Brazil yesterday, America today!

Elder Bradley Hauck is HOME!!!

I can hardly believe it!!!

It has been one of the fastest and slowest two years (if that makes any sense.)

We are over joyed to have him home and his countenance is brighter than ever!

Here's a BUNCH of the pictures captured yesterday...

 These two went full out!!! :) Spent the day decorating and getting ready for Elder Hauck!

 Grandma and Amy made this adorable sign for Hudson.

 ANXIOUSLY waiting!!!

 Brad teasing us before coming through the doors! I love how you can see mom and Jeff's excited expressions in the reflection.

 Here he comes...

 Handsome Bradley with his contagious smile! He always has a bright countenance but his countenance is beaming with the light of Christ and love!

 Mom was there to hug right away!

 This moment makes me cry every time. I thought this was a cool shot, the other missionary that came home the same time as Brad was hugging his mom at the same time so I took a picture of the two missionaries hugging their moms! 

I can't help but think this is the kind of reunion we will have with our families once we leave this life. I know that one day I will have a moment like this with my grandpa again!

 Brad brought home a flag for his mom and right away wrapped her up in the flag!

 Brad has always been sweet and the flag gesture melted my heart.

 I love the smiles and the feeling of pride in this picture.

 Jeff has been counting down the days since Brad left. I love the compassionate and loving friendship they have, I know that each of them looks up to the other so much. I know that Jeff has some big plans for the two of them now that Brad's home.

 Cause one hug is never enough! I love the look on mom's face here, it sums up the feeling of the whole day.

 We all could not stop smiling and hugging Brad!

 The whole welcoming crew!

 Emme was a little unsure of the whole thing. 

 But Brad learned right away that she can be easily bribed!

 So sweet!

 And he even got a kiss out of it.

 Brad's first look at home (STG).

 Soaking it all in.

 After all the excitement at the airport, Brad was rushed off to be released (something that he was not ready for). Then we all come home (Brad has never been here since it's been done) and had a nice dinner!

I loved all the cute decorations.

 I'm telling you, Mom and Amy went all out!

 Welcome Home Elder Hauck! It's still surreal!

 Jeff helping to keep Emme distracted while we all got a chance to visit with Brad!

 Brad was excited to have us try a special Brazilian drink and cookies.

 Although he was running on only a couple hours of sleep over a 2 day period, he stayed up late with us and visited. I know that I didn't want to leave, I wanted to soak up as much of his light as possible hahaha.

This picture, I think, captures Brad perfectly...he's sweet, always smiling, happy, genuine, and just a beautiful person inside and out!

After dinner and visiting, he got the tour of the house and his room. Mom, Dad, Jeff and I all sat in his room while he unpacked and showed us all his cool trades he did throughout the mission. This Brazil jersey and Jacket were among his trades.

WE ARE SOOOOO EXCITED TO HAVE HIM HOME! IT REALLY DOES NOT FEEL REAL! 

As you can tell, he was an amazing missionary and really served Heavenly Father's childrend (his brothers and sisters) with his whole heart. Through the stories he shared with us last night, you can't help but feel that he really learned what it means to have charity and to love like Christ.

WE LOVE YOU BRAD AND ARE SO EXCITED YOU ARE HOME!

Welcome Home Elder!!!

He will be giving his homecoming address this Sunday at 9:30 am at the Morningside building on River Road!

Hello. Goodbye. See you later.

It's been a CRAZY week, and the craziness is just going to continue!
There's been a lot of hellos, goodbyes, and see you laters with family all week long.

Here are the pictures of some special moments of this awesome week...

 Jeff's cousin Jake got home from his mission Thursday evening! It's so crazy to think that it has been two years and he home. Brad gets home this upcoming Wednesday and we are all anxious with excitement!!!

 The first 40 orders of Kalamity's Kycie shirts from the online store went out! It only took me two days to get them sorted and processed!!!

 Friday we finally tried Bombay Cafe, I have heard nothing but wonderful things about this restaurant so I had high expectations and I must say...they met all of them and maybe even exceeded them! It was GOOD! We ordered the Coconut Chicken Curry and I could have eaten 10 plates it was that good.

Friday we also purchased our first gun. Jeff was ecstatic and we feel ready for anything (haha)!

Saturday was Cecilee's family bridal shower! We scheduled this shower so that my grandma Horlacher and all of the Horlacher side could be there since they were up for the farewell! My grandma Ah Quin had this adorable tres leches cake made in honor of the bride; it reads, "Horlacher Today Orpinela For Eternity."

 I was running around like a crazy person all morning going from dance to the shower so I forgot my camera :( but my mom was able to capture these cute moments!

Saturday night my Horlacher grandparents took the whole family to dinner at Chuck-A-Rama then I headed to Kalamity's half time performance. 

 Sunday morning came extra fast (especially with daylight savings). We got to the chapel and listened to beautiful talks given by my grandparents. The spirit was so strong and you could see the excitement in their countenance! They are so ready and although I miss them a lot already, they are going to be AMAZING missionaries in Nauvoo, Illinois.

 Everyone that came to listen to their farewell address and show their support. Yeah, it was basically the whole congregation haha. I always tease my grandparent that they are social butterflies, being in their ward the last year I have witnessed it first hand! Everyone LOVES them and everyone wants to be their friends because they make everyone feel loved, I feel blessed to have examples of love like them in my life.

 My grandma and grandpa Horlacher's posterity (and legacy, as my grandpa Ah Quin would say.) All their kids and grandkids (minus Trevor).

