Sunday, September 30, 2007

Cynical synopsis...I'm flattered!

(Please read these words with lots of sarcasm in them, because they've got tons!!)

This is a special post to a new "friend" of mine, "Cynical Synopsis". My new friend decided to go out of his/her way to post a comment concerning my issues with Walmart. I must have offended the individual with my comments which tells me that he/she must have Walmart on a pedestal. I would apologize but I'm not sorry. This is my blog and my opinions. I suppose, Cynical Synopsis, if you would like to shed some light on those of us who can't stand Walmart, maybe you should start your OWN blog and enlighten us! Instead, I see that you have simply registered, without any personal information, so that you could comment on MY blog!! Are you trying to hide who you are? I mean, if you want your opinion heard so bad then at least take credit for it! I really do look at the fact that you went through the registration process, as quite a compliment to me. For you to go out of your way just to comment about my distaste for Walmart says a lot! It says that my opinion counts to you, why else would you even bother to comment? When reading your comment, I did sense a bit of hostility in your words, like some sort of caged-up revulsion toward me. Did I stand you up on a date in the past? Was I mean to you and your friends in high school? Am I thinner than you? What?!? (I believe that there's more to this story than meets the eye!)

As for my real friends, I did "trash" the comment because that's what it was...trash! I really don't mind comments that are different from my point of view, I think diversity is what makes our world wonderful. I challenge you, Cynical Synopsis, to leave a comment about this post BUT own up to it!! Don't hide behind a vacant name, fill in your information, so that we all know who you are. Are you too afraid of standing up to me if I know who you are? It's your choice but really, you seem rather pathetic hiding in the shadows, taking cheap shots at people who choose to voice their opinions loud-and-clear, while also taking accountability for them. I highly doubt you'll comment again, unless you remain anonymous, BUT I could be wrong. There's always a first time for everything, right?!? :)

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Pictures, in this weather?!?

Yes you heard me right! For those of you who live in Utah and saw the SNOW falling today, you can only imagine what it was like trying to have our family pictures taken out in it!! We met with Carma Gray up in Alpine for the photos! What a beautiful park it was! Anyway, while we were driving there, we just knew that we were in for it. The wind was blowing SO hard and it was sprinkling which made me so upset because I had spent most of the early morning straightening my hair!! When you add my "straightened" hair to moisture, you get.......FRIZZ!!! YUCK!!! So, we ventured out in the weather because Carma seemed pretty sure she could get enough good photos to make the shoot work for us. We were game because we were already there. Why not try? Let me just sum up the shoot in two different phrases, the first would be..."Carma is AWESOME, seriously!! Love her!!" and the second would be..."We were freezing!! Totally freezing and totally crazy!!" Gabe's poor nose started to run and so we had to wipe his face with a moist wipe which then started chapping his little face. The wind kept blowing mine and Hannah's hair every which way. It was really out-of-hand!! I told Greg that it reminded me of a shoot I did on the beach, in the middle of February, wearing swimsuits! I never wanted to relive that experience again, but I got a second chance, lucky me!! At least this time, I was wearing warm clothing :) Needless to say, the pictures turned out cute and both of the kids were wonderful, under the circumstances. We finished the shoot about 10-15 minutes prior to the snow falling, so we had perfect timing or some amazing luck :)

I would recommend Carma Gray to all those who are interested in new family photos!!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Proud Mom!

I want to start out by saying that I have received my new Twilight Tshirts so you'll be seeing me sporting those really soon :) YIPPEE!!!

Now for the real reason I'm blogging! I am just so proud of Hannah. She started piano lessons about a month ago and she is doing so well!!! I was sitting down with her while she practiced yesterday and I was so amazed at the fact she can already read the music and play the notes. I swear, there doesn't seem to be anything that she can't do! I wish I could claim the genes that have given her such amazing abilities but we all know I can't. And since I can't, I feel like I can brag alittle without offending anyone :) Here are some photos of her practicing!!


Allow me to brag just a little bit more...Hannah brought home a paper from her 1st grade class that rated her on her reading ability. The scale said that children starting 1st grade should be a level 3. Most of you know that Hannah was reading prior to kindergarten so I assumed that she would score a bit higher than a 3. As I looked at her rating I was pleasantly surprised that she was rated a 16+, which was the highest rating :) I was so happy for her. She loves to read, especially the scriptures! She's such an amazing child. What a blessing she is in my life :)

Well I hope I didn't make anyone nauseous with all of my gloating BUT I really am so proud of her. But I also know that every mother is proud of their children's accomplishments, that's something we all have in common.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

I Despise Wal-Mart!!!

