Taking a try at transposing music!!

I have a favorite song that I have longed to learn on the piano and I could not for the life of me play all 5 flats so today I thought about changing the key!  Brilliant I know...why I didn't think of this like 4 years ago....Today I sat at the piano and played 2 sharps instead of 5 flats and it just came!  I didn't even have to have the notes in front of me!  So maybe my brain can work like this after all!  

I feel as though the fog is finally starting to lift and I am becoming light again!  I love it!!  And the best part of it my brain is returning to some of its normal functions again!!  Like Transposing music...I have not done this sense high school!

Parenting can be rough but it is so worth it in every way possible!

Well there has been a lot that has gone on in the last week with my oldest daughter.  I have hesitated sharing this but I feel as though I should.

My oldest daughter has had many insecurities about who she is and has always sought for the approval of others to find her happiness.  As a result she has had a hard time finding and making new friends.  This is hard for her because she seeks the approval of those friends.  To make things harder when she was in her 5th grade year we both talked it over and prayed about it and decided to take her out of school the middle of her 5th grade year.  She has done well with being at home and learning but I know she has missed the interaction of her peers.  She is blessed to have a few good friends at church.  This year she started a scholar class at a leadership academy.  She has done well with this and I have seen great growth and strength come from what she has accomplished in this class.   But I see her struggle still in finding out who she is.  I fear she compares herself with others and relies on others and things to make her happy.   She has had an attitude at home lately and with that a bit of disrespect for me and her brothers and sisters and the family rules.  I felt impressed to take away all that she has and all her privileges. (This was so far the hardest thing I have had to do as a parent).  She was pretty defiant and did not care that all she had was gone.  Her attitude was that of "I don't care"  It was really hard for me to stay calm.  I just kept praying and remembering that she was and is a daughter of God and asked myself what would Heavenly Father do if he were here?

On one particular night last week I again caught her stealing a big no no in our family.  She had lost everything and so I had to be creative in what I came up with to do take from her.  She loves her shorts and  wears them year round.... and so I did....take away her shorts.  She was furious at me.  She came unglued and became verbally aggressive.  Then she became physically agressive.  And then she tried to cut herself.  It was pretty bad.  In the end I had to call the police, and she did cut herself.  I was terriffied for her and what she must be feeling like inside and I felt so helpless I had no idea how to help her.  I prayed that she would feel some peace, some relief, some type of love.  When the officer came to our door it happened to be the dad of one of her friends in our ward.  I knew that he was sent her from God.  God answers our prayers in ways we never expect and in ways that we sometimes don't understand.  As the night ended she was happy again.  I know that this life was not meant to be a care free easy life, but rather a life of trials mixed with happiness!  A life of constant learning and growing!  It is up to us how we live and how we react to each trial that is given us!

My oldest Daughter has been doing much better this week she has been happy, cheerful, obedient, and honest!  Like I said in a previous post, our children do come with instructions but it is we as parents that must seek out those instructions from who they come from, Heavenly Father!  He is real and he does talk to us but we must seek him out.

We must ponder out what to do in our minds, study, and then take our questions to the Lord, he knows his children and wants us all to return to live with him!  I know that as we take our problems to Him he listens and then answers us.  It is us that must have faith and trust that he will not leave us alone!  My oldest is on a point system for earning her things back and I feel blessed that she has been willing to do this.  She earned 33 out of 35 points last week, I would say that is pretty darn near perfect!  She really is a strong young woman with some pretty hard trials not all of her choosing.  Being a child with parents going through a divorce is probably the hardest thing a child will ever go through.  I hate that all of my kids are going through this I see the pain it has caused them and I wish I could take that pain away from them.  But I know that they will in the end be healed by the atonement.  It just breaks my heart to see them suffer like this.

Anyways hard times makes us stronger in the end.

Lots of love,

Sally

Staying firm does reap rewards

Kids go through hard things which test your limits as parents.  After a very difficult evening with my oldest daughter,  She showed great character, by taking responsibility for her actions. ...even though it was hard for her to do!  She was courageous and made a difficult  decision like an adult would do.   I have to say it was a proud mommy moment.   Had I lost my cool with her or let her see my frustration the outcome could have been oh so different.   Having children of my own and seeing their struggles only helps me to understand the atonement better and the relationship that I have with my Father in Heaven and my Savior Jesus Christ.  What pain they must feel for each of us, but what patience they must exercise... (they could just come down at anytime and relieve us of our pains, but in their wisdom they don't because they see what each trial will do to make us stronger.)   God is in the very fibers of our lives, he loves us each very intimately!   He wants us to learn and grow, that is why we are here!  It is a roller coaster ride with ups and downs....but also there are times we just coast....let us find joy in each stage. ...for in each stage we will learn lessons and those lessons though hard at times bring joy if we look for it!