 This morning I got home from dance and I looked in the back where they live and their lights were off and their truck was gone, they were off on their mission. I couldn't help but cry because this last year being their neighbor, their renter, their ward member, their grand-daughter, and friend has been a really rewarding experience. They are some of the most genuine and loveable people you will ever meet! This next 18 months I'm going to miss my grandpa's jokes and contagious laugh, and my grandma's sweet voice as she tells my grandpa (Rich) what needs to be done.

Aren't they adorable? :)

 I love my sister, she's such a babe! I couldn't help but take her picture with her cute dress that had a purple blossom pattern and all the purple blossom trees.

Best Friends FOREVER!!! And ever, and ever, and ever!!!!

 After the AWESOME sacrament meeting we all headed to my parent's house for a lovely luncheon! It was so nice to see so many faces and visit with family and friends we haven't seen in a long time. 

 Later that evening, after my grandparents had been set apart, we headed to their home to spend some last minute time with them. They were literally glowing and smiling from ear to ear. They were ready to go and looked like they were floating! I'm so excited to hear all their stories and even more excited to go visit them!

It was a really special week full of family, parties, and missionaries. 

I am so grateful for the plan of happiness and for the opportunity we have to live this life with family.

Family truly is the most sacred unit and those relationships carry through all generations of time and life. Make your family relationships count, do everything you can to develop intimate relationships with your family. 

That's something you will NEVER regret!

Rainy weather and a sunshine life!

I forgot to mention last week that while I was in Vegas my wonderful husband had a surprise for me!

He always surprises me :)

 We have a little backyard area that we haven't paid much attention to, well I have the genius idea of turning it into an oasis for us! He took my ideas into consideration and started our transformation off by surprising me with a fire pit! It's been too rainy to use it but I CAN'T WAIT to use it!!!

 Yesterday after church (and after receiving another calling as girls camp director's assistant) we were walking to our car when I stopped for a split second and snapped this picture. I can't get over this beautiful Earth! I don't know if I've been blind before, but I love all the blossoming trees and blooming flowers, this world is AMAZING!

Photoshop homework, "Find your place in history" and I found mine right next to Marilyn with the wind in our skirts!

 As of February 27th Brad has been in the mission field for two whole years!!! CRAZY! He comes home next week, EVEN CRAZIER!!! I'm so proud of him and can't wait to see him next week.

Trevor had another transfer where he stayed in Esperanza but got a new companion, Elder Salazar. They are working their tails off and contacting TONS of people! He is working hard and smiling big, I couldn't be any more proud of him and the amazing example he is to me!

My grandparents farewell is this upcoming weekend and I can't believe that they won't be my next for neighbor for 18 months. We are planning a trip to go see them but not looking forward to them being MIA all the while. Here is a little video of their mission call opening that I put together for them to always remember!

Although the weather has been rainy, my life is full of wonderful people that fill my life with sunshine! Hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Kalamity weekend!

We had an awesome Kalamity and Kaos weekend in Vegas!
Here's all our fun from photos...

I got my "Kisses for Kycie" shirt and was so excited to wear it!

We are selling them on our website if you want to get one and support Kycie!

Friday we met at the Vault at 4 am then made our way to Vegas! When we got there we prepped our homeless dinners and got ready for our assemblies.

I was bummed to sit this assembly out (due to videoing) but I got some really good shots so keep your eyes open for our assembly video.

It's such a blessing to be able to participate in life changing things, we are able to help kids choose a better life and have fun while doing it!

After our two assemblies we went home and prepped the hot dogs to put in our dinners.

Then we had a few minutes to relax before going and taking class. 

This picture captures our team perfectly!

We went and took class at The Rock where we learned from an amazing choreographer (Leeko?) I think that was his name. Anyway, it was a blast and he was a great choreographer.

That evening we headed over to meet our cousins Michael and Julie to take our meals to the homeless.

It was a beautiful night!

I couldn't resist taking pictures.

It was an awesome day full of service and love!

After our busy day we headed to get some Yogurtland! It was Emilee's 18th birthday so I got her frozen yogurt, turns out the guy hooked us up and she got hers free! Haha!

Love these two! They got to ride on the train and Maze was so excited.

Saturday we went shopping then came back and relaxed! This was the view from my aunt's backyard as I relaxed by her pool. 

 That night we got ready and headed to the MJ show at the Rio.

 It was the second to last night of the show.

 After the show waiting for valet!

 Saturday night everyone started getting sick and throwing up everywhere, so we took extra precautions and got every masks for the drive home.

 Luci was the bus driver so she took EVERY precaution with tissues, wipes, hand sanitizer, and a mask.

A couple weeks ago I went to the D.I. and stumbled across this awesome frame and I know it was a message from my Grandpa. It's made of Hawaiian Koa wood, carved with tropical flowers, and says a special message. When I found it, I was a little down with different things in my life and this message just brought me peace. This frame had frames piled on it and it was face down, I was looking for thicker frames so I grabbed it and was amazed when I saw it. It didn't have a price tag on it so I took it up to the register and she gave it to me for $1.

I know that the Lord loves me and he allows my grandpa and other loved ones to send their love in different ways. Although I don't understand the Lord's plan for me, I have faith that He knows me better than I know myself and he has a perfect plan just for me. Faith is a lot harder than it sounds, but when we give our all our Savior's grace will make up the rest!

We celebrated my Grandma's birthday on Sunday and I showed her this frame and she just reassured me that it was a message from Grandpa! She is a strong woman with the most solid faith and I look up to her so much.

Then we woke up Monday morning to snow! Yes, SNOW! After a full week of 78 degrees we got snow, CRAZY!

It was an eventful week, and I didn't even cover everything that happened. It was an awesome week full of awesome people and memories.
I love my life!