Baby Joziah's Blessing Day!

Nana w/ Baby Joziah

Baby Joziah Bronson Bates

Reichlin playing the Wii

Raquel foolin' around w/ Uncle Sam

Baby Sadie LOVED Mason (Matt and Jill's dog)

Joziah wouldn't sleep unless he was with everyone in the same room...

So precious

Born February 24th 2010 Blessed April 11th 2010

I went to St. George, UT for my newest nephew's blessing.  He is so cute and has the biggest cheeks!  It was so good to see and spend time with family I hadn't seen in a while.  I came back to Sandy today and I miss the heat already!  It was 85 degrees while I was there, I came back it now I'm back to 60 degrees... sad day!  I also got to see Norman (my adopted grandpa who is the BEST!) And he makes my trip down there that much better!  I miss him every time I leave.  I told him I was going to steal him away and take him back up north with me.  I'm glad I got to see everyone I wanted!  Sad to be home and get back to my routine though lol.  

I KNOW THAT MY REDEEMER LIVES!!

Today is Easter Sunday, and I'm sitting with my parents in Rawlins, WY listening to Prophets, Apostles, and Teachers, remind us, correct us, educate us.  What a better day to listen to these men and women than on Easter Sunday.  I found a video on Youtube of Elder Holland speaking on Easter.  That man, whenever he bears testimony touches my spirit in a way that is humbling.  I feel like a missionary again when I listen to Conference, sitting in a chapel with my companion and feeling so loved by my Savior and Heavenly Father.  Thank goodness for a gospel that teaches us to be like our Savior daily.  I thank my God for a modern day Prophet, President Thomas S. Monson who leads and guides us.  God loves us (his children) so much that he will never leave us in the dark.  Just like in biblical times, a Prophet speaks to God, receives revelation for the whole earth.  I thank my God for the power of the Priesthood and the example of a Father who uses his and is worthy of his priesthood.  A man of God who was taught by goodly parents.  I have a Mother who been the best example to her only daughter on how to sustain a husband in his priesthood and I look forward to one day being able to do the same and to be an example to my children just as my parents have been to me.  I'm thankful for Brothers who are all worthy to hold their priesthood and who lead and guide their own children in the right ways of the gospel, and their wives who love and care for them in every way who help them be worthy of their priesthood, even a brother who is yet to have children but who has a wife that sustains him in every way while they wait for that blessed gift of giving life to some of our Heavenly Fathers Children.  I strive daily to be like Christ and realize I fall short every day, but thank goodness for the Atonement and a new day because we have that to help and sustain us in trying again and again.

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Holi Festival of Colors!!! A.K.A. Holi Festival of FUN!!!

                         This was right before we went into the crow to throw colors.

   This was right after we walked into the crowd and people started throwing color at us,                 and we started throwing it at each other!

                                         Alli, Liz, and I covered in color!

                              
There were 10 thousand people while we were there in the morning, and 18 thousand in the afternoon.  Each color bag was $1.50... you do the math...  I bought 6, Rafael bought 6, Liz bought 9, and Alli bought 3... If everyone bought even 3 bags... LOADS of money!!

                                Sorry it's sideways... I couldn't flip it on here...

There were people crowd surfing while we were waiting for the color throwing.

The girl behind me with the colors stuffed in her shirt and the boy sitting next to here that my head is covering were petting the back of my head with color randomly.  It was pretty funny.  This is the type of place where you can't get offended where people either randomly touch you or throw color at you.  :-)

Alli wore her hat to help her with her contacts.

Down in the pavilion they were doing indian dancing and singing.

Alli and I were sitting there innocently when after Rafael and Liz took off for a while so she could go buy more color, they came up behind us and dumped a WHOLE BAG of purple on my head!  This was the aftermath...

This is my arm while we were waiting to throw colors.

Right after me and the rest of the 10,000 people threw the colors!!

Here's what the bags of color looked like, this one was purple.

The colors were scented but they sure didn't taste good!!

I decided to get Rafael back and plant a pink handprint on his face!

This is what the temple looked like when we were leaving...

We said Rafael looked like a creature from a horror movie, so he posed for us.

                                Alli, Liz and Rafael all got color CAKED in their ears.


So this was the festival of colors.  It all started (from what I can remember) where a woman who was evil was burning babies, but she would claim she couldn't get burned and go in the fire with them and then would step out unharmed until one day she was going to burn a 5 year old boy who was always preaching of God.  She claimed she couldn't be burned but when she took him in to get burned she is the one who died and he walked out un-harmed.  That's what the bon fire is for, but the colors is to represent spring and all things that are bright and beautiful.  It was so much fun!  I can't wait to do it again next year!!!