Decluttering

It is amazing what a little de-cluttering in your home can do for you. My living room has haunted me with clutter for a really long time. I finally just shoved everything in boxes and only pulled out what was necessary to keep in the living room (granted it isn't all done yet, I still have to declutter behind one more area). I feel so much better. I put a nice rug in it and we recently acquired an electric fireplace. It makes the room seem so much more homey feeling. I am loving it. It has made the spirit in the home change too. (and it has only been 2 days!) It is wonderful. Now I know that changing this will help physically, but, I need to work more on my spiritual clutter. I am thinking that I need to throw everything into a box and pull out the most important things. I think I can do that. I am going to give it a try. Wish me luck!

Have a :0) day!

Feelings of joy on a sick day

I woke up this morning and felt okay but I was a little light headed. However I thought I could get up and get dressed and it would go away. However it didn't and by the time I was supposed to take my kids to my friends and go work out at the gym, I still didn't feel well. I am still not running at 100% and I feel very icky. It was starting to become hard to make today a good day. I made a payment on a medical bill, Called to make an appointment to get my van looked at yet again, took my daughter to her appointment and then came home. I had one more thing on my "Mandatory" to do list today and it was to call Primary Childrens.

I called and I was put on HOLD for FOREVER! I waited and waited patiently. I was on hold for 28 minutes. I started the laundry again while I was waiting and finally someone talked to me. See we had put in an application for financial assistance and I hadn't heard from them yet. So I had called to see if they had approved it or not. Our bill was around $2000. I waited for them to look up the account on their computer and I heard, "Yes, your application was accepted." Okay So how much?? Well They covered all but $100 dollars. WHAT???? Wow! I totally didn't expect that!

I called my mom because she had intended on helping me out with that bill and she said she would and so today we got it paid off.

So my crappy sick not wanting to do anything day, Has become a day to rejoice that I now own my daughter. She is mine. I owe nothing more for her medical stuff. YAY!

Have a :0) Day!

General Conference Wonderment

Normally during conference I am sitting here fighting with the kids to be quiet and to listen and then about 20 minutes into it I send them upstairs to watch cartoons so I can actually hear the talks. That is how a conference USUALLY goes.

Today however was different. I prepared the kids early and told them that the first Saturday and Sunday of the month, the Prophet and some of his apostles were going to talk to us. I told them that they have this meeting 2 times a year and expect us to listen so that we can learn more about Jesus and his gospel. I mentioned to them that the Prophet gives us words of encouragement and advice to help us get through our daily lives and that he gives us commandments that we can follow, that will make it easier for us to return to live with Heavenly Father. I also told them that they could take notes. They were given the option to draw their notes in pictures or in words.

So this morning when they whined at first that they would have to sit through the whole thing, I was sure that I would be sending them upstairs within the first 30 minutes. I WAS WRONG!

All 3 of them sat through both sessions and My two older kids actually TOOK NOTES!!! And good notes too! The youngest took notes in her own little way (By scribbling). I was so Surprised. I didn't have to fight them. I didn't have to send them upstairs. It was an amazing session too. The kids heard how much the Prophet and Apostles loved them and it was neat to watch them sustain our Prophet and all the leaders of our church.

Needless to say, today was a happy day and it was enjoyable to be here listening to conference as a family, with no contention and with listening hearts.

Have a :0) Day!

Sister In Law

Have I ever told you how much I love my family? I have so many great sisters and brothers. (both step, in-law, and of course my real brother). I love them all so much.

Today I am going to tell you about one specific Sister in Law. She is always making sure that we are doing well. I love her for that. She voices her concern, she lets me know that I am doing a good job, (which helps when I am having a down day and need validation), She always makes me feel better as a mom. She is not afraid to confront me if I have said something that has offended her. I love that in a person. And even though sometimes hearing that you have offended someone hurts, it helps to know so that you can fix the problem. I feel very lucky to have her as my Sister in Law.

