So there is a new Pope. As of yet his name has not been announced. It has been fascinating to watch the process---the conclave---of electing a new pope. It is different in my church, the LDS church, we know who will be the prophet. We believe Heavenly Father revealed how the leadership is passed along. There is no speculation. But I do believe the Heavenly Father is concerned about who will be pope. The cardinals who elect the pope pray to be influenced by the Holy Ghost, and you know what? I believe they are. This morning I was watching a talk show with 5 panelists. Two of the women claimed the churches in America are empty, that religion just isn't important. One of the women hopes this new pope will be more in touch with modern life and make the changes that she feels are a long time in coming. And I wondered....when did we, the general population, decide that WE told God what needs to be done? Or changed? That we dictate the commandments according to what society believes is right or acceptable? I am grateful for the guidance my prophet gives, that my church gives. That being said I also hope I can be loving and tolerant and respectful of those who don't share my beliefs.
On a different note, we are remodeling our kitchen. It has been one disaster and stumbling block after another. I am finding it hard to live in a state of chaos. Our family is short tempered with each other. And I know this is a total ridiculous petty challenge. But at the same time, I look forward to it being done.
My baby is twelve. We celebrated another last together. The last of our children in primary. Now on Tuesdays we all go to mutual. Except Gary, he tries to put together our kitchen. After 23 years of primary, we are graduated!
And finally, Emily is participating in Junior Miss, or Distinguished Young Woman as it is now called. I just love this program. I don't in any way think or expect her to win. We have been involved enough to know that you just can't go into it thinking you will win. But I do believe that if she works hard, puts her whole effort into it, well, she already is a winner! I truly believe that. It is fun to see your daughter prepare her talent, get a beautiful dress, work on interview skills and draw close to the girls in her grade. The only sad thing is I don't get to help this year. And I am afraid I will not get to help again. And that will be hard because it is one of my favorite things to do!
Well, just felt like I should drop in and leave some random thoughts!
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Monday, February 11, 2013
Another missionary son!
Nathan got his call a few weeks ago. He is going to the Asuncion, Paraguay misssion. He reports to the Argentina MTC on Thursday, May 23. It is a bit strange to know he is going to travel there by himself and just be dropped into a foreign country and language. Not that he parachutes in or anything ; ) I am not entirely sure how the logistics will all happen. And I must admit this call is taking a wee bit more faith on my part. New Zealand and Alabama seemed a bit easier to send my child to. Or maybe I am just older and more......something, not exactly sure what I am. But it will be good to have another missionary out. To look forward to the weekly letters, I think we are more united as a family when we read those weekly letters. And it is always good to step out of my comfort zone. And have more faith. Right? Nathan will make an awesome missionary, just as the thousands who leave each year are awesome missionaries.
Yesterday was our ward conference. It was good. Our stake president gave a great talk about being anchored and doing good things. But I am afraid all I hear is how much I fall short. For about three years I have struggled and carried some burdens, just stuff, but yesterday brought it up. I really feel like I have failed in my most important job. Being a mother. That somewhere I just didn`t teach or do enough. That feeling is always with me, every waking minute. Yesterday was rough, but I am grateful for being taught and reminded to try harder, reach farther. It hasn`t been very long since I stopped crying through sacrament meeting every Sunday, I am thinking those days may be back. And don`t think anyone is unkind, I just struggle.
On a happier note, kinda. We are remodeling our kitchen. Gary is so amazing and we can do improvements to our house because he does it mostly himself. He is already super busy, but he takes on this huge project and makes our home a better place to be. Well, better when it is finished! In the meantime we live in a construction zone, all of our food and pans and utensils are in the living room. In a state of disorganization. We have eaten a LOT of hot pockets. My goal is to locate the crockpot and utilize it. Should be awesome when it is finished!!!
Ok, I don`t know how to put pictures on my blog. And my blog guru Hannah is living in Utah. So, anyone who can explain the process in simple, VERY SIMPLE terms I would appreciate it. And at the same time remind me how to change the background and stuff? Oh, and I cannot figure out what blogger wants me to do with a new or old account?? So that info would also help. I would offer brownies to anyone who helped, but my kitchen has been demo-ed!! So I will just say thank you in a very heart felt manner.
