1 year blog anniversary

It's been one year since I started my blog.
It's been interesting to find that I have a lot to share (more than I would have supposed.)
It's been enlightening for me to think through my opinions and to try and put them into words.
It's been fun to think of ideas and things I wanted to share.
It's been great to know that I have faithful supporters. I don't think Rick has missed commenting on a post and he says he looks forward to seeing what I'll write about.
It's ominous to think that this blog is out there for all time and that anyone can read it. I guess my grand kids can read it in the future.
It's been amazing to find that I can journal some of my activities and ideas since I'm not a regular journal writer. I'm keeping a paper copy for that very reason.
It's been a great way to keep in touch with our family who live far and near.
It's been a way for friends and family to get to know me better. Some have said that they had no idea that I do what I do. I've enjoyed reading the blogs of my family and friends as well. It's been fun to share with each other.
It's truly been somewhere for me to deposit my random thoughts, and honey, I have a lot of them!
It's been a fun ride. I'm going on vacation, so I'll be back next week.
I can't help but be curious though... who reads this stuff? Please reveal yourselves!

Girls camp

Preparing for girls camp was a major part of my summer activities for 17 years. Camp Mia Shalom is a girls camp owned by many of the stakes in the area. It is an hour and a half bus ride from here and it is located in a beautiful canyon. The first year I attended, I was 7 months pregnant with Dave. Thereafter, they didn't allow pregnant women to attend camp, so the year I was expecting Andy I could only attend the testimony meeting at the end of the week. I pretty much went to girls camp every year since 1984 and I learned many skills and camping abilities. I served in just about every ward and stake calling possible during those years and I loved my association with the adult leaders and with the young women. Every now and then I'll run into a YW in a store around town and she will say that she remembers "thus and such" from girls camp. We shared some great experiences and some wonderful adventures. We went for five days on our assigned week, which began the first week in June and went through the summer until late August, with four stakes attending each week. We went in all kinds of weather and learned how to cope in the outdoors in unheated cabins, with cold water and no electricity. The luxury was that we had flush toilets. I got to attend all six years that my girls were involved and we shared some great experiences backpacking and fine tuning our camping skills. Rick went on more than one occasion to help me and provide some brute strength when needed.
During almost all of those years, I got to serve with a wonderful friend named Kathleen. We became close friends and we have remained close through the years after serving together. We decided to go back to girls camp after about 10 years of not attending and see what is going on there. We packed a lunch and drove up for the day a couple of weeks ago. We enjoyed reminiscing and chatting about the many experiences and people we knew from those years. We found that it is pretty much the same. A tree beetle has eaten away many of the pines, but the spirit of camaraderie can be felt and it was good to visit. YW camp had a major impact on my life and hopefully we did some good and influenced some girls for the better. Maybe in the future I'll tell more about some of the things we did there, but for now, I'll close just remembering those good times share in the mountains building our faith. The goals of YW camp were:

• Draw closer to Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ
• Feel the influence of the Spirit.
• Serve others.
• Build friendships and unity
• Learn skills.
• Appreciate God's creations.
• Have fun!

Pioneers

I have great admiration for people who choose to do hard things and follow their beliefs. I admire people who put their own desires and needs aside for the good of others or for a cause greater than themselves. Today we celebrate the Mormon pioneers who first entered the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. Over the next 22 years, 70,000 pioneers crossed the plains and settled in a new area where they hoped to be free from religious persecution. Our own ancestors were among them. As a 5th generation Latter-day Saint, my life is better because of the sacrifices made by my ancestors. I salute them and pay tribute to them for the sacrifices they made.
We human beings are fascinated by journeys. Perhaps that's because we see our lives as a quest. Each morning we rise, rinse off and set out for a new day of discovery and striving. We go searching for fulfillment. I love to read their stories and to learn from their examples. Blessed honored pioneers!

freezer jam

Summer just wouldn't be summer without making a fresh batch of freezer jam using fresh raspberries and strawberries. There is nothing better than eating freezer jam on hot bread or rolls. It's easy to make and tastes so much better than store bought jam. The recipe is included in the package of pectin.

