Little man is not so little anymore!

You have probably seen these pics on Jessica's Blog  (http://mhig36.blogspot.com/). . . but I just can't help but post them too!  He is just too dang cute!!  How is it that a baby can already look so much like the gender they are.  His sisters looked so "girlie" and he is just sooooo "BOY".  Wow!  What a sweet little man he is!  I can't wait to see what his little personality will be like.  The girls are going to have so much fun with him! :)

Wo Wo Wo !!!

In the Scriptures the Lord warns us with a "wo". Now and then He will say "Wo, Wo".  Occasionally He will declare "Wo Wo Wo"!  America is a choice land.  It was blessed by our Creator.  It was chosen by Him as a place for His people to gather where they would be safe and free.  The freedom He blessed them with was the freedom to make choices about their own lives, and the freedom to "worship How, Where, and What they may."  It was our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ who prepared and divinely inspired men of great character to write our Constitution.  It is not by chance that people have fought to keep the Constitution upheld for over two hundred years!  Whether we consciously realize it or not, our "inner selves"  recognize the sacredness of the Constitution of the United States of America.  I believe we are witnessing a very dangerous time in the history of our nation and the history of the world.  I believe that there will be consequences for our actions, and the behaviors of men and women in power who are blatantly disregarding the sacred oaths they have taken to uphold the Constitution of this country.  I was reading the words to America the Beautiful today.  I have posted the words of two of the chorus's.  Please take a moment to read them. . . slowly. . . . and think about the meaning of these inspired words. 

America! America!

God mend thine ev'ry flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control,

Thy liberty in law.

America! America!

May God thy gold refine

Till all success be nobleness,

And ev'ry gain divine.

Today While The Sun Shines,   
          I will do all I can possibly do to ensure the security of the Constitution of my country.  I will hold onto my conservative values and beliefs and will do more to seek out leaders who hold to traditional American values and are willing to fight for them.  I will do all I can do to leave a choice land for my Grandchildren to inherit.  I will pray that we will be successful in placing people in leadership positions, who will do the will of the Lord and will serve the people with integrity and humility. 

Hearts and Hands

If there is one thing you can count on with LDS women, it's that when they get together. .  . . . 

THINGS GET DONE!!!!

On Saturday our Stake Relief Society sisters in the Show Low AZ Stake, did a remarkable thing.  We held a service day that surpassed anything I had seen on a local level before!

We had 7 work stations.

 

1. Socks. 318 pairs of new socks,535 pairs of used socks, and 410 single socks, along with cash donations, were donated to be sent to the valley to the "One Small Step" organization which puts together peoples mismatched socks for the homeless.

2.  Mittens. 133 pairs of mittens (many that were hand knitted )were donated and will be sent to LDS Humanitarian Services for distribution throughout the world.

3.  Food. 277 cans of food were donated for our local "Love Kitchen".

 4.  Childrens Clothing.  38 large garbage bags full of clothing donations were collected and were
taken to our local "Living Hope House" for unwed mothers.  10 bags of women's and childrens clothing were taken to our local Safe House for battered women and children.

5.  Loom Hats were made and donated to our local hospital's Labor and Delivery department for new infants to wear.  We completed 597 caps.  Some of the larger size hats will be sent to Los Angeles for distribution to the homeless, and the rest will be sent to Salt Lake City for distribution throughout the world.

6.  Quilts.  We completed 10 full size quilts and two baby quilts. These will be sent to the LDS Humanitarian Center for distribution throughout the world.

7.  Fleece baby blankets.  We tied 64 fleece baby blankets and donated them to the Show Low Police Dept. and they will distribute them to the Safe House.

 

A Waffle Breakfast

We were served a wonderful breakfast of Waffles.  Thanks to Mindy and Jason Matyas and Lisa Reed!!  The Coconut Syrup was a huge hit!!               


What a wonderful day of service!  Thanks to all of the ladies of the Show Low AZ Stake for contributing their time, talents, and means, to make this happen! 
And two of my favorite ladies. . . . . Roni and Heidi. . . . . I have learned so much about service from watching them! 

I feel blessed to live in this time, blessed to have such beautiful friends, blessed to be a member of the worlds largest women's organization that is devoted to serving, loving and bringing the light of Christ into the lives of the people we touch.

A few of my favorite quotes:

"True Christianity is love in action."  David O. McKay

" How simple it is, really, to extend a kindess when we see the need.  God helps us to recognize the opportunities we have, every day, to touch lives in small and simple ways."  Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God."  Mosiah 2:17

"What do we live for, if not to make life less difficult for each other?"  George Elliot

"By small and simple things are great things brought to pass."  Alma 37:6
Today While the Sun Shines:    I will ask myself. . . . .

"Have I done any good in the world today?

Have I helped anyone in need?

Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?

If not, I have failed indeed!

Has anyone's burden been lighter today,

Because I was willing to share?

Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?

When they needed my help was I there?"

Hymn 223

LDS Hymnbook

A Surprise Visit!

I was awakened at around midnight with someone pulling my covers away from my face.  When I looked up, I had to think for a minute to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
There was Kyle!
With his face about six inches from mine!
I jumped out of bed and gave him a big hug.
Then I asked. . .
DID NINA COME?
Yes! Nina came!
I threw on my robe and went out to kitchen to meet the love of my oldest sons life. . . NINA.
They decided to jump on  a greyhound bus and make a surprise trip to Show Low, Arizona.
Nina is fun!
Nina is smart!
Nina is kind!
Nina is so good for Kyle!
Nina is beautiful! (She could be an Audrey Hepburn double!)