Sharing time was amazing!

As I had been thinking all week of what to teach these precious sons and daughters of God. I could not for the life of me feel good about any of the ideas that I had.  I thought of playing a game or doing and activity...but I could not wrap my mind around any of those ideas for 100% certainty.  As I pondered and prayed throughout the day I felt a reassuring feeling of peace that I would I know what it was that these children would need to be taught.  My patience was being tested and tried as it was Saturday night 11pm and still not a thing planned.  I tried going to sleep but to no avail, I could not get it off my mind.  I looked at the sharing time theme for the month ..."Following the Teachings of Jesus Christ  Strengthens my Family." I decided to look up online and see if there were any other ideas that I could find.  And decided to talk about what things can strengthen our families.  In big block letters on the chalk board was written "Strengthens".  I asked each child what they did in their family to help make their family stronger.  (A side note...our primary is at times very very rambunctious) But this lesson today had everyone listening and paying attention.  Both Junior and Senior primaries. After going around the room to all the kids and filling in our Strengthens word on the board we talked about a few specific ways that we can help to strengthen our families.  I told the kids some scriptures stories, and the kids were so engrossed in them and I could see in their eyes and feel in my heart that each one of these children were feeling the spirit.  God was baring witness to each of them that through prayer and scripture study and repentance and forgiveness that we can build each other up and help each member of our family to be stronger!  I then challenged each of the kids to go home and find ways that they can strengthen their families!  I sent them home with a paper that had in block letters"Following the teachings of Jesus Christ Strengthens my family", for them to write in each block what they did with their families to strengthen their families. Many of the kids asked if they could bring it back next week to share with everyone what they had done to help strengthen their families!

Who would have thought that being in primary would be such a spiritual high?!  I love love each of these little children, and I have a deep sense of responsibility for each of them!

Teaching Sharing time today!

Living the Teaching of Jesus Christ Strengthens my Family.  I love the gospel of Jesus Christ!  What can we do as we live the teachings of Jesus Christ to strengthen our families.  A few of the things we do in home are Reading the Scriptures!  Jesus asked us to search the Scriptures for in them we will find him.  We also teach our children to pray.  Just as Daniel prayed to be saved from the lions den we too can pray for help and strength to overcome our trials that we are faced with.  We also do Family Home Evening ( once a week an evening is set aside for just family time nothing else), where we teach of what Jesus taught... different principles of how righteous living!  There are many things that we can do to become closer as a family by living Jesus teachings!  What do you do in your family?

Life as a mother of a teen....

I can not believe that I have kids old enough to be 14 and 12...where did the time go?  I am however grateful to my Father in Heaven for not leaving me to walk these years alone!  It has been said that kids did not come with a book of instructions.  But I disagree....they really do, it is I that must ask for them!  And every time I ask the answers always come!  Heavenly Father knows exactly what I need and he knows exactly what each one of my children need!  I am indeed grateful for the ability I have to have direct revelation for my children!   I feel truly blessed to have a loving Heavenly Father that has not left me alone but given me a communication line through prayer to seek his will in all things!

Yep late it is!

So I used to write a lot here and express my feelings and such... I have not been very consistent because my feelings have been so raw and hard over the past few years that it is hard to do so.  I have kept a journal and write how I feel but it is just not as therapeutic  as writing to others.  I have always found writing as a therapeutic way of feeling lighter and having those burdens eased!

It is 1:40 am and I find it hard to sleep tonight!  I am feeling alone and sad for myself.  Trying to hide or mask the pain of everything.  I cleaned my pantry out and boy was it disgusting!  Thats what 6 other people in a house will do to your pantry...Well at least when I am cooking tomorrow and Thursday I will know where things are and what I have, right?!  I find myself trying to get into a project to keep my mind elsewhere.  

I decided that I would do something for me...I have always loved sewing and quilting and making my home look beautiful!  And so for the first time ever I went to the fabric store and bought material for me!!  I whipped up a table cloth 8 place mats and 8 napkins and am excited to use then for Thanksgiving!  And so for the last day and a half I sat at my sewing machine doing something for ME!  At first I felt guilty for not being with my kids but then I relaxed and realized they would just play around me and keep on going!  If they needed something they would ask!  It was nice, afternoons of just sewing!

Projects keep my mind off of being alone!  My Uncle who has been my biggest support and best friend through a lot of rough patches for me is with his family!  He has needed this time for just him!  And while I am glad he is able to get away and be with his family, it still hurts to have him gone!  This time of year especially is rough.  Being alone is one thing, being alone during the holidays is another.  I so want to jump in my van with my kids and go to Kansas to be with my brothers and sister but at last I have no money or the time to spare so here I am.  And from my Dad and his wife they are having their own quiet thanksgiving this year....cause that is what family is for right.....

