General Conference - An Epiphany

This last Sunday was the LDS General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I love this weekend that I get to relax and watch and listen to the words of the leaders of our church.  This time, I did something I've never done before - I wrote down questions that I needed answers to before Conference started.  My questions were:

How can I best help and support my missionaries?
What do I need to do to get Matthew ready for a mission?
What should Grant do about grad school, and how can I help him make his decision?
What does Heavenly Father want me to do with my business?
How do I help people - how do I find people to help?

In the very first talk my answer came, and it was reiterated with almost every talk that followed.  Of course, the answer is a no-brainer, and something that I already knew.  I just needed a gentle reminder.  Here was my answer - straight from Pres. Packer's heart to mine:

Live up to the ordinary acts of obedience required of the followers of Christ.

I've been remiss lately in remembering my prayers - not that I don't pray.  I do.  All day long.  But, to actually kneel down, and pour out my heart to my Heavenly Father... that is something that I need to work on.  Studying my scriptures is another thing I know I need to become better at.  I remember well that wonderful, spiritual time when I was a seminary teacher - feeling the spirit 24/7 as I studied and prayed about each lesson.  I would love to recapture that.  Those 2 things alone, will help me so much... I'm sure of it.  How can I expect or hope for answers to my prayers, or protection for me and my family if I don't do even the simple things required of the Lord?

So, this week, I've started to try to focus first thing on my companionship with the Lord.  I realize that if I put the most important things first in my day - things like scripture study - I'm setting myself up for personal revelation all day long.  I know, too, that if I ask for specific things in my prayers, I will receive specific instruction.  I'm just starting out, and haven't done it perfectly yet, but I know that this will work.  Why?  Because I know Heavenly Father WANTS to bless me.  He wants to guide me.  I just have to be receptive to that.

An interesting thing has happened this week.  As I've prayed about who I can help with my health program, asking specifically for Heavenly Father to send me people... in just the last 2 days, I've had 3 people come to me and ask about it.  It might sound weird, but I believe that they are being led to me.  I have something they need.  It will make their lives better.

I love these words from D. Todd Christofferson:  As disciples of Christ, we must care for others and relieve their sufferings.  And that is my desire for my business.

So... obedience is the way to prosper - I'm certain of it.  It's the way to bless others, too.  President Monson said:  The happiness, peace, progress, prosperity, and salvation of the Latter-Day Saints lies in their obedience.

So, there you have it... obey, and you'll be blessed.  Obey, and you'll bless others.  That was the answer to my questions - do the things the Lord requires of you FIRST, and then He'll pour out His blessings upon you and your family.  You'll know what to do, when to do it, and who to bless, and how.

President Monson: Are you willing to obey?  The answers we seek and the knowledge for which we yearn can be ours IF we keep the commandments.

An Update on the Fam

WOW!  It's been an incredibly LONG time since I updated this blog.  Lately, I've been thinking about all of the changes that have happened in the last year, and realized that I haven't recorded any of those life-altering changes anywhere!  So, I remembered this blog, and thought I'd hop back on and do an update!

First of all - in the last year, I've had some amazing opportunities.  Last January, right after my last post, I went to a Lifting Hearts (breast cancer support) meeting, and met a woman named Jan Paxman.  She is an R.N. and a health and weight loss coach for a company called Take Shape for Life.  She came to teach us about that company, and show us what it could do for us health-wise.  I was blown away, and signed up that night.  The program has 3 components: a food plan, a health program, and free support.  I'll write all about it in a different post.  For right now, it's enough to say that, in the 28 weeks following that meeting, I lost 87 pounds and 93 inches!!!!!!!  Seriously, this is the most exciting things that happened to me in a long time.  I feel so much better - almost ALL of the side effects from chemo have disappeared.  It's just a miracle.  Simple as that.  I'm now a coach with Take Shape For Life as well.  Over the last 10 months, I've helped over 50 people to lose weight and improve their health.  Together we've lost over 600 pounds! More later...

Another exciting thing that has happened:  Alex got his mission call in December to the Chile, Concepcion South Mission.  He left in January.  He's been in the MTC for almost 4 weeks now.  He is one of those 18 year old missionaries who took advantage of the age requirement change, and turned his papers in as soon as he finished filling them out!  More on that later as well...

