Prayer

Lesson Learned:
"Learning the language of prayer is a joyous, lifetime experience. Sometimes ideas flood our mind as we listen after our prayers. Sometimes feelings press upon us. A spirit of calmness assures us that all will be well. But always, if we have been honest and earnest, we will experience a good feeling—a feeling of warmth for our Father in Heaven and a sense of his love for us. It has sorrowed me that some of us have not learned the meaning of that calm, spiritual warmth, for it is a witness to us that our prayers have been heard. And since our Father in Heaven loves us with more love than we have even for ourselves, it means that we can trust in his goodness, we can trust in him; it means that if we continue praying and living as we should, our Father’s hand will guide and bless us."

Faith

I knew I wanted to write today. But I didn't know what about. As I sit here and ponder on what things have been on my mind lately the word faith keeps coming through. Faith. I am overwhelmed by the spirit I have felt today at church.  So many great things learned.
I have someone that I care much about investigating the church right now.  As questions arise in this person, I find myself wanting so bad to put inside them the feelings I have of the knowledge I have of the truthfulness of the gospel. I realize that this is something that will only happen when they can search themselves (line upon line), pray, and feel the Holy Ghost bare witness to them of the truth. When they feel that,  it is up to them to choose to have faith, and ultimately grow in the gospel and feel of the joy and blessings it brings. "Faith is dead without works."


Lesson Learned:

"I am not surprised that comparatively few people join the Church from among the large number on whom the missionaries call. There’s no faith. On the other hand, I am amazed that so many do. It is a marvelous and wonderful thing that thousands are touched by the miracle of the Holy Spirit, that they believe and accept and become members. They are baptized. Their lives are forever touched for good. Miracles occur. A seed of faith comes into their hearts. It enlarges as they learn. And they accept principle upon principle, until they have every one of the marvelous blessings that come to those who walk with faith in this, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It is faith that is the converter. It is faith that is the teacher. Thus it has been from the beginning."

(Gordon B. Hinckley)

I look back to when I first (remember) started to gain and nourish my testimony of this gospel. It was only when I had faith that these things were true, that's when I felt for myself it indeed was.  It is a scary thing to believe in something unseen.  And yes, I may have never seen (in this earth life) Jesus Christ or Heavenly Father, BUT boy have I felt, through the power of the Holy Ghost, that they are there and indeed did all that is taught. And as I hold on to those feelings, I keep pushing through life in hopes to strengthen my faith in them and one day become perfected as the Lord would have it. 

Right now, as I wait with the unknown future at hand, people ask me if it bothers me that I don't know even when I am moving, or even where for that matter.  A year ago I would say yes. Now, I have to admit there is not a drop of fear in my heart for my future. (Maybe a bit of anxiousness, but not fear)  I have faith. Faith in the Lord that He has a plan for us and that we will be happy. No matter where, when, or what we are doing. No matter the hardships that come, the mountains to climb, or the rivers to cross. He knows all, He is there, and I have faith that I have a purpose in this life. And that purpose will come to pass, with much joy, in the guidance of my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Convenient Service

Today in church my friend made a comment about service.  It really has stuck hard with me.  She shared how she has been striving to give more service.  She wondered if she has been doing enough service lately and really struggled with this thought.  Then a man she works with said this statement:

Lesson Learned:
"If it is convenient for you, then it is probably not service."

um...ouch. Haha. Seriously, ouch. My heart just sank. I learned today. A real good one. Service is sacrifice. Sacrifice for others.  Do I only serve when it is convenient for me? How selfish. Christ didn't wait for when it was convenient for Him to Atone for our sins in Gethsemane.  He didn't wait for when he had nothing to do to wash the feet of His apostles, or calm the seas in a raging storm, or heal the sick, or perform miracles, or raise the dead. In fact, He never did it on "His time".  His whole life was for "our time". He didn't live for Himself, He lived for us. I think I can give up some of "my time" to do visiting teaching, or make dinner for a neighbor, or take a young woman to school...
When, in fact, it really isn't "my time" anyways. It's His.

Motherhood

{caution: one very long rambling post}
I got my wisdom teeth removed this past weekend and it has been quite the experience. Funny thing is I learned something I didn't think I would learn through this whole process. I learned about motherhood.

