A Milestone In Our Lives

Our oldest grandson, Aaron, has been called to serve in the Guatemala city central mission. He leaves on November 10, 2010.

Our oldest granddaughter, Lauren just started her freshman year at BYU and has moved into an apartment on campus.

I can't belive how quickly these two, have grown up. Our lives have hit another milestone, as the grandchildren are now becoming adults. Aaron and Lauren are such amazing and smart and talented young people. My life has been so blessed to have them as my grandchildren. They are such great examples for our other grandchildren to follow. I am so glad that these two came first, to show the others a path to take in their lives.

Wow........long time away from my blog. Summer is alway filled with lots of events and activities.

We shared a fun summer with our family, realizing once again how very blessed we are to have so much and such beauty to surround us to fill our lives with joy. This is a picture of our family, except for our Jacob, who was unable to be with us at Lake Powell. We had a great time, and enjoyed so much, our time with family.

It has been way too long, since I last posted on this blog. I just feel such a sense of gratitude in my life at this time, and need to write it down.

A friend's young 17 year old daughter decided to end her life, this past weekend. This has caused me to stop and reflect upon, what would cause anyone to feel so hopeless, and helpless in the very beginning of the best part of life. I don't know what brought this beautiful young woman to this place of lost hope, but in trying to understand : I hope that every day that I can make someone's life seem brighter or better. I hope that I may never contribute to another's pain or sorrow.........I want to be "there" when someone needs anybody to say, "I'm sorry you are having a bad day, please be strong; it always gets better."

Life is so difficult at times, but it ALWAYS comes with brighter days, and happier moments and the end result of enduring our trials will always be eternal joy, beyond any imagination.

We have had some long hard struggles that have taken one of our children near death, on several occasions. How blessed I feel that we still have this beautiful child in our lives, and that at this time, our child is feeling joy, and purpose once again in their life.

To all of the parents, who have struggling children, my prayers are with you every day. I pray for peace in your souls and joy in your hearts....and for safety and peace for your children. This is a difficult and lonesome road, most of the time, for parents and families. I do know, that our Saviour, Jesus Christ, is mindful of our pain and that He will make it up to us, if we turn to Him and remain faithful.

I feel joy in my soul today, that I had forgotten was possible. I am grateful for my family, for my beliefs, for my friends and for all of the beauty that surrounds me every single day!

Lazy Me

Wow do I ever need to update my blog! It's been almost a year! Whoa! But not today....!

Sorry,

Me

A Perfect 60th Birthday

There are days that come along, that a person holds in their hearts forever.  I just celebrated my 60th birthday, yesterday.  I have dreaded this day of becoming a "senior citizen" for a while now..........BUT......it wasn't so bad.  My children, planned a surprise party for me at Disneyland! (One of my most favorite places to visit)  I felt so loved and so honored, that they would all leave their families and their jobs and come spend three days with their mom and dad.  (I was pretty proud of my husband for supporting this event, since he is NOT a Disneyland fan).  I have had a month that has been rather difficult and this wonderful pause in time helped lift the burdens and bring the joy back into my life for a time.  I am so thankful to have been blessed with these beautiful people and this unforgettable time with them.

Christmas With Our Family

We enjoyed Christmas with our ENTIRE family this year.  This is the first time everyone has been in a picture together for a long, long, time.  My oldest grandson informed me that he will only have one more Christmas next year before he leaves on his mission.  I know this could be one of the last times we can get everyone together in the same room at the same time.  It was a beautiful Christmas, Jake and I are so blessed to have these beautiful children and grandchildren in our lives.  Our Heavenly Father has been so good to us and mindful of our needs.  How grateful I am for our Savior, Jesus Christ, because of Him.....we truly have reason to celebrate.

This was an exciting day for our family, especially for our son, Jacob. Jacob got a new puppy for his 30th birthday. Jacob had a beloved friend and companion: a dog named Zhini, that he raised from a puppy, while on his mission in New Mexico. In May 2007, Zhini passed away. He had a growth that had taken over his stomach and when he had surgery to remove the growth, he died. Jacob and I have missed Zhini in our lives so much, he was an amazing dog and many times seemed to understand our needs and even what we said to him. There has been an emptiness in our hearts since we lost our dear friend. Today we have begun again, with our love for another beautiful dog....our hope is to love him and to raise him to be as wonderful and as loving as our friend, Zhini.