Brooke for Spring Break

 Princess Brooke, 

You turned 19 years old last month and I missed being with you so much on your birthday. I was so blessed to have you here for a couple days of your spring break. We are all so very proud of you because of so many reasons but just to name a few : You have determined to spend your time with those who share your faith, you are the spiritual leader of your apartment because you help others go to church and you do have to go alone sometimes. You told me a few months ago, when you called you said, " I know what it's been like for you to go to church on your own now and I can see how that strengthened your testimony because when I go alone, it has strengthened mine." 

You work not just one job but two jobs Brooke! Wow, you are ambitious enough and responsible enough to make your financial needs put you in action! I am so grateful I can help you weekly with groceries but you save for your part of the rent you have to pay on your own and you enjoy the service of teaching children as your work and helping people at the library as your second job. 

A few days ago you went to the mountains and you mentioned on your 5 mile hike, all alone, that you prayed and felt the spirit comforting you in the concerns you were having. You said you felt peace surrounded by the beauty of God's creations. It was the best kind of blessing to hear about your special experience with Heavenly Father and the Holy Ghost Brooke. 

We were so blessed when you came to visit Texas for a few days because you wanted to live the Texas culture while here and we went to Fortworth to watch the cattle drive and pose as the Texans we are. The next outing you wanted to take interest in, was my interest of shooting at the gun range. You and I are good at shooting and we are not afraid of that at all. Will enjoyed himself with you in an environment and activity he likes too and he asked to take some cool photos with you and he talked me into sitting on the table to pose with an unloaded gun. He asked you to take photos too. Grandpa Pack showed you a lot and even Grandma Pack went to the gun range just for you!!!

You took Will to an estate sale while you were here and I know he will cherish the adventerous sister memories he has. When you were home you took him to lots of estate sales. You think outside the box and get creative about fun things to do and we loved having you for a few days Brooke! 

You also inspired me to learn to do something new Brooke. Because you did not want to stay in your high school room decor even one  more time, I had to fix it.  You realized so many things all over the room and walls, was anxiety producing. I had to change your room which I did gladly since I was patient to even let you do that to your walls in the first place.  I taught myself to paint your dresser and book shelf and bought you a new bed which Will has taken over now. Your Dad painted the walls all night one night before you came for the couple days. 

I know you appreciate what I did to fix your room because you tell me, that now you are out of the house, you also know what it's like to clean up after people. You are so kind that even when people in your apartment leave a big mess of crumbs all over the kitchen and dishes in the sink, you clean it up for them. You are the only one in your apartment who cleans the common areas and they are so blessed to have your testimony of Jesus Christ and His church among them, and to have your cleanliness. 

I am proud of you that you have taken your health into your own hands and have gone to the doctor for any blood work or health needs. You have taken your financial planning into your own hands in meeting with the school's financial counselor, and you have taken your mental health into your own hands by choosing to do healthy things like working out and going to institute. 

I always knew you were ready to go to college at age eleven Brooke, but I am so grateful I got you for so much longer. 

You have mentioned you know you have matured and you are happy with the person you are now and though even in any struggles you may have had, I have always thought you are so amazing, and only saw the best parts of you, I am grateful to God Your first Father in Heaven that YOU see the best parts of yourself now too. 

I love you so much Brooke! 

Love, 

       Mommy💝

Wonderful Will

 

 

Will, 

It is such a joy to be your Mother. This 8th grade year is going by fast for you and you are really positive,  hard working and our enjoyment as parents that have one child out of the house now. 

This Christmas you did something really thoughtful first for your girlfriend and for me. 

It was about to be Winter Break and you told me you needed a gift for your girlfriend and that you had a plan to make a " BRRRRR Basket " , which you later said was the gift boyfriends should give their girlfriend. According to who? I don't know? Tik Tok probably.  Anyways, you put together the cutest Basket full of gifts to keep someone warm and more. You chose a furry pink blanket and rolled it up in one corner and you put hot chocolate, candy, Alani energy drinks and a pink boxed up heart necklace, a stuffed penguin, and everything was pink in it! You did it mostly on your own except I was not satisfied with the actual basket it was all sitting in and so I asked to take you to a different store for that. 

We did go to an entire other store and I kept pointing out pretty things we could add and although you said no except to the Basket I was satisfied with as I told you that was one of the most important parts in presentation or packaging; well come Christmas you had asked your Dad to take you back to that store and it must have been pretty soon after because you got me all the things I was pointing out that I said were pretty and made a Basket for me with Victoria Secret Leggings instead of a blanket. 

This was so thoughtful of you for a 14 year old to go back and get the exact things I pointed out but for me!

You are very thoughtful like that Will. If I am or your Dad is not feeling well, you every single time go get us a glass of water or hot tea that you made on the tea kettle on the stove and you hand over vitamins and watch us take them. 

Your friends told me in the car that you are the strongest 8th grader there is. I guess you all are watching how much the other kids can bench press at the gym. 

Recently I learned how to play chess for the first time and I am kicking myself I didn't make you join the chess club at school in elementary because as I was playing and seeing how hard it is, I recalled receiving an email that in your grade you ranked highest in the grade tournament and we're invited to join the team. You told me you didn't want to but that you like playing chess. I guess I didn't know how hard it was myself and didn't realize that was a talent to be invited to the team and I should have made you do it! I wish I were as good at chess as you! In fact you are better at it than three minds combined! Grandpa Pack, and your Dad and me were all playing against you a few weeks ago and you didn't flinch but kept winning until I took over your game and then I lost to Grandpa Pack, of course. 

Will your favorite scripture is about faith and if you have the faith of a mustard seed you can move mountains. I see the strength that your faith gives you. 

