Crusin' around California

After spending a great Easter weekend in Fortuna, Dani and I headed down to Rancho Cordova to visit Dani's Grandpa Goss. It was great to meet him and listen to his fascinating stories from when he met and dated grandma, his time in the military, his travels, and teaching.

Monday morning we met up with Dani's cousin Camille and went ziplining through the redwoods. It was a first time for both of us and we had a blast! It was a lot of fun hanging out with Camille too and getting to know her.

The next day Grandpa took us to go visit grandma's gravesite. She passed away in 2010, but Dani always had a special relationship with her as she grew up. Having been born in California, Dani was grandma's "Little California Girl." I really enjoyed getting to know and spending time with Grandpa Goss.

Our next stop was Stockton, one of the areas where I served as a missionary. We stopped by to visit the Zunigas, a family I helped to teach and baptize. When I met them in 2012, the mother, Cynthia, had been less active in the church, and my companion and I baptized her husband and their oldest daughter. Now Edgar, the father, has baptized his two sons when they turned 8 and blessed his three youngest daughters! It is the greatest feeling as a returned missionary to know that your converts are continuing to be faithful to the gospel.

The Zuniga family

We had dinner with the Lemon family! They were also converts in Stockton, and have now been sealed in the temple. They are hilarious, and it was so good to catch up with them.

The Lemon family

On Wednesday we went to the Sacramento Temple and did an endowment session. I love it there! I got to tell Dani about my fond memories of attending with companions, members, and my mission president. We also visited the very first person I baptized, Jody Smith. She likes to tease me because I was so nervous that I forgot to say "Amen" before I immersed her in the water, making it so I had to "double-dunk" her after I got the baptismal prayer right the second time.

Jody Smith

Thursday Dani and I hung out with Victor and Nancy in Jackson. Victor was the ward mission leader there, and we quickly became friends and have continued to keep in contact. Victor showed us around his current project - restoring the historic Preston Castle with several other volunteers. It was an industry school for troubled boys years ago, and now it is being brought back to life.

At the top of the tower with Victor

Us with Victor and Nancy

That night we headed over to the Gomm's home, near Placerville, another one of my favorite areas. Sister Gomm made us a fantastic dinner, and we loved spending the evening talking with her around the table. Friday we went to Orangevale to visit Courtney, a college friend of Dani, and meet her adorable six month old son.

Sly Park

Years ago on my mission in Placerville I found a hippy cafe that I thought briefly, "That would be a fun place to take someone on a date." So after a stroll down historic Main I took Dani to Cosmic Cafe to enjoy dinner. Since Dani loves eclectic cafes so much it was a perfect evening. Following our date we visited more with Brother Gomm and learned from his incredible spiritual experiences. We left their home with a greater resolve to better ourselves as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Mark and Audrey Gomm

We headed home on Saturday, passing through the Sierra Nevada mountains and Lake Tahoe. As we took in the incredible scenery, we were agonizing over the fact that we were unable to hike the PCT this summer - but at the same time were somewhat glad we weren't trudging through several feet of snow that is still on the ground. We had to stop and take a picture at the crossroads (or is that crosstrail?) for the hike of our dreams.

It was an amazing week filled with happy reunions and quality time spent with family and friends. It felt great to have so many of my friends from my mission meet Danielle - and it was equally wonderful to meet some of her family. We finished our incredible week with General Conference on Sunday, and are working to catch up on the sessions we missed on Saturday.

A Dread-ful Decision

Have you ever thought something sounded like a really good idea, and then you tried it, and realized it was actually a really bad idea? Well I have.

The idea: getting dreadlocks.

The last couple of years I have been fascinated with dreadlocks. There's two different kinds of dreads - the gross kind, and the really pretty-but-edgy&perfectly-hippy kind. And I have been waiting for a chance to transform my hair into the pretty-but-edgy&perfectly-hippy kind for quite some time. Lucky for me I married a guy who also happens to like dreads! One night Chris decided we should just do it, so being well educated by a large variety of YouTube videos we set out to get everything we would need to give me perfect dreads at home.

Not able to see the back of my own head, Chris took on the title of head hairdresser. He got really good at using that metal flea comb to backcomb my hair into locks. And my dreads were born. 

