We met Alana and Ian in Utah and had our smallest number of people for Thanksgiving that I can remember. Evan is at the Mission Training Center and leaving for Argentina on December 14. In this picture, we are on the balcony of the townhouse with BYU and the MTC in the background, toasting Evan and his mission.
One of the reasons we like spending Thanksgiving in Utah is that it starts out the Christmas season so appropriately - with shopping early in the cold on Black Friday and then going up to Temple Square to watch them switch on the hundreds of thousands of lights. Pictured above is the Assembly Hall.
We had Belgian waffles at a place near Temple Square that has the best Belgian waffles we have had since Brussels. We also attended the Christensen wedding reception, that had an incredibly beautifully decorated ward building - it felt like being in a home. It was nice to see the whole Christensen family again and also to be able to see the Warnick family. We love Utah but will be glad to be back in CA this afternoon.
Evan sent pictures of life in the Mission Training Center in Provo. He says the work is hard but that his Spanish is improving quickly.
Evan is pictured here with his two companions. One is from Santaquin, Utah and the other is from Bountiful, Utah.
This is his District at the Mission Training Center. 
This is the Provo Temple, located right across the street from the Mission Training Center. I think Evan got particularly homesick when the fall days were this beautiful and he could hear the cheering for the BYU football games - and he wasn't able to go to them. Just wait two years and he'll be back there cheering for his team.
This is Evan's desk in his room. He already has the pictures of family and friends hanging on the bulletin board.
Right after my re-election campaign, I flew to Hawaii to do a different kind of work - getting the condo. on North Shore fixed up with a new bathroom and some painting. My parents flew over first with Helen and then I joined them. We made a lot of trips to Home Depot and Lowes and made some important decisions. Tat joined us for a good part of the time up on North Shore.
We took an afternoon off and went to the beach in the afternoon. The waves were pretty big at Shark's Cove.
All during the election campaign one of the things that kept me going was the thought of sitting in the hammock at Turtle Bay and reading Smithsonian magazine. . .I finally got to do it for a couple of hours and it was just as great as I remembered.
My parents and I would take a daily walk around Turtle Bay every evening for exercise. It was beautiful to watch the waves rolling in.
Here are the last pictures as we dropped Evan off at the Mission Training Center in Provo. He is shown here with Gavin, giving him a last hug. It really helped to have Alana and Megan at the MTC to say goodbye to him. It was pretty tough to do. . .sending him off for two years to serve the good people of Argentina.
Here Evan and I are on the grounds of the Provo Temple. He looked very handsome in his suit. I will miss his smile and willingness to go places with me.
We got together with friends and family in California and Utah so that they could say goodbye to Evan. Valerie and Allyson Reeves joined us, as well as Nate and Annie to talk about his mission. Evan and Valerie and Allyson have been good friends since they were old enough to run around and play together when they were two years old.
Evan wanted feijoada (black beans and rice) for one of his last dinners with the family. Thanks to Megster for making it for him.
Cousins, Allison and Erin, came for a last dessert at Bali's. Evan will miss all of the family and friends that have been so supportive of him over the last many years. Good luck, Evan. We love you.
They look like rodeo cowboys but in reality they are Evan and Gavin riding the "ponies" at F.McClintock's Restaurant. Evan wanted to go there one last time before going to Argentina on his mission.
As was usual, the waiter poured water into Ian's glass on his head, blindfolded. There wasn't even too much water spilled on his head.
We went to the La Familia Pumpkin Patch and picked out our pumpkins for Halloween. The little kids got to see the animals on the farm and went through the corn maze.
Gavin and Lisi got to ride a "bale of hay" horse at the pumpkin patch.
Hey there. I saw this infographic on Mint.com the other day and thought it was pretty interesting. I was aware of most of it, but there were some new things to me. Mint.com usually has interesting little tidbits like this, so check them out. They are also and awesome way to track your finances, we have been using them for over a year now and love it! Click on the graphic to see a larger more readable version. 
What better way to spend your 19th birthday than at Disneyland with your nieces and nephews! That is what Evan wanted to do, 3 weeks before going to Buenos Aires on his mission. Gavin and Elise went on the carousel with Uncle and liked the slower pace of the ride.
We got to see Hillary Miller doing her job for Disney. She is doing an externship with them for her degree at BYU. . .Disney is lucky to have a talented and dedicated person like her working with them.
Disneyland was decorated for Halloween in creative Disney style.
Here is the group,waiting to go on the ride at Splash Mountain. Ster's sister, Ashley, and her two children, Brooklyn and Liam, came to Disneyland with us. Ellie and Ethan enjoyed going on the Winnie the Pooh ride, but Ellie really liked the Matterhorn the best.
At the end of the evening, Disneyland had fireworks and a spooky Halloween program that was pretty spectacular. Gavin had just about had it and relaxed on Uncle's shoulders during the fireworks.
