Emotional day today.....

Emotional day today! Very hard! Missing my mom! And if she were here she would say, "Well that's too bad, but you're just going to have to suck it up and deal with it!" It makes me smile just to type it!

Born Again American

I can't even image the time it took to pull this off....but it is very cool. My Dad sent it to me to watch and said that it really tells the story of what is importatnt. My Dad does not send videos and emails very often so when he sends one I pay attention!

The born again amercian website is:
http://www.bornagainamerican.org/index.html

ESPN Game Day@BYU

So, my son-in-law stood in line with his buddies from 2:45 am Saturday morning hoping to be on the ESPN Game Day show and get on camera! Well, it paid off, the camera's paned right on him as he was cheering for BYU while they were talking about the BYU/TCU game! Oh, to be in college again! The crazy things we do!

My 1st bee sting.....

Saturday night while Aileen and I were the only people in the house something I hoped would never happen happened! I have always been deathly afraid of getting stung by a bee and have gone 50 yrs without that happening until tonight!

Alan was at the Stake Youth Dance up at our church representing the Bishopric, and my Dad was still in Dallas having worked at the Temple and then went to my sisters to have dinner and watch the BYU/TCU game (thats a sad story but TCU brought their A game and won) so Aileen and I were by ourselves when I saw a bee fly by. So I went to go get the wasp and bee spray so that I could stun it and then kill it and came back and looked everywhere for that little bugger! Couldn't see it so I laid down on my bed to finish watching the movie Aileen and I were watching and all of a sudden I feel a horrible stinging pain.....yes, that's right I had laid on the bee and it stung me and stung me good.

I could see in the mirror that the stinger was still in my arm in a location that I could only see and look at in the mirror and as long as the stinger was still in there it HURT!!!!! I tried calling Alan on his cell, but it was off. I called my Dad, but of course he is at least an hour away. My phone rings and its Pres. Willden to remind my Dad of a meeting for Sunday and I'm thinking in my head....should I bother him and Yensy? No, I say to myself, but I guess because I hesitated Pres. Willden is starting to say goodbye and then says "is there something we can help you with?" and so I say "Yes, I need help getting a stinger out of my arm" They come down with a magnifying glass and some anti-bee sting pads which numb me and make me feel a whole lot better faster....and pull out this long stinger! Crazy, I tell you that such a little thing can unnerve you so completely! I guess we know that I'm not allergic as long as it took me to take action on it.

Now, I tell you this was my first bee sting and that I am hugely afraid of being stung by anything and that is true....and it took 50 yrs to be stung by a bee....true as well....but 2 summers ago when Allison and I had been having a heated discussion about something I'm sure that it was not that important, but at the time seemed extremely important to me and that I felt she should have listened to me about...... I walked out the front door and slammed the door and was unaware that we had a wasps nest attached to the garage until my slamming the door brought them all out angrily and swarmed me and I had several sting me and I think one stung me several times as I frantically tried to swat them all away and get away from them. I think I was stung 5 or 6 times! Yes, I do not slam doors anymore.....I felt that I kind of learned my lesson about loosing my temper on that experience.

So, 48 yrs before I was stung by anything....and 50 yrs before being stung by a bee. I sincerely hope that is all for me!

I should have read Facebook sooner and I would have known.......SHE GOT IN!!!!

stuff.....

Saturday I went and picked out fun Halloween decorations and treats etc... to send to my children in Utah! It's one of the fun traditions that I started once we became empty-nesters with all of our children in College and/or moved out sending gift boxes for holidays! It was especially fun this time as I have a new son-in-law to add to the mix! Aileen always has fun going shopping with me to pick out the things and then we ship them off!

Today, Allison should hear if she got accepted into her program (Major) at BYU, so I am anxious to hear, but a little afraid to call since I haven't heard yet.

And so proud that my daughter is going to wear her TCU flip flops to the BYU vs. TCU football game this weekend! We do want BYU to win....its just the principal of the thing, especially since John just shakes his head every time she wears them! lol!

RS Conference Scholars......

Last night we had our RS Conference Scholars get together! It was a wonderful evening and I really enjoyed getting to be there again!!! The last few I have not been able to go to because one time Alan had Stake Bishopric training that he needed to attend and I think the others were because even though I told him I had a RS meeting I needed/wanted to go to he forgot and scheduled home teaching or visits to ward members homes to make callings to people etc... which in turn made it so I was not able to go because I needed to watch Aileen.

It was wonderful to discuss our notes, first impressions, speakers that stood out to us before we even get the Ensign, with women who are spiritual giants and who are all women I look up to. I felt like I had come home. Sometimes you don't know how much you have missed getting to do something until you get to come back to it after an absence....then you really do remember how much you need it and love it!

Funny, how now that this is my calling, when I mention to Alan that I need to go....he remembers! (love you Alan!)

It was a good night and I am once again motivated by these conference talks to try and be a better person as our Savior and our Heavenly Father expect us to do!

There will be follow-up Conference Scholar nights where we will talk about certain days or sessions of the conference even the Priesthood session and I look forward to these discussions!

It was a very good night!

I don't know why I love it but I do.......

I really cannot figure out why I love this picture so much???? but I just keep going back to it and looking at it and can't wait until I get the picture of it I ordered in the mail! I can't decide if its because I think it is so romantic or what. Usually I only really love pictures that you can see the faces in, I have always felt that if I buy a picture to hang on my wall or put in a album I want to be able to see who they are. So I don't know if this means that I'm getting more artistic or I'm not sure what.........What do you think?

Allison turns 21 today!

Hard to believe my youngest is 21!
Happy birthday sweetie! I love you!

