Monday, December 29, 2008

2009 Joshie Bear Calendar

Picking out the calendar we will use for the next year has always been a big deal to me. I usually wait till a few days after the new year so I can get it cheap. Picking out my calendar is like a ritual... it's very important. I make such a fuss over it that Steve makes fun of me about it... lovingly of course.
This year I decided to make my own calendar. Here is the project view. You can push play or the forward button to turn the pages. I may have to explain who Joshie Bear is in the next post, but that's ok.













Friday, December 26, 2008

The Christmas Traditions I Miss

Since I've "grown up", Christmas hasn't really felt the same. I've really missed the Christmas Traditions that I grew up with. These are a few that I really miss.

1. Our Christmas Tree: It was the custom in my family to go pick out our Christmas Tree on Thanksgiving weekend. I'm not really sure why it was always that weekend, but it was. The 4 of us would get into the car and drive to a tree lot, usually in Greenwood... about 35 min away. It was always my mom who picked out the tree in the end, and most of the time we would end up with something like a Norway Pine with nice long soft needles.

2. Christmas Lights: Our house always had outside lights. This was something my dad did every year.

3. Christmas Eve Present: It was a tradition in our home, that on Christmas eve, usually after dinner, my parents would have my brother and I each open 1 gift. My mom would usually pick out something from under the tree that we could play with. This was something I always looked forward to, mostly because it was a custom that most other people did not do. I liked that it was a little unique to our family.

4. Mimi & Grandpa's: After opening our gifts at home and hanging out for a while, we would head over to Mimi & Grandpa's, getting there around 1030 or so. Mimi' always fixed hamburger gravy for biscuits and her egg cassarole with sausage and cheese. All the Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins would be there... often, for some, it was the one time in the year we got to see them because they lived out of state. When it was time to open presents, everyone would line up by family starting at the top of the basement stairs, winding through the kitchen into the living room and hall. Then one by one, we would go down the stairs and wave to the camera saying Merry Christmas, with Mimi & Grandpa being last.

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

14 Weeks... ish

Well, in a few more days... so, why not!

I got to see the 'other' perinatal Dr in the office today (you can ask me about that later if you like). He took a look at my cervix today and said it looks great, but is going to take a look at it again in two weeks. So, for now, that's really great news. Doesn't really help explain why my water broke at 18 weeks in my first pregnancy... "sigh". I'm still spotting, but only a little. The Dr. reinforced the fact that I need to be "taking it easy".
My regular appointment for the 30th has been rescheduled for the 8th. I'm excited about that one since Steve will be here and he will go with me and see the baby for the first time! (YEA) My next perinatal appointment is the 7th.
Here's the new Peanut Pics from this mornings appointment. Not the greatest, but still pretty cool. The baby's arms are lifted up by it's head. The pics are only slightly different from one another, but I posted both anyway. The Dr. said we can see the pupil in the eye... apparently the ultrasound goes through the eyelids. I don't really see it though, I just take his word for it.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Spaghetti Recipe

One of my most favorite meals is spaghetti. My mom makes the best spaghetti sauce... it's still my favorite. The past few weeks, I have been craving a spaghetti meal, but I haven't found a place here that comes any where close to the flavor that I love so much. The only place that has sauce resembling my mother's is Carabba's, and that's not in Reno. You would think I would just fix it at home often or something... nope. But it's because I haven't found a recipe I like, and believe me I've tried. I've tried to do what my mom does, but she goes off the hip so much that it's difficult to mimic her sauce. AND, I discovered a few years ago that she uses Ragu Sauce as an ingredient. (I always thought it was completely homemade).

Last night was FHE and my turn to cook dinner. Three or four days ago I went looking for another sauce recipe. The first place I looked was The Pioneer Woman.com. She always has great recipes for food and it never fails to turn out wonderful. She doesn't have a spaghetti sauce recipe though. I usually like to try allrecipes.com, but you can get some wacky stuff on that website and it takes too long to find something decent. The past few weeks, I had been listening to The Splendid Table on NPR while traveling back and forth to choir practice on Sundays. So, I decided to check out their website and see if they had any kind of Italian type red sauce recipe. The website is not real user friendly, but I found one that your supposed to make for penne pasta.

I thought it was a bit strange because it calls for 4 different fresh herbs, a whole minced carrot and a whole minced stalk of celery, and only one clove of garlic. It actually turned out really great! I was so impressed, and everyone else thought it was pretty good too. I didn't add the basil at the end, and I used 4 cloves of garlic (because I love it), I also added a small can of tomato sauce to stretch it out a bit. There was only a tiny bit of sauce left over, and there were 5 of us eating. :(... I want some more spaghetti. By the way, I use Angel Hair.

Here is the recipe:
Soffritto of Tomatoes and Fresh Herbs with Penne

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Sleepless Nights

Ok, so they arn't completely sleepless, just a tiny bit sleepless. Lately, I've been waking up really early in the morning... between 230 and 4. Most of the time I can lay there for a bit, and then go back to sleep. Not this morning. Woke up at 330 and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm blaming it on this cold I have. You know a cold, it makes you miserable early in the morning. This one hasn't been real bad; I'm grateful for that. But this morning, I was so worried about the scratchy throat it's gifted me with, that I was too stressed to go back to sleep. Normally, no big deal, but I'm singing in Sacrament tomorrow in a quartet... so I'm worried it may cause some issues. I think it's going to be fine... I just hope I don't worry it into coming true! So, if you were wondering why I'm posting comments on your blog so early, there you go. I think I'm just about ready to go back to sleep, I know my cat is! She keeps trying to curl up in my lap, but it's not working out for her. Come on Allie, lets go back to bed!

Friday, December 19, 2008

2nd Trimester

I've been anxiously awaiting this day! It's the first day of the second trimester.... thank goodness! Now, if we could get to 24 weeks, that would really be something!

Thanks everyone for all of your prayers... I know that they are helping. Seems like every person I talk to on the phone, at church, online, in the temple... all of you are praying for us! Thank you sooooooo much. I know your prayers make a difference and it really makes me feel more at peace to know that so many are watching out for us. Thank you!