The last 8 months have been so so hard on me.  With my soon to be ex finally coming down to UT after calling his Bishop and letting him know what financial problems he had gotten himself into and what his plans were.  He moved in February to Tooele about 2 miles away.   For the kids it has been good to have their dad close by in most cases.  For me it has been really hard.  And once he was down here his financial problems did not cease...just location change.  Being married still and somewhat dependent on him it has affected me too.  I finally made the decision to file for Divorce and papers were served in July or August I can't remember.  That was fun let me tell you...I was being punished for leaving and I was evil for breaking up my family.  We all have our faults and we all have things that we need to work through.  As we seek the Lords will in things we will know the way!  As I have been counseled to not listen to the words of men but instead the Lords words, I knew that what I was to do was leave and make it final.  THE HARDEST THING I HAVE EVER HAD TO DO!   Doing the right thing is not always easy and it is not alway what we think it should be.  But trusting in the Lord is what we should rely on even when it is hard and the way seems hard.  

What has been the hardest for me?  Judgement and unkindness from others.  Especially family and friends. And all the gossip that comes from it.  It often causes feelings of anger and rage in me followed by deep depression and feelings of insecurity.  This just must be my lot in life and one of my trials in this life.  But the last 8 months have been so painful for me.  Depression like I have never experienced before.  Not the best weight loss diet as I am 20 lbs lighter.... Not wanting to wake up in the morning...having no appetite or desire to cook.  And cleaning the house something that I love no longer matters to me.  No desire to exercise even when I know that it will lift my spirits.  And then to make things worse the end of July I started to battle with a nasty UTI turned Kidney infection that finialy I was able to kick mid Oct.  Surgery for carpal tunnel the end of September.   Only to be followed by whiplash from a car accident in October.  I went in to the Dr and found out that I am extremely low in vitamin D.  My levels were 13 down from 18 last year with normal range in the 40's.  3 points lower I could have had some serious things start and cause me to be hospitalized.   Life seems to just through those balls at us faster than we can catch.  

On top of all of this I just could not get my head above the water and I was emotional all the time.  Crying over everything or being angry at little things.  My poor uncle put up with it all when he was home and when he was on the road.  It was just to hard for him to be leaving and going all the time.  Well that is his job but it was so hard on me...I needed constant and I did not feel like anything was constant.  My heart was being torn in to many directions and I could not keep up with where it needed to be.  

And so that brings me to now.  I am alone feeling overwhelmed and abandoned even though that is really not the case.  My uncle loves me so much that he takes the time to call me while he is gone and talk to me.  He understands me like no one else does and I feel so blessed.  But I feel selfish because it hurts to know that he is with family when all I want is to be with my family and my own dad is having his own this year.  and I can not afford to or have the time to drive to KS.  It hurts that my Uncle who has been my only constant family for he last 3 years is gone.  I want to be selfish on the inside and keep him here.  But I can not do that because I love him so much that I want him to be with his family and see that joy that comes from being with your family!  I want that for him!  He deserves it!  Being alone can and will strengthen me and I know that one day all of this will make sense!  Until then I trust that Gods plan for me is good and that one day I will know why!  

On a brighter side..Allison was talking to my Uncle tonight and I started to cry cause I missed him and so I left so she didn't have to see me like that.  After she got off the phone she came to me and asked what was wrong and I told her that I was lonely.  She is so sweet she left me a note telling me that I was her best friend and that she loved me and would always be there for me!  I have to say I have the most tender hearted children!  They really are sweet even under all that teenage stuff they have to go through or will go through!  I love my kids so much and just want the best for each and every one of them!  

I must go to bed now as in a few short hours the sun will rise and I must be there for my kids who think that they must race the sun up!  

Singing at Saturday Afternoon Session of General Conference!

I had the privilege of singing in a wonderful choir!  It was a choice experience!  Our church gets together as a whole twice a year.  At these meetings our leaders instruct us in a large conference setting!  We are instructed by Prophets and Apostles how to live our lives while staying close to God!  We were privileged to provide the music for one session out of 6 of these sessions!  It was so amazing to sing with 364 talented singers!  I thought I would share with you the session I was in and some of the music that we sung!  And for fun...watch and see if you can spot me!  It was so awesome!  My kids have enjoyed watching and finding me!

P.S.  It is a rare opportunity to even get a ticket to get into the conference center to be in person.  We usually watch it on tv or the internet.  So to sing in the conference was a special treat and wonderful experience!

I had the privilege of speaking in Sacrament Meeting ( Church)

I had the privilege of talking in church on Sunday!  This is what I got to share!  I love that I got to study this topic and be taught and edified by the spirit!  I believe that Heavenly Father inspires those that ask us to speak (Bishop and counselors), what we learn helps us and how we teach/ talk will touch others in a way that they will be strengthened!

