Oquirrh Mtn Temple

On Wednesday of this past week Shad's Grandma passed away. We had a family vacation planned for all next week. We were planning to leave Friday morning(yesterday) and drive to CA. e had a train show we were going to go to on Saturday ad Sunday and then we were planning to go to Knottsberry Farms and the water park for the next 4 days, driving back next Friday. The death of his Grandma causedus to feel the need to cancel our family vacation plans so that we could attend the funeral Monday. The kids were sad but we are going to try to make it ok. We have a trip to Nauvoo planned in July and we will just try to do an amusement park in Branson instead of our CA plans. I think it will be Ok.

The Oquirrh Mountain Temple just opened for open houses and we decided to take our family Thursday night. It was a net experience to have our children in the temple with us. Shad and I will be volunteering there a few times while the open houses are going on as well. It is such a beautiful temple. The girls were amazed and really enjoyed themselves. It was really neat to take Kenzie into a sealing room and show her at 13 where she was sealed to us at 18 months old. So neat.

Also, I don't think I have mentioned on here that I am writing a book. I am writing a novel that is about 3/4 of he way done and I have already written two childrens books. On Sunday I found out there was a writing workshop with Editors and Agents and published Authors at BYU all next week. It is intensive and would have been invaluable to me. I really wanted to go. Shad had offered to even take the girls to CA without me so I could attend but I had decided I needed to be with my family. Since his Grandma passed and we aren't going to CA I tried to sign up for the workshop but registration was closed. They allowed me to sign up for the afternoon portion though which is breakout sessions. I would miss the workshop part where you actually work with your manuscript but would have at least gotten to attend the classes. So I signed up for that Thursday morning. Well, yesterday they called me while i was at the gym and said they had had an opening for the Morning as well! So I got into the whole workshop! I am so excited! I will miss most of Monday due to the funeral but I will get to attend the rest and I think it will be so helpful! I think everything happens for a reason and I am grateful for my opportunity!

Shad's Grandma, Grandma Nay, as the great-grandchildren called her, was a wonderful woman and she lived a long happy life. She is now happy reunited with her husband who died 36 years ago. Also Aunt Barbara, her daughter, who died just a little over 4 years ago. I know she is enjoying wonderful reunions with family members and I am happy for her that she is able to do so now. She has wanted to pass away for so many years now just feeling done with this mortal part of her life. I am glad that she passed in her sleep and that she was at peace.