Everything's Okay! Because we were on Vacation!

This past week has been very exciting for us. To begin with, Sunday was Fathers' Day. Marta gave her farewell talk in Church and we spent the afternoon/evening playing games and eating homemade ice cream.

On Tuesday, we headed down to Manteca with our Uncle Matt, where Marta was set apart as a full-time missionary! After that, we were able to meet up with our aunt, Greta, and cousin, Maren, for dinner and ice cream.

To hear about Hermana Houghton's adventures, see her blog!

Early on Wednesday morning (and I mean 4 a.m. early), we took Marta to the Sacramento Airport and said our goodbyes. After she got through security and gave us a final wave goodbye, we went back to the cars and started the long drive to Sandy, Utah, where we were expected to start the 2015 Houghton Family Reunion! By 6, we joined the various parties going on and jumped into the reunion, which we decided to theme after this video about vacations. Our go-to excuse was that "Everything's okay, because we're on vacation!"

Here's the picture version of the reunion.

Thursday: We went to Snowbird and played for a day on the various rides. It was great!

Thursday: Somehow, we even managed to take a picture at the top of the
mountain after getting off of a crowded tram! Left to right: Luke, Levi, Tess
(me), Dad, Eliza, and Mom.

Friday: Grandma took us through the Salt Lake Cemetery to see the graves of
people from Church history and our great grandparents. This picture is of her
mother's (my great grandmother's) grave after we decorated it with flowers.

Friday Night: We attended a pre-wedding dinner and had a blast!
Left to right: Dad, Mom, Tess (me), and Dad's sister, Mary.

Saturday: Cory (the Honorary Junior Uncle) was sealed to Jessica
(who is now the Honorary Junior Aunt) in the Draper Utah Temple.
We finished the reunion that night with a beautiful reception and cleanup.

This morning we all went our separate ways (most of us through desert), but we
can't wait for our next big get together!

To finish up, here's what's going on:

• Levi and Dad are going to spend this week fending off grizzly bears as they hike through Wyoming and Montana with Dad's brother, Uncle Jack.
• Mom is going to spend a week relaxing and taking a true vacation.
• Eliza is working at her internship for MaritzCX.
• Luke is being an EFY counselor in Texas for a few weeks.
• Marta is in the Mexico City MTC, learning Spanish and getting ready to share the gospel!
• Last, but not least, I (Tess) am at home, working as a lifeguard.

Until next time,

Tess