President Gordon B. Hinckley

What an amazing man. President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away on Sunday, January 27, 2008. He was such an example. Not only to the LDS followers, but to the world. He was optimistic, and had a great sense of humor. He knew his purpose here on earth, and I believe that he fulfilled it to the fullest.



I wanted to write a few things that he said that have really impacted me, and the way I want to live my life. First is a quote that Nate and I have posted in our room so that we can think about it everyday as we start our day. It is very well known. It says, "I speak of the need for a little more effort, a little more seof-discipline, a little more consecrated effort in the direction of excellence in our lives. Let us all try to stand a little taller, rise a little higher, be a little better." -September 1999- I love this challenge, and I think if lived by we would find ourselves much happier.



I also remember the talk he gave when I was in high school with the "6 Be's". They are (1) Be Grateful, (2) Be Smart, (3) Be Clean, (4) Be True, (5) Be Humble, (6) Be Prayerful. Again, this counsel has been repeated and taught over and over.



President Hinckley truly wanted us to be happy, and anytime that he taught, he did it with love, sincerity, and a smile. He was firm in his beliefs. As he became one of the most public prophets, he had some situations or questions that would make me uncomfortable answering to the world. I would worry about what they thought. He didn't. He always answered honestly, and matter-of-factly. It is an example of how anyone should be when they truly believe in something. His funeral is on Saturday, February 2, 2008. I am so excited to watch and see what others remember him for, how he touched so many other lives.

A Thought for Thursday

I have been thinking about so many things lately. Life questions. Who knows why, but reguardless it has been on my mind. Anyways, I ran across this really really great quote. Here it is:

Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were.
Cherie Carter-Scott. "If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules".

Our New Baby

Well, actually Nate's new baby. Nate bought a 1992 Ford truck yesterday, and it has received more attention that any living portion of our family tonight! It is like we have adopted another member to our family, and Nate is going through the bonding stage. Giving it all sorts of TLC like new spark plugs, new spark plug wires, new shock for the lift gate (something that is on the back?), etc. Nate is out taking it for a "test drive" right now. I personally think that he is really trying to figure out a name for it, but wants to know that he picks just the right one. :)

Honestly, I haven't seen him so happy in a long time. I am not saying that he is not happy, because he is, but tonight he is giddy. As I watched him scrub at his hands to get all the black stuff off, I smiled. He loves to work. Nate has taught me that though. That hard work pays off with the pure satisfaction of knowing you put your all into it. It is a principle that he learned from his parents, and I am grateful to see how it has affected his life.

Another cute thing happened tonight. Bailey loves to be by her dad, no matter the cirumstances. Tonight was no exception. This is the conversation Bailey and I had just prior to the picture that was taken:

Me: Bailey, get inside it is freezing outside!

Bailey: No, no, no mom! I have my snow boots on. (I italicized snow because she drew it out like "duh"!)

The picture is kind of far away, but Bailey is wearing a strappy night gown (a hand-me-down lace cami from myself) and her Winnie the Pooh snow boots.

Christmas 2007

This Christmas was wonderful! Bailey was old enough to understand Santa Clause, and the elves that were watching, and that the pretty papered boxes under the tree actually had something in them! On Christmas Eve we had plans to send Nate off snowmobiling while the girls and I stayed home and really got ready for Santa. You know, baking cookies for him and his reindeer, and cleaning so that he wouldn't trip when he brought our gifts in. Well, that was the plan, but we had another visitor when we woke up that morning. An old (and frequent this year) friend we call the flu. I was the only one who got it, but it changed the day. Nathan stayed home to help the girls get ready for Santa, and I stayed on the couch. After about 12 hours of the worst, I felt better. I asked permission to attend the Christmas Eve dinner at Nate's brother's home and they said it was fine. They also had some germ issues :). The more the merrier?? We had a wonderful dinner (Steph always makes delicious dinners!), had fun acting out the Nativity (Bailey-an Angel/Nate-Narrator/JoAnn-Video Recorder/Brinlee-a random wanderer throughout), went and saw an amazing lights display (it was coordinated to music!), and the girls opened up one present each in their Christmas Jammies. This year the present was a new book. Bailey got Alice in Wonderland because imagination has become such a large part of our lives, and Brinlee got a board book about different things in the home. It was lots of fun. We drove home watching for Santa's sleigh in the sky, and both girls were out by the time we pulled in the garage!

Christmas morning came when Nate couldn't sleep anymore (another long story about Christmas Eve Day....another time!), and he woke Bailey up at 7:30. She had to go and get Brinlee before she could go and see what the living room had in store! In the end, you can see that Bailey had plenty to be excited about! She did get the long awaited for Princess Belle shoes, plus 5 other pairs of princess shoes.

Brinlee was happy with her new baby, until it wouldn't stop crying! She loves her frog that sings her to sleep (and so do her mommy and daddy!) The white teddy bear was for Brinlee, but Bailey has adopted it as her own now. It lights up and is a really good nightlight for her. And it is on a timer! Since her Christmas lights came down, she needed something! The castle is in both pictures because it is for both girls, and they love it. Sharing has not been an issue yet, and I am grateful for that! After the morning with our family, we went down to Nathan's sister's home and had a family breakfast. This is always delicious, and am glad that I was feeling well enough to really eat!

Christmas Dinner was just us, and it was so fun for me. I went all out (oven lasagna and all!). Okay, it was easy. But I did add a salad, breadsticks, and fun punch. We ate on Christmas plates. This was especially fun for Bailey. A small plate on a big plate was something she had never seen before. It was so convincing to Bailey that dinner was a big deal, that she ate some caesar salad. Wow! I was so proud of her! I told Nate that he is in charge of taking the pictures from now on since he can't behave in pictures when he is in them. This is the better of two. He is such a dork sometimes!

Christmas of 2007 is a happy memory for me. I hope that they continue to be just like this one!