January service project

Yesterday was the sweetest morning, as I was able to drop off the items many of you helped purchase
for the Utah Refugee Connection. With the money Jacob and I set aside for this project, as well as the
incredible generosity of several of you, I had $840 to spend on diapers, wipes and laundry detergent.
It was quite a lot of each and everyone at  Utah Refugee Connection was so touched and grateful.

Thank you wonderful friends, more than I can say! The January service project is in
the books and I feel so honored to have been a part of it and to have hopefully helped
many of God’s children feel His love for them yesterday and in the coming weeks.

Okay then, February service project details coming soon (on Instagram)—
eek, I’m so excited for this one.

These two darlings

Love these two so dang much.

Being Matt’s mom is sincerely the greatest gift imaginable, but then having Matt bring Edie into
our lives and getting to know her and to love her, just feels like the sweetest bonus. So thankful for
our boy and his incredible heart and who he chooses to be. And for Edie and how much I’ve learned
from her over the years. I just can’t get over how she brings out the best in Matt, over and over again.

I’m a fan of these darlings. Big time.

Campbell & Kelsey in Thailand

Campbell and Kelsey had the opportunity to go to Thailand with Kelsey’s family
over Christmas break and had the greatest time.

(Commercial break: I love Kelsey’s family so crazy much—they are just the greatest people and
we adore them and are so thankful to be their friends. I just can’t get over how we hit the absolute
jackpot with Kelsey joining our family and then how that gave us the incredible opportunity
of being friends with Heidi and Mark and their other children. Gah, it’s just the very best.)

(Break over: Now back to my original reason for posting.)

They were able to attend the Bangkok Thailand temple, go zip lining, stay at the most incredible
hotel, visit some surrounding islands, eat incredible food, visit several Buddhist temples and
wash and feed elephants—as well as feed monkeys up close and personal, with the monkeys
climbing all over them. And that is just what I can remember off the top of my head from
them sharing their trip details. It truly sounded amazing.

Kelsey’s dad served his mission in Thailand and so for their family to go back and
have that experience together sounded incredible. I’m so happy for them. 

And just love that Campbell and Kelsey something fierce. I adore the life they have created,
 how fabulous and darling they are to each other, and just what amazing examples they are
to me of goodness and light. I’ll never stop feeling blessed to be their mom and their friend.

And love these opportunities I get to watch them adventure through life together.

Winter ball dance

Our darling Benjamin, with the cutest Taylee, who asked him to winter ball.
I’m so grateful for the many wonderful friends Ben is surrounded by. It’s just the best.

This girl

She’s just the most adventurous and fun. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

My Aunt Nola

This sweet lady is my Aunt Nola, my dad‘s only sibling. And just a few hours ago, I learned that she was able to graduate mortality and return to her heavenly home. I’m so happy for her. And selfishly sad for me.

The last several years, I had the privilege of developing a really wonderful relationship with my aunt and we talked at least monthly. In fact, I can think of only one month in the last five or six years when we weren’t able to connect. Just three weeks ago, she replied to an email I sent her and I emailed her back, thanking her for always being so sweet, thoughtful, encouraging and loving to me and mine. And was also able to express my love to her. I never imagined that would be our last conversation. I don’t think most people usually do.

I’m just so thankful for her, so grateful for her kindness and love, so happy that each time I went down to St. George, I was able to stop and visit her, so thrilled that my kids got to know her these last few years and just feel so overwhelmed with gratitude to know where she is and that I will see her again.

And even though the news made me cry, I was so grateful to talk to my dad tonight and that his entire focus was on how happy he was for his sister and how thankful he is to know exactly where she is at. He’s so good and faithful. I just love him so much.

My sweet Aunt Nola.

One more reason to be grateful for heaven.

This darling girl

You wouldn’t think it by looking at her, but this little sweetheart was diagnosed with pneumonia
and an ear infection yesterday. She hadn’t even been feeling very junky, but for some reason, when
I woke up yesterday morning, I just knew I needed to have a doctor check her. I’m glad we did.

Grace hadn’t been sick in so long, she didn’t even know who our doctor was, which made me
laugh. And the ear infection that surprised us all, triggered a memory of eight and half years
ago, and that second photo I took of our little love the last time she had an ear infection,
and felt a little more crummy. It will never not make me laugh.

So thankful for good doctors and healing medicine and especially this little darling
and her abnormally high tolerance for pain. And mostly, how she chooses to be happy,
almost no matter what. She’s such a sweetheart.

