FAMILY

NEVER GIVE UP

Since the Worldwide Broadcast in February, it seems like the focus of our ward and stake, in conferences, has been on spending more meaningful time with our families. Making family scripture study, family prayer, family dinner and family home evening traditions in our families. We have been trying!

We only attempted family scripture study one other time, when we lived in our Pesaro home. After its grand success, I suppose, and then having Kristen head off to seminary before the world should be awake, we abandoned the idea. I feel bad. I don't think Sadie ever got to participate in family scripture study. Thankfully Jon has always been good about having family home evening, and we have studied the scriptures together during that time on many occasions. But as I finally finished reading what was talked about at the broadcast, (only three months late!), I was committed once again to do and be better! Here are a few of the words that gave me hope:

"I don't think it takes a lot of extra activity or time to follow the Lord's plan. It can be done in simple ways. I think one of the most important concepts for parents to grasp about a home is to create a climate. Often we say it's tasks or we measure things by achievements or things or lists. But we can think of a climate where something can grow. The word nurture means to help something grow. Something can't grow where it's too dry or too cold or the ground is too hard. The job of parents in rearing children is to keep that climate where things can grow with the Spirit, where there's faith and hope and charity."
Julie Beck, General Relief Society President

I need to work on my climate!

"I also think that the help and the power for a sealed eternal family comes from the temple...parents in the temple are given that power to receive answers, to receive revelation to resolve what they need to resolve."
Julie Beck

I need to spend more time in the temple. With summer coming up, I always think there will be more time, but last summer proved me wrong! So like anything else that is good in life, I know I have to plan my temple time, mark it on my calendar each week, and then let nothing interfere with it. I'm going to be a better temple attender this summer than I was last summer!

I know there is nothing in this world more important than our families. I'm am going to try harder, to not let other "things" get in the way of these essential ones. I hope that "writing it down" will help me in making that happen!

SADIE'S NEW HOME



Sadie and I spent Wednesday and Thursday working our tails off! (we missed Kristen!, she helped us move in) Luckily Sadie had almost everything already packed, it was physically getting it out of her Salt Lake apartment and into our cars. As we left the hotel Wednesday morning to head to her apartment the rain was pouring. I was thinking, "How are we going to get her stuff into the cars without everything getting soaked?" When we arrived at her apartment, it stopped raining (tender mercy!) I told her I was going to start making trips out with her hanging clothes while we had a window of opportunity. We immediately started climbing the stairs, many, many trips up and down from the third floor, with everything that was ready. Things went pretty smoothly. Then came the bigger and heavier stuff! The desk and the big, old TV were the worst. Luckily we were laughing hysterically at ourselves instead of crying. Bruised and missing a few fingernails, sore from head to toe, and exhausted we left her new apartment about 1:30 Thursday morning. As I was walking to my car I noticed the ever dreaded "boot" on my tire. Only in Provo!!! It was raining and I couldn't believe we were going to have to wait to get someone over to get this thing off my car before we could go to Brenda's and crawl into bed. Luckily, (another tender mercy), the guy who put the boot on my car was still looking for other offenders in the parking lot. We were just 10 minutes too late in leaving that night. Anyway, we were able to get her all unpacked and settled before we left. I think she will enjoy her new home for the next couple of months!

FINGERNAIL DISASTER!



LOOK AT MY POOR FINGERNAILS!!!! I seriously can't remember in the last 13 years when my nails have looked like this. I missed my last two nail appointments and last night decided to cut them completely off. NUBBIN'S! I am enjoying typing right now, but I can't believe all the things I use fingernails to do! Oh my gosh, they better grow fast. Besides that, I look like I have little boy hands. I am ashamed to see Kim, my manicurist on Tuesday :).