April 26, 2017

I had the MOST interesting morning while visiting teaching.  I visit teach two women who happen to be neighbors.  They are both in their sixties.  I could sit and listen to their life stories forever!  One woman is from Brazil (originally from Portugal), is a lawyer, and has a fascinating family!  As soon as she started telling me about her petite, 89-year-old aunt in Portugal, my imagination was captured. I think her story would make a fabulous book.  Maybe I should write it.  Ha ha.  But seriously, I felt a spark as she told me her story.  I'm still dreaming about it.

Then it was next door for another interesting hour.  With both women, I shared a spiritual thought and we talked about things of importance.  I felt their wisdom and testimonies from a lifetime of living the gospel.  I came home buzzing with a happy feeling.

In the evening, Miles finally got his arrow of light award at Pack Meeting.  He earned it a few months ago, but this was the first pack meeting where we could all be there.  I was so proud of him.  And I also had to promise (as part of the ceremony) that I would help him continue on to his Eagle Scout award, never wavering.  I promised.  Oh boy!

Miles earned his "Arrow of Light"

This is a bunch of the Cub Scouts (8-11), and Austin (just turned 8), one of the newest Cub Scouts, is standing among them (with his black Maui shirt).  He is THE tallest in the entire pack!  And the youngest!  Crazy!!

I love my little boys.  I'm so grateful that I'm their mom.  I "promise" I'll always be with them, every step of the way.  Absolutely!

April 27, 2017

Thursday.  My running group wanted to run six miles.  We woke up extra early to go.  I started my day at 5:30.  I felt so great on the run!  It seemed like a fantastic way to start my morning. I loved it.  But it was rush, rush the minute I got back. By 8:30, I was showered, all the kids were out the door for school, and I was off to my doctor appointment.  I keep having bladder infections and bacterial infections and I've known for a while that I was suffering.  I, in fact, did have a bacterial infection, but they also found blood in my urine.  I got a prescription and a referral to a urologist.  After that, I ran to the grocery store with Owen and Lance and loaded two, full carts with food.  Owen was such a big helper.  I honestly could not have done it without him.  He pushed a cart and loaded food onto the conveyor belt and kept Lance happy.  He was so great!  We came home and loaded it all into the house and put it away.  By now, I was exhausted!!  But the day kept going.

Two cartloads of food and a new bathroom scale.  Ironic?

I made dinner and drove and picked up kids from activities.  Greg wanted to go on a little outing to walk around Costco after we picked up Emma from her Polynesian dance class.  I went with him and we walked around and bought a new camping tent.  I'm so excited to use it!

Back at home, it was a furious frenzy to get the girls all packed to leave the next day for their volleyball tournament in SLC.  We were washing forgotten items and searching through laundry piles and dealing with high emotions from the girls.  And Lance wouldn't go to sleep.  And Austin was scared.  And the girls kept having drama about their packing and getting ready for bed.  I was so tired.  I haven't felt that dangerously tired in a long while.  I finally crawled into bed around ten and just whispered a good night to Greg.  I was completely worn out.

April 25, 2017

Today is my mom's birthday.  The little boys and I took some gifts over to her in the morning.  We laughed and played and talked and let the boys jump from bed to bed in her guest room.  Then Mom brought out leftover sweet and sour pork and rice for lunch.  I LOVE leftovers.  I always have.  While Dad and I ate the leftovers, she ate something small like a boiled egg.  Then we sat and looked at all of the letters and cards and pictures she has been putting into albums.  She has emptied out boxes and boxes of stuff and is now down to a few albums.  It was so great to see all of her stuff.  We laughed at the pictures and letters.  When I apologized for staying so long, Mom said that she was so happy...it was her favorite kind of day.  I also spent time talking to Dad.  He told me the most fabulous story about a guy he had baptized while on his mission to Florida over forty years ago.  Dad had lost touch with him and had even tried to find him, but was unsuccessful.  Well, he woke up the other day having dreamt about this guy.  Dad ran straight to the computer, was able to find the guy's information, and by the end of the day, he was talking to this man's son.  The man had recently died, and now Dad has the permission from his family (who never knew he had been "baptized Mormon") to do his temple work.  It was such a touching story.  I started to tear up just hearing Dad tell about it. When Dad said, "I don't know why he would try to contact me from heaven..." I said, "I know exactly why he would contact you!"  I am so proud of my Dad who has found thousands and thousands of names for the temple.  And when Dad showed me his notebook with all of the notes and charts and family trees he has already drawn out for this man's family, I was amazed.  If I was on the other side, and I wanted someone on earth to find my name and do my temple work, I know I'd be trying to get through to my dad.  I know he'd do it for me.  That's the kind of guy he is.

