all dressed up and still this wet from sweating the whole show. Literally. I think we all lost about 10lbs that weekend from sweating so bad.


Oh yeah, and the whole drive back, we watched episodes of Saved By The Bell. I sure miss seeing Zack, Slater, Kelly, Lisa, Screech and Jessie. That was one of my favorite shows when I was a little girl. I would just wait for it to come on every day. I loved it. In fact it actually was on the TV today and I had to sit and watch the whole episode. Ryan made fun of me because I knew what was going to happen. (I think I have seen every episode at least 3 times, and it never gets old.)
Sometimes I miss the days when life was so simple, and the biggest concerns I had were about what I would eat for lunch and if Zack and Kelly would ever get back together.


Fun!

BBQ Sauce...

Adam and Jess invited us to a great BBQ at their house when we got back from Chile. It was so nice to be back in America after our huge ordeal in Brazil! Never happier to set foot in an American airport. Wow!






Sweet shades McKay!





"HI BABY K!" "HI BABY K!" ... we are going to have to start saying "Hi Nanna T!" more.







Ryan always gets roped into playing outside with Naomi! I love it.
This is Naomi trying to jump into the passing airplanes.



Anyway, we had a blast at Adam and Jess's house with the Fam. Thanks you guys. Adam, you are great with that barbecue. Way to go. Jess, great enchiladas! MMMM!

Campers and Camping With the Chase Clan

We went camping with the Chase Family. It was so fun. There was a great pool and we had a blast hanging out, four wheeling, swimming, and playing with Naomi! Great times!!!






Naomi was hilarious, she would beg and beg until she found ANYONE to take her to the playground. She loves being outside. (Who can blame her!?) Ryan was a sucker for her cute little pleas...I think he spent more time at the playground than everyone put together (besides Naomi of course!)

Thanks Chase Family!

Wow...Long time no post...

Here are some of the other things that happened in Chile...








We shined the shoes of the missionaries that came to the first training with Presidente Laycock. (shhh, it was a surprise for them) We even left them a treat in their shoes. American Chocolate! Yum.







We also got to visit the Missionary Training Center in Chile. (No, they do not decapitate the missionaries here, even though that is clearly what the sign says!)
We also got a personal tour from the MTC Presidente, who was the sweetest man. He showed us a couple of spot checks in the missionary apartments. Good missionaries, nice and clean.




It was not all serious talk and meetings...we did get to tour the city a little, and we had a lot of fun with LandonCito!





We watched Landon practice at Swim Team while we were there. He will be swimming on the best swim team in South America, is what we heard! Yahoo!





One day while we were driving, this is what Landon and Lacey decided to do to my mom and me. I know we are attached to one another, but come on guys.







A nightly trip to the Hiper Lider was our treat every single night. Hiper Lider is like a Walmart/Smiths store. It is awesome and has anything you could want, you just have to know SPANISH! It was super hard to grocery shop in Spanish...you would think it would be easy...but no!






We got to see Ryan's old basketball coach, and the current Mission President of the Santiago North Mission, President and Sister May. They invited us to dinner, and they had a lot of great advice for my parents. They are so wonderful. My mom says that Presidents Laycock and May were friends before they came to earth! I believe it. They are so amazing.






The house my parents are staying in is very cozy. They like it, and it is just right for how busy they are, they will get to have a lot of missionaries over to eat and have meetings I am sure. They have already had about a million people over to eat with them already. It is so great. Landon especially loves his pink curtains in his room! Ha. There is a pool in the back and every house in Chile has a Porton (The gate all the way around that locks when you leave.)





Our last night in Chile, we went to a session at the Santiago, Chile Temple. It was beautiful, and so calming to leave with that in mind. The Lord will watch over us and protect us no matter where we live in the world. I love this Gospel, and I love the Lord.







After that, Ryan and I left for Brazil the next morning. It's a long story, but we didn't make it. We failed to obtain our visas to enter Brazil and when we got to the airport...we were sadly deported. They flew us to Argentina and we got to vacay there for 2 days instead of our planned trip to Sao Paulo for 4 days. Oops. Lesson Learned. Here we are at the hotel in Buenos Aires, and the Temple was right on our way to the airport. It was beautiful, and once again, such a comforting sight during what was one of the saddest and scariest ordeals of our lives. :)