I have enjoyed my twice a month visits to the temple. It’s been such a good thing for me to come to the temple more often. | Madeline loved going to the Olympic Training Center for Activity Days and watching the girl wrestlers. They put on a fun match for the girls and even gave the girls some one-on-one attention. | I love General Conference for the talks that I get to study for the many months after. I do struggle to stay focused for all of the sessions so taking notes does help me. | Everyone had fun looking at the solar eclipse. Mike’s staff took the funniest photo of him and then made that photo into a sticker and gave it to him. It He put it on his water bottle, and I just chuckle every time I see it. | Emma’s t-shirt quilt finally got quilted. I love the way it turned out. | Someone took a photo of me and Emma after church one Sunday. Our outfits were fitting for the spring weather. | I volunteered to take group photos of Emma and some of the other girls in our ward who were also graduating and heading to BYU. Since they would all be doing a grad party together we thought it would be fun to have a group photo of the girls. | Madeline made a charm bracelet at Activity Days with all of her friends. They turned out so well. | Madeline loves going on walks after dinner and now that the weather has been warmer, she loves eating ice-cream on those walks. | Mike is so good at what he does. In and out of the operating room he shines! | Madeline went to a gymnastics gym for a birthday party and had so much fun swinging from the ropes. | Abby played in the Acoustic Café at the high school and performed Vienna by Billy Joel. She is so incredibly talented. | The tulips at the temple were in full bloom this month. I wish I could get tulips to grow like that at my house. | Madeline has really improved in the cello this year. She finally moved to the next size cello. | Our view of Pikes Peak from our house is always amazing. On this particular afternoon the moon was right above the tip of Pike’s Peak. | There was a big snow storm coming in as we left one of Emma’s track meets in Parker. By the time we got home Mike’s car looked like it had been through a blizzard. | Andrew sent me a box of Japanese treats for my birthday. It was a nice addition to the fun things Mike got for me at Evereve. | Abby has been getting in her hours for driving and has taken advantage of some of the snowier days to get in experience driving in the snow. | Madeline is still taking private swim lessons, and she loves her instructor Ms. Natalia. She has rapidly improved so far this year.

​I loved running at Garden of the Gods with the Sunrise Striders running group this month. We switched over to this location at the beginning of the month. The beauty of this place never ceases to amaze me. I took advantage of warmer days and started biking more this month. I tried to couple my temple days with biking up in Denver since the weather is usually a bit warmer up there. I continued to lift weights when I could but really focused on biking fast and running fast in preparation for the duathlon in June. I did a few runs off the bike to get used to that tired leg feeling. I even purchased a Tri suit for the race that I trained in. I also purchased some Nike Vaporfly shoes and started doing some short tempo training runs in them to get used to how they felt. Probably one of the scariest moments this month was when I was running in the Garden, and I tripped while running downhill on the outer trails. I tore my tights and cut my knee pretty good. It took quite a bit of time for that to heal fully. The lesson to be learned was to put my phone away when heading down. Sometimes it’s so hard to not take photos on the warm up, but after that spill, I have to be more careful and stop running when taking photos. Silly me!

​I was very excited to volunteer during this field trip to Cave of the Winds. I still remember vividly volunteering for Emma’s class when she went on this field trip in third grade. Madeline’s teacher gave me the best little group with two of Madeline’s good friends, Sydney and Sailor. Those three girls were so cute together and super easy to handle. The kids loved panning for gemstones but the real winner during this field trip was exploring inside the caves. The kids did remarkably well even though there were a few darker sections in the cave. I can’t wait to bring Madeline back here so we can do the Wind Walker Challenge Course and the Bat-a-pult ride. 

​After not having very good luck with weather during Emma’s senior photo shoot with a photographer that I hired in the summer time, we decided to head back to the same spot with various outfits plus her cap and gown and college sweatshirt and retake her senior photos. I don’t really know why I hired someone else to do her photos in the first place when I am capable of doing them myself. That is a mistake I will not make with Abby. We had so much fun together and it is an experience I will never forget! Emma is just so beautiful inside and out!

