My Cousin the Missionary

That's my cousin, Derek Furphy (my mom's brother's son). Since September 2009 he has been serving in the Washington Everett Mission. A few weeks ago he was transferred to our area and has been serving in our ward since then. I don't know him incredibly well (he grew up in AZ and I in NM, and my family didn't go there very often), but it has been fun to have him near by and to see his work as a missionary firsthand.

Pictures from Albuquerque

Somehow I managed to not get a single picture of my mom or my sister Sarah while I was visiting in Albuquerque earlier this month. But I did take a few others!

I got to meet my little niece Kaylee for the first time. She is one easy-going baby!

Rhett and I visited my Dad. This was the first time they had ever met. Rhett looks really unhappy in this picture (because he was), but most of the time he was happily running around the place looking for dogs and cats.

Sarah came over to our mom's house and brought her dog, Jax. Rhett was intimidated by such big dog at first, but he warmed up pretty quickly.

Next time I'll try to take more pictures.

I should have gotten a picture of my and my friend Mariel when we ate dinner together, and Heather when she came to visit the night before I came home to Bellingham. Oh well! It was fun!


These are from our ride on the shuttle bus from Seattle to Bellingham. Rhett thought it was great! Way better than a cramped airplane!

An Event to Remember

Nina is 2 weeks and 3 days older than me. (I counted the gap many times as a kid, always fascinated by the few days that nevertheless separated us by a whole grade in school.) She and I lived next door to each other since birth. We went to the same church. I cannot possibly count the number of sleepovers we had or the number of times we pretended we were ice skaters and "skated" in her living room to the soundtrack from The Lion King. We played Barbies for hours. We shared embarrassing preteen obsessions with Jonathan Taylor Thomas and NSync. We share many memories of both silliness and spiritual growth from Girls Camp and other church youth experiences.

I love her as if she were my sister. During years of separation both in distance and circumstance, she has always been close to my heart and I know that no matter where our lives lead now that we are grown, she will always be a part of mine. That's just how it is. You can't get rid of a friend like that.

On January 2 I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing experience when my life-long friend Nina and her husband Larry received their endowments and were sealed as a family with their daughter in the Albuquerque Temple.

Are there any words to describe the feelings that I felt? I can't seem to find any that are good enough. To not only witness the joyful event, but to be at her side as her escort through the experience was beyond definition. To be present in the temple while sacred covenants were made and blessings were received by someone who I love so much was one of the happiest times in my life so far.

I was crying even before I pulled out my temple recommend.

Thank you, Nina, for letting me be part of that wonderful experience. Thank you, most of all, for letting me be part of your life. You don't know what a blessing you have been to me.

With Nina, Larry, and Sebastian

Nina and cute little Lana (and baby boy on the way)

Most of the guests who were at the sealing

Sledding

Paul and Benjamin took the opportunity of going sledding with Landon and the Sego kids the day after Christmas. Since I wasn't there I can't offer the best narrative of the experience, but these pictures may give some indication of the fun that was had by all.

Paul & Benjamin

Landon & Allie

Cara & Lane

Benjamin (all by himself!)

Cara & Breton

Lane & Allie

Cara's cool snowboard moves

Landon & Breton

Christmas Catch-up Part 4: Christmas Morning

Santa was very nice to us this Christmas and even took time to leave special notes for all of the kids in response to the letters they had written him earlier. Benjamin was excited to see that the bowl of caramel popcorn he left by the fireplace on Christmas Eve was empty the next morning. (At bedtime Benjamin and his cousin Breton were both very concerned that the fire was going in the fireplace and insisted that it be turned off before we all went to bed. Smart kids, and so concerned for Santa!)

The kids waiting for the OK to go upstairs

Benjamin asked Santa to bring him a "Mater" this year. He talked about it for weeks and was often reminded that Santa couldn't bring him a Mater if he wasn't nice to his brother. Fortunately for Benjamin (and Santa) he has been a pretty good boy. He was delighted to discover his very own Mater toy at the bottom of his stocking.


Later Benjamin and Breton played outside. I think Benjamin was a bit disappointed that the trike didn't work too well in the snow.

Christmas Catch-up Part 3: The Nativity

One of the best parts about Christmas at the Duersch house is the reenactment of the Nativity. Everyone dons an assortment of "Bethlehem clothes" and picks a part to play. Landon and Heidi, as parents of the littlest babe in attendance, were cast as Joseph and Mary. (I suppose that here is a good place to mention that the Sego family showed up on Grandma and Grandpa's doorstep totally by surprise! An already fun visit was made that much better by their unexpected arrival. It was so great!)

(Benjamin didn't want to dress up, which I think just meant that he was to overwhelmed by and uncertain about the unusual activity and preferred to opt out rather than engage with everyone else (he gets that from me, but I'm not sure what to do about it). I talked him into holding the star, which he did wonderfully.)

Rhett was wrestled into a woolly sheep costume.

Christmas Catch-up Part 2: Gingerbread Construction

The afternoon of Christmas Eve found Grandma and Grandpa's house abundant with Duerschs (and Andersons and Cutlers) big and small busy building gingerbread houses (and other delightfully sweet creations).

Paul, the master gingerbread house builder

Ruth, fresh home from four months in China

KristiAnne and Jason

Alene, Kelv, and Grandma

Cute Camden watching the fun

Paul, unsatisfied with the simple look, remodeled his house to include dormers and a garage

Alene's gumdrop paradise, alongside Ruth's China-inspired house

I loved Alene's gumdrop Santa with his sack of toys!

Ruth's "Great Wall"

Kelv's house

Jason's tree house

Marianne's snowy A-frame in the woods

Grandma's licorice cottage

Grandpa's fiber-rich palace

Paul's custom gingerbread home, decked out in colorful lights

Vicky's icicle-draped house (unique roof architecture courtesy of Paul)

The entire gingerbread village!

During the entirety of the construction party, Benjamin insisted that he wanted me to do his house for him as he was too busy playing trains with Braeden. Of course, after all of the houses were done (and all of the gingerbread used up) he declared his desire to make his own house.