March 27, 1991 - My family moved from Huntsville, Utah, to Delta, Utah. Best thing we ever did. Okay, so getting sealed in the temple in 1981 is the BEST. But moving to Delta is a close second.
I'm pretty sure we would all be a lot different if we hadn't had the experiences we did there. I probably would never have been so involved in high school. I definitely would have never worked at Bear Lake. I wouldn't have met Shelbee, or Jamie, or Stephanie, or Saronna.....
But then I also wouldn't have snuck out and gone toilet papering with the neighborhood boys. Actually, I still might have. They just would have been different neighborhood boys. (Yeah, nevermind. I wouldn't have snuck out with Mitch Montgomery - in case you were wondering, Mom.)
I wouldn't have learned to play the clarinet. I would never have been in the band, much less the marching band. I wouldn't have been on Seminary Council or the debate team or in FHA or the YCC. (Yes, I'm totally revealing my nerdiness here.)
I had a fantastic ward in Delta. We had a huge group of kids my age. When I was on my mission, we had something like 23 of us out at once. I had leaders who encouraged me and set me straight, and one who wrote me a thank-you note every time I did even the smallest thing. I love writing thank-you notes because of her. When I go back to visit my parents, there are a lot of new people in the ward. But most of them are pretty much the same. They still know my name, and my previous bishop even remembers Jeff's name.
I had amazing teachers at Delta High School. Mr. Sanders and Ms. Beckwith and Mr. Hansen - they were all teachers with tough reputations. To be honest, I didn't always like Mr. Hansen. But he of all of them is the one that believed in me the most. Those three challenged me, and I know that I am better because of them.
I only lived in Delta for about five years. I was in seventh grade when we moved there, and after high school graduation in 1996 I left for the summer (to work at Bear Lake, of course), and then moved to Ogden for college.
But when people ask where I'm from, I say I'm from Delta. I can't imagine a better place for me to have lived during those five years.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
growing up
All the kids have been growing so much. It's crazy how fast the time goes. Here's a quick update on them:
Michael: lost his first tooth on March 7. He was super excited. He told me earlier that day that his tooth was loose, and I wiggled it, but it didn't seem to be all that loose. I told him it would be at least a few more days before it fell out. But when I came home from running some errands, he excitedly showed me his new gap. I guess teeth don't really have to be that loose.
The tooth fairy brought him a dollar, which seems like a lot until you consider that most things have more than doubled in price since the tooth fairy visited me 25 years ago, so this is probably a much lower rate of inflation.
Faith: has started calling herself a princess. She always tells me "I need a pink ____ because I'm a princess." Hmm. This is one of her "princess shirts." I love this one, because when she puts it on, she says, "This princess has my head!"
She likes to put her dolls down for naps and take pictures of them.
And then take pictures of herself.
She has been fully potty trained for a couple of months now. It's really nice to only have one kid in diapers.
Lauren: Jeff decided she was too old for a binky, so he put her down for a nap one day without one. She did fine, and we just never gave it back to her. A few days later, I took the kids down to Delta. I forgot her bottle and milk. The first night was rough while she tried to go to sleep, but once she did, she slept just fine. When we came back from Delta a couple of days later, I threw the bottle away and she's been great. I know, I should have gotten her off of it a long time ago.
She has also finally started walking!! It's so cute to see her toddle around and lose her balance. She isn't really stable yet, but she's getting better every day. I'll have to take a video one of these days.
She is getting so big. We moved her out of the high chair and into just a booster at the table. I think she likes that a lot. I took the saucer, the bouncer chair, the high chair, the play mat, the jumparoo, the music table, and the walker to Kid to Kid. Lately she wants to read books, play with dolls, and put all the headbands on her arm like bracelets and toddle around. Love her.
Michael: lost his first tooth on March 7. He was super excited. He told me earlier that day that his tooth was loose, and I wiggled it, but it didn't seem to be all that loose. I told him it would be at least a few more days before it fell out. But when I came home from running some errands, he excitedly showed me his new gap. I guess teeth don't really have to be that loose.
The tooth fairy brought him a dollar, which seems like a lot until you consider that most things have more than doubled in price since the tooth fairy visited me 25 years ago, so this is probably a much lower rate of inflation.
Faith: has started calling herself a princess. She always tells me "I need a pink ____ because I'm a princess." Hmm. This is one of her "princess shirts." I love this one, because when she puts it on, she says, "This princess has my head!"
She likes to put her dolls down for naps and take pictures of them.
And then take pictures of herself.
She has been fully potty trained for a couple of months now. It's really nice to only have one kid in diapers.Lauren: Jeff decided she was too old for a binky, so he put her down for a nap one day without one. She did fine, and we just never gave it back to her. A few days later, I took the kids down to Delta. I forgot her bottle and milk. The first night was rough while she tried to go to sleep, but once she did, she slept just fine. When we came back from Delta a couple of days later, I threw the bottle away and she's been great. I know, I should have gotten her off of it a long time ago.
