THE GARRISONS - May 1, 2011

Today was a special day. Lilly, Grayson and I were able to attend the blessing of Charlotte Garrison. She is a beautiful baby, and the blessing that her dad gave to her was so precious. Most of the Garrison family was there. Katie, Travis and Val all bore their testimonies. While I was sitting there listening, I felt the spirit so strongly that I needed to share my testimony. I shared that I feel that there are certain families in our lives that we are "pre-destined" to share our lives with, and that the Garrison's are one of those families to our Cornia family. My relationship with the Garrison's began while I was in High School. At the time, Val was the Vice-Principal of Sam Barlow High School, and there were many days when he would follow me to class to make sure I wasn't skipping or doing things that I shouldn't be. He was a source of comfort to my parents at that stage in my life, telling them that while I was making poor choices at the time, that they shouldn't worry too much about me because the day will come that I will get my life back on the right path. Matt's relationship with Travis began while they were serving their missions together in Tampico, Mexico. They shared many special times, and while they never served as companions, they always did their best to coordinate their schedules for baptism interviews and meetings so that they could talk and spend time together. Matt told me tonight that Travis is the kind of guy that you can crack jokes with and be goofy, and in the same conversation, discuss deep spiritual topics. They stayed in communication after their missions and Travis is the reason that Matt moved here to the Portland area. Just weeks after Matt moved here, Travis introduced us to each other in the Mt. Hood Singles Ward. Katie and I had been friends for several years there at the ward, and little did we know that we would be marrying best friends. Travis and Katie have been great friends to us over the last nearly 8 years of our marriage. We don't see them as often as we should, but every time we get together, it is always like we just pick up right where we left off. A true friendship. We love them and are so very blessed to have them in our lives. Katie and I were both pregnant with Lilly and Maddox at the same time, and then we were also pregnant with Grayson and Charlotte at the same time. She is a sweet friend to me. They are a special to our lives and always will be. Our relationship with the Garrison family has continued to develop with our service in the Evergreen Spanish Branch, where Matt is currently serving as the branch president. Cody and his wife Rode have been in the branch for many years. Cody is such a support to Matt in his calling and he knows that he can ALWAYS rely on Cody to do what needs to be done. Their relationship has become a great friendship as well. This is an amazing family. Val and Lynda have done a great job as parents and have raised their children well. We are blessed to have them in our lives and look forward to our future enjoying their friendship.