Category Archives: Love

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!

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This is the sweetest, funniest, most tender hearted and loving man!
This is my Dad!
He has always been there for me when I need advice and counsel. He has led, and continues to lead, a life full of integrity and goodness. Years ago, my Daddy started to take me on a date once a month, just me and him. We go to dinner, and talk. We share our days and life experiences together. Sometimes, I tell him what I think he should do in a certain situation. He tells me what he thinks about what’s going on in my life. Sometimes we talk about my children, and what they’re doing or a hard thing they’re going through. He gets big tears in his eyes, and can’t even speak. I love that the older he’s gotten, the more tender he is. I love him so much. I hope someday to be half the person he is. I will just keep doing the things he has taught me to do, both in word and through his example. Thanks Daddy for being such a great Dad, for your wonderful example, and for always being there for me.
Happy Birthday!!!!!!
OXOX

A Party on Christmas Day 2009

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The Family all enjoyed themselves!
Dad reading a card.
(I’m not sure, but he might be Santa)
Me with my sweet Natasha.
My Mom!
Exhausted and snoring loud! 😉
Emily intent on the game.
Too many parties!
I love my families, all of them. I married into a great family and I grew up in a great family. And…I am the mother of a great family. I feel so blessed and thank Father in Heaven for all of them.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas season!

Merry Christmas!!!!!

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I love this time of year!
Sincerely.
But I do believe that I put a real effort into it.
First, I rarely shop, maybe once or twice in the whole month of December. That way I don’t feel like I’m dealing with lots of people who are shopping and don’t want to be there. 
Second, We spend alot of time with family and loving them.
Third, we have taught our children from an early age to celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.
The Birth of Our Savior.
Fourth, we don’t get a lot of stuff for Christmas. My children ask for one thing from Santa and one thing from us.
I truly believe that this has made a big difference in my life. One year, we didn’t have any money for Christmas, and when we told the kids they said, “That’s okay!”. And it was okay.
We know what matters most at Christmas. We have a Savior and we celebrate His birth and His life at Christmas and always. I’m glad to be able to read about His life in the scriptures. I’m glad He gave us an example and taught what to do, and how to live in this life. I love Him.
My most favorite Christmas song is here

What a great dude!!

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This is Alex. He is my 3rd child and the most quoted.
 He is the one who taught me about going “slow and steady”.
Here is the post from May 14th 2009:  “I feel like I have spent the better part of my motherhood very overwhelmed. I know I’m not alone, but it still bugs me. I want to be on top of all my responsibilities, all the time. Talk about unrealistic expectations!!! I learned a great lesson from one of my kids. When my son, Alex, was quite young, maybe six, he taught me the value of patience and perseverance. One day, while going through piles and piles of mail, school papers, bills and various other things that tend to pile up on our kitchen counters, I screamed, “I’m never going to get through all these piles”. To which Alex replied, “Mom, remember ‘Slow & steady wins the race!'” Now, most people know this phrase from The Tortoise and the Hare, the darling children’s book about the race between these two animals. The hare races frantically along, then has to take naps because he is so tired from being frantic (sound familiar?). The tortoise moves along slow and steady. Of course the tortoise wins because he kept an even pace, and didn’t wear himself out trying to be super turtle (or super mom). Ever since that day, I remember what he said and am glad for the lesson. I am much more patient with myself and my life. I am learning to perservere better all the time. Remember….Slow & steady wins the race!”
He is a senior in high school now and is such a blessing in my life. He is the type of kid you can always count on. I am so blessed to be his mom.

Thank the Lord for the ride!

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“Life is like an old time rail journey … delays, sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders, and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and bursts of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for the ride!” -Gordon B. Hinckley

When I think about my life, all of it, from the beginning, I can honestly say that I have learned how to do this. Just knowing that there’s a trick is helpful.

