I'm back!

I have tried posting about 5 or 6 times and I couldn't get it to work.  I send feedback messages and Blogger never got back to me.  Finally, a pop up came up and it said that I had to go into to Google Chrome for it to work.  I'M BACK!  I'll start blogging again.  

Happy Mother's Day!  I have been very blest to have a wonderful mother.  Here's a letter I wrote her for her 80th birthday last month: 

Happy 80th birthday! I’ve often thought about how you have influenced my life. Every compliment I receive I should send to you because I am who I am because of you.

Growing up we were all taught to work. When typing your journal I heard you say over and over how this person or that person was a hard worker. I know that is what you admire in others and what you taught. I know that I would never of had nine children if it weren’t for knowing how to work. I would never have known how to keep my house and children clean, work in the yard, paint and remodel, serve in the church, take care of other people’s children, make bread, to cook great food, to grow gardens, glean the fields, to can, work at school, teach myself to read and write, help Roger at the golf course, and the list could go on and on. All of these experiences I owe to you teaching that simple concept of work. You taught this by example and love.

I love the gospel and Jesus Christ more then I could ever express to you. I don’t know anyone that was as faithful and diligent with keeping the standards and teaching their family like you did. What a strong and valiant daughter of God you are. I want to thank you for teaching me about prayer, tithing and obedience and just teaching me the love my Father in Heaven has for me.

I have told you on different occasions that I am married to Roger because of the advise you gave me. This blessing is one of the greatest blessings of all. I love him more then I can say. You never did say that I should marry him but you saw his goodness probably before I did. You told me that he would be a good father and husband, and that he would honor his priesthood. He always has.

Mom, I love you. I admire you, and I am very grateful I had the privilege of having you as my mother.
Love,
Deborah



Grandma's 80th Birthday!

Look at all that grey hair!!  We must be getting old.  The proof is in the picture.  I was so glad I was able to drive down with Stephanie to celebrate Mom's birthday with her.  Steve and Katherine drove down too.  Lynne and her boys came up from Jordan River and Diana drove farther then we did comig all the way from Cedar City.  Of course she stayed the night with her mother but it is still a long ways with two children.  Yvonne came from Texas which was a really fun surprise!  I think Mom had a great time and she was so happy we all came.  She became choked up when we sang Happy Birthday to her.  I had several people write some of the ways she has influenced their lives and reasons why she means so much to them.  Many made comments about what a strong women both spiriatually and physically she is.  She has always worked hard and still does.  I love and admire her very much.

Roger was the father hen the whole time we were there.  No one was watching the little ones because we were all so excited to see each other and we were all in the house visiting.  Roger was concerned about the creek and the kids getting in it so he stayed outside and watched all of them.  Shilo became very attatched to him and thought he was her Grandpa too.  He was touched that she became his side kick the entire day.

I didn't get pictures of Lucas playing with Noah and Cole but they played together and Cooper and Ty hooked up too.  Lynne and Diana said they want the boys to get together more when Craig and Diana move back to the area in September.  Cousins are the best!

Grandma's 80th Birthday

Easter

This entire weekend was so much fun.  When we were at Lynne's we got to color eggs with her boys and then we went home and got to do it with Jeff's girls.  We REALLY missed Steve's kids . . . . just ask Joelle and Addie.  We didn't get to see Craig's kids either.  I keep saying that in my perfect world we all lived a lot closer!  Anyway, we sure did have fun.  I always like the Easter Egg hunt! 

Last week we had General Conference and this week we had Stake Conference.  Between the conferences, the temple experience, and then Easter, I have been spiritually fed and am so grateful for the gospel.  I am so grateful for the Savior and the older I get the more I love him.

The Temple

Lynne, Stephanie, and I drove up to the Bountiful Temple to watch the sealing of the Stacy Nance family.  It was so amazing.  Even the weather was wonderful.  It had snowed about 3 or 4 inches but the sun came out and it turned into a nice warm snowy day.  Afterward we all went to Chuck-O-Rama and we had so much fun visiting with everyone.  I love forever families and being a part of such a great one. I loved being with my aunts, uncles, cousins, sisters, daughters, and my mother!  Going to the temple with Stacy and having so much of the family there, made me reflect on how blessed we are to have the temple ordinances and be a part of an eternal family. 

Ty at Build-a-Bear

I would never have thought about Ty's 4th birthday if Bryan hadn't reminded us.  I'm so glad he did!  Stephanie and I were already down in Utah for Lynne's birthday and we couldn't make another trip down in May for Ty's birthday.  Stephanie and I would have missed his Build-a-Bear trip if he hadn't reminded us and that would have made me ver sad.  Stephanie is such a good aunt and loves doing it as much as I do. Ty was so fun to watch and it always surprises me how fast all the kids make up their minds about what they want.  And once they do, they don't want anything else.  He decided on a cute puppy and a Buzz Lightyear outfit.  It is very cute!  I can never decide who enjoys this tradition the most . . . me or the kids! 

