Sarah's August 30th email

Hello Family!

Sister Dixon, survivor of a giant hurricane reporting!

I'm afraid my dear friend Irene kept me from writing you yesterday. She also kept me from showering. Yuk! Last year at about this time, there was another huge hurricane (hurricane Earl) that we heard about that turned out to be nothing more than a drizzle. So naturally, I thought that Irene would be the same. However, when they told me that they were evacuating New York, I started to get nervous. The storm started late Saturday night and was over Sunday at noon. They canceled church, (which meant that Mike and Mary's baptism will have to be moved. grrr) and Sister Allen and I spent all of Sunday studying and playing rummicub (I won:). We tried to go out after the storm but found a giant tree had fallen across our driveway and we had to wait hours for someone to cut it up so we could get our car out. The power and water were out until this morning, so we've been roughing it with candles and water bottle baths. It was fun for the first day. We have been busy trying to make sure everyone is okay, and that no trees fell on anyone. So far, everyone is. Lots of the roads have just opened back up, and it seems as though everything is getting back to normal. so hooray!

Before the hurricane, Sister Allen got really sick and we stayed inside fro a couple of days, so that combined with the storm, you can imagine how sick of staying inside we are! We are both bursting to stay out all day, but on the good side, we have both caught up on any sleep we may have lost in the past three months.

We just now came from an appointment with a lady, Linda Duschene, we have been teaching since I got here. She is a sweetheart. She LOVES to talk! Last Wednesday we took her on a tour of the church so that she'd feel more comfortable going and to end the tour, we took her to the font (Which I have not seen yet) we told her: "Linda, this is where you will get baptized and where you'll promise God that you will always follow him. This is the place where all your sins can be washed clean." The spirit was strong, and as we opened the font, Linda looked in excitedly. It. Was. Filthy. There was rust and dirt caked inside and cobwebs strewn across the stairs, and in one corner there was a big black spider perched on his web, looking up at us in surprise. Sister Allen and I were mortified! "Don't worry, we'll clean it before your baptism" She says. "Yeah, we will be sure to get all of the old dried up sins out of there first." I say.

Luckily, Linda was sweet enough that she didn't mind. And it all ended up to be good. She told us that she would be baptized!

Take that Mr. Spider!

So anyway, that's about all on this end. I hope everything is going well over there! how is school going? Fall is in the air here! I'll be sure to take more pictures of the vibrant leaves this year.

Loves!
Sister Dixon

Books! Books! We've got Books!!

Books! Books! Books! Books! Books!

Dear Family,

This post is just to let you all know that over the almost 36 years Dad and I have been married, we have accumulated more books than the public library. (no kidding!)

We have already send about a dozen boxes of books to DI, but as I am starting to put them on the shelves.....again, I find that we still have way too many books. I have to admit the problem is mine, I am a bookaholic. But the time has come and it's either the books or Dad. Since I insist on keeping your Father around, the books are going to have to go.

For the next week I will have the boxes here for anyone to go through that would like to pick up some extra books. There are a lot of children's books, novels, how to books, technical books etc. Whatever is left over we will take to DI, probably around September 10th.

Isn't it funny how attached you can get to some things, like chocolate, books, children, your father.......well, you get my drift!

Family Photos from the Jim/Erin Wedding

Here are a few of our favorites, but there are lots more on the photographers site. Click Here to view them. She's got them divided up though, so if you want to see any more shots of the reception, waiting outside the temple, etc, click on "Weddings" just above the photo box on the page.

Thanks for your love and support, you are the best family EVER! (including my, Erin's, side also :) )

Sarah's August 22nd Email

Hey all!

It is crazy to think that Adam is going into High school! I hope the first day of school was great for everyone! You are all going to be so old when I get back and no one is going to want to spend any time with their old sister/auntie/daughter Sarah :( oh well, I'll find a way to weasel myself into your lives again.