My favorite books of 2024

Back in 2021, I read a pretty crazy number of books. At least for me. And when I shared my favorite books that year, I mentioned I could guarantee I wouldn't be duplicating that number again. And I was right, I didn't duplicate it the last twelve months. I surpassed it. By quite a few. And believe me, no one is more surprised than yours truly.

During the year 2024, I read a total of 101 books.

And eleven of those (plus three bonus books at the end), I really enjoyed and wanted to share why.

Anyway, enough about the numbers, instead, here are my favorite books of 2024. In no particular order after the first three.

The Book of Mormon
I love this book so much, I read it three times before the year was over. It will forever be my favorite and I absolutely know it is from God. I'm forever thankful for it and the blessing of being able to read it every single day.

The Small and the Mighty
When a book ends and you just sit there for several minutes, a bit emotional and in stunned silence, that is a good book. This is easily in the top five favorite books I have ever read/listened to. When the introduction makes you cry and the conclusion sends chills throughout your body AND every page in between is pure gold, you know you have found a winner. Oh Sharon McMahon hit a grand slam with this one. I wish every single American was required to read it. I’m SO glad I do. So very, very glad.

The Nature of Fragile Things
One of the best historical fictions I have read (or rather, listened to). I love how Susan Meissner writes and this is one of her best. Not everything is black and white (many things are, to be sure, but not everything) and there is something about causing a person to think so deeply about some of the decisions we have to make in our lives and others have to make in their lives (from very inconsequential to incredibly significant) that is a gift. I really enjoyed this book. More than I can put into words.

The Happy Life of Isadora Bentley
This was such a fun, happy, hilarious book to listen to--I truly did laugh out loud on my morning walks, over and over again. I really loved it. It also made me think quite a bit--far more than expected. Four and a half stars from me.

The Unmaking of June Farrow
This is not my usual genre of books, but goodness, this was a good one. I listened to a good part of it with Jacob in the car on a long vacation drive and he and I kept turning it off to talk through how everything could fit together--mostly how the time travel situation was being explained. Because it was complicated stuff, but also riveting.

Only the Beautiful
Wow. Just wow. So much to think about as I listened to this book. I don't know how much to share without ruining the difficult topic that this book is about, but even though I was boiling mad through most of it, it was still such a tremendous book and I'm so grateful I read it.

A Different Kind of Gone
Catherine Ryan Hyde has a way of writing that makes me think long after the book is over. I think this book and this subject, even more so than any of her other books. And that is saying something.

Breaking the Silence
All I know about this book is that I absolutely did not guess the ending. And being along for the ride, from start to finish, was pretty crazy.

I Can Fix This: And Other Lies I Told Myself While Parenting My Struggling Child
This book is truly tremendous. If you have a child who struggles with mental illness (bonus points if you also struggle with mental illness), I can't recommend this book enough. I don't know that I've listened to someone who has worked so hard to understand the best ways to help your child, while also being so real and vulnerable about how horrific it is (her story is just hard beyond comprehension to me) and how many mistakes she made, because well, she is human. I don't know how to put into words how much I appreciated this book and how much it has already helped me in my own journey and in my relationship with and support of my child. 

That being said, I need to put a disclaimer that I have never given four stars to a book with several instances of the F word. Because my personality just doesn't love it. And yet. The strong language wasn't used to be graphic or just for shock value, but in my opinion, to show just how deeply her son was struggling when he would yell and berate her. It was to help us understand just how truly horrific the situation was and that isn't the same as strong language, just for the sake of strong language. But I did want to mention that for those that may not feel the same as I do on this.

But oh man, I'm so grateful for this author and her son who would choose to be so real and honest with their story, and help so many of us who are trying to navigate some really rough roads with those we love most in the world.

The Calorie Myth: How to Eat More and Exercise Less, Lose Weight, and Live Better
Interesting, interesting read for sure. This book really made me think and made a whole lot of sense to someone like me, who believes that so much of what will help and heal us, as far as food, is natural and whole and given to us by God.

Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
My now fifth grade daughter wanted me to read this book and I really loved it. A solid 4 1/2 stars from me. Such incredible lessons for kids (and all of us) to remember and it made me laugh out loud many times. Just a fun and different story for sure. I really liked it a lot.

And as if this post wasn't already long enough, I wanted to add three more books I enjoyed reading last year, for those who enjoy the holiday genre. They are The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year, The Holiday Stand-In and One Foggy Christmas. They were funny and fun and super quick reads during the month of December.

Okay, well that's all I have folks. It was definitely a year or reading and boy did I love it. 