Now as any person who has done their internet research on dreadlocks would know, dreads aren't going to look perfect on day one. They take time to settle and form. However, on day two of the dreadlock journey two things became blatantly obvious to me: thing one - not wanting to hurt me Chris had gone easy on the roots, leaving the top much looser than the bottom, thing two - these dreads were not going to mature into the pretty-but-edgy&perfectly-hippy kind, but had the perfect beginning to mature into the gross kind. 

With thing two weighing heavily on my mind, I was all of a sudden fearful of a third thing that came into my mind: the longer these dreads stay in my hair, the less likely I am to get rid of them while still keeping hair on my head. Admitting that my dream of dreads was a bust, and that I would look even worse with a pixie cut or a bald scalp, I started the long, tedious, multi-day process of brushing out my dreads. 

This part hurt a lot...

If you can't tell from the above picture, my hair was pretty damaged after this experiment. I started deep conditioning and still needed to cut off about three and a half inches. To minimize the amount of length that was removed from my hair I ended up getting some layers as well.

The layers are even more obvious when my hair is curly, or
 pulled back. But still, 3 1/2 inches seems like a lot to me!

We also enjoyed living in a snowglobe this week. The pictures are pretty but don't even give this magical winter wonderland justice. Life in Narnia is spectacular, and we can't help but be in constant awe at all the beauty around us.

By the end of the week there was over a foot of snow!

Our weekend adventure was probably one of our favorites yet. One of our sweet primary girls, Zoey, and her sister Tatum got baptized. Zoey is 11 and Tatum is 9, but they both attend a class younger from where they should be to be with their friends (approved by the bishop and primary president due to family circumstances). Their father isn't a member, and their mother is just starting to come back to church after years of inactivity. We absolutely adore these sweet girls and are so proud of them for the choices that they are making. Zoey is a joy to have in class and has such a fiery testimony for a kid so young and new to the church. She is always asking questions, and her mom told us that she loves class so much that every Sunday she goes home and then teaches her family everything she learned that day. Zoey excitedly asked us to participate in her baptismal service, so I gave the opening prayer and Chris spoke on the importance and blessings of baptism. He also had the opportunity to stand in their confirmation circles on Sunday. It was a special day for both of them, and Chris and I felt validated in our callings as primary teachers -- we're glad we could play a small part in Zoey's learning. We just love seeing the the "aha" moments in our students eyes, and have fallen in love with not just our students, but all the children in the primary. What a blessing it is to teach Heavenly Father's little ones, and be surrounded by their sweet spirits each week. 

Tatum and Zoey on their baptism day.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Cabin Fever

The National Forest Service is really great here in Alaska. They have cabins located throughout the state that are very cheap to rent for a night, and free to use during the day. We've played at a few of these cabins during the day, but decided that it was time to hike out to one and spend the night. This was probably one of our greatest ideas, and we only wish we would have started taking advantage of these cabins sooner. We hiked a rocky and wet 5 1/2 miles out to Eagle Glacier Cabin on Wednesday and were greeted with the most spectacular view of the glacier, the glacier's river, and looming snow-capped mountains. The cabin's front porch overlooked this natural beauty, and the inside of the cabin was clean and cozy.

Fall hiking here is the best.

The BIGGEST mushroom we've ever seen.

 The cabin was equipped with a propane heater (fuel included), a wood-burning stove, table, cupboards, bunks, and our favorite part--a loft with a window overlooking the lake and glacier. The deck was spacious and there was a secluded outhouse not far from the cabin.

Our original intentions had been to keep hiking and exploring around once we got to the cabin, but we were so taken aback by the splendor of our new front yard that we opted for a lazy evening and hung our hammock up on the front porch. (For all those of you who wish we lived closer, the truth is we still aren't out of the mushy-gushy, loveyou-loveyoumore newlywed stage. As much as we love hiking, cuddling is sometimes better. You're welcome for moving away so we don't have to subject you to this).

Eagle Glacier and the lake in front of the cabin

Close-up of Eagle Glacier

After dinner we thought it would be fun to play some card games, as we found cards in a cupboard next to the logbook. We lit some candles for light and sat down to play. It didn't take long to realize neither of us could remember a how to play a card game with just two people! Maybe we should stop avoiding invites to "game-nights" as if they were the plague...

