Today in church with Aileen.....

Today I had a special experience with Aileen. The lesson in Young Women's was about how important our life is....and Rebecca Albright asked me to come and share an experience I had with Aileen and having Aileen bear her testimony for the first time several years ago!

Aileen has been very noisy in church and not easy to calm down, usually that means that she wants to bear her testimony....that she is tired of not being "heard" if you will.

Last Sunday was fast Sunday, and I was very surprised that I did not feel the spirit telling me to take Aileen up.......and I know that Aileen was surprised and would not calm down. But now I know why....

Today, Aileen was able to stand in front of the Beehives and bear her testimony and until that moment I could not keep her quiet.....but while she was bearing it....total peace and calmness and she has been happy ever since! The girls noticed the difference between before and after and so did I.

I bear testimony to you that Aileen does know that God lives. That she does have a Savior, Jesus Christ. And that she will return to live with them again some day! And that sometimes she just wishes she could say it. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

P.S. I think this is the worst picture of me ever....but its not about me!!!

Day 2 - of the Giving Challenge

As mentioned in previous post MaryAnn Stephens and I (And her husband) took the sandwiches to the Salvation Army this morning - 5 packing boxes full of sandwiches - that's a lot of sandwiches! We were also glad because of the part of town we were in that MaryAnn's husband came with us.....that was very nice indeed!

But I wanted to try to do something more and something for my husband...but at every turn I felt thwarted. So in spite of my big plans to really do something for my husband that I thought he would really appreciate and alleviate his mind some...... I ended up just bringing in the garbage cans for him from the street.

Funny thing is......you would have thought I did all those other things I tried to do but couldn't as appreciative as he was that I did this small thing!!!! It really doesn't take doing big grandiose things to help someone and to show them that you love them........

We always know this in the back of our minds, but good to be reminded from time to time!

MaryAnn's Birthday - too much fun!!!!

My dear friend MaryAnn had a birthday the end of August. We first celebrated at a lunch with one of our other friends who also just happens to be one of the sisters we visit teach....

MaryAnn and Becky

Lois and Becky

All three of us party animals lol!!

MaryAnn modeling all of her gifts from Becky at once (2 scarfs/shawls and her necklace)

Then this last Saturday, Mary Ann and I and our husbands went to dinner on TCU campus at the TCU Cafeteria and watched the TCU/Oregon game on the big screens they have everywhere there! We had so much fun visiting and eating really good food (those students eat really good!!!!) and visiting about everything from if BYU really should have gone independent to our children, jobs, hobbies, church callings! It was great fun! Thanks MaryAnn for having a birthday!!!!

Alan, Lois, MaryAnn, and Greg.......MaryAnn has my gift on here even though you can't see it!

Moving day!

I finally moved enough of my Dad's stuff out of my house and garage that we could empty our storage unit and move my stuff in! So this morning at 8:00 am several friends from church and my nephew Jimmie came and by 9:30 am they were done!!!! Now all I have to do is unpack and go through everything!!!! Ahhhh, Finally! I get to see my stuff again! I do think it will be interesting to see what I think is important to put out and up and what I will probably just throw or give away. When you have lived without these things for 7 yrs, I'm finding my priorities have changed! Sooooo we shall see.......

Baby Shower on Saturday

Lindsey with her Mom and Mother-in-law

One of my seminary students is having her first baby! It was so fun to get invited to the baby shower, especially since I was at the wedding shower, at the Temple for the Wedding, and now they're having a baby! How fun! Even more amazing, she is in the Stake YW Presidency and had just gotten home from a week at girls camp the day before! What a trooper, because it was hot, hot, hot!!!!!

This is what it looks like when.....

This is what it looks like when.....

You break your toe Sunday night, stubbing your 2nd toe on the carpet cleaner you have in your master closet While your arms are full of folded clothes you are trying to put away!

This is what it looks like when one of your dear friends witnesses you being put down, attacked, humiliated, and embarrassed in a meeting on Sunday....... and unbelievably I was speechless, I know that is really hard to believe, because I didn't even know where to begin or how to respond.........

She comes on Monday and brings you a treat to enjoy just for yourself and tells you that she loves and appreciates you! Thanks my sweet friend M!

This is what it looks like when you have had a really hard year, frankly, but for sure the last several months, and it seems that no matter how hard you try to do and say the right thing, you are saying and doing exactly the wrong thing....so you are starting to doubt yourself and your talents and your abilities and maybe you should just never talk or try to help people again because...... even though others don't believe it, you do have feelings too........

You read the Words of Pres. Uchtdorf in a book about "The Remarkable Soul of a Woman" that your father gave you not so long ago.

