Q Tips

I know we're not supposed to stick anything smaller than our elbow in our ear, but come on! Is my eardrum really gonna rupture? Is earwax really going to be smashed in there so much that I go deaf? I'm gonna need concrete evidence before I stop one of my favorite daily activities!

Heaven Help Us

Is anyone else worried about the economy these days? As I watch our 401k getting smaller and smaller, even though we're adding more and more money into it, I get worried.

I admit, I don't really understand whether that whole 700 Billion Dollar bailout would have worked, but I worry that nobody's doing anything; that congress is stuck in their political circus, not actually getting anything done.

And I wonder what's the answer? Is there an answer? Everything is so complicated and intertwined, is there really a solution?

And can John McCain or Barack Obama really do anything about it all?

What's your take?

A New Generation

I only knew a handful of you during one of my favorite life moments: Playing Maria in Kennedy Middle School's production of The Sound of Music. But my love for anything related to Julie Andrews, nuns, and puppets started long before the age of 13.

I have loved the movie ever since I can remember. Every Easter it would come on TV and I would watch the whole thing, dancing around like Gretl in the Gazebo, and swirling on my own living room hill, singing "The Hills are Alive..." (Thanks, Mom, for letting me stay up past my bedtime to watch it!)

It is one of the only movies that I know pretty much all the lines. So when it came on TV a few weeks ago, I couldn't pass it up. Brad, Ty and I watched and watched, and I was amazed that Ty fell in love with it, too! His favorite is the "Flibbertigibbet song," but he was entranced for the whole thing. When I cried at the end when they climb to their freedom, he was very curious. I told him it was just a happy cry. Now when he's crying for real, he says it's just a happy cry, in between sobs!

Since I had the CD in my collection but had never played it for Ty, he quickly played it over and over at bedtime. Soon, he knew all the words, too! When I saw the movie for two bucks at the thrift store, I couldn't resist!

And that is how our home--and some very public places--have been filled with the magic of the Sound of Music once more! We find ourselves singing those songs all over town, in our head, anywhere!

All is Calm

Updated 72-hour kit: check

Flashlights and batteries: check

More water than we would ever need: check

Non-perishable food: check

Outside items stored in garage: check

Ty's school cancelled: check

Brad's appointments cancelled: check

Storm:..........? Storm:................? Storm:.......................?

200 miles to the east.

San Antonio is such a weather vacuum!!! We got nothing!!! We never get anything!! Just sunshine and a 95 degree day ahead of us. Nothing!!

(I'm sure our Houston friends who are without power would trade with me in a heartbeat, so I'm trying not to be too disappointed that we got left out.)

Preparations

See that projected path? The center of it is Corpus Christi, where Brad had appointments scheduled for tomorrow. Thankfully, Corpus is in full Evacuation-mode, so we do not have to go down there!

But do you see that first red hurricane symbol after it hits land? That is over San Antonio, where we live! We're not supposed to get hurricanes here, we're 140 miles inland! But it's a possibility. Also very possible, and some even say likely, are tornados. And power failure. And flooding.

So, today, instead of traveling to Corpus, we are taking out our dusty 72 hour kit to do a few updates. Ty is no longer a size 3-6months. We live in Texas now, not Utah, so we probably don't need the heavy warm clothes we had in there before.

We're filling up our gas tanks. We're getting some cash in low denominations. We're storing our BBQ and patio furniture. Copying all our important documents. Gathering our flashlights and batteries. Getting lots of water.

I was at the church last night, and the Ward and Stake are preparing, as well. It's comforting to know we have a church family.

Anything I'm forgetting?

*Update: As of Thursday morning, the storm seems to be inching further east, so hopefully we won't be in the direct path anymore.

Budding Photographer

What to do when, because of last minute scheduling conflicts, you end up bringing your 3 year old to a weeknight meeting with a Bishopbric member?

Well, after a measely pen/paper combo doesn’t excite, give the boy your camera and pray he doesn’t break it!

The result: Life through the lens of a 3 year old:

Bye Bye Beijing

I loved the Olympics like I've always loved the Olympics, but this year was extra fun: it was Tyler's first Summer Games and he watched a lot of it right along with us.

One extra cool byproduct of logging all those hours cheering on Team USA is our own Family Olympics.