Wednesday I was talking to her on facebook and I was thinking that it would be nice to call her and have a conversation with her. I love talking on the phone with her because we talk about EVERYTHING! And I mean it. Anyway, I hadn't spoken to her on the phone for almost 2 weeks and she must have had the same impression because she called me yesterday! We talked about 8 million different things.

I don't know what it is about this particular Sister in Law, but whenever I am really searching for answers to a question I have had for a while, I can almost guarantee that I can get it from talking to her. She really helped me come up with some solutions to a few issues we have had this week and really for quite some time.

Anyway I just love her so much. I wish we lived closer so we could do stuff together. I guess a trip to Washington is going to have to happen as soon as Possible.

As a disclaimer-I just want you to know that I do love all of my brothers and sisters a lot and I have great stories about them all. This is just one I needed to share right now :)

Have a :0) Day!

Time to take a leap of faith

So tonight as I was sitting here wasting time on the internet instead of cleaning my house or doing something productive, I opened my email and read it all. Just as I was about to close it and do something productive an email popped up. It was from a company in Salt Lake offering my husband an interview for a job. Okay....Neat right?? Yeah well they wanted to meet with him tomorrow at 2. TOMORROW! Yeah so we thought about it and my husbands current job is 2 men short this week, if my husband were to have taken off tomorrow that would have put them 3 men down. So we decided to pray about it. The answers weren't clear, but we felt like we needed to take a step into the dark.

We got the feeling that we should email back and tell them his situation and his concerns and they have agreed to meet with him NEXT week instead. So next week he will be going to Salt Lake to an interview.

The company seems pretty adamant to meet with him. He must be super qualified or something. I am excited for a new adventure in life, however I am also sad that this may be the end of this chapter in our lives. I have loved living in Logan and I have many friends here in the Cache Valley. (I know you are all saying, Well Salt Lake isn't THAT far away) but it is far enough away that I will have to make friends with new people. That is a scary thing for me.

I know that the Lord has a plan for me. It seems very open right now but I am sure there is a reason for that. Maybe he is trying to get us to make decisions (I am not very good at that). I don't know why things are so open. I do know that whatever happens is the Lords will. It will all work out and the reasons we are starting a new chapter will be revealed.

Dallyn Vail Bayles says it best in this beautiful Song. This is how I feel tonight.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Father in Heaven, hear my humble plea.
Lost in the darkness Lord am I, Seeking light and hope from Thee.
How I fought but now at last I find my strength alone is not enough,
I need you by my side.

Not my will but Thine be done, O Lord
Not my will but Thine be done.
Not my will, not my path, not my way, but Thine.
Not my will, Lord, but Thine be done.

What must I do Lord?
What must I sacrifice?
Only to feel thy peace again, I'd pay any price.
To have hope to know the path to choose.
To have just one more chance to try, Lord, I give my heart to you.

Not my will but Thine be done, O Lord.
Not my will but Thine be done.
Not my will, not my path, not my way, but Thine.
Not my will, Lord, but Thine be done.

I thought I was strong,
Needing nothing for my guide.
Can it be that I need help from Above?
Can it be?
Unyielding me-
Down on my knees?

Teach me to love, Lord.
Teach me humility
Mold me and shape me as Thou wilt
Lord, I trust this life to Thee
Like a child, I place my hand in Thine
And now at last I feel You near
As I give my life to You

Not my will but Thine be done, O Lord
Not my will but Thine be done.
Not my will, not my path, not my way, but Thine.
Not my will, Lord, but Thine be done.

Not my will, Lord, but Thine be done.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I know that wherever I am supposed to be, it is the Lords Will. I will GO and DO.

Have a :0) Day!

