Father's & Son's

So yesterday Shawn and Caden headed off for a Father's & Son's Campout with other men in our ward (church congregation). They generally have this every year. Each year I send the camera with Shawn. I tell him to take LOTS of pictures, and make sure to get one of the two of them together. Every year he never seems to get it. At one point he handed the camera to Caden and told him to take a bunch of pictures. There are times I wish that he would get better pictures of the time they are able to spend together, but at the same time I laughed my head off when I saw the results of what he brought home this time. Hopefully you will laugh as much as I did.

Visiting Teaching

There are times when I am a better Visiting Teacher than others. Right now is not one of those times. For those of you who aren't members of the church, Visiting Teaching is a program within the Relief Society where you are paired up with another woman, and 2 to 3 other women to visit monthly. I love visiting teaching, and think that it really is so important, but sometimes fall short of doing it. Anyway, my cousin Lori sent me this in an email the other day, and I just thought it was so funny. It is about 8 or 9 minutes long, but so worth the watch. Enjoy!

52 Blessings Project - Week Four

The 52 Blessings Project

Once a week post a photo of something you are most grateful for. This gives us a chance to reflect on the good things we have learned from or that have made us better in our everyday lives or things we just enjoy! I think everyone needs to be more grateful for what they have now instead of always thinking about what we want! This is one of the things we can do to be more gracious people. It will be like a photo gratitude journal.

Week Four

I am a late on posting my 52 blessings for this week, and am trying to catch up on everything. This past weekend was crazy, but full of a lot of fun. So scroll down to see what else we were up to last weekend. I had a couple of things in mind when I was thinking about what to be “grateful” for this week. Then when Sunday came and we heard the news about President Hinckley, I knew what I wanted to post about.
President Hinckley was a remarkable man. What he represented is what I am grateful for. I am so thankful to belong to a church that is lead by a person who gets direct revelation from our Heavenly Father. It is amazing to know that we are lucky enough to have a prophet. To know that even though our beloved Gordon B. Hinckley is now gone, that there will be someone else appointed to continue the work of the Lord.

I am so thankful to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It brings so much joy, and peace into my life. It gives me the direction, and guidance that I need in order to be the best that I can be. I know that I belong there, and my life would not be the same without it.

On a different note...I am still working on the questions you asked. I might have to go on to some of the others before I post about how Shawn and I met. I haven't written down our whole story, and want to give it the justice that it deserves.

Change

“I cannot say whether things will get better if we change; what I can say is they must change if they are to get better.” Georg C. Lichtenberg

While we were in France we had the opportunity to attend the local church branch. That is one thing that I love about the church…it doesn’t matter that I was half across the world. There were people there that all had the same beliefs as me and welcomed our family. We met the nicest couple while we were there….Tiare and Mithona. Tiare grew up in France, but her mother was Canadian, which meant that she spoke perfect English. It was so nice to be able to have a real conversation with someone. We would walk to church each week, and she was nice enough to give us a ride back to our hotel each Sunday. They truly were the nicest people, and they have the cutest little girl Elena! The kids just adored her! They even had us over for dinner one of the evenings that we were there. I was excited when I found out she had a blog so now I can check in on her cute family from time to time. We are even due to have babies at the same time!

During one of our conversations at church we talked about how small their branch was. (For those of you who aren’t members of my church, a branch the name we use for a congregation that isn’t large enough to be a ward –which is what most people are familiar with). They only had about 30 members. I told her about our ward, and how small we were compared to other wards in our stake. This is something that our ward had been dealing with for quite some time. Our primary and youth program were really suffering. We just didn’t have a lot of young kids/teenagers in our ward. We have known that something needed to be done, but never knew if it would happen.

Only a few days after my conversation with Tiare, Shawn got an email from our Bishop. The following Sunday they would be dissolving our ward! I was shocked, saddened, and curious all at the same time. I think the main reason why I was shocked was because I never thought that our ward would no longer exist. I just assumed that we would encompass more people into our ward. I was sad because some of my really good friends were being put into another ward (where you live is what determines where and when you will attend church). I was curious to see who would be in our new ward and what it would be like.

