1 February 2026
VOLUME 14 – NUMBER 637
Family at Disneyland
Isaac
The trip to Disneyland has finally arrived! Sunday night was when Ashton and Caleb came, and we got most of the stuff packed. Then at 7:00am, we all headed out. I was in a car with Ashton, Caleb, and Kai, and it was a lot of fun!
I got to drive for a little bit, which was nice. It took us a while to get to our hotel because traffic was really bad, but once we finally made it into Cali, we stopped at a Chick-fil-A and ate. Then Ashton, Caleb, and Kai watched a football game while I drove the rest of the way to our hotel.
Once we got there, we basically all just went to sleep so we could be ready for Disneyland the next morning! The hotel we stayed at was really nice, and it was only like a 15-minute walk away from Disneyland, so we didn’t have to look for parking, and it was a nice walk. I love Disneyland! It was so fun!
Family entering Disneyland
We went on a ton of rides, and my top favorites of the day were probably Splash Mountain, which we went on a lot, Smugglers Run, and Space Mountain! The next day we went to California Adventure, and the Tower and the Incredicoaster have always been my favorite rides there. Sadly, the Incredicoaster was closed, but the Tower wasn’t, and it did not disappoint!
It was so fun! We had churros while in the park and got some Ghirardelli ice cream. Veidi, Yaretzie, and I all stayed back a little bit to grab corn dogs for everyone since Dad really wanted some, and it was sort of our excuse to get some ice cream as well!
We had a ton of fun, and the next day we went to Disneyland, and it was a ton of fun yet again. We went on Splash Mountain a good amount of time, and Smugglers Run, and Space Mountain, and Matterhorn. I had a fun time and already want to plan another trip to California, and maybe actually go to the beach while we’re there!
Quinn, Mom, Joanna at Disneyland
Ashton
Disneyland was awesome! It had been a while since we've been back to Disneyland, but every time we go, it surprises me how familiar it feels. It was nice to take a week off of work and school and to relax in California.
In California, I had my 25th birthday. It's a weird feeling since 25 feels like a transition to a future stage of life that I am very excited for. I graduate from BYU in April and already have a list of things I want to start and do when that time comes.
I am grateful for all the birthday wishes and for the fun time I had down in California.
Family eating breakfast at hotel
Veidi
The car ride to California was long but fun. In the car were me, Quinn, and Mom. When we got to the hotel, we unpacked our stuff and went to bed.
The next day, we got dressed and went down to breakfast. Then we made our way to Disneyland. I had so much fun! Rima’s family came, and we all had a blast. We did Tiana’s Bayou, and Gloria sat in the front and came out soaked. One of my favorite rides was Indiana Jones.
The next day, we went to California Adventure. I told myself I had to do Tower of Terror more than once and try to like it. The first ride we did was the flight simulator, and afterwards, we did Tower of Terror, and I was so terrified!
Family on Indiana Jones ride
Next, we did the Spiderman ride and Space Mountain. After that, we went to Cars Land, which was really fun. We went back to Tower of Terror, and this time I sat by Yaretzie. We held hands as we got buckled in, and it actually helped.
Later on, we had churros, and then everyone wanted to go back to the hotel. Dad always says that his favorite ride in Disneyland and California Adventure was the giant corn dog shack, so while they were walking back, me, Isaac, and Yaretzie went toward Pixar to get Dad his corn dogs!
The next morning, we all slept in and then went swimming. that evening, we ate at BJ’s Pizza. We had pizookies, and it was an amazing evening.
Yaretzie, Veidi, Gloria at Disneyland
It was also Ashton’s birthday, so we celebrated that night by singing “Happy Birthday” and eating cake that Yarima brought over. Crazy—Ashton is now 25 years old!
On the last day in Disneyland, Rima’s family did not come with us. Mom went with us Olders, and Dad spent the day with Joanna and Quinn.
We started at the Tower of Terror. I was a little scared, but I sat by my mom, so I was fine. I held Mom’s hand the whole time while screaming at the top of my lungs.
Quinn and Joanna mini golfing with Dad
We did not have some of the littler kids, which was nice because we were able to move pretty fast from one ride to another. We did Tiana's Bayou a lot.
Our last right was the Matterhorn, and then we got on the Disney train and went to Downtown Disney, where I finally found what I wanted—Minnie Mouse slippers.
The next morning, we went home, and I was so excited to see the dogs. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for making this trip possible!
Dad, Joanna, and Quinn at the beach
Kai
So lately, Isaac and I have been going to London and Keaton’s place to solve murders. It’s a fun board game based off of Sherlock Holmes. The goal is to solve the crime before Sherlock does.
