Loving Rachel

I have the most beautiful sister named Rachel.

Her she is with my beautiful brother, Tadd.

She lives in Utah, but is spending Christmas vacation here in Mesa.

You may remember Rachel from a blog post I wrote last year about the ugly jeans.  

I found the ugliest pair of 1980’s high-waist, pleated, tapered-leg Guess jeans at the thrift store for $1.00.  I purchased them as joke to see if they would sell on eBay for $9.99.

Much against her will, I convinced Rachel to be my super model.  Even on her hot bod, they still looked like the ugliest pair of jeans ever.

But, they did sell on eBay for $9.99 to some lucky girl and I thought that was pretty hilarious.

Anyway, it was so wonderful to have Rachel over Christmas morning.

She spent her time with my kids, playing and having fun.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-DaySaints, Rachel has decided to serve a mission.  She is called to the Argentina, Nuequen mission.

This Christmas has been very special, spending time with her knowing February 1, 2012, she’ll be gone for 18 months.  Many times through out her visit, I’ve had to hold back the tears, especially when I saw her so lovingly playing with Eden and Reef.

Yesterday, we went hiking in the Phoenix Mountains.  Leave it to Aunt Rachel, to be the first one up the the mountain with 8 nieces and nephews following her.  

What an adventure they had.

I don't think any of us will forget this day with Rachel.

I hope my kids continue to follow in Rachel's footsteps.  I am so proud of her.

One of our family traditions is for birthdays or special occasions, we have that person sit in a chair and we all go around, sharing favorite stories and/or advice for that beloved family member.

Later that night, after dinner, Rachel was honored to sit in the chair (purchased for $4.99 at my favorite thrift store) while each one of us expressed our love to her.

(Notice how Eden put her little chair right by Rachel.)

We all miss her already and she's still here.  How is that possible?

I'm so grateful for her commitment to Jesus Christ and her desire to love and serve the people of Argentina.