Just getting started!

It has been one incredible year. We moved back to Arizona over a year ago. We just had a marathon trip, taking wedding pictures in St. George, Utah, over to Denver where we visited with friends and Justin was set apart as a missionary, up to Logan, Utah, by way of Wyoming, where we took our cousin Heidi to dinner (part of Justin's request), they down to Mary's house where she was in the middle of finals and we didn't get to see her much.

We went back up to Salt Lake City and took Justin through the Temple. It was incredible, to think of the sacrifice and incredible building skills that went into this structure (OK, the engineer in me NEVER stops!)

On Wednesday, 23 April 2008, Kevin, Emily and I escorted Elder Justin Heaton to the MTC in Provo, Utah. It was an incredible experience and I had told Elder Heaton beforehand that I wanted the 'bandaid' goodbye. It is painful, but much easier, to just rip off a bandaid. So, after listening to the New Missionary orientation, a tearful Elder Heaton hugged each of us twice (well, Emily got in three or four hugs) and then he headed off towards the door marked 'New Missionary'. We got to leave out of the door marked 'Family and Friends'. He was one of the first ones to walk away. I was very proud of him. Watching him change over the past year and even over this past week and especially since he was set apart on Wednesday, a confident, happy, young man has emerged. It had been a long road, but he is ready.

After leaving Justin, we went back to the Allred house (where Emily had forgotten her pillow) and was able to visit with Mary, who had just completed her last final of the semester, on her anniversary. It is always good to see them, even if they finally got to see the 'cranky Valerie'. OK, so I was a little tired and stressed.

We arrived home late last night and Kevin had to go off to work and Emily had to go off to school. I am recuperating and will be working on finishing Emily's mormon prom dress for tomorrow night.