John's Mission Pics in Nov./Dec. 2025

 John continued to live and serve in the inner city of Denver in November and December. He and his companion, Elder Reed, got along well and have been a good pair. 

Here they are with Imelda at her baptism. John said she was a golden investigator, and he really enjoyed teaching her and seeing her conversion process. Elder Reed baptized her, and John did the confirmation.

That's a big pizza! Plus, I think John looks like a model in this picture.

But not as much in this one. Selfies; you win some, you lose some. 😆

Well, at least it's not Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, or an energy drink! 

This is a member with Down Syndrome who loves the missionaries. John was really good with him.

One of John's best friends returned home from his mission to California in December, and we went to his homecoming talk. It was good to see him again. I'm excited that the friend gang is starting to return! The other Ben returns from Arizona in June, Conner from Japan in July, and then John in August (seven months away!). 

Here's John's empty stocking on the night of Christmas Eve. I'm so glad that next year, he'll be home for Christmas!

I continue to be very thankful for his time in the mission field. He's learning and growing in such valuable ways and doing so much good for the people he meets. I'm very proud of my son!

November 2025 Randoms

 Here are the randoms of November 2025, at least as far as my phone camera is concerned!

The month started out on a fun note, with going out to visit Nate and Kat with my mom and Jennifer to plan our trip to Scotland in the spring, and then we got lunch, and I had the most delicious lavender hot chocolate ever. 

David and I went for a nice fall walk in the woods near College Rock on a beautiful and mild Saturday afternoon.  

I used to go on this walk as a divorcing singleton seeking for the peace and solace of nature when I lived in the Oak Street house.

Now I have a wonderful husband who goes on these walks with me. It was a meaningful, full-circle experience!

A cute text exchange with Sam. He's not often affectionate like this, so I have to document it when it happens!

David and I went to the Cape for a couple of days, in part to mark the one-month anniversary of our marriage and the ten-month anniversary of our first date. We had dinner at the Old Yarmouth Inn, paid for by a gift card that a friend gave us for our wedding present. Very nice!

This is a pretty handmade wedding gift from another friend. I put it at the Cape house since it has seashells and sea glass.

Evening time

Hi!

We got a money tree plant (in the pink pot) as a wedding gift. They're supposed to be easy to take care of, so hopefully it will stay alive and grow and be with us for years to come.

My college friend Bradley wrote another article for The Wall Street Journal.

A pretty morning picture of the temple. There are few better places to start the day than here.

And a pretty evening picture of the temple. David took this one.

I cleaned out and reorganized the household binder and made a new cover for it.

My friend Kendra is an artist and a designer, and she painted this custom-made English Cottage tote bag that I couldn't stop thinking about when I first saw it in one of her emails. So several weeks later, I treated myself and bought it. I have no regrets, and I love it! It's the only one in existence.

A mission pic from John that, of course, involves eating out. 😆

My niece Hayley got us this personalized mug for a wedding gift. I absolutely love it, and it cracks me up whenever I use it. It's one of my favorite wedding gifts! 

Wisdom, Humor, and Inspiration in November 2025

Adam Grant is a Wharton professor who I follow on LinkedIn. He shares a lot of good insights from his research.

I sent this one to Sam. 😏

✔

Good to know!

I agree with this, and I believe that in the next phase of our eternal existence, we're going to be able to understand a lot more than we currently do about things like the laws of science and the meaning and significance of life and eternity.

Fun fact! I didn't know this.

Ha ha 😆

Deep breathing is effective and good for you.

Wise words for the holidays from the Franklin Planner catalog. 😄

I snapped a picture of this when I went to town hall to get our marriage license. I thought some of the "legal impediments to marriage" were obvious and funny. 

I'm sneaking in a little bit of crazy times, too! 😀

One of the main reasons I support Trump is because of his crackdown on illegal immigration, whether the people doing it are criminals or not (they are criminals if they came here illegally, by the way). I'm a big believer in laws, the rule of law, order, and taking care of our own first so that we can then more effectively help others. What happened during the Biden years was inexcusable.

Perhaps there's more widespread support for Trump's policies than is conventionally thought?

I hope Mamdani surprises me too and isn't as bad for NYC as I think he could be. 

Families Are Forever, and So Are Lego Roses

 On a quiet and peaceful evening in late November, all on his own, Sam wanted to assemble a bouquet of a dozen Lego roses that he'd gotten me for my birthday last summer. He wanted me, David, and him to do this together. Needless to say, we were happy to do so!

We each took a section. I hadn't put together Legos in a while, and it was fun!

I liked the baby's breath, too!

David photographed our joint-effort masterpiece.

I put them in a nice vase, where they fit perfectly.

They now have a place of honor on top of the tall shelf in the living room. 

Families can be together forever, and so can Lego roses! 

(Unless someone shatters them and ruins everything; not speaking from personal experience or anything. 😶)

Well, to end this sweet post on a nicer note than that sarcastic parenthetical sentence, I will say this, corny as it may be: Perpetual roses assembled with love together as a family are one of the best types of roses!