Happy Valentine's Day!

The weekend before last (Feb. 2nd - 4th), Jackson and I went to California to see Daddy who had to stay for the weekend and also to visit our newest cousins, the 3 LA babies pictured here. (From l to r...Hannah Kay Stayner, Joseph Alec Kopayghora, Isabel Ann Phelps and the chunkamunk)
Here are the Bunch children holding an even newer cousin, baby Peter Robert Gibbons. Yay for cousins in Utah that we all get to see regularly. We miss our California fam so much! Notice tiny Morgan holding Jackson who almost weighs as much as she does and has a bigger head!

Now to the post:

Just wanted to let you know I am still here...wow two posts in one year...I feel so cool...like Tyson and Kathy I hope!!! Today was absolutely crazy and I am so grateful that at 8:25 P.M. I can finally sit down. We had a terrific Valentine's day filled with lots of sweets, decorating cookies with Cameron's classroom, playing games with Bailey's classroom, party at Bowling for Morgan, and 2 dozen roses from our FAVORITE Valentine, Daddy in California. Needless to say, we are wiped out. But I feel incredibly blessed that I have such wonderful family members and friends to love and that I feel so loved in return.

I also feel blessed that Heaven looks out for us all in so many small ways we don't even realize and many large ways that we do. The other night a very very sad event occurred in one of our favorite locations in Utah, Trolley Square. I am sure you have all heard about it by now and are shocked like I am that this could happen here at a place we love to visit and do so often. In fact, Mom, Andy, Annette, Holden and Owen were headed there that night, around the same exact time that the shooting began. Had it not been for a unplanned delay on their part, they very well could have been there. Hopefully, one of them will write about the exact details of their miraculous story in their blog soon...if they have not done so already. My heart does go out to the victims and the families of victims and anyone involved in this tragedy and I again express my eternal gratitude to my Father in Heaven that our family was not among them. The lesson on Sunday that John gave and that we had in RS referred to tragedies such as this one and why they happen. I don't think anyone can really adequately answer the why to this question except to say that it is all part of the great plan that has been created for us. I don't pretend to understand it but I do know that it is there for us and is for our eternal happiness. I know that we all face our own trials so that we may better be prepared to face our Savior who overcame them all. I have always felt peace and support during any trial that I have had and know that it comes from Jesus Christ. I know that I will yet face many more trials and only pray I can have the faith I need to get through those.

Sorry about getting all testimonial on you but I have had this on my mind since that night and thought I should express it this way. Love to you all...until next time...