RANT

Its not the snow that the weather people are saying is dangerous...its the arctic air that is coming with it! That's why this storm is a bad one...geez..I'm so glad the general public is so much more smarter than the people that actually know what they are doing! Seriously!!! And if they wouldn't have warned you and you sat at home with your power out and nothing to eat it would have been their fault...so aren't you just slightly glad maybe they did over react a little so that you would be safe....isn't that what EMERGENCY PREPARDNESS is about!! Being prepared for the bad...even if it doesn't come!? UGH!

We will miss you Grandma. We love you! How lucky and blessed we are to know that it is not the end, just the end for now. And now we have another guardian angel to keep us in line. We have been forever changed by your love and support for all these years. And while our hearts are breaking that you were taken in such a tragic and unexpected way, we know you are still with us and we will be okay. Love you forever!

Good-bye Elder Baxter!

Tate is officially Elder Baxter now! YEAH! He left Wednesday August 11 for the MTC. We are so excited for him to spend the next two years serving the Lord and the people of the Minnesota Minneapolis Mission. After his setting apart on Tuesday night, it is very apparent that the Lord has some great things in store for him and that he is much loved and trusted by his Father in Heaven. So here are just a few pictures of the morning we dropped him off at the MTC.

Unexpected Comfort

There have been many days where I have felt the presence of the Spirit so strong that I know without a doubt that God exists. And I have experienced many days where the spirit of the Holy Ghost is absent and I have questioned everything I thought I knew. Because of those experiences in my life, I have tried so very hard to stay close to the Book of Mormon. Especially in the last 8 months, I have tried so diligently to read. I have been so blessed by this effort. While I already knew of the great power this small book held, my testimony of it has been greatly enhanced and reaffirmed.

The Prophet Joseph Smith said: "...a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

How true that simple statement is!

The last few weeks have been full of ups and downs, bumps in the road, moments of hope followed by days of sorrow. Again I find that while the sorrow still remains, if I stay close to this amazing book, the sting is not as great.

I was reading the other morning while at work, searching and praying for some comfort. Something to give me direction. A small glimmer of something to get me through. As I read, not really into it at 2 am in the morning in between caring for patients at the hospital, I came across such a tender mercy. A verse that while so small, gave me the moment, that glimmer of hope that I needed.

"KNOW YE NOT THAT YE ARE IN THE HANDS OF GOD?..."

--Mormon 5:23

There it was. So simple. Yet so full of hope and promise. It pretty much sums up everything. Anything that you may be dealing with in your own life, just remember...you are in the hands of God. He is your Father. He loves you. He will not leave you.

The day before I had read 3 Nephi 22:7

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee."

When I read those together, my heart is filled with peace.

My sorrow, if only for a moment is put to rest.

I pray that anyone who also may be having a moment of despair or struggle can find some glimmer of light and comfort in these amazing verses!

Remember the words of dear Elder Holland:

"Some blessings come soon, some come late,

and some don't come until heaven;

but for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come....

It will be all right in the end. Trust God and believe in good things to come."

Oakley Rodeo

To celebrate Grandma Carter's birthday and the 4th we went to the Oakley Rodeo with the whole family. It was so much fun! So here's a couple pics of us cowboy-in' it up ;)

Playing catch up.....Birthday

So its taken me forever to post something worth while...mostly because I really dont ever do anything..haha...but here is a couple pics from my birthday. This year I turned 26. And yes while it is still "young" I feel old a lot of days. So this year,my awesome bestest friends and I went to Beyond Spa to get massages (which were incredible) and I'm sad didn't get pics of us there :( then we went to Olive Garden for lunch. They are truly the best! Thanks girls for making my day special!

Mara & Me (she handed this gift bag to me for my "present" and when I told her she didn't need to do that she just laughed...when I opened it, inside was the cookie pan and spatula I took to work one day that I asked her to take home so I wouldnt lose them..ridiculous. lol)

Mara, Michelle, & Me (not pictured Tressa who went with us for massages)

I love these girls!!!

Michelle & Me

Gem of the day...

Be Patient with Yourself

“We should learn to be patient with ourselves. Recognizing our strengths and our weaknesses, we should strive to use good judgment in all of our choices and decisions, make good use of every opportunity, and do our best in every task we undertake. We should not be unduly discouraged nor in despair at any time when we are doing the best we can. Rather, we should be satisfied with our progress even though it may come slowly at times.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin,

What I want (and need)...

The Male Brain...lol

FOR SALE....

FOR SALE!.... 2006 Mazda 3. Great condition!. $9900. Talk to me soon if interested!