Yesterday was our ward conference. It was good. Our stake president gave a great talk about being anchored and doing good things. But I am afraid all I hear is how much I fall short. For about three years I have struggled and carried some burdens, just stuff, but yesterday brought it up. I really feel like I have failed in my most important job. Being a mother. That somewhere I just didn`t teach or do enough. That feeling is always with me, every waking minute. Yesterday was rough, but I am grateful for being taught and reminded to try harder, reach farther. It hasn`t been very long since I stopped crying through sacrament meeting every Sunday, I am thinking those days may be back. And don`t think anyone is unkind, I just struggle.
On a happier note, kinda. We are remodeling our kitchen. Gary is so amazing and we can do improvements to our house because he does it mostly himself. He is already super busy, but he takes on this huge project and makes our home a better place to be. Well, better when it is finished! In the meantime we live in a construction zone, all of our food and pans and utensils are in the living room. In a state of disorganization. We have eaten a LOT of hot pockets. My goal is to locate the crockpot and utilize it. Should be awesome when it is finished!!!
Ok, I don`t know how to put pictures on my blog. And my blog guru Hannah is living in Utah. So, anyone who can explain the process in simple, VERY SIMPLE terms I would appreciate it. And at the same time remind me how to change the background and stuff? Oh, and I cannot figure out what blogger wants me to do with a new or old account?? So that info would also help. I would offer brownies to anyone who helped, but my kitchen has been demo-ed!! So I will just say thank you in a very heart felt manner.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Just Stopping By
I have a good friend who blogs and I challenged us both to update our blogs this weekend. Well, Robin already did, so I gotta come through.I just don`t seem to have much to say!
To catch up on what has happened since I last blogged. Four of my kids live in Utah. Wow!!! Gary`s dad passed away in July. We were all able to gather for his funeral, really more of a celebration of a great man`s life.Everyone was able to be there but Megan and Taylor who were serving missions and Andy who I believe had to work. It was a wonderful family time. Whenever Chelsons are together there is going to be lots of singing. And lots of children. And lots of food.
School started. So we took Nathan down to Provo to start his feshman year at BYU. He lives in brand new dorms that were built on the site of the dorms I lived in a hundred years ago. Good old Deseret Towers. They were obviously torn down to make way for these wonderful new buildings. From his living room you can see Y Mountain. I think his apartment is nicer than our house! Porter got a job working with the BYU athletic department, he was kind of in charge of anything Cosmo. I think! Hannah is working for the LDS Business College, she gets to meet important people. I think! Bear works some kind of cement or construction jobs while deciding where he might like to attend school. I think! I really do talk to them all quite frequently, contrary to what this paragraph might make it seem. I am done with elementary school!!! Wahoo! Brigham and Nat are at the junior high and Emily is at the high school.
I get to teach the Laurels in our ward. I love it, I love them. I love our Young Women`s president Chris Erickson. She is amazing and I learn from her every week. Seriously, I LOVE teaching the Laurels.
We all are aware of the unspeakable, evil act committed last Friday. As I watched the news updates come in and the news went from the vague-there was a school shooting- to the specific horrors of 20 little babies and 6 adults killed I couldn`t help but weep. That some twisted man would perpetrate such a crime. That those innocent children had to endure those final minutes of fear, that the brave and valiant caretakers died. There is such pain in life. Those who have passed on are safe, safe from fear or pain. But their loved ones and to some extent the country must live on.I am going to try to be kinder to those around me, those I come in contact with. I don`t know what else to do.Because at one time that killer was an innocent 6 year child himself. And I wonder what happened to him to make him lose any sense of human-ness he must at one time had possessed? Sometimes it is just too much to take in. So I turn to the Savior and Heavenly Father, for They promised us peace, not as the world gives but as They give.
