Single's Ward Family style

So, the next time you want to sit through a quiet Sacrament meeting go to a single's ward. You could hear a pin drop during Sacrament. Well, most people could, except for those around us. Carter was the only sound in the room. I couldn't get him to stop whispering. He has this thing about silence.... it's evil and must be filled with chatter. He did get lots of glances from curious singles ("Mom, that guys staring at me")who obviously haven't heard a noise at church in some time.
We went to hear Ashley give her first of two 'farewell' talks in church. She did a great job and sounded like a pro. We were quite the site though, sitting there with four children and surrounded by the 18-30 crowd. I'm sure no one noticed (yeah right!)
It was fun to see the Sacrament blessed and passed by returned missionaries who probably thought they were past that stage of life. (You're never too old to........)
Another phenomenon was the singing. From where I was sitting, it sounded like everyone sang in unison (i.e. no parts) and to me it was very symbolic since all of these people have one thing in common, they are single and at/around the same age in life, so their singing seemed to be the same way. In a family ward, you have young and old, babies, divorced folks, single sisters and brothers, newlyweds, in other words all parts of one song.
Next week Ashley will speak in our ward and it will be another wonderful experience.
Only 17 days left till MTC day!

New Hampshire, Here She Comes!

Ashley Kay Mitchell is going to the Manchester, New Hampshire Mission!! She leaves on October 29 for the MTC in Provo. I'm sure there will be many tears as we watch the Called to Serve (aka Called to Tears) video and have to watch her walk off into the unknown doorway, where no parent ever ventures and no missionary ever returns through. It's the first hard door they must tract and behind it lies their first convert .....themselves.
Is she prepared enough? Only through venturing forth will we ever know. What hard experiences await her? None, only big or small learning experiences.
We've already begun praying for those whose lives she will eventually touch and for those who will most definitely touch her life.
We're so proud of the woman she has become and know that she is prepared to serve the Lord and the people in the New Hampshire area.
Way to go Ashley. We love you!

The Adventure Begins!

Thanks to my cute new daughter Stephanie (Tony's bride) I am now an official blogger. I have enjoyed other people's blogs but never knew where or how to start my own. So, I called in the expert. She helped me get up and going. She has promised to be my guide until I get more confident.If you want to see her blog and her superb blogging skills click here; http://www.princessteffo.blogspot.com/
Now I just have to make our life interesting enough that someone will want to read about it. So, stay tuned for the laughs, the tears, the drama, the twists and turns of the Mitchell Family as we glide our way through life. I hope this will help us to keep in touch with friends and family better.