Rylee Singin' in the Rain!

National Tournament

We recently returned from the NAIA National Tournament with Conner's basketball team. It was lots of fun and the Griffins beat a Westminster record...They made it to the Elite Eight! They got to play three games in three days so our trip was definitely worth it. All of the games were close. One was overtime and we pulled it off, and another we were down by 16 at half and came all the way back only to barely lose in the end. It was exciting that's for sure. All in all it was a great season, but I am glad to have Conner back for a few months.

During the days in Kansas City we were always looking for things to do. One day, my mom and I went with Conner's parents to Independence Missouri and Liberty jail. It was a neat experience. There wasn't much more than a visitor's center in Independence, but the sister missionaries were darling and taught us a lot about the saints and their struggle with persecution. After visiting with them, we crossed the street and found out a lot about the Communty of Christ (formally known as RLDS). We tried to take a tour of their temple but it was being "renovated." We did watch a movie on how their religion came to be and I found it pretty interesting. I love the spirit I felt when I was in the visitors center. I can't believe how easy it is to feel the spirit when I'm on church grounds. We were able to cross the street again to the Church of Christ where we stood on the grounds where the temple is supposed to be in the millenium. It was just a patch of grass but one day, I can only imagine what will be there!


After Independence, we went to Liberty Jail. It was awesome. Once again, the sister missionary that gave us a tour was awesome! She was from New Zealand and had the sweetest spirit about her. She taught us all about Joseph Smith's stay at Liberty Jail, what he and the other men had to go through, and we got to see a replica of the jail with the original floor where the prophet stayed. Before we left, we all sang, "We Thank Thee Oh God for a Prophet." The Spirit was so strong. I can't wait to serve a mission one day!

Conner and the team flew home on Sunday and my mom and I didn't fly home til Tuesday so we took our Toyota Yaris and drove 2 and a half hours up to Omaha to visit Jon and Jenny. It was fun to see them again. Rylee and Bo are darling. Bo is getting so big and Rylee finally gave up her binky. Yay Ry...Good job!

TO ALL TWILIGHT FANS:

I read Twilight last summer...to be honest, I wasn't a fan. Part of me wanted to love it so that I could relate to all of my Vampire-loving friends. For months, conversations always seemed to turn to Edward and his mysterious yet captivating persona. But after a while I decided that it was okay to be different. I'm an adult...I can have an opinion! Months later it was still haunting me. I still felt left out. I decided to give the movie a try, in hopes that it may shed light on my negative feelings and open me up to the sequel. What an awful idea. It could have been the worst movie I have ever seen. So I give up. I don't know why you all think it is so great. Please comment. I would love to hear your pitiful arguments.

Fly-Swatter

I pulled into the garage yesterday to find Conner busy at work. I wasn't sure what he was up to, but as soon as I stepped out of my car I heard the window shatter. With a hammer in hand and a face filled with regret, he tried to explain what happened. He had been killing flies in the window...using a hammer. He had actually been quite successful before my arrival. He got about eleven or twelve using this same technique; but this time, he had gone too far. It's going to be pretty hard keeping the flies out now due to the fact that we have a big hole in the window! After I put Conner in time out, we discussed the importance of a fly-swatter.

Conference Champs

The Griffins did it! They won the Conference Championship and we're headed to the National Tournament. They won a barn burner against Carrol College with a buzzer beater in the semi-finals, then easily took on Rocky Mountain and won the championship! They got to cut down the net and everything...Conner was so excited for his turn! I was taking pictures like a crazy soccer mom. We can't wait to goto Kansas City...I'm ready for a break. My mom has agreed to go with me and we plan on sleeping in every morning and treating ourselves to massages and chocolates...maybe we'll hit up a few basketball games while we're there too. I'm so proud of Conner and his hard work this season. I love watching him play and look forward to seeing him compete with the "big boys."