Today I wore a skirt to church. Apparently some women in the church were planning to wear pants today as some kind of protest or call for equality. I speak only for myself, but I am happy to be a woman. I AM EQUAL TO MY HUSBAND. But I am not exactly like him. Thank goodness for that.Anyone who knows me would probably tell you I am not meek nor submissive. Gary respects me, lets me be me and we lead our family together. I have never felt less than because of my gender. And we have raised STRONG,opinionated sons AND daughters. I feel for the women who don`t enjoy the same feelings I enjoy. But today I wore a skirt because it is my best and I want to show my reverence as I attended church today for the primary purpose to renew my sacred covenants with my Savior and Father in Heaven.
One of my goals this year is to learn how to put pictures on this blog, because apparently that is what makes blogs cool.
And there you have it. I came, I blogged I caught you all up.
To catch up on what has happened since I last blogged. Four of my kids live in Utah. Wow!!! Gary`s dad passed away in July. We were all able to gather for his funeral, really more of a celebration of a great man`s life.Everyone was able to be there but Megan and Taylor who were serving missions and Andy who I believe had to work. It was a wonderful family time. Whenever Chelsons are together there is going to be lots of singing. And lots of children. And lots of food.
School started. So we took Nathan down to Provo to start his feshman year at BYU. He lives in brand new dorms that were built on the site of the dorms I lived in a hundred years ago. Good old Deseret Towers. They were obviously torn down to make way for these wonderful new buildings. From his living room you can see Y Mountain. I think his apartment is nicer than our house! Porter got a job working with the BYU athletic department, he was kind of in charge of anything Cosmo. I think! Hannah is working for the LDS Business College, she gets to meet important people. I think! Bear works some kind of cement or construction jobs while deciding where he might like to attend school. I think! I really do talk to them all quite frequently, contrary to what this paragraph might make it seem. I am done with elementary school!!! Wahoo! Brigham and Nat are at the junior high and Emily is at the high school.
I get to teach the Laurels in our ward. I love it, I love them. I love our Young Women`s president Chris Erickson. She is amazing and I learn from her every week. Seriously, I LOVE teaching the Laurels.
We all are aware of the unspeakable, evil act committed last Friday. As I watched the news updates come in and the news went from the vague-there was a school shooting- to the specific horrors of 20 little babies and 6 adults killed I couldn`t help but weep. That some twisted man would perpetrate such a crime. That those innocent children had to endure those final minutes of fear, that the brave and valiant caretakers died. There is such pain in life. Those who have passed on are safe, safe from fear or pain. But their loved ones and to some extent the country must live on.I am going to try to be kinder to those around me, those I come in contact with. I don`t know what else to do.Because at one time that killer was an innocent 6 year child himself. And I wonder what happened to him to make him lose any sense of human-ness he must at one time had possessed? Sometimes it is just too much to take in. So I turn to the Savior and Heavenly Father, for They promised us peace, not as the world gives but as They give.
Today I wore a skirt to church. Apparently some women in the church were planning to wear pants today as some kind of protest or call for equality. I speak only for myself, but I am happy to be a woman. I AM EQUAL TO MY HUSBAND. But I am not exactly like him. Thank goodness for that.Anyone who knows me would probably tell you I am not meek nor submissive. Gary respects me, lets me be me and we lead our family together. I have never felt less than because of my gender. And we have raised STRONG,opinionated sons AND daughters. I feel for the women who don`t enjoy the same feelings I enjoy. But today I wore a skirt because it is my best and I want to show my reverence as I attended church today for the primary purpose to renew my sacred covenants with my Savior and Father in Heaven.
One of my goals this year is to learn how to put pictures on this blog, because apparently that is what makes blogs cool.
And there you have it. I came, I blogged I caught you all up.
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Time marches on.
My grandma used to say good intentions pave the road to he_ _. And all I seem to have with this blog is good intentions. It has been a crazy, busy few weeks. What a good thing, right? But it has been so busy I haven`t even had my nails done. For those of you who know me you will recognize the gravity of my situation!!
