"When our hearts turn to our ancestors, something changes inside us. We feel part of something greater than ourselves."
Russell M. Nelson, Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
On our journeys, we seek for evidence of the Savior Jesus Christ. Everywhere we look, the beautiful world and the goodness of people prove to us that He lives. We love and worship Him and are ever grateful for His gift to us. When we return home, we try to bring with us a depiction of His birth to display during the Christmas season. Please enjoy a glimpse of some of these mementos which are displayed in our home this year.
The following video is Andrew and my Merry Christmas wishes to you all! It was filmed at our ward party. You might recognize a familiar face somewhere else in the video ...
We've been hovering around our mailbox for days waiting for a large white envelope from Salt Lake City.
Our previous Stake President told us that all mission calls come to St. George on Thursdays, but there was no large packet for us in the box that day.
Of course, we assumed that meant the postman would deliver it Friday for sure, but no, not so.
Our Bishop told us that all mission calls come to St. George on Saturday. We decided he must be more up to date than the previous Stake President. Saturday morning we leaped out of bed to get all of our chores done before the mail arrived. Dean was outside washing windows in twenty-nine degrees so nothing would distract us from our postal vigil. But, no, nothing in the box. Just to be sure, Dean checked the neighbors' mailboxes, three houses in each direction, on the chance that the mailman was careless. After all, our neighbor's flyers were in our box two days in a row. But, no large white envelopes graced their boxes either.
He hopped in the car and chased down the mail truck. He told the carrier, "My wife made me come ask you a question. Has all of the mail been sorted today, or is there still some in the post office?" (I'm not quite sure I sent him on that errand, but I didn't keep him from it either.)Unfortunately, she said that every single piece of mail had been sorted and delivered.
Today, Monday, found us in the temple, fully aware that the mailman would come and go beyond our watchful eyes. During a break in my assignments, I scurried home, and there it was! I stashed it in my purse, along with a letter opener and hurried back to the temple to find Dean. By the time his shift was over, most of the temple workers were aware of the letter in my purse and were as nervous as I was to open and read it. Nevertheless, we found a private spot and shared the special moment of receiving a call from the Lord together.
Wonderful news! Lucas has joined our family tree. Please click the following link for a brief slideshow featuring this newborn angel.
Lucas - the newest family member We are so grateful for the wonderful blessing of Lucas's birth. He comes to a home with wonderful parents and a charming older brother who will guide and love him.
We are so proud of Avelyn today on her tenth birthday! She is a wonderful granddaughter, and an amazing big sister. We love her so much! Click the link below to see a few slides of adorable Avelyn.
A momentous day in history - June 30th, 2015! This is the day that Dean retires after working thirty-four years as a tax accountant.
After graduating with his Masters of Accountancy from BYU, he worked in the tax department of Peat, Marwick & Mitchell (KPMG) in Billings, Montana, four years. Then our family migrated to St. George, Utah, where he joined the firm of Carter, Kemp, & Hinton. The small local firm has grown by leaps and bounds since Dean was hired back in 1985. It now has offices in three states and clients in all fifty states. We jokingly say that this is all due to Dean's expertise, with a tiny bit of help from his partners, of course. In all seriousness, his name and reputation have certainly been an important contributing factor in the firm's success. The company is currently known as HintonBurdick CPAs & Advisors and that name will most likely continue, banking on the positive brand that has been built. This is a day of celebration of his accomplishments and well deserved chance to move on to other interests and pursuits, including missionary and church service.
