Three Amigas...Second Edition!

So remember when we featured our three ladies who are the three stake presidents in their auxiliaries? Well, it donned on me that the three SECRETARIES (a very important job) in our stake presidencies are ALSO from our ward. Can you believe it? I am telling you, we have the most amazing people in our ward.

You have already met Emily Pool. She was just recently called as the Stake Primary Secretary. She is also serving in our very ward as the new Sunbeams teacher! Check her out here. She was our very first spotlight!

Our Stake Young Women's Secretary has been a secretary since she moved into our ward four years ago. Taya Somes was first called as our Relief Society Secretary, then our Young Women Secretary, and now she is the Stake's. Taya was raised in Ephrata, Washington where she also graduated from high school. She has three sisters and one brother. Something you may not know about Taya, she has seven living grandparents. Yes, you read it right. Her mom was adopted, and the rest is history! Taya went on to Washington State University and received a degree in Business Management. She also met the man of her dreams there--Tyler (who is our ward scoutmaster!). She says it was definitely love at first sight. Their first date was a WSU football game, and years later, after Tyler came back from his mission to the Philippines, he proposed to Taya at a WSU football game! Sam (6) and Gavin (4) were born in Pullman while they were still students. After graduation, Tyler landed a job with BP.

 Taya with her beautiful family

Taya lived in Blaine for a year before moving into our ward (we are so glad she did!). They also have a sweet little peanut named Ella, and one on the way!!! While she is not busy being a mom, Taya loves to craft. She is very creative and is an expert seamstress as well. She also sells "tutorials" on Etsy. She loves to work with her hands, and they together also love to work on projects around their home.We love Taya, and appreciate her testimony, you can read it below!

"I am so grateful to have a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It has given me the strength to get through hard times and I have found a great amount of joy in my life because to it. My family growing up was not always the most active family. But I always felt a peace and comfort whenever I was involved in church activities. It wasn't until college that I realized how much the gospel meant to me. My testimony grew tremendously over those years and when I was married in the Seattle temple to my sweetheart I knew that Heavenly Father had great plans for me! I know that we are blessed when we are striving to live righteously. I know that God lives and loves each of his children. We are so blessed to have such a unique understanding of what our Heavenly Father has planned for us, and what joy it brings me to know that someday I will have the opportunity to live with him again. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

Stay tuned for our last amiga...