Thanksgiving 2008 pictures

top: mom, dad, kristina, angie bottom: katelyn, elea, derek, annie, alexis, jeff, samantha, duke (we miss thomas!) (not too shabby for setting the camera timer and making a run for it!!)

more pics of KY

ok...i forgot these last time!! and they're so cute...i just had to post them!i can't really remember what was happening in this pic, but i'm pretty sure it was something like my mom was trying to keep samanatha from touching the electric fence that keeps the horses in!! samantha had a tight grip on crampa's hair!
a park we went to had this creek running through it. the girls couldn't resist, and by the time we left they were soaked!!! this is why i love crocs...by the way!! the only reason they wanted to get out is because they found a crawfish (it looks like a mini lobster) and it totally grossed katelyn out. she swore never to get in a "river" again!! samantha on the other hand wanted to touch it!

this is a house i saw while in kentucky. i pulled off the highway to take a picture of it. someday i will have a house that looks like this. wrap around porches are my favorite...i love them!!!

Thoughts about Kentucky

on thursday my dad flew to omaha, and then friday he drove with the girls and me to KY. it's the girls' spring break, and we'd never been to my parents' new place. honestly i did not have very high expectations of kentucky. like the rest of my family i've pretty much thought my parents must be insane to move here. i have to say that i have been very pleasantly surprised. it is BEAUTIFUL. their house is nice...just the right size. there are obvious things that could be updated (like the light fixtures...which i've been giving them a hard time about since i walked in the door!!) the property they bought is awesome...and if they devolope it like planned it will be an amazing neighborhood. the town is small, but it has a lowe's and walmart and 2 high schools!! and about 15 miles out of town there is a huge lake with hiking/biking trails around it and parks/playgrouds near the shore. the only down side is the size of the church here. there's one branch and it is tiny...like 20 people. when that's your social group it's hard to make alot of friends. i've been thinking though...it is so tempting to move back to utah. being close to friends and family...and living in a place where the church is huge. you're pretty much never out of your comfort zone. but then i think about it, and for me...i've loved being in omaha where the church isn't huge. i've made a couple of great friends who i've been able to share the gospel with...just answering their questions, but still. in this world it is difficult to make a difference, but i feel like if i live and raise my family somewhere the gospel is small i have a better chance of making a difference. i have a better chance of sharing the gospel. i'm not saying i want to move to kentucky. i'm just saying that i understand better why my parents moved here. i used to be pretty bugged that they moved somewhere we most likely will never move...i want them closer to the kids. but if you look at the bigger picture it makes sense. during general conference there was a talk by Henry B. Eyring, and he was saying he feels bad he doesn't get to spend as much time with his family as he would like, but he knows he's been promised he'll be with his family forever. he said he's doing the work he's been called to do with the hope that he'll have time with his family in the eternities. i don't know where we're going to go after derek graduates, but i do know that i would love to live somewhere i can make a difference.