​Abby tried out for the school musical again this year, even though the theatre director was new and not very good. It was kind of shocking when she was only cast in the ensemble as an Oompa Loompa since most everyone thought she was going to secure the role of Charlie. However, she had a great attitude about it and tried to enjoy the experience. We loved watching Abby on stage and the other Oompa Loompas. It was a bit of a shock, though, that many of the main cast were not great at singing. In fact, most of the singing and acting was very mediocre. I guess that is what happens when the high school admin fire the experienced and talented theatre director and hires someone with no experience at all. The high school program definitely has taken a downturn and so this will probably be Abby’s last musical at the high school. In some ways that is sad, but it could open doors for different opportunities and experiences elsewhere!

​Since Easter fell over Spring Break this year, I knew that I had to be prepared before leaving for Mexico since I wouldn’t have time when we got back. We got back late Saturday night and woke up Sunday morning to start prepping for our dinner. It was a team effort to get the sweet potatoes, eggs, rolls, ham and chocolate pie all prepped. It was as easy of a spread as we could make it. I wasn’t willing to give up homemade rolls for the frozen Rhodes rolls. Everyone was super grateful for the homemade rolls. After an amazing Easter program at church and a wonderful Easter dinner together, we went out into the backyard for Madeline’s little Easter egg hunt. She is so excited every year to find all the eggs. I’m glad she still likes to do this tradition. This year Emma hid the eggs for Madeline. Although the number of kids in our home is dwindling, each year I am grateful for the ones we still get to spend Easter with. I’m grateful for the gift of the Savior and for the Atonement and Resurrection that we are reminded of during this season. For me, Easter is a reminder of hope and a new start. 

Mike and I left for the weekend to San Diego so he could attend a work conference, and I could relax in the sun and run at sea level. We left out of one of the newer concourses in Denver and they had outdoor seating which was super fun and different! | We got to talk with Peter on our drive home from the airport. He looked so happy while he was drinking a fruit smoothie! | I’ve been working on Emma’s t-shirt quilt for graduation and finally laid everything out so I could see what it would look like. | Madeline did a great job at this year’s cello festival and earned a superior rating again. She was way more confident this year and it was such a joy to watch her play. | Emma went to Mormon Prom with some of her girlfriends this year. I was able to get some cute photos of her and Avery. | Madeline doesn’t mind tagging along when the older girls go shopping as long as she be silly laying on the couches in the dressing room. | Since it was a beautiful evening and relatively warm, Mike and I headed out on a bike ride with Madeline up into Cordera. | We enjoyed being able to see Madeline perform in her music and art night. We went around after the concert and looked at her artwork and took some funny photos with the boards they had spread through the school. | Abby and Madeline took advantage of all the snow in the backyard and played for hours. They were even able to slide down the steps because of how much snow was on there. | After snowshoeing at Garden of the Gods with Mike, we headed to a French patisserie for breakfast. | Abby and Mike went to see CATS in a small production put on by students at UCCS. They were so amazed at how awesome it was. | I finally finished sewing the top to Emma’s t-shirt quilt. 

​Mike got up early and headed to the pool area to save our seats before we went to eat breakfast. Since we had an evening flight we spent the day hanging by the pool and playing at the beach. I loved the seats Mike reserved, and we bounced back and forth between the pool and the beach. We enjoyed ourselves for one more day and got lots of ice-cream and enjoyed lunch by the pool.  spent most of my time there. The older girls went to the beach after lunch and enjoyed jumping the waves while Madeline and I played in the pool. Eventually Madeline and I headed to the beach for a little fun in the sand. She spent most of her time looking for cool shells. Eventually we had to head back to our room so we could share and get ready to leave. The golf cart came and picked us and our luggage up from our villa and we got back in our private SUV and headed to the airport. The airport was super packed, and it was hard to find anywhere to sit. Luckily, we were able to get into the Priority Pass lounge where we got a quick drink and rested on some nice couches before boarding our plane and heading home! 
 

