Stay Strong

Due to the increasing moral challenges of our world today, I felt compelled to write a little of where my thoughts have been. The latest presidential election left me questioning how the outcome would affect me & my family. It's baffling to see where America's people stand on so many important issues. Most importantly, it's deeply concerning how much God is forgotten. This country & constitution were founded on God's principles. Our forefathers had it right. God is in charge always. If we follow Him, we'll be just fine.

I found a great article on how we can stay strong in these hard times. I feel more peaceful now since I remembered that no matter what the world does, we don't have to follow. We just need to stay committed & truly decide which side we're on.

One Month Birthday

Isn't it funny how babies have monthly birthdays that everyone gets excited about? Dillon is one-month-old this week. It's gone by so fast!

We've survived postpartum hormones, feeding issues, & sleeplessness. Now we're just enjoying our little sweetie. Can't get enough of that face!

I'm still amazed that God trusts us to take care of & teach this little guy about life. It's quite an incredible responsibility, but I know we can do anything together & with heaven's help.We already love him so much!

10th Anniversary of 9/11

I was pretty emotional today. We ended our sacrament by singing "America the Beautiful." Before the NFL game, there was a 9/11 tribute. I loved when they rolled out the huge American flag and had all the players, coaches, & servicemen hold the flag together. I am still amazed when I think of all that occurred 10 years ago & how our countrymen came together. Churches were full of people looking for comfort, guidance, & God.

I am so grateful to be an American. We live in the greatest country in the world & have so much to be thankful for. I cannot imagine a life without the freedoms we enjoy. I'm forever grateful for all the men & women who protect our freedoms on the frontline. I know God chose this land for us & watches over us always.

Chorus: "America! America!
God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea!"

Girl's Camp 2011

Another year of girl's camp has come & gone. I had a blast! I was so glad that I was invited to go help out again. Plus we got to live it up in a cabin with running water; can't beat that!

Our theme this year was from Dr. Seuss' book, "Oh the Places You'll Go!" It was really cool how much we took out of that book for devotionals & gospel applications. Each day we had a theme. The first day was our hike up Bell Canyon. The theme was "Kid, you'll move mountains! Your mountain is waiting." For some of us (especially leaders & pregnant ladies), the hike was a pretty steep challenge.

The whole gang at Bell Canyon

Row 1 (l-r): Bailey, Sami, Olivia, Kelsey, Sydney
Row 2 (l-r): Heather, Brittania, Morgan, Nicole, Emma, KayLee, Kaylee

My devotional was from "Bang-ups & hang-ups can happen to you!" I prepared some thoughts about trials & repentance. Brian let me use his story as an object lesson on overcoming really hard things & coming back to Christ.

Heber Valley moon

The second morning we talked about "With banner flip-flapping once more you'll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky." We discussed the "Strength of Youth" pamphlet & how important it is to make good decisions ahead of time.

Lunch @ Deer Creek Reservoir

We did our service project in Park City at the National Ability Center. They were getting ready for a big celebration party the next day so we helped them set up tables, chairs, banners, etc.

Taking a Break (l-r): Emma, Kris, Morgan, Kara

Before our testimony meeting that night, we all did our skits & sang songs. The devotional was from "With your head full of brains & your shoes full of feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street." The girls were given advice on how to avoid temptation & how to not follow the crowd.

Me & the Girls

Campfire Crew

The Newbies

Strike a Pose

Testimony meeting at girl's camp is always the best. It's amazing how strong the Spirit is with these young ladies. They are so strong & able to teach with their examples. I was really proud of how much service & friendship they are willing to give.

The last morning we talked about "the waiting place" & how nothing happens in stand-still. We always must make goals & take action to achieve them. The story about the smoke jumpers was told & how we must keep moving to get direction from our Heavenly Father.

We ended our day at the Olympic Park. We saw the Flying Ace All-Stars' show; they were awesome! They do a summer show every Saturday @ 1pm. Check it out!

Kelsey, Jaime, Anne

Chillin' in Park City

Cute Little Beehives

Our last devotional was taken from "You're off to great places! You're off & away! You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose." We told the girls about taking personal responsibility & being confident in who they are. The other highlights were chasing bats away, eating Dairy Keen shakes, doing cute crafts, & making our own Cafe Rio dinner. If you ever have a chance to be in Young Women's or go to camp, take it fast! You'll never be more uplifted to be a better person.

Finished Product...

My ward Relief Society had an activity on Thursday night to put together these temple pictures. We didn't have a Salt Lake Temple picture in our house yet & hadn't found one we really loved. So I signed up and now we have a beautiful temple on our wall.

The long story:
The church activity was only supposed to take 2 hours tops. I didn't get home till around 11pm. There was a lot of sitting around & waiting for things to dry or staple guns to become available, etc. As I was retouching the paint, I saw that the top edge showed part of the particle board margin. That would not do at all. I ended up taking all the staples out of the backing yesterday & had Brian help me restaple & hang the picture.

Luckily, it was worth all the effort. It is so nice to have this symbol in our home. This will help remind us of the eternal perspective & what this life is really all about.

Head Scratchers...

First off, I hate making decisions. It is not fun for me. I overanalyze everything until I'm more confused than when I started.

