Podcasting

One of my favorites radio programs is now podcast for free in the iTunes store. It's called This American Life. It's on NPR radio and is broadcast every Saturday. The program brings together stories centered around a central theme each week. I usually miss the show because it is broadcast while I'm at work, but now I can listen any time during the week. Hooray for podcasting!

HIghly Recommended

I just finished this really good book. It's about Nicholas Sparks and his adventures with his brother as they take a three week trip around the world. It is also a memoir about their life growing up through triumph and tragedy. It is heartwarming and gives greater insight into who Nicholas Sparks is and some of the stories behind his best novels. I loved the book because it caused me to pause at different times in my day and reflect on my childhood and my experiences. The book is kind of long (368 pages), but is a quick read and captivating from the beginning. Be ready to laugh, cry and be in awe from cover to cover.

"Snow" Day

We have had some crazy weather the past few days. It was freezing cold all weekend. On Monday the roads were iced over from freezing rain and Wednesday we had a little snow with sleet. I took Natalie outside to experience her first snow fall, but it wasn't much to look at or even consider snow. It is supposed to remain pretty cold for the next few days, so we will see what the weekend will bring. This is definitely not like a Utah or Kansas winter snow, but I guess we'll take what we can get.

New Changes

Today I was released as the Primary chorister. It is a little bittersweet for me. I served in the calling for two years and loved it. I am sad to be released, but was ready for a change. I am now the Sunbeam teacher and love the kids already. They are so funny and always eager to share. It is going to be a great year.

Back to Costa Rica...
We arrived Monday night and were up early the next morning to go white water rafting on the Pacuare River. It is one of the top rafting rivers in the world. Jon was the only one who had been rafting before, so we were all in for an adventure. My dad was originally supposed to come with us, but because of some flight problems, my dad took care of Natalie for the day. My mom and Karen were coming that night (they were supposed to watch Natalie). The rafting trip was unforgettable. We had between class 1 and class 4 rapids. We were able to go swimming in the river a few times and the rafting company fed us a gourmet lunch right on the water's edge. One of my favorite parts was watching other rafts go through difficult parts of the river. In the end, it was a lot of fun to spend time with my brothers and sisters and start our trip off with a great adventure.

Christmas Adventures

We had a wonderful Christmas this year. It was Natalie's first Christmas, so that added a new element of fun for Jon and I. We all receieved some great gifts. One of Natalie's favorite was a picture book I made of different family members. When she saw the tree, that was the first thing she picked up, even bypassing the toys left by Santa.

We spent Christmas morning as a family, then headed off to Costa Rica for a week with my family. It will take a few days, but I will blog some of the highlights of our trip. It was incredible! We had a wonderful time doing a lot of different activities and spending time together. Natalie was such a trooper being taken everywhere and trying lots of new things. I really can't say what was my favorite because everything was great-including all 12 of us in a 12 passenger van loaded with luggage.