Week 21: Yes, she really is that happy!

August 20, 2018

Week 21: Yes, she really is that happy!

Becca's emails to me are just as full of sunshine as her group emails--maybe even more so! She is simply radiant with the love of her Savior and the chance to serve him so fully for a time. This is what she was born to do and has always wanted. My momma heart is full to bursting for her. 💕

A little clarification for those that got her group email... I did not send that cheesecake! She'll know that now, since I just sent my weekly email. I sent a cake topper and we send birthday cards, but our dear friends that attended church with her on Sunday are the ones that bought the cheesecakes when they got to town (they were out there for a family wedding). She's already received her box that we sent for her birthday, but I wrote on it that she shouldn't open it until her birthday, Tuesday (unless she finds out she's being transferred and needs to get it done and out of her way).

This is what we included in her box:

1- Balloons in the shape of the number "20"
2- Candles in the shape of the number "20"
3- A string of lights that spells out "I Love You"
4- Confetti with instructions (1. Open Package, 2. Throw into the air, 3. Pretend I threw it)
5- Bubbles (because every party needs some)
6- 20 homemade cake mix cookies (her favorite), which should work for blowing out candles
7- 20 Hershey's kisses
8- 20 Hershey's hugs
9- 20 Hershey's hugs for her companion
10- Starbursts (I cheated, because these were from her friend Ali, and I told her they were)
11- Temple garments (because, who doesn't love underwear for their birthday?)
12- Takis (it's a snack she likes)
13- Funyuns
14- Whoppers
15- Chocolate hazelnut rolled wafer cookies (not Pirouettes--just some other brand I found)
16- Almond Joy
17- 20 family pictures in a spiral bound flip book
18- Silly socks with donuts on them (in case the box of gifts just knocks her socks off)
19- A t-shirt that says, "Be still, and know"
20- More than 20 letters from family and friends (thanks to all those who helped!)

Here's the group email and some extra pics she sent to me:

Good Morning!!

I hope you all had an amazing week! I did! We started out the week by going to a yummy Chinese restaurant for lunch. Then throughout the week we had plenty of awesome lessons, wondeful studied, ate at a food truck and a cute diner, walked all over the place, and did a boatload of gardening for someone. :) It was a great week!

THE highlight of my week had to be Sunday! Early in the morning we had branch council and they sang Happy Birthday to me and gave me cupcakes to share. I was so surprised! After the meeting we were waiting in the foyer to greet people when in walked Pam and Skip Clinch, two family friends from Vernal!! I was SO excited!! It was wonferful to see them and fun to have a connection to home. Then we had and AMAZING sacrament meeting which was perfect because Chris came to church with us! I was ecstatic! He said he really liked the meeting and that it was exactly what he needed. I was on cloud nine. The rest of the meetings were wonderful, too.

Then they invitied us all into the kitchen for refreshments after the meetings. Turns out that my MOM had coordinated with Pam and threw me a surprise, mini birthday party!! I walked in the kitchen where they were waiting for me with a cheesecake and a sign that said "Happy 20th Sister Fairbanks." I was stunned!! And then I broke down crying, haha. It was amazing! The whole branch sang Happy Birthday to me and we all had cheescake and I just marvelled. I can't express the amazing feelings of love that I felt from my mom, my friends, and my branch family. It was great to see the branch socializing, too. They are so close to one another and it was fun to sit back and watch them have fun. Thanks for feeding the branch, Mom. ;) Pam and Skip sent us home with the other cheesecake and there were lots of hugs to go around. It was just great to see them and an extreme bonus that they were able to celebrate my birthday with me. WOW. I'm still in awe of it all.