Happy Pioneer Day!

This is my 2nd Pioneer Day in Utah. I would venture to say that this day is almost bigger than the 4th of July down here. Last year, this day was a little boring; Mom and I lounged in the pool with nothing else to do. This year, with Sarah, Brian and the Girls with us, we decided to go to the big Pioneer Day Parade in Salt Lake City. There are people who camp overnight on the parade route to ensure that they get a good seat. We planned to leave the house at 4am, but ended up leaving around 4:30. Despite the delayed depature, we ended up getting a spectacular spot right in the front, learning that perhaps we didn't need to get there quite so early. The parade started at about 9am. It was such a fun parade with a lot of beautiful floats. Sierra and Papa ended up getting matching umbrella hats to keep the sun off of their faces, and Sophie was a real trooper, even though she grew tired of the heat and the loud noises of sirens and drums. The best part of the parade though was to see the Prophet, President Monson, ride by with his wife. They were so cute. At first he was looking the other direction, but Mom called to him, and he turned his head, smiled, and waved right to us! It was amazing. I have known that he is a Prophet of God, but today it was reconfirmed in my mind and in my heart. There is a powerful spirit around him that I could feel. I'm so grateful to have a prophet on the earth today, and I feel so blessed that I had the opportunity to see him no more than a few feet away from me. I'm so grateful for my pioneer ancestors who have left me a legacy of faith to build on. I'm grateful that I've had the chance to reflect today on the blessings that the Restoration of the Gospel has brought into my life, and the lives of my family and friends. I hope that you can all take a moment to reflect on the legacies of faith in your lives as well. This has been a fabulous Pioneer Day! The best one yet!!