ELI'S FAREWELL!

 It has been an amazing weekend full of family, friends and lots of emotions!! We started out the day going to Jake's farewell! He did such a great job! After that we headed back home to finish prepping for Eli's open house after his farewell. I was so anxious all morning I couldn't eat anything. The twins and Nash had bets going on how many times I would cry...they all lost...I cried too much! We were overwhelmed by all those who came to show Eli some love and support! He had baseball coaches, primary teachers from our old ward, family friends, Jensens, Rodgers, Tanya Kimball, Chad Mallory, tons of kids from ALA that hes friends with, tons of the twins friends, he wanted the people to come and they showed up!! Packed house!! I wish I had pictures with everyone. As soon as the Sacrament was over we started with a musical number by the youth and when the twins got up to sing, a couple of friends got up with them to sing and then before we knew it the first 4 rows full of the twins friends all got up and joined our ward in the musical number. Then Sister Adcox spoke and then Chloe and Amber Varvel sang, "A Missionaries Prayer". That brought on the water works! I couldn't stop crying it was so beautiful, the words and of course them singing!! They are talented beyond measure and mean the world to us! Now it was Eli's turn to speak. He didn't want Jared and I to read it ahead of time. He worked on it all week. He wanted to speak on his journey of wanting to serve a mission and getting to this point. Emma read it the night before and helped in a couple of little areas with a few minor details....but he wrote the most beautiful talk, I was so proud of him!! We are so grateful to all those who helped him get to this point...his friends, Brother Daley his seminary teacher, his mission prep teachers (Julie and Andrew Brooks), his friends parents that are like 2nd parents to him, etc. Afterwards Melissa and Michelle headed straight to our house to get the luncheon going...we served pulled pork sandwiches, potato salad, baked beans, veggies, fruit, chips and chocolate and vanilla soft serve ice cream!  The spirit was so strong in our ward today, it was a beautiful service! (The Bishop told Eli he brought in an extra 140 people with his farewell!!)