Everyday, I get up with Porter.  I get him out and he usually likes to cuddle with me. We usually spend the first few minutes of being awake laying in my bed while I read my scriptures and he plays on my ipod or flips through a book as well. We then proceed to make the bed, brush our teeth, get breakfast  etc... Most days are pretty much the same. Some vary depending on if it's laundry day, I have errands to run, places to go to, but all in all my days are spent taking care of this little man. He goes everywhere with me. He does everything with me. My day revolves around him. If I need to get something done that is a little more delicate like a craft I have to wait to put him down for a nap to work on it. If I want to go somewhere I have to time it so it's not during lunch or nap time or he is one grumpy kid on that particular errand.  I have to make sure to shower at times when I know he won't be destroying the house or getting into danger.  My house is a never ending cleaning chore. There's always laundry. Always dishes to do. Always vacuuming needed to be done.  No matter how many times I clean out that high chair it is never clean cause he just eats in it an hour later.  There's always picking up to do. I don't think there is ever a time it stays clean longer then 5 minutes unless we are gone.  I don't sit down much. Whether I'm cleaning or Porter is constantly needing help with something, or he needs a snack, or he needs this or he needs that. There is always something. I am always needed. Motherhood.

I never wanted to be the typical family where the husband works and the wife slaves away at home. Where there is no compromise.  It's just how it is.  I wanted something a little bit more. Just a little bit more compromise. Teamwork. However, I've always wanted to be a "stay-at-home" mom, that's why I chose the career I did, so I could support a family if I need to but I can also do it at home with my children. I don't ever think I realized what a "stay-at-home" mother entailed.  I got to a point a few weeks ago where I was in desperate need of change. My life felt very routine. I've been doing the same thing for a year and a half.  I wondered if being the "stay-at-home" mom was worth it. I wondered if I was even needed. If I was even making a difference.  I was so sick of cleaning that high chair out and changing the poopy diapers everyday, it was getting old. I started to wonder why? Why is it up to me to get all that done? Why is it my job?  Why is it I take care of Porter all day and then as soon as papa comes home he just wants him. He doesn't want me. Is my work even noticed. I don't have a pay check to prove my hard work. I don't have a boss that gives me good ratings. Sometimes I feel like I work so hard and then it just was forgotten by the end of the day.

Lesson Learned:
"No matter how dark your days may seem, no matter how insignificant you may feel, no matter how overshadowed you think you may be, your Heavenly Father has not forgotten you. In fact, He loves you, with an infinite love."
(President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

This talk is amazing. It really really really helped me.  There were so many good things said. Everybody keeps posting it and recommend reading it, well I recommend listening to it or reading it if you haven't yet. No matter the stage of life you are in.


It hit me this weekend, really hard. I woke up Saturday morning in a lot of pain from the surgery the day before. Porter was crying. He woke up and the first thing I wanted to do was get him out of his crib and love him. Then I realized I couldn't. I couldn't move. I was incapable of being a mother this weekend. My husband did an amazing job at taking care of me and Porter.  I am so grateful.  But I learned this weekend that I am truly blessed to be a mother. I've known of many mother's who lost the ability to be a mother. (My prayers continue to go out to you.) I didn't lose a child this weekend, or permanently lose my ability to function as a human being but for a short time I couldn't be a mother. It hurt. As grateful as I was to be able to rest and heal and have my husband take care of everything, it took all I had to not get up and just start being a mom. I ached for it. I couldn't talk much either so I couldn't even tell Brian what to do. I just had to sit there and let him do it. Figure it out. Through out the weekend Porter would be sad and want to come give me a love, I couldn't even give him a normal love because I was afraid he would accidentally deck me in the mouth.  I started to realize that I truly do love doing what I do. Heavenly Father has entrusted me with one of His greatest gifts, Motherhood. I am truly blessed. I learned this weekend that I enjoy every minute of it.  At times it may seem stressful and that I go unnoticed but I realized that the greatest work I can be doing is what I'm doing. I am important.  And the best part is is I realized that it brings me so much joy. Funny how it's when lose what you have, that's when you appreciate it. Or at least you really take the time to think about appreciating it. I am grateful to be a mom. I am grateful to clean that stinking high chair out 4 times a day. Why because it reminds me that I am building a better foundation for one of Heavenly Father's children. There is nothing greater then watching your child learn and grow.  The moments when they fold their arms for the first time for prayer, or they say thank you with out you asking, or they come and give you a hug just because, those are the moments that make it worth it. The moments that give you the joy.  I will forever remember this weekend, not because of the pain and agony I went through (still trying to heal) but because I learned. I learned that I am truly blessed to be a mother. And that I truly enjoy being a mother. (all that comes with it) I will always be grateful for that knowledge and try not to take it for granted. Another tender mercy found for me. Now on to the rest of my day, being a mom. :) 