Michael has about 6 months left in his mission - the time has flown by.  Matthew is in his first year of high school at Lone Peak.  And Grant is finishing up his last semester in Architecture school at the UofU.  He will graduate in April.  He was just accepted to and Ivy League - UPenn.  He is waiting to hear back from Utah and Berkeley as well.  Who know where he'll end up for Grad school??

Rick is pretty much the same - still works at L-3 Communications, still bikes with his friends.  He just turned 50!

That's it for now.  Let's see if I can continue to update this blog now. ;)

January's Book List - 12 Books

Today, I'd like to post my list of books that I read in January. I decided to keep track of the books I read this year, so I'm recording them in a word document on my desktop. Easy, right? January was a good reading month for me. I read a TON! Some of the books good, and some were great...

Last year, I started reading the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series. I liked the first book - The Lightening Thief. It had an interesting premise, and I enjoyed learning more about Greek mythology. So, in January I decided to try to finish the series. Not only did I finish that series, but I also read the 2 books in Rick Riordan's next series, Heroes of Olympus.

Percy Jackson & The Olympians by Rick Riordan

Book 2 - The Sea of Monsters

In this book, 13-year-old demigod, Percy Jackson, and some friends, must rescue his satyr friend, Grover, from the Cyclops Polyphemus, and save Camp Half Blood from a Titan's attack by bringing back the Golden Fleece to cure Thalia's poisoned pine tree.

Book 3 - The Titan's Curse

Now 14 years old, Percy leads a group of friends to rescue Annabeth and the Goddess Artemis, who have both been kidnapped.

Book 4 - The Battle of the Labyrinth

Percy tries to stop Luke Castellan and his evil army from invading Camp Half-Blood through Daedalus's labyrinth. He tries to find Daedalus and convince him not to give Luke Ariadne's string, which would help Luke through the Labyrinth.

Book 5 - The Last Olympians

Percy leads his friends, including a mortal who can see through the mist, in a last battle to protect Olympus. The battle takes place in New York City, at the Empire State Building - the entrance to Olympus. (I bet you didn't know that!)

Heroes of Olympus by Rick Riordan
Book 1 - The Lost Hero

A new group of teenage demigods star in this novel, which still has many of the characters from Camp Half Blood. Jason wakes up as a demigod, and has no idea where he's come from. The group at Camp Half Blood welcome him and two other demigods into camp. These new demigods have Roman mythology parents instead of Greek. The three are sent on a quest to rescue Hera, queen of the Gods.

Book 2 - The Son of Neptune

This story follows Percy Jackson, the demigod son of Poseidan, after he disappears. He ends up in a completely different camp of halfbloods, where Roman myths rule. He goes to Alaska to free the Greek god of death, Thanatos, and save the world from Gaia.

This series is even better than the last series- it has the characters from the Percy Jackson series, but adds several more. Riordan adds the Roman Gods/myths to the story in these books. I can't wait to read the next book in the series.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Beautifully written - jumps between modern day and the Salem witch trials. A woman who is pursuing her graduate degree in Early American History, stumbles on a book of "spells", and discovers that her early ancestor was one of the women tried and convicted of being a witch in Salem, MA - an unknown, undocumented witch. Interesting story.

The Litigators by John Grisham

As story about mass tort lawyers - amazing how much money and corruption is out there! A lawyer who works for a huge law firm, and makes lots of money, gets tired of working so many hours and never having time for his family. One day he just leaves. After "having lunch" at a bar, he drunkenly stumbles into a small law firm. The story unfolds as he starts to work for this law firm, which is run by 2 semi-corrupt, bumbling lawyers... the type that literally chase ambulances. As one of the partners jumps into a mass tort case, things quickly begin to unravel. Typical Grisham novel - engrossing. One of his better novels.

Book of a Thousand Day by Shannon Hale

Retold story from the Brothers Grimm - loved this book! A young princess refuses to marry someone she doesn't love, and she and her maid are banished to a tower for 7 years. This is a story about falling in love, loyalty, perseverance, friendship, honesty. Wonderful story! This book is in the Young Adult Fiction genre - one I read quite a bit. If you are only shopping in the Adult sections of the bookstore, you'll miss out on some great books.

Bitten by Robert Smith

This is an LDS fiction, a story about a missionary who is called to Tennessee and thinks his life is over. He serves almost his whole mission in Thelma's Way - a geniune back-woods town, meets the girl of his dreams, and after his mission, returns to claim her. This book was hilarious! I laughed out loud many times! A good, clean, fun story - with some great life lessons.