For example:

• At dinner time, Tyler usually doesn't eat very much, and sometimes gags just looking at our food. The last couple of weeks, however, he's eaten all of his food so he can get a "Gold Medal" in eating!
• It's often difficult to get him to kneel down and stay quiet during family prayer. Not anymore, now that he can get a "Gold Medal!"
• Same with getting dressed.
• Same with picking up toys.

IT'S THE BEST THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD, I tell ya! And I'm a little sad because I know this fascination with Gold Medals is not going to last forever. But hey, if buying that box of Michael Phelps Corn Flakes will keep Little Man eating well and doing chores without a fight, I just might stock up!

Old Friend

I had a pretty good handle on our infertility. Several years removed from the monthly charting, lab tests, psycho medications and those beastly little home pregnancy tests, I was comfortable–content even–with the fact that our children would not come through biological means, but through the miracle of adoption.

It’s not that I was totally over it–I’m not sure that ever happens. But I was at a place where I didn’t think about it that much. I was honestly happy for friends and family who announced that they were expecting. I opened up about our experiences, trying to share with my "breeding" friends the new and exciting world of Open Adoption. I could see the blessings that had come to us through these struggles. I still didn’t attend most Baby Showers, but between you and me, it was more because I just hated those things rather than any real relation to my grief!

Gearing up for our 2nd adoption, I met with my doctor to have the required medical exam. A day later, I got a phone call from his office. My blood work had come back with a big surprise: I was pregnant! I was stunned. I will forever remember that moment: sitting in the hot sun on a pool chair, watching our son’s swimming lesson, asking the nurse if she was absolutely sure. "Yes," she said, I was "several weeks along."

How could this be? My doctors had said it would never happen. I was incredulous and grateful and excited. What a miracle that after nine years of negative results, it had finally just happened on its own!

I let myself go where I’d never allowed myself to go before: thinking about this baby. Was it a boy or a girl? What would it look like? Would it have the strong forehead/eyes of Brad’s family? Would it be a towhead like Brad was? He had been so supportive through the years. In his mind, it wasn’t my infertility, it was ours. Yet I had always felt remorse and guilt for being the reason we couldn’t conceive. To finally be able to bear a child was such a relief! I would no longer be "the infertile one." I would be able to contribute when the conversations among friends turned–as they always do–to childbirth! So much of our LDS culture revolves around "fulfilling the measure of our creation." Although I knew that I could do that without actually producing a child, it felt good that I was finally able to go the conventional route!

After letting it settle in for a few hours, I was determined to see for myself that it was true, so I headed down to the drug store. I was finally going to beat my nemesis, the Home Pregnancy Test!

Only I didn’t.

Another single line, just like the thousands of other single lines I’d gotten over the years. Another test a few hours later repeated the same result.

Although I was disappointed–and really annoyed that the test had beaten me again–I was perplexed but not too worried. After all, my blood results had come out positive. The doctor knows best, right?!

The next day on our way out of town, I zipped in to give another sample of blood, just to be sure. How ironic that Brad and I were headed to Dallas, where we were to attend an adoption conference, as well as interview with our adoption caseworker. In the middle of lunch, just before Brad was to present a class on "Coping With Your Infertility," (no I’m not joking!) I received the phone call I had been dreading: the lab had messed up somehow–I, in fact, was not pregnant. Never was. Talk about a cruel joke to play on an infertile lady!

What gets me is that I truly had made peace with not being a biological mother. But to have that hope–to believe that somehow a miracle had occurred, only to find out that it hadn’t–that was a big blow.

I don’t share this personal story to get pity or condolences. I share it to remind myself and others that grief over infertility–or anything, really–is a very real thing. The important thing is to let myself feel the pain, and acknowledge that it might never entirely go away. And that’s okay.

I’ve met some couples along the way, however, that don’t allow themselves to feel the pain of infertility. Instead they stuff it away and pretend it’s not there, and think that all they really need is a baby. So they begin the adoption process, with appreciation, but little tolerance for their child’s birth parents. Dealing with them is merely the means to an end. Once they get their baby, they don’t keep the promises they made regarding communication. They resent the fact that they have to communicate at all. This is their baby, now, after all. They don’t see how their infertility issues are adversely affecting their child.

Newsflash: Adoption does not cure the pain of infertility. Just as the birth mother bravely examined her options and chose what was best for her child, we also must step back and do what’s best for the child. We must celebrate who they are, and that includes where they came from before they were with us. If my child grows up sensing secrecy and bad vibes about his birth family, he’s going to think there’s something fundamentally wrong with him. If he can see, however, that we love and honor his birth family, and talk freely and positively about them, he’ll feel much better about himself and his adoption.

