Happy New Year - 2014
Where has the time gone?  Can you believe that it is 2014?  We had a good Christmas and of course, we missed our family.  However, the weather is sure beautiful here.  We received a Christmas card from the Trumans who we are serving with (they are from Las Vegas).  Sister Truman found the Christmas card at either World Market or Whole Food - I get them mixed up, but it had on the front of the card, a quote by President Howard W. Hunter.  Here is the quote on the front of the card:
"This Christmas... Mend a quarral.  Seek out a forgotten friend. Dismiss suspicion and, replace it with trust.  Write a letter.  Give a soft answer.  Encourage youth. Manifest your loyalty in word and deed.  Keep a promise.  Forgo a grudge.  Forgive an enemy.  Apologize.  Try to understand.  Examine your demands on others.  Think first of someone else.  Be kind.  Be gentle.  Laugh a little more.  Express your gratitude.  Welcome a stranger.  Glad den the heart of a child.  Take pleasure in the beauty and wonder of the earth.  Speak your love and speak it again."   She was so suprised to find these cards in the store here - that she went back and bought many of them.  I thought it was wonderful!  Apparently, his son is a famous judge in this area.

We were able to deliver packages to the missionaries on Christmas Eve who live in Ventura and Santa Barbara and we loved doing that.  Our hallway in our office was complete filled with packages.  So much that I took a picture because this hallway was empty for 1 day after Christmas Devotionals and then it built back up before Christmas Eve:

Leslie, Riley, Kenzie and Elie flew in on the 29th of December to LA out of Provo and so I drove to the LA airport to pick them up.  It was great to see them.  They were so anxious to get out of the snow and cold and enjoy the beach.  Here are some pictures  **

We had great weather while they were here.  In fact, it was perfect.  Cool at night and 60 - 65 degrees in the daytime.  They were able to go to the beach, we drove a duffy boat, we had icecream at McDonnells icecream in Ventura which is fabulous.  Coy worked in St George on New Years Eve and then drove down on New Years Day.  We also ate at our favorite places like Topper's Pizza and Sea Fresh.  We also ate about 2 flats of strawberries while they were here.  We made about 5 pounds of flour into crepes during the week they were here:

Here is Riley showing a live starfish, which they found over in the rocks below: