week's highlights

 Sunshine and Doodle getting into the pioneer day spirit.  We enjoyed some fun movies and stories.  On Monday we got together with our local family and Grandpa and heard a few family history stories.  I love stories that give us roots, remind us of the great people we come from, and teach us hope that we too can do hard things, laugh along the way, and enjoy family.

 This little colt showed up at Jay's home this week.  His name is Hidalgo.  We get to check on him every week or so and watch him grow.

 This sweet game closet has become a place I am too familiar with.  It needed to be painted, or so I thought until I started.  It is a small space with way too many surfaces.  I have spent a good share of the last 2 days in this closet.  It took 3 coats of paint (pain) but it is done.  I have a renew appreciation for anyone that paints.

 Finally,

 She is riding a bike.

 We borrowed a glider bike without pedals and that helped immensely in teaching her balance on 2 wheels.  She has had the hardest time of any of my kids and was perfectly content to ride a tricycle.  

 Thanks to a wonderful big brother she is now flying

 He was such a patient teacher and willing to run along side to help her start and teach her to stop.  

 We may never get her to stop.

We also participated in the first stake 5K today.  It was a beautiful morning.  They welcomed runners, walkers, and bikes.  I walked and these 2 biked.  Doodle did the whole thing on the glider bike as she had just learned to ride this bike in the 15 minutes before the race.  We were near the end at 43 minutes but we did the whole thing and had a great time. We will look forward to next year when more of us can participate.

My ponderings  the last couple of days have been on success.  Some quotes affecting my thoughts:

"Before you'll ever win in the public arenas of life, you first win private battles within yourself.  All change begins with YOU."

"It's not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." Sir Edmund Hillary

"Winning is nothing more than rising each time you fall."

"All successful people have the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do.  They don't like doing them either necessarily.  But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose."

These quotes from the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens are affecting me.  As I faced my closet I began with determination, emptied, sorted, stacked, wiped down, gathered supplies and began to paint.  I soon realized that one coat would not be enough, that painting above your head is really hard, and that my roller was rather small for this big job.  I wanted to quit.  Who ever looks in closets?  Who cares what color it is?  I do.  I call Mr. O to see if he would just  spray it.  He said no.  I decided I could do one more coat.  I spent 6 hours doing the first 2 coats then went to a wedding reception with tell tale signs on my arms that I hadn't seen.  The next day it didn't look too bad but really the job was not complete.  It needed another coat.  I did it.  I conquered the quit desire and just did it.  It feels good.

This morning at the 5K I was very tempted to cut a corner.  This was not a serious race.  I'm not a serious walker.  It was getting hot and we had done well.  Does it matter if we keep going the extra few blocks.  Isn't it better to take the short way and not make everyone at the end wait any longer.  (We couldn't see anyone behind us).  It all seemed logical.  Lucky for me I had positive peer pressure near by that said she was going to do it all.  I almost persuaded her but we followed the course, fought the internal battle and won the war with self on this front.  It felt good.

 I feel like being aware that I need to win the private battles is helping me be a better person.  I don't always need to take the easy way, even when no one else knows or cares I can choose to give it my best.  I can do hard things.

Receiving

I am so grateful for the love and concern of family and friends.  As we ended up in the hospital, each time someone found out they would offer help.  We had help with the younger children, dinner made for us, a place to stay.  We felt the faith and prayers of faithful people and were blessed accordingly.

Receiving is not easy whether it is a gift, a service, a complement, or sometimes a heart felt insight.  There is something wonderful about the receiver graciously receiving that which is offered.  I know that in today's world we are looking for opportunities to do a good turn, serve someone, take care of our own and also find a balance away from the entitlement mentality (not feed the welfare idea that everyone owes me, though I don't see that in the people I know).  We want to be independent, self-sufficient, capable.  We don't want to owe anyone. We want to be the ones to help someone who needs help and will appreciate it.  It feels good.

We, as humans, are created to need each other, to need help.  We are a needed bunch of people.  We need love.  We need to feel needed.  We need God's help, forgiveness, guidance.  We need to learn to accept the help of others.  It can be uncomfortable but that is usually because of our pride.  When we refuse help that is offered we are depriving others of the blessing of serving us and depriving ourselves of the blessing of receiving.  The issue is pride.  Scriptures teach that we must receive.  Receive the Holy Ghost, receive counsel, receive children. . . be in families, communities, wards.  We must learn to receive.  It really is not a competition.  We are not to keep score.  It is no fun to give something to someone when it makes them feel like they have to give something back. Somehow, part of living, loving, belonging to a family and community is receiving.