I've been spotting all week. Not bad. I think I'm beginning to really come to terms with the fact that it's just something that takes place in 'my' pregnancies. Except for being completely emotional about it on Sunday, the rest of the week has been really great. I feel good emotionally and physically, so I think everything is pretty safe for now. I'm starting to get a worry in the back of my mind, though, that my water might break early again. I hope that remains the major difference between this pregnancy and the last. I was talking to Sister Chamberlain the other day and she told me she felt that everything was going to work out fine. I have to admit that I've had that feeling a few times throughout this pregnancy, but sometimes the fears overwhelm the feelings of peace and it can be hard to stay hopeful. This pregnancy has been better than the first, which I'm thankful for. There has been less spotting... so I feel that it's a good sign.

I have two appointments coming up, one on the 24th with the perinatal Dr., and a regular appointment on the 30th. We are going to be looking at my cervix on the 23rd and see if any issues can be detected.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Worry

I started bleeding again last night.

When you start seeing bright red blood coming from a place you don't want it to come from, things become really scary. Last night I felt scared, frustrated, and maybe even a little angry. I had a hard time getting to sleep last night, thinking that any moment I was going to start cramping. It's been harder this time, trying to hold on to the hope of having this child. I feel some bitterness that we have so many complications with trying to bring a child into this world. Why can't it just work RIGHT!? I know the Lord has his purposes, and that He understands everything that's going on, but it doesn't make it easy for me... because I have no idea what is going on. And I think I want to know. I was thinking this morning that I wished I could just know if this child was going to stay with us or not, but stopped myself before I prayed it out loud, thinking that... no, I really don't want to know, because where is the growth and understanding in having it made so simple.

Last night I was talking with my sister-in-law who is a few months farther ahead in her pregnancy. She struggled with morning sickness and she was expressing how she is glad that part is over. I'm pretty lucky there, because I don't have problems with morning sickness at all. As long as I eat when I'm supposed to, I don't even experience nausea... which is great. No, my problem is much worse.... I bleed all the time. At least every time you get sick, your not thinking, "am I going to miscarry?" Not that I want to have the morning sickness... and I would never wish constant bleeding, spotting, and bloodclot lose on any other pregnant woman. It's just stressful. It sucks.

How do you continue to hope for one of the thing you want more than anything else when the path is so dark? I wish My Katie was here... Girl, I need your shoulder to cry on.

Friday, December 12, 2008

12 Weeks!

Yesterday I had my second perinatal appointment. This is the first really good picture of our little peanut! I'm so excited. The appointment went pretty well. The Dr took some measurements. At first the baby was just laying there and had his hand up by his face. The Dr was trying to checkout the bones on his nose, but the his hand was blocking the view. So the Dr starting pushing up and down on the baby to try to get him to move. After that, the baby wouldn't sit still! He kept pushing with his legs off the side, jumping around every two seconds. The Dr had a hard time getting this pic.
Everything seems to be going great. I've had no spotting in almost two weeks, which I am very excited about. The heartbeat is average and all the limbs have developed. Steve and I have decided not to have the cervical suture put into place, since it doesn't seem that it's absolutely assured to help. One more week and we will be in the second trimester (phew)!

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Book Project

I've been working on a project for my aunt lately. I finally finished it up today. It's a book for my Nana (grandma) that my aunt is giving her for Christmas.











Peanut's Ultrasound Pics

The baby's official nickname, for now, is Peanut. There is not much to these pics yet, but it's still exciting to me anyway!

6 Weeks (Oct 29th)

7 Weeks (Nov 10th)

10 Weeks (Dec 1st)

Monday, December 1, 2008

Pregnancy Update: Week 10

I had two appointments today. My regular appointment with my Midwife was this morning. The main event was to check to see that there was a heartbeat and discuss other issues. We both celebrated this morning as we watched the little fetus jumping around and saw that there was a little pulsating spot right where the heart should be.

This afternoon I met with the perinatal doctor. He confirmed that I do in fact have a Septated Uterus. He measured the baby at being 10 weeks and 3 days old... only 1 day more that what my Dr predicted a few weeks ago. (In case it's confusing, I am seeing a Midwife and a Dr at my regular office, so there are 3 medical people involved altogether). He does not recommend that I have the "wall" surgically removed from my uterus because it could cause other complications and it's not something that needs to be done unless I'm having multiple miscarriages. Which, good thing for me, I've never had a miscarriage. He does not think that I have an incompetent cervix, but is giving me the option to have it sutured if I so desire. He says that it's completely up to me and was not really giving me advice that it would be best with or without it. It's something that Steve and I will discuss, pray about and decide together in the next week or so. While he was monitoring the heartbeat, he chuckled a little bit because the baby wouldn't sit still. When he was able to pinpoint it, he said it was average for what it should be.

As far as the spotting goes, the past week it has become less and less, and I have not spotted at all in the past two days! Things seem to be going great! Thanks everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers! I will post ultrasound pictures when I scan them... though there isn't much to discern yet, but that's ok.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Twilight

So... I saw the movie on Friday. Loved it! Of course... though I wasn't sure I would. I am often dissapointed with movies that come from a book. I thought they did a great job. I had origninally been really dissapointed in the actor they chose to play Edward. Eck... but, I have to say that he did a great job. I've been watching all weekend how much money the movie would make. I had read on Friday that they wern't considering making New Moon a movie unless Twilight earned 150 million. It made 70 million this opening weekend, and I read on wikipedia that they have already approved the making of New Moon... thank GOODNESS!!! They sure left it open for it at the end!!

Anyway... going to the movie has reopened my Bella Edward obsession, and I'm going through the series again. I'm already through Twilight and will be starting New Moon (my least fav.. I'm thinking about skipping over it) after I'm done with this post. Though, Brother MacDonald asked me yesterday if he could borrow my copy of New Moon. I havn't decided yet it this will be my excuse to skip over it or not!

I'm a Bella! I found out through TwilightersAnonymous.com. Which Twilight Female Are You? Take the quiz and find out!
Take the Quiz and Share Your Results!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Poll: What do you think we are going to have this time?

I got this idea from Cathy... I thought it was pretty cool.

Take my poll to the side and let me know what you think we are going to have this time!
Steve and I are leaning heavy in one direction, but I won't tell you what that opinion is... don't want to contaminate the polling process you know! I won't be putting in my answer until a few people have voted.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Sarah McLachlan

It's no secret that my favorite singer/songwriter is Sarah McLachlan. I fell in love with her music back in 1997, when her Surfacing CD came out.