Fearless in High Heels by Gemma Halliday

This is the 5th book in the series. I read the other 4 last year. It's a fun series about a girl (Maddie) who designs shoes in Hollywood. Her best friend, Dana, is an actress. Her mom is married to a guy who owns a salon. It seems like Maddie is a magnet for dead bodies. She and her friends try to solve murders, and earlier in the series, she meets a detective named Ramirez. They end up getting married. In this book, she is pregnant with their first baby. I love the characters in this series. It's just a fun, entertaining read.

Saving Juliet by Suzanne Selfors

I thought this was a fun idea for a book. The book cover is what attracted me to the book. An actress who plays Juliet on stage at her family's theater, gets whisked back in time to Verona - and Juliet and Romeo's lives. The actor who plays Romeo also travels back in time. They save Romeo and Juliet, and fall in love themselves. Fun!

12 Books! I told you January was a good reading month!! I also started a book called Bad Buys of the Book of Mormon by Dennis Gaunt.

I'm planning on reading a chapter each Sunday, so it will take a couple of months to finish. So far, it's very entertaining.

So, that's it. If you live by me, and want to borrow some of these books, be my guest. The only books I can't lend out are the books owned by my kids - the Percy Jackson books are Matthew's.

Stay tuned next month for February's books...

2012 So Far... A Wild Ride For Grant

What a crazy couple of weeks! 2012 has started out with a bang in our family.

Grant, our oldest son, just about died! He was super sick for about a week and a half (around the time of my surgery and for the first little bit of my recovery). So, I didn't pay as much attention to his illness as I should have.

He kind of had a flu, and he was in a LOT of pain as well. He thought perhaps he had thrown up so much that he had pulled a muscle, or had a hernia, or something like that. He walked kind of doubled over. After staying at our house over the weekend (right before the semester started), he went back to his apartment Sunday morning. He watched a CES Fireside at his girlfriend, Aleisha's, house that night. By the time it was over, he could hardly move. He made it back home, and had a pretty bad night.

Monday morning he called Rick, just sobbing because he was so sick and in pain. I made an appointment with Dr. S-, hoping he would send him to get a scan. But, all he did was say that it wasn't a hernia, and took his urine and blood and sent it to the lab. I wasn't too happy about having to wait for the blood work (2-3 days). :(

Grant went back home to his first studio class that afternoon, and then to some other classes on Tuesday. Tuesday night, he called and he was shaking so badly, he could hardly talk - he had collapsed at the studio, and his friends were taking him home. He couldn't talk because he was throwing up over the car window. When he got home, he was freezing, shaking, sweating, etc. all at the same time. He called, and I had a feeling I should tell him to go to the ER, but I didn't. (Stupid, typical, me). He wrapped up in a blanket, and slept for 8 hours on the bathroom floor - with his roommates checking on him throughout the night.

The next morning, around noon, he called to ask me about the blood work. When I called the doctor's office, it still wasn't back, but I told them how sick he had been. A few hours later, the blood work came back - elevated white blood cells, and elevated liver function. They ordered a CT scan, and Rick picked him up and brought him to AF hospital for the scan. They did the scan at 5:00 pm, and called Dr. S- with the results - he called Grant, who was waiting in the waiting room at the hospital with Rick. Dr. S- said "Your appendix burst. We don't know when. It could have been a few days ago. There is an encapsulated pocket of infection - they'll have to operate right now. It's amazing you are even alive - I can't believe you busted through the pain like that - for days!"

So, the count now is APPENDIX = 2, MOM - 0! That's right, once again, the appendix won. (When Michael had an appendix attack a few years ago, I didn't take him to the ER for a few hours, and his almost burst!) My surgeon, Dr. T-, looked at the scan and said that she couldn't even see an appendix - that it had probably burst so hard, it disintegrated! So, they admitted him to the hospital and started IV antibiotics and other fluids. By the time I got to the hospital, he had a terrible headache. They tried lots of meds, even morphine, but nothing touched it. He was so upset - he said "I'm in a hospital, and they can't even stop my headache???!!!!!" Finally they found a pain med that got rid of it, and he slept.

The next morning they put a drain into the pocket of infection, and drained a ton out. He went into the hospital on Wednesday night and we brought him home on Sunday. It was a rough week - he's been in pain, sick to his stomach, etc. He's weak, and shaky, but alive! We figured that the appendix probably burst Sunday night, so he actually went 3 days with a burst appendix before we found it. He should have died. And, in fact, if the infection hadn't encapsulated, he would have died probably within the first 24 hours. Monday night, after studio, the professors told everyone that they had to move all of their stuff around to another area of the studio, so Grant even did that with a burst appendix! On his facebook post, he said: "Was so busy being manly last week, that when my appendix completely exploded all over my insides, I didn't even notice. I shouldn't be alive right now."

We've realized, as we've pieced together the events of the last week, that because of priesthood blessings (he got several - from Rick and his friends), but especially because his brother, Michael, is serving a mission, Grant was spared. We are SO grateful for Michael's service, and the blessings it brings to our family. Really, Grant could be gone right now, but because of his brother's faithful service, he is here. We thank Michael from the bottom of our hearts.

Grant is so happy to be home. (So am I - I stayed at the hospital, almost non-stop, for the whole week - it's was a little tough, since I was still recovering from my surgery.) The previous weekend, when I told Michael that everyone in the family was either recovering from surgery or sick, he wrote back saying: "I'll bet you're all super glad that I'm on a mission or you would all just be mostly dead. Yay for blessings!" That was the day that Grant's appendix burst. Michael had no idea for a week what had happened. YAY FOR BLESSINGSm indeed!

RECOVERY - The Worst Part of Surgery

PAIN! Yep, the thing I've been dreading is here - recovering from surgery. Yeesh! Ok, I'm just gonna say it - liposuction SUCKS! That's right... it really sucks. I've got bruises everywhere. There are even bruises in places they didn't lipo.

If any of you are wondering - I had a tummy tuck last year to get rid of that scary stuff called abdominal fat. It's really BAD stuff - it can cause things like cancer recurrence - and I'm NOT going through that again, so I thought I'd better say goodbye to the abdominal fat. And, quite frankly, the fastest way to do that is a tummy tuck. So, I did it. But, my doc wouldn't do the lipo part until my scar was completely healed up, and ALL the swelling went down. So, that took like 5 months. And then I got a bacteria in my stomach that made me really sick for a few months, and then my gall bladder freaked out, and I had to postpone the lipo surgery to have my gall bladder taken out! So, here we are - 10 months after the tummy tuck - finishing up.

Yesterday, I went through the joy of losing most of the liquid they pumped into my body (4 liters) - through the incisions. Poor Rick was doing laundry as fast as he could. I was weak from loss of blood. We were both pretty miserable. But, sometime during the night, it stopped. Thank heaven. I went in for a post-op appt. today, and the doctor said it looks good. There's still a bunch of swelling, of course, but he said that within 2-3 months, I'll look much better. YAY!

And the important part... that stupid abdominal fat is GONE. During the first surgery, they cut out 9 lbs of skin and fat! And during this surgery, they removed almost 5 liters of fat. Wow.

Ok, I'm gonna end it here, because it really hurts to sit up in this chair. So... off I go to recover some more. :-)

Surgery #15 - That's right,.. 15.

I'm getting ready for another surgery today. I'm not sure how long it will take to recover from this one - hopefully not long. It's hard to know though. I've cleaned my bedroom and bathroom, done all the laundry, and still need to clean the fridge out, and go grocery shopping tonight.

It's nice to have everything clean, and now I know I'll be able to relax while I recover. We haven't asked for any help - the boys and Rick all know how to take care of themselves, and me, so we really don't need anything. I've got a ton of books and movies to keep myself occupied, and my cancer blog is scheduled out through the end of the week. I think I'm ready.

Tomorrow I have to be at the surgical center at 10:45 am. I have to wear something I can just slip into - that zips up the front, I can't eat anything (or drink anything) after midnight, and I have to wear these stupid hose up to my knees, and bring the binder for around my stomach. Ugh.

Wish me luck!

Missionary Moments - A Desire to be Baptized

Today we got an email from Michael. Michael is serving in the Mexico, Veracruz mission. He is proselyting in Posa Rica right now. It's going to be a busy month for him and his companion. They are working on 3-4 investigators who have all recently committed to baptism. The thing that frustrates Michael the most is that several of these people can't be baptized because they are waiting for someone else to do something first. For instance, one investigator isn't married to her partner. They've been living together for 20 years, but he is still married to his wife (in the temple!), and has been ex-communicated for years. All he needs to do is sign on the line of the divorce papers, and he refuses to do it. So, that is what's holding this woman back from her baptism. How do you even deal with something like that?