I am sharing it here for those of you that want to read and those that are far away!

Enjoy!

I have been asked to talk on Consecrating my time and talents!

What does it mean to consecrate?

To consecrate is to make holy or to dedicate or become righteous!

I would like to start off with a parable taught by our Savior.

"The Savior in His earthly ministry taught us this principle by example, exhortation, and parable. The message was especially emphasized in the parable of the talents. ( Matt. 25:14–30.)

Here the Savior tells us of a man who was traveling into a far-off country and called his servants together to deliver unto them his goods. To one he gave five talents, another two, and another one; to each man according to his several abilities. Then he left on his journey.

Now they who had received the five and the two talents labored diligently to double that which they had received. But he who had received the one went and digged in the earth and hid his lord’s money. After some time the lord returned. To those who had gained the five and the two, the lord said, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” ( Matt. 25:21.)

Now he who had received the one went and digged in the earth and brought his talent forth, and he tried to alibi for not multiplying that which the lord had given him.

The lord didn’t greet him with “Well done.” His greeting was, “Thou wicked and slothful servant.” ( Matt. 25:26.) And then the lord said, “Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.

“For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance; but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.” ( Matt. 25:28–29.)

Elder Bruce R. McConky said, “ We are commanded to sacrifice all things if need be for his name’s sake”. 

He went on to quote D&C 78:7

For if you will that I give unto you a place in the celestial world,you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.

What areas in our lives should we focus our attention to?

I am going to touch on two areas in which we can consecrate our time and talents to make the best of them!

1^st is our home and family

2^nd is our Service to God and his Church

In our home and Family

Elder D. Todd Christofferson said :

"A consecrated life is a beautiful thing. Its strength and serenity are “as a very fruitful tree which is planted in a goodly land, by a pure stream, that yieldeth much precious fruit” ( D&C 97:9 ). Of particular significance is the influence of a consecrated man or woman upon others, especially those closest and dearest. The consecration of many who have gone before us and others who live among us has helped lay the foundation for our happiness. In like manner future generations will take courage from your consecrated life, acknowledging their debt to you for the possession of all that truly matters. May we consecrate ourselves as sons and daughters of God, “that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope” ( Moroni 7:48; see also 1 John 3:2 ),"

We have each been blessed to be here on this earth at a time when the the Gospel is here in its fullest!  We have beautiful familes that have been entrusted to us by A loving Heavenly Father!  Our goal as parents is to teach our children the gospel and to help our children return to live with their Father again.

I love the song I Am A Child of God, its words are simple yet so powerful:

 I am a child of God, And he has sent me here, Has given me an earthly home With parents kind and dear. I am a child of God, And so my needs are great; Help me to understand his words Before it grows too late. I am a child of God. Rich blessings are in store; If I but learn to do his will I'll live with him once more. I am a Child of God his promises are sure, Celestial Glory shall be mine, if I can but endure.  Lead me, guide me, walk beside me, Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do To live with him someday.

In Proverbs 22:6 it reads: Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

As Elder Christofferson said that many who have gone before us and other who live among us has helped lay the foundation for our happiness.    I have many exceptional influences in my life that have been great examples to me.  My mother was a woman that was constantly giving her time and talents to raise her family.  I remember growing up and having to have family prayer and scripture study at 5:30 am one of the only times that all of us were home together.  As a teen I did not like it… I was never a morning person.   My Aunt Linda was another infuluece for me as she was a mother figure in my life.  She taught that scriptures and words from the Prophets are important!  As a young girl she helped me memorize scriptures!  I still remember some of those that I learned when I was 6!  I learned from my Father the importance of the Priesthood and its blessings!  My Dad was always there to give me a blessing and he still his today!  From my Uncle Mike I have learned that selfless acts of service bring great happiness!  All of these things that I have learned from those that are near and dear to me I want to teach to my children! 

So what can we do to train and teach our children with the time and talents that we have been given?   First we must exercise are faith and act!  We must be leaders in our homes before we can lead others.

Let me give a few examples of what we do in our family

·         We have morning and evening family prayer

·         We have a morning devotional where we teach each other how to be better and kinder to one another.  Right now we are studying the 9 BE’S by President Hinckley.

·         We eat together and talk and laugh and have fun!

·         I encourage all my children  to read their scriptures and pray in private as well.

·         We sing songs together

·         We do FHE

·         We study the scriptures as a family.

All of these things seem simple and small. But all of them have great rewards!  One of my faviorite BOM prophets said this too: Alma 37:1-7

Just as it was important to Alma that his son Helaman preserve the plates for a wise purpose which at the time he did not know why, we should also teach our children to walk in the path of righteousness,  a sure way back to their Father in Heaven.