I have had people I know that are so hard to give to.  They are always fine, taking care of their own needs.  It leaves me feeling like I have nothing worthy of them.  It does not build love, fellowship.  I don't want to do this to others but I realize I am guilty of the same.  When we give and accept we come closer to one another.  As I have been in the needy end of things again I face the uncomfortable role of receiver.  I stumbled on this talk from BYU on Receiving and have decided that I can do much better at receiving and allowing others to give.  Suddenly I want to be good at every side of the equation (giving better and receiving gratefully) but I know that I will begin with just baby steps and see if I can't make some improvement.

So to be better at receiving

1. simply say thank you
2. don't feel obligated.
3. receiving doesn't make us less capable, swallow pride.
4. It is silly to ask the Lord's blessing and then refuse those that he sends to bless us.

get well gift ideas for teen boy

 Tall One had is 9th surgery last week.  All because of an unexpected infection, they think.  At least something was going on and so they are being very cautious and he had surgery to clean it out and is on iv antibiotics again - just to be sure.  He is doing amazing but he did miss his scout group's high adventure activity this weekend.  They went biking, repelling, river rafting - all things he loves and was looking forward to. Thanks to some great friends, we had our version of fun at home with their creative gifts.

 We had s'mores cooked with a toothpick over a candle (until we decided to make it into a yummy trail mix).

(glow in the dark stars for the ceiling of his bedroom.)

we haven't yet set sail off into the sunset but he and Doodle did go for a drive. (plastic track and race cars)

They also have gone fishing several times.  (magnet on end of line to catch the paper fish.)  The eating was their favorite - Swedish fish and fish crackers.

These were a few of the cute family that made our day and put all this fun outdoor activity together.  While their 3 brothers were on the high adventure they delivered fun right to our door.

Thank you Bishop family.  You always know how to make us smile.

Grateful

• creative gift giving
• smiles 
• happy people
• sharing with sister and brother
• learning we can still do hard things
• a deep hope that I can learn to give gifts

Faith

Faith.  It is something I am trying to figure out.  I want more faith.  I need more faith.  Faith proceeds the miracle.  Faith without works is dead.  Faith not fear.  Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  To me, faith comes from believing, trusting, hoping that my loving Heavenly Father is in charge.  He is watching over me and my family and he can make all things work for our good.  That doesn't mean that all things that happen to us are his will.  We still experience consequences for our choices - good or bad.  I long for faith.  I don't know how it works.  I strive to exercise faith.  I prayerfully seek for guidance in the choices I make.  So often those things that I am praying for that seem right and good don't happen.  I'm left wondering why.  Why?  Was I praying for the wrong thing?  Did I miss the answer?  Did I not follow a prompting?  Did I not exercise enough faith?  How do you exercise faith?  How do I know if I have enough faith to be worthy and ready for the miracles and blessings Heavenly Father has in store for me?  I think I need a little message that says, "Yes, you are on the right track.  I'm right here with you.  We will do this together."

I read recently that faith takes patience.  I know I am short on patience.  If I work on patience maybe my faith will grow.  How do I work on patience?  It seems like I have plenty of opportunities to exercise patience as I raise a family.  I also have plenty of reminders that I need more patience or could have handled a situation better.  With patience I can easily see progress and shortcomings.  When we are promised we will receive certain blessings dependent on our faith in Christ and then things look like they have gone different than we had assumed, it is hard to know if you were lacking in faith.  If I work on patience, I can better exercise the faith that it will all eventually work out for good.

Patience comes.  Gratitude leads to patience.  When I learn to be thankful in the moment, I'm more patient.  When I list those things that are going well, those things that are blessing me life, the tender mercies then patience grows.  It is so much easier to put a hope up on a shelf for now when I remember the many good things happening in my life.  I am going back to a first step.  I am looking for the good and thanking my Father in Heaven.  The rest will come.  The gratitude will bless me with patience.  The patience will bless me with faith.  The Faith to hope to charity- the pure love of Christ.  That is my goal.  I want to love as Christ loves and the beauty of that is that I first feel his love, recognize it and begin this circle with gratitude and he teaches me how to have charity. John 4:19

Grateful

• lawns mowed by Milt before having to spend week with Tall One at the hospital.
• learning that there are things we can do at home that fight infection
• offers of help from family and friends
• faith of family shared in behalf of one member.
• a son strengthened through disappointment.
• garden growing and our first zucchini
• a cool home on a hot afternoon.
• women's support that reminds me that my trials are tailored for me but the same coping skills help each of us.  We learn from one another and feel support.
• home from hospital with Tall One not in pain.
• milking cow again.
• dinner prepared by a dear friend
• stories of Joseph and Emma that inspire patience and forgiveness.
• work applies to faith, patience, and gratitude.  I'm still learning about work.
• witnessing the birth of my new neice, Eden

• sandbox fun

• time with cousins who live too far away.