a crisis of faith

My heart goes out to LDS members who are struggling with a crisis of faith. As I've watched some family members and friends, I'm sorry that they struggle because it is a painful struggle and sometimes the outcome is devastating to themselves and many of their family and friends. Our religion is a demanding religion. It requires work, dedication and service from its members. Like most religions, to stay strong and faithful takes effort and a willingness to work at maintaining and strengthening belief. It takes determination and faith. It requires much of us and I believe that by so doing, we are better people because of it. Not in the sense that we are better than anyone else, but in the sense that we are stronger people individually as we do our part to assist in this work and to advance the cause in which we believe. This is not an easy assignment for anyone and sometimes people struggle with the responsibility for many reasons.
We as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ was newly restored to the earth through the prophet Joseph Smith and organized on April 6, 1830. I've been blessed to strongly believe this. I won't go into all the details, but through personal revelation I have come to know for myself. I had to do my part. I had to ask and follow through with the feelings I received. This process is personal and it is very real. But it is not a "one time only" process. I have to maintain my belief through continually demonstrating my faith and enduring to the end. This is done through my actions, through my choices, through my words, through my deeds, through living my life in a way that I demonstrate my belief in Jesus Christ and my desire to follow Him. I fall short, but I get back up and try again. As long as I'm living, this process of building and maintaining my faith will continue. Just as my physical body needs to be feed to continue healthy and strong, my spirit needs to be feed as well. I know what I need to do. My belief and faith are deep and they are wide, but they aren't infallible. However, I'm very comfortable staying within the mainstream of the church which I believe is a big tent and allows for individual accountability. I believe that we are taught correct principles and that we are left to govern ourselves. Agency is a major tenant of our religion.
There are some aspects, events and historical occurrences in our religion that are hard to understand. That is a fact. In reading and studying more about these topics, it can become overwhelming. There aren't easy answers to many of them and most have to be taken in context of the time and place in which they occurred. Mountain Meadows is a prime example. These past events and other current events can be troubling to some members. A lot of it needs to be taken on faith, believing that some day the answers will be given. Some members may want a place to discuss their questions, and frankly, those opportunities aren't readily available. That is why I paid attention when I saw the newspaper earlier this week, and read this article in the local newspaper entitled "web site is refuge in Mormons' crisis of faith." "You are not alone," an introduction page at StayLDS.com reads. "We are here to listen and offer advice. We openly discuss problems in history, doctrine, practices and culture. We also openly discuss solutions that have helped people in the community reconcile themselves, and find a new, personal path of active faith within our rich LDS tradition."
The Web site is not sanctioned or endorsed by the LDS Church, nor is it staffed by experts in religion, psychology or communications. Instead it's run by and used by Latter-day Saints trying to provide comfort and support for the disillusioned.
I think it's commendable that a group of people are trying to find a way to help people stay LDS.

My office

Welcome to my office! I work in a great environment with wonderful people. Meet Bryan my receptionist and Stacie a student secretary. We work in a beautiful new building that is only about five years old. There is a wonderful courtyard just outside of our windows and it's always enjoyable to see what is going on in the courtyard with the water feature and park-like surroundings. We get our work done but we also have a good time and we love to chat with all the people who come to our office to be helped. I've had some special visitors (family and friends) stop by and we enjoyed eating some treats out of my hidden stash. It's a interesting place in which to work and I especially love my flexible working hours. All of our children have gone to school here and it's been a highlight of my employment to be near them while they have been in college. Their visits to my office, shared lunch hours, opportunities to meet their friends and to just be here as a support to them has created some cherished memories. One more son to help educate and then maybe I'll be done working. Sometimes the work is tedious, but that's just what work is sometimes. I've learned some great new programs and added some updated skills to my resume. It's secure, in an intellectually stimulating environment and enjoyable and I'm grateful I have an opportunity to work here and financially help support our children with their goals in life and accomplish a few of my own goals as well (which includes lots of travel...)

one small step for man

I was 14 on July 20, 1969. I remember hurrying home from night sacrament meeting to watch the landing. On the way home, traveling from the church to our house, I remember looking up at the moon and thinking - wow, there are guys up there walking around. It was an incredible thought and an incredible accomplishment for the NASA space program. We all got home and sat down in front TV to watch the black and white footage of men landing on the moon. I remember my parents emphasizing for us to remember this day because it was such an historic event - the first time that any human being had stepped onto another world besides our own.
I also recall over the next few years as more Apollo missions returned to the moon in the early 1970s. There was NOTHING America could not do, and there was no one else in the world that could do the things that America was doing. Oh, how times have changed. America is in decline. "We are no longer the envy of the world, and the N. Koreans are firing ballistic missiles on our Independence Day, flaunting the fact that we cannot stop them from ignoring our warnings.India and China are mocking our economy, and own more of America than America does. There are still many things that are great about America but the gap has narrowed - soon we won't be the only superpower. "

Curves

I'm kind of proud of myself. I've been going to Curves for almost a year now and I recently earned my 100 workouts shirt...not a big deal I know, but for me the exercise hater, it is monumental!