Dreams...or nightmares??

Okay..yes this was the main subject in my dream last night...and thats all I can remember that there were a ton of pineapples...

I HEART OMELETTES!

Music and peace

I have had a lot on my mind of late. And in the past when I needed to cope with frustration, anger, sadness, etc I would sit down at the piano and play out all my emotions. But there has been very few times where I actually get emotional when playing the piano. And more recently I just dont take the time to sit and hone in my skills..haha. I'm just too busy and honestly, it can be physically demanding to play the piano for a while and I'm just not in that kind of shape. (I know I just have to sit there and move my fingers, but its exhausting). So I found it strange this weekend thats all I felt drawn to do. Just play. The first few songs were...well lets just say I'm pretty out of practice. But then after warming up I was starting to feel comfortable. Last night I sat down after dinner and just played around. I started playing this one song, determined to play it perfectly. Its a beautiful piece, and I found myself in this magical bubble. The whole family was around, but it was only me and my piano and music. Before I knew it I was so overcome with emotion...I dont know if it was everything that has been on my heart and mind lately coming to the surface, but there I was bawling my eyes out as I finished the piece. Then today after a sleepless night, I still felt drawn to pour out my emotion on the keys of my piano. So I sat today and played and played til my poor back couldn't take it any longer. Then I just sat and cried and cried. Now dont go and get all worried people, its good for a girl to just cry it out even when there really is nothing wrong. While I found myself lately questioning a lot of things, there is no doubt power and comfort from the Holy Spirit through music. And maybe my preyers aren't being answered like I want them to be, but at least for that moment my heartache was freed and I felt peace.

On my mind...

“He [Heavenly Father] is our perfect Father. He loves us beyond our capacity to understand. He knows what is best for us. He sees the end from the beginning. He wants us to act to gain needed experience:

“When He answers yes, it is to give us confidence.

“When He answers no, it is to prevent error.

“When He withholds an answer, it is to have us grow through faith in Him, obedience to His commandments, and a willingness to act on truth.” -Richard G. Scott

“Access to our Creator through our Savior is surely one of the great privileges and blessings of our lives. I have learned from countless personal experiences that great is the power of prayer. No earthly authority can separate us from direct access to our Creator. There can never be a mechanical or electronic failure when we pray. There is no limit on the number of times or how long we can pray each day. There is no quota of how many needs we wish to pray for in each prayer. We do not need to go through secretaries or make an appointment to reach the throne of grace. He is reachable at any time and any place.” James E. Faust

Thought of the week....

“I want to be remembered as the girl who always smiles even when her heart is broken, and the one that could always brighten up your day even if she couldn't brighten her own.”

My New Adventure...

I've pretty much done everything there is to do with my hair...blonde, black, brown and everything in between. Short, long, medium. Straight, curly, etc. But I've never done extensions...mostly becuase of the cost and also because the thought kinda scared me...they could turn out horrible- like Kate Gosslin's ugly do!! But I had such a good deal come my way that I just had to try it out...so here are some pics of my new do, which I love and am enjoying soooo much. And frankly, mine are much better than Kate Gosslin's and I didn't even pay anything close to her $7000 disaster! ;)

Now taking reservations.....

I'm now taking reservations for your Spring & Summer Wedding Videography needs!!!

Contact me ASAP for my Spring Special!

Lorelai: Heh, you know what I just realized? "Oy" is the funniest word in the entire world.
Rory: Hmm.
Lorelai: I mean think about it, you never hear the word "oy" and not smile. Impossible. Funny, funny word.
Emily: Oh dear God.
Lorelai: "Poodle" is another funny word.
Emily: Please drink your drink, Lorelai.
Lorelai: In fact, if you put "oy" and "poodle" together, in the same sentence, you'd have a great new catchphrase, you know? Like, "Oy with the poodles already."
Rory: Hehe.
Lorelai: So from now on, when the perfect circumstances arise, we will use our favorite new catchphrase:
Rory: Oy with the poodles already.
Lorelai: I'm telling you, it's knocking "Whatchu talkin' 'bout, Willis?" right out of first place.

Thought of the day....

Sometimes the one you think is your knight and shining armor, is just a retard in tinfoil!

My heart, love, and prayers go out to the Toone Family during this time and also to the Staker Family. May the Lord continue to bless and be with you!

This is the Staker's Blog and it is amazing!!
http://stakerzxposed.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html

Sad Sad ..... I need your help

So I was editing my blog and somehow lost everyones blog addresses....so I'd really like to get them back so if you could please leave a comment with your blog address attached so I can fix this horrendous mistake!! :(