Sometimes I wish that I had given birth to my son. It would certainly be less complicated. But I look at him, and I know that he wouldn’t be who he is today if he had my genes. I’m not threatened by his birth family. Instead, I welcome them into the circle of people who truly love him, and want what’s best for him.

A quote by a participant in Barbara Eck Menning’s Infertility study sums up how I feel about things: "My infertility," she says, "resides in my heart as an old friend. I do not hear from it for weeks at a time, and then, a moment, a thought, a baby announcement or some such thing, and I will feel the tug–maybe even be sad or shed a few tears. And I think, 'There’s my old friend.' It will always be a part of me."

So that's what I've been up to the last couple of weeks: visiting with an old friend. Not to be rude, but she stayed a little too long this time! I'm kind of glad she's gone for now.

Thank Heavens for AAA and Nice People!

About a month ago I got sucked in by an infomercial for AAA. We'd never been members before, but I often wished we were because they always got better hotel rates. Anyway, maybe it was the free extra membership, or maybe the complementary stainless steel thermos, but we decided to sign up. About a week ago we got our cards, and a couple days later we saved our first money on a hotel for a business trip when we got a AAA rate that Brad's work travel agency couldn't match!

But today was when I became really grateful. On our way home from Ty's swimming lesson, the car's steering froze up, and it stopped accelerating. After trying a couple times to start it up again, I realized that Ty and I were in the hot sun with a broken-down car, without a cell phone (I left it home accidentally!) and my husband was up in Austin an hour away. After turning on the hazards, and using my best hand-to-ear signal to symbolize a phone, a fellow motorist took pity on me and lent me his phone. He also mentioned that he's a car salesman, and gave me his card to call him if life with my Taurus didn't work out. (No worries, Cosmo the blue Taurus is home tonight in our garage, working splendidly.)

AAA to the rescue! While we waited, clouds covered the sun, making it blessedly cooler. Just 15 minutes later a nice man from the Dominican Republic rescued Ty and me. Without having to pay anything, we were chauffeured to my new favorite Auto shop, just about a mile from our house. Gilberto Herrera is the proprietor, and although I was impressed with him before when we took the car in for something, I became more so today. He offered to take us home since Brad wasn't with me, then he found the problem and quickly had it fixed. He came and picked us up at the house, as well! Not only that, the total was ten dollars less than he quoted me, plus he gave me free gas!

I guess I'm pretty proud of myself: I handled a possibly stressful situation really well all by myself; several people were really nice and helpful; and we now have a mechanic that we trust, and he's just around the corner from us! And it's nice that although it was kind of a pain and cost us a couple hundred bucks to fix the car, several blessings (joining AAA, clouds covering the sun, nice people, good mechanic) were interspersed throughout, making it as pleasant as could be!

Swimming Lessons

Despite this,

this,

and this,

he LOVES it and can't wait to go back tomorrow! Yay!

Help!!

I was just called as Primary President today, and I am seriously worried. I have not spent much time in Primary since I was in it myself! A brief stint as a nursery assistant back in 2005 doesn't necessarily qualify me. And I thought Girls Camp was a challenge!

Anyway, I would LOVE it if you could give me your best tips, advice, things you've seen and liked, things you haven't liked--anything you have to say related to Primary. Thanks!

Goodbye, Dolly

If you've read my blog for awhile, you know I have a shameful little secret: I like storms. But I don't like to be hit by them. I just like to be close enough to be involved in all the hullabaloo that surrounds them. That's why San Antonio is a great place for me: too far inland to really get hit, but close enough to feel the effects.

Take Hurricane Dolly, for instance: we were scheduled for our bi-monthly trip to Corpus Christi (it's on the coast) on Wednesday/Thursday. I think it was around Sunday that I first saw that a hurricane was forming in the Gulf and had a possible landfall on the Texas coast around Wednesday. See how that's kind of exciting? Ooooooh...possible danger! Should we stay or go? We waited until Tuesday night to make the decision. At this point we knew the eye of the storm was further south, and that it was due to hit land in the early afternoon. So Brad changed some of his Wednesday appointments and drove down in the evening. I decided not to go this time--I did not want to get stuck in a car for hours with a 3 yr old in case there were evacuations!