One especially hard time in my life was when my son, Riley, was a newborn and I started to have some health problems. When he was two months old, I had to have gall bladder surgery. I honestly felt so picked on. The surgery which was supposed to take a few hours, ended up being more difficult and took about 5 hours. I had a large incision across my abdomen and tubes coming out. I was in the hospital for a week. I was not supposed to lift anything more than ten pounds for a month or so. Guess how much my little boy weighed? More than ten pounds! One of the tubes hanging out of my body had to stay in for 6 weeks. And once a week I would have to go get an x-ray of my bile duct. They would shoot dye into the tube that was hanging out of my body and then take an x-ray. After the first x-ray, they saw something that looked like a gall stone still inside me. If what they saw was a gall stone, they would have to go in through the hole that the tube was coming out of and get it. I was so not in the mood!!! On the day of the last x-ray, I was just praying and hoping that they would not have to go in and get a gall stone. I was very stressed, too stressed. I went out to get in the car to go to the hospital and I sat on a wasp that stung me on the butt. After I realized what happened, I just laughed!!! I was taking myself way too seriously. I went to the hospital and the spot they thought might be a gall stone was still on the x-ray. Like I said, this meant that after pulling the tube out, they would have to put some type of a scoop in the hole and see if they could get the stone. As they gently pulled the tube out, sitting on the top of the tube was the gall stone. It came out with the tube. I immediately thanked Heavenly Father. It was about a year after the surgery that I really started to feel like myself. I had had a baby and two months later had major surgery. It was a very difficult time for me in my life, but I am grateful for it. I am a more compassionate person, more empathatic and aware of others feelings, what they might be going through at a tough time. I have learned to thank God for the ride, then and always. I have also learned to relax when overwhelmed and discouraged and listen for help in dealing with my trials from Father in Heaven.

Miracles

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I’ve always believed in miracles. I know they happen, every second of every day, some where on the planet. We just need to have eyes to see them. Some people would call them a coincidence.
I experienced a miracle. I would like to share it with you. I have always tried to be a good person, doing what I believe is what God would have me do with my life. I really needed a great job, one that could bless my life and help me to supplement our income and pay for much needed family expenditures (ie. a new roof for our house, etc). I recently landed what I thought was this job. I started this job, after leaving a job I really loved that did not have benefits and paid less. The new job was a full time job, insurance, paid vacation, paid holidays and working for an amazing company. Well, not so fast. Two months after I started this job, they had to cut my hours. From full time to two days a week, no benefits. Ouch! I was so sad, and I kept thinking, “what am I supposed to learn from this experience?” I know Heavenly Father is aware of me and loves me and I know He wants to bless me. I decided to just hang in there, go with the flow. I worked a little longer until I decided it was not beneficial for me to be at that job anymore. I had prayed and prayed to know what Father would want me to do.
I was sent home early from work on Wednesday, it was just too slow, and they didn’t have enough work for me. I left my job and went straight to work trying to find a new job. I really felt like it was the right thing to do.
I just kept listening to my heart.
I looked Wednesday and Thursday for jobs, anything really, mostly online and on the phone. I chose to be proactive and knew that God could not bless me unless I was active myself. I really believe that. “Pray like it depends on God, work like it depends on you.” So I decided I would get up on Friday and get ready for work, you know, dress in my work clothes and look professional. I also started calling all my friends and family. Literally just going down the phonebook in my cell phone.
I called one friend who told me about her friend who was an office manager, and told me she didn’t know if they were hiring. I asked her to give me her name and said I’ll just go over there right now (literally) and ask her. What do I have to lose? So I drove straight over to where her friend works. I met her and told her I was looking for a job. She asked about my experience and what I was looking for. I felt like it would be a great job for me. She then informed me that she actually was hiring and that she had a group interview scheduled that afternoon with seven applicants. She was so nice, and I really felt very comfortable with her. She invited others in the office, that I would be working with, in to meet me. They loved me! I honestly could tell, they loved me. I told her as the impromptu interview wrapped up, that I would keep my phone close, so I wouldn’t miss her call. I left feeling very calm and peaceful. I knew that if I got the job, it would be because the job was mine, that I was meant to be there. Later that afternoon the office manager called and said she cancelled the group interview, because she found the girl for the job. It was ME!!!! Later, when I called the friend back who told me about the office manager, she said that her name just popped into her mind and that she hadn’t even thought about this person for a while. When the office manager called my friend to ask about me, she told my friend that she could feel, that I was supposed to work there.
Now, I know some people would say that feelings and faith and such shouldn’t be in the work place. I really don’t make a move in my life without thinking about the big picture, how will this choice effect my life, is this what God wants for me and what He thinks is best?And so far, thinking this way hasn’t lead me astray. Even getting that awesome job in the first place was meant to be. God wanted me to learn something there. And I did. Besides this job wasn’t available back then. I start on Monday and I will do great and love it. Thanks for reading. I love Father in Heaven and know he blesses all of us with miracles. This was a biggy!