SISTERS!!!!!

 On January 21st my sister Heather turned the big 40!!! Her sweet hubby planned an early surprise party for her and let her know that we had all planned a secret birthday trip for her! She flew in and so did my other sister Lisa and our good friend Kim who went to BYU with Heather back in the day! She is truly like a sister!! So it was a SISTERS WEEKEND!!! The first place we went once Heather arrived was to go to City Creek downtown. They have shopping and restaurants and it's just pretty! She and Kim had not seen it yet so it was a must. One funny side note- we went into Desert Book there and it smelt just awful! Like a sewer!! And we were all pretty silly laughing etc while we were in there- those people working there thought we were nuts! Then we went to Yankee Candle and met the most FORWARD customer service person EVER!! A man that kept throwing candles and other items in our face to smell! It was ridiculous! Haha!

 Later that night after a yummy dinner at home- made by Chan- we decided to go to Leatherby's. It's a family restaurant/creamery in Draper. It's fairly new to our area and I had not been there yet. And W-O-W!!! The ice cream there was not only HUGE but was soooooo tasty!!! They had all kinds of flavors too!

 We all had our phones out snapping pictures of our treats! It was funny! We enjoyed VERY much having time to visit and talk and talk and talk!!! For me there is no more special thing than my relationships with my sisters! They are my best friends! We talk about everything and laugh and love being silly. It's almost like we are kids again! It's the best!

 On the Saturday of our weekend Brianne had an honors choir concert. So we went out shopping during the day and then came home to get dressed up before heading out to dinner before the concert. Chan took Brianne up to the concert hall and stayed up there and we went to Iggy's for dinner before meeting up with him there.

 You can't go to a concert on an empty stomach right?!! Hahaha! The concert was at Abravanel Hall downtown and they had never been there before, neither had I as a matter of fact! It's a beautiful building and Brianne was VERY excited to perform! There was only a few chosen from her school, I think only 10, and she was one of them. It was students from middle school and high school's from all over the state that were chosen by their teachers.

 When we got there they weren't letting people in to sit yet, we waited about 15 minutes and then finally started filing in. They had ushers telling people to move to the center, but we were wanting to sit on an end since we were waiting for Chan to arrive. He had gone across the street to get a quick bite of dinner. The usher was SO RUDE!! We did end up sitting "near" the end and he kept giving us crusty looks that we wouldn't scoot over! We had to tell him more than once that we weren't moving! Hahaha! It's a funny memory of that night!

 This was a HUGE group of kids and they sounded amazing! The songs were unique and done very well.

 You can see Brianne to the left of the director! He was a guest conductor and Brianne loved him! She was also thrilled that during one of their practices he gave her a compliment on her vowels!! It made her feel very good! :)

 We all enjoyed the concert and I was excited that my sisters could be there to see it! It was awesome!

 This is Brianne and one of her friends Elle who was there in the choir with her. They are good friends and both love singing!

 I was so proud of her! Singing is really her favorite thing!! It was a fun evening together too!

 The next morning we decided to go to temple square to see the Mormon Tabernacle Choir perform in Music and the Spoken Word. They record it every Sunday and none of us had been to one, so why not!

 It snowed a lot the night before and the roads were covered and were slick! So we arrived early and managed to be there during their full practice. They sang every song they were going to sing and each was magnificent! Since we saw the whole thing before the scheduled recording we decided to go and walk temple square and see the visitors centers.

 I took them to see the new missionary area, the cut out of the Slat Lake temple etc. It was awesome. We also talked to several sister missionaries who were there that morning. All of them challenged us to be more open about sharing the gospel- they are such great examples. :)

 Not long after this picture was taken we started for the truck to head home. You can kind of tell in the photo but it was STILL snowing lightly and the grounds crew were doing their best to keep the sidewalks clear. They were VERY slushy and we were being so careful not to slip. Buuuuuuttt.... I totally DID!! And I BAILED!! I mean seriously, I am sure it looked like I was sliding for home plate! I was totally on my belly laid out! I was soaked and VERY embarrassed but totally okay! Remarkably I didn't hurt myself! We got back to the truck and headed home in time for church. I was still wet too! Hahaha!

 Our last day together we spent hanging out at home chatting away until a few hours before Heather needed to be at the airport. She left on Monday and Lisa and Kim left on Tuesday. we did hit a few spots before she left- we went to a couple other stores and then did a drive on the northeast side of the valley. It had been YEARS since any of them had been over that way. we went to This is the Place State Park, up by the U of U, Sugarhouse Park etc on our way out to drop off Heather. It was a beautiful day, cold, but lovely!

One last sister selfie at the park before she left! :) Honestly the timing was just perfect!! I was missing my family over the holidays and knowing that they were coming made me excited! I LOVED spending every minute with them and wish I could do it several times a year! I miss them terribly when we are apart, but it makes me cherish them even more when I am around them! Thank heavens for technology and the ability to talk to each other every day via text, calling or silly apps! Without that I would be SO sad! I am one lucky gal to call these amazing ladies my sisters!!! Love you both! Happy Birthday Heather!