She has also finally started walking!! It's so cute to see her toddle around and lose her balance. She isn't really stable yet, but she's getting better every day. I'll have to take a video one of these days.
She is getting so big. We moved her out of the high chair and into just a booster at the table. I think she likes that a lot. I took the saucer, the bouncer chair, the high chair, the play mat, the jumparoo, the music table, and the walker to Kid to Kid. Lately she wants to read books, play with dolls, and put all the headbands on her arm like bracelets and toddle around. Love her.
projects
Lest you all think I haven't been doing anything in these long weeks that I haven't blogged:
I finally got my tall closet organized. I'm not going to put a door on this closet, but I wanted it to look decent. I was going to make some fabric bins, but then I found these baskets at Hobby Lobby (LOVE that place).
I got the ribbon and thread organized in my sewing room.
Found a frame for my large doily. I was having such a hard time finding a frame the right size. I found this one at a thrift store, but it was $30, and I was having a hard time paying that much at a thrift store. But when I went to JoAnn and priced what it would cost to have the doily framed there ($350+, and that's WITH a 50% off coupon - ACK!!!), I decided that $30 was a steal. It originally had horrid Chinese characters in it, and the frame was gold. I ripped it all apart, painted the frame, covered the mat with a nice fabric, and mounted my doily. I love it.
Then I found these doilies that a lady I taught in Portugal made for me. I don't like to use doilies under things, because I think they just collect dust and look dirty. But I do like them framed. Jeff's not such a fan, but he usually lets me make decorating decisions.
And I FINALLY finished my Family Home Evening chart and hung it up. I'd had the board painted and the vinyl on it for a long time, but I couldn't figure out what to hang as names, or how to hang them. Then I saw these knobs at (of course) Hobby Lobby, and suddenly.... it all made sense. I am in love with these knobs. The letters, I'm not sold on. I'll probably change them out for something else some day. But the knobs - love them.
Let's see, what else? Jeff and I got most everything moved out of the storage shed and back into our house. Then we did a serious purge and moved a lot of it back to storage, to await a yard sale (hopefully at the end of April). I am in the process of reorganizing our food storage and implementing a better rotation system. Which brings me to the current question weighing on my mind:
What do you do with empty #10 cans? I'm sure there must be some wonderful use for them that I haven't seen yet.
I finally got my tall closet organized. I'm not going to put a door on this closet, but I wanted it to look decent. I was going to make some fabric bins, but then I found these baskets at Hobby Lobby (LOVE that place).
I got the ribbon and thread organized in my sewing room.
Found a frame for my large doily. I was having such a hard time finding a frame the right size. I found this one at a thrift store, but it was $30, and I was having a hard time paying that much at a thrift store. But when I went to JoAnn and priced what it would cost to have the doily framed there ($350+, and that's WITH a 50% off coupon - ACK!!!), I decided that $30 was a steal. It originally had horrid Chinese characters in it, and the frame was gold. I ripped it all apart, painted the frame, covered the mat with a nice fabric, and mounted my doily. I love it.
Then I found these doilies that a lady I taught in Portugal made for me. I don't like to use doilies under things, because I think they just collect dust and look dirty. But I do like them framed. Jeff's not such a fan, but he usually lets me make decorating decisions.
And I FINALLY finished my Family Home Evening chart and hung it up. I'd had the board painted and the vinyl on it for a long time, but I couldn't figure out what to hang as names, or how to hang them. Then I saw these knobs at (of course) Hobby Lobby, and suddenly.... it all made sense. I am in love with these knobs. The letters, I'm not sold on. I'll probably change them out for something else some day. But the knobs - love them.
Let's see, what else? Jeff and I got most everything moved out of the storage shed and back into our house. Then we did a serious purge and moved a lot of it back to storage, to await a yard sale (hopefully at the end of April). I am in the process of reorganizing our food storage and implementing a better rotation system. Which brings me to the current question weighing on my mind:What do you do with empty #10 cans? I'm sure there must be some wonderful use for them that I haven't seen yet.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Faith
No, not this Faith, although she is darling, and certainly worthy of her own blog post.
I'm talking about Faith - as in, Faith in God. Faith in Jesus Christ (the Faith pictured above would say, "I'm in Jesus Christ!?!").
A couple of weeks ago I heard a story on NPR that made me a little bit angry. Actually, it was just one statement that really upset me. The reporter was interviewing a couple who are Atheists. I only caught a little bit of the interview, but at one point the man being interviewed said, "I mean, what is faith? Faith is believing something without having a good reason to believe it."
That isn't so different from what so many of us believe - that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). But without a good reason? I got a little peeved. I mean seriously, who is this guy to decide what is a "good reason" for me to believe something?
Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 says that we should "seek learning, even by study and also by faith." Of course, in order for a person to learn by faith, they must first have a belief in God. Joseph Smith taught that in his Lectures on Faith. Since this man refuses to believe in God, he cannot understand how faith could possibly teach him anything.