I hugged and kissed Mom goodbye.  I love her so very much.  She has been so good to me.  I have loved having her in St. George.  When I hear the mudroom door open in the daytime, I run to see if it's her.  I love sitting by her at my kids' games.  I love telling her about my life.  I love being her friend.  She has always been on my side--the kind of mom willing to "punch someone in the nose" for me, but of course never, ever actually doing that. :) She has always taught us to go the extra mile, to be the extra kind, to be extra forgiving.  While I was at her house, her elderly neighbor stopped by.  I could see how much she loves my mom.  I could see how good Mom is to her.  I felt so very thankful to be born to such wonderful parents.  I am incredibly blessed.

April 24, 2017

I heard someone say this the other day:  I think we were aware of our trials before we came to earth.  I think we agreed to them.

That thought has stayed with me for a few days.  I could understand how that might be true for some trials.  Things that seemed hard at first, but actually shaped and molded us into more Christ-like humans beings, might have been welcomed as we looked forward to our lives here on earth. In fact, as we look back at those kinds of trials, they seem like God's plan for sure. But some tragedies just seem too tragic, too earth-shattering, too...  I don't know.  Some tragedies seem so hard to wrap our minds around that I can't imagine anyone agreeing to something that would wreak such havoc upon their family and their lives.  I recently heard of a mother giving birth to her eighth baby and then passing away right on the spot.  And I still can't get over the stories of people backing up a car over their own children.  That sounds devastating.  How could those be part of God's plan?

I called Mom about a few things today and we had a long, lovely phone conversation.  As we discussed some hard things that a few of my friends are going through, we started to talk about the challenges of life.  Somehow, in our conversation, we brought up my cousin's wife, Meg, who is in a wheelchair, but also an amazing motivational speaker.  She is a major source of inspiration to me, and to countless others!  We talked of her positive attitude, of her great example, and of her endless gratitude.  It brought us a smile as we laughed about Meg's good sense of humor.  Later, I had the fleeting thought, I wonder if Meg knows that she matters in my life.  I don't even know if she knows who I am!  And here I am living my daily life, thinking of her when I need a boost.  I recently read about Meg's little daughter asking her to stand up from her wheelchair. She was done having her mommy sit.  It broke Meg's heart.  No, it shattered it.  Would Meg have ever agreed to that?

I suddenly had a thought of Meg, in heaven before we came here, being told that her life would be super difficult.  Then I imagined her being told that she would bless and encourage and inspire thousands upon thousands of people on earth.  I'm sure she has even saved people.  Would she have agreed to that?

Then I thought of the Chris Williams story that has pretty much gone viral.  His family was hit by a drunk-driving teenager.  His wife and a few of his children were killed in the accident.  It. Was. Heartbreaking.  But his story about forgiving the young driver, even helping that boy to change his life around, has been shared and talked about constantly since it happened.  What if he and his wife were told about the way their life would go on earth, and they were told that their time together would be very short?  I think of them being told that their story would help and bless and inspire thousands upon thousands of people.  I wonder if they looked at each other and thought, "We will know about the gospel.  We will be aware of the Plan of Salvation.  We know we will see each other again.  And just think of all the people we will help.  Let's do it!"  Would they have agreed to that?

I've always thought about the ways our trials can shape and refine us.  And I've long known that other people's stories can have a huge impact on our lives, but I've never thought about how a trial's sole purpose might be to change and save other people.  Or that someone might have been willing to endure a terrible tragedy for other people's sakes.

I'm not sure if this is making sense.  But when I thought about it, it really hit home to me.  No one is living an isolated life.  We are all interwoven into this beautiful earthly experience.  The old saying that it matters not the trial, but the way we react to the trial, is so true.

So here we are on earth.  We are subject to pain and misery and sorrow.  And we are blessed with joys and triumphs and happiness.  Through it all, it matters how we react.  It matters how we live.  Maybe it matters to hundreds and thousands of people.  And maybe it just matters to one.

Maybe as I sat there ready to come to earth, I was told of my own trials and how they would save me.  Would I have agreed to that?

April 23, 2017

Well.  I'm a Primary teacher now.  And I can't remember the last time I was one.

Even though I found out about my new calling just a few minutes before church, I offered to start my new position today.  They assigned me to Austin's little class.  I loved it from the first minute I started.  We were supposed to be talking about prophets and revelation, but I did my best to bring the spirit into the classroom with very little preparation.  I started with asking them about some of the things the prophet wants us to do, and they got a little confused by laws of the land and commandments.  So that led us into a little discussion about being honest and obeying the law of the land AND the commandments of God.  Not all commandments are laws, but we should try to obey all the laws.  We talked a little bit about honesty because someone brought up the story of an acquaintance's uncle who had robbed a bank.  Luckily, I had just read my boys a bedtime story from the Children's Friend magazine about honesty.  As I leaned forward in my chair and gave them a detailed retelling of the story, they were all mesmerized.  We all felt the spirit and those little 7 and 8 year olds just burst with things they needed and wanted to share about being honest.  It turned out to be a really great lesson with those little ones.  Sharing time was just great too.  I was happy to sing the songs and feel my heart swell with love for these little children.  I think this is going to work out very nicely.