Everything turned out fine--turns out the heaviest rain Brad had to drive through was in San Antonio! We had little bursts of heavy rain and even a couple tornados (none in our side of town)!

Anyway, I had fun watching the news and the Weather Channel, seeing places familiar to me on the TV, and watching how everyone was preparing for the worst.

I wonder what this Hurricane season will bring next?

Girls Camp

I did not want to go to Girls Camp this year. With only five weeks remaining, I received increased responsibility because our Stake split and we were left with some vacancies. Three of those weeks I was on vacation, so preparation time all of a sudden became very limited. I was sad to leave my boys, and our A/C went out--TWICE (the second time was the day before camp)!

I was also annoyed that it wasn't really "camping" like the Girls Camp of my youth. On my High Horse, I judged these spoiled Texans with their electricity, air conditioning, mattresses, showers, swimming pools, and food cooked for them! They were spending WAY more money than we ever spent, and there were WAY too many preparation meetings where I didn't know all the traditions and lingo. Anxiety started taking over, and I began dreading it.

As I was dripping in sweat in my 100 degree, 80% humidity house the day before camp, decoupaging this, and laminating that, I talked to my friend/cousin Sara with the worst attitude she's probably ever seen from me (except maybe when she dragged me into coaching basketball with her)! She did lament with me for awhile, but also couldn't stop laughing. With the wisdom I've come to admire in her, she gently reminded me that in five days' time I'd be blubbering on and on about how wonderful it was and cry about how I didn't want to leave. I laughed and, honestly, this time, I really didn't think that would happen. Although I had loved Girls Camp in the past--both as a girl and a leader--I was annoyed and stressed enough about this camp that I couldn't fathom having a positive experience.

But then...

• I got to know the sweetest, most obedient, valiant, fun, crazy girls I've ever met.
• I felt loved and appreciated as I served.
• I was able to reclaim the "me" that sometimes gets lost in the dizziness and monotony of motherhood.
• I testified of special truths to these precious Little Sisters.
• I bonded with other leaders, who now are part of my Stake family, rather than just a bunch of strangers I see at Stake Conference.
• I found joy in seeing these 16 & 17 year-olds find their voice and lead their little sisters.
• I felt the spirit over and over again.

Sure, no camp is perfect. It was a camp of 120 girls plus their women leaders. We had our fair share of:

• Drama
• Misunderstandings
• Sweat and A/C units not working
• Medical issues
• Searches for missing girls
• Backbiting
• Bugs
• Messes
• Nazi leaders
• Broken rules

And yet all the bad things seem to have been erased, and what lingers is a sweet place in my heart for the incredible week I've just experienced. So, Sara was right: I did cry because I didn't want to leave. And yes, I've been blubbering all day about all the great things at camp.

I'm left wondering just one thing: is it too early to start preparing for next year?

A Mustache, A Moon, and A Firecracker

We recently returned from our awesome two week vacation to Oregon! Between the laundry, repairing the broken A/C, fixing and cleaning our little pool, yardwork, another business trip to Corpus, and preparing for next week's Girls Camp, I've been a tidge busy since we got home, so forgive me if the next couple blog entries are a bit dated!

We found ourselves in the Quaint Coastal town of Bandon, Oregon on the Fourth of July. Although we missed the parade (we were busy looking at tidepools on the beach--I'll post about that later!), we managed to make it to the Fourth of July Festival they had at the city park. We perused booths run by quilters, crafters, environmentalists that brought an owl, and the Bandon Punk Rock Band, and ate cones filled with Umpqua Ice Cream. Ty jumped in the inflatable jumping-house-thingy and played on the playground.

The highlight for Ty, however had to be the face-painting. We had told him previously there would be face-painting there, so he started thinking about what he wanted on his face. After--seriously--an hour-long wait in line (the lady took, like, 15 minutes per child!), it was finally his turn! And he knew exactly what he wanted!

First, the consultation...

Next, some BRT (Building Relationships of Trust)...

Some jokes and sweet-talking...

Finishing Touches...

And Voila! A mustache, a moon, and a firecracker. The perfect face-painting design!

Training Ideas for a Young Super Hero

1. Gather together all your super powers so you'll be prepared for any situation.

2. Learn from history--namely the U.S.S. Lexington. One of the greatest WWII aircraft carriers, Lady Lex, as she was called, is now docked in Corpus Christi Bay. This tour could have taken all day, there's that much to see. Lots of climbing of ladders and big airplanes on top, what an interesting outing for a 3 year old (and his parents)!