Yes it is a lot of time that is spent doing all these little things but the rewards are the sweet fruit that I know we all desire!  I was picking my daughter up from gym and we were listening to a song entitled “One  Voice”  from and EFY album. As we were singing along she stopped and said that she felt like knocking on doors and giving out Book Of Mormons!  I was touched by her ability to feel the spirit and how she wanted to share it with others!  I see the little things that I teach to my children bring them closer to their Father in Heaven and see a greater desire for them to have their own testimonies!  Michael my 7 year set a goal this year to read the Book of Mormon, ( I thought to myself  in a moment of doubt that as a 1^st grader he would struggle through it) .  Quite the opposite he is strong willed and has pushed himself.  He is half way through the Book of Mormon and still going strong and his reading skills have improved so much! And I might add that he does not need reminders…I often see him sitting on the couch or laying in his bed with the Book of Mormon!   As we give our children room to grow and then encourage them on the path their testimony grows and they become closer to the spirit!!  Our children watch us more than we know!  It is important to use our time and talents in way that will bring our families closer together!  By strengthening our families first we are then able to strengthen other!

 2^nd Service to God and His Church

We live in a selfish society where many expect to get something for what they do.  I am grateful to have been raised in a culture where service is at the center!  Where when we do something for someone else we feel good and happy and content and expect nothing in return!

I love the account of King Benjamin!  He was a wise and kind and loving king!  He spent all his days in service to the people he was made ruler of!  Mosiah 2:9, 11, 17-18.  I want to be like King Benjamin with an attitude like his we can Move Mountains and see the power of God work many many miracles! 

I have lived in many different places!  Each ward and stake teaches the same thing and that is to Come Unto Christ and Be Perfected in Him.  I have also grown in each ward as I have interacted with many people in various different callings!  I know that it is by our service to each other that we are strengthened and our testimonies continue to grow!  I was in a ward where I was called as a counselor in a relief society.  We had a great President who was a great example to me!  We had just finished our presidency meeting and then she encouraged all of us to go to ward choir practice.  At first I thought that was odd but then I was strengthened by what she said next…when we are called to a position to serve we each have the opportunity to raise our hands to support that person in their calling!  I felt that if I would attend choir that I would be supporting our choir director!  I loved singing and so I went and I loved when we would sing in sacrament it truly brought the spirit into our meeting! 

I have been in many other callings but the one that had dreaded the most was primary…I wanted to associate with adults…I related better to them.  Well I called to primary and realized that being in primary is by far the best calling in the whole church!  If each of you could come to primary and feel of your children’s spirits and see what they have to offer you would not want to leave!  I had know idea how much my testimony  needed your kids! As they sing I feel of their spirit!  As I prepare lessons I feel the promptings of the spirit guide me in what your children need to learn and even how to present it to them in a way that they will be blessed!  The Spirit is the master teacher and I know he is because even the rowdiest children will quiet down and be in tune with spirit as I present a message!  I pray before I teach that I may touch the hearts of your children through the spirit!  I am humbled every time I go to primary!  Our children were saved for this day, they are pillars of strength in a world that is crumbling around them! 

As we give our all to building up his kingdom just as King Benjamin then we can like King Benjamin say:  stand spotless before God at the last day!

Will we be like the men that mulipyed their  talents or will we hide up our talents and not use them?  I challenge you to go and be doers of His word and share what we have with others by our examples and our actions!  Let us get to work and like President Kimball always said “ Just Do It”

Let us use our talents and the time that God has given us to build and strengthen others!  As we do this our lives will be full and have much meaning and purpose and will be overflowing with Joy!

Testimony!

A recap of my summer!

Wow it has been a wonderful summer!  I was able to so much with my kids and we have grown so much!  We finished our home school year in mid May.  My first full year with all the kids home!  It was a blast!  To celebrate we took the kids camping to a place called Navajo Lake!  It was a blast!  As many of you know I have been living with my Uncle Mike who has graciously accepted us into his life for the time being!  With that I have met many of his friends!  One of them is special to us and we have excepted her into our family!  Her name is Lisa and we had the privilege to take her camping with us!  She is awesome and fun and easy going just like the rest of us so it was a great week!  All of my kids became avid photographers as my Uncle and Lisa taught them all they new about photography!  We also had the chance to be missionaries while we were up there!  The camp host had just lost his wife and seemed quite lonely.  We had him over for Breakfast every morning and Dinner in the evening!  Everywhere we go if we look and pray for opportunities to share the gospel we are given them!  Even though we did not preach to him, through our example he felt of the Spirit and was drawn to us!  I know that we were meant to be there for him at the time we went!

