Where were you...?

Today was my birthday. Jason and I played the 'Where were you 10 years ago on this day? Where were you 5 years ago?' It was fun to look back.

Technically 10 years ago I was at home watching the Salt Lake Winter Olympics and just about to enter the MTC the following month. I got to go through the temple for the first time in preparation for my mission. It was an exciting and anxious time.

This picture is the following year--the one birthday I celebrated in the mission field. Sister Fukuda (on the far right) and I had birthdays around the same time, so she made this fun little cake and had us over to eat and celebrate. It was so nice. All the members in Japan really went out of their way to show the missionaries a lot of love. Serving a mission has really been a focal point in my life and I'm very glad I got to go.

Five years ago Jason and I were newlyweds living in Tew Apartments. Those were fun days. We could go bother Tyson and Sarah whenever we wanted.  I was pregnant with Ruth at this point, although we were still  more than a month away from know what we were having. Fun times. Hard to believe five years has passed since then.

Of course we're in Lehi now and we're about a month away from welcoming baby Kate. A lot of great things have happened in the past five years. Once you get to start a family of your own, life takes on a whole new significance that you could only imagine the years previous. I'm grateful for our little family. They have been well worth the wait.

This is me posing with my birthday gifts. Jason knows me well, especially grabbing the book on the left. It was a fun looking back. I'm glad to be where I am with the people I am. It's going to be another great year.