The warm cabin would have provided us with a perfect night's rest if it hadn't been for the loud scratching-clawing noise. We were sleeping in the loft and not long after we cuddled up we heard this loud scratching sound. Chris swore it was "just a mouse munching on insulation inside the walls" (cause that is comforting), but I wasn't half convinced it was as small as a tiny innocent mouse. It for sure was a large family of mice that were about to break through the wall and storm us, or a huge rat with rabies that was seconds away from eating through the wall and running into our sleeping bags, or perhaps it was a brain-eating zombie who had been trapped inside and was hungry and ready to get out. Whatever IT was, it was not just a mouse, and you can bet I did not sleep well that night, in between the noise and the nightmares of what was really scratching at the wall. 

However, the morning light was breathtaking, and our hike out was even better than the hike in. The trailhead was pretty far out the road, and without a car we weren't certain how we were going to get back to work in time. Luckily our thumbs and smiles were nice enough that our hitchhiking attempts worked, and a rad guy named Dylan picked us up. He was headed towards the local campus, so he wasn't able to get us all the way home but he got us far enough that we could walk home with plenty of time before work. When we walked past Auke Lake we were greeted with an amazing rainbow in the sky. All in all it was a 99% perfect trip (rabid rats and zombie not included).

Reflections.

On Friday night we saw the northern lights for the first time! The nights are finally getting dark, and it was clear enough for Lady Aurora to shine through. They were too faint to pick up without a fancy camera, so unfortunately we don't have any pictures for you. But we have a full winter ahead to continually search the skies for these majestic lights, and hopefully will one night have colors bright enough that even our amateur cameras can bring some pretty pictures your way.

We loved watching General Conference on Saturday and Sunday. Luckily with the time zone difference we were able to watch all of it live except for the last 15 minutes of Saturday afternoon due to work. We even upheld the Andrew family tradition of hoagie sandwiches, chips, and grapes for lunch! But more important than our full stomachs was being able to hear the testimonies of the three new apostles and have it confirmed through the Spirit that they are indeed called of God. Every General Conference weekend is full of the Spirit, but there was definitely something special this time. I don't think either of us can pick a favorite talk, as there were just too many to love. The speakers were very relevant with all that is going on in the world today, and we thank the Lord for the guidance he is giving us through these troubled times.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Mr. & Mrs. Andrew

Six Months of Officially Being Best Friends for Eternity

I know, I know, we are supposed to update this every week so our family and loved ones can understand what is happening in our lives.....and I realize this post is officially a week late. Oops! As Christopher would say, "sorry 'bout it" - but the good news is you should be getting two posts in a short amount of time, that's exciting, right?

Tuesday night after work we took off with our friends Derek and Jase (the two raddest coworker brothers around). We drove out to Echo Cove and hiked in to a beautiful campsite. We roasted some hotdogs and then went to sleep around 2 in the morning - you know, cause it was still light out so we lost track of time. In the morning we walked around the beaches. 

Jase, Derek, Dani and Chris

On Wednesday WE HAD OUR FIRST DAY OFF! Well technically we have Sundays off, but we are large supporters of keeping the sabbath day holy - you know, since it's a commandment and all - so we try not to do any large adventures on Sundays. Anyways, after coming back in from our hike with the guys we headed straight back out. We hiked from a shuttle drop-off point downtown to the base of Mount Juneau and then started our ascent. Unfortunately we think we're getting used to living at sea level because we sure felt the elevation gain of 3,576 feet more than our Utah minds expected! When we told people we were going to hike Mount Juneau in the rain they all laughed at us and warned us how dangerous it can get. We decided it wasn't storming that bad and we needed to take advantage of our day off so we just went for it. It was rainy, but beautiful. But as we passed the first layer of clouds and started crossing waterfalls from the rain, and sections of icy snow the "rainy, but beautiful mindset" started drifting to a "rainy, and freezing, and this is steep whey aren't we at the top yet" mindset. When we finally summited we were so excited to set up our tent and get into our warm sleeping bags! 

We learned what it meant to live in a rainforest.

Waterfalls? I guess we just gotta cross them....not like there's a giant drop-off if you slip on the wet rocks...

Chris actually wrote about this experience in a talk he gave in church on Sunday, and I think he explained what happened next better than I could: "Thankfully we stayed fairly warm and dry after we were in our sleeping bags, however, the storm got worse during the night and we hardly slept with the wind blowing the walls of our tent in every direction. When it finally became light enough for us to see the trail around 3:30 in the morning, we decided to break camp and hike back down.

