Sunday, May 21, 2017

5-20-17 We love visits from our missionaries!

After serving in the Los Angeles Temple's Mandarin Session on Saturday, we were able to meet one of our Taiwanese return missionaries! Her husband just graduated from BYU and they will be off to Ningbo, China within a month. So far away...but so much closer to Taiwan!
 I Love to See the Temple!
 After enjoying Thai cuisine, there's always room for ice cream sandwiches!
We sent them home with a tray of fresh Camarillo strawberries...we'll miss you!

Thursday, May 18, 2017

2017 Mother's Day with Sister Chao

Spending Mother's Day with the best mission grandma...Sister Chao!
 Still serving in the Newport Beach Temple every Tuesday...she's SO amazing!
Camarillo strawberries are at the top of their season!
Come and visit us for some strawberries and chocolate!

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

2017 BYU Grads, Weddings, Birthdays, & More!

In 2012, we drove our daughter Caitlin up to BYU and dropped her off to start her freshman year...
 Fast forward five years, on April 27 we were able to attend her graduation!
Graduating Magna Cum Laude in Exercise Science,
Caitlin will start her Masters program in Exercise Science as well this Spring. 
Sister Chao attended with us!
And then we realized we had so many more of our children graduate!
Graduating in Public Relations, we're so proud that this beautiful missionary has landed a job in the
Investment Management Division of Goldman Sachs and will be a
Communications and Marketing Digital Strategy Analyst!
 Graduating in Microbiology, this sweetest missionary is headed back to Taiwan to teach English...
so excited for you!
 This awesome Electrical Engineering graduate has a sweet job lined up at Jarvis Ventures as
Head Android Developer!
 This Summa Cum Laude graduate majoring in Economics and minoring in Mathematics and Business Strategy is headed for Harvard Business School for his DBA. 
Why am I not the least bit surprised?!
 Good luck to this gorgeous Nursing School graduate, who is taking a position at
George Washington University Hospital as an RN on their ICU floors. 
We'll miss you, but will have a great excuse to get out to Washington, D.C.!
 Loved seeing this RM while he was attending his sister's graduation! Thankfully, his grandmother (far right) lives in Westlake, so he comes to visit us when he's visiting Grandma!
 So great to be in Utah Valley to attend one of our AP's wedding reception! 
Double bonus to see his AP companion too!
 And FaceTime with his second AP companion who was in the middle of a workout in Australia!
Over the weekend, we celebrated President's 60th Birthday with 
most of his siblings, nieces & nephews! See anyone you know?
President's brother on the far left is currently serving as a counselor in the Provo Mission presidency. He keeps us in the know of missionary happenings in the Church! 


 Many of you know my brother on the far left, who is serving in a BYU YSA stake presidency.
 This niece of ours served in the Korea Seoul South mission together with our daughter Caitlin!




We also celebrated Caitlin's graduation:)
 Here comes the oversized mint brownie!
 Happy Birthday President Dear!
 The treat of the weekend was taking President out to lunch on his actual birthday on Monday, May 1. We celebrated with the stake president of the Taiwan Kaohsiung West Stake and his family, as it was his birthday on Tuesday! I asked him what day they arrived in America and he told me they flew into Los Angeles the Monday before. I chided him for not giving us a call while in LA, but he explained that they had rented a van, spent the day at Universal Studios Harry Potter World, then drove to Utah for his son's wedding. He confessed that he loved Harry Potter more than us! 
 We were so blessed to be able to attend another one of our AP's wedding:
Such a beautiful newlywed couple!
So wonderful to finally meet his mother, who traveled all the way from Thailand:
And we were able to see so many missionaries there! Congrats to the newly engaged couple:
 Our family history couple came from northern California, here together with our Singaporean missionaries! 
At the wedding luncheon:
President sharing some thoughts and wishes for the new couple:

Monday, May 1, 2017

2017 April - Remembering Elder Hampton

On April 12, 2016, a bright, young, faithful, obedient, and diligent Taichung missionary left the mission field in Taiwan and returned to his heavenly home, to continue his labors on the other side of the veil. In memory of that sacred day a year ago, the Hamptons commemorated the anniversary of David's passing as a family at the Ogden Utah Temple, where they are continually reminded of the covenants they have made with the Lord that bind their family together for time and ALL ETERNITY!
We have been wanting to visit Elder Hampton's gravesite for quite some time, 
and finally had a chance towards the end of the month:

 We know that although Elder Hampton's physical body may remain under his tombstone, 
his spirit has left and resides in the paradise of God Almighty, to rest in peace and happiness until the resurrection, when he shall come forth, to live forever!
Our first time on the Ogden Temple grounds...it was beautiful!
Last October, at the 60th Anniversary Celebration of Missionary Work in Taiwan, we watched this beautiful tribute video to all the missionaries who lost their lives while serving the Lord on the beautiful island. I was so touched by the gratitude expressed by the saints of Taiwan for the sacrifices these missionaries, and their families, made to labor in the Lord's vineyard.
Click on the link below to watch the tribute video: