Birthdays, birthdays, & more birthdays!

October & November bring lots of birthday celebrations around here.

Katie turned 29 on October 6thAmanda turned 28 on November 13thBrian turned 29 on November 22nd (yes he & Amanda were both 28 for 9 days) Tyler thought dad was opening his gifts too slowly so he decided to help.Carinna turned 20 on November 23rd Brian & Carinna decided to share a cake since their birthdays are back to back so here is the Princess cake Brian baked for them topped by Carinna's Disney princesses she's had since she was a little girl.

Finding Peace

Lately I have been feeling down that I am not getting well as quickly as I think I should. Some days have been difficult and discouraging. I have been singing with the ward choir and a few weeks ago we started working on a piece called My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee. I don't remember the composer but the lyrics are based on the scripture in Doctrine & Covenants 122 when Joseph Smith cries to the Lord for relief from the many struggles and challenges he is facing in Liberty Jail. While rehearsing I thought the music was beautiful and loved the lyrics but it wasn't until we sang it in Sacrament meeting yesterday that the words really hit me. "I know thine every thought and every care, though the very jaws of hell gape after thee, my kindness shall not depart from thee." How small my problems seem in comparison to Joseph's.
That afternoon I was reading the conference Ensign and came across Elder Hollands talk about ministering angels. He talked about how concerned Heavenly Father is with all of His children and how He keeps a careful watch over us. He sends angels, both seen & unseen to minister and comfort. In another talk President Monson advised us all to find joy in the journey despite our challenges. To make memories each day and have fun along the way. It was a much needed reminder for me that in spite of the health challenges I have a life full of things to celebrate and be joyful about. I should be focusing on those things instead of allowing myself to be weighed down by temporary challenges that will pass away.

Is it always like this???

I was asked to sub in seminary this week & silly me, I said yes. On Monday the kids were pretty noisy & I finally had to yell to get their attention as none of them would stop talking. We got the lesson started and most of them paid attention and participated but there were still those who insisted on talking during the entire class, playing games on their phones, walking in and out of the class, etc. On Tuesday they were better and I thought things were going to be okay. Greg & Carinna asked if they could go teach on Wednesday. I told them the ups and downs and that the kids had been really good Tuesday so they should be fine. So they prepared and off they went. Several of the kids just would not stop talking, one of them stood up and decided to write on the board. When Greg asked him to put the chalk down & sit down he refused. Greg ended up taking the chalk from him and asking him again to sit down. Greg asked the kids if they wanted to be there and told them if they did not want to be there to please leave so the rest of them could move on. At first they just looked at him like he was crazy and he told them he was serious, if they did not want to be in class to leave. Several of them got up and walked out. The room settled down and those who stayed ended up having a great lesson. Today when I went back the core group who left came into class and then left to stand in the hall. I went out and asked them if they were coming to class today the two girls said they needed to use the bathroom and the two boys left as well. None of them ended up attending class. As we discussed what had happened the day before they excused it as just being teenagers. They hadn't done anything "that wrong". They blamed Greg & Carinna for not accepting that as teenagers they can't just sit there quietly and listen. The regular teacher has a seating chart as some of the kids are problems if they sit together. Not knowing the kids they of course did not sit where they were supposed to be and then got upset when we called them by the wrong name. One of things I asked today was how many of them had sat in the wrong chair using someone elses box. Almost all of them raised their hands. So all my friends out there who teach or have taught seminary, at what age can kids sit and listen to a 30-40 minute lesson? This class is made up of sophmores & juniors who are 15 & 16 years old, can they really not behave for half an hour?? When did being disrespectful to adults become acceptable and at what point do we as adults step in and say enough? Are we expecting too much by asking them not to talk during class? I'm not talking about answering questions and participating, I'm talking about those who are not paying the slightest bit of attention to the lesson and who are making it difficult for anyone else in the room to pay attention. At what point do you call their parents and ask for help? I have been in primary or relief society for the last few years so I haven't worked with the youth in awhile am I just totally out of touch and it's now "just the way it is" to try and teach over the crowd. Are there no expectations that they can be respectful and at what point do the ones who just refuse to be quiet need to be asked to leave so others can learn? Let me know your thoughts so I know whether or not to ever accept the opportunity to sub again!

The whole point

I know it's been a few weeks since I posted but life has been busy here in the shoe. On Wednesday October 15th we were able to accompany Carinna and her family as she received her endowments in the Sacramento Temple in preparation for her sealing to Greg on Thursday. What a wonderful experience, to be in the temple with four of our kids and Carinna's family. On Thursday the sealing was beautiful. As I walked into the sealing room and sat down Alana came over and asked if I had seen "that row". She was facing the window so I was looking at the window trying to figure out which row of glass she meant. I asked her which row I was supposed to be looking at and she said "that one" pointing to the first row of chairs. Sitting there were Brian, Katie, Amanda, Andrea and Todd. I had made a promise to myself that there would be no tears, only smiles that day. Looking at "that row" I came close to breaking my promise. Each time we take one of our children to the temple to receive ordinances there is a sense of relief and accomplishment. Relief that they have made the choice to be there and accomplishment that they have over come many challenges and struggles to be there. As I looked at each one of them and reflected on their journey to the temple I was filled with joy and gratitude for this gospel. For the atonement that allows each of us to repent and return to Heavenly Father. For the strength that comes daily by living the gospel. For the opportunity to have eternal families. Even though we have 6 more to get there and my parents and siblings were not able to be with us in the room that day I know that we can be together for eternity and that is the whole point, being together as families for eternity.