A little too excited....

As you can imagine when we get home Chugs and Texas go crazy telling us how much they missed us, they will race back and forth if we both come home at once, wag their tail (or nub in Chugs case, hers is really a whole back end wiggle) they love to jump on you and try and get some licks in (I am totally against dogs licking my face).

Let's just say this was shortly after Texas had her nails clipped so they were very 'rough/sharp' they don't file down for a couple days and she was super excited to see me this is what happens.......

New Blog/Old Blog...

Are you a little confused? Yes this is the old blog, yes it is the new blog too! the best of both worlds if you ask me, I am just a little slow in knowing how I could change my old blog enough to make it a new blog (make sense?) so now you have all my wonderful old posts to look back and read (when and if you ever become extremely bored) and new posts to look forward too!

So now onto pictures I have lots more to come! This one is Texas saying don't leave me out of the blog! She really was resting right on my arm!

Sorry for the interruption...4/24/08

Sorry for this little interruption in the blog, I am in the hospital and this is actually the first time I have had computer access while in the hospital! (Journal moment!-refer ro previous posts)

I am doing alright, since there is a first time for everything and we don't know when or if we will be able to experience stuff again I had the experience (and choice) to ride in an ambulance!!! I did think of taking pictures of me on the stretcher but come on...like I really want pictures of that? While in the back of the ambulance I thought it would make a great photo but of course no camera and I didn't even have my cell phone with me to take a picture from that! As for the ride, the siren gets annoying and you get a little car sick looking out the back, we didn't even go that fast! Only about 80. And he took the wrong road and had to turn around and go back! But at least I am still experiencing new things! Oddly enough the fortune from the chinese cookie the night before said to 'do something unusual tomorrow' I certainly did!!!!

So I will do another post on my WOTM and then have to post my new word! I also downloaded more pictures so I have some to post as soon as I get home!

The 3 Amigos...4/15/08

WOTM...4/15/08

This week I want to share this quote by Wilford Woodruff:

"I would advise you to get all of your blessings written and preserve them. … I do feel to enjoin it upon you to make a record of every official act of your life. If you baptize, confirm, ordain, or bless any person or administer to the sick, write an account of it. If every man will do this, the Church can write a correct account of it. … If the power and blessings of God are made manifest in your preservation from danger, … you should make a record of it. Keep an account of the dealings of God with you daily. I have written all the blessings I have received, and I would not take gold for them.

Should we not have respect enough to God to make a record of those blessings which He pours out upon us and our official acts which we do in His name upon the face of the earth? I think we should.

It may be considered by some not important to write or keep a record of our work or the work of God, but I believe it is. Otherwise the prophets would not have been moved upon to exhort us to faithfulness upon this subject. The Lord has told us that what we seal on earth shall be sealed in heaven and what we record on earth shall be recorded in heaven, and what is not sealed or recorded on earth is not sealed or recorded in heaven [see D&C 128:7–8]. Therefore it appears to be very important that we do keep a true and faithful record in all things."

I know I have heard this before how our journals are recorded in Heaven, I think that's one reason I didn't want to keep a journal! I didn't want the Angels in heaven to read what I was writing!!!! I just felt that what I was writing was stupid stuff and who would want to read it? Now I don't think that way and am very glad I have the journals I do to look back on.

I have also heard to record all the blessings I receive and have tried to do so, I know one time on the way to the hospital we stopped at my parents house for a Priesthood blessing, we were in a hurry to get to the hospital so we jumped back in the car and I wrote the blessing on the way. It is always great to review those blessings because you get them at a time when major events are happening and even though you think and want to remember at least in my life I totally forget most of what was said, I may remember a few things but since I wrote it down I was able to remember a lot more.

One of the things that Pres. Woodruff said that pierces my heart is "should we not have respect enough to God to make a record of those blessings which He pours out upon us...?" If nothing else keep a journal out of respect for God.

WOTM (word of the month)...4/9/08

April's word of the month is JOURNALS, after reading this article in the April Ensign I really wanted to work on doing a better job of writing in my journal. A few things that really touched me in the article were these quotes:

President Spencer W. Kimball’s admonition to “begin today and write … your goings and your comings, your deeper thoughts, your achievements, and your failures, your associations and your triumphs, your impressions and your testimonies. We hope you will do this, … for this is what the Lord has commanded, and those who keep a personal journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives.”

I think sometimes I didn't write in my journal because I felt I had nothing to say, but after reading this I knew that even if I just wrote about what the little things, if I went somewhere or did something that it would matter. Also Pres. Kimball said that those that keep a journal are more likely to keep the Lord in remembrance in their daily lives and I know that's true because I can't write in my journal without mentioning something that the Lord has done for me.

I discovered a therapeutic means to resolve emotional, social, and spiritual issues I face. As I record thoughts on the pages of my journal, I have learned to quickly get to the heart of the matter when something disturbs me. I am also able to retain the lessons of life easier without having to repeat mistakes of the past.

I have improved my writing skills. I have never taken a writing course, but I have become a better writer simply because I practice writing each day.

I have also experienced the therapeutic outlet of a journal, if I don't write it down I just go over and over it in my head, also I don't like my handwriting (or think I am a good writer) so I know that if I write in my journal everyday it will help me with my handwriting (and writing) skills.

I have discovered that many of my righteous desires are eventually fulfilled. Many times I have recorded righteous aspirations, and years later I have found that those desires have been granted. This form of importuning the Lord has been so dramatic to me that now, much of what I write is simply an expression of the righteous desires I have for my life and my family. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:7). This scripture brings new understanding to me as I humbly ask the Lord for my wants and needs on the pages of my journal.

This is something that is true, you can look back and see how righteous desires are fulfilled and miracles occurred, I want to continue to see this and therefore need to continue to write in my journal.

I have created a form of personal scripture by recording the inspiration and revelations I have received. I’ve come to realize the truth in the words of Elder John H. Groberg, a former member of the Quorum of the Seventy: “There is something eternal in the very nature of writing, as is so graphically illustrated by the scriptures themselves. In a very real sense, our properly written histories are a very important part of our family scripture and become a great source of spiritual strength to us and to our posterity.” Occasionally I return to my journal to reflect on former thoughts and am filled with the Spirit as I read previous spiritual promptings.

I always thought, why keep a journal when I am not going to 1) have posterity and 2)I don't want them to read what I write anyways! But recently I have wanted to leave something, I know I won't have great grandchildren to read my journal but I will have a spouse and family and I want to make sure they know and see the hand of the Lord in my life and also all the love and support that they showed me.

So I know have a goal to do better at writing in my journal even if it's just to write down the little things my husband does for me each day because then when he looks back and reads it he will see just how much he really did for me, and I also hope that I can leave my testimony so my family can read it and be strengthened by it.

We're Back!!!!!!!...4/5/08

We're back! A new house, a new blog! That's right, that's where we disappeared too, we moved! I have so many pictures and posts to catch up on so watch out! We are still getting settled in and the dogs are slowly getting used to their new place, although from these pictures it looks like they have settled in quite well! More to come....