The Happenin' Hale Household - Never a dull moment

Let's see . . . where did I leave off? Oh yes, I was in Canada enjoying a golden Canadian Thanksgiving with my family up yonder. Whilst I was in Canada, Annie received her mission call (a Thursday, I believe) and opted NOT to open it because: A. I was gone B. Laura and Jordan were in San Diego and C. Brent and Annie were planning to leave for San Diego the next day. They all had tickets for the BYU/San Diego football game. Just to add a little interest to this, Mike and Erin and the kids were all planning on coming for a week starting on Monday the 19th but Jordan talked Mike into bringing one of the kids (turned out to be Landon) and fly to the football game and then drive back with them. In the meantime, Erin's Granddad McKasson passed away and Erin changed her plane tickets to go to the funeral in Dallas from where she would drive back to Salt Lake with her dad and brothers who had driven down to the funeral. Sooo . . . as it turned out, on Sunday, everyone was either in the air (me) or on the road and converging on Centerville where the plan was to gather in our front room for the opening of the mission call at 9:00 pm. Everyone made it except for Erin and the kids who still had several hours of driving ahead of them.

Poor Landon had a terrible cold (which I now have) and his nose kept bleeding. He went around for most of the evening with part of a napkin shoved up his nostril!
We hooked up with Steve and Kalli on skype, Mike got Erin on the cell phone, a few of Annie's friends joined us as well as Grandma and Grandpa Hale and Uncle Bob . . . drum roll please . . . Brent offers a prayer to invite the Spirit . . . Annie slowly turns the large envelope over and opens it . . . she begins to read "you are hereby called" . . . and. . . she stops reading and starts to laugh!

The one place she had said out loud that she'd prefer not to go . . . the Midwest . . . Omaha, Nebraska. But wait, there's more . . .it says she'll be serving at the Winter Quarters Historic Site. This peaks her interest. She becomes more and more excited as the evening goes on. Winter Quarters . . . the place where ancestors from both sides of her family lived while waiting to make the trek out west.

Annie will be entering the MTC on January 20th. We've already purchased her a full length down filled coat (on advice from other missionaries who have served there during the winter!)

This is my child who has cold hands and feet in 90 degree weather! Apparently, all missionaries who serve in church visitor's centers do some training on temple square in Salt Lake. Hmmmm. Brent has a great pair of binoculars. All I have to do now is scout out a great vantage point. Perhaps one of the upper floors of the Joseph Smith building or maybe a construction crane?

Congratulations Annie! I'm kidding about the binoculars thing . . . I won't spy on you but you know that I WILL miss you.