The hard part about being a SM fan is that she takes soooo long to come out with her next CD. She is often coming out with songs, but not usually related to a CD release of her own, but a soundtrack or some colaboration with another artist. What frustrates me even more is it seems that after an new album is released, she puts out a Greatest Hits CD. Drives me nuts. Not to rip on my favorite artist or anything, but how many times can you release albums with the previous songs with a few others added?!?!!!!! Her lastest album release is a Best Of. I swear, this is like the 5th CD release with previous songs.

I am however consoled for the moment, since there are two FABULOUS new songs on the newest album. Thank goodness! But I swear, I going to start going through withdrawels if I don't get a WHOLE NEW ALBUM sooon!! (I bet you her next NEW album will feature the two new songs... I would put money on it)

Anyway....
I love Sarah's Music

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Sooooo Tired

I am feeling so tired all the time. Normally I'm a morning person. I love being up at 6 and getting started with all my little assingments like laundry, cleaning the house, studying scriptures... stuff like that. But for the past 3 weeks, I cannot seem to get out of bed until about 830, it is seriously hampering my ability to take care of my home. I wake up tired and I'm tired all day. It sucks!! No matter how early I go to bed, even if I wake up at 630 or 7, I will just lay there in bed because I feel SOOOO TIRED!!! Don't get me wrong... I'm extremely grateful to be pregnant right now, but WHY do I HAVE to be so TIRED ALL THE TIME?!!?

Monday, November 10, 2008

The Singing

Remember how I was frustrated a while back about how the next book to my favorite story was being postponed till March! Ha!! I was so driven to read it, I finally went to Amazon.com and found an Australian printed copy for a pretty good price. I'm really surprised it's paperback. Matthew Sadler and I were discussing that maybe only in the US do books come out in Hardback first. Who knows... anyway... after waiting anxiously every day for the book to arrive in the mail.... it has finally arrived. I'm so excited!

Yes Mandy! It's true... of course... when I'm done, I will hand it over!

Updates

So, I had a regular appointment this morning. Everything seems to be well... the baby has grown and there is still a heartbeat! Yea!

Finally was able to make the appointment with the Perinatal office. That appointment is not until December 1st, which is the same day of my next regular Dr. office visit. That will be interesting.

Thanks everyone for your continued prayers. Know that they are felt!!

I'm going to go take a nap now.

Friday, November 7, 2008

What This City Needs!!

I am wanting some Chick-fil-A right now. Steve and I talk all the time about how many good resturants we love that are NOT in this city.... such as:

Chick-Fil-A
Cracker Barrell
Carabba's
Steak-N-Shake
Golden Corral
Ryan's

You know... a Cracker Barrell would fit in so nicely! At least they have put in a Texas Roadhouse... I wonder if it's open yet?

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

I am Pregnant...

Yes, it is true! I am six weeks along right now.
There have been many relatives and close friends that we have told, but I was not planning on telling everyone until we made it through the first trimester.... that is, until today.

Today I started to bleed heavily... yes, I know it could mean that I am going to have a miscarriage. But I havn't yet. I also started to lose blood clots; just like the previous pregnancy with Joshua. Today I went to the Dr. to check things out. The ultrasound went well... there is a HEARTBEAT, which is awesome, but... the ultra-sound technician discovered something that no one has ever caught before. Apparently it looks like I have what is called a Septated Uterus, which is sort of a partition down the center of the uterus. This can apparently cause problems with pregnancy. In the next week or so, I will be seeing a Perinatal Dr, and check out what options there are for this kind of issue.

Because of the complications that I am having (again), I've decided to let everyone know... please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. I will update things here when I learn more.

My Voting Experience

Well... I'm feeling pretty proud that I live in a country where I can vote for my leaders. I was pretty lucky today. I walked in to my polling area at about 1205 and walked out less than 10 min later. No line for me! Love it!! Was anyone else that lucky?

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Voting In Washoe County

There is a cool little website that you can visit where you can find out if you are registered here in Washoe County. Another neat little thing it tells you is what location you are supposed to go vote. I thought that was great. It does not, however, tell you what time the polls open.

www.washoecounty.us/voters/regsearch.php

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Fall - My Favorite Time of Year

I really, really... and I mean, REALLY... love the fall season. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I was raised in Indiana. I love the changing of the leaves, I love the smell of the leaves, and I love the crisp air. Raking leaves is one of my favorite activities in the fall. In fact it was one the first jobs I had as a kid... raking other peoples yards.



A few weeks back, when I was in Indy, my Mom took me to the Covered Bridge Festival. It was a beautiful day and a wonderfully colorful drive.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Bobby's Boys


Bobby is my brother. The last full day I was in Indy, I meet with Bobby and his family to take some pictures of them. I'm am going to be making some books using the pictures I took to give to them for Christmas this year. I'm really exicted about putting these books together, and I think the boys will appreciate having their own little books with pictures of themselves. I just want to say... I LOVE MY JOB!!!






Zaks 2nd Birthday

I have two Nephews: Damian, 4 & Zacharey 2. When we went to Indianapolis a few weeks ago, we went to Chucky Cheese to celepbrate Zach's 2nd birthday. We all had a good time. My dad and Steve played with the boys, my mom and grandma hung out at the table and talked and looked at my books, and I walked around taking pictures of the boys.
Zak
Cheater!!!
Damian
Zak opening a gift. Both of the boys love anything to do with trains.

Pelicans near Reno



A few weeks ago, we went out for a morning drive. We drove South on 395 and stopped off an exit at Washoe Lake. On the beach about 100 yards from the lake edge was a booth that looked as though it was from Long John Silvers. I thought it was really random, so I took a few photos of it.
On the way back home, Steve spotted a flock of pelicans hanging out in Washoe Lake. I thought it was pretty cool, so I drove into the park so we could walk up and get some pictures.

This Last Visit

Well, Steve is gone again. I miss him.... a lot. Yesterday I was thinking about him and missing him so much, I almost started to cry. So many people tell me how strong we are, putting up with being apart so much. Sure, there is strength there, but to be honest, I have a greater portion of the Spirit to help me. Which is nice. Yes, it's dang hard being separated all the time... actually, it just plain sucks. But, like I tell everyone, we are used to it.
A question I get constantly is: When is Steve going to stop contracting? Our decision right now is that this is the last contract. He has 2 more rotations, 1 more leave. When he is done, the plan is for Steve to apply to the Reno Police Academy. Which is something he is worried about, since they are kicking out our good friends left and right before they even get in. We will see.