"As soon as we got out of our tent we had a Lehi's Dream experience. Our hearts sank a little when we realized that we could only see about 20 feet in any direction because of the thick “mist of darkness” that shrouded our view. I was reminded of the sign at the beginning of the trail cautioning us against losing our way off the path. Because the trail is well defined, I knew that as long as we could find our “iron rod” and didn't stray from it, we would be able to find our way. With a quick prayer we began hiking and within half an hour we were safely out of the clouds and freezing rain."

Our summit shot - it was too cold to stand outside for a picture.
Not like you could see past the clouds anyways.

Disappearing trail.

Thank goodness we have a large living room to dry out our gear.

Needless to say after work on Thursday we were grateful to climb into bed, and decided it wise to take it easy on Friday. 

On Saturday we celebrated our six-month-aversary! That means we've already spent six months of officially being best friends for eternity. My, oh my, time has gone by fast - but what a great journey we are on. Our boss found out about it and actually ended up giving us another day off! We know we are up here to make money, but with the amount of overtime and tips we've been getting lately we gladly accepted the invitation and were glad to have time to go on a real date and celebrate our marriage. After all, cultivating our marriage is much more important than just one days work on a paycheck. And - get this - not only did we get the night off, but the B&B wasn't fully booked for the night so the owner let us stay in one of the rooms for free! We're talking a $200+ dollar a night, nicest place in Juneau, free stay . . . with a four-poster featherbed, fireplace, and jacuzzi tub in a fancy room, and gourmet breakfast in the morning. Yes - we were spoiled rotten. And yes - we enjoyed every minute of it. We also went out for a nice dinner, a fun bike ride, and to the movies. We rarely go on dates like this so it was nice to have a relaxing day compared to our normal crazy lives! 

We are car-less, but a nice couple in the ward gave us these fancy sets of wheels - we love them!

On Sunday we both had an opportunity to speak in sacrament meeting. Once again Chris killed it - he is so good at speaking about the gospel! And then there's me. My talk started out with "Good morning brothers and sisters, my name is Dani Brading, oh wait, no it's not, my name is Dani Andrew. Oops. We just celebrated six months yesterday so you think I'd have it down by now..." and needless to say flustered me was speaking as a hurried embarrassed mess and it took a moment to regain my composure. It must not have been too bad though because the bishop's wife texted me on Monday and asked for copies of both our talks because she enjoyed them so much and wanted to share our messages with people that she thought needed it. We also loved teaching our primary kids! They are such a spunky bunch and we are learning that 9 year olds aren't as scary as we thought.

Remember to pray and remember play,

Mr. & Mrs. Brading, oh wait, I mean Andrew

Our First Easter and Conference Weekend

Christopher and I started the week by having an Easter themed FHE complete with dying eggs and watching some awesome Easter Mormon Messages put out by the church.

We forced our way through school and work and then headed down to Moab Wednesday night to spend the weekend with our Andrew Family!

Took Anna and Jacob climbing for their first time

From the top of "Tender to the Touch," 5.11a

Dani overlooking the Colorado River

Chris and his best buddy Jed hadn't hung out since before Chris started his mission, so we got together to go jeeping in Jed's new jeep with his girlfriend Julia. The trail we went on is a popular one in Moab, but it was the evening after Jeep Safari so it was relatively uncrowded.

At the top of Hell's Revenge

We had a good time between Saturday conference sessions going out near Ken's Lake and shooting with the family. Anna might be the best shot of us all!

It was great having time to just be with the family. We loved celebrating Easter with the kids, and are sorry if we ruined Easter by taking Jacob and Matthew too seriously when they asked us to hide their eggs HARD. Really it's their own fault that some eggs went missing. But honestly, we hope this doesn't detour the family from inviting us to celebrate this holiday with them in the future.

We also loved the opportunity we had to watch General Conference. We both favored Elder Holland's talk - how could we not when he used a parable that hit us both so close to home. Another favorite talk was given by Sister Burton. Maybe that is the newlyweds in us talking, but can we all take a second to look at what wonderful examples of true love many of the leaders in the church have given us. She eloquently spoke of love and tenderness as well as the divine roles and responsibilities that we have as man and woman, husband and wife, mother and father.

Remember to pray and remember to play,

Brother & Sister Andrew ('cause we're feeling particularly church-y lately)