We are HOME!

Hello Blog, my old friend!  It has been way too long and my thought process has been cut short for three months as I have had little time to write the things that are happening with us.  I am sure that the next few weeks will be a whirlwind of posts from 2011 summer memories and epiphanies (it may take a while to collect my thoughts as they are scratched out on index cards and notebooks scattered through out my entire house). 
This weekend our stake had a rare privilege of listening to a Living Apostle of Jesus Christ, and his wife.  It was Elder Quentin L. Cook and his wife Mary.  It would be hard for me to recap any of it.  The words spoken left an important mark, however, the things that I FELT left deep impressions upon my mind.  I know that there are living Prophets today. 
President Messer had plead with the members of our stake to prepare our hearts for the message that Elder Cook would bring.  He asked us to go to the Temple this week, and pray to have soft hearts.  I am grateful for taking him up on the challenge.  As the meeting began last night, I said a silent prayer that it would be gentle correction and guidance for me personally.  During the opening hymn, I looked at Elder Cook.  He was not singing.  He was studying the people in the congregation.  I am not going to pretend to have ANY IDEA what he was thinking at that particular moment.  However, I may never forget what I was thinking at that moment.  I knew for certain that the words he would speak were not his own, they would be inspired from a loving Heavenly Father, who knows His children and sees to their needs. 
To end an already FABULOUS evening, one of my FAVORITE things happened on the way out of the church building.  My friend told me that President May from the Las Vegas Temple Presidency, who had just spoken to us, was raised in St. Anthony, ID.  Of course I had to meet him.  As I shook his hand it dawned on me that I already knew him.  He was MR. May's brother (my long time English teacher!).  As I told him that I was raised in Ashton, it dawned on him that he already knew me too!  (This is where my FAVORITE part comes in).  He looked at me and said, "You are Joe Foster's daughter!"  At which point my heart lept, and I said, "YES!" 
This morning I called my mom and recapped the entire story. To which she said, "It is a good thing that we aren't ashamed of where we come from."  How True!  How True!