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 ;)