Easter 2013

April 02, 2013

Easter 2013

Our Easter plans were originally to stay in Flagstaff. With gas prices being high, and us needing to go down to Mesa the following weekend, it made more financial sense to stay home. We decided to forget about cost because my brother-in-law would be deploying and Easter would be our last chance to see him for a long time.

So, we got up, got packing and got down to Mesa as fast as we could!

It was so great. We went to Organ Stop Pizza, which is a pizza place entertained by an insanely talented organist! He played everything from the US and Canadian national anthems to Phantom of the Opera and the Little Mermaid. My family has been there so many times, but it was J's first, and he was laughing and smiling the whole time! He was nervous about going, but ended up loving it. If you haven't gone there, you must.

Next we went to the Easter Pageant. My old man was in it again, and we got really great seats to see him. Usually for Easter Pageant, he'll grow a beard that rivals the Duck Dynasty clan, but this year he didn't. Oh well, there's always next year!

That was all done on Friday, and the next morning (Saturday) we all went to South Mountain for some hikes and a picnic breakfast! All the kids had a blast! They could run all over the hikes and see great views of the Phoenix valley. At one point, my nephew B, hiked to the very top of a mountain, and he looked just like a little spec! It was crazy! And at another point, B's brother G-money, had fallen into some cactus! Let me tell you. When I went to give him water, my old man had already gotten all the cacti pokeys out, and this little guy was a serious champ! He told me how he fell in, how Grandpa saved him, and how the cactus was dumb for getting him! It was awesome.

A few hours into our hikes, a woman joined our gathering and started blowing a horn that looked like it was made from some kind of animal antler. G-money walked right up to her and said, "What are you doing!?" She didn't even reply, so he kept asking and standing by her. It was hilarious.

Saturday evening we joined Jake's family for Easter dinner. We did an Easter egg hunt, ate the most delicious ham and rolls, and visited. We hadn't seen them for a year and some months, so it was SO nice seeing them all again. We decided we have to visit every other holiday, because we missed all of them so much! We were sad to leave, but can't wait for the next Uchytil dinner!

On Easter Sunday, we got up and got dressed in our nice duds. Since we were in a rush coming from Flag to Mesa, J completely forgot his dress shoes. It was funny to see him wearing Nike shoes with his nicest clothes! I got a good laugh from that.

The church service was so great. Three women (I believe they were married to the bishop and his counselors) spoke, and they did so well and brought the spirit in. The thing I miss most about Mesa church services is that everyone sings every song. The room was filled with voices singing, and it is always beautiful. I feel the spirit most while accompanied with music, so it was wonderful for me.

A friend from high school taught our Sunday school lesson, and he did so great! This isn't in context and won't have the same meaning, but he told us to share the gospel the way we'd want to share our most favorite pie. I immediately thought about how delicious the cheesecake I bake is, and whenever I bake it, I want everyone to eat it so 1. they know how delicious it is, and 2. because I make bomb cheesecake. I want to share the gospel the way I want to share my cheesecake. Yum!

After church, we went to my momma's house for dinner. She makes the best potatoes. I ate so many of them, I'm probably still stuffed with them. It was perfect weather to be outside, and more than once, Jake and I would be sitting in the warm sun! Warm sun doesn't exist in Flagstaff until June and July!

After dinner, we went to see my friend Klar! She just got off her mission and is engaged and I just lover her! She is so strong and such a good person! I kept thinking during her words, "I'll never be as mature as she is." She's so great! I'm excited for her marriage and life and so happy she's home from a mission so we can call and text, rather than snail mail it up.

Sunday night, the family got together again. We had a mini family home evening and it was special to be with everyone. To me, the reason of the trip was to see Josh before he left, so we all just spent time together. We ended the night with the first half of Ben-Hurr.

Monday morning was so fast. We had to visit Josh and Bear before leaving, but had to leave in time to go to classes and work early Monday afternoon.

We were so glad that we came down for Easter. Easter is my mom's favorite holiday, so it was fun to be there. We are glad to be home, but so much happier that we went.

Some random info: My dad and mom got us a hotel room! At one point, they had around 10 people extra in their house, so they graciously got my sister and he husband and us a hotel room. Honestly, we were only in that room for sleeping and dressing purposes, but it was so nice because it was crazy close to my parents house. We could leave the hotel and be in the living room of my parents in less than 5 minutes. The funniest thing about the room was that the bathroom doors didn't shut all the way, and if they did, you were stuck. Merry was trying for the longest time to get out on Sunday morning, and I had to put all my weight on the door to get her out! It was hilarious.