Let me just say a few words about how much I can't stand shopping at Walmart!! After shopping and only finding about half of the items I needed, because they were out of EVERYTHING, I headed to the front with my "not-as-full-as-it-should-have-been" cart to check out. I decided to go to the self checkout because I was in a hurry and only had a hand full of items. The place was a mad house and the lines were forever long! I committed to a line and started the waiting process. All I have to say is "if you don't know how to use the self checkout system, please don't get in front of me when I'm in a hurry!!!" That's what I have to say to the man who had 4 items, 2 of them were produce. He tried multiple times to attempt to weigh and ring up his produce which weren't successful. The worker on duty who was making her rounds to all the self checkout stations, came to his rescue, oh I'd say about 5 times!!! HELLO?!? Why don't you just do it for him?!? I was livid. Finally by the 5 time or so, she finally realized that he wasn't going to go anywhere unless she helped him out, instead of just resetting his register. So, I took a deep breath while his receipt printed and told myself that the nightmare was over. All I had in front of me now, was a lady with 5 kids and about 8 items! I mean, how hard could that be, right? Well between the facts that every kid wanted to scan an item by themselves and that the older kid kept sitting on the bagging station making the register freeze up because the weight was incorrect(on purpose, mind you), I thought I was going to lose it!!! Then when the little girl weighing the produce kept leaning on the scale with her elbows making the weighing incorrect, I seriously could feel my face, like it was on fire!! I was completely beside myself. I kept telling myself that this won't mean a thing in the eternities!! But the final straw was when the lady tried to check out and the register froze up again! She had to wait for a good 5 minutes, I'd say, for the worker to come help her fix the problem. By this point, it took all the self control that I have to keep the tears from flowing from my eyes!! I WAS SO MAD!!! LIVID!!! I SERIOUSLY COULDN'T THINK OR SEE STRAIGHT!! I had been in line for over 30 minutes!! 30 MINUTES!!!!! Can you believe that?!? I kept considering going to another line but they were all so long and they didn't seem to be moving either! Well, I finally made it out of the store but not before the alarm went off and the worker had to check all my bags with the items on my receipt first! I think by that point I had literally shut down. I didn't even try to process the rage inside of me!

On the way home Greg called and I vented to him because I had to let it all out!! Poor Greg!! But when I got home, Greg had a surprise for me...

He had bought me a dozen roses, just because!! I tried to let go of the anger and realize that truly, my Walmart experience doesn't mean a thing in the eternal perspective, my eternal relationships are what's important!!

BUT that doesn't mean I have to go back to Walmart, right?!? We'll see how I do because I am quite the bargain shopper and their prices are much cheaper. I'll have to weigh the pro's and con's. I'll keep you posted :)

Better Late Than Never!

On September 3rd, our family went to Lagoon. Hannah had been waiting all year for this exciting event! She loves the "Bat ride" and couldn't wait until we got there. It wasn't very crowded for being a holiday (Labor Day) so we were pleasantly surprised :) Gabe was wonderful because he had his stroller, of course! (For those of you who don't know about our little guy, he is completely content in his stroller, even for hours on end!) The day was a lot of fun but I have to admit, that is the exact day that my obsession for the Twilight series started. I had taken my book along with me, which I was about 4 or 5 chapters into, so that when I had to sit out with Gabe, I would have something to do. Well, by mid-day I had reached the "no-turning-back" point of the book where you realize that the addiction had begun. So, needless to say, I began being the one to volunteer to stay with Gabe but then Greg caught on, and began insisting that I go on some rides with him! I suppose after paying the price I did to get in there, I should have at least got a few rides in. Like the new ride "Wicked" whose name says it all, WOW, I'm glad I didn't miss that one :) I am proud to say that Hannah went on every ride that we went on, even Wicked!! And for those of you who have rode on that, you understand how unbelievable that is! She's such a brave and daring little thing! Well, here are a couple of photos of us on the train, which is the ONLY ride that Gabe went on :) (Please keep in mind that it was like 110* outside at the time these photos were taken.)

Greg, Gabe, and my mom, JoAnn.



Hannah and I

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Today Is a GREAT Day!!