Lynne's Birthday

Some of Lynne's friends planned a surprise party for her. She sort of found out because the neighbor lady thought she missed it and told her she was sorry. Lynne of course didn't know what she was talking about but figured it out. She talked to Bryan about it and that is when Bryan started telling tall tales and he convensed her that it wasn't that big of a deal. Just a couple of her friends and he said it was going to be on Sat. not on Thurs. She also didn't know that Stephanie and I would be there. So . . . I think she was surprised!!

Relief Society

January 29th I was put in at the Relief Society President.  Last night I wrote Doris and this is what I wrote:

Didn't you think that when our children grew up we would have more time? It is just the opposite. I can't believe how busy my life is now that I am a Relief Society President. I'm just crazy busy! I hope it will be a little better this summer but I'm not so sure. There is so much I have to get caught up on. My office is so messy right now it is just embarrassing. When I was put in they had just divided the ward. We lost 75% of our ward members and then we got 75% from another ward. The only one left in a RS position was one Sunday teacher. It was like starting from scratch which can be nice but it has just taken time to get things going. I also found out that the budget was depleted before I was put in. We get $200 a quarter and the last presidency spent $185 of it. I think they decided to turn in all their reciepts late and it came out of this years budget. The problem is that we have the RS birthday dinner which has now turned into a RS birthday party. Some of the old timers are upset because tradition has always said we have a dinner. There was also about two pages of women that no one knows anything about. They don't have VTs and we don't even have phone numbers for most of them. We are trying to do visits and asking everyone amoung the members we got from the other ward about them. I even called the other RS pres and she didn't know about them either. I feel like a detective. :) We are making progress though. I have a really good presidency. Anyone of them would make a better president then me.

I always knew that with callings comes a mantle or stewardship over that calling.  I didn't know how powerful it was though.  I've served in Primary for the majority of my service since Roger and I have been married.  I served in YW for a while too though.  Anyway, I loved the children and girls I was with.  I thought it was a natural thing.  I realized now that it is more than that.  Because now that I am in RS and I really do love all the women of the ward.  It is a wonderful feeling to have so much love for so many women.  I just hope and pray that I can do a good job.  My memory is not very good and I struggle with all the things I am suppose to remember.  I just got a really good planning calendar and I think it is helpping. 

Addie's Birthday Party

Addie turned FIVE years old on Friday.  I helped Jennilynn with the party on Saturday and then we had a birthday dinner on Sunday.  She was the prettiest Fairy Princess ever.

Ali

Its been harder lately to keep caught up on the blog.  Alot has happened but my new calling takes up a lot of time.  I'll start with us loosing our dog.  Stephanie wrote on facebook that we lost her but I'll add my comments here. 

Everyone was coming for the Superbowl in January and she got out.  The poor girl driving the car never saw her until it was too late.  We could never train her to stay in the house or the yard and the first chance she would get, she would take off out of the house and across the street as fast as she could go. 

Ali and I had a love hate relationship.  Here are the things I loved about her:

• She would follow you everywhere.  If you went from one room to the other she was there.  If you went outside in the back she would follow you around the yard. 
• I felt very protected when she was here.  She would bark and sound very mean whenever anyone came to the door.
• She cleaned up anything I dropped in the kitchen.  Some may think this is a silly thing but it made cooking just a little easier.  I would clean up after she was finished but if I spilled milk or dropped ANYTHING, she cleaned it up first.
• She never got on the counter or table to get food, and she never jumped up on people.
• She kept me company when Roger and the kids went to Utah and I stayed home.  I wouldn't be afraid. 
• She slept in our room by our bed.
• She would sit when I told her or would lie down or turn a circle. 
• She kept the neighbor's cats and dogs out of our yard

Here are things I couldn't stand:

• We had to always guard the door or she would escape
• She would dig in the middle of the yard, or anywhere else she wanted to dig
• Ali was a barker and would bark at anything that moved outside
• She didn't love children.  She would tollerate them but never really liked them
• I hated the dog hair.  She would sneak up on the couch and leave hair there.  I hated that.  There would be dog hair on the carpet, under the table, and even in the hall.  It would be everywhere because she shed a lot.

I was at the store with Stephanie yesterday.  I saw a man carrying a large bag of dog food and the thought popped into my head that I needed to go down that isle because I hadn't bought dog food for a while.  Then I realized that I didn't have to buy it.  Thoughts like that pop into my head all the time and then I rethink it.  Like when I'm carrying in groceris.  I think that I have to make sure I close the door but then realized I don't have to any more.  All in all, she is very missed. 

Dad's birthday was Monday the 16th.  We celebrated it last Sunday.  I still see him . . . well maybe not the 22 year old I married, but I still think of him being in his 40's!  That's the truth of it!  He filed for his Social Security this week and it is just plain weird to think that we are getting that old! 

Dad was also set apart as the 1st Assistant in the High Priests.  The High Priest Quarom (Gee wiz, how do you spell Quarum?)  Anyway, the High Priest Quarum leader is going to be in Austrailia for two months.  Dad will take over his duties until Brother Rasmussen comes back.