We had a really great time together this time around. Our schedule was pretty packed; something Steve can't stand. But we got to do a lot of great things, gain some great memories, and take tons of outstanding photo's.

Here's some of the stuff we did while Steve was home this last time:
Went to the temple twice
Saw the Balloon Races
Had Missionaries over for dinner
Visited with Matt & Steffi (Steve's Brother & Sister-in-Law)
Played lots of Dungeons n Dragons
Dinner at the MacDonalds (met the Naylor's!)
Boyscout Spaghetti Dinner
FHE with Sadlers & Andersons
Dinner at the Hills
Hiked in the Plumas National Forest
Swam in Truckee River
Saw DARK KNIGHT in the theater
Visited with Paul (Steve's other Brother)
Visited with Kintner's (Steve's Maternal Grandparents)
Hiked to the top of the Sierra Buttes
Had Family Photo's taken
Watched all 12 hours of INTO THE WEST
Visited Steve's Mom in Fremont, CA
Went on a morning drive & saw a flock of Pelicans in Washoe Lake
Dinner at Johnny's (our favorite resturant)
Went to Indiana & visited my Family
Chucky Cheese for Zaks 2nd Birthday (my nephew)

Monday, September 29, 2008

Oprah's life has been touched by Heritage Makers

I just got back yesterday from a Heritage Makers convention. It was one of the most awesomest experiences ever. Make sure to visit my website today! Look through the many templates available for free in our template gallery,

Other news: One of our consultants created a small book for Oprah Winfrey in memory of her dog Gracie who died over a year ago. She sent it to Oprah's studios and Oprah loved it so much, she phoned her and left a message on that consultant's voicemail.
Click here to listen!
We are thrilled that Oprah has realized what our company has already known--that our books have the ability to touch lives, and we are preserving stories that would otherwise be forgotten. What stories do you have to tell? Does your child need to know how special they are? Do you know the stories of your parents? Start today telling your stories today!! Visit the template gallery, choose a template and easily create your own storybooks within hours!!
Christy
Your Personal Publishing Consultant
ChristyStephensen@BeAStoryTeller.com

Sunday, September 28, 2008

Family Photo's

A few weeks ago, we had some photo's taken by Alicia Corbridge. They turned out fabulous, thought I'd share a few with you. Here are a couple of my favorites!
AMC Photography.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Tagged

What I was doing 10 years ago...
1. I was finishing up Basic Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.
2. Worring if I would be able to make it through the 12 mile road march.
3. Looking forward to getting my weekly letter from my Mimi.
4. Worring that my E-2 pay may not be recognized.
5. Wishing that my Army training was over.

5 things on today's "to do" list.
1. Clean the Kitchen.
2. Have 5 Heritage Conversations.
3. Send out Heritage Makers Promotional Email.
4. Pay Bills.
5. Fold Laundry.

5 things I would do If I were a millionaire.
1. Invest, Invest, Invest.
2. Remodel certain things in my home.
3. Buy property and build my dream home.
4. Travel the world.
5. Travel the world some more.

5 places that I have lived.
1. Newnan, Georgia
2. Indianpolis, Indiana
3. Mooresville, Indiana
4. Columbus, Georgia
5. Reno, Nevada

5 snacks I enjoy.
1. Sweetened Condensed Milk.
2. Whole Cream.
3. Chocolate Malk Milk Shake.
4. Cookie Dough.
5. IBC Root Beer.

5 jobs I have had.
1. Cutting the public grass in the Trailer Park.
2. Sample Lady at Cub Foods.
3. Delievery Window Cashier at Pizza Hut.
4. Video Store.
5. Admin Clerk in the Army.

5 people I tag.
1. Katie P.
2. Heather.
3. Laura.
4. Julie G.
5. Julie M.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Hiking Trip #2: Sierra Buttes



The Sierra Buttes is a Mountain Peak in the Sierra Nevada's in the Tahoe National Forest. It stands at 8591 Ft. High. You can see this glorious crag of a rock when you are driving down California Highway 49, right before you reach Basset's Station. It's really quite ominous when you first glance at it, and you wonder if any human being has ever been brave enough to scale this crazy mountain that looks like instant death.

When we had gotten home from out trip the Friday before, we had discovered by looking at our trusty map, that the mountain was called the Sierra Buttes. When we got home that night, I looked it up on the internet and found out that there are roads and trails that lead up to the top, where a Ranger Station has been built. We decided that our next day hike would be up that trail to the top of that mountain. One of the website's I visited talked about the crazy set of stairs which lead the last 60 feet to the top of the peak and the Ranger Station. Just reading about it made me have second thoughts. But we went.



Our drive was nice. We decided to go up 395 to Hallelujah Junction and Drive to Graeagle, then take the Gold Lake Highway to the road that lead to the eventual trail. Four wheel drive vehicles can get pretty close, but you really need a truck, and not a Subaru Forester to get all the way up to the parking area for the Buttes. So we had to park our trusty little Forester because after a while, it would not have cleared the crazy bumps and holes in the dirt road.
The road up, till you get right before the parking lot, was really steep. We were stopping for breaks about every 100 yards and chugging down water, or at least I was chugging down water. We passed over the PCT, and saw some really gorgeous views even before getting to the top. It was neat to see, as you went up, how the vegetation would change so slightly and there would be more and more rock. It took us a little over an hour, I think, to get to the top where the bottom of the stairs were.


I never hyperventilated before in my entire life, but there have been a few times where I could feel that I almost could. Starting to go up these crazy stairs was one of those times!! There were 3 sets of stairs, all mounted into poured concrete. Climbing up the stairs, I had both hands gripping the rails and I was not looking to the right, left, or down. Just straight at the rock wall I was facing. The third set of stairs is a bit more scary, since there is about 20 feet of nothing between the stairs and the rock, and nothing but air on the sides. I had to stop for a few minutes to build up the courage to keep going. Steve was behind me saying, "go already", and here I am picturing my foot slipping and me falling through the crack to the rocks below. What was I THINKING????!!


Once we got up, it took me a little while to get a hold of myself and feel comfortable even on the solid ground. It's weird to have that feeling that you may fall off. I remember praying out loud, "Father, please don't choose to let there be an earthquake here right now!"


It was great, I'm really glad we got to go up. We were pretty lucky because we didn't see anyone on the trail or at the tower until right before we got down to the bottom of the stairs again. The trip down the mountain was pretty fast, though a bit hard on the knee's. I got all my pictures going down, since we weren't worried about simply breathing like when we were going up.



