Beckstrand/Hess Get Together

Because Morgun and Shayne came home the same day and Conference was coming up, their mission homecoming talks were on the same Sunday and it was going to be hard for people to go to both of them, so Saturday the 27th of September we got together at the Sienna Hills Park with all of the Hess' and had both of the tell a little about their missions.  It was great to see all of the Hess boys that had come to town from California and Arizona.  I got a lot of flack for taking these pictures but I just want all of you who complained to just see #1 How cute they all turned out and #2 That because of me and this blog our ancestors will actually know you!  They'll know your personality, your shape of your eyes, your style in clothes and everything else that we wish we knew about our past ancestors.  So there!  I don't care if it bugs you.  I don't care if you hate it.  I am still going to do it because it matters.  Just warning you.  And for those future generations who are reading this years and years from now...you're welcome.  Here are Chase, Sophie and Emma.  Ashley was at a basketball game.  And here's Josh.  Josh is stuck in the middle of all of those girls. 

 Here are Josh and Grandma Elaine and Holly and Kellie.

 Joel and Adam

Joel and Adam photo-bombing Brian and Matthew holding Otto.

Edie, Taylor, Carol Nan and a friend.
 

 Kaleah and Allyssa.  Our two newest girls.

 Left to right: James friend Sara (I think), James, Daniel's friend Trent, Megan, Daniel, Shayne, Jennifer, John and Grandpa Beckstrand

Erica, Debra, Angey, Mandy and Kellie with Jacob in the background.

Joel and his buddy Otto!

  

                                                                            Here's Brian Phelps, Jared, Michael and Morgun.

Erica & Mandy and Taye and David.

 Mary and Mandy, Erica and Luke.

 We all brought our own dinner and then had these two report.  It was great.

Taylor also got up because she leaves in a couple weeks for her mission.  Morgun's homecoming will also be her farewell.  Then the Hess boys walked their dad Wes back to the van and we all cleaned things up and headed out.  It was a great time and a wonderful memory that we'll always have with the cousins.

Thanks Shayne and Morgun for all your great service and wonderful examples to us all!

Shayne Comes Home!

 It was a short 18 months over there and a long 3 days home.  We tracked her every minute of the 33 hours.  20 1/2 in the air and 12 1/2 in layovers.  Thank goodness my parents, Paula and Abby could go see her and take her to lunch while she had her 4 hour layover in SLC.    Ashley and Henry tried to see her in the LAX airport because they were flying to see Megan around the same time.  But that airport is as big as a city and it would have taken a miracle for it to have happened.  Google Earth and a couple great air trackers make it great to watch people travel across the world.  Here she was just leaving Perth at 10ish at night.

She got into Brisbane around 5am.

 She left Brisbane at 10am and got to California at 6am the same day.  TIME TRAVEL!  COOL!

As soon as that happened a sigh of relief that she was in the states happened the same time that an anxiety attack happened.  Did I have everything ready?  I went to work until noon just to get my mind off of things.  I hadn't eaten much in the past 6 weeks because of the stress that other mom's had said about their daughters that had just gotten home from Perth the transfer earlier. I had lost some weight but I was Nervous!  Once she past over St. George It was time for me to leave work and go hang up signs.

We had them all over the place.  It was fun.

 Meanwhile I was getting these awesome pictures through Instagram along with some videos that I wish I could download.  They are great!  They are of her hugging my parents.  It gave me a sense of peace that I needed that day when I saw those.

 After lunch they took Shayne over to see the Salt Lake Temple.  While she was there she was reminded that one of the girls in one of the wards got her call to the SLC Temple Visitor Center.  So she wondered if she could be there.  My mom asked her what she looked like and she said, "Indian."  Then my mom said, "Well, that Sister missionary looks Indian."  and points to the exact girl that Shayne had just been talking about.  Shayne squealed and ran over to her.  It was a tender mercy of the Lord because he knew how badly Shayne needed to see someone from DownUnder right at the very moment.

 

 We hung more signs as we headed out to the airport and it just so happened, another tender mercy, that Morgun Phelps was coming home from his mission on the same fight from SLC that Shayne was.  So we had a TON of family and friends at the airport.  It was awesome!

 

 These were the monitors that we were all watching.  They were on the 5:52 fight.  We were so humbled at all who came out to welcome her home.

Here she is!

I of course was the first one to get a hug.  Edie was no where to be found for Morgun so he hugged his little sister.

Joel was teary.  Of course.  That's what makes him the great man that he is.

 Everyone was excited.  Shayne said that Josh changed the most.

Hugs from Grandpa Beckstrand.

Chase, Lily, Vince and the kids.

 JoEllen, George and the rest of the fam.

 Then there was Sloan.  I think he was the most excited.  It was good to see.

I

 Then to all the friends that came to welcome her home.

Here's the Lusk's...and Sloan.  And Jared with his family.  Shayne and Jacob hadn't seen each other in 3 years.

 The Wells family.  Brian's family.  It was also Taye's birthday.

 Then us.

 Sloan again, and Emily comparing how white Shayne's legs are compared to hers.

 Courtney showed up right as we were getting ready to leave.

 

Then we made it back home.  Shayne showed us the lei's she was given and we did a selfie for Aeronny back in Perth to celebrate.  It's great to have her home.  We are so proud of all of her hard work.