Rise and Shout...

We went to the BYU vs Utah State game on Friday night. It was such an amazing experience. We love football in our family and there is just nothing like cheering with a stadium full of fans. Add a last minute (literally) 97 yard drive for the winning touchdown and a field storming and you have a once-in-a-lifetime experience! We had so much fun and Ed and Dallin even stormed the field to cheer with the team. After the game the band marched out of the stadium and into the street to play for the fans. It was cool to see them marching down the street with everyone.

GO COUGARS!

A Drive Up Provo Canyon

A drive up the canyon is a must in October. We took Dallin to see a few of the many parks, Bridal Veil Falls, and the reservoir. So beautiful!

Visit To BYU

Way back in February when Dallin turned 16 he received the itinerary for a trip to BYU to tour campus, go to a football game, and attend general conference. Ed and I have been so excited to spend this time with Dallin. I can't believe he will be applying to college this time next year. We had the official golf cart tour and then met up with Hayley for dinner. The next day we spent more time on campus looking at some of the buildings where chemistry and engineering majors spend a lot of time and met up with Brad Sears who also used to be in our ward. We ended our day on campus by meeting Hayley, Rachel (Flanigan) Saunders, and Megan Pond for ice cream at the creamery (I forgot to take a picture - arrrgh!). We actually ran into Ian and Liz twice on campus - they were busy touring too. There were a few other kids from our area that we were hoping to see, but our schedules didn't seem to mesh. We wish we could have seen everyone!

It was great to be on this beautiful campus and tell Dallin stories of when we were here so long ago. He was really impressed and will definitely be applying. Now we just have to visit a few more schools and narrow the application list down. This was so fun that I think we will bring the girls during their junior years as well.

Temple Groundbreaking

It finally happened...

We broke ground on the Philadelphia Temple!

What a wonderful day we had dedicating the site of our new temple and breaking ground to begin building. Elder Henry B. Eyring (second highest ranking official in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) came to offer the dedicatory prayer and was joined by Philadelphia mayor Michael Nutter, and Vai Sikahema (former BYU and Eagles football player, current NBC local sportscaster, and member of our neighboring Stake presidency).

There were only a few hundred tickets available for 8 Stakes (approximately 32,000 members), all the city officials, and VIPs. We were originally offered 2 tickets (Ed is the Philadelphia Stake Executive Secretary) but decided that we would rather be with our kids watching the broadcast so that we could share the experience as a family. It was really hard for me to willingly give up the opportunity to actually be there with Elder Eyring, but we knew it was the right thing. We gave our tickets to an elderly woman in our ward who really wanted to witness this day (finally) and another woman who has cancer. The day before the groundbreaking we got a call from the Stake President telling us that we could have tickets for our whole family. We were thrilled, except that Dallin had a test in his firefighter class and was not allowed to miss class to go with us. I'll write another blog about how this affected me, but for now I'll just focus on the day. In the end the girls went with us and we had a great experience.

Vai Sikehema told the story of how his parents saved and struggled for years to take their family to the temple. His story reminds us how lucky we will be to have a temple so close and how very important attending is to our families. Elder Eyring bore a bold testimony to all present and reminded the city that the temple is a standing testimony of our belief in Jesus Christ and the eternal ordinances that are made possible within to bind families together forever. He also promised that the city would be blessed in many ways by allowing the temple to be built and become a part of Philadelphia.

I am always strengthened by the bold witness of apostles of Jesus Christ. Elder Eyring is one of my all time favorite apostles. I find myself listening to his general conference addresses again and again. He speaks with such emotion that I cannot help but feel the spirit in his words. I was so grateful that he took the time to come and speak to us and am so thankful to be able to tell my grandchildren someday that we were there when ground was broken for this beautiful temple of God. It is going to be a gorgeous temple with architecture to blend with the colonial style of the city. There will be two spires, columns, and beautiful stained glass. We are anxious to be a part of the celebration in about two years when the open house and dedication take place.

Youth Dance

Look at my adorable children and husband. They were on their way to a dance for several stakes in our area. I just had to have a picture.

Look At This Beautiful Rainbow

This was the sight at sunset the other night after yet another rain shower. The pictures don't really show how beautiful it was. There was actually a full double rainbow, but I couldn't capture it from where we were. People were stopping on the road to take pictures.

All we could say in our house was "What does it mean?..." (Only funny if you have seen that youtube video:)

Cami's Sleepover

Cami has wonderful friends! She had a fun sleepover with a few of them.

FNP - BC

Yep... I PASSED!

I have another 5 years as a Board Certified Nurse Practitioner.
I really hate taking that test.
I studied so hard this time and had lots of people praying for me (thanks!). I am looking forward to finding just the right part-time job this year and enjoying actually writing FNP - BC after my name. I'm actually board certified by two organizations for the next year. My official credentials are now:

Jennifer Seguine RN, BSN, MSN, NP-C, FNP-BC

That is just too obnoxious, so I will probably just use the FNP-BC. I feel like I can breathe and relax a little after 2 months of studying every day.

WOO HOO!!

Remembering September 11th

Dallin was able to participate in the assembly to remember 9/11. His fire company joined other companies in the area for a breakfast and ceremony at East High School. He got to ride on the truck to school and wear his dress uniform. Local radio celebrity Michael Smirconish was in attendance as well as local government officials. Ed was able to go and watch and take a few pictures. Bucks county lost over a dozen people in the attacks and many in our school knew someone who was killed. They did a nice job remembering the sacrifices that were made and even presented our school with a twisted piece of metal from the twin towers as part of a monument to those who died.

Taylor had to interview me about that day. She had specific questions to ask me and we ended up talking for quite a while. I can't believe how emotional it is to talk about that day even 10 years later. I guess we all knew that the world had changed and knew that our children would not be growing up in the same world we knew. It was a scary day. I'm certainly grateful for so many who sacrificed on that day and for so many more who have made sacrifices in the days since. There is real evil in this world. It is not encompassed in one religion or one group of people. It exists in the few extreme parts of all cultures and must be kept at bay by all of us. The world is still full of lots of good people, we just need to make sure that we are willing to stand up for those things we know to be true.

Labor Day Camping

We went camping with about 60 of our friends over the holiday weekend! This tradition has grown over the past few years and is really fun. We love sitting around the fire talking and laughing (except when the grouchy ranger tells us we have to be quiet:) and letting the kids run wild. There were some beautiful waterfalls to see and a nice beach at the lake to relax on. We made big meals to share in the evenings and ate way too much overall.

We decided to leave Sunday night instead of risking the rain that was coming. We're glad we did after we saw what hit them only about an hour after we left. They were stuck in massive rain all night with wet tents and flooded campsites. Luckily we were able to get out without a problem, but we were worried about our friends all night!

Hopefully next year we'll have weather that is a little more crisp and a little less wet!