Afterwards, we stopped at Basset's Station, a place Steve's grandparents had taken us to for dinner and lunch a few times. We both had Blue Cheese Hamburgers, Steve had a milkshake, and I had some Blackberry Pie. Man were we hungry!!!!

Hiking Trip #1: Plumas National Forest



A week ago last Friday, we took a drive out to area over by Graeagle, CA. We planned that day to do a day hike, but didn't really "plan" where we were going to do that hike. We got up that morning and discussed a couple of different places we could go. I really wanted to go back to the Plumas National Forest area, which we had visited about 4 years ago.


We headed over to the other side of town first and had breakfast at my favorite breakfast place, Peg's Glorified Ham and Eggs. After getting our fill of yummy breakfast, we headed down I-80 and got started on our drive. We got off the interstate at the Truckee exit and headed North towards Sierraville. Then you get onto hwy 49 and head west. We stopped at Bassett's Station and bought a nice National Geographic map, and then headed up Golden Lake Highway.


We chose to hike around Round Lake. If you haven't been anywhere near that area, it's really worth it. It's such a gorgeous place on the planet. We hiked about 2 1/2 hours, going about 3 miles or so. We saw Round Lake, Silver Lake, Big & Little Bear Lakes, and Long Lake. The area used to be a mining place, and Round Lake has a historical spot with a Marker that tells about a gold press station. You can see remnants of the building, mostly a bunch of scrap metal. We got some pretty good pictures and had a great time.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Uh Oh

This morning around 1005, Steve and I left the house to go to the Temple. We were at the light on Patriot and Virginia where the In-n-Out Burger is waiting for it to turn green. Once it did, the oncoming traffic started to cross the street... at least until another car hit the lead car. It was sort of strange to see the accident happen. I looked up right as this red car smashed into the front of the oncoming car (who had the right of way). I wasn't sure which direction the red car had come from. Steve said we should stop and help, so we crossed the street and parked at the In-n-Out and Steve walked over to the lady in the silver car to check on her. I called 911. The lady in the red car came out and talked to the lady in the silver car, then everyone walked over to the sidewalk. We waited until the Ambulance, then Fire Truck, then 3 different Police cars came.

The man who was behind the lady in the silver car when she was hit also parked and come over to help and hung out for the policen to show up. He said that the red car had run the red light. The EMT's checked out both of the lady's and waited around for the cops. The first cop on the scene was another lady... she questioned who everyone was, made sure the two car lady's were ok, then headed straight for us witnesses. It was funny when she told the two drivers, I will get to you guys in a minute, it's not often that I get independent witnesses. Thought that was interesting.

No serious harm to the Lady's, but the Silver car had a crashed up axel and the Red car,'s left side front bumper and hood was bent up.

Needless to say, we were late to the Temple. We ended up eating lunch first and then went to a later appointment.

I was thinking afterwards that I wish I had my camera with me so I could post some pics on the blog.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Ballon Races















Last Friday, Steve & I got up early to check out the Great Reno Balloon Race. We left the house around 530am and headed out towards San Rafael Park. When we got there, we had a hard time trying to find where people who are NOT working at the races park. We finally figured it out and walked in.




























I was a little dissapointed to see that there were no balloons up whatsoever when we got there. And the only one that was being filled was the Bald Eagle Balloon. The one that carries the American Flag for the National Anthem. We got some great pictures of it getting blown up and taking off. After the national anthem was sung, the other balloons started getting filled. We were already pretty bored, so we started to leave. When we got to the parking lot, we hung out for a little bit and watched over half of the balloons rise up and take off. It was pretty cool.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Reno Rib Cookoff

mmmmmmmmm...mmm...
I love ribs. I've been wanting to go to the rib fest for the past few years, but had never had the opportunity to go. Katie R. & I headen out to have some ribs for lunch today. We had a great time, trying out some of the samplers. We tasted 4 different kinds. The third one we had was the best, though I can't remember which one it was. While we were pigging out on their ribs and watching them cook up some more, one of the team members came in hollering that they one the trophy for best sauce!! He had the trophy held high! It sure was some great sauce.

We also enjoyed some fire roasted corn on the cob, fresh squeezed lemonade, baked beans that tasted like they had cinnimon in them, and some frozen chocolate covered strawberries. I think that we are of the consesus that it should be a tradition for the two of us to eat ribs together at the cook off every year!

Sunday, August 31, 2008

The Books of Pellinor

There is this awesome series that I've been reading called The Books of Pellinor. The fourth book, The Singing was supposed to be coming out on September 1st (tomorrow!!!!). But it is not. I just looked it up and learned that it's now coming out in the UK in September (orignally supposed to happen months ago), and won't be coming out here until March......... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAArrrrrrrrrrrgggg.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Not enough time in the day to... Blog

I really love having a blog. There are things that happen every day where I think to myself, "I'm going to blog that later". But I don't. When I get home, I feel so tired and I don't really want to put the effort in to writing, even though I enjoy it so much. Here's some of the things that I've wanted to blog recently, but did not:

Young Women Lesson about having an open heart

Not realizing that the baby shower I went to was for Sarah Weckerly instead of Sandra Ackroyd

Going through my Mimi (my grandmother) Letters and reading about how her and grandpa would fight for my attention when I was with them

Going to IKEA with Susan and finally purchasing the shelves for my garage

Going up to the cemetary with my Sister-in-Law and Steve's Grandparents to visit Joshua's grave

Meeting a sister at the Carson Market who said, "I've been looking for a Heritage Makers Consultant"

Swimming a mile without stopping

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tagged Again

Book Tag

1. Pick up the nearest book to you (one of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

"It is a melancholy consideration. Born to the prospect of such affluence! I cannot conceive a situation more deplorable."

This makes me laugh... how I love to laugh! Thank you Katie!

I tag... hmmmmmmmm.... Veronica, Katie P., Dana, cuz I know she will evenutally land at my blog, Danilla, and John

Monday, August 25, 2008

Personal Progress

Being a convert to the church at the age of 18, I did not have the opportunity to participate in the Young Womens program as a youth. Since joining the church almost 10 years ago, I've had the opportunity to serve in different positions within the organization. I was in Young Womens when the Personal Progress program changed to what it is now. During the previous times that I had a Young Womens calling, I had desired to work on Personal Progress. But I had never really put my heart into it. Earlier this year, when I was called into Young Womens again, I felt a very strong desire to really focus on accomplishing all of the Personal Progress experiences.

