1) Good examples! At the end of January, my nephew, Daniel, received his Eagle Scout Award. If you are a regular blog reader of mine, you know that I love the Scouting program! I am so greatful for the good example that Daniel has been to my boys! It was a special, impactful event. I sat through the program thinking of my boys and looking foward to the day when we can honor them for their accomplishments. Jared loves scouts! It is something that he excells at! Owen is so excited to turn eight, not only so that he can be baptized, but so that he can go to scouts! Makes me so happy!
Daniel recieving his award
The Eagles nest. Dan sitting next to Spencer and Mark
Owen and Johnny are giving Dan a thumb's up!
"I'd like to thank the little people..."
2) I love my job! Getting adjusted to the 8-midnight schedule has been challenging, though. I have been pretty useless in the mornings... I have been so tired, but can't seem to get my body used to taking a nap during the day. So, that means that I have been dragging around most mornings. It is getting better!
The job itself is so fulfilling. I feel like I am doing work that means something. The documents that I have prepared to be available online will connect families! That gets me excited! I have seen so many cool records: Military cards, birth/death/marraige certificates, records from an institution that takes care of "idiots" (they weren't politically correct back in the day). Last night I was working on Nevada directories from the 1800's. Cool stuff! Wish I actually had time to read some of them! I have caught the geneology bug! I have been entering information onto ancestry.com. I am realizing how little I know about my ancestors--especially on my dad's side. (Marilyn, I would love to get whatever info. you have;)
3) Watched the Oscar's on Sunday. I haven't even seen or heard of most of the movies... I think I was more interested in the fancy dresses and the show itself. I really like the way they introduced the nominees.
I have been pondering a few things since Sunday. I was so bothered by the comments of Lance Black and Sean Penn. The Oscars seemed to be a platform for the homosexual movement. Oh I wish I could remember exactly what they said! From what I remember, Mr. Black proclaimed to be a former Mormon and went on about equal rights and how churches need to love and accept them. He also promised that there would be equal rights in the future. Sean Penn chastized Christians and asked them to reflect on how God loves his children. They just don't understand! We do love them!
In church, we had a fabulous lesson on "Christian Courage." The teacher did a role play on three examples on how we react to curious comments or hostility and accusations. After watching the Oscar's I have been thinking a lot about how I would react if asked to explain my views on the homosexuallity topic. I am a bumbling idiot when I am trying to get the thoughts in my head to translate to words coming out of my mouth. I haven't come up with the perfect thing to say yet (probably wouldn't do me any good anyway...). I just pray that If I am ever in a situation that I need to express myself, I will be able to pause, say a quick prayer, and rely on the Spirit! And respond in love!
Bottom line is this. My heart is aches for them. I love them, I know God loves them. But I also believe that they are wrong. Asking me to accept their lifestyle is equalivelent to asking me to accept adultury, pornography, acholism, drug use, etc. as okay, too. These activities do not uplift and bring us closer to Christ. They tear families apart. I've seen it happen many times now... We are all sinners. All of us have different "natural man" challenges in life. Christ teaches us to put off the natural man, and come to Him. By putting off the natural man, we learn discipline, we learn humility, we learn how to sacrifice...and so much more! That is where I stand. I will not support it. I will continue to love them. And I will continue to honor their agency to choose that lifestle.
Okay, hope that made sense and came out even remotely how I wanted it to...
4) I started taking a photography class. Haven't learned anything new yet, but I hope to be able to take fabulous pictures in the future with the vast skills I will be aquiring!
5) We are thinking about getting chickens. Are we crazy! I have been doing a lot of reading from books I've checked out of the library. We shall see! Don't fresh eggs sound yummy!
6) We have had so much snow this year. The kids have loved it! There have been some really beautiful days! Oh how I wish I would have taken more pictures! Here is about the only one that I have of the kids in snow... Julie and Owen are waving to Spencer as he hangs out of the window to get a picture of them. OUr dead end street comes in quite handy and a favorite play spot in the snow as the snow plow pushes all that white stuff to the end of the street
7) I am on facebook! I'm sure that all of you who are regular readers already know that. It has been pretty fun. I have connected with so many friends! I go in spurts, though. Just like anything else...
Here is a 25 random things about me thing that I did on facebook... If you haven't done this tag yet... TAG, your it!
1. I'm an optimist.
2. A memory that I want to remember forever is that of my son, Owen, swinging on the swingset on a Saturday this last summer. I was relaxing in a chair on the lawn and my husband was power spraying the deck. Owen shouts out, "Spray me!!!" and so it began... the gleeful sound of joy as daddy sprayed him. I will never forget the smiles and the laughing that day! I just remember sitting there thinking that I wanted to remember that moment forever!! I took a mental picture in my mind, because I didn’t want to leave to go get the camera and take the chances of missing an ounce of the moment!
