Tallin's Birthday

This day started out pretty normal... boring even. Tallin, Preston and the girls went to a late movie last night so they slept in and I got up knowing I had a full day of shopping and preparation for this weekend. Tallin got up to birthday wishes and he decided they would come to town with me and get him some new black slacks for Cait and Jace's wedding. He had to work tonight so we planned on doing cake later....

And then Kassi and I checked the mail on our way to taking Kassi to work... and we saw the famous white envelope! From the Church! We knew what it meant... we have been waiting for this envelope since he spoke with the stake president who told him he was submitting his papers not even 2 weeks ago! Amazing... 2 weeks! Modern technology is a wonderful thing! 2 weeks we waited... so a few more hours shouldn't be much harder. Except it was. We waited for Tallin to get home from work... and waited. 4 hours seemed more like 4 weeks! So we cleaned... and moved bedrooms around, and cleaned some more, and looked at the envelope! A few were even seen trying to peek, even listening to it in hopes that it would somehow speak to them... and we waited! And we looked at his cake....

And finally.... he came home! And a few friends had just happened to stop by... you know, it's normal to stop by the house at almost 10pm! We have great friends! :)

And so he posed with the white envelope while we got Jace on the phone...and Shiloh... and Shayne.... and grandma and grandpa....

And then he tortured us a bit... slowly, slowly opening the envelope... that white envelope that we had waited for....

Garrett has Shiloh on his phone... waiting....

Okay... enough torture already... just open the envelope!!!

Smart boy... he started by reading the addresses.... and then paused and we finally were yelling to just READ us the letter!!! By now he knew so he was just having fun making us suffer!

Holding the phone up for grandma and grandpa to hear as he finally reveals....He is going to serve the next 2 years in the Fiji, Suva Mission!!! FIJI!!!! He will be preaching the gospel in the Fijian Language. He enters the MTC on August 25th... and when Kalli heard that she burst into tears that her brother was going to leave her for 2 years ON her birthday! Cheers went up, laughing, cheering again... everyone was so excited!!! What started out as a normal, even boring birthday ended up being one that he will never forget! Elder... wow! A missionary! To FIJI!!!

Now for the cake!

Make a wish...oh that's right, he got his wish... he is going to FIJI!!!

It is amazing to think of him going for 2 years so far away. A friend asked if I was okay with where he was going but I have to say honestly that while there will be moments of normal mommy worry, I haven't really worried about where he would go because I know that this mission is inspired... that prayer goes into this call and that he is sent to where his Heavenly Father wants him to serve! I felt it from the moment I saw the white envelope...but when I looked at the bottom of the letter, and saw our prophets name on the bottom of the page, I felt absolute peace because I have more than once in my life felt an absolute knowledge that this man, our prophet, serves the Lord with his whole heart, might and mind and that as Tallin follows the mission rules and stays close to the Lord he will be watched over and will learn more, grow more and become more than he ever could hope to become otherwise! We love you Tallin and are so happy that you are willing to give 2 years of your life serving the Lord by serving others!!! Happy Birthday!!!