Yep, you heard me....today is a GREAT day!! You may be wondering, why? What could make my day so Great? Well let me just say two words...."size 5". I went shopping for some warmer clothes for Gabe and I decided to get myself some new jeans because my others are getting pretty baggy. I grabbed a 7 & a 5, hoping for the 5 to fit but deep down knowing the 7 would. I was so happy when I realized that I was wrong!! I fit into the 5's!!! Totally crazy!! I haven't worn a 5 since I was 21yrs old. That was almost 13yrs ago!! I am so, so excited!! Now, I'll be sporting my new "size 5" jeans and hopefully soon, my Twilight shirts will get here and I can be completely and utterly happy :) And to make the moment even sweeter, the jeans were from the Juniors section!!! YIPPEE!!

Friday, September 21, 2007

Big Bummer!!

For those of you who have been patiently awaiting the arrival of my fanclub Tshirts, I have some bad news to share. I actually did receive them today but I must not have been paying attention to their sizing chart, when I ordered :( None of them fit me!! I have to return them now and wait another 2 weeks to receive my new ones. I'm so bummed!! :(

My poor attempt!

Yesterday I went on a "girls night out" with some ladies in my ward. I jumped at the chance because as I stated, in my last post, I am bored out of my mind!!! I thought that it would give me a chance to get Edward off my mind :) Well, all I have to say is that Edward has many fans and I found myself in a huge vehicle full of Twilight fanclub members!! Or should I say "Edward" fanclub members. So needless to say, I wasn't able to escape from Edward and Bella but I suppose I didn't mind :) I also realized that the addiction is really wide spread and that I am not alone in the "detox" process!! That made me feel somehow better, knowing that I'm not alone in all of this!

Us ladies went to Gardener Village which is just a quaint shopping place with lots of little shops full of girly stuff!! It was fun to just get out and not have to worry about a screaming 16 month old!! Afterwards, we went to Chili's to eat and the conversation was of course about the Twilight books. I have decided that I am going to have to contact Stephenie Meyer and insist that I start getting a cut of her profits. I am convincing people to purchase her books and of course, her "fanclub" Tshirts!! I think I deserve something for my efforts :)

On the way home, I think we had convinced the two within the vehicle who hadn't read the books yet, to do so. The more the merrier, right? We (Ashley and I) also tried convince everyone to start a blog. We have decided that we need more "friend links" on our blog pages. That way when we go "blog stalking" we'll have more to choose from incase there aren't alot of new entries. So hopefully soon you will begin to see my "friend links" growing longer and longer! I'm so excited about that :)!!!

So this was my poor attempt to post something that didn't revolve around Edward. I know it's pretty sad but I did mention Gardener Village, right?!? :) I know I will get better as the days go by and hopefully I'll start doing more stuff that I can blog about. But as for now, please just bare with me..."this too shall pass" right?!?...well that is until August 2008 and then it will all resurface again! Oh, I can't wait!!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

What to do?!?

So, here I sit with NOTHING to do!! I am so bored! I clean, but it doesn't help, I could scrapbook but I don't want to pull it all out, I could go shopping but I seriously don't want to leave the house, I even suppose I could go work in the yard but it's just not going to help!!! My life has been so entertained by the Twilight series that I can't imagine not being engulfed in it! I realize that I must move on--since the 4th book isn't out for another year and since I've already read the other 3, almost three times each--but for whatever reason, I just can't. I have to have my daily Edward/Bella fix which has now turned into a longing for what's coming next in their story. How can I make the time fly?!? Yesterday, while shopping at Smith's (our local grocery store) I was so desperate to find something to take my mind off of those books, that I actually purchased another book while I was there. Now, I have always been the person who laughed at the thought of Smith's even selling books! Who in their right mind would buy a book from Smith's?!? Come-on now!! So now I understand...the books are there for those of us who are overcoming an addiction and become so desperate that we'd overpay for a book that we're more-than-likely aren't going to like!! It all makes sense now!!

I did start the new book but my mind kept drifting away to Edward and Bella's story!! It was so weird! I suppose I am just going to have to take this a day at a time and hope for the best. Hopefully the upcoming holiday season will fill the empty space left inside me :) If not, I'm sure I'll have the 3 books read about 10 times each by the time the 4th one comes out!! I am so pathetic!!

