a word to you :)

i stop in a write a novel and then disappear for months and YOU are always there encouraging and loving me when i return. your comments were/are so appreciated! i shouldn't feel guilt with this- but i do. my interest in you and your life hasn't waned- i just have so little time to seek out your blogs for catching up and, well, that is hardly how i want it to be.

but again, thank you for caring- for leaving your powerfully positive words to me and i'll try to do better to do the same for YOU.

xoxo

now- onto what i haven't stopped to write about yet...

i left you in Dec with my testimony of God's love and the wonder of His works in my life! thankfully the journey hasn't been as bumpy since then but- my little family has felt just as much love :)

utah... i was able to visit in Dec with Emily and we had a fun trip! utah, for me, is a place to breath deeply and feel even deeper because i am surrounded by the love of my family. it's always too short- but also always long enough to get revived and nourished for the next leg of my journey. we had a wonderful Christmas- with the usual movies, food, parties and i was able to meet Will. not that Will will remember it- but how fun is it that technology is such that we are able to travel in hours instead of weeks these long distances?! and the baby that i wasn't there to welcome into the world can get to know me anyway- and i him- because of it? i LOVE this family. each and everyone adds joy to my life and i am so thankful for their efforts to be a part of my fond memories when i am there!


my parents gave me a beautiful drop pearl necklace as a surprise. i love it! :) em goes kicking and screaming but this trip was actually a health crisis free trip and i believe she too had fun! we came home in time to celebrate New Year's and to get our feet on the ground for our next semesters.

em barely escaped being tortured through the second part of spanish 4 and managed to get through her algebra 2 with a little tutoring help because of another round of sick days. she was transferred into a business class which she enjoyed but the highlight of the end of her sophmore year was art. she has such talent and we are excited to see her continue in the fall!

before i forget- i must write about the crazy winter we had! lots of snow fell, more than it had in years... even into april. we had so much snow fun! of course school was cancelled- for days! so we took advantage and played our hearts out... made snowmen, took TONS of photos in one gorgeous morning... and ate yummy winter goodies while watching movies and videoing (weird word!) our doing shadow puppet shows on the wall. shannon was with us a bunch as we all had a great time!

during this time frame i also as a single adult leader had the opportunity to help put together a conference for the metroplex area. this meeting was pull my hair out kind of planning and work but in the end the Lord created something pretty special.

as i mentioned, james ferrell accepted our invitation to join us and speak. he was fabulous! touched our hearts and souls with his message of Christ. he was our keynote speaker for the opening meeting and he brought the perfect message for us. but first! my girlfriends joni jensen and carlyna put together a song with a couple of other ladies that ushered in the spirit to an amazing degree. we KNEW that we were about to feel a powerful witness and it came- as to Heavenly Father's love for us. brother ferrell spoke about Christ and the atonement- painful trials and endurances... this talk was so touching that as we ended the meeting for lunch we all sang through our tears, "I Know That My Redeemer Lives." i am so grateful for the Lord's mercies in our lives. the testimony i have for the Savior and this gospel's knowledge grew but interestingly added to it my testimony of the SA program and how the Lord has His hand in it! time and time again we were led by the spirit in the planning. i knew that bro. ferrell was to come and speak- the names of our workshop speakers came so freely- and their topics. it was work, but everything kept falling into place and as it did felt stamped in the approval of our Heavenly Father.

and, following the coming and going of about 450 SA's who expressed their love and gratitude for the experience- i knew why it had been so. Heavenly Father knows we are here. He wants this group of people that have been on the outter edges to feel His love and to know that He was/is there for all of us.

a really cool thing came about following the lunch with bro ferrell :) pres riding invited jay, stacy (yes they got married!) and i into meet with bro ferrell for about an hour where we were able to share our appreciation and a bit of our stories with him. by this time i had cried so much (and no sleep for days) that i was pretty much a mess, lol. bro ferrell took each of my books that he had authored and that i had brought and signed them all, too. he said that it was a privilege for him to be at our conference- and for him to meet me and then he wished me the best in my scripture journey and in life. he also signed tay and em's books- which they will treasure forever as i do. not so much the celebrity aspect of the interaction... but the message that is for us all.

i recently read The Peacegiver again. the book is full of insight into how to work through our perceived injustices to see them as potential vanities that are our sins- just as jonah did with ninevah. it's easy for us all to call "foul ball!" but, we are not the Referee in the eternal realm. we have to do better to turn out hearts to Him for guidance and peace.

i also just finished reading The Hidden Christ which bro ferrell wrote about the old testament and how the scriptures contain Christ's life story in archtypes and similitudes. frankly- i was just blown away by the book. i need to know so much more than i do!

to continue with the conference- the workshops were phenominal. the dances and mingles were fun! the food and the service provided by our stake volunteers made my heart swell in gratitude. overall- the Lord was there in His glory and we were blessed with an outpouring of His Spirit. it was beautiful! :)

following the conference i still had to get my homework done and move forward- thankfully i was able to do so with another 4.0 with the blessings of my Heavenly Father :)

speaking of school- loved last semester but had my math assessment taken which concluded that i really belong in grade school! so this past summer i took 2 courses to catch me up to speed so that i could enroll in the classes i needed this fall. i just have to laugh as i think about the journey i'm on... no room for pride here!

i'm going to have to collect my thoughts about the next section of writing and get back to this blog after i do so.

i can't close without expressing gratitude for all that our Father has given my life- so many wonderful people and opportunities for loving and growing.

i wish you the very best and much love...

me :)