North Carolina

I spent last week with my parents in North Carolina, visiting my parents on their mission. It was such a great experience. Tyler asked me if my parents were different as missionaries, and honestly I couldn't tell that much difference. They have always been a great example to me and really lived the gospel, so being missionaries was a very easy transition for them. They are living in Whiteville, NC or as the locals like to pronounce it "why-it-ville". They love their little branch and are having a good time getting to know everyone there.

My parents really planned a fun trip for me. We went all over N. Carolina, and we were able to see so many cool places. Our first day we spent in Raleigh, which was beautiful. We also went to Fort Fisher, Southport, Willmington and of course Whiteville. Below is a picture of the capital, the N. Carolina Temple, the Govenors Mansion, the Bellamy Mansion, Fort Fisher and the battleship N. Carolina.

On Sunday my parents were asked to speak in Church. I was excited to be in town on a Sunday where they would be speaking. I got a nice front row seat and was eagerly awaiting them to begin when the branch president came up and asked if I would mind sharing my testimony as well. How could I say no? I don't care for public speaking, but it actually went okay. Luckily, it is a small branch and everyone was super nice so I wasnt quite as nervous as I normally am to speak in Church. I was kind of grateful for the opportunity to share my testimony and glad that I have one to share. I know I need to more often, so I was happy that they asked me to speak.
Here are just a few pictures from their missionary apartment. All their furniture is from the mission home, including the double beds. Its actually a really cute place, a little old, but nice. The quilt they are holding is one I made for my Pop right before I went out there.

Okay, one of the most amazing things I saw in N. Carolina was the cotton fields. I never really thought much about cotton before and so I was kind of blown away with it. I made my Pop pull over so I could pick some, and it is just amazing. What a blessing from Heaven that we have cotton growing on bushes. Doesn't it look like snow?
I really wanted to find an amazing barn photo to have my mother-in-law paint for me. Below are a few that we found, but I don't know if any of them were really what I had in mind.

We went looking for alligators, which are really popular in the area. Unfortunately, it was too cold so all I saw were turtles! There were so many of them, I couldn't believe it.
Below is a collage of this really cool swamp area near my parents house. I wish I had been there a few weeks earlier when the leaves were changing.

I'm so glad I was able to spend this time with my parents. It is nice being able to picture the people and places my Mom is always telling me about. They are wonderful missionaries and I know that their branch is so happy to have them there.