Random Thoughts

I've been doing a bit of thinking lately. Rather scary, I know, but it's true. I am so incredibly blessed. Things are good in my life. We're all healthy. Sure we get the everyday colds and other bugs, but we're healthy in general. I have a strong relationship/friendship with my husband. I am so grateful to be able to say that he is my friend. I love him and always look forward to spending time with him. Nick has a good job that provides for our needs and even some of our wants. This is especially important these days. My girls are incredible. They certainly keep me on my toes, but they keep me laughing as well. Some of the things they come up with are hilarious, and I love that they're playing with each other more and more every day. I'm very fortunate to have a good education and to be able to use that education in a job with a minimal hourly weekly commitment.

And then there are the unexplainable blessing that come from being a member of the LDS church. Over the past, oh, year, I've been incredibly frustrated with life and daily annoyances. I found myself being overly serious all day. Knowing that I was the main person my girls had to interact with, I felt pressure to be more fun and entertaining for them, but my heart wasn't in it.

Months ago our previous Young Women's president challenged us to begin reading the Book of Mormon. As a teenager I had the habit of reading every night. For some reason, as an adult I've found it increasingly difficult to find the time. Yet, in the past month or two, I've been reading more or less every evening. At first I didn't notice much difference, but slowly there's been a change. I am calmer, in general. The little annoyances don't bother me as much for as long. In general, I'm happier. I've been wondering why, and I believe I've found a truth.

Every time we allow ourselves the opportunity to listen to the words of the prophets, modern or ancient, we also give ourselves the chance to feel our Father's love. Even if we only read for a minute or two, the love and light are there. Our spirits respond to that and long for more. It also gives us a strength to face the trials that plague us. I have found a peace and joy that I've needed for a long time. Now I just need to keep it up. There truly is a strength through reading the Book of Mormon.

Words of the Prophets

Have I ever mentioned that I have incredible sisters? My sister Kerri has started a new blog that will focus on studying the most recent conference talks. Anyone can comment, and if you want to contribute, just view the sight at http://www.wordsofthelatterdayprophets.blogspot.com/. We're going to study one conference talk a week, beginning with President Monson's talk "What Have I Done for Someone Today?" from the Sunday morning session. Please post your comments about the talk by next Sunday, November 1st. You can link to it and all other conference sessions here. You'll find the links to listen, read, or watch them. I look forward to reading your comments.

Family Pictures 2009

I finally resized our family pictures. I loved them all, so here's the lot of them. It really is a photo day. There are ways to put these into a collage or something, but this is what I'm up for right now. I am loving these pictures. Thanks again, Meegan.

Several Posts Plus Many, Many Pictures

I'm home nursing a sore throat, so I've spent my time updating my blog. My free time decreases dramatically when school begins. But we've been able to do a lot of fun things with family and friends. Thanks everyone for being such amazing parts of our lives. See below for pictures of our Jackson/Yellowstone trip, pumpkin patch adventures, 1/2 marathon, and vacation to the Dominican Republic.

Jackson/Yellowstone Trip

We met up with John and Shanna Foster yesterday and made our way to Jackson, WY, and Yellowstone. It was so fun to see them again. They've recently moved back to Idaho and we're looking forward to many more similar adventures. The kids had so much fun together.

In Jackson we came across a clown making balloon animals. Everyone had one, even Baby Lexi.


Emma got a purple butterfly.Hallie had a pink butterfly.
Ashlyn got a pink poodle.
Brady, Hallie, and Emma really enjoyed playing together. They all enjoyed running as fast as they could.
Here's the group, including a tired and hungry Ashlyn.
Old Faithful is always a successful sight. Even the hour plus wait was worthwhile for such a breathtaking natural event.

Pumpkin Patch

Emma's preschool went to the pumpkin patch again this year, and we decided to make it a family affair. Everyone loved the corn maze.
Look at those good-looking farmers, not to mention the calf.
Emma found one of the biggest pumpkins in the patch to take home.
And Ashlyn laid her own!

1/2 Marathon

My sister has been telling me I needed to post about the 1/2 marathon Sept 5. Yes, it's been a while, but I did actually do it. I trained for about 10 weeks. It was a lot of work, but I'm so glad I did. Nick and the girls came and cheered me on before they had to leave for Wyoming to Nick's Uncle's funeral. While I wanted to be there, I'm not so sure there will ever be another marathon in my future, and I really wanted to meet my goal. Luckily everyone else supported me.

I was able to complete my race of 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 20 minutes. That's not a record time by any means, but I was able to run/jog the entire way. It felt so good to accomplish my goal, and I can honestly say I had a blast. Thanks everyone for the support.