• early mornings in the garden.

• unexpected postcard from my Norwegian friends.

Nauvoo, again!

 We love church history.  We love learning of the faith, fortitude, endurance, cheerfulness, and courage of those early members of the church that gave everything to enjoy the gospel blessings.

Doodle, quite the poser

 First stop, Mark and Jen's (thank you for bed and breakfast) then Winter quarters.

 Then we arrived in Nauvoo and jumped into all our favorite activities - wagon ride, carriage ride, ox cart ride,

 Tall One had surgery 5 days before we left.  It was hard for him to stand for very long so we had him sit with Grandma so she wouldn't be lonely.

 Blacksmith, wheel wright shop where we got our prairie diamond rings (bent nail).

 print shop, tin shop, gun shop,  as well as many of the homes,

 We played pioneer games and pastimes.

 She loved playing house in the log cabin wearing her costume.

stick pulls were Ike's favorite.  We also enjoyed the country fair especially the puppet show and the tug o war.

 We watched the Nauvoo Pageant every night that they performed.  We loved it, the message, the spirit of it, and the energy and enthusiasm and testimony.  Then early one morning we did the 3 mile trek.  It was a lot drier this year, which was best for our smaller family.  Tall One was the main puller, sooo glad he was willing and able.

 He wore his five finger shoes that make his feet look like gorilla feet.  This picture above is a present left by one of the cows. . . makes it all more authentic.

 Along the way we read pioneer stories, most of them being of the handcart pioneers.  We did find this very large snake skin.  So grateful that we never found a snake.

Teaching gentleman art to the boys.

 . . or just letting them get a taste of what some of our heroes did that rescued the Martin and Willie handcart companies.

The thorns on the trees were massive but there is my love, my protector

 Another important trail job came when we entered the thick woods.  Ike was put in charge of swinging a stick to get the spider webs out of our way.  He is now an expert in web removal.

 This is all that was left of the big pond we had to wade through last year.  It was pretty green (the scenery but also the mud.).

 Pausing for a view of the Mississippi river.

 Which eventually led to finding a place to play in the Mississippi river.

 The stone bridge.  Thoughts of Joseph and Emma's romantic spot to steal a kiss out of the snow.

 A trip to Carthage is always special.  Even today, a week later, Doodle was sharing some of her feelings of sadness that she felt at Carthage jail.  We discussed the feelings of appreciation for the prophet Joseph Smith, his willingness to be completely obedient to God and be instrumental in the restoration of the gospel in these days.  Because of him we have the fullness of the gospel, true joy.

 Doodle always adds a few interesting views on my camera.

 Back to the Mississippi and sunsets.

 Sweethearts down by the river enjoying the sunset, just like Emma and Joseph.  My sweet parents.  Thank you for your example and willingness to serve a mission.  Thank you for hosting us and making this experience possible.  Thank you for being great grandparents and loving each of us.

 Brothers, supporting each other, willingly (because we have to ...) becoming all they are meant to be and appreciating one another.

On our way home we visited our dear friends in Missouri.  The Richardson's have gathered 25 children and are now creating a family ranch and raising a great family.  To read more of this great family get their book, The Gathering by Annie Laurie and Brian Richardson

 Beautiful place to be.  The bushes on the side were wild blackberries.  They treated us to blackberry cobbler as well as dinner, breakfast, lunch, and a place to stay.  It is amazing what you can do when you feel it just needs to happen.  36 under one roof and they welcomed us too.

 We had some car trouble on our way home.  It actually died on the freeway a couple of times while we were out of cell phone service but luckily there are not dead spots with prayer.  We prayed our way home and arrived safe and well.  Once we got the car cleaned out and tried to start it again, it was completely dead, locked up and required the dealer picking it up to be able to repair it.  The other half of that amazing story is the tow and repair only cost $150.  We are counting our blessings and recognizing the Lord's hand in each moment.

 I highly recommend experiencing Nauvoo. We began reading aloud the Work and the Glory in preparation for our trip.  The stories were familiar and the book came alive before us.  We are continuing our reading as there are 9 volumes but is has become the time we all look forward to and will keep working our way through them.  We also reviewed a few of our own ancestor stories and visited their homes.  A rich heritage gives us courage to do hard things, stay true to the gospel of Jesus Christ, and grow in gratitude and understanding of the joy that comes when we are obedient, work hard, and love lots.