I would like to welcome the newcomers to the Twilight fan club which include Jennifer B., Ashley H. (who seems just as addicted as I am), Michelle H., and Aubry H. I am so glad that we can all enjoy the same addiction but I'm hoping that your detox process goes better than mine is :)

Is there anyone out there who can give me any advice on some good books to read? I'm not sure if the over-priced book I recently acquired is going to hold my interest. Let me know if you have any suggestions! :)

Monday, September 17, 2007

The PERFECT Song!!!

Ok, so I had absolutely nothing to blog about except for that fact that I've been sick with strep throat and that I thought it was going to kill me. I had decided to skip that entry because who really wants to hear about my inability to swallow? But then, I checked my friend Jackie's blog and there it was.......the song!!!! She had posted a song that she thinks should be the Twilight theme song!! So, of course, I went to Youtube and listened to it. I seriously got chills because it seriously is perfect!! It's Bella, totally Bella!!! Those of you who have already read the books and have become addicted to them, you will for sure agree about the song. And for those of you who haven't started yet, the song may motivate you to begin. But you have to listen to the actual words and not just the chorus!! I will post the lyrics below, for those of us who want to take our time analyzing the meaning behind each verse.....Edward, sigh.....( I have to throw in a sigh or two just to keep Greg a bit jealous of my fiction-man!!)

Here are the lyrics... (the actual link for the song is at the bottom of this post)

“LOST ” by Faith Hill

Is it obvious to you
When you walk into a room
Your face is all I see
And my heart races so fast
I never knew a rush to feel like that
Every time you’re touching me

I never did believe in anything
I couldn’t hold between my fingers
But the way you make me feel
It’s just so real the way it lingers

I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
When everything I have doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you
If it’s a dream, don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost forever
I wanna stay lost forever with you

No, this feeling doesn’t end
It’s with me everywhere I am
Hope it never goes away
It’s like defying gravity
Losin’ all control and bein’ free
And I always wanna stay

I never thought that I’d let go
Long enough to fall for someone deeply
Who had the power to erase my fears
And find me so completely

I get lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
When everything I have
doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you
If it’s a dream, don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
I wanna stay lost

Don’t tell me where we’re goin’
I don’t wanna know
I like the mystery (I like the mystery)
I can’t believe we’ve come this far
So far away from where we started off
You found me when I wasn’t lookin’
You found me

And now I’m lost inside your stare
Lost when you’re not there
And everything I have doesn’t mean a thing
If it’s without you without you (Without you)
If it’s a dream
Don’t wake me up
I’ll scream if this isn’t love
If bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
Yeah, if bein’ lost means never knowin’
How it feels without you
Oh, if bein’ lost means that I’m never
Gonna be without you
I wanna stay lost forever
I wanna stay lost forever with you

Monday, September 10, 2007

Jackie!!!!

Jackie, I am so glad that you have finally admitted to your uncontrollable attraction to the Twilight series, or should I just say... "Edward". I knew if you just got past the "dress shopping" part, you'd be hooked. I did try to respond to your post on your blog but it didn't let me. I think it may have been my computer, it has issues these days!!! I do want to warn you, and everyone else who gets hooked on these books that Book two is the book you seriously won't be able to put down!!! You just can't!!! That's the book I read in one day!!! 600 pages in ONE DAY!!!! Insane!!!

Let me know what you think once you get started on "New Moon". I'm just dying to hear your take on all of it!!

Now for those of you who haven't yet taken my challenge to read these books, all I have to say is that yesterday at church, during the "Good News Minute" I expressed that I have finished the 3rd book in the Twilight series (which probably was more bad than good news) and the whole room started buzzing!!! Edward has a lot of fans out there!!! Just give in and start reading!! This means you too, Karie!!! I know your more of a non-fiction reader, but I really think you'll like them. And once you're hooked, I'll get you an "official member" T-shirt!!! It'll be great :)

Happy reading everyone!!! :)

Sunday, September 9, 2007

Yes! I'm still alive!!

I just wanted to let everyone know that I am still alive and kicking. I will shortly begin returning emails and phone calls!! To those of you who came to my door and I was unable to answer it because I couldn't put my book down, even just for a second, it is now OK to again come knocking!!

Not last night but the night before, I finished the 3rd book in the Twilight series. And of course, it left me hanging not knowing exactly what will happen even if it's implying that something is coming in the next book. I just don't know how I will make it until "Fall 2008"!!! Seriously?!? They can't put it out sooner than that?!? So, I am once again reading the first book, just to keep my mind occupied and also because I have to get my "Bella & Edward" fix!!!