​We had another fabulous buffet breakfast that everyone could enjoy because no one was sick this morning. Then we headed straight to the pool and spent most of the day there. We quickly realized that trying to get lounge chairs after breakfast was somewhat difficult and vowed that the next day we would save our seats early in the morning. We rotated between sitting in the shade, playing in the infinity pool, watching Madeline go down the water slides and lounging on the in-water chairs. We loved those water chairs. Mike and I both got massages at the spa and then later in the day we spent time at the spa in their outdoor oasis pools. It's a good thing we could leave the girls to watch each other for a little bit. We spent our last dinner back at the Arbol restaurant and sat outside again. Dinner was amazing and afterwards we took a family photo before heading to the beach to watch our last sunset and walk in the sand in our bare feet. One thing is for sure, I’m not a fan of Mexico, but this resort was pretty spectacular and the private beach we had within the resort was amazing. 

​After a rough morning for myself, I was somehow able to pull myself out of bed to go on a walk along the beach with Mike. The fresh air felt nice, and I was not feeling great but better than I did a few hours earlier. Both Abby and I had a rough go of the sickness and all that entails including passing out, but it passed very quickly. Still, I choose not to head to the beach with the others in the morning and spent some time resting in the room. At this point Abby was mostly over being sick, so she joined the girls and Mike at the beach and the pool. I came to the pool later to sit and relax and be out in the sun for a bit. We choose to eat dinner on the beach that night at Mezquite. It wasn’t my favorite dining experience. The food was mediocre but mostly I was still feeling a little off. The views couldn’t be beat, though, and we watched the sunset while we ate our dinner. 

​It was a beautiful morning for a run along the beach. Mike and I headed one way and then back the other way. We were able to get in 3 miles which doesn’t sound like a lot but running on the sand is not always the easiest. Then we came back to the hotel and got ready for breakfast with the girls at the Arbol restaurant. Abby stayed back at the hotel as she got sick early in the morning. We were thinking it may have been the pina colada from the day before. The buffet was absolutely amazing. We didn’t waste any time afterwards and got our swimsuits on and headed down to the beach while Abby stayed behind and rested. This time we grabbed some chairs with some shade for me and sun for Emma. Madeline and Mike were back and forth between the beach and the pool. Abby ended up joining us later in the day after she felt better. We got appetizers and such and ate on the beach. I splurged and ordered a virgin strawberry daiquiri. It tasted so good, but I would soon find out the next morning that by accidentally eating some of the ice I would be in for some real trouble. We all knew to drink only bottled water, but it wasn’t second nature to not eat the ice that may have not been filtered water. Either way, I enjoyed spending time reading a book and listening to the sound of the waves and just soaking up the sun here and there. We were all careful not to burn this early in our stay. After a fun filled day in the sun we headed to dinner at the Codex where we got to sit at a table right on the sand and enjoy the beautiful scenery next to the beach. Our dinner was even better than the night before. We dined on mushroom infadita, fish, pork and short rib. Our favorite dessert of the night were the chocolate truffles that were coated with exteriors that resembled eggs in the jungle. It was a beautiful array of something that did not even look edible but was. To add to the effect was a little dry ice at the bottom of the bowl. It was mysterious and fun!

​We left Mexico City in a private car and headed to the airport for our second adventure in Mexico to relax at an amazing resort near Puerto Vallarta called Conrad Punta de Mita. Since Mike had upgraded our room, there were many perks that came with that upgrade. One of those was a private car that picked us up at the airport and drove us to the resort. The next was the personal butler that we had access to during our stay. They took us to our villa via a golf cart and we were all amazed when we entered our very luxurious room. We had an awesome wrap around balcony with padded lounge chairs, a soaking tub, and the most beautiful view of the ocean. Inside everything was so nice and they had even set up a cute little tent for Madeline to play with during our stay. It wasn’t long after unpacking our suitcases that we put on our swimsuits and headed to the beach to play. Emma put on her running clothes to get in her run while the rest of us played on the beach. We didn’t play too long today since it was already in the early afternoon, but it was enough time to relax before showering and getting ready for dinner. We ate dinner tonight at the main restaurant near the lobby called Arbol. It was amazing and the views were stunning. After dinner we walked down to the beach to see the most beautiful sunset. Then we went exploring around the resort and ended up in the game room where we battled each other in air hockey. 