3. I have been blessed to have good friends my whole life! They have been such a strength to me!
4. I love cookies! Okay, I love food in general, but cookies are my favorite. My daughter, Hanna, loves it when I say, "now this is comfort food!" And while we are talking about food... My son, Jared, enjoys food more than me!! When he was little, he seriously moaned while he was eating something that he enjoyed. It made me laugh so hard. Occasionally, I still catch him doing it!
5. I am obsessed with house plans. I can stare at them for hours and tweek them until they are perfect. It is a dream to build a house that I designed someday.
6. I love to be quiet and alone with my thoughts sometimes.
7. I wish that I had musical talent like my sister, Debra. I'm okay with my singing, but I really wish that I had the patience to learn how to play the piano, or any instrument for that matter! I am so happy that Hanna was blessed with the talent. Sometimes I feel perfectly content knowing that she is fullfilling a dream for me.
8. As much as I love food, I don't enjoy cooking! Preparing food ruins it for me. I think it is one of those pregnacy things that never went away... Cooking meat especially grosses me out sometimes. And plopping a cup of mayonaise into a pasta salad or something...ick! Everything tastes better when I don't know what has gone into it!
9. I love being a mom and a wife!!! I wish being a mom was a tax deduction... If I got paid for everything I do, I would be so stinkin' rich! Oh well, I may not be stinkin' rich in a monetary sense, but I have wealth beyond measure in many other ways!
10. I have always been a very spiritual person. I say my prayers and read my scriptures every day. I know God lives. I know he loves me. I know he hears me when I pray.
11. I love America!! I get choked up every time I see a flag raised, see a good deed done, see a veteran, think of the sacrifices of those who have done so much for my freedoms, hear/sing the national anthem (or any patriotic song for that matter), or watch a 4th of July parade. The 4th of July is one of my top three favorite holidays! I love celebrating the 4th in Provo, nothing like America's Freedom Festival!! So proud of my brother, Jon, for serving in our armed forces! One of my biggest pet peeves is to see people abuse their freedom…
12. I love Ann Taylor clothing! My all time favorite store! Tailored. Timeless. Beautiful.
13. Hanna and I taught ourselves to knit over the Christmas Break!
14. I hate swearing. There is just no need for it in my book.
15. I am trying to convince my husband that I can handle going back to school in the Fall…
16. I love a clean house!!!! But, I have a family that doesn’t seem to love it so much. *grumble, grumble* Ah, but nothing puts a spring in my step like walking through a clean house!
17. A happy place on Earth for me is Thanksgiving Point Gardens in Lehi, UT. So beautiful and peaceful!
18. I hate writing in journals. I usually want to write when I am emotional or upset about something. When I go back and read what I wrote later, I want to rip it up and throw it away (but I don’t)! I am embarrassed how I felt, or realize I have completely changed the way I feel or have simply resolved the feelings. And yet, what is written down as a testament to who I am for future generations to read ends up being all the junk that I got over five minutes after I wrote it… but I never write that.
19. I have delayed reaction syndrome. When I am caught off guard, I just don’t know how to react altogether. I have the perfect thing to say… five minutes to late. It usually results in me feeling and looking like an idiot!
20. I also have over reaction syndrome. Ask my kids and husband. I apologize a lot to them.
21. My hair keeps me humble.
22. I love to swim laps. But, haven’t done it in years.
23. I love to simplify, clear clutter, and be organized. No problems purging here. It is my husband who is the dumpster diver, and my daughter who is the pack rat.
24. I always need to have a creative outlet to keep me balanced. That can be sewing, scrapbooking, jewelry making, card making, designing something, home decorating/home improvement…basically anything artsy, crafty or creative.
25. I believe the scouting program is one of the best things for young boys to teach them how to be great men!!
8) Christmas! I never blogged about our holidays! Christmas was really fun this year! My Mom and brother, Jon, spent Christmas Eve and the first half of Christmas Day with us. It was so fun! We went on a drive to see the lights-like we used to when I was a kid! The idea is to wear out the kids... We saw so many cool things so close to home. Our favorites were an igloo that someone had made in their front yard. The cul-de-sac that seems to have a competition to see how many lights they can get on their roofs, and our favorite was spotting a HUGE owl on our way back home. Hanna spotted it as we were driving through a development that doesn't have any houses built in it yet. It was perched on a power box. When Hanna noticed it, we backed up and watched it. I guess it didn't like staring into our headlights, because it flew off. So facinating!
We really cut back this year. And it was perfect! We really don't need all the filler crap we have done in the past. The kids don't mind sharing the rip stick or DS at all! Okay, sometimes, it's and issue...
9) Here is a fun picture to share. It is of Spencer and his siblings and cousins. So cute!
Sorry it's another very long post...
2 comments:
Remember that posting on a blog can count toward journaling. Do you know that you can get it printed? There are some places that will print it for you. Sorry I can't remember the names right now.
:) I've been wanting chickens for a long time now...Kind of need a fenced yard for that which I do not have. Someday.....
Liked your 25 random things. You're a great gal Tamra! I love ya!
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