As Blake so eloquently expresses, October is a GREAT month! Its Darren's birthday and our anniversary too - plus the weather is just to die for here. It's crisp and cool, the mountains are covered with wildfire colors, and the apples you can get make your taste buds swirl. We've already made are first batch of carameled apples and hot chocolate. We are doing well as a family, so we are always happy about that. Nothing BIG going on and that's the way we like it. As of late, here are some highlights:

• Our primary program was on Sunday (the one I had to write and produce). I wasn't scared until Sunday morning and my gut wrenched. But all the practices and re-writes came off without a hitch. Rachel had a speaking part AND a solo - the first verse Follow the Prophets. She exuded such bravery and I was really proud of her as she stood at the microphone in front of a huge ward. Jared had to sit on Darren's lap up on the stand since Darren teaches the Valiant 9 class (remember the 10 body-slamming, karate-kicking boys) so he had to keep them under control while dealing with Jared - he's quite the man and I am continually amazed by my babe! I sat on the floor by the main mic and it was quite the adventure, but the best part was the children. Their faces, their testimonies, and their spirit always make it the favorite Sunday of the year. And our ward is no different than any, we had the Sunbeams on the front row shouting the songs on the same note, and some older boys in the back singing opera to give the program some entertainment. Quite the show actually.
• Mom has been here for RS workshops downtown and stayed through Conference weekend and Colter's doctor's appt at Primary Children's hospital. It was really nice. We did many great projects - (family geneology, sewed my last two pillows for our basement, and she worked on Dad's missionary journal, etc). But the pinnacle event was attending the Saturday afternoon session of Conference with Preston and Lindsay. As we battled the traffic & the hords of people at city center, you wish you were back home in your pj's on your couch. But then, when you get into that room, and the prophet walks it - it hits you. You always know that the prophet is God's voice, and you hear him on TV, and read his words through various medias, but when you are in that room you FEEL him. I had parked the car and was looking for Mom and Preston, so just stopped in an aisle when the prophet walked in, and it hit me like a Mack truck. I got a huge lump in my throat, and it was my own witness as to FEELING the spirit of God through him. Wow. We had a nice dinner afterward and we really had a great time getting to know Lindsay and laughing and catching up with Preston. He is quite THE MAN these days: )
• Shannon blew in for less that 24 hours, but it was really nice. Man, I never knew you could see so much family if you just lived in Utah! That is the key ingredient I am thinking - in NY we were in Timbucktoo though I wouldn't have traded those years and those experiences for anything.

Well, that's about it - Karlyn, Marshall, Louise, and Blake and families - I have loved talking on the phone with you this last month, which is just a great as a visit in person. So know that I love you and love hearing from you! Till next time.

Darren, Nicole, Rachel & Jared