About a week ago our dear family friend Colleen passed away.Last year she was diagnosed with colon cancer and she fought it like a warrior, but eventually cancer overcame. Colleen was a warm,elegant,witty woman. And one of the best mothers I have ever known. She has been Hannah`s other mother for over 15 years. I am grateful for what Hannah learned from Colleen and she will be missed.
Porter and Hannah were here for Mother`s Day weekend. Hannah actually came for the funeral and was here til yesterday. It is so fun to have the college kids come visit. They are grown ups now so it is like having friends visit. Our niece Tashya and her husband Andy also were here for a visit. They have to be the perfect couple! I can`t believe they were each able to find the perfect spouse for themselves. It is a joy to see them interact. And they cleaned my house before they left! That was a wonderful surprise to come home to. They both just graduated from BYU and will soon be off to Texas where Andy has a great job waiting and Tashya will be the world`s best homemaker. I plan to visit them in the depths of January and enjoy some warmth.
Nathan graduates in less than a week. REALLY? I sometimes wonder how I have come to this point. Four kids in college? In December I will have 3 kids in their twenties. How?? Where has the time gone? I remember whenever we had a new baby a few weeks before the due date I would start to panic a little when I realized our family was about to change forever. Well, it is a little like that now. Except there isn`t a big event like a new baby, there are more little events like graduations and missions and college. I guess those aren`t necessarily little events, and they do initially change the dynamics of our family. And then the changes begin to happen to the children living away from home. So life is different, but we don`t feel it so much within the walls of our home.
I still feel that panic and am trying to figure out how to adjust to this new stage in our lives. So any suggestions would be helpful. How do you parent grown ups? I am still a mom, but with a different role. How do you balance little kids with big kids? It is weird to think we will only have 3 kids at home soon. And I embarrassed to admit this, but sometimes I forget that we still need to carry on and do all the traditions we always have and that I still have a little boy who deserves all the enthusiasm we had for his older siblings: piano recitals, pack meetings,field trips and so on.His brothers and sisters think Brigham is spoiled and lucky because he gets more than they did. But I don`t think they realize he also gets older, tired-er parents! And busier parents. Guess I have lots to think about huh? Again, any advice would be awesome!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
Rocky Mountain High.......
COLORADO! John Denver nailed it with that song! I am in Colorado with my mom. She has remodeled the family cabin. It has come to the point where. Myriad of decisions must be made. Paint, carpet, cabinets, light fixtures, doors, flooring, tile and so on. My mom made all the other big decisions about contractors, floor plans etc. But I have gotten to help with this phase. And it has been fun!
Who wouldn't love the fun of picking stuff out without the pain of footing the bill?
Anyway, it really has been wonderful. My mom ALWAYS spoils me ROTTEN. And it has been awesome getting to see her vision and dream come to life. And I LOVE Colorado. Really, I think Heavenly Father created these mountains first and then saw to the rest of the world. Most of my favorite childhood memories are here. Sometimes at night I close my eyes and page through my mental scrapbooks and let my heart remember. Most of my ancestors are buried here. These are my roots and I am grateful to be able to be here.
And today I went to a Whole Foods for the first time. WOW. It was truly amazing!
Who wouldn't love the fun of picking stuff out without the pain of footing the bill?
Anyway, it really has been wonderful. My mom ALWAYS spoils me ROTTEN. And it has been awesome getting to see her vision and dream come to life. And I LOVE Colorado. Really, I think Heavenly Father created these mountains first and then saw to the rest of the world. Most of my favorite childhood memories are here. Sometimes at night I close my eyes and page through my mental scrapbooks and let my heart remember. Most of my ancestors are buried here. These are my roots and I am grateful to be able to be here.
And today I went to a Whole Foods for the first time. WOW. It was truly amazing!
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Celebrate the lasts!
I once read a book by Karen Kingsbury about celebrating your children`s lasts. We all celebrate their firsts, but there are also significant lasts. Like their last primary program, their last time registering for high school, their last first day of school and so on. Well, yesterday Brigham and I celebrated a last.
His last elememtary parent/teacher conference!!!