I don't matter, I am needed

I was reading my friend's blog and it caught me off guard. The post was titled "My mom doesn't tell me I'm pretty" you will find the whole post here. She asked her mother why she didn't ever tell her she was pretty or smart when she was growing up. And what her mother was trying to teach her because of it. And this was her mother's response:
"That you, in and of yourself, are not nearly as important as the good you do for other people.  You may have to use your brain and your looks to make it through life, but at the end of the day, it isn't what your face looks like, or if you graduated from college, it is what you sacrificed to help someone in need.  No beauty, no degree, no accomplishment will make me as proud as knowing that my children know how to love and serve those around them."


I have been having a really hard time with some emotions recently. I got my "feelings hurt" so to speak, and I really have been letting it get the better of me. I swore I wouldn't let that happen when the feelings got hurt, but seeing that I am no where near perfect I let it get the best of me. And in return it has been affecting my actions. I have been less willing to serve in certain situations.  So many things have happened this month that have been "eye openers" or as I would like to call them "tender mercies" for me.


Lesson Learned:
It doesn't matter who you are. It doesn't matter how pretty, smart, funny, dumb, ugly, and so forth, you are. It matters what you do with yourself. It matter who you serve. How often you serve. And why you serve. 
"Our lives are a gift from God. What we do with that life is our gift to Him."
I would like to share something a little bit more personal, which I normally wouldn 't do, but I feel strongly I should share it. I was recently given a Priesthood blessing because of an illness I had a couple weeks ago, in the blessing I was only expecting something on how I was sick but this statement was said: " Kimberlee, the Lord relies on you to help those around you."
I don't matter, I am needed. I am grateful to be needed. And I will try my best to do all that I can to fulfill that need. I hope to be quicker to forgive and not so easily offended in the future so that I can focus more on what work the Lord has for me to do. I hope to not let the less important things matter more then what really matters most. As the Mormon Ad would say:" It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice."

Priorities

It's interesting how sometimes I find my self "stuck in a rut" (so to speak) and it sneaked up on me oh so subtly. Are there ever times in your life when suddenly you feel "stuck"? Suddenly you realize you are not progressing the way you should. Kinda like your watching the world move around you but your not moving with it. And then you start to wonder why your not content or at peace with your life. Funny how that happens (probably too often). 

I start to evaluate my life and my daily routines. Found the problem. Were my priorities in the right spot? no. Good intentions? yes. It's that cycle we live: 1.trial 2.humility 3.faith 4.lessons learned 5.life is good 6.pride 7.back to step "1"  I always vow to never get to step 6 but somewhere between step 5 and 6 I start to get comfortable with things and slowly but surely the little things start to slip there way in in front of God. Reminds me of the on going battle in the Book of Mormon, the people sin, they repent and come to Christ, life is good, and then with the abundance of blessings they receive they slip back into pride and do it all over again. 

I'm not just talking about the big things, but little things like (don't judge, don't worry I've changed my ways): Playing words with friends before reading my scriptures or watching that TV show instead of spending time with your family. Silly I know. But really. How many things in your life do you put before the few simple things God asks us to do. It's not that doing those things are bad, but are we letting them take to higher portion of the day or letting it even just affect our way of thinking. Is it helping us progress? Good, better, or best. I choose best. 

Lesson Learned:

"When we place God first in our lives, everything else falls into place or drops out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern: 

the claims for our affection, 

the demands on our time, 

the interests we pursue, 

the order of our priorities.

We should place God ahead of everything else in our lives."

-Ezra Taft Benson

It's when we put Him first that we become our "best" selfs. Our lives become His path. His path isn't always easy but it is worth it. It is best. Best for us. I know that when I focus on putting Him first everything else around me falls into place. That doesn't mean I'm without trials, hardships, or afflictions but it does mean I have the peace I need to overcome such times and I have a clearer perspective on my path to Him. So yes in a sense life becomes much smoother. I no longer feel "stuck".

Learning

Please read this post, and then please read this post. I promise you will benefit from it. And then watch this video!

