A Week-long Birthday

Last Tuesday was my birthday. It seemed like I got to celebrate all week long. Tristan had meetings in Salt Lake until Thursday night, so we got to spend the week with family. Tuesday night we all met at Olive Garden and had a birthday dinner together. Wednesday, I spent the afternoon with mom. Thursday, after Tristan's meetings, we shopped at the mall for some clothes he needed and then we went home. I got up on Friday morning and drove back to SLC where I met Lara, Kaitlin, MiKell, Alison, Ashley and mom. We had a girl's get-a-way at Park City. We went out to dinner and then made Christmas tags in the condo that night. The next day we shopped at the outlets and then returned to SLC. That night Kaitlin and I were treated by Michael, Parker and Chelsey to the "So You Think You Can Dance" concert for my birthday and her birthday (which is next week). It was so fun and so entertaining! I returned home early, early Sunday morning to the most wonderful Regional Stake Conference. It was such a great week. I am spoiled by my family. I love and appreciate them so much and they were so nice to me. It was a drag to have to stay home and clean house today!

A Halloween Treat

Every once in while I find a thought that I love. Just when you thought there couldn't possibly be a gospel message in Halloween!

"What is it like to be a child of God? It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see." Richard Miller

PAINFUL CHOICES!!!

I am on a diet (again). I think dieting is one of the hardest things I have to do in my life, but I am determined to get back into shape. It is not so much what I look like (yes that is part of it), but how awful I have been feeling. And, I am AFRAID of diabetes. I am on a strict, but healthy and well rounded diet. It is painful and just plain hard work! I have been doing it for a little over a month now. Lara told me about this wonderful site on the internet that has helped me so much. It is a free site that aids with a diet (or you can do your own like I do), and tracks your food intake, water intake, weight loss, and exercise. It also will connect you with others via blogging to get encouragement. I don't participate in that, but the rest of the site has been so helpful to me to see visually what I am doing. When you register, it even will set a date for you of when you will weigh your goal weight if you stay on their diet. That helped me so much to have an actual date to shoot for! It gave me hope! But to do it I will have to be good through the holidays. Anyway, I just wanted to pass it along to anyone who could use this tool. It takes a little time every day to track, but it is well worth it. And it is FREE! ---- www. sparkpeople.com

A Firm Foundation

I spent a lot of my life dreading ever having to work in Primary. It's a good thing you grow up and learn lots of things. I have had a calling in Primary for more than seven years now. And amazingly, I really like it there! There are times when the Holy Ghost teaches me just as much as if I were listening in Gospel Doctrine class. Today was our Primary program. I didn't feel like we were as prepared as we have been for other past programs and I was overly nervous. Plus that "Baptism" song is pretty tedious to keep your fingers on the right keys! But as I was playing and the kids were singing, "How Firm A Foundation," the Spirit really hit me during the third verse.

Fear not, I am with thee, oh be not dismayed.

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

I'll strenthen thee, help thee and cause thee to stand

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand.

It is really true. I had to fight the tears (hard to read music with them). The kids sang it so powerfully. I felt Heavenly Father's smile on all of us.

Love from Above

This is over a week late, but I just had to write about how much I loved General Conference. I don't know if it is because I am getting older and listen better, or if the messages just keep getting stronger and better every time, but it was so thrilling to listen to the messages of our prophets and general authorities. Then, this weekend, on the back of the Church News, it stated, "General Conference is further evidence of the love the Lord has for His children, and that He does not intend to leave them wandering alone during difficult times." I don't know about you, but that is very comforting to me. Thank you, thank you, Heavenly Father. I know that you are there watching over all of us.

Also, yesterday in the singles ward during Fast and Testimony Meeting, a young deaf girl stood up to bear her testimony. There was not a word spoken, it was all done in sign language, but the Holy Ghost was there translating for all of us. We understood her sincerity, we understood what she was saying, and we felt the spirit testify to all of us. It was the most powerful testimony of the day. I appreciate her courage in standing in front of all of us to do that. It was a powerful experience that I feel lucky to have witnessed.

Fall Equinox

Last night on the news the broadcaster announced that it was the official last day of summer. This morning it was cold outside and the weather forecast is that tonight it may freeze. The calendar and temperature may let us know it is fall, but I know it is fall when I can peaches. My friend J'Lee gave us a couple of boxes of the most beautiful peaches from her tree in her backyard. I canned 21 quarts yesterday and have about 7 more to do today. Lots of work and my sore foot throbbed all night long after standing on it all day, but what a satisfying feeling! Look at this beautiful fall picture!

A Weekend With the Boys

I got to spend last weekend with Tristan and the boys at Brian Head Ski Resort. They were on a biking trip. I enjoyed driving the truck to meet them at the bottom of the hill and seeing the beautiful scenery. They actually got me out on a hill on my bike, but it was really a narrow, rocky single trail that traversed a steep slope of the hill. Every time I hit a rock it jerked my front wheel downhill. It was scary to me and I was really slow. I was frustrated because I knew I was holding them up. Finally they took off and Tristan and I walked our bikes down the hill to the road where we rode a mile uphill back to the truck. It was 11,000 ft. elevation and it really made us huff and puff! When we arrived at the truck Tristan happened to look down in the gravel of the parking lot and found some keys. They were Parker's car keys which had fallen out of his backpack. If we hadn't accidentally found them, he would have thought he had lost them somewhere going down the mountain on his bike and who knows how he would have driven his car back to school. I credit our prayers that morning. It was a fun time! My boys have grown up to be great men and I am proud of them.