The past few months have been AMAZING!!!!!! Full of a lot of heartache and many tears as we have been saying goodbye to our Pennsylvania home & beloved friends and family there...and full of joy I couldn't have imagined saying hello to our precious Emily and Anna as they returned from their missions! Saying hello to new LOVE! -our oldest, Isaac, asked his beautiful "Amore" to marry him; and Continue Reading
He’s HOOOOMMEE!!!!!! Elder Hoffman Returns
How can I describe the feelings we experienced as we drove to the airport to pick Isaac up after 2 full years of his being away?! Yes, we were as excited as all get out! When we arrived at the airport there were already many friends there waiting supportively and joyfully with us for Isaac's return. My spirit wanted to jump out of my skin to run ahead, to hurry to meet him - somehow sooner than Continue Reading
Goodbyes to our Sister Missionaries! (& perhaps the most pictures ever posted :)
Here's how it all started: (a journal entry on my phone as we drove to the airport to pick up Emily and Anna from finishing their freshman year at college) "We are driving down I-83 south moving toward the Baltimore airport where we will welcome Emily and Anna home with all enthusiasm!!! We have been anticipating their return for a couple months now, their return and springtime! Both have Continue Reading
Family Christmas Tradition: Rejoicing in the Gift of Giving!
I just LOVE how Christmas seems to linger in Pennsylvania. Lights on houses still glow, I was glad to see that my Christmas tree wasn't the only one still up last week as I passed the mall and saw a huge tree on top of it still lit and shining brightly. While it lingers just a little longer, and as I slowly finish putting the last decorations away, I have to glance back once more at our Christmas Continue Reading
Our Missionary Calls Home
Missionaries in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are allowed to call home on two occasions: Christmas and Mother's Day (yes, moms are pretty special!). So we were thrilled to learn late last week that our son, Isaac, had received his visa, after 3 and a half months! What would make it even more exciting for us was that he would have a brief (approved) oportunity to call home while Continue Reading
Life-changing Weekend!!!
It all began at the very end of our 40 days... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOXxQxmgl18 This is our own personal-experience nickname for the time period before each stake conference over which my husband presides here in our area of PA. It is a time period that is always extraordinarily FULL!!-So full of trials, expectations, challenges, demands but most of all many, many blessings that Continue Reading