Entering a New Decade in Style

This week was birthday week, and I wasn't about to let J.D. enter a new decade without a little fanfare!

Thanks to the help of the Horitos and Ellersicks, our fellow senior couples in the city, I was able to pull off a great surprise party. We invited all of the church employees we work with, the volunteers in our district, and the mission leaders to gather in a room and wait quietly with the lights off. Then I told J.D. that we needed to stop by and pick something up.

The moment he opened the door, the lights came on, and the room erupted with cheering, shouting, and noise-makers. He had absolutely no idea! It was so much fun to see the look of surprise on his face. It may not have rivaled the grand scale of the surprise party for his 50th birthday, but it was pretty good!






J.D. received thoughtful gifts and cards from everyone, but we were both especially surprised and honored by the gift from the service center: an engraved Mongolian copper dombo with matching copper bowls. It is a beautiful and meaningful traditional gift that we will always cherish.







Happy Birthday, J.D.! I am so grateful he was born and look forward to celebrating many more birthdays together.

Yesterday we attended our stake's mini Naadam celebration. We enjoyed it last year, and it was another great success this year. There was wrestling, traditional songs and dances, plenty of food (complete with a lemonade stand!), games, and even a little double-dutch jump roping! Add in beautiful weather, and it made for a wonderful day filled with fun, friendship, and Mongolian culture.




We couldn't resist helping these little entrepeneurs by purchasing some Hawaiian spam musubi and lemonade they had made!  These girls lived in Hawaii while their parents were attending BYU-H.


The old girl's still got it! 

We were once again the star of the show with J.D.'s outfit!  People are so impressed with it and that we match!  We get so many compliments and pictures taken! 

As we look back on the week, we are reminded how blessed we are by the people around us. From celebrating a milestone birthday with dear friends and coworkers to enjoying a community gathering filled with Mongolian traditions, the week was full of memorable moments. 

Comments

  1. Bill and Shauna CookeAugust 16, 2026 at 3:03 PM

    So JD reached the BIG 60. Great milestone. As we did not know. Hey JD Happy Birthday!!! from Bill and Shauna Cooke. See you in person in little over a month from now. !!!

    ReplyDelete

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