if we only knew...

So this is "Sister Daw and Sister Martineau"
Nov of 2008- our very first day serving together.
July 2009- Zone conference in Virginia
January 2010- SLEEP OVER at the Daw's!

Katie and I were very lucky to serve for about 5 months! Divine intervention I tell ya! When we saw each other months after "Sister Daw" was transferred, our little selves only knew of one thing to do: HUG! And now that we are both home in Utah, we continue to do the same. How true it is that when you make a true friend, distance makes the heart grow fonder!

A o so needed visit!

(These are yam burritos I made on my mission but in essence this is what we made for dinner this weekend)

Boy do I love Laura's cooking. We went to Borders and bought a cook book that I absolutely loved while on my mission. We came home and made a wonderful dinner (yam/lime burritos), then Laura, Jared and I stayed up reminissing about our missions. We rented a movie and just relaxed!

This morning Laura treated us with some German pastries for breakfast! Boy I love those two... of course its because they let me eat food at their place and only because of that. In fact you can all see where my priorities were seen as I only got pictures of the food and not of the three of us. Oh yes and I suppose I also love Laura and Jared because they are the most loving, fun, whitty (in fact check this out) people I know. I just loved every minute of it all... it was in deed a much needed visit!

My weekend in Logan also included spending time with on of my former companions, Katie Daw. We went to the Temple with a mutual friend of ours, Brittany Martinez, who also returned from her mission recently. It was so wonderful to go to the Temple. I absolutely love beign so close to them now.

"Jabes" also came up to see his mission companions, so he came over for some lunch and studying at Laura and Jared's. It was nice to get together! ...did I mention I loved Laura's cooking.

we never stop learning!

Today Anali and I found ourselves listening to music (I to Belanova and she to Barbie... sweet!) and deep in the pages of our school books. Earlier this week I told Darren and Tere how amazing it was to me that I undesrtood so many of the concepts I had not understood before in class. Today Anali expressed a similar feeling. She said to me,

"Wow, Erica so is 3x5 the same thing as 5x3 and 7x8 the same things as 8x7?"

"Yup, you got it Princess" I told her.

"Wow why hadn't I figured it out before, this will be so easy now!"

Boy we never stop learning do we?! ...Yet another reason why I LOVE LIFE!

Anali Gerber

This month marks Anali's 8th birth day year. She is the cutest little girl! I love staying at home with her. We tried to take some pictures for her baptismal invitations... we took better ones at the end of the week, but taking these was fun as well!

Good 'ol FRIENDS!

Well it goes without saying that time really flies! Carlin and Ashley (and Baby LIAM) came down for the weekend the first week of school. So we all got together for dinner and games (well one game in particular... "Killer Bunny" hum... I'm still trying to understand it, but it was fun non the less.) Dan Castelano and his wife as well as his sister and her husband and baby and Kevin and I all went over to Ashley's parents house. Oh goodness it was sooo great to get together. As I look back at where we were 7 years ago, never did I think the day of marraige and babies would be here so soon; but boy do I love it!

p.s. I absolutely LOVE putting Liam to sleep. After not beign able to hold children for 18 months, I soaked it all in as he fell asleep in my arms! Well and not to mention he is just an adorable baby!

Back to Vegas, I mean "Zion"

Don't freak out people, it's just "Vegas." Every weekend, the Gerber and Cahuraricra (2) families get together to play and eat food (of course); which they call "Vegas." It was certainly one of my favorite things to do with them all before I left on my mission. It is so nea tto see all the cousins play together, the woman cooking and then all the adults play cards... though I must say that Sally and Michael (12/13) are pretty good at those card cames too. Well the very first weekend back to Utah I made sure I spent it with the familia... I was ready for Vegas again. O man there is nothing like food and family!

La Familia

pictures of the family coming up soon...

my sister, a teenager?

Though I plan on posting more pictures of the family, I have to simply place this picture all on its own for now. It seems like just yesterday Miraya was born. When I left my mission she was still 11. I came home to a very tall, 13-yr. old TEENAGER! It was certainly emotional to see the girls so grown up!