Lesson Learned:
I feel as though this is so so true. As a parent teaching my child and watching how he can't fully understand the benefit of the things I teach him he can and can't do and then when he gets frustrated because he doesn't understand I think to myself I wish you could just understand it is better in the long run. Just trust me. And then I look back on my past. The trials, struggles, pain, hardships, feeling defeated. How at the time of those specific experiences I could not understand. All I could see was what was right in front of me.  And the Lord was simply saying I wish you could understand it is better in the long run. Just trust me. I may not fully understand even to this day why I have experienced some of the things I have but I know for now that I have learned. I have learned at least a little. A little bit why the Lord gave me those experiences. Some more then others. Some experiences I know happened because they have been key points in my life to building a foundation for my testimony. Others have helped me help others as they experience similar things now. Others I have yet to understand the Lord's purposes for those times. But, when all is said and done I will learn. The more I learn, the more I can comprehend, and one day as I am on this path of learning and comprehending I can become perfected in Him and finally fully understand the Lord's will. For now I will be grateful for what I have learned now.

Tender Mercies

Yesterday for our mutual activity our Stake Young Women's president so graciously stepped in and planned the activity this week. It was fantastic. She had the Stake Patriarch come and talk to us a little bit more about patriarchal blessings. He started talking about tender mercies and how our lives are filled daily with them.  We watched some of Elder Bednar's talk on Tender Mercies he gave a few years back and it was such a great reminder. A reminder that the Lord is always giving us tender mercies.  He said as along as we are doing what is right to the best of our abilities and striving to do what we need to, to keep the spirit in our lives we receive those tender mercies. Tender mercies do not come randomly and they are not coincidental. They are of God. And happen for a reason.   

BUT as I was driving home today from hanging out at my mom's house I was listening to music on the radio and a song I like came on. Before I knew it I was deep in thought, completely calmed by the music, and entranced on the road (safely of course). It hit me, as we study, ponder, pray, and strive to more fully live the gospel we are inviting the spirit to stay. And as the spirit stays with us or as we are more in tune with the spirit, it is then we are able to more clearly see the tender mercies in our lives. They happen all around us. All the time. On purpose. It is up to us to be in tune with the spirit and recognize them when they come. 

I had a tender mercy (one that I noticed) today. It was as simple as driving home and listening to music. The Lord knows I love music and knows it is a thinking time for me when I listen to it. He then took that moment and turned it into a teaching moment (a tender mercy). Not only was it a teaching moment but it was a reminder that I have a good life. A great life. I have a sweet baby boy, a wonderful husband, and all the love and support I can get. I am truly blessed. And I'm grateful that for today, I realized that. I'm grateful to know that whatever my future holds I will always have that. I have the love of my sweet husband, my gracious little boy, my family, my friends, and most importantly the love of my Savior and Heavenly Father. What more could someone ask for.

Lessons Learned:

Be sure to push pause on my music below!

Humility

Lesson Learned:
"Humility is not thinking less of yourself, it is thinking less about yourself."
 -President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Kite Flying

Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to the General Young Women Auxiliary Leadership Training Meeting. It was really uplifting. The last speaker talked about his mother and how she loved to fly kites with her father. One day she was flying a kite with her father when she was younger. She came up with the brilliant idea that if she let go of the kite it would fly even higher. Oh how she wanted to let this kite fly high into the sky. She even thought maybe I will break the world record of the highest a kite has flown. She asked her father if she could let go to let the kite fly higher. And her father replied with a simple no. She then asked again a few minutes later if she could let the kite go, wanting so badly to let it fly high. He again replied no that is not a good idea. She thought to herself I'm holding this kite down and if only I could let it go it could go even higher. So once more she asked her father if she could let the kite go to fly high in the sky. He replied no once more, and that it was not a good idea. But also told her it was her choice if she wanted to let go. So the little girl used her free agency and best judgement and let the kite go. Sadness came upon the little girl. For the kite did not fly high into the sky. The second she let go it flew sideways, then down down, and got tangled in the trees.
Lessons Learned:
"Sometimes the things that we think are holding us down are actually holding us up."
This is true in so many aspects. The one I would like to compare it to is the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the standards we are to live by. Following the commandments is not always easy. Following the Gospel is not always easy. Being the odd one out because of the standards you have is NOT always easy. Choosing to say no to that cute guys who asked you out on your first date because you are not 16 yet is not always easy. Putting on the modest dress even though it may not be as cute as everyone else's is not always easy. Saying NO to your friends, or simply stop being friends with them because the choices they are making aren't good choices is not always easy. Going through trials and tribulations in any part of life is not always easy. It is NOT always easy to be a member of the church. BUT it is worth it. Sometimes I think we tend to forget that when we are following these gospel principles and going through the hard times that it is for our good. If we do not remember that it is really those principles and Jesus Christ at the base holding us down we would not be flying at all. If we fail to recognize that the standards of the gospel are for our benefit and help us then we fail to fly. When we have Christ as our base, holding our string, that is when we are able to fly higher and higher. The more we put our trust in Him and follow His teachings, the stronger our string becomes which allows Christ to let us go higher. We can not go higher if we do not have the strength for it or we will break. We will lose our base. Trust in Him. Push through those hard times. Because if you do, when all is said and done your kite will be flying higher then you ever imagined. You will not be tangled in a tree. He is not holding us down. He is holding us up.