Grand Targee ski trip

The sweetest dad, the most darling kids, the greatest friends and a new favorite ski resort.
So thankful for this annual tradition and every last one of these people I adore. And grateful
for two days to myself to breathe and be still. All of it combined was kind of the best.

A hard goodbye

 

Yesterday morning was a bit brutal.

Nearly five years ago, Jacob's parents were called to be the temple president and matron
  of the newly-built Ivory Coast temple. Because of both COVID and building delays,
they ended up leaving yesterday, rather than a year or three ago when everyone assumed 
they would. And because of those delays, they will likely be gone almost four years,
rather than the traditional three—which is already quite a long time in and of itself.

And saying goodbye to them again (this is the fourth time they have left for several years)
 was hard. I've become even closer to them in the past few months, than I previously had, and I
appreciate so much how they have loved and accepted me so generously. And the way they
have loved and supported our kids the last many months has been extremely sweet.
So seeing them off, alongside Jacob and several of his siblings, was pretty emotional.

They will do an incredible job, no one better to be sure. And we are grateful for their example
and goodness. But oh man, so many years without grandparents nearby (my parents also served
for many years abroad) is just hard. Plain and simple. But we worship the same Savior they do and
know even hard things can simultaneously be right and good. Especially when the Lord is involved.

So onward and forward.

With a constant prayer in our heart, for these two we dearly love, and the knowledge that the saints
in Cote d'Ivoire surely are blessed to have Nancy and Rex alongside them the next several years.

Nate's special day

 

Our darling Nate was ordained to the office of a teacher yesterday, by his sweet dad,
and having several of his siblings and each of his grandparents there meant so much
to him and to us. So thankful for this incredible boy and moments like yesterday,
where time stands still and very little matters, but what matters, matters a whole lot.

Yesterday

Ben's day

Seventeen years with this coolest of young men and we could not feel any more blessed that we
get this stud in our family. Ben is deeply kind, extraordinarily brilliant, hilarious beyond hilarious
and the hardest of workers. His strong faith and quiet love for his Savior touch my heart every
single day. And goodness, when he puts his mind to something, he gives it everything. Plus a little
more. Like his obsession with disc golf the last many months—I’ve almost never seen anything
like his love (and talent) for that sport. I sincerely believe I must be God’s favorite because
he gave me Ben Allen for my son. And I’ll never stop being grateful for the privilege.

Happy Birthday Benjamin Jay! We love you like crazy and are so much happier, better and brighter
(and get to hear that chink of the disc golf basket so often) because we get your amazing self in our family.

Gracie girl and the temple

Our darling Grace‘s first time in the temple tonight. I don’t know that I’ve seen many things sweeter
than these two brothers and their little sister performing temple baptisms and confirmations for those
who have gone on to heaven. So thankful for Jacob and how he loves our kids so well, so grateful for
these siblings and the light they bring into the world and just so overwhelmed at the privilege of
having Gracie girl in our family. I really loved tonight. I’m just so thankful I could be a part of it.

He's such an amazing dad

A 2025 of grateful service

{Because I will be sharing the details of the monthly projects below on my Instagram, with that being the best
way to get this word out, I debated whether I should share this post on our blog. But in the end, decided to do it
because this is where I gather our family history and this will be a large part of that this year. I'll also be sharing
a post at the end of each month when the project is complete. There couldn't be any less pressure to contribute
or to join, but if there happens to be anyone who would like to be a part of these projects in 2025, and you do not
follow me on Instagram, please just send me an email and I can get you the information each month if you would
like. Mostly, I'm just thankful for this prompting to do a little more to serve those around me who may need it.
Oh, and also, this gorgeous artwork is by Eva Timothy, for those that might want to know.}

 

For the last many months, I have told God I want to serve His kids better. And I’ve felt Him inspire me
 with several ideas that I’ve already started to implement, as well as some I will soon begin to implement.

One of them is a monthly project this coming year that serves and gives to those that are the most
 vulnerable in my community and within my reach. That obviously includes a whole host of people,
which is why these projects will look different every month. I’m really excited to get going.

I’ve had a strong feeling to invite anyone to join me if they would like. Jacob and I have already committed
to a certain amount of money every month toward these projects. But if you would like to add to that amount
or join me as I purchase, put together, or deliver these items, I would absolutely love to have you.

Please see my IG stories each month going forward, starting today. I’ll likely share each project
a couple of times—for those interested and especially for those who aren’t on social media often.

Thank you dear friends! So grateful for you and your incredible hearts.
And here’s to a 2025 filled with a little (or a lot) more loving, giving and serving.

xOxO, Linn