Time to clean the windows

Yesterday was a long day, with family over and a birthday party. However the day ended on a sweet and peaceful note. I was able to go to the General Relief Society meeting. Our stake does a dinner before hand and it was really good. The meeting started and we all sat down to listen. Sister Beck reminded us about the importance of knowing who we are and what our mission is. She also mentioned that it is important to learn the principles and patterns of the gospel. It is important for us to pick those up so that we will be able to continually teach them to others. Sister Allred talked to us about way to be fast and immovable, 1. Prayer, 2. Scripture Study, 3. Obedience, 4. Service. Sister Thompson talked about Visiting teaching and the importance of bearing one anothers burdens, increase in unity and love, care for and pray for the sisters on our lists. Last but SO not least, our Prophet spoke to us and told us a story about a couple who moved in to a place and the wife would talk to her husband about how the neighbors laundry is always dirty and that she didn't know how to do her laundry right. A few weeks went by (or days or whatever amount of time) and the wife woke up and noticed that her neighbors laundry was clean. She asked her husband how it was possible that she had learned how to get her laundry clean and her husband said, funny thing, I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows.

He then used this analogy to describe how we should not judge people. How we don't know what other people are experiencing in their lives or how they got there. There is no way we can know the circumstances of another. "If you judge people, you have no time to love them" (I can't remember who said it). Another quote was "To pity distress is but Human, to relieve it is Godlike." (I don't remember who said that one either.)

We need to accept people as we really are. As I got to thinking about this afterward, I got the feeling that there was more to the message for me than what was actually said. I came home and thought about it for a while and I studied my notes and it finally occurred to me that the message was much deeper. I realized at that moment that the problem with me wasn't with Judging OTHERS, my problem was Judging MYSELF. I realized that I don't see myself the same way as Christ and Heavenly Father do. I will be working on that in the next little while.

It was a beautiful meeting. I really enjoyed it.


Have a :0) day!

Yesterday was 2 years!

Yesterday marked 2 years since I sat down at the bottom of my stairs and had a breakdown. Two years ago I didn't know what my life would bring. Sitting here today I look back and think about where I have been since then and life is so different. I think differently, I live my life differently. Things change!

Life became important. It became worth living. I learned to love it.

I love my life! I am thankful for all those who knew something was wrong and said something about it. I am thankful for those who went the extra mile to make sure that I would be okay simply by driving by to see how I was doing. I am thankful for the prayers and love that people showed me when I was experiencing this low time in my life.

There are a few people that really helped me to change. My husband was my rock. My bishop was my teacher. My bishops wife was my support. My friends and family were also my support.

Honestly the person I owe the biggest Gratitude for is my Bishop. He understood what I needed to do and cared enough to make sure I went through with things. He helped me to find myself and to find the testimony I needed to continue on. He helped me to find the values in my life and helped me to find the will to want to continue to live to carry them out. He helped me realize how much I needed my husband and my children and my family. He helped me to overcome some really hard things. Things that even my family never knew about. (if my family is reading this, it would be better for you not to ask me what I am talking about because I have worked through it and it is no longer important).

So Thank you Bishop G.. You were my teacher and you helped me to understand the gospel so much more that I LOVE my life! You helped me to change for the better and I am who I am today because you Cared.

Have a :0) Day!

Family Pictures, Silly games, and Growing up.

This week has been so much fun. My brother came and he has been here for a few days. On Thursday we went to the store and got my daughters birthday presents bought and we went out to lunch at Cafe Sabor (yummmmmmmy!). Then we came home and played finger bowling (seriously the pins are tiny and you use a marble to bowl....it was so much fun. We also played trick pong (kind of a made up game with ping pong balls and some cups) We seriously played these games for hours. It is amazing how a few ping pong balls and some little bowling pins and marbles can entertain one for hours. So anyway we have had a ton of fun.

Tonight as I was looking at my wall, I realized that I had not put our new family pictures up yet. We had our pictures taken in APRIL! I finally decided that I needed to get them done so I made my brother go to Walmart with me at 10:45 at night and got some printer paper. Then we came home and I printed the pictures. My wall looks great! I am so glad I finally got it done.

Today I have spent a lot of time preparing for a big birthday party tomorrow. My youngest is turning three in the morning. She is super excited to see the family. Tonight I made a fun Birthday banner and got all of the decorations up. Tomorrow morning I will go get her cake and some fun balloons and then we will be set! She is growing up so fast. Time is flying. I sometimes wish I could slow it down. I hope she has the best birthday.