3. Ride the shuttle to and from the Lex--Heaven knows you'll be walking enough inside the ship!

4.Remain cool, calm and collected inside the cockpit of a plane--Yeah, you've got it going on!

5. Ride on the Wings of Angels--The Blue Angels, that is.

6. You think you've just found the perfect beach for a moment of relaxation. Ha Ha! Surprise training: jellyfish and biting flies! Your mission is to high-tail it back to the car without getting stung by the jellyfish, and limiting the number of fly bites.

7. Know the ins and outs of Ferry Boat rides. Be sure to close the car windows before the flock of attacking seagulls you're feeding bites Daddy's finger! (This really happened. It was freaky!)

8. Upon arrival at a new beach, check your surroundings for any dangerous critters or sealife. Everything's great at this beach!

9. Overcome fear of waves. Play for hours in the surf.

10. After a day at the beach, board a sunset sightseeing cruise to get the big picture. Spot several wild dolphins swimming along with the boat.

11. Avoid getting "special droppings" on your head from the seagulls that follow you the whole boat ride.

12. Take a moment to reflect on all you've learned.

13. It's okay to crash on the way home. You've had a busy weekend. Congratulations, you passed your training course!

As Requested...

Here is our newly painted accent wall (and armoir). This picture makes it look a little more "baby blue" than it is. In real life it's a little darker/grayer.

My Sacrament Talk: The Sacrament and the Holy Ghost

Disclaimer: This is kind of a long talk. Please don't think I expect you to read it! I'm mainly posting it for my Mom and sister, who would be interested.

A day nearly 24 years ago stands out in my memory as a very special one. On June 30, 1984, the sun was shining in Eugene, Oregon–not something to be taken for granted–and the trees were in full bloom. I wore a pretty new dress that my Grandma had made for this special occasion. I was nervous and excited. When my time finally came, I remember walking down into the baptismal font, and thinking gratefully, that the water was warm. I had asked my oldest brother, who had recently returned from a mission, to baptize me, and he was there with a big smile on his face. As I came up out of the water, I remember seeing my proud, smiling father, who was standing as a witness. And I remember hugging my mother when I stepped out of the font, probably getting her wet, now that I look back on it!

I don’t know that I fully understood then all that my baptism represented. I remember wondering if what my Grandpa joked about had come true: that all my sins were washed away, and because I had so many, they clogged the drain! But I do know that I loved my Heavenly Father and Jesus, and wanted to please them, and that even at that tender age of eight I had a strong testimony that I was doing the right thing.

I would later learn that just as important as my baptism, was receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: ""You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half——that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost""

2 Ne 31:17 says, "For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost." It’s the combination of baptism by water and by fire that sanctifies us and gives us remission of our sins.

President Wilford Woodruff called the gift of the Holy Ghost the greatest gift we can receive in mortality. Let me repeat that so it can soak in: the gift of the Holy Ghost is the greatest gift we can receive in mortality. Why so?

Elder Dallin H. Oaks quotes some of the scriptural teachings about the Holy Ghost:"The Holy Ghost, or Comforter "teaches us all things and brings all things to our remembrance. He guides us into truth and shows us things to come. He testifies of the Son...[He is] the means by which God inspires and reveals his will to his children. The Holy Ghost bears record of the Father and of the Son. He enlightens our minds and fills us with joy. By the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. By his power we may have the mysteries of God unfolded to us. The Holy Ghost shows us what we should do. We teach the gospel as we are directed by the Holy Ghost, which carries our words into the hearts of those we teach."

Elder Oaks continues: "The gift of the Holy Ghost is so important to our faith that a prophet gave it unique emphasis in a conversation with the president of the United States. Joseph Smith had journeyed to Washington to seek help in recovering compensation for injuries and losses the Saints had suffered in the Missouri persecutions. In his meeting with the president, Joseph was asked how this Church differed from the other religions of the day. The Prophet replied that "we differed in mode of baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands." He later explained that this answer was given because "all other considerations were contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost."

The blessings of having the gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives comes with one condition: worthiness. The Nephites learned this the hard way in Helaman 4:24: And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples."