You start with a map of London, a story about a specific case, and a bunch of newspapers. You go throughout London, finding addresses, interviewing suspects and eyewitnesses, until you’re sure you’ve solved the case.
We’ve played it a few times and have had some pretty hilarious outcomes. Let’s just say we’re definitely not Sherlock.
Troy and Quinn on Cars ride
Troy
Disneyland was so awesome! The road trip was fun because I went with Dad, Gloria, and Joanna. Dad and Gloria read the Book of Mormon during the trip because they wanted to finish it by the time Gloria leaves for her mission. It was fun because I was able to sleep almost the whole time with my snacks that Dad prepared for us.
When we got there, we went straight to bed, and the beds were so comfortable. The next day, we got breakfast, which was delicious, and then we went to Disneyland, which was awesome.
We basically did all of the rides that we knew of, which took up most of the day. Then we decided on a few rides that we wanted to go on again.
Troy, Kai, Joanna on ferris wheel
On Wednesday, we went to California Adventure, which was so fun because it had the Guardians of the Galaxy ride, Mission Breakout. We also did all the rides that we knew about and explored Cars Land.
During all of the rides, we played a bunch of line games like Cock it, Shot it, Block it, the Pushing Game, the Slapping Game, and word games.
On Thursday, we stayed at the hotel and relaxed, which was good because we had walked so much in the past two days. We played poker and basketball. The older ones went swimming, and some of us littler people didn’t go because there weren’t enough wristbands to get into the pool.
Boys relaxing at hotel
We ate dinner at BJ’s, which was so good because I got one of their deep-dish combos with a pizookie, and it was so good and filling.
The next day, all the older ones except Quinn, Joanna, and Dad went back to Disneyland. We went on all of our favorite rides again. We did Space Mountain a couple of times, Tiana’s Bayou, and Matterhorn a couple of times, and it was so fun. My favorite was Matterhorn because it was super fast and jerky, which made it even more fun.
At the end of the day, we went to the Disney Store and bought our souvenirs. I got a blue Disneyland jacket. I am so thankful for this vacation. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Family on Cars ride at California Adventure
Caleb
Highlights from the family California Disneyland trip are as follows.
Driving to Cali in Ashton's Mazda with Ashton, Kai, and Isaac. However, the three of them ganged up on me so many times during that trip with their teasing. It was super annoying, especially the whole Chick-fil-A falsehood they wouldn't let up about.
Without going into detail, I was just leading the way walking into Chick-fil-A, and because I didn't hang back and hear every word of their conversation, they would keep saying that I was focused on some girls that were there.
Caleb, Quinn, Itzel at Disneyland
Anyways. Getting a lot of time with Gloria before she leaves was great. With school, I probably would have just been down in Provo, but going to Cali as a family was a good excuse. No school was another highlight, but the following week I had to pick up the shambles.
Tower of Terror and Splash Mountain, neither of which are named that anymore, but I don't know their names. Maybe something like Guardians Prison Break Out and Tiana's Bayou were my favorites. Mattias was cute to see running around at Disneyland.
Dad, Joanna, Quinn swimming at hotel
Swimming at the hotel was fun. We got one round of chicken fights in before the lifeguards called it off. Basketball on the slippery court was good as well. Happy Birthday, Ashton!
BJ's was good! I'm pretty sure we ended up at the same one as last January when a few of us came out here. Gloria, Veidi, and I told the waitress it was Ashton's birthday, so she brought him a free full-sized pizookie, whereas all the rest of us got smaller, still good sizes.
Braden and Brooke family at Disneyland
Braden
The week after the family visited Disneyland, we also got to take our long-awaited Disneyland trip with Ellie and Charlie. Ava stayed with Brooke's parents so we could do more at the parks.
Saturday, we drove down to Las Vegas, where we stayed the night with Brooke's grandma. Brooke did a great job prepping the car with media and snacks for the girls, and they did so good on the drive.
Disney was so fun to experience with little kids. We spent time in places I hadn't gone to in Disney before, and Ellie and Charlie's excitement was so fun to see.
Brooke and Ellie at Disneyland
It did come with challenges, though. On our first of two days, we realized that we needed to take a pit stop at our hotel for the girls to take naps.
Charlie was having a meltdown, and there was no way we were going to make the rest of the day without a break. We did this both days, and it worked out really well. Some of the girls' favorite rides were Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tow Mater.
While it was fun to have this trip, Brooke and I decided that we won't be bringing kids to Disney again until they're all quite a bit older. Good memories, but it took a lot out of us.