I am getting tired, but I am happy tonight. Many great things are happening. Have a :0) day!

Taco Soup

I was about to lock my children in a closet and leave them there for a week, when my husband came home an hour early from work and saved me.

Okay I wasn't really going to lock them in a closet but I sure was getting tired of the whining, fighting, screaming, and craziness that happens after school is out. Needless to say it was a HAPPY moment when he walked in the door and I said, they are all yours.

I often think about when my husband wasn't able to come home and save me. It was a hard thing to do and I don't envy anyone who has to do the parenting thing alone. I have been there. IT IS NOT EASY! I have several friends who have had to do this for various reasons, and I often think of them. They are in my prayers daily and I may not know exactly how they feel but I have a little glimpse of what they have to do every day. I think they are absolutely amazing!

Tonight as my husband took over by doing dishes and making dinner, (taco soup), I realized how extremely lucky I am to have a wonderful husband who really truly loves me and even when he has had a long day at work, if I have had a bad day he will come home and usually take over. I am glad I have him....I am glad he loves me enough to care.

I LOVE HIM!!!!


Now as for the Taco Soup....MMMMMM YUMMMY! It is truly a bit of heaven :)


Have a :0) Day!

Way way too long

You would think that I would be able to come here for 10 minutes each day and update this.....wow it has been a long time. The kids have started school and the youngest and I have had a chance to spend a lot of one on one time together. I have enjoyed it a lot. I can also fit in a nap once in a while! It has been nice.

This has been a long year and yet it is flying by so quickly. I really do plan on keeping this blog going and I am sorry I have not been here updating it. So here is an update to what has happened since I last wrote.

We went camping a few times this summer. The kids love to go camping. Our last camping trip was quite WINDY. Somehow though it was one of the best camping trips I have ever been on. It is amazing what a great family gathering will do for you.

The kids of course started school as I mentioned before. My oldest is in 3rd grade and behind her is my son who is in 1st grade. They love school and their teachers. They have 2 of the best teachers in the school. Their teachers fit their personalities really well.

My oldest is still doing counseling and she has been learning a lot about dealing with her feelings of sadness and hurt. She is learning that she has more control over her feelings. It is so hard for her and my heart breaks knowing that because of her medication that her feelings are intensified. It is hard to watch her sometimes knowing that no matter what I say, she will not feel any better. She is a strong little girl though and she never ceases to amaze me.

My son is doing really well in school. He is learning a lot and is starting to read better than he already was this summer. He is loving school and has made friends and loves his teacher. He lost his first tooth last week and was super excited.

My youngest will be 3 on Saturday. She has such a funny little personality and she is loved by so many people. She wins the hearts of perfect strangers in the blink of an eye. It is amazing and I am sure this will come as an advantage to her at some point in her life. It could also be a disadvantage but lets hope not.

My husband has been searching for a job anywhere. We have put in applications all over the United states. He has only been contacted by one company in 2 1/2 years and it really gets frustrating. Hopefully more companies will take him seriously and consider him for a job. It has been difficult in the last few years not knowing what each week will bring as far as work goes. However we have made it this far and will hopefully make it a long time no matter the circumstances. At least we have each other.

As for me. I am the PTA president for the 2nd year in a row and I love it. I say that and I honestly don't think people believe me. I am also a member of the community council. I really enjoy doing stuff for the community. It makes me sad that more people are not involved. I am currently considering going back to school to become an EMT. I think that would be a fun profession and it is something I have excelled in my whole life. It is going to take a year or two to get enough education in for it and I probably won't be able to start for another year. By the time I am finished all 3 kids will be in school and I will be able to work a little without worrying about the kids so much.

My testimony has grown immensely this year. It has been nearly a year since my brush with death. I am so thankful to be here and so happy to have had this last year to see my children grow and become so much smarter and loving. I have built a really good relationship with my Lord. I have been blessed so much in the last year. I know that things haven't been perfect and that things have been hard but I have also really had some amazing moments.