Mom and Austin--getting ready for church

So thankful for these little ones!

April 22, 2017

Emma is having such a fun track season as a freshman!  She is doing an awesome job.  Yesterday she ran the 400 meters.  She took tenth out of 46 runners.  And she just narrowly missed qualifying for the finals.  She got a personal record of 1:04.07, which was good enough to qualify for the BYU invitational in a few weeks!!  We were so proud of her.  She is only a ninth grader competing right up there with the seniors!

She came back today to run the 4 by 400 with her relay team.  Emma got the fastest split time for her team and helped secure them for a second place finish!  They got to stand up on the podium and get their medals.  I was so proud of her!!

Desert Hills' Second Place Relay Team in the 4x400!  Go Emma!!

Emma's first Varsity Track medal!

It is so fun to watch her compete. I love her!

In the afternoon, Sunee and kids came over and swam with us.  We had such a lovely time! Greg still wasn't feeling well, so I took all of the kids to In 'n' Out for hamburgers and fries and then to see The Lego Batman movie at the dollar theater.  The Eardleys were there too.  It was super fun to sit by them, and the movie had us laughing and laughing.  We ended the night with milkshakes at Culver's.  We sat outside on the patio and had a great time visiting.  It was the end to a really awesome day!

April 21, 2017

Friday.  Austin had an appointment scheduled with the Allergy/Asthma doctor this morning and Miles needed some blood work done so I decided to take both of them with me.  We had planned to get the doctor stuff out of the way and then head back to school.  Things didn't turn out that way.

First they tested Austin for allergies.  And based on the amount of mucus in his nose, the doctor felt like I was right in thinking that he had a ton of allergies.  They poked all over his arms with sixty different allergens.  While we were waiting on that, they did a breath test on Austin to see about his cough.  I wasn't surprised when they told me he had asthma, but I was surprised about how bad it is.
:(  Poor Austin has been going around not being able to breathe! The doctor said it was bad enough that he is at risk for a severe asthma attack.  He gave us an inhaler to use every day.  I WAS surprised with the results of the allergy test.  And so was the doctor.  Austin almost has no allergies.  He is allergic to cats, and a little bit allergic to juniper trees.  That's it.  That baffled the doctor because Austin has so much snot and post nasal drip all the time!  That led the doctor to be concerned about his sinuses.  Oh boy, I thought, this is deja vu from yesterday with Miles.  So they ordered a sinus x-ray.  We had to head to the hospital for that.  The doctor said that if Austin's sinuses were bad, he would need surgery too.

After the x-ray, we headed to the lab for Miles's blood work.  He totally panicked about it.  He held still, but he was sweating and his eyes were tearing up and he was breathing rapidly.  I was trying to hold his hand and calm him down the best I could.  The doctor had ordered a ton of labs, so they needed a LOT of blood.  It took a while.  To get his mind off of it, I started to ask Miles where he wanted to go for lunch (since it was now getting late).  He said, "Well, I know where I want to go, but it's probably not where you want to go."  That made us laugh.  He said it was Taco Bell.  And he's right, I don't want to go there.  Then the worker nicely asked him what he likes to eat at Taco Bell.  He said, "Well, what do you think!??!  Tacos!!"  I thought, Oh boy here goes Miles.  And there was no stopping him.  He kept us snickering and laughing for the next ten minutes.  When I asked him why he hadn't gone to Taco Bell with Dad the night before after they had gone golfing together and out to dinner (they both LOVE Taco Bell), he said, "Well.  You know how Dad's doing that thing again?"
"What thing?"
"The thing where he tries to eat healthier?
"Yeah," I said.
"Well, he said we'd better not go to Taco Bell because he was eating healthier these days."
(The nurse and I are laughing.)
Miles said, "So then we went to Culver's and he got a hamburger and french fries.  And I just don't really see how that was much healthier."
By now, we are laughing really hard.

Finally, they finished with his blood work and I was talking to the nurse about something when Miles interrupted to say he was going to pass out or vomit.  We quickly laid back his chair and fanned his face and got him a drink of water.  Another nurse came in, and older lady, and sweetly said, "Oh, you must not have liked getting your blood drawn."
And Miles shot back, as he is practically passing out, "Well what does it look like?"
That got us laughing again.  And he kept up with that sarcastic attitude for the rest of the time.

