August has been a busy month. To start the month, Derek received his endowments in the Las Vegas Temple. It was such a nice day to share with family and friends.
Ashley turned 21 on August 8th. Her birthday was on Sunday, so we didn't do anything too exciting, but we had a steak dinner and Marie Callendar Pie instead of cake. She later celebrated by trying a slot machine before she went on her mission.
We went on one last vacation before Ashley and Derek left on their missions. We went to Carmel and San Francisco. It was a lot of driving, but we had a great time and saw lots of fun places. We stayed in Solvang the first night and then drove to Hearst Castle and went on a tour. We all enjoyed it. In Carmel we visited San Lobos State Reserve and we hiked around and saw some secluded beaches and beautiful scenery. We also visited Big Sur and went to a beach there. We saw Carmel Beach and we went on the 17-mile drive and went to Pebble Beach. We visited Monterey and went to the Aquarium and to Pacific Grove. We also spent a couple of days in San Francisco. We went on a tour of Alcatraz and we saw the play "Wicked". We walked around Pier 39 and went over the Golden Gate bridge etc. Derek and Ashley even did a session at the Oakland Temple. It was fun to spend time together. It was also good to get out of the heat.
When we got home, we had a crazy week getting Ashley ready for her mission. We had to do laundry, shop, pack etc. Friday night we had Kelsi Eliason's bachelorette party at our house and then Saturday morning was Kelsi's wedding in the Vegas temple, then later the luncheon and reception. Sunday morning was Ashley's mission farewell followed by a brunch and later that night an open house. We basically had company from 10:30 am - 10:30 pm. It was a lot of fun, but we were worn out when it was over. Ashley got set apart at 8:30 pm. President Richards gave her a very nice blessing. I was proud of myself for not crying very much.
Monday the 23rd, we drove to SLC to take Ashley to the MTC. We all were pretty emotional. I basically cried on and off the whole way to Salt Lake. We had a good visit on the way up. We got there really late after stopping in St. George for a late lunch and telling the family good-bye one more time and then we stopped for dinner in Orem.
Tuesday we took Derek to Mr. Mac's to buy suits for his mission. We found that they had pretty much everything he needed for his mission all in one store. It was great, and their customer service was awesome. I found shopping for an Elder is so much easier than shopping for a Sister missionary! After the store, Greg, Derek, Ashley and I went to the Salt Lake Temple. We had a nice time together. I forgot how beautiful the SLC Temple is. Ashley decided it ranked #1 for most beautiful temple she's seen.....and she has been to seven temples this summer! We also had dinner and my sister's and one last trip to the mall.
Wednesday was the big day to take her to the MTC. I thought about it so much and worried about how sad I would be to tell her good-bye, I didn't think I could do it. I would cry just thinking about it. We went and took some pictures earlier and then went to Pizza Factory for lunch and then it was time to take her. It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. We pulled up to the curb and got her luggage out and then we talked to her for just a minute and we all gave her hugs and then it was time for her to go. I was surprised, I barely cried and then I was fine most of the way home. I will miss her so much, but I hope she'll make the most of her mission and have many wonderful experiences. Now I'll just be waiting for letters! Only 5 more weeks and it will be time for round two.....taking Derek to the MTC! That will be another big change having him leave home. I don't do well with change, even good changes can be kind of bittersweet, but I wouldn't want it any other way. I so proud of both of them for making such good choices in their lives. I feel blessed to have such good kids.