So those of you who don't know me too well, probably think I am some sort of psycho!! Those of you who know me almost as well as I do myself (Karie?) know that this is just me. Truthfully, I am a bit quirky!! I admit it!! So, I tend to become obsessed and addicted to things........like chocolate covered pretzels, for instance. Usually I tend to obsess over a certain food or movie and when I do, I just have to eat that certain food or watch that certain movie, over and over again!!! I just can't control myself. Usually after a while, the obsession slowly fades. So, my fear with this whole book thing (which usually doesn't happen because I DONT READ!!) is that it has serveral other books still up and coming!! (It will be years until I can get this out of my system and to tell you the truth, I'm not sure if I want to!!) Of course, I can't wait until the 4th is released but she's also working on a book that mirrors the 1st book but it's coming from Edward's first person other than Bella's. So we'll get to see his point of view!!! She has posted the first 20 pgs of that book on her website and let me just say, it's amazing!!!! I can't wait!!! So, one final point that I would like to share is that I am now an official member of the "I Love Alice" and "I Love Edward" fan clubs!!! Yes, I admit it, I even ordered the T-shirts, so I will be sporting my new prized possessions within a couple of weeks!!! I am sooooooo excited!!!

I also want to point out that I have happily passed on my obsession of these books to my dear mother, who is almost through with the first book and also my dear friend Jackie, who is a little more hesitant about admitting her obsession but she can't hide it from me :) My mom saw her in Walmart carrying the book with her so that when she went out to eat with her husband's family, she could hopefully get a chance to read some of it!!! I swear, once you get past a certain part of the book, there's no turning back!!! It's like some sort of drug in your system, or something!!! You might as well just enjoy the addiction because you can't get rid of it. So Jackie, I plan on checking you blog here shortly, and I would like to see at least one small paragraph admitting to your "drug" addiction and instead of fighting it, embrassing it!!! :)

I think I better go get ready for church! I hopefully will get to talk with Kelsee (the girl who introduced me to Edward Cullen, sigh....) so that I can let her know the monster she has created. She won't find it hard to recognize it in me because she too is a monster herself :)

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

...the addiction continues......

I stayed up until 2 am last night, reading the beginning of the 2nd book! After about, oh, 3 1/2 hours of dreams filled with story lines that I hoped would come next in the book, I woke up!! Then my mind was going a mile-a-minute because I just had to know if what I hoped was going to happen, was actually going to happen. After about 30min of tossing and turning because my mind wouldn't let me fall asleep, I finally gave in and turned on the light and began reading again!! All today I continued to read, any spare moment, which were plentiful since Hannah's in school all day and Gabe takes two 2 hour naps, and by about 6 pm I had finished the 2nd book!! All 563 pages of it!! That is definitely a world's record for me!! :) I have to say that the 2nd book was very intense and I actually felt like I was forgetting to breath a lot of the times!! I felt myself not wanting to turn the page because I wasn't sure I was going to be able to handle what might be next!! It was almost emotionally overwhelming to read!!! BUT it was WONDERFUL!!!!

So, tonight I hope that I won't be compelled to read than more that an hour or two because the 3 1/2 hours of sleep that I received last night is not happenin' for me!! I actually am hopeful I will be able to read this book slower because it's the last one she has released!! What am I going to do until the next one comes out?!? I'll have to reread the three I have over and over again, just to get my fix!!! Truly Unbelievable!!!

I did want to point out one thing that I meant to state on the last post and that is that these books are not "LDS" books!! They are written by an LDS author but have nothing to do with my faith. So for my Friends who aren't LDS, you'll be fine to read these. The New York Times has "Twilight" listed as the best book of the decade so far!!! That should tell you how good these are :)

Enjoy because I know I will :)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

"Twilight"