I was disappointed that we weren’t going to be home when all this took place. It is funny how attached I had become to our ward. We moved into our home 4 years ago, and I had grown really fond of it. As much as we complained about how small it was…I think we also found comfort in the coziness of it all. Everyone knew everyone, and we were a tight knit group. It was and has been hard to get used to.

We were able to come home in time to be here the first time our two wards meshed. My feelings have been so mixed. One of the best things that came out of it was that Shawn got released from the Bishopric!! I know we have been blessed having him serve…but I am so thankful to have his help with the kids during church. It definitely was nice to have him back!

They spent the whole last hour of Relief Society (just for women) by having us all stand up and introduce ourselves. There are a lot of fun ladies in the ward. The thing that I have to get used to is that most of these ladies are old enough to be my mother. Not that that is a bad thing, but I was hoping to meet some more young mommies like myself. It will be nice when I feel like I know everyone better.

One thing is for sure…it may have not been what I had envisioned in my mind, but Heavenly Father really knows what he is doing. He knows our needs and he was mindful of the situation that our ward faced. We needed to be put in this new ward. I know that, but as is with all things…change is never easy. I will defiantly miss my little comfort zone that I had in our old ward, but am looking forward to growing into my new one.

Fathers and Sons

The boys went out with the ward for the Fathers and Sons campout this past weekend. I think they had alot of fun. Shawn brought along our nephew Jackson, too. They had potato launchers, Marshmallow guns, and even got to go canoeing/kayaking. I think this is such a fun thing for them. From what Shawn said, Caden did a whole lot better than last year. Here are some pictures of the fun that they had together.


That last picture cracks me up. Caden is all slumped back, and grouchy. He can be so silly at times!

A Day at the Drive In

That was the theme for Caden's Primary Activity Day on Saturday. It was the sweetest thing to come back after dropping him off and seeing this. The kids all had a blast "making" their cars, and then they watched a movie about David and Goliath. I am so thankful for the Primary presidency in my church. They have done so well with their callings. I just thought this was the neatest idea, and a great way to involve the children, yet still teach a great lesson on Faith.

It took me a while to get Caden out the door, but I am glad that I did. He had so much fun. He was so proud of his car, and couldn't wait to show it to me. I can't believe how much he is growing up. I love this boy!

Girls Night Out

Last year the Relief Society in my ward had a Women's Retreat they called "Just Breathe." I went last year and had a lot of fun, but I brought Sydney because she was still nursing at the time. When I found out that they were going to do it again this year I was so excited! This year I wouldn't have to have Sydney and I could truly "Just Breathe." The excitement soon fizzled when I found out the dates. They had originally set it for April 21-22, but moved it to April 27-28. I was so bummed! We were already set to have a baby shower for my sister on the 28th...so unless I wanted to wake up and leave the retreat at 8 or 9 am on Saturday, I was not going. There were some people willing to leave early with me, but I felt it would not be worth it to drive 2 1/2 hours to have to turn around early to come home.

Instead there were a few other girls in the ward that had little kiddos that that didn't want to leave overnight so we got together and went out for a "Girls Night." We went out to eat at a Mexican joint called Serrano's. They have the best bean dip ever! It was nice to sit, eat, and get to know these girls a bit better. Shawn and I try to go out on a date regularly, but I don't think that I get 'girl' time quite often. There is something different when you are just around each other.

We laughed, and talked about all sorts of stuff. I think that we all mesh pretty well, and each have something different to bring to the table. After we ate we went by Nielson's Frozen Custard for a yummy dessert. We ate our treat, and continued to gab for few more hours. Conversation was easy, and I had such a good time. I think that we may do this on a more regular basis. We thought that we could go to dinner and then do something fun afterward. My sister used to do these regularly, some of the things we did were: ice skating, bowling, karaoke, painting pottery. Do you have any fun ideas of things to do with 'just the girls'?

Easter Sunday

Easter Sunday is such a wonderful day. The message brings me such a feeling of renewal, and beginnings. I am so thankful to have a Savior that loves and knows who I am. I was humbled today when I attended my church meetings.

Today is what is called Fast and Testimony meeting. It is normally on the first Sunday of each month, but we had General Conference last week so Fast Sunday was pushed back a week. I know some have a hard time with Sacrament meeting when it is for the bearing of testimonies. I have had a hard time in the past. People get up there and babble on about nothing, and don't really bear their testimony sometimes. Today was different. Perhaps it is because it is Easter everyone's mind is so much more turned toward Christ. It was a great meeting.