Tomorrow I'm meeting with Julie to check off about 8 experiences that I've accomplished and discuss with her my goals of accomplishing more experiences within the next few months. I'm really excited that I am only 2 experiences and 1 project away from finishing the Faith Value requirements.

I can honestly testify that when I was working on the value experiences earlier this year, the Lord was with me a lot more. It had really helped me to focus on my scripture study and helped me to stay in tune with the spirit.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Another Day!!!

The other day Steve and I were talking about exactly when he was coming in. This whole time, he had been saying that he was going to be getting here on the 1st. He double checked his ticket... turns out, he is getting here on the 2nd! UG.... I'm so anxious for this next week to be over, I really hate that I have to wait just one more day... :(

The Spiderwick Chronicles

A few weeks back, my Best Friend Katie R. gave me her copies of the Spiderwick Chronicles to read. She said they were really good and a fast read.

I'd have to say that they were very entertaining. It's a great little story that is seperated into 5 small books. There are lots of illustrations and it is written in a unique way.

The other day I rented the movie in order to compare the two. I really enjoyed the movie when I saw it in theaters. As I was reading the books, I was thinking how closely the movie followed them. But when I watched the movie for the second time, there was a lot that had been changed and adjusted to adapt it to the screen. A little dissapointing, but, still good.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

"In God We Trust"

Ok. The following words are not my own... it's what is circulating in the email that was sent to me. Please Vote how you feel about the words "In God We Trust" being removed from our currency.

Does anyone else feel like we should be raising a title of liberty at this point?

Email Contents:
Make sure you read the question carefully before you vote!

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our
faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on 'In God We Trust' to
stay on our American currency. Please send this to everyone you
know so they can vote on this important subject. Please do it right
away, before NBC takes this off the web page.
Poll is still open so you can vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

This is not sent for discussion, if you agree forward it, if
you don't, delete it.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Book Tag

Book Tag

1. Pick up the nearest book to you (one of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

"What experiences in your own life have taught you that you must be worthy in order to use your spiritual gifts? Review the section that begins on 117. In what ways does the Church benefit from having members with different gifts of the Spirit?"

Ok, so that was not really fair. I had my Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith Manual out because I was looking up some stuff for my spiritual blog. Page 123 happens to be one of the "Suggestions for Study and Teaching" pages. That could have more fun...

I tag.... Laura, Elizabeth, Julie G., Lisa, & Katie P.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Apparently Monday is NOT the night for Italian food?!

Tonight I went to dinner with Lori Bua. We had a really great time this evening, but we had the interesting adventure of trying to find a place to eat. I had mentioned to her yesterday that I love to eat Italian food. She said she knew of a couple of great Italian resturants. So, we drove to the first one over by the Scholari's off of Mira Loma... Closed. Then we drove to the second one in the shopping center off of Lakeside... Closed too. Then we tried the one in the shopping center off of Virgina and Longley... yep, you guessed it... CLOSED! We ended up going to Johnny Corino's and we both had the Lemon Rosmary Chicken, which is fabulous. I highly recommend it. So, next time you want Italian, but don't want to go to a mainstream resturant, make sure it's not a Monday first!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

My Religious Blog

I finally got my religious blog started. Please go check it out. Send a link to your friends and family.

Worshiping the TRUE & LIVING God

Saturday, August 16, 2008

NKOTB

aaaah haaa!! Caught YOU!! If you are reading this, it's probably because you know what NKOTB stands for... mmmm hmmm.

Yeah, well, tonight when I went to do my last minute before the sabbath day shopping at walmart, I noticed a NKOTB poster. I'm actually really excited that they are coming back. (If you are reading this post and wondering what NKOTB stands for, it's New Kids On The Block). I had looked them up about 4 or so months ago on wikipedia just out of curiosity and discovered that they were going to reform.

NKOTB was the cool band when I was in Elementry and Junior High. My first concert was a NKOTB concert. It was cool. I don't remember how old I was, but I do remember that my best friend (at the time) took me with her. I didn't have to pay for it.

For those of you who were/are fans, who was your favorite New Kid? Fess up!!!!

Mine was Jonathan.

Friday, August 15, 2008

ahhhhh..

I finally got the garage semi organized. Early this summer, I had yard sale two weekends in a row. About a week before then, I started parking my car outside in order to get things ready in the garage. So, this is the first time I've been able to park my car in the garage in about 2 1/2 months.... sad.

Memories

Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

It's a Small World After All

This week I traveled to Utah to visit one of my dearest friends whom I havn't seen since she left Georgia mid 2004. I met up with her in Grantsville, UT on Monday where she was staying with her closest friend Laurianne. This was the second time this year that I stayed in Grantsville... the first time was back in January. Steve and I had stayed at Tanya Turners parents home awaiting the Buccambuso's sealing in Salt Lake. I thought it was crazy that Laurianne, someone I had met when she lived with Heater in Georgia back in 2000, lived so close... I had no idea.

We met up with another Georgia friend, K'lyn, who lives in West Jordan.

All this got me thinking about how I'm getting to the point in life where I'm meeting people who already know other people I've met. I think it's pretty cool.

Here are some other "small world" meetings:

Did you know that Jake Eagleston and I are cousins... sort of. Well... way back in the 80's my mom's sister Patricia married Jakes Uncle John Tate. They had two kids together, our mutual cousins, John and Nate. My aunt Patty and Jakes uncle John have long been divorced.

One of my other dearest friends, Julie McLaws, grew up in Oak City... outside of Delta, UT. One of Julie's sisters went to high school with Tara Eagleston.

Also, I've recently learned that Julie Groff is David Belcher's cousin... David is Married to Heather (mentioned above). I've known Heather since 1999. I met David around the time I met Steve... David was at our wedding reception and was one of the two guys that decorated my car.

Carly Crocker, who lived in Atlanta before coming here, knew the first friend I made when I moved to Georgia. Clayton Bassett. Clayton was her Home Teacher for a while. Clayton was the guy that got me into reading... he was at mine and Steve's wedding and reception.

This one is from a long time ago. When I first joined the church in 1999, I met my best friend Rachel at the single adult ward in Indianapolis. We had gone to my house one day to hang out... come to find out, it's the house her family lived in and rented from my Grandmother for a while. My parents still live in that house... it's the house my mom grew up in.