​Today we got up early and headed 30 miles outside of Mexico City to see the Teotihuacan Pyramids. It was a little chilly in the morning, so we made sure to bring our sweatshirts. There was nothing quite like exploring pyramids in Mexico. Our tour guide was awesome and gave us an interesting spiritual perspective on the ruins. We started at the south end of the Avenue of the Dead and went to the Temple of Quetzalcoatl (the Feathered Serpent) first. We headed up the many stairs to get to the top, some of the crew racing others to see how fast they could do it. This smaller pyramid was lined with numerous stone heads of the Feathered Serpent deity. After taking in the view, we headed north along the Avenue of the Dead and took a little detour west to explore the Patio of the Four Temples. We actually got to go inside some of them and see what they look liked inside. The area over at this section was quite stunning. After popping out back onto the Avenue of the Dead we headed north towards the Pyramid of the Sun. We stopped here only briefly before finishing the long walk to the Pyramid of the Moon. On the way we saw many vendors selling various trinkets. The girls and I were mostly interested in the bracelets. Annabelle used her awesome Spanish and bargained with the guy to give us 4 bracelets for 150 pesos. It may have been a lot of walking this morning, but we had a great time seeing something we didn’t expect to see in Mexico. As we headed back into Mexico City and to our hotel, we dropped of our bags and headed to eat lunch at Taqueria El Califa and ate tacos al pastor and then headed down the road to enjoy some churros. The tacos we had for lunch were delicious but not as amazing as the freshly made churros dipped in chocolate sauce. We took some much-needed time after to rest at the hotel before meeting the Holtoms at an Italian restaurant for dinner. The food and the company was amazing. We had such a great time touring around Mexico City with Kim, Brooks and Annabelle and we were super grateful for the time they took away from their mission to be with us. The goodbyes were a little hard for the girls that night, but we knew that soon enough we would see Annabelle again during the summer. 

​Hello everyone! I hope everyone has had a great week. This week was very busy, but I gained a lot of experiences that I won't forget. 
 
I had the opportunity to go on exchanges to an area called Almeria. It is one of the most mountainous areas on the mission. Biking there was a challenge to say the least. I was with Elder Bunyi and we went to a ton of great appointments. They have a lot of people who are willing to hear the word of God. After getting back to my area, I was super exhausted, but we still got a lot done. 
 
Last week I had the amazing opportunity to witness the Lord's care and kindness towards me in my time of trial. Like I have forementioned, I was quite tuckered out after exchanges. This left biking in my area to be quite the challenge and I was in a less than an adequate mood. While biking up one of the steepest parts of my area, my chain not only popped off, but the spokes of my tire broke. This was the first miracle. 
 
It gave me an opportunity to laugh at myself, and to take a good break from biking. Knowing that I wouldn't have to bike up the hill and there was nothing I could do about it was quite the morale boost. After continuing to walk up the hill, another miracle occurred. We ran into a large group of members. They had been ministering to some of the people nearby and we just happened to be passing by. Seeing us in a little bit of a pickle, they helped us out. They told us to leave our bikes with them and they would take them back to our apartment. They helped me get the grease off my hands and told us to keep going. 
 
That day had been very difficult for me. I was very tired physically and mentally. In this time of extreme strife, God shewed forth his hand to remind me who I was serving. I don't think my night would have ended any differently if my bike didn't break, the work would have been accomplished all the same, but God saw fit to remind me of His love. I was reminded that there are many people, even those I don't know very well, looking out for me. I was reminded that God does not want us to push ourselves, or our bicycles, past the limit. I was reminded that I need to pace myself and have patience in my trial. 
 