We came back and my garden was in full swing I had planted many of my plants and they were all starting to come up and looked quite well!  I love gardening and being able to make my yard a productive and useful yard!  As many of my family and close friends know, my Uncle does not have a yard of grass but that of a dessert look!  Sand and dessert plants(weeds).  We finally came to a compromise and I am planting grass in the back yard and we are xera scaping the front yard!  This is exciting for me!  I was so happy the day that the Elder's Quorum and High Priest came over to help me put in the sprinkler system!  As many of you may also know my Uncle's work requires him to travel so the time for him to work in the yard is very limited!  I defiantly do not have the same strength that I had in my 20's so the service from the brethren was quiet appreciated and accepted!  I could not have done it with out their help!!  I have a sprinkler system that works and this fall(September) I will be planting grass! I am so excited, and if you ask my kids they are supper excited!!

As June wrapped up, I prepared for a 2 week long road trip back to Illionios!  I was able to take my sister Amy with and her and I and the kids had some fun adventures!!  Are first stopped (BTW was not planned) was Martins Cove!  I am a descendant of James Brigham Wright, who was left orphaned, coming across the plains with the Martin hand cart company!  It was a humbling experience to visit a sacred place that had once been a place of refuge for a great great great grandfather!  His life was spared and because of that I am here today!  A legacy of perseverance and determination to let the Lord lead his path in life!  He was one of service to God!

Our next goal was  a small town near Mount Rushmore.  I had only been there once before, in 1998 with my Dad and 2 brothers.  I wanted to go back!  The kids were amazed at the work that went into carving out the mountain and the process in which was used to do so.  It was also a fun experience for them to do the Junior Ranger program, with out it it would have been an unpleasant experience! I wanted to read and learn more about Mt. Rushmore and why the men that were chosen to be part of the monument were chosen.  Because of the program I was able to do so along with my kids!  I encourage all that go to national parks to use the Junior Ranger program and learn with your kids!  At Mt. Rushmore they had an activity book and a scavenger hunt type of book! After our Day at the monument we came back to our cabin and had dinner.... not anything fancy.  Then we took the kids for a swim in the pool!  It was lots of fun until Spencer threw up(Yuck).  We got out and went to bed, ready for another full day of driving!  We left early and drove to Kansas where we stayed with my brother Michael and Tausha.  We crashed there for a few days before we all car pooled up to Pontiac Illinois.  We got a phone call from Michael who had broken down on the side of the freeway near Springfield.  And for the next 5 hours we were well acquainted  with the side of the freeway!  I was able to take everyone in my van to the nearest restaurant open on the 4th of July...McDonald's.  I was less then thrilled and refused to eat there but the kids were more than thrilled with their happy meals and a place to play!  After all they were there for 4 hours.  I am sure that the workers were glad to see us leave, but I am glad that they were all safe while we attempted to fix my brothers SUV.  In the end we called my 2 uncles.  One helped pay for the towing and transporting us to my other Uncles house.  I love family and like that they are willing to drop everything and come to our rescue! The next morning we ate breakfast at Uncle Peter's and then headed to Grandma and Grandpa Pouliot's whose 60th anniversary we were there to celebrate!  Grandma is so much fun and I am afraid will always be young at heart!  I love her dearly!! We all worked on the house, painting, doing deck work, and sorting through things in the attic.  A few of my Uncles also helped with the pluming for a washer and dryer that was being installed on the main floor so that Grandma could do the laundry again!  She was thrilled with this as for some years has not been able to make it down the stairs to do the laundry!  While we were doing this the great grand kids worked on a large mural that represented many things that grandma had collected over the years and had given away to many of us grand kids and great grand kids!  It was pretty awesome to see the talent that all the kids have!!  We had great food and wonderful company!  And the party on Sunday was awesome!!  I was able to attend mass with Grandma and Grandpa where they renewed their vows!  It was sweet and awesome!  The kids had lots of fun playing with cousins and their Aunts and Uncles!  It was totally awesome!!  One of the highlights of the Pontiac trip was are hotel room!  We stayed in a nice suite complete with a jaccize in the living room!  The kids all put their swim suits on and had a blast!!  What can I say kids are entertained by the smallest things!!  I was grateful that we had a place to sleep while we were there, as our other arrangements( camp site was less then desirable and the was was uncooperative!)  As the weekend wrapped up, we were transitioning to the next event, my late mothers family reunion.  This was held at Argyle State park about 40 min from Nauvho, IL. My Unlce Mike Flew into Champin IL on Sunday night, I went and picked him up and we had the opprotunity to drive to Philo IL.  That is where I lived with my mom and my Aunt and Uncle and their kids and my brothers!  It was certainly a house full. The house is blue now, not white it has a 3 car garage instead of a one car garage.  The corn field across the street is now houses.  So differnt but good memories that will always be special to me.  A place where my testimony was nurrished and seeds were planted at such a young age!  I learned that Love was real and it was a normal thing!  After picking up my Uncle we headed back to the hotel where we all slept that night!  All 12 of us slept!  Yep we are like that cramming as many as we could into our hotel room!  The next morning we were loaded up and headed over to our camp ground!  We got rained on that night but we were all dry in our tent! Uncle Peter took good care of us all!  We ate lots of yummy food and talked and laughed and played games at Uncle Peters spot designated the meeting place!  We waited for Aunt Sally and Uncle Nate to come in they had traveled all night and made it around 11:30am.  We got them settled and we all loaded up and went to Carthage Jail and then on to Navhoo.  So many special things at each of these places and so many sacred events that I am most grateful for!  I know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God!  I can not wait to meet him and bathe his feet and hands with my tears!  He did more save Jesus Christ on this earth!  Because of him and his question as a young boy and his faith that his question would be answered I am here and a member of God's church!  I have been endowed with power from on high through sacred temple covenants.  Joseph knew of the importance of these sacred covenants and was determined to build the temple so that those early members could be blessed with those covenants as well!  I love Navhoo and will never get tired of going there! It is a special and sacred place with the spirit so so strong there!  We all came home that night tired and ready to go home!  The next day we went to Uncle Peters house and then to Aunt Dana's Grave(she passed away in March of this year).  She was not a member and Uncle Peter was waiting for all of us to be here so that he could dedicate the grave with all of us there!  It was a sweet experience and I was grateful to have been able to witness it!  I have gotten to know my Uncle Peter a bit better and have grown to love him more!  He is a great man with a great heart!  He is a strong leader in his home and my cousins are just awesome!!  We went back to camp and had a family meeting turning the reigns over to my cousins(daughters of Uncle Dan)!  We will have our next reunion in Or in 2016!  Excited to take the kids to the coast!  They will love it!!   After the meeting I got ready to head out preparing to pack up the next morning and hit the road!  I was tired and exhausted and had 2 more days till I would be home!  The kids were ready to be home too.  We loaded up said good bye and headed 5 hours down the road where we camped out at Michael and Tausha's house again!  We had a fun night eating pizza and playing with my other cousin Ryanna and Tim who happened to have a hotel in Topeka! It was an extended Family reunion, cousin style!  Fun times!!  We all slept well and then left the next morning headed for Denver that night!  Amy the kids and I swam while Uncle Mike went and got dinner for all of us!  It was nice to know that we were on the home stretch of our vacation, with no mishaps!(other than Michael and Tausha not having a car anymore. PS...Uncle Peter loaned them his van)   We got a good nights sleep and then headed out the next morning!  We drove through the beautiful Denver Mountains my favorite drive by far!  (OK well maybe the scenic byway through the South Dakota was gorgeous too!)  It was a great drive until a large boulder the size of a tennis ball came face to face with my window...that was intense for me and for my brand new windshield.  It did not chip it, it did not just crack it it took chunks of the glass out and I now have a large pattern of circles in my windshield.  So beware of falling rocks!  I was how ever grateful for the protection that we received. We were watched over and protected from danger!  We dropped off Amy and then headed the 90 more min to our home!  It was so nice to be home in our own beds!  I love vacation and how it creates memories for us as a family but I also love that I have a home to come back to!