Elder Oaks again, "Even though we have a right to his constant companionship, the Spirit of the Lord will dwell only with us when we keep the commandments. He will withdraw when we offend him by profanity, uncleanliness, disobedience, rebellion, or other serious sins."

So we must be clean and unspotted to keep the Holy Ghost in our lives. The same Holy Ghost that Wilford Woodruff said is the greatest gift we can have in mortality. I know none of you will be shocked, but the truth is that I’ve sinned since June 30th, 1984, when I received a remission of my sins! Technically that sin would make me unworthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost. I’m not sure, but probably most of you have sinned too. So what do we do? Are we supposed to try and time our baptism and confirmation so that we just die right after it?

Heavens no! Thank goodness the Lord has spelled out a plan, and made a way for us to renew the covenants we made at baptism, thus becoming clean again, and regaining the gift of the Holy Ghost.

First we must repent. I love with all my heart Alma the younger’s example of repentance that he shared with his son: he cried, "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death. And now behold when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more. And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!"

After our repentance, and with a "broken heart and contrite spirit," we take the Sacrament in remembrance of the body and blood of the Son, and we promise again to Heavenly Father what we promised at our baptism: that we are willing to take upon us the name of his son, always remember him, and keep his commandments. In return, we again receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, "that we may always have his Spirit to be with us."

Do we treat the Sacrament as the great gift that it is? It is one of the most sacred ordinances in the Church. Elder Melvin J. Ballard once said: "I am a witness that there is a spirit attending the administration of the sacrament that warms the soul from head to foot; you feel the wounds of the spirit being healed, and the load is lifted. Comfort and happiness come to the soul that is worthy and truly desirous of partaking of this spiritual food."

Taking the Sacrament is not a difficult thing. In return for the awesome gift of remission of sins and the Holy Ghost, the Lord isn’t asking us to do some great big feat. He has simply said, "That thou mayest more fully keep thyself unspotted from the world, thou shalt go to the house of prayer and offer up thy sacraments upon my holy day." Once a week. For a few minutes. Remember Him. And we’ll be given what a Prophet of God called the greatest gift we can receive in mortality!

Such a small and simple thing. Hmmm...that sounds familiar. What are we told about small and simple things? That by them are great things brought to pass. It’s in the little things that we either sink or swim.

I like to look at the Sacrament as a safety net, of sorts. If I truly come to the Sacrament table every week with a broken heart and contrite spirit, remembering what the Lord has done for me, and feasting on His Spirit, I will never fall too far away. If there’s only a week between each sincere sacramental experience, I doubt that I’ll drift so far that I’ll never want to come back, because apostasy doesn't usually happen in a day. It sneaks in our back door.

Sheri Dew said it this way: "Men and women who sell their birthright for a mess of pottage almost universally confess that their demise began with something small, with some seemingly insignificant breach of integrity that escalated. The little things do matter...Believe me, Lucifer wants those of the noble birthright. He wants our minds and our bodies and our souls. I daresay there is no greater smirking in the underworld than when he gets his chains around a man or woman who has made sacred covenants."

When we partake of the sacrament worthily, reverently, and regularly, we are putting on spiritual armor that protects us, and our families, from the wiles of the devil. We are declaring who’s side we choose to be on, and with the companionship of the Holy Ghost, we can do miraculous things!

Brigham Young taught that "if the Latter-day Saints will walk up to their privileges, and exercise faith in the name of Jesus Christ, and live in the enjoyment of the fulness of the Holy Ghost constantly day by day, there is nothing on the face of the earth that they could ask for, that would not be given to them." Wow! And yet he also said, "I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges."

Perhaps you’ve heard the story of a woman who had always wanted to go on a cruise. She saved her money for a long time and the day finally came that she was able to buy passage on a her dream cruise. She took a tour of the ship, impressed by all the amenities. When the time came for her dinner reservation, however, she went back to her cabin and ate some cheese and crackers that she had brought with her. She knew that she had spent all of her money just being able to go on the cruise–she didn’t have any left for extravagant feasts. She did this for every meal. As the cruise ended and she was disembarking, the crew was there to say goodbye. She passed one crew member who seemed genuinely confused.

"I am the Food Service Director," she said, "and I’m so surprised because I never saw you in the dining room. I made an effort to talk to every guest, and yet I’ve never seen you. Did you not eat while you were on board?"

Embarrassed, the woman nodded, and explained, "Well, I spent all I had just to be on the ship, so I knew I couldn’t afford the fancy food you serve. I ate in my cabin at every meal."