Right now, we have a few big decisions to make. To us, timing is everything. We like things to happen in order; it just makes sense. We got married, bought a condo, & brought home a puppy. Order. This past week, one thing I thought I could control (my job) kind of threw me for a loop. I've made the decision to stick with my plan to get certified even though I don't know what the future will bring for me. I've gotten this far in my schooling & plan to finish up. It will be a good backup if I ever need it in the future. It helps to be specialized in something.

So I guess I just learned another life lesson. No matter how much we plan, things will always try to thwart said plans. It is necessary to have enough faith that things will happen the way they should. We aren't really in control of everything anyway. And really, I don't want to be. I'm glad God is in charge.

In Memory...

Doris E. Blankenship, 102, Silver Lake, died Sunday October 31, 2010 at her home. She was born August 29, 1908 in Admire, KS to Samuel E. and Viva E. (Bates) Sloyer. She graduated from Eskridge High School in 1926, and married Hylas P. Blankenship on February 15, 1930 in Topeka. He preceded her in death in 1986. She was also preceded in death by her parents, and a son Gale, in 1996.Doris was a devoted wife and home maker. She was a member of the Silver Lake Senior Citizen Center. She is survived by a daughter, Roberta Freed (Raymond), Silver Lake; sons, Gerald Blankenship (Joy), Silver Lake, Carolyn Blankenship (Gale/deceased), Kansas City, KS, Paul Blankenship (Nancy), Topeka; 16 grandchildren; 35 great-grandchildren; 27 great-great grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, November, 4, 2010 at First Baptist Church of Silver Lake, 301 E. Railroad, Silver Lake KS. Interment will follow in Mt. Hope Cemetery, Topeka. Doris will lie in state after 2:00 p.m. Wednesday at Dove Cremation and Funeral Service, 4020 SW 6th Ave. Topeka, KS, where family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m.Memorial contributions may be made to the Silver Lake Senior Citizen Center, 404 E. Lake, Silver Lake, KS 66539.

Through the Fog...

The past month has been a doozy for me. I was frustrated, cranky, overwhelmed, & felt very alone. Things had piled up to the point of no return. I was lacking the faith that things would work out.

In General Conference, President Eyring gave a talk on trusting God. He said, "You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you."

I am grateful for prayer and the ability to receive answers when I really listen. God wants us to succeed and be happy. I know there are many avenues to gain more faith and trust in God. I'm glad that I have wonderful family and friends in my life who are my angels and lift me up. I thank you all. Heavenly Father knows me & what I can be. Jesus Christ atoned for me and my shortcomings. With these truths, I am stronger.

Enjoy Your Life...

In my Intermountain Stories at work today, there was a snippet about a patient who is fighting Stage 4 cancer. She worked at LDS Hospital when I was in mammography. I didn't know her, but after reading her blog and story, she seems like an awesome person. Check out her blog.

Life is so short and precious. Love the ones you love with your whole heart, and don't miss moments to show them how much you care. Knowing God watches over us all is sometimes the best comfort.

"Simple, generous goodness is the best capital to found the business of this life upon. It lasts when fame and money fail, and is the only riches we can take out of this world with us." ~ Louisa May Alcott, "Little Men"

Sorely Lacking...

Patience is the hardest lesson to learn in life. The "tunnel" seems never-ending at times. Only through faith in God can one truly succeed at becoming stronger to endure life's challenges. Keep at it. And when the "faith well" is running low, trust in your loved ones to help hold you up. I did some research and found this article. Enjoy!

Robert C. Oaks, “The Power of Patience,” Liahona, Nov 2006, 15–17http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=9b8888f17feae010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell linked patience and faith together when he taught: “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than His” (“Patience,” Ensign, Oct. 1980, 28).

We can grow in faith only if we are willing to wait patiently for God’s purposes and patterns to unfold in our lives, on His timetable.

Since impatience is so natural, how do we develop the divine virtue of patience? How do we move our behavior from that of the natural man to that of our patient, perfect example, Jesus Christ?

First, we must understand that to do so is necessary, if we desire to fully enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel. Such an understanding might motivate us to:

1. Read each of the scriptures in the Topical Guide listed under the topic “patience” and then ponder Christ’s patient examples.

2. Evaluate ourselves to determine where we stand on the patience continuum. How much more patience do we need to become more Christlike? This self-assessment is difficult. We might ask our spouse or another family member to help us.

3. Become sensitive to the examples of patience and of impatience that occur around us every day. We should strive to emulate those individuals we consider to be patient.

4. Recommit each day to become more patient, and be certain to keep our selected family member involved in our patience project."

Bless the Children...

I forgo watching or reading the news most of the time. It is so disturbing and sad when bad things happen to good people, especially children. I can't help but think of all the kids I love. Children are so precious and innocent. God sends them to us to care for and love them. They bring such beauty, happiness and laughter to this crazy world.

Matthew 18:3 "And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

Insight...

I recently read an article in the Ensign about becoming a blogging missionary. This sounded like a great idea to me. I know that God lives and loves us. He wants to bless us and help us to become better people. Through Him, anything is possible. I know that Jesus Christ died for us so we could repent and be forgiven. Through His sacrifice, we are able to be humble and always have another chance to do better.