I feel Michael's frustration. Of course, he asked us to pray for her, and for all of his investigators. I know that Satan works extra hard against investigators and missionaries. I also know that prayers are powerful, and that Christ is stronger than Satan. I know that eventually these investigators will join the church and it will change their lives. Faith will be a big part of this process.

In 2 Nephi 26:13 we are reminded: "And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith."

Hopefully Elder Herron will be able to teach these investigators to search the Book of Mormon to find the answers to the problems they are having. For now, they are in our prayers, and in the hands of some of the Lord's choicest servants.

New Year's Resolution - Discipleship

It's New Year's Day 2012 - I think I'm like most other people... wanting to make a new start, improve myself, etc. Usually I make a list of resolutions at the beginning of the year... and then that lasts for a few weeks or, if I'm really diligent, a few months. In fact, I believe the only resolution I've ever kept completely is the one I made 2 years ago - to stop drinking soda. Alex and Matthew made the same goal. For me it was because I knew I shouldn't be throwing back that much sugar (I hate diet drinks), Alex was in training for football and soda is a no-no, and Matthew probably just wanted in on the action. We challenged each other. It was like a competition, and none of us would back down. We made it to the end of the year, and we kept going. What a great feeling to have accomplished that.

This year, as I thought about all of the changes I need to make, it became overwhelming! That's right... NEWS FLASH... I'm not perfect. Usually my list is pretty long. One year, I even made a goal in each area of my life - physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual - you get the idea. This year, I've decided that I want to succeed, so I'm making only one goal - I figure anyone (even me) can do one thing really well for a year! As I looked at all of those areas of my life, I decided that the spiritual part of me needs work. BIG time. So, I'm going with Getting Closer To Christ. One person I know picks one word that will describe her year. This year her word is Discipleship. I like that. So, my year will be all about Discipleship. I'm planning to use some of the following to help with my goal...

1. A daily thought from the Book of Mormon. There is a small book, available at Deseret Book and Seagull Book, called "When Ye Shall Receive These Things - Daily Reflections On The Book of Mormon" by Lloyd D. Newell and Robert L. Millet. It has a thought for each day of the year. Once I've read the thought, I'll try to post about it on facebook. Which leads to my second item...

2. Using the internet as a tool of Discipleship. I really enjoy it when my friends share quotes from the prophets on facebook. I'm on the internet all the time... I've got blogs (which I don't update often enough), twitter, facebook, email, etc. Plenty of opportunities there! M. Russell Ballard, in a commencement address at BYU-Hawaii in 2007, said this...

"This is the world of the future, with inventions undreamed of that will come in your lifetime as they have in mine. How will you use these marvelous inventions? More to the point, how will you use them to further the work of the Lord?"

I'm going to try to join the conversation about the church on the internet, and use this amazing missionary tool!

3. I got a book several months ago, called "21 Days Closer To Christ", by Emily Freeman, promising myself that I would use it. I did - for one week. It's such an incredible book! I'd like to use it this year, only instead of using each "day", or chapter, daily, I'll be using it weekly. I just want a little bit longer to focus on each chapter.

4. A few months ago, I read a quote from D. Todd Christopherson that said:

"Obtain a new, inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon, and mark all of the verses that refer to, or teach about, the Savior, His ministry, and His mission. This brings both a deeper witness of Jesus as the Son of God and a fresh appreciation of what He has done and continues to do for us."

I've already got a copy of the Book of Mormon with a blue cover - an inexpensive one - and I've written that quote on the inside cover. I'm excited to try this different way of recognizing Christ in the scriptures.

5. I've never been good at journaling, but at some point last year, I started to keep track of the insights I gain while studying the scriptures. I'll try to continue doing this. Because I was looking specifically for new insights, I found quite a few.

I'm sure there are many more tools that I can, and will, use to become a better disciple of Christ this year. Hopefully, by the end of the year, if I've put in the effort (and I don't forget all about this resolution in 2 months), I'll be more in tune with the Spirit, and much closer to my best friend - Jesus Christ.

Good luck with your new year resolutions!

Mom, Can We Talk?

I'm feeling lucky and grateful today. Lucky to have 4 wonderful boys. And grateful - oh so grateful - that they feel like they can tell me anything. There nothing quite like listening to a teenage boy pour his heart out, knowing that his mom will always accept and love him, no matter what.

My heart feels like bursting.

(This post wasn't prompting by anything specific, just memories)

ALMOST WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - Grant Herron Photography

Thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures that my son, Grant, has taken...