Braden and Ellie at Disneyland
Gloria
On our trip to Disneyland, Dad and I read about 60 chapters in the Book of Mormon on the trips there and back. It was a lot of work, but the week after Disneyland, we finished the last 10 chapters of the book.
We read it in about three months. I am so grateful that Dad helped me read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover before leaving on my mission.
On Sunday after Disneyland, I was set apart as a missionary, and on Monday I started home MTC. Wow, what a week! I’ve picked up a ton of new things, but I’ve definitely had many headaches. Since all my classes are in Spanish, my brain is working overtime to make sure I get everything.
Gloria reading Book of Mormon with Dad
My Spanish was a bit rusty when I first started, and reading in Spanish was a real challenge. But after practicing every day, I’ve gotten so much better! I’m also learning a lot of new church words, but then I forget, so I always have to ask what they mean.
Home MTC has been good. I spend almost 10 hours a day at the computer in meetings or using the mission portal. My district is pretty awesome; there are about nine of us. One of the elders didn’t show up for Home MTC, so one of the elders has to be in a trio. There are about four of us sister missionaries, and the rest are elders.
My morning teacher is really great. She’s super energetic and teaches the gospel in a way that helps us understand it, like we’re teaching it to younger kids.
Gloria with the Book of Mormon
My night teacher, Hermano Cruz, seems a little shy, but he always tries to get us involved. I can tell that everyone’s a lot more tired at night, so there’s not as much participation.
I’ve also been trying to memorize the purpose and principles we need to teach. I’ve almost memorized the principles!
I also love my companion, Hermana Alemán. She’s 25 and from Monterrey, Mexico. She’s always teaching me a lot of new Spanish, and I’m teaching her English. We get to know each other really well during companion study.
Gloria and Tucker Grappendorf
On Friday, I had a few hours off. I took Veidi to my work at Sunridge Assisted Living. It was so nice to go back because I really miss the residents. I also got to give lots of hugs to coworkers and some residents. Saying goodbye was a bit emotional because it might be the last time I see some of them.
To finish, let me share a spiritual thought—3 Nephi 5:13 (I changed the word “son” to “daughter” to make it more personal):
“Behold, I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, a daughter of God. I have been called of Him to declare His word among His people, that they might have everlasting life.”
Gloria and family after being set apart
Monte
So after working really, really hard with our friend Lili, and after having a very Spirit-filled lesson, she said that she was ready to be baptized, and we set an official date.
But then Satan had some time to work with her, and unfortunately, she gave us a call the next morning and let us know that she was not going to be baptized right now.
Now time for some really good news. Sergio came to church for the third time and gets baptized this weekend! He is amazing, truly amazing. Every day on his status on WhatsApp, he just talks about how his life has changed because he has found God.
Monte, Elder Allred, and hermanas
Last Sunday we had an amazing devotional with Larry Gilwix, the coach of the rugby team portrayed in the movie Forever Strong. It also turns out that he is one of the best friends of our mission president!
He held a devotional to remind us that we are here to help find our pre-mortal friends find the gospel, and to help them remember the testimony that they already have.
This week, our friend Sergio got baptized! He is so potente—100% converso de fuego. He genuinely has the desire to change his life, and now he has the Spirit to bring him closer to Jesus. I'm so proud of him. Sergio’s baptism was Elder Allred's first time performing a live ordinance, and he did amazing.
Sergio’s baptism
Despite our bad news from last week. Lili was able to go to Sergio’s baptism. She told us she truly felt and saw a difference—something she couldn’t explain.
However, we found out the real reason why she can’t be baptized is because her husband doesn’t approve. One day I hope she’ll just make the decision for herself, with or without her husband, and be baptized.
So all last week I had a feeling that I’d done everything I could do in Tizimín and that I was needed elsewhere. Well, I was right. This week we got transfer news, and I will be going to Bonfil, Cancún, in the heart of the city. Bonfil is also known as one of the most dangerous areas in the mission. I’m also going to finish the training of a missionary starting his second transfer.
Monte getting a haircut
As for Elder Allred, he is going to Cozumel, where I started my mission! I’m so excited for him! He has never seen the ocean in his life, and now he’s going to cross a boat to live on an island!
Today, we have to go say our last goodbyes to people, and it’s going to be hard, especially because both of us are leaving. But it’s okay because God’s timing is perfect, and He knows what’s best for all of us. I’m definitely going to miss Tizimín a lot, that’s for sure.
Love you all, and I hope that you can feel God’s presence in your life. He’s walking with you every step of the way. I know that to be true because I have seen His help all throughout my life. Hang in there!
Ellie, Brooke, Charlie at Disneyland