Holiday Review in Collage(s)

 Kartchner Merry Thanksmas/Happy Christgiving Celebration: 

The only day all of my siblings could gather for a Christmas party (minus those in Oz) was the day before Thanksgiving. Mom didn't let that stop her from throwing a fun-filled party aboard the

Polar Express! 

                     Though we thought it possible on many instances, you'll be glad to hear nobody was seriously injured while aboard the train. I was extremely proud of the yellow-brick road leading to the front door of our gingerbread house. Em is in love with the life-size kangaroo that                                                                cousin Sky got for her!

Christmas Decor

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

Couper had to travel quite a bit in December with the USU women's basketball team. Em and I tried to stay very busy prepping for the holidays and building traditions while he was away. We sure miss him while he's gone!  I had some of my family over for homemade elk chili and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and do watch the devotional.  Emelia and I made a batch of Grandma Lucy's famous Christmas tarts to take down to share with Couper's family.

NICU Babies

Among other things, one of the projects Em and I worked on while Coup was away was a service project for the babies that have to be in the NICU during the holidays this year. We went to the hospital to get custom measurements and made soft and adorable crib sheets for the little NICU cribs. Em is signing "baby" in the picture on the left. Wonder if she understood? So glad we didn't have to be there this year! And hope these cheery, cozy fabrics brought some comfort to parents and babies alike.

OSSO Reunion

I was blessed with a very unexpected and very much appreciated Christmas gift. My Ecuadorian parents, the Roseros, came to Utah! It was a dream come true for them and for hundreds of volunteer alum. The memories and emotions that surfaced at seeing them were empowering. I am so grateful for the experience I had in Ecuador, and have the Roseros to thank for a large part of it.  A family I served with decided to adopt 2 of "our kids" shortly after they returned to the states. Loved chatting with these witty kids and telling them stories from when they were preschool age. Extremely glad for the people I saw, and longed to re-connect with all of the alum I served with. Merry Christmas to me!

Chirstmas in Erda

We spent Christmas in Erda this year and kept ourselves very busy! Em loved listening to/playing music with Gramma Nec. We sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and learned more about His birth through the adults in Coup's family who got to travel to Israel earlier this year. Em loved unloading her stocking and seemed to get the idea of presents pretty good. Coup and I enjoyed making and eating Denise's famous sugar cookies!

Christmas Card

We are kind of poor this year and did a Christmas card electronically..and kind of late. So if you didn't catch it on FB, here it is again :).

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas! I know we did. May you all carry the Spirit of Christ with you all year long in 2014; I know we're going to try!

"My Neighbors Daughter"

I couldn't resist sharing this heartfelt story.

3 Marias and a Christmas Promise

Dr. Rex Head is the founder of OSSO, the Orphanage and Support Services Organization that I served with in Ecuador in 2007. He is an extremely self-less, giving, and inspired man. I was only able to meet him once when he came to visit Cuenca during my service, but I was immediately impressed by this man who devotes countless hours to orphans in need of love and hope. He is also a very good story teller. It's worth listening.

The orphanage he speaks of is one I visited every week at least 2 times a week for 3 months. I have many fond memories there and his story resurfaced many of my own personal stories. It was as if a captioned picture reel began running through my head of all of my favorite experiences at that particular orphanage, as if it was yesterday. Thank you for the reminders Dr. Rex Head, thank you the inspiration you are to orphans and volunteers alike. And thank you for this story to help me quietly relive some of my touching experiences from Ecuador.

This is a picture of a different orphanage I served at 4 or 5 days a week. Playing with, teaching, loving, and meeting the physical and emotional needs of orphans newborn to 5 years old.

I've slowly been accumulating pictures, papers, reminiscing about stories over the last while to develop a scrapbook of my memories from Ecuador. My experience is one I don't ever want to forget, and love to share. Hopefully I'll stop getting emotional and day dream so much so that one day this book will be finished and I can share it with anyone interested :). (It seriously may be another year or two, don't get your hopes up yet.)

Hope this story touched your heart like it did mine! To learn more about OSSO visit the website!