Unbelievable Day

Today was one of those days in your life that you can barely believe happened. It truly is something that I did not know if I would ever see in my life, and while it did not occur exactly as I would have wished for, I will take it none the less.

Today we went to the temple to support my brother Buddy and his wife receiving their endowment and then getting sealed to each other and their son sealed to them. Buddy has been a wayward soul for the last 15 years. He has led a very hard life and has done some fairly bad things. He was an alcoholic and a drug addict with a lengthy criminal record. Yet, in the last year he has done one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen. He has changed his life so dramatically I still have a hard time comprehending it. He went from the lovable but messed up Buddy, to the responsible husband and father taking the steps in his life that he needed to ensure that his family will be together forever. He has become one of the best examples in my life of the atonement and our Father's sweet and tender mercy. I am so proud of him and can't help but smile whenever I think about it.

As if this was not enough, today we also were able to take my sister Shelly's name through and give her those same blessings. Annie did her initiatory and I did her endowment. What a sweet experience that was for me. I am grateful for the opportunity that we have to help those that have passed before us to receive these ordinances. I am honored that I was able to help my sister even after her passing. I wish she were here. And that she could have done the work for herself. But I am glad that I got to be a part of such a big day for both my Shelly and Buddy.

Today I stood in the temple with the knowledge that the temple work has been done for all of my siblings. My family is whole.

My Best Friends

My quest for the Marathon continues. I am now starting week 8 of the 30 week training and am still doing fairly well. I also got another bit of a boost this last week from my sister, Annie. Annie has always wanted to do a marathon, but because of her bad knees she has never done one. With me deciding that I am doing one, she has decided to once again tackle the issue and push herself through the pain to get it done. (I am a little worried for her, but know that she really wants to do this as well.) So, we have decided to start running our long runs together. Yeah, now I have a partner.

Now that I have that bit of an update out of the way, the real reason for this post. While Annie and I were running this last Monday (that is when we do our long run) I was filled with a deep sense of thanks for this sweet sister of mine. I have always believed that my sisters have been my very best friends. I have described them as "my home." No matter where we go, or what is going on, I am "home" if I have my sisters. They have always seemed to make everything better.

As we were running Annie and I talked about this. She told me about a study she had read about where they were able to make a direct link between how happy people were with if they had sisters. I can whole heartedly agree with that. I know that I am as happy as I am in my life because of my wonderful sisters. They have always been there for me and supported me in all my endeavors of life.

I am sure that this great sense of gratitude does have to do with the fact that last week also marked one year since we lost Michelle. My heart aches for the loss of my sister, my friend. She had always been the sister that had pulled us all together through the years when Annie and I had not yet become friends. She was the perfect oldest sister to our trio. But as I mourn the loss of my loving sister I am filled with even more thanks for the sister that has helped me through this loss. I do not know what I would have done if in loosing one sister I did not have another to turn to. Annie has helped to buoy me up through this last year and continue to be the strongest person I know. I don't know how she has handled the last two years. I know how my heart aches for the loss of my sister and nephew but she aches not only for a sister, but a son as well. I am certain that there are few people in this life stronger than Annie.

I will be eternally grateful for my sisters. They truly are my "home." My best friends.

ABBA Returns

As many of you I am sure know March brings the anniversary of the Relief Society. Because of this, every ward has a big, special enrichment in the month of March to celebrate the birthday of the Relief Society. Our ward was no exception, and this time I got to participate in the festivities.

A couple of ladies in our ward had run upon some YouTube videos of a ward doing ABBA songs, but with changed words to make them about Relief Society or the life of a woman. It gave them an idea, and off we went. We ended up singing 4 reworded ABBA songs for our enrichment. The amazing and fabulous Jenny Pickering made our costumes, we ordered special shoes and practiced a lot. (We maybe needed to practice a little more.)

In the end, it was fabulous. I had so much fun and am so glad that I got to be a part of it. We already got our second show scheduled for another activity for the stake in June. I just thought I would share for all of your listening and watching pleasure.

(I tried to post the video, but it won't load, so until I figure it out you can check out the video on my wall on facebook.)

It's like a burn

My Trevor man has started picking up speech habits from all over. If somebody says something he likes, he has decided he needs to start saying them too. His latest is, "It's like a...". Ellen has gotten really into comparing things. She always asks or says something "is like" something else. Trevor has begun to notice, but he doesn't get that he is supposed to compare something to another thing. He just hears "It's like a..."



Yesterday he asked me for some kool-aid. As we were getting in the fridge, our conversation went as follows:



Trevor: "Mommy, it's like a red kool-aid."


Mommy: "No Trevor, it's not like red, it is red."


Trevor: "NO Mommy, it's like a red."


It truly is a very cute habit he has taken to. It has also been added into his tragedy of the week.


Landon got out the motorcycle this week to drive around town for a day. (Yeah, it is finally nice enough to pull out the motorcyle. Spring is really here!) Trevor loves the motorcycles. All winter long he has gone out and climbed all over them while they have sat in the backyard. So on this particular day when Landon got home from riding around town, Trevor was excited to see that it was rideable again and wanted a turn. We told him no, but let him climb on it, not thinking about the hot exhaust pipe.


Yep, anybody who has had a motorcycle and done this to themselves can guess what happened next. When he was getting off he climbed off the wrong side and burned his leg. He came running in to us crying and telling us that his leg hurt. Finally he pulled up his pant leg and showed us his burn. We sat him on the couch and made him put ice on it while he watched a movie trying to get the burn out. We did lessen it a little. It never blistered up, but by the end of the day the skin had peeled off and he is left with a big open sore on his leg.





His "like a burning" leg.




His new words have come into play several times in the last couple of days. Whenever he remembers his burn he will stop, pull up his pant leg and tell us, "It's like a burn."



Poor guy!