Book of Mormon

I am grateful for the hope and peace that come from reading the Book of Mormon. I am working on being more consistent with reading it because it truly blesses my life and helps me see what matters most in life.

Snow Adventures

I am grateful that I have lived in the snow because of the new adventures we tried. Last winter, Jonathan and I when snowshoeing and had a great time. I can't wait to go again this winter.

I miss that full, lush beard!

Voting

I am grateful that I have the opportunity to shape the future of the country. Today, I exercised my right to vote. It is a great privilege to educate ourselves and then choose who our leaders are and make decide on the various propositions.

Work

I am still grateful for my job. It is a blessing that I even got it in the first place and continues to bless me. I have time to focus on a wide variety of subjects whenever I'm not on a call.

New Adventure

To go along with Jonathan graduating, I am grateful for the new adventures that will come with his career. We don't know where in the country we will be living next year and we can't wait to find out! We've enjoyed our time here in Utah, but we are excited for our next adventure where ever it may be.

In Six Months

I am grateful that in six short months Jonathan will be graduating!

I wanted to keep track of how much time Jonathan has left.

He has worked so diligently for all of these years. He learned hard lessons along the way and has show deep determination to complete what he started. Jonathan is a wonderful example to me and I hope to emulate him as I pick up where I left off with my education next year.

Sweet Friends

I am grateful for my wonderful friend Tania. I had to cancel on our Thursday movie night because I have a head cold. She went out of her way to drop off some homemade soup to help me feel better!

I am so blessed to have her as a friend!

Thursday Nights

I am grateful for Thursday nights. On those nights, my friend Tania comes over and we watch a Jane Austen or other period drama series. It is the best! I was her visiting teacher and she said she wanted to watch the A&E version of Pride and Prejudice. We found a night that we could watch it after work and the rest is history!

Ordinance Worker

I am truly grateful to be an ordinance worker at the Provo Temple. It has been such a blessing to serve in the temple each Saturday with Jonathan. Back in May, I was given the assignment to assist with living ordinances. I was able to welcome members that came to the temple for the first time. It is the only time that they will be participating in the temple ordinances for themselves. I was able to share the beautiful blessings that Heavenly Father has for each and every one of His children.

This was on our first day of serving as ordinance workers.

Now I serve as an assistant chapel coordinator. I basically make sure that the patrons needs are taken care of and work with the Endowment Room coordinator to escort the patrons upstairs when the room is ready. It is different because I'm not administering the ordinances of the temple, but I am still helping people have a positive experience in the temple. A nice perk is that my good friend Katie is the chapel coordinator and I get to spend my day with her.

I love the temple and I know that it truly is heaven on earth.

Month of Gratitude

It's November and that means I'm going to have a new post everyday with something I am grateful for. I invite you to join me in this exercise, though you don't need to share it in public if you don't want to.

I am grateful that my husband is truly my best friend. We have the best time together even when we are doing nothing. I am truly blessed!

McMillan Family Reunion

On the first Sunday in August, Jonathan and I were able to go to the McMillan family reunion in Rexburg. We went to Sacrament Meeting with Chris's family before going up to the reunion. Ruby stood with her head on Jonathan's leg for about five minutes. She is the sweetest little girl!

Our next stop was the Burton Cemetery to find where more of my Machen relatives are buried. The first Machen's I found were ones that I knew. My great-great grandparents! I feel so blessed to know more about them than just their names.

Then we finally made it up to the reunion. It was great to meet more of my Machen and McMillan cousins. I love this picture of 11 of the 16 McMillan children. My great-grandma is Evalyn, their youngest child. I am grateful to be part of such a wonderful family.

Before we went back to Utah, Jonathan made paper airplanes with the kids. They made it clear that we were had been gone long enough.

I hope that we can go to the reunion again next year.

Patterson Family

Earlier this summer my grandpa came out to Utah for a visit. We went to my uncle's house to spend the evening with grandpa. I got to see a couple of old family pictures. I love old pictures because they add depth to my ancestors. They are more than a name on a pedigree chart.

The man in the hat and dark coat is my great-great grandpa Elmer Patterson.

If I remember correctly, these are Elmer's parent James and Maria Patterson.

I love my grandpa so much. He is one of my biggest supporters and he can't wait for me to be a smart scientist.

Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to this fall. We were able to go to the ISU volleyball game to watch the amazing Abby play!

Jonathan and I went to the funeral for my dad's mission president Reed Benson. I loved seeing all of the flags around the building. One of his sons shared a common phrase President used to say, "May the Lord bless you and the devil miss you." I have a better understanding of why and how President impacted my dad's life. He lived what he preached.

Jonathan and I went for a hike up Big Cottonwood Canyon so I could see where William McMillan spent most of his time hauling lumber for fuel for his family.

We went for a drive up Provo Canyon to see the fall colors. I am not looking forward to winter, but Jonathan kindly reminds me that this is our last Utah winter. I have a feeling that will be my daily mantra as I scrape the windshield in the mornings.

Jonathan and I went the Pioneer Museum in Salt Lake City that also houses the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. There are photos lining almost all of the walls. I was looking to see if we could find any of our ancestors and sure enough I found one! Susannah Meredith Nebeker was there! I couldn't read her name plate, but I knew I had seen that picture before. I went home and found the same picture of her on Family Search.

Susannah is on the top left.

I loved this beautiful stain glass window in the museum.

We went to our first professional soccer game. It was pretty rowdy. I can only imagine how deafening the World Cup matches are in comparison.

We started off Jonathan's birthday month off strong with some delicious (to him) black licorice ice cream at Rockwell Ice Cream. We will have to go back and try more of their delicious flavors!

Jonathan is on track to graduate this upcoming May. I couldn't be more proud of him for his determination and grit to finish his education. He truly is an amazing man and will have so many opportunities because he refused to give up.