Among our long trip, we did a few day hikes with my sister!  Also Allison and I have done a few solo hikes together!  I am pleased to see my children gaining their own testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ!  I am amazed everyday as I see another aspect of their life touched by the Gospel, the strength they have aqquired by living the standards that will keep them on the path to Father in /Heaven!   (Side note, I bought a song the other day "Live Like You Believe" and as we were listening to it on the way home Gymnastics Allie said " I just want to go and knock on peoples doors and give them  the Book of Mormon."  She has such an enthusiasm for living and sharing the gospel!!  Spending time with each of my kids has helped me to know them better and learn what their needs are and what their love languages are!  I am grateful for this summer and the times I have had with them to learn more about them!  They have taught me so much about myself and about Jesus Christ!  Children truly are a blessing in our lives!

I was able to go camping with a friend and her children.  It was fun to talk with her and help her out, she lost her Husband a year ago this last June and with that comes a lot of emotions.  Although I have not lost a spouse I lost my mother almost 3 years ago, she was my best friend and it is still hard today, but I still feel her strength!  We had the best camp ground ever!  It was right next to a little stream, the kids played in the water all day, I even got it( it was really cold)!!

Allison is now 12 years old and her birthday wish was to go to the temple to do baptisms!  What an awesome gift to want to have!  We are going the end of August!  I am so excited for her!!  She can hardly wait!  We wanted to go sooner but we had so many trips planned and other activities to attend too.  I feel guilty for not putting a higher priority on this but I can not get down on myself, it is going to happen and she is thrilled!!

