Gresko Reunion

We had a great time at our family reunion in Reno, Nevada - I'd never been there before. My favorite was hiking in to Lake Tahoe and enjoying the beautiful scenery and watching the kids play. I also loved hugging all my brothers and my dad and eating chocolate with my sisters-in-law, daughters, and niece at The Chocolate Bar. I LOVE FAMILY!

My dad got most of his grandchildren to jump into the 53 degree lake - freezing!

We had a picnic with my dad's brother's kids (my cousins) - lots of fun.

David and I enjoying the lake - looking pretty good for 40-something's, huh?

We all stayed at my brother Steve's house - set up a tent city in his backyard. :)

Running

Our family has been running a lot this summer. A couple of weeks ago, we ran a 5K as a family. Jenna actually came in 3rd of all the women there and got a medal. Cool.

I have been considering running a 10K. Up 'til now, I have been very content to stick with the 5K's. I feel like a winner there. But someone said, "If you can run 3 miles, you can just as easily run 6." So I'm thinking about it...and testing the waters.

Twice now, I have run 4.6 miles and 4.8 miles. Only another 1.2 miles and I'll be up to a 10K. I will admit, it was hard. I never did get that "runner's high" at the 3-mile mark I was promised, but I didn't stop, so maybe I have it in me.

Goal for now: 10K at the end of the summer.

For my mom--

I miss you.

I miss hearing your voice on the phone.

I miss seeing you in your beautiful clothes with your hair and make-up carefully done.

I miss how you really cared that Alissa got 4 goals in a soccer game and that Katie had a kool-aid stand.

I miss how you kept track of everyone in our family and made sure we got together and knew what was going on in each other's lives.

I love you.

I love how you would tell me how pretty I looked on Sunday.

I love that you truly wanted to be at all of my kids' activities.

I love that you loved me exactly for who I was.

I love that family was the most important thing to you and that we knew it by your actions.

I remember.

I remember your ring that you wanted me to have. I wear it around my neck.

I remember that you were worried that we wouldn't remember you. We do.

I remember the feel of your warm hand firmly gripping mine. I wish you still could.

I remember your last words to me, "I love you, too." Love you, Mama.

I remember that you said you would always be watching over us. I'm so glad.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom.

Heavenly Thoughts

We had the most wonderful spring break in Arizona last week. It is so warm there. Every morning, I would go out and run and just feel the sun and the sweet breeze and smell the blossoms. Heavenly.

We hit up the Maricopa County Fair and got to play a little basketball. My girls are awesome at the game of speed...seriously. They took this picture of us (Trenton is the little halfling, there really is another side of him). I miss my mom.

This week at the MTC I was taught about the plan of salvation. No surprise, because I am taught that many times a week, but this particular time was different. I knew without a doubt that God has a plan for us, for our lives, and that He so much wants our happiness. He loves each one of us. He loves me. At the end, the sweet motherly sister missionary and I hugged each other and cried. In reflection, they didn't teach me anything I didn't already know. It was more that I was realizing all over again that what they were teaching really is truth.

Heaven.

Korea

Korea Daejeon Mission.

An amazing day as he opened his call virtually (thank you, Skype) and we all knew instantly that it was the perfect place for him.

Now we're just euphoric and excited and smiling, smiling, smiling.

More later.

Waiting for the call

I am waiting for "the call". Mission call that is.

I have been waiting since Saturday. Our bishop called on Friday and said that the status of my son's paperwork had been changed to "call sent". I have great faith in our postal service and told my husband so when he said I shouldn't get my hopes up that the letter would show up on Saturday. "It's only an hour away," I reasoned. But no call.

Sunday, of course, there is no mail service, but I was primed for Monday. "They've had all weekend to get it here," I said. Alas, no call.

Today, I am beginning to get desperate. I woke up at 5am. I've only checked the mailbox once so far, but I've been watching since 12:30. My son has already called. My husband has already called. Thankfully, my neighbor put up her red flag so I don't have to keep walking out to the mailbox in the snow (that's spring in Utah for you).

How do people stand this?

Happy 14th Kellie girl!

On March 20th, we celebrate the birth of my beautiful girl, Kellie Lynne.

I have never been so sick in my whole life as when I was pregnant with her. Turns out there were twins and I lost one of them, but Kellie hung in there and came into the world on the first day of spring. So appropriate.

In the hospital, I had her laying on the bed by me while I waited for the doctor to come in to release me. He entered and asked me a question. I answered and Kellie heard my voice and deliberately turned her head and looked right at me. The doc said in surprise, "She knows you!" Yes, she does.

Kellie inherited the "brown Gresko gene" which means she turns the color of a chocolate chip cookie if the sun even touches her skin. At 6 months old, I had people ask me if I took her tanning because she was so brown. (Seriously?) I love seeing her brown skin in the summer - she carries a part of me in her. Lucky me.

These are some of my favorite things about Kellie:

• her smile - it's a little metallic right now, but it lights up her whole face & makes you smile right along with her.
• her organization - her room and life are in order, she likes to have her day planned, her week planned, her life planned. A girl after my own heart.
• her drive - Kellie gets things done. She sets goals, she works hard, she accomplishes much.
• her charisma - Kellie connects with people. She can reach them and they respond to her. This is especially true with little children. She has been a "mom" from day one. How lucky her children will be to have her.
• her athleticism - Kellie has arm muscles! None of the women in our family were blessed with this. She is strong and fast and I love watching her shoot the basketball and serve the volleyball and swim the butterfly. Poetry in motion.
• her love - most every night, Kellie comes in to my room and "tucks me in" and lays next to me and we talk and laugh. I am so blessed.

Have a wonderful birthday, my Kellie. You were worth every moment of sickness it took to get you here and then some. The world is lucky to have you!