At this the Food Service Director looked shocked. "Did you not know?" she asked. "The price of the food was included with your passage. All the meals on the ship were free!"

Can you imagine this woman's dismay when she realized that she could have been feasting on gourmet food, when instead she had been getting by on cheese and crackers? What about us? Are we feasting on the Spirit that Heavenly Father so wants to give to us, or are we settling for cheese and crackers?

It is my prayer that we take full advantage of the feast of the sacrament that is offered to us every Sunday. I’m the first to acknowledge how difficult that can be with little ones. But if we can remember the sacredness of the ordinance, remember the blessings that accompany it, remember Him!, we will notice a difference in our hearts and in our everyday lives.

Brain Freeze

I know you're all getting tired of looking at my last post, it's just that every time I think of what to do for my next post, I come up blank! These are the things that I don't want to write about because they're just mundane and boring:

• How Girl's Camp Meetings and planning are taking over my life and how I'm kind of dreading it.
• How Brad trimmed what was once a nice healthy green bush into a weak, brown, sickly-looking shrub and I was a little upset, but now I laugh every time I pass it (it's FRONT and CENTER) because what else can you do but laugh? Well, we can pull it out, which I really think needs to happen.
• How I don't have any pictures of the last few weeks because I'm too lazy to put the batteries in the recharger. (I'm going to stop and do it right now...okay. Did it!)
• How even after the bush disaster, Brad still wanted to trim, so he was pulling down the trimmers, and cut himself and we had to take him to the ER so he could get stitches.
• How I'm excited for our trip to Oregon, but not looking forward to the THREE flights that it will take to get us there.
• How I love our new pool. I know, could we get any more white trash? But this was on sale, and it's as big as we can get without spending a whole bunch of money! And it's WAY hot down here. Seriously. It's Hades.

• How Ty and I spent six hours in our pool the other day, and although we both lathered on the sunscreen often, I guess we didn't enough because we both got sunburned, and this was his first one.
• How we have to talk in Sacrament on Sunday, and my anxiety about it.
• How I like the Mole on ABC, although I miss the good old days when Anderson Cooper hosted it.
• How Brad's been working insane hours with insane situations involving birthparents.
• How we painted an accent wall a nice slate blue color. I actually like it. We also painted our armoir black.
• How I found some great deals at the Thrift Store tonight. I guess Thursday night is a good night cause they're stocking up for the big weekend crowd.

Okay, that's about it. I'm really only doing this as a stall tactic because it's my bill-paying night, and I don't want to face all the bills!!! If anyone has ideas for future posts, I'd love to hear them, cause I'm losing my blogging steam!

True Love

Saw the pile of clothes.

Brought them to the play room.

Sat on an uncomfortable stool.

Turned on the small TV.

Folded our clothes and

Melted my Heart.

Random Pics

It seems like I've gathered up a bunch of pictures that are interesting to me, but don't seem to fit with anything else, so here are some random leftover pics from the last week or so:

Between our recent Utah trip, our work trips to Corpus Christi, and Brad's work retreat last week, we've used our suitcases more than usual. Ty has taken to using them as special hiding spots.

This picture cracks me up because no one looks like they're having any fun. It looks like a before picture of a backyard pool makeover advertisement. Like at any moment they'll be surprised with a great big, fun, exciting pool--not this lame-o small plastic one, which was even more crowded when I got in!

We found our way to the town of Kirby's First Annual (and possibly final?) Hobo Festival, and Ty got to take a picture with the Hobo King! What a treat! Seriously, though, what is with the Giant BBQ Turkey legs for sale at all the festivals and theme parks and garage sales and any celebration you can think of here? Do other places focus so much on the turkey legs or is this just a Texas thing?

Sara always says that the humidity makes her feel like she's on vacation. That's how I feel whenever I see palm trees, which is a lot.

We happened to notice several children playing in long dresses. Then it registered to me that these must be some of those Polygamist Sect children. It was at a Catholic Children's Home.

Speaking of Catholic, some people may not know that there are several old missions here in San Antonio, not just the Alamo. We visited a couple of them, and were surprised to learn that they still have active parishes. This was an outdoor altar at the Mission Conception. It was kindof interesting trying to explain to Ty why Catholics pray to the virgin Mary.

Ty with the pretty Mission in the background. Another forced grin. Grrrrrr.