Adult Children are amazing.....

Being the mother of adult children is amazing. Who knew back when they were little and so fun to take care of and said all the cutest things....that when they were adults they would be so amazing and really your best friends. I know that I could share many experiences to make this point. But this week has been an extremely emotional week for several different reason not the least of which is that I missed my mother more this week and felt her loss probably more profoundly during this hard time.......the blessing is, I found out/remembered that I do have some pretty darn wonderful children, a Heavenly Father who does indeed love me as his daughter and who will inspire me to call the only person that could see the whole picture and give wise counsel, and reaffirming knowledge that my husband does love me very much!

As I have struggled this week with self doubt, fear, and extreme loneliness, I turned to my Heavenly Father and because he loves me, I had a husband, who I have to be honest did not always say the "right thing" in my mind.....but what he did do right and I love him to death for is he was concerned, tried to be my sounding board, give good advice from a Man's point of view and left me no doubt that he loved me and was on my side, and is ever ready to give me a blessing whenever I need one.....you really can't ask for much more than that.

My daughters called me more than usual this week, saying they just wanted to talk! I didn't say anything to them about what I was feeling and I heard them say things like, "I just felt like I needed to call you before I went to bed tonight" or "I just found out some exciting news and you were the first person I wanted to tell" and then having great conversations with them.

And when I really felt like I was at my lowest point, and missing my mother so very deeply, I was inspired to call a friend, who did listen and told me quite frankly what I needed to hear. And because Heavenly Father told me to call her, I took her counsel and followed it and have made a big effort to stop doubting myself, and tried to just move forward...... and I will say that probably 100 people could have told me the same thing and I'm not sure I would have changed my actions or how I was feeling, but because the impression was so strong from my Heavenly Father I felt like I needed to trust and believe what she told me and move forward.

After that when I was more myself one of my adult children called and I could tell her a little more about my self esteem struggles this week and it was so amazing to listen to her say things to me like "pray for comfort, I know you can receive it when you ask for it" and other advice like "go to the Temple" or "ask Dad for a blessing" and of course these are all things that I know and things that Alan and I had already talked about or done.....but really just so amazing that you have such strong adult children that are your friends, who love you, and give such sound advice and think "Wow, I really did a great job raising my children"......not that I'm bragging or anything. But it was a profound revelation and one that I'm so glad that I could get past myself to realize!!!!!

I am so incredibly blessed!

Just checking in.....

Sunday morning as I was driving home from my sisters I drove by Laurel Land Cemetery to check in with Mom and was surprised to see a beautiful bouquet of fall flowers and a headstone....which I knew we had not gotten yet....you have to wait a certain amount of time to put those on I guess....plus they have to make it.......anyway, Laurel Land has a complimentary one that they put on your loved ones grave until the permanent one gets put on.....I really have liked them. I don't know if other funeral homes do that or not...but it is a thoughtful touch and it even says P Clay on it so that you definitely know you are in the right place. But I knew it was too good to be true that they would put flowers on it....and when I got home and asked Dad... Of course he had bought them and put them in the vase on the marker!!!! My Dad always has been very thoughtful and has always given my mother beautiful flower arrangements! He so loves our Mother! Love you Dad!

Conference and My Little Pony....

General Conference this weekend was amazing! I loved every session that I was able to see and felt the spirit so many times bear witness to me the truthfulness of what they spoke and I felt the spirit inspire me to go and be a better person! Can't wait for the Ensign to come out so that I read and highlight! I love highlighting conference talks....there were some great phrases that I will want to highlight and remember.

We have a cute little family in our Ward that have 3 girls. There mother always has them dressed alike and their hair all fixed so cute and Alan I both look at their sweet family and remember when we had 3 little girls just like that. So Alan already had a heart string that got pulled every time he saw those girls.....but just recently he went to their home to visit and issue a call to one of the parents and when he got there their oldest girl opened the door and said "Well, Bro. Brown come on in" which Bro. Brown thought was incredibly cute and he visited with the family and then left. Every Sunday this sweet girl of theirs makes a point of saying "Hi" to Bro. Brown. One day the mother was walking by her room and noticed that she was playing my little ponies and was calling one of them Bro. Brown. She asked if she had heard correctly...and her daughter said, "yes, this white haired little pony is named Bro. Brown"! Well Alan loved this story and said, "I'm honored and tell her that having had 3 girls I definitely appreciate and know how to play My Little Ponies"!

Ahhhh Seminary......

Last night I went to the Dallas Temple to be with and watch another one of my Seminary students take out his endowments and get ready to leave on a mission! I love love love that he called and made sure I new about the time and date personally....even though a general announcement had been made and I was not the last seminary teacher that he had! I was only his teacher for 3 yrs before I was released and so he finished his 4th year with another teacher. It really made me smile when he called! He leaves soon for the MTC and is going to Canada. He is an amazing young man with an awesome testimony and he will be a great missionary! He will also probably kill me for using this old picture from when he was a Freshman in HS!!!! And yes that is how I looked sometimes at 5:30 in the morning......but I was always there, always dressed (in a dress no less), and always had a great lesson ready to share! I love this young man and wish him only the very best.......I love watching all the amazing things and choices unfold with all of my seminary students that I love so very much!!!!

Speaking of which, one of my seminary students was my daughter Allison, whom just a month ago went to the Temple and took out her endowments and was sealed to her husband for time and all eternity! Double payday as a parent and a Seminary teacher.....

Honestly, that feels like 6 months ago with all that happened so quickly after that. So I'm happy to remember that it was just recently! Anyway, it was a great night. My dad and I went together to the temple and we enjoyed the time together!

CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT!