Reunions to rave about

Conference Weekend was oh so great this year!  Reunions with good friends and great Conference sessions made the last few days incredibly special.  I definitely think such gatherings should happen more often...

First up, I'd like you all to meet the amazing Else L. Endicott!  I had the privilege and blessing of making her acquaintance during my study abroad to Vienna Austria during Fall semester 2005.  We became fast friends - kindred spirits if you will - and here we are three years later on BYU campus during her brief visit to Utah with her husband.  I made Else and Hans tell their story from the very beginning, and trust me, it's a great one.  Intrigue, drama, suspense, you name it, they had it.  They're expecting their first baby in March and they will make the greatest parents ever.  Wow - I adore this girl!  This was the start of the amazing reunion fest that took place this weekend.  No matter the time or distance between our reunions, it's a blast when we're together.  Though I'm sad we won't be able to enjoy Magic Mountain any time soon... =)
Next up - my mission reunion!!!  Welcome to the TSAM 2008 reunion!  It made my heart sooooo happy to spend time and catch up with dear Elders and Sisters from my mission - and especially President and Sister Larkin.  They are truly some of the greatest people I have ever known!  They shared a message with us all encouraging us to be TSAMers for life.  I guess you would've had to serve there to know anything about that, but I took it to heart....it will be done.  Now that Penn "lives" in St. George I have the perfect excuse to stop in and visit the Larkins who live there as well.  Que bueno!!!  I have to admit, I was quite impressed that I could still recite the TSAM theme in English and Spanish which we said together at the end of President's remarks.  Wow!  That'll make you realize how long you've been home.....it's been awhile. 
The best part of this reunion was seeing the Elders and Sisters that weren't home yet at the last one.  Here we have Traeden Nord, Daniel Bates, and Amy Sonntag.  I told Traeden he was my favorite Elder in the mission field, but then I saw Daniel and I realized the title of "favorite" was actually a tie between the two.  That's fair right?  Both are awesome and it was so fun catching up.  I served with Amy near the end of my mission and the crazy thing is that she lives three streets away from me in Bountiful.  That is the epitome of small world!                                                                                 

 The last reunion of the weekend was with my fellow Scottish sibling - the one and only Michael John Murray.  Regrettably, I didn't take any pictures of this one, but it gives me an excuse to make up for that another time.  During the delightful conversation over a breakfast of Denver and Athenian omelets, Michael managed to coerce me into performing with him at First Night with the Wasatch Pipe Band.  This great Scottish dance legacy began years and years ago - Senior year at WXHS (2002) to be specific - when I taught Michael the Highland Fling which he performed for a multicultural assembly.  Ever since then I have thought it would be really fun to perform with him but the timing never seemed quite right.  This year, I have no excuses (vacations, mission, broken ankle, etc.) - nada.  Not gonna lie, I'm feeling a bit of pressure.  Michael's good - especially at the Sword dance, which is what I may have to perform.  Might the student surpass the master???  You'll have to come to the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on New Year's Eve and find out for yourself.  Aw Billy!!!