Grant is on a team in a pool league, and snapped this shot at their last game...



This is his first photo shoot for senior photos. I love the composition of this picture...



He went to a yard sale and found this cool old Schwinn bike...



Senior pictures for our friends' foreign exchange student - Anna Marit...



The college life...



Our newest family picture - LOVE it...



Another senior pictures photo shoot - it was a rainy day, and Grant made the most of it...



This last picture is from Grant's latest family photo shoot. Is that not the most adorable little boy you've EVER seen?!



If you'd like to see more, just visit Grant's photography blog: grantherronphotography.blogspot.com

He also does photo restoration. Here is a sample...

From this...



To this...



Amazing, right?

FRIDAY FREEDOM: Rescuing Liberty

"The contest for ages has been to rescue liberty from the grasp of executive power." ~Daniel Webster

THURSDAY THOUGHTS - Do I look like I want to live in the 60s again?!

I waited until this evening to post today for Thursday Thoughts, mostly because I didn't have alot of thoughts this morning. But, since I've spent the day today shopping, I now have LOTS of thoughts - mostly bad!

Can I just say how much I HATE the clothes they have in stores right now?! Seriously, this is my second day of trying to find a skirt and shirts to wear to church, and I can't find one thing I like. I feel like I'm in some kind of time warp that just dumped me back into the sixties! YUCK! And what's with all the sleeveless shirts? Geez! I'm kind of in between regular sizes and women's sizes right now, and so finding something that fits is impossible. The women's sizes all drown me (I swear, they must think that the bigger someone's butt is, the bigger their boobs are! That is NOT the case, believe me.) Anything I try on looks like I'm a little girl trying on my mom's clothes. It's ridiculous. But, I'm not yet able to get into the biggest of the normal sizes. So, I'm pretty much out of luck.

All I want is a simple skirt - one that comes down to about mid-calf. But, right now, nothing goes below the knee. If I had nice looking knees and calves, that wouldn't be a problem. But, right now, the last thing I want to do is show off my knees and calves. Another problem I have is that the buyers for the stupid stores must think that if you have to wear women's sizes, you are not that into fashion. You must WANT to look like your grandmother! Right?! WRONG! Why, oh why, can't they make those cute dresses in women's sizes too? Huh?

I was so depressed after my shopping trip today, that I ended up at the fabric store, buying this really beautiful, silky material for a skirt. I. DON'T. SEW. Slight problem, there. The last time I tried to just get a bunch of material, hem it, and put an elastic through the waist, I ended up with something that looked like a parachute (complete with wind) around my waist. I looked like I weighed 800 lbs. I know there are patterns, and sewing machines, and WAYS to do this kind of thing, but I don't have a clue. *sigh*

So, now, I'm resorting to trying to order a skirt from the internet. I have a feeling this is not going to go well. If I was a perfect size 8 or whatever, I would probably always order things online, but, well... I'm not.

The good news of the day... I did find 4 new shirts. I have nothing to wear them with, but I feel like I made a little progress today. I'm not even going to tell you what that cost me. Two of them are made from this shimmery, pretty material. Yes, I said TWO. Yes, I did buy the exact same shirt in two different colors, because I just loved it so much.

And, you know, that Dillards store is EXPENSIVE! I'm never going there again. At least not until I'm a gazillionaire.

-Kara

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY - 24th of July Pioneer Parage Memories

Just found these cute pictures of my kids with the Spear kids at the 24th of July parade in Salt Lake City many years ago. As far as I can tell, it's probably about 14 years ago!

TUESDAY TALES & MEMORIES - Dinosaurs!!

"Dinosaurs may be extinct from the face of the planet, but they are alive and well in our imaginations." -Steve Miller, Freaks!

Dinosaurs are a big attraction to little boys, and I've got four of them (boys, not dinosaurs). I've been looking through some pictures because I remembered a hilarious one that involves the boys and dinosaurs. This picture shows Alex sitting on his dad's shoulders, screaming at the top of his lungs, while behind him looms a huge Tyrannosaurus Rex. Also in the picture, of course, is Rick - the guy who is suppose to save little Alex from the big, bad dinosaur, but instead of running away, Rick is standing there, laughing! Unfortunately I can't find that exact picture (doesn't it just drive you crazy when that happens?!) But, here is another dinosaur with Alex crying in front... (and Rick laughing, of course)



Let's clear a few things up: First, said dinosaur was indeed huge, but was NOT real (are you surprised by this?). It was, however, making a very real sounding dino growl. In fact, if you closed your eyes, and listened, it did sound like the dinosaur was very close, and was going to be enjoying a meal consisting of Alex at any moment. Second, Alex was probably 2. He had no idea the dino wasn't real. Third, Alex's hero was his dad, so when Rick chose to laugh instead of run, he moved down the ladder a couple of rungs in Alex's eyes.