Paul counseled the Corinthians to have charity, that it was one of, if not the most important attribute that we can carry. Paul gives us a definition of Charity. He states in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 that: 
 
4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 
 
5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 
 
6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 
 
7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 
 
8 Charity never faileth 
 
I would like to repeat the words of Paul. Charity never faileth. In our darkest moments, it is our charity that helps us feel the love of the gospel. It’s the attribute that helps us understand what the Savior feels for us, and why He atoned for us. In my trial of exhaustion and heat, God's charity did not fail. He cared for me and showed me that He did. He ran to my aid. He succored me in my weakness. I implore you to see the Lord's hand in your life. You are His sons and daughters. He will not forget you, for He is the one who has led you to this very world, and if you let Him, He will lead you somewhere better. I know that He loves me perfectly. That He bore all of my iniquities, believing in me, hoping that I would repent. He endured the unendurable. He is wonderful. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

​Since they close much of the main stretch of Reforma on Sunday mornings, Emma and I decided to venture out and get in a longer run. I had to run faster than I wanted to keep up with her. So, I only ran 6 with her and then she finished up on the treadmill after. There was a 5K on one side of the road, so it was very lively as we were running. We also saw an outdoor spin class which was awesome! We quickly got ready for church after our run and headed to the Holtom’s home ward which was in English. As someone who doesn’t speak any Spanish I really appreciated that. There were lots of expats in their ward which made me feel at home since that was the kind of ward I grew up in when living in Tokyo. 
 
After church we headed to the Holtom’s home and enjoyed some light snacks while dinner was being made. Brooks showed us the missionary board and when Peter called us from his mission he spent a little bit of time talking to Brooks. The rest of us enjoyed talking about family history stories as Kim shared a few things with the girls about some of their relatives. Everyone loved that. Then Myriam and Vonn Black came over for dinner and that was so fun to spend some time with them. We all went for a walk after dinner around the gated community before saying our goodbyes to the Blacks. They just got to the mission a month ago, but we will see them again in a year when they come return home to Colorado. Some of my favorite parts of today was seeing the girls hang out with their cousin Annabelle. There was lots of laughing and cuddling! 

​After sleeping in we ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant. It may not have been a cheap meal but it sure was tasty. Most of us got waffles, pancakes or French toast while Mike took the spicier approach. There was so much food we ended up sharing with each other. Then we met the Holtoms in the lobby, and all piled into their van to go ride the boats at Xochimilco. This was an amazing experience. We had our own private boat with our own guide. Pretty soon after we headed out on the water we came across our first Mariachi band, and we invited them onto our boat to play us some songs. The day was pretty relaxing and entertaining as we watched other people in various boats along the river enjoying themselves. There were plenty of vendor type boats selling various things. We did stop and buy a flower headband for Madeline which she loved. We ate, we sang, we listened to Abby serenade us and we just enjoyed people watching. It was a great way to start our adventures in Mexico. After our boat ride was finished we decided to head into Zocalo Square and walk around. We walked through the square and into the cathedral. It sort of reminded me of Milan and the cathedral there. From there we went in search of gelato before heading back to the hotel for dinner. Since everyone was pretty tired, Mike went out and found pizza and brought it back to the hotel while the girls enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool. 

For spring break this year we decided to head to Mexico to visit Kim, Brooks, and Annabelle while they are still there as mission leaders over the Mexico City North mission. We flew into Mexico City and Kim picked us up at the airport and we got to witness the crazy that exists while driving in the city. While most of us rested at the hotel, Mike went out to explore the area around our hotel and met up with his sister. We met up with Annabelle and Brooks later that evening to eat dinner at Chapulin. The food was amazing. We ended our first day in Mexico by going to see Mexican wrestling at Lucha Libre. It was everything we thought it would be and we were all thoroughly entertained. Unfortunately, they wouldn’t let me bring my big camera into the arena, so I had to check it into a guarded locker area which made me extremely nervous. Luckily it all worked out ok and I was able to retrieve my camera without any problems after the show. We were still able to take photos and videos with our cell phones. The biggest shock about being in Mexico was the fact that we had to be careful to only drink bottled water. I'm pretty sure most of us brushed our teeth with the sink water the first night. Oops. Luckily none of us got sick from that. 