Then in Relief Society the lesson was on testimonies. This is where it hit home a little bit more. The lesson talked about how important it is to bear your testimony because it is the only way you can grow, and keep your testimony. I think that I do okay at bearing my testimony, but I also think that sometimes I hold back for fear that the person will be offended. I thought about my friend, and wondered if I should have said something different. I often wonder how many times I have ignored the spirit when it is telling me to testify what I know to be true. I left with a greater appreciation for my own testimony, and a challenge to recognize the spirit more when it is trying to get me to do something that I am afraid of doing.

With that being said...I am so thankful to have been born into a family with two parents that I know love me dearly. I am thankful for the knowledge of my Savior, Jesus Christ. He is such a great example. I know that He lives, that he loves me, and that He knows who I am. He knows my innermost thoughts, feelings and desires. I am grateful for the sacrifice that he made for all the people in the world. We would not be here if it were not for him. He is what gets me through is day.

I hope you all have a wonderful Easter. We will be going to my sister's later this evening for a dinner with the family. I took some pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits. Syd did not want to look at the camera today, but she still is beautiful as ever! I can't believe how fast my little Caden is growing. He looked so grown up today in his cute shirt and tie!

Uggh!

It is hard to describe how I have been feeling lately. I feel like I have been at a standstill. There are so many things that I want to do, to accomplish, but for some reason none of it is happening. At times I feel like I am stuck in a glass box, watching everyone around me go places...but I am stuck inside. For those of you who are regular readers you probably have noticed the lack of posting. I am sick of the rut that I have been in and there are many changes that I need to make....but with everything...it takes time. I have had many things on my mind, but haven't had the time to get them all down.

A few days after I got back I received a phone call from a woman in my ward (church). I called her back and was floored when she asked if I would be able to substitute teach for Relief Society (class for women). I have never done this before and was absolutely terrified, but said I would do it. Little did I know that the lesson that was assigned would be the thing that I needed most. The topic was "Prayer, the Passport to Spiritual Power"

As I read through the lesson, I felt so inadequate to even give this lesson. To tell the truth...I am really bad at saying my prayers. I don't know why, but I am. I know how important it is to pray, yet night after night I will go to bed without dropping to my knees. This lesson humbled me, and helped me realize that there are many things that need prioritizing. I love my Heavenly Father...I would be nothing without him, and I feel terrible that I haven't turned to him more.

I feel like a hypocrite at times. I go to church faithfully every week. I take the sacrament. I will talk about how important the gospel is to me. How I can't live without. Deep down it is true...I know, but my actions are half spent. I know prayer is important - vital! I know that I am a stronger person when I pray regularly. So why do I struggle with it so much!? I need to do better.

I think that is why my life has been so crazy lately. I have failed to acknowledge His hand in all that I do. Since last week I have made a commitment to take more time. To reflect, to ponder, and thank the Lord for everything that I have. I can already see a difference, and I am making a goal to do better. It is funny how well He knows us. He knows exactly what we need, and this lesson was the swift kick in a butt that was long overdue.

Anyway, Sorry for the pity party...on to other things. I had a blast on our vacation, but was kinda bummed that I was gone for the majority of the Ultimate Blog Party. I feel like I will never be able to catch up with all the people that are on that Mr. Linky. I will try to get through some each day, but I think I will be trying to get through the list for weeks. I hope to get a post up about some of the blogs I have already found, that I have bookmarked. There are some fun ladies out there.

Things are finally starting to get back to normal, and I am looking forward to the next few weeks. It is good to be back...and hopefully I will get out of this rut!

So Glad its Over!

It was a crazy day! I am the Activities Chairperson in my ward at church. What does that mean, you may ask? I get to plan activities about every other month to entertain about 60-100 people for a couple of hours. When I first was asked to do this I thought..."Cool, I get to plan parties! I love parties!" Little did I know how much work is involved, and how hard it is to actually enjoy yourself when they are going on.

