Silver Lining on a grey cloud

Friday morning I had a mild cold and was informed by my employer that I wouldn't be able to work for the entire weekend.  This news was very discouraging for me since we need the work to keep up with our finances.  But within 2 minutes of getting that news, I got the news that my grandma who is in Utah was doing very poorly and would most likely die soon.  Split second decision:  I'm going to Utah today.  I couldn't have taken it off work, so having a cold was a huge blessing.
My grandma passed away 24 hours after I arrived in Utah.  I was able to see her, express my love and say goodbye.  Another huge tender mercy was the timing of her death.  Many of her grandchildren who lived far away and she hadn't seen in years were able to come and say goodbye because of the fact that they were already around for thanksgiving. 
My grandma was a wonderful person.  She was a model of service and love.  She taught 1st grade for over 20 years. We sat and counted the people who came to visit her the day I arrived: 44.   I loved her and will miss her. 
I'm so grateful for the chance I had to say goodbye and be with family during this time.  I know that she is in a better place with those who have died before her and I'm very grateful for that peace. 

Dancing in the street

Kiera is my child who refuses to go sing on the stand with the rest of the primary.  She is scared of everything, but for some reason dancing in front of hundreds of people who are waiting for the Disneyland Christmas Parade isn't intimidating at all.  They had quite an audience with people taking pictures and everything.

Halloween pictures

I missed out on the Saturday night Halloween activities since I was working.  But Steve took the girls to the ward truck-or-treat.  Kiera was a nice big sister and carefully taught Lydia how to do it.  Pictured above you can see what was supposed to be their Halloween costumes, but apparently the last minutes before they left for the party they decided to change outfits (a frequent occurrence in our household--we usually go through at least 4 outfits a day per girl).  Oh well.  They definitely looked like daddy dressed them at the party, but they had fun!!