I have experience so many things, pain, suffering, sorrow, hurt, despair, happiness, joy, love, patience, peace, and so many more. Sometimes I feel ALL of these and more emotions within an hour in a day and sometimes I feel the love and peace and happiness for days. Other times I experience the sorrow, hurt, suffering and pain for days but I know that I can come out of it and feel that peace again. This time of year has been a little more difficult than I thought it would be but I know that I am okay.

I am honestly happy today to know that I am alive and well and that I am here. I have been given this chance to shine and I intend on doing so. Until my dying day. Thanks for reading this blog! I hope you will continue to read and I promise to update more often than I have been

Have a :o) day!

Seriously?

Wow I haven't written in 26 days! I guess I need to get on here more and do exactly what it is this blog was put here to do. It has been a long time and a lot has happened since I last wrote. I will start with the 4th and move on from there.

Happiness is a journey as I have discovered. Sometimes you have to fake it until you make it, other times it comes naturally. The 4th was a natural sense of happiness. We took a trip to visit family in Price. It felt so nice to just go and enjoy the sun and spend time with family. We really were relaxed. It was the first time in 10 years that going back felt like home. I vowed I would never live there again, however after that trip I might make an exception. We shall see. We enjoyed fireworks and food. We had a great time and wish that all trips could be that enjoyable.

We decided to stop at Temple Square on the way home from Price. My oldest had been begging me to take them there for a while and so when we were just passing through anyway, we decided to do it. We took the kids to see the Conference center and to the temple grounds and we visited the visitors center with the Christus and went over and saw the new SLC Temple diagram. It was really cool. The kids were excited to see what the inside of the temple looked like. If you haven't seen it, it is worth a trip there to do so. My kids loved every second of the day. We had a ton of fun and it is something they will remember. We also went to Tooele to see Grandma and Grandpa on the way home (really it was out of the way but it was fun)

That week was slow and stressful but we got through it.

My friend Came from Ohio for a visit and one day we went Wedding dress shopping as she is getting married. It was such a fun time to get together with the girls and do something so fun. I enjoyed watching the reactions of my dear friend as she tried each dress on. It was neat to see how happy she was. I thoroughly enjoyed the time I had with my friends that day.


When I returned home that day I had a message or TWENTY from my brother telling me I had to get hold of him and that it was URGENT. I don't mind getting Twenty messages from anyone, however these messages are the hardest to hear. My niece had passed away at the age of 10. I nearly fell over from the news. I didn't know what to say or how to react. The first thing I thought of was my daughter and how she was going to take that one of her best friends had just passed away. I struggled because I knew her mom and dad were both so sad and confused and I didn't know how to help them. I then couldn't imagine losing one of my children although I had lost a baby and felt a loss. It wasn't the same though because I never knew that baby the way we all knew Cheyenne. She was 10. Then I had to remember that she never went a day in her life without being in pain. I had to remember that she was no longer suffering. That she could walk and run with the angels. It makes me sad to know she is gone, but I am truly happy that I will be able to see her again someday.

The funeral was last Monday. I barely made it through the opening prayer (I was asked to say it). It was a beautiful service followed by her being taken to the cemetery in a horse drawn carriage followed by her family and her pony, Rusty.

The next day we spent with my step brother Ryan and his family. We went to Temple Square and had a good time. We visited lots of places and really had a ton of fun. The kids really enjoyed spending time with their cousins. It was a sad reason that we were all together but we tried our best at making it a happy occasion as well. We went and saw The Joseph Smith movie and I loved it. It was the first time I had seen it. I think what made it even more enjoyable was having my oldest there witnessing it with me and having her get nervous and asking me questions as to when things would happen and asking why things happened. I love the age of my oldest because they are curious and they ask many questions.

I am glad she is curious. This Sunday as we were sitting in Sacrament my oldest asked me why we partake of it. I knew the answer but I thought that taking out the scriptures and showing her the answer would be a better way, that way when she needed an answer to a question and I am not there she would know that she could pull out the scriptures and find the answer for herself. She was happy with the answer and seemed very excited to know.