Tuesday, August 5, 2008

Technique

So, yesterday was my second appearance at the Masters class at the DDAC pool. Christie pretty much skipped the regular routine with me and had me working on getting my form perfected. There are a lot of things I didn't know about swimming and a lot of bad habits that I've developed. For instance, did you know, it's not really about using your arms to propel you through the water? You twist your hips back and forth, using the muscles in the side of your body to pull through the water. It's very hard to get down. I'm also crossing my arms and my feet are going too wide. Working on correcting these things is a very hard challenge. But I'm enjoying it a lot. I really like that I'm actually learning how to swim effectively. Doing all this extra stuff going down the lane sure is real tiring though. I can't wait till it's muscle memory!!

Monday, August 4, 2008

Spoiler Free Zone - Breaking Dawn

Ok, so I've had 3 of my friends tell me they can't read my blog because I'm posting spoilers. I DON'T want that!!!!!

What I've decided to is to have this one post where I will comment on all the things that I am thinking about. That way you can look at it if you want to, and you have no risk of spoiling the book for yourself just by checking out the other posts on my blog.. phew. So, if your not interested in checking out my thoughts on what I am reading until you've finished the book yourself... DO NOT READ THE COMMENTS FOR THIS POST!!

My first post will contain my previous comments on the last post, and I will continue from there.

If you have already read the book, then this will be a great place for you to come make some comments and we can discuss it together.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Monday, July 28, 2008

This is what MY President has done for me!!

On August 13th 1997, almost exactly 11 years ago, I signed up for the Army reserves so that I could receive money for college. I am not ashamed of this fact, though there are those in the military who give people like me the evil eye because to them, such a thing is dishonorable. Anyway, because of reasons that I do not desire to go into at this moment, I was not able to receive my GI bill money. I will go so far as to say that it is not all the fault of my superiors and the Army Beuroacracy; I should have better informed myself.

Fast forward to today... I've spent the past 3 years spending Steve's hard earned money on an education that should have been paid for by the military. I had not been planning on returning to school for a very long time for a few different reasons. One, Steve doesn't want to spend any more money on my schooling at the moment, Two, Steve needs to finish his education because it is our plan for him to be the breadwinner in our family, and Three, (which is the most important), we are working on trying to have some kids.

Well, Steve informed me this evening that President Bush, MY President, has signed the 'Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008'. This act will allow me to be able to go back to school without worrying how it's going to be paid for, and all because I was serving in the military after 9/11. This is soooooo exciting. If President Bush did anything for me while he was President of My country the past 8 years, it was the opportunity to finish my education (within the next 15 years of course).

:D Thanks President Bush!!

Kick My Butt!!!

Dude, so I got up at 5:30 this morning so I could attend the Masters Swimming Class at 6 at the gym. I tell you what... I am dang tired, and I didn't even do half of what the other swimmers did. The instructor (Christie) says I'm a pretty good swimmer for never having any lessons, so that makes me feel pretty good.

There were 4 other swimmers there this morning and they are FAST at a casual pace. It takes almost all of my effort just to keep up on the first lap. They were doing 4 laps while I was doing 2. But it's ok... if I keep at it, I should be able to hang with them eventually.

Christie taught me a training technique this morning too. I'm really excited to be able to get some actual swim training for the first time in my life.

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Religious Blogs

Lately my friend Rachel and I have been thinking about starting blogs where we post about spiritual matters and share our testimonies. This is in answer to the counsel that was given to use the media to spread the gospel.

Another reason I've been feeling very strongly about this is that I've seen a few blogs that are posted by people who are members of the church with not so strong testimonies.

I know that I have a strong and powerful testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel. I've felt many promptings that this is something I need to do. So, be looking out for a new blog that I will be putting together soon.

Rachel has already started hers,
Visit her blog:

Why I Choose Mormonism

Get Fired Up!!



Last year, Sister Bond and Sister Steimle showed this video to me. It's way awesome! I think it is amazing that I live in one of the 3 cities that is implementing this program. I love seeing the billboards around town. It really inspires me. Seeing this video again makes me want to do more to spread the gospel to those that I know. I will post this on my sidebar so that it's in a permanant position.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Physical Exersion

I'm am not a HUGE fan of exercise, but I do like it. I have a hard time keeping a regular exercise routine Most of the time it's because I get bored and I'm not seeing the results that I want, so I quite for a while. Plus it's hard to stay motivated when you have no one to work out with. A few months back I decided I was ready to recommit myself to some kind of regular workout routine, so I joined Curves. Curves is ok, but using the recovery boards in between every machine has caused my Plantar Fasciitis (a condition I developed in Basic Training & AIT in 1998) to flare up. I don't usually run regularly because this will also cause it to flare up. Hiking, one of my favorite things to do with my husband, is another activity that causes issues with this.

About 5 weeks back, I decided to try Ultimate Frisbee as a fun exercise activity. My UF career didn't last long. The first night I turned my ankles about 9 times altogether. The next day my left ankle was swollen and the Plantar Fasciitis in my right foot was horrible. Since then, my ankle is still swollen and I've been having some strange issues with it. I went to see my chiropractor about it, but I'm thinking that I need to go see a sports medicine specialist.

I still want to work out. My most favorite thing to do is swim, but the only places that have pools cost more than I want to pay. Last week, Lisa Dorny gave me a coupon to Double Diamond Athletic Club. I had been considering going back to Gold's for about a week, but wasn't really all that excited about it because I didn't really enjoy the atmosphere from the first time I had a membership. I walked in to Double Diamond with the 14 day pass Lisa gave me, and walked out with a 18-month gym membership (waiving my $99 sign up fee in exchange for the 14 day pass). Since then, I've been swimming.

It's been great to be back in a pool again. Swimming is something I thoroughly enjoy. It's one of those things in my life that I've been naturally good at since I was a small child and I feel at home in the water. This morning when I took a break in between laps, the lady in the lane next to me said I was a good swimmer and invited me to the Masters swimming course at the gym on Mondays. Should be way cool!

Friday, July 18, 2008

Tupperware Party

I'm having a Tupperware Party for my birthday. It's at 5pm tomorrow (sat 19 july). Anyone is invited to attend. I only sent an invite to those I had an email for, so if you didn't get the Evite... consider this your invitation.

Private Caller

Recently, a few of my friends have been telling me that my number is popping up on their Caller ID as a Private Call. It's been really frustrating, because as far as I've been aware, I never asked nor programed my phone for any such thing. I detest Private Call calls myself, it drives me nuts!

