Peter Pan and visitors

This week, Collin and I got to put some of the perks of my new job to use! I work in the Scene Shop of the Fine Arts Center at BYU and because of that job, I get free tickets to dress rehearsals of the plays that BYU puts on. This week Peter Pan opened and we got to go!

The show was pretty great and it was really fun to see all the bits and pieces of the set come together. I helped make one of the Tinkerbell effects by soldering together the random light generator kit. It was a really fun start to my job.

The actor who played Captain Hook was my favorite! He did a really good job and was a funny villain.














We had an few unexpected visitors the other day. These deer were bedded down in our backyard. I went outside to take out the trash and saw them there. I was able to run inside to grab a camera and back out before they had even moved. Maybe it just proves how much of a city girl I am, but finding deer in my backyard was a fun surprise!

Christmastime

Christmas for us was pretty unusual this year. As most of you know, my parents are currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Berlin, Germany. Due to the nature of their call, my dad was unable to make it to our wedding. So...this year, Collin and I got to fly to Berlin for Collin to meet his Father-in-Law. We had a blast and only lost one piece of luggage on our way home, so we call the trip a success. (It helps that Dad likes Collin too!)

Germany is famous for its Christmas Markets that we were very fortunate to get to go to. It was FREEZING, but so worth it. Some reports have told us that this winter has been one of Germany's coldest in the last 100 years!!

Some of the highlights from the Christmas markets include warm treats like crepes, scones, bratwurst, and hot wine (which we did not partake of). There were shops EVERYWHERE selling beautiful handmade Christmas ornaments and other unique German goods.

The ballet that was going on on the sidelines was really bizarre, and it wasn't due to the language barrier because there were no words! It was cute to see the dancing....but I could not wrap my head around the storyline.

We got to go see a castle that was full of rococo interiors that made me wish I could forget the details of my interior design class I just finished. I could only see the types of columns and the names of the architectural details. I'm sure I was driving everyone else insane by mentioning it as much as I did!

My Aunt and Uncle and their family were able to come for a few days after Christmas to celebrate and spend some time with us. They drove from Bosnia where their family is currently located. It was great to see family and spend time together!

The other main focus of our trip was MISSIONARY WORK!! We got to see how Mom and Dad do their thing in taking care of their 186 missionaries serving in the Germany, Berlin Mission. If you want to see Mom's take on it all, check out her blog that she keeps for the mission.

This picture is of Dad's Assistants and one of the Office Couples, the Lewis's, when they came for Christmas Day. We had a hand bell concert and everything!

When everything was all said and done, it was a fantastic trip with loads of memories! We did touristy things, missionary things, and best of all, FAMILY THINGS! We know that even though it can be hard having Mom and Dad so far away, they are doing the Lord's work. We know their call came from a Prophet of God and that they are fulfilling their calling to the best of their abilities. We love them and are so glad they are setting such a great example for us. We hope your Christmases were filled with as much of the Spirit as ours was and pray that it continues on through this new year!