Awaiting the Holidays and Beyond

It seems we are approaching the holidays quickly this year, but what can I say? Isn’t that the case every year? As we make the transition into the bitter, cold of winter, there will be lots of hot chocolate and spiced apple cider shared. At least that will be so at our house. The space heaters will be coming out of the closet now, and I just put on my first turtleneck sweater, since February. Can you believe it was 70 degrees last week, and we are now dropping down to a high of 50 degrees? So, with the planning of family gatherings, the food, the gifts to be exchanged, and might I say…the added amount of pressure to beat the holiday rush, it is still a special time of year indeed. I know, we haven’t even gotten past Halloween yet, but my thoughts are overrun with excitement. Soon, we will be indulging in the ever so longed for, Thanksgiving feast, where we will give thanks and share in each other’s company. Following that, we’ll share in the joy of the Christmas season, and remember our Savior, Jesus Christ and the many blessings that are bestowed upon us each and every day. I’m thankful for the love, life, and laughter that is, family, and the ways in which we can reach out with helping hands to those in need. While I have had these thoughts on my mind, I can’t help but drift towards the present and what we have going on in our lives right now. As the building blocks of our Primerica business continue to mold the future that lies ahead of us, I stop and think about the many ways in which we will be able to truly give back to those we love and care about. Our future is looking bright, and I’m grateful for our business and the partnership that I share with my husband. We have a goal to work very hard, and stay persistent to further reach the aspirations we have a desire to achieve. There are just a few short months, before year’s end, and while I’m looking forward to the holidays, I’m also looking ahead to a new year and a new beginning.

Message of the Day

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness, you are more blessed than the million who won't survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture or the pangs of starvation, you are ahead of 20 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are more blessed than almost three billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep, you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace, you are among the top 8% of the world's wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, especially in the United States.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful, you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone's hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder, you are blessed because you can offer God's healing touch.

If you can read this message, you are more blessed than over two billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

You are so blessed in ways you may never even know.

This is a message I received in one of my past emails, that I wanted to share with you this day.

Sisterhood United

What a wonderful weekend it has been. I don’t know of a better choice for my topic than being united as a sisterhood. I have experienced what I would say has been a reawakening to the many important lessons that we are taught on a daily basis, but a few of which I have focused more of my attention to. I would like to take a moment now, and share with you my thoughts. As a Relief Society in our ward, we all came together on Friday night for an Enrichment Retreat. First of all, I want to extend my thanks to sister Jolene Krahenbuhl for allowing us to stay at her beautiful, spacious home and providing her hospitality to as many as 50 or more women of our ward family. Rita Merrick of our ward did a fantastic job planning our retreat, of which the plans were altered quite drastically at the last minute. I also want to thank all of those who participated in the planning of this wonderful event. Upon arriving on Friday night, we enjoyed a BBQ, that included teriyaki chicken made from a marinade provided by Angie Magoffin in our ward, which is found in the Relief Society cookbook that many of us have in our possession. It was very tasty! There were a few wonderful salads, and many great treats and desserts! We then played a few games, which allowed each of us to get to know the sisters of our ward much better. To end the night, we each shared some good news in our lives and participated in a short lesson from the scriptures provided by Shelly Johnson of our ward as well. Many stories were shared, and the laughs were plenty. I will not forget the spirit that was felt that night. I feel so much closer to the sisters of our ward, and am so entirely grateful to have them in my life. I have really taken to heart that each of us has been blessed with many gifts and talents of which we can share with one another. It may seem difficult to see that from time to time, but we are all choice daughters of our Heavenly Father with divine qualities, and the truest beauty one can possess. It is true that each of us can be there for one another when our needs are great or to share the good times when our lives are enriched with many great blessings. I made a handout for each of the sisters at the retreat that I believe really sums up the importance of Relief Society and what it means to come together as a sisterhood and our responsibilities and duties. I have included it here, for those of you that read my posts regularly and may not have had a chance to make it to the retreat. We are beloved spirit daughters of God

and our lives have meaning, purpose, and direction.

As a worldwide sisterhood, we are united in our devotion

to Jesus Christ, our Savior and Exemplar.

We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who

increase our testimonies of Jesus Christ

through prayer and scripture study,

seek spiritual strength by following the promptings of the Holy Ghost,

dedicate ourselves to strengthening

marriages, families, and homes,

find nobility in motherhood and joy in womanhood,

delight in service and good works,

love life and learning,

stand for truth and righteousness,

sustain the priesthood

as the authority of God on earth,

rejoice in the blessings of the temple,

understand our divine destiny,

and strive for exaltation.