Short Cuts

My sweet husband and his presidency for Young Mens spoke in church on Sunday.  I thought they did a great job.  The talk that stuck out to me the most was the one his Secretary gave.  He talked about "short cuts".  He talked about how we need to keep the commandments and follow the principles of the gospel and not try to find  short cuts. He said there are three main reasons why we have a hard time following the commandments. 1. We simply don't want to. 2. We think it's too hard.  3. We think it does not apply to us. ALL COMMANDMENTS APPLY TO US! The Lord may even understand our thinking of why we may not think this commandment does not apply but it still doesn't make it right.  It is still the Lord's commandment and we are still commanded to follow it. Although at times we may think that they are too hard or that it is restricting, it isn't.  If you understand that the Lord has given us these commandments for our benefit then you will understand that the Lord would not give us anything that we can't handle.  It is not too hard. It can't be.  The Lord promises us that we can do it. He also promises us that when we follow His commandments he will bless us.  Let me repeat...He will bless us. Lessons Learned:
1. Doctrine & Covenants 82:10 "I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise."
2. Doctrine & Covenants 130: 20-21 "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."
3. Don't take short cuts when it comes to the Lord's will. If you stay on the narrow path he is "bound" and promises to bless us.

Not a state of mind... but a lifestyle

Lesson Learned:

"When I was little, my mom told me that the key to life is happiness. I went to school & they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down "happy". They said that I didn't understand the assignment. I said that they didn’t understand life."

The Hour Glass

Once again we had an awesome lesson in my Provident Living Sunday school class.  We talked about the plan of happiness.  I really liked the way the teacher portrayed which way we can live our lives. He said we can either follow God's path or Satan's path. Which would you choose?  

Obviously the one to the right looks pretty promising.  The further you go it seems as if you just get more and more freedom.  More and more possibilities for life. The one on the left all you see is that your path gets smaller and smaller.  It seems as if you will end up with no freedom at the end.  No more possibilities. Sure Satan's path is wide open.  SUPER FUN.... While God's path seems limited.  That's the way Satan works though.  He doesn't show you the rest of his picture. He makes you think and believe that his way is the best and will give you more freedom.  He deceives the image of a happy ending.  While if you were to live God's path He will show you the rest of his image and you can clearly see that his ending is by far much better then Satan's.

I know that it's not always easy to follow the Lord's commandments.  It's not always easy to choose His way.  Especially in times when it would involve embarrassment or loss of pride.  But in the scheme of things Pride is the cause of all sin. Pride is what gets you to lead the path of Satan anyway.  All God wants for us is happiness.  He wants us to experience the things we experience and make those hard decisions because he sees the bigger picture.  He can see that if we follow his path to the narrow way that just beyond that is a never ending path of happiness.  So think twice when you have those moments of "Do I choose this? or do I choose that?"  No one is perfect but I know remembering this helps me to try and make the right decision.  It gives me comfort knowing that living the gospel is all worth it in the end.  The hard things bring good things. Lessons Learned:

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?  or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with  his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."  -St. Matthew 16:25-27