Things are going really well out here! On Thursday, we had a booth in a fair and we got three new potential investigators out of two hours! Pretty good! we are excited. It was reminiscent of Boston a little. A guy came up to me, way too close, and told me he was from the cult of the dead. I told him that was nice and gave him a Book of Mormon. anyway, I think I must have caught something from that because I got really sick afterward. It was probably a cult of the dead curse. I'm okay now though.

Also this week, we had Zone Conference. I always enjoy those. It was entirely centered around the Atonement. It. Was. Amazing. Sister Allen and I have been reading from Jesus the Christ recently and had just read the part where it talked about the Atonement, so It was like a spiritual bomb! The Spirit was so thick you could swim in it! Like molasses! It was awesome! I learned so much.

Anyway, today is another Basketball tournament with the Elders.

BWAHAHAH!!

I'm going back to my old scheme of pretending I know what I am doing and jumping around the court having absolutely no idea. that should be fun!

Anyway, again, sorry I don't have much to tell you, but I love you and miss you all!

Sister Dixon

Sarah's August 15th Email

Dear Family,

This week has been great! Yesterday, two investigators we have been trying to get to church for weeks finally came. Mary and Mike Kelly. When people introduced themselves to them, Mary kept saying stuff like, "We're just looking to, you know, join the group." It was so sweet!

On Saturday we went to Providence, RI to do service for this festival thing, and it was pretty cool. There were fire-dancers everywhere, and an Elder that was with us almost caught on fire. It was pretty epic.

Other than that, not much has happened since Wednesday. It was been raining cats and dogs all day today. The fleas are gone, that's good news...

Let me know how the toy room turns out. send a pic or sumthin. wow...I really wish I had more to tell you....OK, here's something.

One of the ladies in our ward is a wedding coordinator and we promised we would help her set up decorations for another members son, who was not a member. We helped set up a sweet little casual wedding (Country Chic, in case you were wondering) and the wedding procession arrived on Harleys. It was them and their motorcycle gang. so that was cool, well then the groom asked us to stay for the dinner, so we decided we'd eat and run. As we were getting our food, one of the groomsmen (who had had three beers from the open bar) started talking up Sister Allen! It was so funny to watch! He kept asking her to dance and what her first name was and if Mormons believed in love at first sight.

Yup. He was a winner.

Anyway, that's about all. I love you and miss all of you! Thank you for all the love you send me! It felt like my birthday lasted a week! It was awesome!

Loves!

Sister Dixon

Disneyland!!!!! !!! !!!!!!

WE WERE IN THE HAPPIEST PLACE EVER!!!  (Besides home, of course ^_^)

We were SO EXCITED!!!!

No trip to Disneyland is complete without the teacups.

Adam, he is so strong ^_^

Lilli is FIERCE!!

Tarzan Treehouse!

We love Frontierland <3

At the Blue Bayou...

Awesome :)

Pictures from Sarah

Still Under Construction

Dear Family,

This is just to let you know that our house is still a war zone! No carpet yet and nails sticking up where the carpet use to be! It's a tacky situation.

We LOVE having you all come, but it might not be a good idea this week.

Mom is having withdrawals, so don't be surprised if she shows up on your doorstep!

We love you all,
Mom and Dad

Sarah's August 10th Email

Dear Family,

BABY SARAH!!!!! HOLY COW!!!! She is so beautiful! ( with a name like Sarah, how could she not be?) that is the best birthday present! What a doll!

Thank you all for your birthday wishes and gifts! I am spoiled rotten! My companion enjoys it too, brownies, mustaches, and all. I had an excellent birthday, there is a sweet couple in the ward, the Harris's who took us out to eat and we celebrated their anniversary and my birthday which happened to fall on the same day. they were married 8-8-80 so 8's all around! (For all who are wondering, I am actually turning 23, but thank you for thinking me younger than I actually am:)

This has been a good week, we have had some investigators progressing really well, and we are excited for the next transfer (both Sister Allen and I are staying). there is a couple we are teaching who have set a baptismal date, so we are super excited for them.