Sunday also marked the ending of a great bishopric. Our bishop was released and another put in. It was a very bittersweet moment. I spent many hours in the bishops office learning about myself and about the gospel, all from a man who was very faithful and had a wonderful testimony. He was an amazing bishop and he will truly be a friend forever. Our new bishop is going to be GREAT. I love him and he will have a great influence on our ward.

Sometimes Change is hard, however it is necessary for growth. This month has been a month of Change and I hope that we all grow from it and the lessons we learn will be helpful to us in the future.

Happiness is a journey and I intend on keeping up with it......Thanks for reading!
Have a :0) Day.

Reflection

I remember about a year and a half ago when I finally lost all sense of who I was. It was a scary place to be. I also remember talking to my bishop after having lost that sense and thinking to myself that the bishop had no clue what he was talking about and that I was perfectly fine. I remember him suggesting counseling and me saying I will think about it, only to avoid it at all lengths for at least another month. He told me that I didn't have a testimony and that about threw me for a loop. I didn't believe him. I thought he was crazy. Ha! I said there is no way this man is right.

After another month of feeling the way I was feeling, I finally called LDS Family Services and set up an appointment. I felt defeated and I was scared of who my counselor might be and that I wouldn't get along with them and that they wouldn't understand the thoughts going through my head. I had no real desire to actually talk at all with the counselor and vowed in my own little brain to keep my thoughts to myself. I did not know what I was doing and I felt like I had so many things going on in my brain. Those voices (if you don't know) are always flip flopping. One minute you will think....YES this is exactly what I need......the next minute.....NO what are you thinking?? You are completely fine, you can do this on your own, you just need to pull yourself up by your boot straps and get on with life. And it is constantly changing literally from MINUTE to MINUTE. It gets kinda scary in your brain and you don't want to be there anymore because you can't stand it. Thoughts enter your mind that you can't get rid of. Thoughts of life being better, thoughts of life ending, thoughts of disaster and pain, thoughts of sorrow and to be honest with you I had those thoughts for a very long time. I thought it was a normal thing to feel the way I did.

As I sit here typing this I feel a bit liberated as I tell you about my thoughts. I wouldn't have shared this with you a year and a half ago....I wouldn't have even brought it up in a conversation and I would have avoided any talk about depression and anxiety. I did not believe that medication would help me. I was stubborn.

I finally met with a counselor, I finally told her what it was I had thought for years and when I said these things in tears, she came over and sat by me and just gave me a little hug and talked with me. She helped me work through the anger of things in the past, the frustration of the things in the presence, and helped me to change the way I thought about the future. I learned a lot from her and now I am able to do it on my own. I don't need to meet with her anymore. Although I truly miss it. I sometimes just want to go back and talk to her, just to talk to her. She was a major part of my life changing experience.

Why? You might be asking am I talking about this. (if you're not, stop reading).

About a week ago I went into my bishops office again (to receive a calling) and while I was there we started talking about where I was a year and a half ago. He said to me...The Cynthia I know now and the Cynthia I knew a year and a half ago are two totally different people. He told me how far he has seen me come and how much I have grown. He told me that the goals I had been reaching for had been reached and that it was time to make new ones. As I sat there and listened to him tell me all of this, I thought back to the way I used to think and really got it. I realized that I was a different person. I now have a testimony of myself and of the church and of God. As long as I am doing the right things to keep my testimony I will never lose it.

It was a long process....to hear that a year and a half later might be amazing to you. I tell you it was always hard. I honestly never thought I would hear those words from my bishop. At least when I started. Now that I have reached that goal........I guess it is time to make some pretty awesome new ones. If I can redefine who I am in one and a half years, just think what I could become! Here is to Life long Happiness!

:0)

Long overdue

Today I am here. I know it has been a long, long time since I last posted. I have put it off and put it off until I could find a REALLY good reason to post here. Today I know I don't have to. I am so happy today. So many wonderful things have happened this month and I am going to share them now.