I've found some secrets to success:

• go with a friend (Vicky)
  
• go first thing in the morning
• reward yourself for making progress (not with food!)
  
• set a goal and make realistic advancements towards it
• don't get too discouraged if you have set backs

Some things I like about going to Curves:

• I know a ton of the women - former PTA friends, former city planning friends, ward friends, neighbors, former YW leader friends, MTC friends
  
• the staff at our Curves is great. Friendly, motivated, funny, encouraging.
• I love the stretch out "bars" they have to stretch after the work out
• it's just enough strength training, but not too hard
• I've lost inches and body fat and some weight
  
• I can go and do the workout and get home in one hour M, W, F
• I walk for another hour T, Th with a different friend - Patsy
  
• I do feel better. Some of my other "body issues" have gone away or have become less bothersome.

I still hate exercising, but there doesn't seem to be any other way to receive these benefits!

Our Savior's Love

My favorite hymn. We sang it today in church and I was reminded how much I love it. It is such a hopeful, peaceful, loving message about the Son, the Holy Spirit and God our Father.

1. Our Savior’s love
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks thru clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.

2. The Spirit, voice
Of goodness, whispers to our hearts
A better choice
Than evil’s anguished cries.
Loud may the sound
Of hope ring till all doubt departs,
And we are bound
To him by loving ties.

3. Our Father, God
Of all creation, hear us pray
In rev’rence, awed
By thy Son’s sacrifice.
Praises we sing.
We love thy law; we will obey.
Our heav’nly King,
In thee our hearts rejoice.

Words & music by Crawford Gates & Edward Hart. Greg Olsen art.

Earth

Narrated by James Earl Jones, produced by DisneyNature, the movie EARTH is amazing! Rick and I saw it last night at the $1.00 movie theater. Wow. Wow. Wow.
Check out their web site here. for educational links, games and downloads. The photography is second to none. Watch the credits at the end to see what methods they used to capture their amazing shots of our beautiful planet and its inhabitants.

Massacre at the Meadows

Rick and I went to St. George last winter so that Rick could attend a conference. As part of the conference, a class was held on the Mountain Mead*ws Massacre that happened about 40 miles south of St. George in 1857. A professor from Weber State talked to us for about two hours about the events that lead up to that fateful day. It was very sobering and very unsettling to learn what transpired. After the lecture, we all drove out to the site and the professor continued to teach us about what happened that day. He referred us to several books and accounts that have been written on the topic. An organization called the MMM association continues to coordinate efforts to preserve the site and to tell about what happened that day. Their web site can be found here. I was so intrigued by the events that happened that day, that I bought this book

published by Oxford University Press and I've read most of it. It's a tough read. It details a very disturbing and gut-wrenching chapter of Mormon history. A review can be found here.

On September 11, 1857, a band of Mormon militia, under a flag of truce, lured unarmed members of a party of emigrants from their fortified encampment and, with their Paiute allies, killed them. More than 120 men, women, and children perished in the slaughter. Massacre at Mountain Meadows offers the most thoroughly researched account of the massacre ever written. Drawn from documents previously not available to scholars and a careful re-reading of traditional sources, this gripping narrative offers fascinating new insight into why Mormons settlers in isolated southern Utah deceived the emigrant party with a promise of safety and then killed the adults and all but seventeen of the youngest children. The book sheds light on factors contributing to the tragic event, including the war hysteria that overcame the Mormons after President James Buchanan dispatched federal troops to Utah Territory to put down a supposed rebellion, the suspicion and conflicts that polarized the perpetrators and victims, and the reminders of attacks on Mormons in earlier settlements in Missouri and Illinois. It also analyzes the influence of Brigham Young's rhetoric and military strategy during the infamous "Utah War" and the role of local Mormon militia leaders in enticing Paiute Indians to join in the attack. Throughout the book, the authors paint finely drawn portraits of the key players in the drama, their backgrounds, personalities, and roles in the unfolding story of misunderstanding, misinformation, indecision, and personal vendettas. The Mountain Meadows Massacre stands as one of the darkest events in Mormon history. Neither a whitewash nor an expose, Massacre at Mountain Meadows provides the clearest and most accurate account of a key event in American religious history.

Edward and flip flops

What do








and





have in common?
Check out this article and this article.

Love me some Ann Cannon. Her sense of humor is delightful and her weekly columns brighten my day!







And in case you haven't see it, check out this trailer... oh yeah...