From now on I will just go stand in line to talk to his various teachers. It occured to me that most of HIS lasts will also be MY lasts. We will share them. I will never have an elementary parent/teacher conference again. And that is weird. I started in 1994. I figured out I have attended 84 of them between 7 children. Yesterday was also his last grade school program, and my last one. And I gotta admit, I`m not too sad about that milestone! It will be a bit strange next year not to have a grade schooler. But a good strange.
After the conference I took Brigham to Subway to celebrate. I can`t think of a better person to share so many lasts with.
His last elememtary parent/teacher conference!!!
From now on I will just go stand in line to talk to his various teachers. It occured to me that most of HIS lasts will also be MY lasts. We will share them. I will never have an elementary parent/teacher conference again. And that is weird. I started in 1994. I figured out I have attended 84 of them between 7 children. Yesterday was also his last grade school program, and my last one. And I gotta admit, I`m not too sad about that milestone! It will be a bit strange next year not to have a grade schooler. But a good strange.
After the conference I took Brigham to Subway to celebrate. I can`t think of a better person to share so many lasts with.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Potpourri
I really have no specific post in mind. Nothing to say or get off my chest, but I promised myself I would post more regularly. Because I know Robin, Connie and Britta read this! And I don`t want to let down my faithful readers! ; )
Last night I finally deactivated my facebook for awhile. When I found myself in the middle of a rather stupid, yet mean-spirited teenage disagreement. And really, the only reason I said anything was because my own child was being "attacked",and nobody does that! I have also found myself hurt when I am not included in things, things I don`t even want to be included in but still wish I had been invited. Gary calls it my high school insecurities. Boy does he have that right! So I just decided for my mental health to get off for some time. I will miss seeing what old friends are up to, but not enough to keep driving myself crazy.
Conference was good. So good. I am such a visual learner though, that while I remember being uplifted I can`t tell you by which speaker or what they said. So I eagerly await the Conference Ensign issue so I can read and remember and savor all the divine counsel. Was anyone else sad to find out Julie Beck and her counselors were released? Sister Beck has inspired me and pushed me through her years of service. At times I have felt very challenged by her expectations of women and mothers today. But at the same time so grateful that she sees us for what we can become. She taught me about living with intention, or rather striving to live with intention. And I love Sister Thompson`s real-ness. That she is a single woman who has found a happy, fulfilled place in a family oriented church. And Sister Allred for her unfailing optimism and loving talks. I will miss them, but look forward to learning from the new presidency.
Well, this was definately a potpourri of thoughts. I am looking forward to spring and summer. Letting warm air in and watching the flowers bloom. Trips to Disneyland and Colorado. So many good things to look forward to! Life is good.
Last night I finally deactivated my facebook for awhile. When I found myself in the middle of a rather stupid, yet mean-spirited teenage disagreement. And really, the only reason I said anything was because my own child was being "attacked",and nobody does that! I have also found myself hurt when I am not included in things, things I don`t even want to be included in but still wish I had been invited. Gary calls it my high school insecurities. Boy does he have that right! So I just decided for my mental health to get off for some time. I will miss seeing what old friends are up to, but not enough to keep driving myself crazy.
Conference was good. So good. I am such a visual learner though, that while I remember being uplifted I can`t tell you by which speaker or what they said. So I eagerly await the Conference Ensign issue so I can read and remember and savor all the divine counsel. Was anyone else sad to find out Julie Beck and her counselors were released? Sister Beck has inspired me and pushed me through her years of service. At times I have felt very challenged by her expectations of women and mothers today. But at the same time so grateful that she sees us for what we can become. She taught me about living with intention, or rather striving to live with intention. And I love Sister Thompson`s real-ness. That she is a single woman who has found a happy, fulfilled place in a family oriented church. And Sister Allred for her unfailing optimism and loving talks. I will miss them, but look forward to learning from the new presidency.
Well, this was definately a potpourri of thoughts. I am looking forward to spring and summer. Letting warm air in and watching the flowers bloom. Trips to Disneyland and Colorado. So many good things to look forward to! Life is good.
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