Our experiences over the weekend didn’t end there. We also had the opportunity to attend the General Relief Society Meeting as a Stake, where we were not only fed physically, but more importantly, spiritually as well. The food was delicious, and was served to us so graciously at our tables. At that moment, I was beginning to feel very spoiled! After our fine dinner and conversation, we had the privilege of hearing from our new President of the General Relief Society Presidency, Julie B. Beck, along with her two counselors, Silvia H. Allred and Barbara Thompson. After which, the second counselor of the First Presidency, Dieter F. Uchtdorf concluded the meeting with his inspiring words. After such a spiritually uplifting weekend, I thought long and hard, asking myself why it seems I don’t participate in more activities that would bring me the kind of joy and happiness I experienced this weekend. I will always be grateful for my membership in the church, and the blessings I receive when I stand up for what I believe and share that belief with others. My eyes have been opened to fully see and accept my duties as a daughter of God here on this earth, and I will strive each day to fulfill those responsibilities. May my thoughts be with each of you as well, and I hope the very best for you and your families.

Lakeview Ducks

After church yesterday, we stopped for a visit at Lakeview Park to feed the ducks. We had several hot dog buns, tortillas, and sliced bread that was very old and dry…and we know just how much the ducks enjoy a treat like that. I have never paid attention to the beauty of that park before. I guess I’ve never taken the time before to notice just how beautiful it really is. The pond where the ducks comingle has a couple fountains and is surrounded by cattails and willow trees. There is a bridge where the river runs, and a playground with picnic tables. It’s strange how your perception can change when you really look at the whole picture! I’ll have to return again soon for another visit! There were ducks, ducks, more ducks, and even a bullfrog sitting by the edge of the pond. We were able to get just a few pictures while we were there during the afternoon. There is certainly a different feel about Sundays. It seems to be a day so tranquil and serene, as we think about other aspects of life than our jobs, mundane routines, and the stress that comes with every other day. I am grateful for that one day a week, that I can focus my attention on the Lord, and everything he has given and done for us…to draw closer to him. I am grateful for all the living creatures here upon this earth that we can enjoy day in and day out.

Outing to Boondocks

The events have continued with my sister Amanda and her boyfriend David in town, so with their visit coming to a close, we decided as a family to spend our last night together at Boondocks. We all received a 3 hour unlimited pass for Laser Tag, Bumper Boats, and Miniature Golf, along with several arcade tokens to use for the games. I have always enjoyed the two complexly detailed themed miniature golf courses, consisting of 18 holes per course, and the beautiful landscaping of the entire park. I wouldn’t say that Laser Tag is my choice favorite among all the attractions, but I will say that it is quite the experience, as it portrays a theme pertaining to a galaxy and the illusion of black lights and space images. We broke into two teams…boys against girls. I knew all along that the boys would have the advantage, but we still managed to gain our fair share of points on them. I would say the Bumper Boats are my favorite! The boats look like gigantic inner tubes with a motor attached and a built in steering device consisting of a handle to move your boat in any direction and a water shooter, or “Master Blaster” as it is called, to spray the other boaters. Last night, we all got a little more than just sprayed with water…we were completely drenched! Some of us got a little carried away, and began splashing water, while spraying at the same time. It’s just a good thing that was the last activity we took part in last night. We played enough arcade games to redeem our tickets for all that silly kid stuff, which I love! Boondocks really is a fun center for family and friends, since there are so many free-spirited activities, and you can just go and act like a kid again. We had a great time, and although I was bummed to realize I had forgotten my camera, it didn’t even matter. So, I don’t have pictures this time…sorry folks!

Visiting Home

It will be an eventful week, since my sister and her boyfriend David have come for a visit. Just yesterday, they came into town, and we all met at my parent’s house. It was just a gorgeous night last night, so my parent’s decided that we would eat outside on the back lawn, where they set up tables and chairs. After we ate my mother’s fabulous home-cooked meal, consisting of rotisserie baked chicken, steamed carrots, mashed potatoes, gravy, and crescent rolls, …(yes, I know you wanted the details), we played a Frisbee game together as a family, and there was quite a bit of competition, based on our performance last night. There was definitely a lot of pushing and shoving, as we were all so eager to win. After everyone become fatigued after a long game, we ate a wonderful apple pie with vanilla ice cream, while we watched a comedy show on television. I have to add though, that this was Brian Regan entitled “The Epitome of Hyperbole”, so if you are at all familiar, it is a cleaner version of all the other typical comedy shows airing on television these days. We met David for the first time, and he seems like the perfect match for Amanda. You can see many similarities between them, such as their independence and desire to serve in the Navy, as well as the competitive edge they both share. David and Amanda will be deployed again in October, so it is a treat when my sister comes into town, as we do not see her very often. I don’t know how long David has been serving in the Navy, since we do not know him very well…yet, but I can’t believe it’s been 4 years since Amanda has been away serving as a Navy Corpsman. We’ll look forward to the days ahead while they are here, as the events continue.