But not having faith narrows your possibilities - and in a way, your potential - so much. Are we to believe that there is nothing non-scientific that is worth knowing? Is there nothing valuable that cannot be experienced with our five senses and evaluated in the laboratory? I believe that science tells us the how, and religion (i.e. faith) tells us the why. Given that, I've decided to write down a few things that I (and others) have learned by faith.
Through faith, I have learned that God is merciful. Even when the understanding of men cannot take away confusion, grief, and doubt, His voice can speak peace to our hearts and guide us to an understanding of what will be.
I know that He is real. An woman I taught in Portugal said it better than anyone else I've ever met - she said, "I see God every day. Not with my physical eyes, but with my spiritual eyes. I pray, and He answers my prayers. I need help, and He sends it. I see Him everywhere." What scientific explanation can there be for all the miracles that happen every day to so many faithful people all over the world? Coincidence? I just don't buy it.
I know that He loves me. At a very difficult time in my life, I prayed and confided in Him that I didn't think I could live with the pain I was feeling. I asked Him to take the pain away from me. And He did it immediately. Immediately. What a blessing that was. He didn't change the situation, but He replaced my pain with a beautiful assurance that the thing I desired most would happen when it was time for it to happen.
I have learned that He expects me to be better, and He will always help me be better than I think I can be. His guidance has led me to make decisions that completely contradict what "most people" would do in the same situation. And so far I have no doubt that those decisions have been correct.
Through faith I know that Jesus knows what I feel. I've never really liked it when people say, "Jesus suffered all things, so just remember that when you go through these trials, He went through even worse things." Really? I mean, He certainly went through worse things than anything I have experienced, but is knowing that really supposed to make me feel better? I've never understood that logic. However, to know that He loves me so much that He suffers with me is a great blessing.
I have learned that He has a personal interest in me and in what goes on in my life.
I wish that man who was interviewed could know half of these things. I wish he would open his spiritual eyes and see the enormous potential to learn Truths that were previously unknown to him.
What have you learned by faith?
I'm talking about Faith - as in, Faith in God. Faith in Jesus Christ (the Faith pictured above would say, "I'm in Jesus Christ!?!").A couple of weeks ago I heard a story on NPR that made me a little bit angry. Actually, it was just one statement that really upset me. The reporter was interviewing a couple who are Atheists. I only caught a little bit of the interview, but at one point the man being interviewed said, "I mean, what is faith? Faith is believing something without having a good reason to believe it."
That isn't so different from what so many of us believe - that faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). But without a good reason? I got a little peeved. I mean seriously, who is this guy to decide what is a "good reason" for me to believe something?
Doctrine and Covenants 88:118 says that we should "seek learning, even by study and also by faith." Of course, in order for a person to learn by faith, they must first have a belief in God. Joseph Smith taught that in his Lectures on Faith. Since this man refuses to believe in God, he cannot understand how faith could possibly teach him anything.
But not having faith narrows your possibilities - and in a way, your potential - so much. Are we to believe that there is nothing non-scientific that is worth knowing? Is there nothing valuable that cannot be experienced with our five senses and evaluated in the laboratory? I believe that science tells us the how, and religion (i.e. faith) tells us the why. Given that, I've decided to write down a few things that I (and others) have learned by faith.
Through faith, I have learned that God is merciful. Even when the understanding of men cannot take away confusion, grief, and doubt, His voice can speak peace to our hearts and guide us to an understanding of what will be.
I know that He is real. An woman I taught in Portugal said it better than anyone else I've ever met - she said, "I see God every day. Not with my physical eyes, but with my spiritual eyes. I pray, and He answers my prayers. I need help, and He sends it. I see Him everywhere." What scientific explanation can there be for all the miracles that happen every day to so many faithful people all over the world? Coincidence? I just don't buy it.
I know that He loves me. At a very difficult time in my life, I prayed and confided in Him that I didn't think I could live with the pain I was feeling. I asked Him to take the pain away from me. And He did it immediately. Immediately. What a blessing that was. He didn't change the situation, but He replaced my pain with a beautiful assurance that the thing I desired most would happen when it was time for it to happen.
I have learned that He expects me to be better, and He will always help me be better than I think I can be. His guidance has led me to make decisions that completely contradict what "most people" would do in the same situation. And so far I have no doubt that those decisions have been correct.
Through faith I know that Jesus knows what I feel. I've never really liked it when people say, "Jesus suffered all things, so just remember that when you go through these trials, He went through even worse things." Really? I mean, He certainly went through worse things than anything I have experienced, but is knowing that really supposed to make me feel better? I've never understood that logic. However, to know that He loves me so much that He suffers with me is a great blessing.
I have learned that He has a personal interest in me and in what goes on in my life.
I wish that man who was interviewed could know half of these things. I wish he would open his spiritual eyes and see the enormous potential to learn Truths that were previously unknown to him.
What have you learned by faith?
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