Friday 11/28/2008 - Happy Birthday Grandma! I had to work, so I drove down to Salt Lake by myself early. Just before lunch, Kathleen and James came down on the Front Runner - The double-decker commuter train that runs between Ogden and Salt Lake. We are grateful that we can work similar hours (even if we have to wake up at 4:15 in the morning) and commute together to Salt Lake everyday. We are SO SO SO grateful that gas prices have come back down to make it worthwhile to commute until we can move. We are grateful to have vehicles to drive and for my grandparents letting us stay with them! We are grateful to have jobs!
I took James and Kathleen on a mini-tour of Life Flight. I am grateful to be back with Life Flight. It is nice to work with people I already know and enjoy. It is wonderful to be wanted and told that I'm doing a good job. It is wonderful to have a position (billing) that makes a difference (maybe the patients don't appreciate getting a bill, but the flight crews and everyone else appreciate getting paychecks!). James is looking forward to participating in hoist training and is grateful for an 'in' to talking to the pilots and hear their stories about how they made it through flight training.
James and Kathleen in front of one of the Life Flight helicopters.
Jessi and James in front of the brand-new Life Flight airplane.
We spent the rest of Friday doing window shopping for ski boots and a ski backpack for Kathleen. We had dinner at Cafe Rio and wandered Temple Square to see the lights. It was extremely crowded on the first night that they were lit - but beautiful and we enjoyed the nativities and going into the visitors center and tabernacle to get warm. We are grateful for the gospel and for eternal families. I love how the lights on temple square are a very visible reminder to bring the "light of Christ" to beautify our lives.
A tree on Temple Square
The Salt Lake Temple
The Nativity
The Salt Lake Temple from the end of the main street plaza. Do you see the tall man in the center of the crowd at the base of the temple? His reflection is alone in the pond? That is my James!
Saturday 11/29/2008 - we went to Brighton to ski with Uncle Doug & Michael and some Walker cousins. James is grateful to have Michael follow him everywhere and ask to ski harder stuff and jump off everything and want to hike. Uncle Doug is grateful James will ski with Michael and hike and ski harder stuff. Michael is grateful to have James watch him 'grind' the rails and jump off rocks and ski harder stuff. Kathleen is grateful that renting boots only cost $14 and that she & James got patrol passes for the day and that she was able to ski a day with James this season. I was grateful to spend the day in the lodge with a good book and be in out of the freezing rain that frosted over everyones goggles and made ski jackets and pants stiff with frozen precipitation - my ski pants were so old and falling apart that I finally threw them away and haven't replaced them yet. So next time I will be grateful for new ski pants and a ski day!
Sunday 11/30/2008 - we went to church with Grandma and Granddad.
Brett and his fiance, TammyBrett and Tammy came over to visit and I took some pictures for the two of them. We wandered around Grandma and Granddad's yard, and then over to the elementary school. I think some turned out very well - and don't they look happy!
We finally had to take Kathleen to meet her shuttle back to Rexburg - good luck with finals & come visit again!
Then back to Salt Lake for a 'last day of the month' shift at Life Flight. James came along for company on the drive and to finish up his on-line class. He took Aircraft Identification and had to sketch 28 different aircraft. He's grateful to get those done and in the mail to his instructor and I'm grateful that he's able to work full time and still take some classes. We're grateful that he'll be eligible for in-state tuition next fall.
It has been a wonderful holiday weekend. It is nice to focus on Thanksgiving and realize just how much we have to be grateful for - most of all for a temple marriage and for our extended families and their support. Thank you!