And so, here is a picture so you can meet Nina too!

Our Son Kyle

This is our son Kyle.  This pic was taken about 1 1/2 years ago at his younger brother (Kevin's) wedding.

Kyle lives in California.  He recently was a part of a major lay off in the company he worked for.

He is now,

looking for work

Looking for a new place to live

Getting enrolled in college

Wanting to get a degree in Journalism/writing

Enjoying Nina-- the joy in his life

and

Continueing on his path of living, thinking, and being happy.

We are,

Praying every day

that all of the above will happen for him

that he will always know how much we love him

that he will rely on the Holy Ghost

and his Savior and friend, Jesus Christ

that he will always know that his Heavenly Father is there

and loves him

that he will know how proud we are of him

There is a song by Rascal Flatts that touches the very exact feelings we have for Kyle

It is # 2 on my playlist below.

More than anything

Our wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to

Your dreams stay big, your worries stay small

You never need to carry more than you can hold,

And while your out there gettin where you're gettin to,

We hope you know somebody loves you

And wants the same things to!

Yeah this is our wish!

Today while the sun shines: 

I will trust that my son has the tools to find his way. 

I will have faith that he will be guided in the paths he should go.

And, like I have always done,

I will pray that happiness, success, and a healthy life will be his to enjoy.

Fair, Honest, Kind

Today at work I was a part of an unfortunate situation where someone who had made a mistake had to be confronted on the mistake.  She had tried to turn it around and make it look like it had been my mistake but when Department Directors began pointing fingers, it had to be taken care of.  We all met together and went over the situation from beginning to end.  I realized that there were two ways I could aproach our meeting.  1- I could go in and embarrass her with facts that clearly showed she made serious errors.  I could accuse her and tell her I didn't appreciate her lying about what happened, to save her own skin.
2- Or I could go in and be diplomatic and bring to the attention of everyone that we all make mistakes and the important thing is to learn from them.  Thankfully no serious harm was done.  I could be a part of the solution without pointing fingers and causing shame. 
I chose number 2.  Before I went in to the meeting,I prayed that I would say the right things.  That I would be fair, honest, and kind, no matter what was said by others. 
It went well.
When we left, my director told me that she was impressed with how well I had handled myself in that situation.
I believe in prayer. 
I believe in being kind no matter what! 
I believe that even when we are right, feelings matter. 
I did not want to create a situation where it would be uncomfortable for us to work together in the future.  My calm nature during the meeting seemed to spread to everyone and no one felt the need to accuse or point fingers or get angry.  I was secure in what I had done to make sure that my job was done correctly and it mattered less that people knew I was right, than that they understood that mistakes can happen and they need to be corrected as quickly as possible.
Today felt good.
Being Fair, Honest, and Kind at all times really does matter, and really does make a difference!

Today While The Sun Shines: I will acknowledge answers to prayers of the heart.  I will allow the Spirit to speak through me.  I will set my pride aside and remember that "Kindness Matters".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zndsJTdGwLQ&feature=player_embedded

"Do not pray for tasks equal to your abilities, but pray for abilities equal to your tasks. "                        Thomas S. Monson

“Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing.”                     Doctrine and Covenants 19:38

"For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray."

   2 Nephi 32:8-9

 "And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith;"

     Doctrine and Covenants 42:14

"And again, I command thee that thou shalt pray vocally as well as in thy heart."

     Doctine and Covenants 19:28

Monday, Monday. . . So good to me!

I saw a patient today who is a breast cancer survivor!  She asked me when I had my last mammogram.  Too long!  She told me to get it done. . . today!  So I did.  I called my Dr.  and made an appointment for right when I got off work.  My Dr. scolded me . . . . it had been 5----yes F-I-V-E years!  I had an exam and was told that the hospital would be calling me to make a mammogram appointment.  Simple as that!  It feels good to have done something good for myself. 

Maybe you have never had a mammogram and you are looking at the above pic and thinking "NO WAY"!  Well, there are things you can do to prepare yourself for the event.  The following is a little blurb I found that really puts things in perspective as far as what to expect. . .
"Many women are afraid of their first mammogram, but there is no need to worry. By taking a few minutes each day for a week preceding the exam and doing the following practice exercises, you will be totally prepared for the test. Best of all, you can do these simple practice exercises right in your home.


Exercise 1: Open your refrigerator door and insert one breast between the door and the main box. Have one of your strongest friends slam the door shut as hard as possible and lean on the door for good measure. Hold that position for five seconds. Repeat again in case the first time wasn't effective enough.

Exercise 2: Visit your garage at 3 a.m. when the temperature of the cement floor is just perfect. Take off all your clothes and lie comfortably on the floor with one breast wedged under the rear tire of the car. Ask a friend to slowly back the car up until your breast is sufficiently flattened and chilled. Turn over and repeat for the other breast.


Exercise 3: Freeze two metal bookends overnight. Strip to the waist. Invite a stranger into the room. Have the stranger press the bookends against either side of one of your breasts and smash the bookends together as hard as she can. Repeat for the other breast. Set an appointment with the stranger to meet next year to do it again. "

Today While The Sun Shines:  I will remember what a blessing each day is and will take care of this miraculous body that God has given to me. (even if it means doing something I REALLY don't enjoy doing!!!)

Now, to all of my womanly friends out there. . . . . . when is the last time YOU had a Mammogram?  What are you waiting for?  Git er done!!!!!  : )