Ok, so I admit, I do NOT like to read, well, except for the scriptures, of course. I have never really enjoyed sitting down and reading a book! It's just not me (as sad as that fact may be). Well, while visiting teach this month, I had one of my sisters on my route insist I read the books that she has recently became addicted to. I took the book from her out of kindness and told her I would read a little if I had time.........well, here I am not having time for anything else BUT reading this book!!! I finished it off today, I think I read 220 pgs!!! I didn't even get my stack of dished done in my sink! And as soon as I finished the first book, I HAD to run out and buy the 2nd & 3rd!! So, here I am leaving my house at about, oh, 6:45pm when Hannah usually starts getting ready for bed at 7pm!! But that wasn't going to stop me..."she can sleep in the car" I justified in my own brain!! So off I went to Walmart, which didn't have it, so then I decided to go to Deseret Book. Ok, while I was in the Walmart for 30min. some HUGE storm had blown in and I could hardly see infront of my face because the wind was blowing so hard and there were tree branches down all over the place, and carts flying everywhere, but was that going to stop me?!?!? NO WAY!!! Off we went to the book store which is in the same shopping area as Walmart!! I finally made it into the store, Gabe's head covered with a blanket-which he fought the whole way in- and Hannah grasping my other arm with a death grip becuase she didn't want to open her eyes for fear of a tree branch smacking her in the face or maybe she said she didn't want dirt in her eyes, whatever it was, she wasn't opeing her eyes for nothing!!! But we made it in the store, all in one piece!!! Then the hunt was on!! Where were the books?? I did a quick walk thru but didn't see them so I went up to the counter to ask the worker if he knew where they were. Once up there I realized that I didn't know the author's last name, I only knew her first name was Stephanie. As soon as her first name was out of my mouth, the worker said, "....Meyer!" I was floored!! He knew exactly who I meant and I hadn't even told him the name of the first book!! He quickly took me to the books and I picked up a copy of the 2nd and 3rd book. The first was gone and he says that it's really hard to keep any of them on the shelf so I was lucky to find two at the same time!!

So, here I am at home getting ready to snuggle in with my new addiction.....sorry chocolate covered pretzels but there's someone new in town and it's a lot less fattening!!!! The kids are in bed, my mom is at my grandmother's, and Greg is in Denver!! I have all evening to read as much as I can in the second book. To put this into perspective for those of you who know me too well, I am actually foregoing watching "Big Brother" tonight so that I can read this book!!! That's how much I am addicted!!!!

So, of course I am going to recommend all of you out there to read these books!! They truly are moving, completely amazing!!! And for those of you who "don't read" like me, do it anyway, you'll be happy you did!!

Here's the info....

Author: Stephenie Meyer--she graduated from BYU with a degree in English Lit.
1st book "Twilight"
2nd book "New Moon"
3rd book "Eclipse"

She states on her website that there will be 9 books in the series and that they will be making a movie of the first ones in the near future. You have to check it out!!! And if you chose not to, you can't blame me when you realize how much you've missed out on :)

Happy Reading!!! :)

Saturday, September 1, 2007

Quick Thought..."Putting Things into Perspective"

Most of you may have heard about the little girl who had gotten into a severe wreck with her family, on their way to Idaho. Most of you may know that they are from our Stake and that they lived in White Hills. Most of you may know the outcome and that this little girl's mother, father, and 2yr old sister were all killed in the wreck, leaving her the sole survivor of the family. Some of you may have been affected from this hitting so close to home. So, that was a few weeks ago and the little girl's family has been buried and she is now with relatives. A tragic story that really hit me hard, because we really never know when we will return to our Heavenly home. I have pondered several times wondering how Hannah would handle such a situation if that were us and she were the sole survivor! I have decided to do even more "sentimental" stuff for my children, just in case I die before they are really old enough to remember me. My grandfather died when I was 12 and I lived next door to him from about the age of 5, and I still have very few memories that are clear in my mind. The fear of Hannah not really remembering me, haunts me!!

So anyway, I had thought about the above tragedy and contemplated what changes I was going to make in my life. The sorrow from the situation has slowly faded, until just minutes ago.

Greg is on our Stake High Council, and today he is overseeing the Stake baptisms. He had quickly come home for lunch and told me that he was going to be there a little longer than the schedule had planned for because there had been a slight change in it. One of the families had moved their baptism to the end spot extending his time there about an hour. I began to be annoyed but before I could get too deep into my annoyance, Greg's face told me that I had no right. He went on to say that the baptism that was moved was for that little girl who lost her family and that family & friends were coming from all over to come support her (approx 175) on this day that she had looked forward to and planned on spending, being baptized by her father.

So here I sit, once again extremely sorrowful for that little girl and the situation that was placed before her but completely grateful that she has so many friends and family to come support her with this wonderful choice she is making. May God truly bless her and her family and may we never take any moments for granted!!