Kindle Your Testimony

This past week I had the opportunity to go to the testimony meeting at my girl's camp.  It was so neat.  It is interesting to see the difference between when you are the youth and when you are a leader.  I was so proud of my girls.  They are so strong.  I am so grateful for their courage to try.  Most of my girls got up and bore their testimonies and I felt very blessed to hear them.  I remember being in Young Womens and thinking girls camp was one of the best times ever.  Mostly because of how you bond with each other and the spirit that you feel.  I know that my Young Womens experience was a very positive one and it was a huge influence in my life.  It definitely helped build most of my testimony as a youth.  A girl that wasn't a member stood up and compared a testimony to a fire.  How you have to build your foundation and then start it. Then you have to keep it going and add things to the fire (testimony) or it will eventually die out.  If you don't always nurture and kindle it it won't keep going.  The more you add the stronger your fire (testimony) gets.  She also mentioned that a testimony is also like a fire because of the warmth and that it brings people together.  What an amazing young woman.  I was very impressed.  I am grateful for the spirit felt that night.  I hope that you whether a youth or a leader can always remember that your example and testimony will affect others and in most cases help others strengthen theirs and bring them closer to the spirit.  I also hope that those who are struggling with their testimonies or who don't think they have one yet that as long as you try it will come.  It's up to you to build that fire (testimony).  Once you build the foundation its easier to keep it going then to let it die out and try to build it again.  It won't always come fast and most of the time it comes in little moments when we least expect it to.  Remember in order to know something is true you have to learn of it first. Lessons learned:

"We should be patient in developing and strengthening our testimonies. Rather than expecting immediate or spectacular manifestations, though they will come when needed, we should pray for a testimony, study the scriptures, follow the counsel of our prophet and other Church leaders, and live the principles of the gospel. Our testimonies then will grow and mature naturally, perhaps imperceptibly at times, until they become driving forces in our lives."
--Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Patience, a Key to Happiness", Ensign, May 1987, 30

"A testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ will always include these clear and simple truths: 
"--God lives. He is our loving Father in Heaven, and we are His children.
"--Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and the Savior of the world.
"--Joseph Smith is the prophet of God through whom the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored in the latter days.
"--The Book of Mormon is the word of God.

--The Power of a Personal Testimony, Ensign, November 2006, 38

Apply it: It's possible

I remember the first time that I had an experience and was able to realize I could apply the scriptures to my life.  I was probably about 13.  My sister and I decided to go run errands because she had recently got her license and we wanted to feel independent.  Our last stop was my grandma's house.  When we got home we realized her purse was missing.  We went back to my grandma's and couldn't find it.  We figured out that she had put it in the top if the car and it must have fallen off when we drove home.  So we drove slowly all the way home to see if we could find where it fell off.  But being a purse we figured we wouldn't have much luck because of the value inside.  Someone would most likely grab it and keep it.  We got home again very discouraged.  Giving up, we tried to except that the purse was gone.  Not even five minutes of being home I went to my front door to go outside and there was the purse hanging on the door knob.  Someone had found the purse, took the time to find out who it belonged to and drove it to our house.  I was shocked.  I went up to my room and wondered how on earth was that possible and did that really happen to us.  I had a feeling to open my scriptures and the verse I found was this (St. Luke 1:37):  "For with God nothing shall be impossible."  


Lessons learned: 
1. Don't put your purse on top of your car.
2.There are honest people in this world, more then we might expect.
3. God has a hand in everything.


To this day that is my favorite scripture. As long as we have the Lord in our lives, we can do it all.  We can overcome any trial. We can do the hard things in life. I know that to be true because I have experienced it.  I am grateful for that knowledge because it is what will keep me going to the end, no matter the circumstance.

Choose Happiness

Recently I have found that I get to choose the way I feel. Sounds pretty obvious but I have discovered that with my new lifestyle of being a full time mom you don't get a lot for yourself. Sometimes I even find I have to find time to go to the bathroom. I felt myself getting more and more stressed out and feeling well not quite "my-happy-self." My wonderful husband gave me some advice that normally I would be giving to someone else in need, but in this case I got some of my own "medicine." He asked me if I had been saying my daily prayers and reading my scriptures. "Whoa!" I thought. I had been but not with real intent. It was more of a hurry and get it done because I have to kind of thing! Of course everything changed once I chose to make it meaningful. And then in return it became a lot easier to choose to be happy. To this day it still amazes me how the gospel works! All I know is that it does work and even sometimes everyone needs a bit of reminding that it does! Lesson learned:

"Yes, my beloved brothers and sisters, life is good if we live in such a way to make it so. Believing, desiring, deciding, and choosing correctly are the simple actions that define an increase in happiness and an increase in the inner assurance that transcends this life."
(Benjamín De Hoyos, "True Happiness: A Conscious Decision," Nov. 2005, 32)