I called Cingular today to find out what was going on. Come to find out, it was a setting in my phone. It should be taken care of now... I hope!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Birthday Party

So, I had been thinking the past few months about doing something really special for my birthday! But things have been so busy the past few weeks that I've completely forgoten to plan anything at all. Anybody interested in doing something maybe friday night after 7pm or Saturday during the day! Hmmm... anyone want to go hang out at Wild Island or Hang Out at the River Saturday afternoon??? I get done with the Downtown Market at 1pm.

If your wondering... my birthday is Sunday and I will be 28.

Post and make some other suggestions if you like!!

Early Morning Trip To Walmart

This morning I needed to pick up some groceries around 8 so that I could be on time for some things I was planning to do. I was really surprised to see that there was hardly no one in the parking and no one in the store. I was able to get my shopping done in less than 25 min (would have been sooner, but I was on the phone with my dad, so I kept wandering around isles I had already been down twice). Got right in line and had no wait whatsoever. I think that I'm going to make 8am on Mondays my shopping day... it was so hasslefree.

I was a little surprised to see that I picked up the Tillamook butter instead of the cheaper walmart butter... because I was on the phone, I didn't realize I had grabbed the wrong brand.

Friday, July 11, 2008

My Dirty Little Secret

Well, for those of you who know me REALLY well, it's not really a secret. But, some people are genuinely surprised when they find out that I am a very messy person. It's so bad that my mom even calls me PigPen... yep, that's right. I tend to leave a trail where ever I go. Lately I've had the influence of a good friend wear off on me. She's got me organizing, cleaning, and getting rid of things I don't really need. It's been so great. For months I've been wanting to do a cleaning schedule to assign certain days of the week where I clean a room. I finally sat down the other day and wrote out my House Cleaning Manifesto. It's way cool. It covers everything from how many hours a week I work on the yard, which days I clean which rooms, and even sets time aside for organizing different things in the house that need to be "gone through". I implemented my little manifesto schedule at the beginning of the week, and it's worked fabulously so far. My house is in pretty good order, my yard has no serious weeds taking over any more, and I still have had time to do lots of other things. It's nice to not have to take 5 hours to clean my house!

So, now my manifesto is truley a manifesto now that I've declared it publicly on my blog... awesome.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

How Many Favorite Books Are You Allowed To Have?

This morning I finished reading The Secret Garden. I came across the copy I have a year ago when someone was giving away some things at church. I figured that since I loved the movie so much, I would love the book. Well, it is now one of my most favorites. It's a remarkable book, full of simple truths.

So, how many favorite books are you allowed to have? Who knows... for me, it's hard to choose just one as a MOST favorite. I'm that way with Best Friends too. I thought you might like to see the list of my most favorite books. They are in no paticular order other than the order of which they came into my mind. I highly recommend all of these books. If you want to read a book but can't find it because you don't know the author, I will gladly tell you who wrote it.

Pride & Prejudice
The Never-Ending Story
The Secret Garden
Enders Game
Enchantment
The Giver
Howls Moving Castle
Mosaic
Added Upon
Peter Pan


FAVORITE SERIES
Harry Potter
Books of Pellinor
Twilight
Women of Genisis

Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Pinky Sworn To Secrecy


So, last week I started setting up a booth for my storybooking consultant business at two different farmers markets. One here in Reno and one down in Carson City.

In Carson, I am set up right next to this awesome Sister by the name of Alysa. She sells lots of incredible home made baked goods that everyone stops and gwakes at before buying because they are so enticing. I'm feel pretty lucky to be set up righ tnext to someone who is busy pretty much the whole time.

I've only tried a few of her treats, but so far my favorite are her homemade Oreo Cookies! Today she was telling people that this was her last summer doing a booth at the market, and so my mind went into concern mode trying to figure out how I was going to get these fabulous oreo cookies that I had gotten attached to only a week ago. I was able to ask Alysa more about her treats and dared to ask if I could get the Oreo recipe from her. At first she was reluctant... but she started writing it down. She made me swear that I would never tell anyone. So, I pinky swore that I would never ever give or tell anyone the secret.

The funniest thing about all this is that I was just talking to my friend Julie last night about how we both feel it's so silly and there is no point to keeping a recipe secret. If it's that great it should be shared!! Right?!

Well... I now have a secret cookie recipe, that I will be taking to my grave! But they're soooooooo good.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Birthday Month

So... my birthday is in 19 days. Usually I'm really excited about birthdays.... and I am still excited about this one, but...

I am actually starting to feel old. It's sort of weird. Oh, sure, I agree with you, 28 is not really old at all. But I feel like I am getting to that point where things just seem different. I can't really explain it very well. I was talking with a friend of mine about this yesterday.

Oh well... getting old isn't bad, right?

Whose up for a party?

Thursday, June 26, 2008

QuizPox


More Fun Quizzes at QuizPox.com

The Temple - Holiness to the Lord, The House of the Lord


I love the temple!
I am priveledged to be an Ordinance Worker in the Reno Temple. I count this is a great blessing in my life. I will honestly admit that I find greater joy in serving as a worker than in serving as a patron. I'm not sure why that is, but for me, it's the simple truth. There is immense power in being an instrument for the Lord by helping others by performing the ordinances therein. The power and work done in the Lords House is truely sacred.

I work on thursday mornings, a shift that many think is crazy because you have to be there by 445am. For me, its the greatest shift ever. I love the people that I work with... they are loving, kind, and strive diligently to help all those who come to the Temple feel comfortable, welcome, and have the greatest Temple experience possible. This is a duty of Temple Workers.
I had worked last week, but had missed the week prior... so when I was on the shift last Thursday and heard that the Temple would be closed for matinence for the next two weeks, it really took me by surprise. I was wondering how I was going to get along without the spiritual help that comes from going to the Temple so regularly. It actually made me a bit afraid to go forward with the next two weeks. And I have to admit, that this past week, I've felt a little lost without my Temple experience.

I just want to share with you how important the Temple is in our lives. The power there is very real... and necessary to help us become perfected. We need Temple and our ancestors need the Temple. I testify to you that the fact that we have Temples all over the Earth witnesses that our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ love us deeply and yearn for us to return to their presence and partake of eternal life and exaltation with them. Go to the House of the Lord, feel of our Saviors love, and find the peace that cannot be found out in the world.