I have to admit, though, it was HILARIOUS! Just look at Alex's face! (He was actually trying to crawl over top of Rick's head to get away from the dinosaur in the picture that I couldn't find.) *snicker* And this amused his brothers to no end.

As I thought about dinosaurs, I realized that we've been lots of places to "see the dinosaurs". We are just miles from the world's largest dinosaur museum - Thanksgiving Point - and have visited a couple of times. We've been to St. George to see the Dinosaur Discovery Site at the Johnson Farm. We've taken the kids to Dinosaur National Monument - near Vernal, UT. The Dinosaur park we visited (where the dino almost ate Alex) is up near the Ogden area of Utah. And I hear that Hogle Zoo, in Salt Lake City, now has a dinosaur exhibit. I guess we'd better load the (not so little) boys up, and visit Hogle Zoo soon. If I remember right, we also had a dinosaur room for Grant and Michael in Pennsylvania. Oh, and I can't forget the dinosaur underwear that all of the kids wore.

Here's some more fun dino pictures I found...

This is in Park City - their balloon festival in 1989, or something like that...


This is my friend LoriAnne with my boys, walking past that huge T-Rex...

This is a dino birthday party we had - wish we could see it better...

This is a picture of my kids (top row) and my nephews (Kris's kids)... and a disembodied dino head - no wonder they don't look worried...

Here are the boys with a giant Triceratops...
If you click on this picture, it will be enlarged, and you can see little Matthew in front of that same big T-Rex, and he looks pretty worried...

Here, Grant and Michael dig for dinosaur bones with their friends, Jeff and Riley...

And here is another cousin picture in front of an other Triceratops...


I read this quote that I think explains the fascination my kids had/have with dinosaurs:

"It's very simple why kids are crazy about dinosaurs -- dinosaurs are nature's Special Effects. They are the only real dragons. Kids love dragons. It's not just being weirdly shaped and being able to eat Buicks. It's that they are real." -ROBERT T. BAKKER, Honolulu Advertiser

I've even saved a bunch of the boys' dinosaurs for my grand-kiddoes. I can't wait to show them the joys of dinosaurs. ("They" don't actually exist yet.)

Monday Motivation - Thanks Be To God

I've been blog-surfing today, and found a wonderful quote that THIS BLOGGER used to paint on rocks. I really love this quote. I've been trying to figure out lately how to get myself to pray more often. This just might do the trick...

"WHAT IF YOU WOKE UP TODAY WITH ONLY THE THINGS YOU THANKED GOD FOR YESTERDAY?"

Sweet Land of Liberty

Today is the 4th of July, and I sit here watching the mini-series John Adams, based on the book by David McCoullough. I am just amazed at the wonderful men and women who founded this free country.

I love with all my heart the country I am privileged to live in. I am more grateful than I can say, for those brave men and women whose sacrifices allow us to remain free.

Even though our country's problems are great, and I disagree with the leaders at this time, I know that we will be ok. God's mercy and love shines on this country, and always will, as long as we remember God in our lives.

I am often inspired when I read words that have been written about this country. So, I thought I'd share some here...

"If our country is worth dying for in time of war let us resolve that it is truly worth living for in time of peace." -Hamilton Fish

"Where liberty dwells, there is my country." -Benjamin Franklin

"It is the love of country that has lighted and that keeps glowing the holy fire of patriotism." ~J. Horace McFarland

"My God! How little do my countrymen know what precious blessings they are in possession of, and which no other people on earth enjoy!" -Thomas Jefferson

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." -John Adams

"The sacred rights of mankind are not to be rummaged for among old parchments or musty records. They are written, as with a sunbeam, in the whole volume of human nature, by the hand of the divinity itself; and can never be erased." - Alexander Hamilton

"It is impossible to rightly govern a nation without God and the Bible." -George Washington

Two years ago, I wrote a similar post that included many great quotes about our country. If you'd like to read those quotes, click HERE.

Have a wonderful 4th of July.