We had a "Valentines Dinner". The theme was "Love Will Keep Us Together". It was a great evening we had a great time, but I am so glad that it is over! My morning started out early. My committee and I met down at the church at 8 am to decorate and set up the gym for the evening. We were there for a couple of hours, and I got home around 11:30. Shawn had to leave for a meeting shortly afterwards. I spent the next couple of hours trying to get last minute things together, shower, and then wait for Shawn to get home. When Shawn got home I ran around for about an hour picking up stuff for the party. Got home and had to get back to the church by 4:30 pm. We had a pretty good turn out considering there was so much going on that weekend, and everything went smoothly. We ate dinner, and then had about 4 couples participate in a "Newlywed Game" They were pretty entertaining. I think everyone had fun.

The game was so fun to watch. Shawn acted as the Emcee, and asked all the questions. We had a range of different couples. Some had been married a few years, others had been married over 40 years. It is so interesting to watch people. I am a people watcher. I like to see how they interact. I hope in 50 years I can look back and laugh just as much as I do everyday with my husband. He is my comic relief everyday. I love him so much, and am thankful to have him in my life.

So I have one party down, and 5 more events left! I hope that I can plan things that can bring us together, and have fun...and not die of stress in the process! I am going to go fall over now!

On My Mind

So I really haven't posted anything with any meat lately. That is because I have had alot on my mind these last couple of days. I try to write something that I feel would be amusing, a little funny, and entertaining but what has been on my mind is nothing of the sort. Yet it is all I have been thinking about so my muse for bloggin' was next to nothin'. I felt like I just need to get all my thoughts out so I can get on with life, and start feeling better. Please know in this post that these are my personal opinions and I am in no way trying to offend anyone. I am not trying to push my beliefs, but just stating what is on my brain!

I recently found out that a dear friend of mine decided to leave the church. For those of you who don't know I am LDS or Mormon as what we are better known as. I know there are many out there that don't believe the same way as I do...and that is okay. I believe that everyone has a right to worship as they choose. I feel the same way for my friend, yet at the same time I am deeply saddened by the choice.

It is not always easy to be a member of the church. There are many expectations and responsibilities that come with it. We are asked to refrain from alot of things that are considered okay in our society. We don't drink alcohol, are asked not to watch R-rated movies, no coffee, etc. Some people think we are weird, some think we are a cult, and some like us but don't believe some of the principles that are taught. We are asked to give 10% of our income for tithing. We are "called" to serve in different positions in the church. To give our time and talents when asked. I could go on with many things that we are asked to do and not to do, but I won't.

I was born and raised in the church. It has been part of me my entire life. I know with all of my heart that this is where I need to be. I guess that is why it was so hard for me to learn about my friend. I have spent too many days with thoughts running through my mind as to why this had to happen. Why my friend felt it necessary to delve into early church doctrine to try to disprove its authenticity. I don't really agree with the findings, but they know that. What I do know is that I have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I know that he lives. I am so thankful for his sacrifice for me and everyone else on this earth. I am so thankful for the blessings in my life, and the great influence that the church has had on me. I would not be the same person without it.

I have just been so confused because I know at one point my friend had a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I know because this person told me. I watched as this person served a mission, and got letters telling of the wonderful time they were having, and how blessed they were to teach others about the gospel, and how they knew what they were doing was right. And then I sat and listened as I was told that they never really believed, and always had issues they didn't agree with. It just broke my heart because the gospel is so important to me, and at one point in time to this person...and now it is not.

It is kinda funny because I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters, many of which have either left the church or have struggled with inactivity (that is the word used for someone who goes to church off and on) yet their decision didn't hit me as hard as my friends did. I don't know why I let it effect me so much. I guess I just never thought it would happen and then it did, and it shocked me to the core. I bawled for days, lost alot of sleep, and have let it consume me trying to understand. I probably will never understand, but that is okay. I can't control my friend, but I can still be a friend. That is what I plan to do. It hurts, but I know they are happy...and I can't be hurt about that.

If this person happens to read this I hope that they know that I will always be there. I will never like them less, and am glad that they found something to be passionate about. Hopefully, I didn't say anything to make you mad - it was not my intention. I just had to get this off my chest. I think that you expected a reaction like this, and that is why you waited so long to tell me, but I am glad you told me. Know I may never understand your decision, but I respect it. I love you guys with all of my heart and nothing you do or say will ever change that.