My daughter is on a mission

May was a really special month for our family.  Holly returned from her first year of college and got to spend 5 weeks with us just hanging out and preparing for her mission.  There were many games of badminton played in the backyard with her siblings.  Scott cut a court in our backyard grass and hung up a net so it was very official.  These girls are all better than me. :)

We took a fun trip to Seattle where we went to the top of the Space Needle.  It was a foggy morning so we couldn't see very far but we can now say we have been to the top.

We rode the monorail train to Pikes Place Market

We even got to see the gum wall there.  It was interesting. 

Holly took a quick trip back to Utah to get her visa and did some missionary shopping with her Aunt and Grandma. She found what she needed at the Sister missionary mall, Downeast basics, and Mikarose.

Here is Holly wearing one of her new dresses.  It is almost the same as her sister Megan's dress.

 Holly took my picture by our neighbor's gorgeous purple flowers.

 Holly also helped me with a project I had been wanting to do.  Replace the cheap broken border around our front yard tree with bricks.  Holly is pulling it off in this picture.

 We bought these aggregate cement bricks that can be placed in a circle.

And this is the completed project.  It took several hours but I'm happy with the result.

 Scott and I got to take Holly through the temple in preparation for her mission.  Then Holly and I went back to 4 more sessions together.

Holly hiked with her dad to the top of Rattlesnake Ridge

I helped Holly pack her missionary suitcases.  There is a lot of stuff packed into these and both weighed just under 50 pounds.

 Then finally we took her to the airport for her flight to Spain and said goodbye.  You can follow her mission adventures at http://sisterwalkerinspain.blogspot.com/

 Today I am thankful that:
*Holly made it safely to Spain.  She flew solo from Seattle to Paris without a phone.
*Holly played the piano every day for the 5 weeks she was home which was so fun to hear.  I wish my other kids enjoyed playing the piano.
*Seminary ended and school is almost over so the stress level in our house has gone down drastically.  Hurray!