So this is funny...we have fleas. I only say this is funny, because it might be funny to you. I hope someone is getting enjoyment out of this. They have been jumping around our apartment fro about three days now (found them on my birthday, great gift!). We know where we got them, and we are going to try to get rid of them, but until then, I have a dozen little flea bites all over me.

Why me?

First spiders,
then bed bugs,
now fleas?

Although yesterday a member took us on a picnic and in the middle of a story she was telling us, I felt this pain shoot through my finger. When I looked at it there was nothing there, but my finger was red and swelling up. I didn't want to seem like a pansy, so I didn't tell my comp about it until it had swelled up to the size of a salami. My whole hand was red! When I showed her, she laughed and asked what I wanted her to do about it.

Punk.

Eventually the swelling went down and my finger stopped hurting, and it was probly nothing, but you know my imagination. the rest of the day I kept imagining this infection spreading up my arm and attacking my nervous system and all these horrible deaths.

Anyway, that's all the exciting news in CT! Hope everything is better there, and if my hand hasn't fallen off by Monday, I'll write again!

Love you all!
Sister Dixon

Welcome Sarah Rose!

We are pleased and overjoyed to announce the birth of Sarah Rose Thompson! She was born on August 8th, 2011 at Ogden Regional Medical at 3:34 pm. She was 6 lbs 13 oz and 20 inches long (or tall if she could stand up). She is home now and is settling in to the typical craziness of the household.

Ladybug birthday

This is REALLY late notice so do not feel obligated at all to come. My sister is coming up from Moab last second so we are rushing. There is going to be a ladybug birthday party at our house tomorrow the 6th for Isabelle and my nieces Rylee and Ellie. It is at 6:00. We will be having sloppy joes and cake. If you can come that is great if not that is fine. If you could let me know if you are coming as soon as possible that would be wonderful!

Dear Family,

I'm sorry I didn't get to e-mail until now. Technical difficulties. All the computers were going berserk. Anyway, now I'm on! Yay!

So this was a interesting week! On Sunday, I was lucky enough to go to the baptism of someone I taught in Oxford, since my old area is just a hop over the border! It was amazing. Her name is Phyllis Berthume and she is a sweetheart. She had been going to church for years taking care of her grand kids, her son is a member. She would always tell me that I looked exactly like her niece, Jessica.

I saw a picture. I really hope I don't look like her niece.

Anyway, when I saw her I gave her a great big hug and she started crying! I am pretty sure it's because she thought I was Jessica at first, but I still take the compliment. Anyway, when she went in to get baptized, we were all sitting for five minutes, waiting for her to get into the font. Then her Daughter in law poked her head out and asked a member of the bishopric to get a knife.

!!

Ten minutes later, it was announced that they couldn't get her prosthetic leg off, (which made me think that the knife was for sawing it off. but apparently it wasn't) and were going to have to wrap it up in plastic. which took another five minutes.

Finally though, she was in the water and ready to be dunked. Her son was baptizing her, which was sweet. Because of her leg, she had to sit in a chair to be baptized. After her son said the prayer and right before she was dunked, Phyllis (hardcore Catholic before) crossed herself right before he baptized her! Oops, forgot to go over that one.

It didn't really matter, because they had to dunk her three times. Her son, who is giant, kept shoving her under, and she'd flail around. It was one of the more interesting baptisms I've been to. But it was really sweet. It was great to be in my old ward and to have them recognize me. That was really nice.

So I hear everyone went to Disneyland! I am Jealous! with a capital J. I hope to receive lots of pictures! how is my dear old Disneyland? Still as magical as before?

Anyway, I love you all! I will be a better e-mailer next week and write all of you who wrote me, I promise. This week was crazy! I'm sorry if I don't get back to you right away.

I will be e-mailing on Wednesday next week, since it is transfer week. I'll let you know what happens!

Loves!

Sister Dixon