Our last trip before we start school again was a girls backpacking trip!  It was epic!  I loved it, taking my little girls out on the trail with what we needed on our backs!  We were out for 2 nights!  We endured a thunderstorm with hail and rain and we came out stronger!  You know that they enjoyed it when they begged to keep the tent up, when it was time to take it down!  I love having no distractions, just the peace and quiet of beautiful mountains surrounding us!  The girls made a "hide out home"  complete with a living room, kitchen, computer and tv, bedroom, dining room and bathroom!  They gave me a tour of it !  They worked all day on it making a path with rocks, and moving larger rocks for beds couches tvs and such!  Such creativity from their imaginations!  Kids do not need screen time to have fun, mine just use rocks to pretend and it seems to work just fine!!  I realize that I do not have an endless amount of summers with them and I must make the best with them!!

Among the busy summer I have also been doing lesson plans for all my kids, and it is going to be an exciting semester!  I cannot wait to start, and as the kids have been watching me prepare they are eager to start their studies again!  I have been in heaven getting new books from Amazon!  Also at the thrift stores!  After moving here from Idaho and having the kids so far ahead of the other kids I needed to help them in excel at a faster pace!    I have loved having the kids home and being able to help them each individually!  I love teaching my kids!  They are so close to the spirit and seem to always find ways to relate the gospel to their studies and their lives!  Something that I have prayed for constantly!  As a mother I will never stop praying for that blessing! I will post a separate post about our upcoming home school year!  It is going to be tons of fun!!  We have a few more summer activites planned and then it is back to a full schedule of learning and growing!

I failed to mention that our summer devotional we Studied the 9 BE'S that President Hinkely laid out!  The kids have enjoyed this as we have learned and read and incorporated them into our lives!  The kids each did a journal entry with thoughts on ways to improve certain areas of their young lives, they also drew pictures of what they wrote about!  It has been a peaceful and spiritual highlight of our summer!  We are going to be doing a craft project with it this fall!  We are just about to wrap up this devotional series and move onto the next series to start out the school year!  Fun time!

Well I better be done here, maybe I can do this more often now so I don't have so much to write about!  I need to be better at this!  This is our "Family Journal" right now, I guess I better do a better job.  I want my kids to be able to read about the things we did as a family, but even more important I want them to be able to share these stories with their children!  After all we know of Lehi and Sariah because of the record that Nephi kept.  It is a commandment to keep a journal.  A great way to share what I/ we have learned with our families for generations to come!!

I hope you enjoyed my novel :)

Love to all!!

Ok it has been a very long time.

Life seems to have it's way of filling up my time.  And I have been having a feeling that I needed to start writing my blog again.  So here I am pushed a little by a friend who had mentioned that she missed reading my blog.  That was a tender mercy of  the Lord.....I needed to hear that there are those out there that enjoyed reading about what mattered most in my life.....Any ways...

I have been feeling as though I need to really strengthen my family.  Many of you know that my life changed almost 2 years ago when my husband and I seperated and I moved to Ut with my kids.  Eventually Joseph moved back to be with his dad.  Things were really rough.  I have struggled my whole marriage with happiness and contentment.  Something that I earned for and wondered if I would ever receive that.  I felt as though I worked so hard to be that way, happy and content.  Doing all the things that would make me feel that way...reading my scriptures, praying, fasting, having family prayer and scriptures and doing family home evening with my family and serving my family, friends and serving in the church.  All of these things and to no avail I was sad.  I hated it!  I needed to leave and prayed for a long time if what I was feeling was what I was supposed to do.  I was answered so clearly I can not deny the feeling I received.  But like always in my life I was instructed to be patient by my guardian angel....I think that is her calling to tell me to be patient in all things I do.  When the time was right.  And so I waited and waited.  Anyways I am now here in UT.  A place of refuge and rebuilding and seeking personal growth.  I have in the last 18 months been so happy, even in times of sorrow and trail, I see the light and possibilities there are for me and my children!  I have like I said that I have this overpowering feeling to teach my children about the family and why it is such an important principle in our lives.  Even when our family is not all together right now.  I know it is a tough thing for my children and I want them to know what a family is like.  We do not live in a normal family lifestyle but I can try to teach them what one can be like.  On Sunday our lesson was on The Family: A Proclamation To The Family.  I am going to be doing our morning devotional on that piece of Doctrine, from a Prophet of the Lord!    Being a single mom sure has its challenges but it also is sweet to see my children grow and learn and become stronger and tougher as well.  As I study and make our devotionals for each morning I will try to update you on our progress.  The Lord only requires us to try our best he carries us through the simple and joyful moments as well as through our deepest and darkest hour, Why?  Simply because he loves us more than we can ever imagine.  We are the ones that have to reach out and hold on and trust in His way!