When we are sick this week you tell me, " Everything is going to be okay Mom. " 

You are right Will and your faith shows. 

I love you so much precious Will. You warm my heart in your kindness and your positive attitude is a huge blessing. 

Love, 

Mommy💝

USU and Brooke

Princess Brooke, 

     I think for a long time I was in denial that you would be going so far away to Utah State for college, and then once it happened I kept trying to not dwell on the fact that you are not just on a six-month trip but on a four-year and maybe living outside Texas from now on kind of journey. I was trying so much not to dwell on that sad thing for me..... that I didn't even write about it to you in your book. 

Since you just came back for Thanksgiving and will be coming back for Christmas in a few weeks, I can dwell on you being at college for a moment while I remember you will be right back. 

It is a miracle that you are at the school of your choice Brooke and I don't want you to ever forget that miracle in your life. Heavenly Father allows hardships to happen because that's mortality, but He does take and use those hard things and uses all things to work for our good. ( Romans 8:28 one of my favorite scriptures  ) 

Your Dad's life events caused lots of hard things but out of that you received the chance to go to the expensive school that you otherwise could never have gone to if you didn't qualify for assistance. You did do your part Brooke, which is why I know God went before you. You are a hard worker and you also found scholorships on top of your assistance, but the Lord's hand can not be overlooked. If we had a regular income like we would have, you would not have had parents that could say we would help pay for you to go to this expensive out of state school. 

I hope you always see the little things Heavenly Father and Jesus are doing for us. If we don't take a moment to think about the good things happening we might miss miracles right in front of us. 

I saw a miracle or tender mercy when we dropped you off at Utah State this August Brooke. The miracle may have been at first for me, but served you later as well. 

I was so worried about dropping you off at college so far away because I had no way of rushing to your room to get you up for church on Sundays anymore Brooke. As painful as Sunday mornings have been for the last 18 years in trying to get us out the door with baby brother having been nursed, changed, packed and your hair curled and your mouth fed, I now know how much I was in paradise to be able to pack you up and take you myself to church. I was not worried about anything else as Grandma and Grandpa Pack and Will and I were leaving you at your apartment to say our goodbye; only worried how you'd find out the time you were supposed to go and where it would be to go, where those living by you would be, and not a random ward. 

As we had hugged bye I suddenly noticed a paper on your apartment door that was not there even one hour before we went for our last meal together until you came back to Texas. I ran over to the paper on the door as you yelled at me, " Mom! You can't just take papers off the door, its not just my house!" Well, how glad I was that I did go get that paper because it was from your ward. The paper had the address, time, plus an invitation for a linger longer that would happen the next day.

 Had I dropped you off even 2 hours earlier, I would have never seen that paper.and I would have left Utah still worried. 

 The moment I read the paper, I was reminded that in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints we are organized. God is organized, and of course He would have an organized church; not to say He doesn't work in the other churches because I know He does work with people where they are and in all lives and churches; but there is the highest order and highest power of the Priesthood in His fullness of His church which you can see even down to each auxiliary and calling. 

 Yes, it was just a piece of paper but it allowed me the peace to know that you knew where your building was on the first Sunday away from home in your new ward and without a car, and walking! 

We were blessed to be able to drive along the side of the road to show you how you'd walk to church the next day and I took a picture of that paper which allowed me weeks later to help you know how to join the group chat which we all apparently didn't think of telling you to scan the QR code that day. 

Brooke, I am grateful for your testimony building moments. 

A month or so into classes I received a nice text from you that made my day because you told me that in your Human Development class you are learning about how children go through stages and what they need. You told me you thought about how I did all the things your class taught you parents should do for best development, yet you knew I didn't take that class or any parenting classes and that you had the thought it was the Holy Ghost or Spirit that taught me how to do all those best methods. 

I knew that was true. The Holy Ghost did help me and does help me, and you. 

You got your wisdom teeth out a few weeks ago and you were in Utah! Not here where I could take care of you, but let me remind you for when you read this later that you had a car full of girls, your roommates who wanted to be there to pick you up and took care of you with getting you ice cream and whatever help you needed, which made me happy for you! 

You told Grandma, Grandpa Pack and me that while you were about to be put under you felt the comfort of the Holy Ghost and you knew the prayers were being heard. 

I can't tell you how thrilled I was to hear you were changing your major to nursing and I hope that it sticks but either way, I felt grateful that some piece of your experience maybe going with me to take care of my patient Jeffery and watching me feed him through his feeding tube or maybe going to visit my patient Al in the hospital touched your heart to be loving in sickness and to our fellow travelers in need. You told me you don't remember watching the wound care on Al's feet I did so that actually might be a good thing you can't remember that right now, since you do have some apprehension about trauma. 

When I hear you and your roommates are doing funny and your silly things, I try to give thanks in my heart you are there where you finally live with your best friends Maddy and Aly, but we do miss you so much Brooke! 

Will said, " Its amazing Brooke found a house full of girls that want to do all the strange things Brooke likes!" 

Will and you got to do some things together when you were here and I hope that you know that he also prays for you and that you will always stay close to Will, because just like you wanted to follow him around as he was a baby, so he didn't fall, he also thinks about you too and I know because he tells me. 

You are so loved Brooke! Your Grandma and Grandpa Pack, your Dad, Will and I are constantly praying for you and loving you. 

Love, 

Mommy💝

This Thanksgiving in down town McKinney 

Moving you in to college 

Your college apartment single room with your own bathroom! 

We went to the Logan Temple the weekend we dropped you off at USU

Your college adventure with Maddy 

                       Thanksgiving 2024