​March is the month with some of the most diverse weather in Colorado. We had it all…sun, snow, blizzards, extreme cold and then warm enough to wear shorts. I ran with the Striders all month doing tempo runs at Bear Creek Park, track workouts at the CC track, and intervals at Prospect Lake and on the Santa Fe trail. I managed to get in a long run with Caryn and Emma one weekend and a snowy fun run after the big blizzard. The weather was warm enough at times to go outside and get in a ride on the bike. I tried coupling my temple days with bike rides after up in Denver as the weather was a tad warmer up there. I rode the Bear Lake loop a few times as I started to prepare for Duathlon Nationals in June. Of course, I kept lifting this month as much as I could, so I didn’t lost progress after finishing Mike’s 45-day weight lifting program. It was a solid month of training.

​Hello Everyone!
 
I'm so sorry it has been a long time since I have written an email. A lot has happened since I have last written. There has been a lot of changes to where I am and what I am doing. 
 
At the current moment I am assigned to the island of Biliran. I have since become the zone leader of Biliran and am in charge of all the missionaries on the island. This is one of the smallest islands in my mission and it is also known to be the most rural. I am currently in Naval and have switched back languages to Bisaya. However, this island is known as the Tower of Babel by the missionaries, and the language will often switch with every person you talk to. This has allowed me to continue speaking Waray-waray. What an amazing blessing.
 
Last week I had the opportunity to do exchanges on another part of the island. In some parts of the island, they sell fish and other goods on motorcycles that tour around the neighborhood. It is very similar to an ice cream truck, but instead of a fun song, they have horns made out of conk shells. Every morning you will hear the conk shells announcing the presence of all the merchants, and everyone will go outside to buy their morning fish. 
 
For a district activity we went to a place called Ulan Ulan falls. We rented a small tricycle to take us, but it couldn't fit all of us so me and another Elder ended up having to jog a good way up the mountain before being picked up again. It was super fun, and the view of the waterfall was definitely worth it, but it was exhausting. That was the first time I had run in a while, and I can conclusively say that I am not in shape.
 
It was hard for me to realize that I was not in shape until I had started running. I hike and bike across mountains on this island every single day, but it wasn't until I started running that I could tell how out of shape I was. Sometimes the Lord will send an activity our way that can test our spiritual fitness. Like our bodies, our spirits need to exercise and sometimes a trial will make us realize just how spiritually unfit we are. These trials are not meant to punish us, but to help us remember the God who gave us life. 
 
In the Book of Mormon, the Nephites followed the word of God, but God also promised to them that if they began falling away, he would send their neighboring nation, the Lamonites, to "stir them up in remembrance" In 2 Nephi 5: 25 it states:
 
"And the Lord God said unto me: They shall be a scourge unto thy seed, to stir them up in remembrance of me; and inasmuch as they will not remember me, and hearken unto my words, they shall scourge them even unto destruction."
 
This a wonderful blessing of God that shows his long suffering and love towards his children. Sometimes we are doing what we think we need to be doing, but our perceptions of ourselves don't always match up with the Lord. Sometimes we may be exercising, but it may not necessarily be helping us get in shape. We can become lazy, slothful, and ignorant of our true situation while simultaneously becoming prideful in our fitness. Without a more eternal perspective, how will we ever grow? This is where the Lord will come and help us realize the truth of where we are. In Hebrews 12: 6 it says,
 
"For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth..."
 
As we realize that our trials are not meant to put us down, but to realign us, we will be more willing to accept the growth that can come from them. These constant reminders are one of the many tender mercies of the Lord. He loves us enough to hurt us, to redirect us, to remind us. There is no greater love than His. He doesn't just want us to be who we are now; He wants us to be better. He wants us to become alike to His Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only way that we can achieve that growth. His atonement is what makes it possible. I say these things in His name, Jesus Christ, Amen.
​