1. School is OUT!!! That means I have a break from PTA for 2 months! YAY!!
2. The summer hasn't been too hot yet. I have totally loved it.
3. We have had some great friends and family really help us out this month and we were able to make it.
4. We started a new rewards program with the kids and I have never seen kids so happy to do chores in my entire life.
5. We have really stuck to our family scripture study and prayers and have seen such a change in the atmosphere of our home.
6. 3 times I have been able to attend the temple in the last month. Once with my friend Emily (I LOVE YOU EM!) Once with my good friends Travis and Chelsea (LOVE YOU TOO!!) when they received their endowments and then again today when they were sealed. Such a beautiful place to be! I love the temple. I have quite enjoyed the opportunities I have had to go.
7. My inlaws are here visiting and they took the kids for the day while we attended the sealing and they took the kids swimming. We were able to go watch them swim between the wedding and the luncheon. It was fun watching them. I can tell how much they really love our kids.
8. Tonight I am just thankful to be here. I have struggled lately with depression and I am hopefully coming out of a downward slump. Hopefully.

I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend. Thanks for reading (that is if you still do) and HAPPY FATHERS DAY! TO all you wonderful DADS out there!!!

Gardening and Family Pictures

I received a phone call one day from my mom asking me if I wanted money to buy plants for my garden for my birthday. I of course said that would be WONDERFUL! So I got money.

Today, I went to the store and bought all of my plants and then the family went out to our garden spot to plant.

First we had to work hard to dig up all the weeds and get them out of our garden. The kids did really well and they helped take them all to the compost container and then they were getting frustrated so after they finished helping with the weeds we let them play in the sandbox.

This is a community garden area and we were part of it last year as well. It is so much fun to work around so many wonderful people.

Anyway back to the garden. My husband and I continued working and got the garden tilled and planted. Then we watered it and were finished. It looks great! The kids are excited to see the plants grow.

We also planted strawberries on the back porch of our apartment.

My flowers are growing that I planted about a month ago and they are starting to look great. It won't be long until they are so beautiful.

Today was also happy because I finally got our family pictures back. They are so beautiful and I love them all. I think that our photographer was able to capture our personalities and still manage to have some pretty awesome pictures of us!

I am so thankful for the opportunities this life gives us. We are truly blessed to have a place to grow a garden and we are blessed to have such great friends and family.

Today was a Happy day.

Temple Pie

Last night I got a text from a good friend asking if I wanted to go to the temple with her. I accepted the invitation and she came and got me and we went to the temple. It was so awesome. I had not been since July of last year. It was so wonderful to feel that spirit and to just bask in the wonderful feelings you have in the Temple. It has been way too long and I do not intend on waiting that long again to attend. I went with many questions and although I didn't receive any answers pertaining to those particular questions (At least not yet) I felt peace and comfort. While we were sitting in the celestial room I asked my friend if we could stay there forever and just live there. I didn't want to leave. She offered to drive wrecklessly on the way home and I told her there were better ways to go, such as going to Village inn to get pie! So off we went....

At Village in we were seated and we looked at the pie and waited for our waitress to come so we could order........then we waited some more............and some more........we wondered if we had actually died and no one was noticing us. Finally we got someones attention and they came and took our order. We got pie and the waitress asked us if we wanted a side of fries and I asked her if they would be free and she said YES! I wasn't expecting that. It was nice to have a free thing after being forgotten. After we got our fries the waitress left and we enjoyed our YUMMALICIOUS pie and our fries and when the waitress came back, she informed us that our tab had been taken care of. So we ended up getting FREE PIE and FRIES! It was awesome! To top off the yumminess, there were some college boys sitting behind us and they made us LAUGH so much. They were hilarious! They talked about how they hate to go to church and sit behind a couple who are kissing and showing way too much affection, and one kid said "well we shouldn't sleep in church either, but we do!" Then they talked about all the ways they hide that they are sleeping in church. I remember being in College and single and having those SAME conversations with my Room mates! It brought back some pretty funny memories.

Last night was a very Happy Moment on my M2B:0). Thank you dear friend for inviting me to come!