My sister Amanda and her boyfriend David

My sister Kylie and her boyfriend Clae
Lee and I

My cousin Nathan and his wife Kim
Nathan beat everyone in this round of the "Frisbee Game".
David is throwing the frisbees to everyone.

This is the whole gang...with the exception of my mom, Kim, and I. We were taking the pictures.

Nature's Little Wonders

There comes a point when you just need to get away from all the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and just go to that quiet place…wherever it may be for you. Well, my idea of getting away would be an escape to the mountains. When you are surrounded by nature and all that is beautiful upon the face of this great earth, there is almost nothing more peaceful than that. It’s almost too surreal to comprehend. My husband and I, along with my cousin and his wife, had the opportunity to go to Donnelly, near Cascade over the weekend. Much to our surprise, we discovered much more than just a fun weekend away from home. The first night we arrived, it wasn’t until midnight, and the first thing we saw out on the back patio of the cabin was a huge porcupine. Unfortunately, it scurried away too quickly to get any pictures of it, but it was still a sight to see. We didn’t stay up much later after that, as we were tired after a long day. The next day, our adventures began. We got up and made a good breakfast, then headed out on what was supposed to be a hike at Tamarack Resort. Although, along the way, we were distracted by the beautiful sites of the lake, so we stopped near the bridge and began walking along the bank. That’s where we made many of our discoveries, of which you’ll notice in the pictures below. After a while, we still made it to Tamarack Resort, but we didn’t take the hike. We figured we had done enough walking and exploring for the day. Along our drive there, we saw many new building developments and several million dollar homes that were just gorgeous! It seemed like we spent hours there, and we worked up quite an appetite. We headed back to the cabin for lunch, and though we were tired, the fun just couldn’t stop there. So, we grabbed our swim suits and towels and headed to the lake just a few miles from the cabin. There we swam, played in the sand, and even buried my cousin in a hole we had all dug earlier, that was filled with water. After it started getting chilly, we headed back to have dinner. We roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over the fire we built, and pointed out the constellations we could see in the sky that were lit up by the brightness of the stars. We even saw a shooting star, and a few deer off in the distance. We still looked for our porcupine friend, but it was nowhere to be found. We watched a couple movies to complete our time spent at the cabin, and overall, it was a very relaxing weekend. We sure do have a lot to be thankful for, as we are very fortunate to live in such a beautiful country that has been created for us to enjoy. The many creations upon this earth are a gift to us in many ways, and I feel it is a blessing and a privilege to be surrounded by them every day.

My pictures are not in the right order, but you can still see all of our different activities.

This was a Mountain Dew can that took forever to burn.
This is our beautiful teepee fire.
Lee and Nathan are racing to the Booey.
Nathan is getting ready to be buried in the hole filled with water.
Nathan's wife Kim decided to give him a woman's figure. Lee and Nathan digging a hole for the "hot tub". This is some clay we dug up deep below the sand.
This was the 3rd and smallest snake we saw on our trek.
It's difficult to make out in the picture, but this is the biggest dragonfly I've ever seen!
We discovered this tree stump that was literally detached from the ground, but very sturdy!

This was a very cool mossy plant, I just had to take a picture of.
We think this was a freshwater jellyfish...but we can't be too sure.
We saw a lot of tree stumps in the middle of a reservoir of the lake that we just thought looked really cool.

These were the first couple snakes we saw just hanging out and eating...one of which my husband was so daring enough to hold. However, I can't find the picture I took of that for proof. Might I add...he said it would be the one and only time he would hold a snake, as he is very afraid of the them.This was the only group of pretty flowers I saw on our walk. They were actually a purple color, but they look white in the picture.
This is a little snail shell my cousin found.
They might kill me for posting this picture, but I just had to.
Here is a small catfish just taking a leisure swim.