An Earthquake and a Hurricane

Dear friends,

The days are drawing near for the Florida Tampa Mission Reunion. It will be a joy to see you again. We reflect often on the years we spent together in the work of the Lord.

Life has not been dull here on the East Coast. Our grandson, Adam, has been visiting us from England for the past month. We traveled with him to California so we could all be part of our granddaughter, Lily’s baptism. Besides showing Adam around Washington, DC and teaching him the American version of history (those Brits might try to dissuade him) we threw in an earthquake and a hurricane. And speaking of hurricane, what is the deal here? We spent three years in hurricane prone Florida with a no show on hurricanes and get back to Virginia and there you have it! We actually made it through with only one tree down. While some complained that the storm didn’t equal the expectations of the media, we were GRATEFUL!

See you in September!

Love,
President and Sister Colton

Alan Alami Checks In

Alami Family:

Our life together has been so special. We have truly been blessed as a family. This summer we had many opportunities to visit the temple. We participated in the temple sealings of many of friends, and watched as those we loved received their endowments. It was great to see our friends enter into the covenant of marriage!

Other things we did included traveling to Florida to visit people I taught and worked with on my mission. We spent a day in the Orlando Temple and had the opportunity to participate in a Spanish Session. It was a great opportunity that neither of us had experienced. I learned that I could understand the ceremony equally as well in Spanish as in English, and my wife and her family gained a more firm appreciation of the gospel being preached to all nations. Being with so many Hispanics this summer has inspired my wife to learn Spanish! She is currently studying daily using the ‘Rosetta Stone’ program. Disney World was a MUST, while we were there. We met up with the in-laws to spend a weekend together. We even made matching T-shirts with Disney characters on them!

We are both working and doing our best to prepare for the rest of our family. I work for ChemDry a carpet cleaning company. Katina graduated back in May with a degree in Elementary Education. She currently substitute teaches during the day and works part time at a movie theater. We are both saving money and living well within our means.

I am continuing school, now with only two semesters to go! We are seeing the hand of the Lord in our lives in many ways. I changed my major from Business Marketing to Spanish with a minor in Business. I am also planning to seek a Masters in Business Administration in the future. It truly is a miracle, since I can obtain a Masters degree in Business and a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish in the same (in the classroom) time it would have taken me to obtain a Bachelor’s in Business Marketing. This will enable me to finish school early and begin work as I prepare to seek my Masters.

We are so grateful for the many people in our lives that have helped us thus far. On June 18^th, 2011 we celebrated our first year of marriage. We are still going strong and are very much in love.

Les queremos a todos!

Love,

Alan and Katina Alami

Josh Key and Christina Measom Marry

Josh Key and Christina Measom were married in the Mt. Timpanogas Temple on July 29, 2011.

Devin Nelson to Wed

Devin Nelson will marry Nicole Laherty on August 20, 2011 in the Dallas Texas Temple.

Rachel Higley to Wed Brandon Turley

Rachel Ann Higley will marry Brandon James Turley on the 27th of August in the Los Angeles Temple.

Blackman Stole a Kiss

Judson Carver Blackman stole a kiss from Lindsay Williams to announce their marriage date of August 12 in the Salt Lake Temple.

Austin Anderson Visits the East

Austin Anderson returned from his mission in Florida in late June. Along with his family, Austin toured the eastern United States including New York City and Washington, DC. The Anderson family visited the Coltons after a long day of sight-seeing in DC. Austin plans on school in the fall and is looking to secure a job as well.

Eric and Kalli to Wed

Eric Sorensen and Kalli Sue Bowman have set the date for their marriage, August 20th, 2011 in the Bountiful Temple.

Big Announcement from Zach Cook!

So here's the rundown, I've been in school at BYU-I since I got home. I have about a year left here, finishing with my degree. Things have been going well and only getting better each day.
The best news, as of late in my life, is that I am no longer going to be a "lone man in the wilderness!" I'm engaged to a beautiful girl from the land of the North. We're getting married on August 19th in the Cardston Alberta Temple. Right now we're getting all the wedding plans finalized and ready to go. Even amongst the trials of life there are so many things that bring great joy. We are both very excited, we are excited for the future and all that is to come. I hope that same goes for all of you!