And this is what it looks like when you remember what really is important in your life and the reason that you never give up and keep trying to be a better person, one that is less judging, one that is more compassionate, one that is more Christlike, and why you do try so hard to be a good example

And this is what it looks like when you remember that you are never alone......

that there is someone you can always turn to, that knows exactly what you are going through, and has made it possible for you to repent and progress and return to you Heavenly Father.

Yes, I stayed up! Yes, I stood in line. And Yes, it was AWESOME!

I loved "Eclipse"! It is by far the best movie of the 3 to date! Last night one of my best gal pals and a few other friends went to see "Eclipse" at midnight!!!!! So glad I did and I wasn't too tired when I had to get up and be to work at 7:30 am this morning! lol! I can't wait to go see it again!

Here we are waiting for the movie to start!

I'm back online......

So, how do people live without the Internet? I'm telling you, I was about to go crazy! Not just because of blogging and FB, I really can live without that, I don't like it but I can live without it. But, I couldn't check my bank account, I couldn't map quest, I couldn't email important things about Relief Society....it was really quite frankly scary how much we depend on the Internet these days just with normal life.....I can now see the reason for getting an iPhone etc.... maybe there is one in my future.....

But I would like to thank my Home Teacher SB, who answered my call and came right over to get me all hooked up so that I am back online!!!! Thank you so very much! A week is just too long!

Last night at Relief Society......

We had a great time!!! Everyone talking, laughing, sharing and also making their Proclamation's! It was really fun to walk around and see everyone's pictures. So fun to see their families younger, or their children as babies instead of teenagers or Wedding photos from years ago - really fun, and have you ever known a mother not to be thrilled to show pictures and talk about their families - I don't think so!

We had a sister making one with children, grandchildren and great grandchildren....isn't that amazing! And we had a young woman who made one of pictures with her and her boyfriend for the future they hope to have together! We had sisters with large families and small families. We had pictures of families outside of temples from when their adopted children were sealed to them. It really was an incredible night of memories and sharing.

We are all women at different stages of our life in so many different circumstances! But what unites us and makes us sisters is our love of the Gospel, our Savior, and that we know who we are - daughters of a Heavenly Father - just doing the best we can to get back to our Heavenly Home!

Most women were able to go home with their project all finished. Some ladies, didn't have enough of, or the kind of pictures they wanted to finish it off....but they went home with only needing 1 or two photos to finish and I feel confident that they will because they just looked so great!

Aren't families of all types wonderful.....especially my sisters in the Gospel!

Luncheon girls - May

This month we went to the Modern Cafe in the Museum of Modern Art Fort Worth! We didn't know that Wednesday's are 1/2 price day for going through the museum so some opted to do that as well! I had to miss last months luncheon girls at "The Cotton Patch" because my Dad was in the hospital and had just had heart surgery, so I was anxious to be back together with everyone again! I was worried that with the holiday weekend coming up we might not have a good turn out.....but all was well! There were some that were out of town or leaving for out of town so couldn't come but still enough of us to make it a great lunch and visit!


Left: Bonnie, me, Kathy, Betty
Right: Becky, Shawna, Joyce, Pamela

Another one bites the dust......

My friend Becky, whom I also visit teach turned 50 and we had to celebrate at Babe's (tradition), you might remember my 50th birthday there as well as MaryAnn's my VT Partner and dear friend and the embarrassment we all had to suffer, you know what they say about PAYBACK! We had so much fun laughing and teasing her with giving her an OVER THE HILL cane people were looking at us before the waitresses came over to sing happy birthday to her and make her dance the chicken dance! good times!

the B-day girl and me!

My VT partner MaryAnn and her daughter Sara

The over the hill cane - really made us laugh, too, too much

getting ready to be sung to and have to dance!!!!

Going to a garden party......

Today my VT partner had a luncheon for us and a couple of our Visiting Teaching ladies in her garden! It was a lot of fun! The food was awesome, the company FABULOUS, and the weather perfect!!!! We talked for so long we totally lost track of time and all had to run off at the last minute to go pick up kids from school and what not! But it was really really delightful MA, thanks so much! MA didn't have me bring any food, so I brought some really pretty pastel colored flowering plants for them to take home in keeping with our Theme! And of course i got one for our hostess with the brilliant idea as well! I really love visiting teaching! Throughout my whole adult life, visiting teaching is where I have found some of my most precious friends that last forever! Not just for a little while, but forever! For that I am extremely grateful!

Oh, and I got to hold this cute little boy all afternoon as well! BONUS!