Once we got him stable again, I took the boys to the car and we went to Harmon's for all of our prescriptions.  We also picked up corndogs and fried chicken for the boys and sushi for me.  Then it was home for naps.  I had gotten up at 5:45 three times this week to run five miles.  I was exhausted.  Once I got Lance to sleep, I let the boys play quietly upstairs while I relaxed with a book.  Before I knew it I was completely out of it!  I rarely ever fall asleep in the day.  It felt good.  I'm reading, "Because of Mr. Terupt."  It is a children's novel that my kids have loved.  I am loving it too!  It is really good.

Wow, it's great to have a group to run with!

Then it was up and at it because we had Emma's track meet to think about.  And Greg came home from work feeling really sick and overwhelmed by his allergies.  I'll tell about the track meet tomorrow, but I just want to say what an absolutely beautiful day it has been.  The weather has been so perfect.  I'm loving these April days. :)

April 20, 2017

Today I took Miles to the ENT for his appointment.  He had come home from school yesterday on Tuesday with the most massive headache, and I knew that he had been sounding congested so I suspected a sinus infection.  He has had so many sinus infections!  I decided this was it.  We were going to figure this out.

The ENT was right on top of it.  He did a CT scan of Miles's face and saw that, yes, he had a bad sinus infection.  When he showed me how small Miles's drainage passages were, I felt bad for how much Miles has suffered all these years.  The doctor recommended that Miles have a sinus surgery to open things up.  I agreed.

Miles is scheduled for his surgery on May 9th.  I could see that Miles seemed a little nervous as I talked to the doctor.  When I got a moment alone with Miles I talked to him about the surgery.  He told me, "When I hear the word surgery, I don't think of good things.  But when I think that it will help with my headaches and stuff, I'm ready to do it."

I'm nervous too.  Miles is really special to me, and I know how he has suffered with his sinuses.  So I'm ready to do it too.

April 19, 2017

Mom and Dad met me at Owen's T-Ball game.  We had a great time watching the little kids play.  Mom and Dad laughed and laughed.  It was funny.  Owen was so happy to hit the ball off of the tee and run to first base.  Then he would smile and wave at us, so proud of himself.

We all came home from our different activities and watched two episodes of Relative Race.  The kids love that show so much and Greg and I have enjoyed watching it with them.

The other day, I had my own "Relative Race" moment.  I had called the awning company who built and installed our backyard pergola to come out and give me a bid for changing a section of it to a solid cover roof.  When the guy was finished, he left me a bid with his name and number.  His last name was Gardner.  So I mentioned that I come from some Gardners.  Then he told me he was from Star Valley, Wyoming, exactly where my ancestors are from!  I told him I come from Archibald Gardner, and he was excited to tell me that he comes from Archibald Gardner too.  As I was laughing, he stuck out his hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Cousin."  It was really cool.

I'm sure there are people crossing paths with me all of the time who are related to me.  It's so fun to think of how we are all connected.  I noticed that I felt completely different about him once we realized we were related.  And he seemed to treat me differently too.  It's made me think about how I should feel about everyone!  We are all cousins in God's family.  :)

April 18, 2017

When I was a freshman at BYU, my cousin, Kyle Widdison, bought some hair clippers and asked me to be his barber.  Kyle was one of my best friends in the world, but I had never cut anyone's hair.  Ever.  He was confident that I could learn, and he let me keep the clippers so that I could cut other boys' hair too if I wanted.

We set ourselves up in my teeny, tiny dorm room kitchen, and I started cutting.  I was VERY nervous and I cut VERY slowly.  THREE EXCRUCIATING HOURS LATER, with Kyle coaching me along, we had somehow shortened his hair a bit.  It was a start.  My very first hair cut.

I did eventually get better at being a barber.  And there was always a line of boys at BYU willing to let me practice on their heads.  When I met Greg the next year (Kyle was on his mission) and he found out that I knew how (sort of!) to cut hair, he was super happy to jump in the chair and be my client.  And it was super fun since he took off his shirt too!  And it usually involved some kissing action too.  One time his roommate and cousin, Josh, stood by my side and gave me some great tips.  (He probably felt he needed to chaperone us!) Josh had been Greg's former barber, (apparently Josh's hair cuts weren't nearly so fun!), and he had given many hair cuts while on his mission.  Thanks to Josh's tips, I was able to speed up the process to about 45 minutes.  Thanks to the distraction of Greg with his shirt off, I slowed things back down to an hour to cut his hair. :)

I cut Greg's hair in the kitchen in Hooper just before our engagement pictures, and I was also the one who cut his hair just before our wedding.  I thought he should get a professional, but he thought I did a fine job, and the way I brushed the hair off of his bare back and chest with my hands was enough to end the discussion about getting a hair cut elsewhere.  I still remember how fine he looked as he stood from the chair a few days before our wedding with a fresh hair cut.  He was shirtless and muscular, shaking out his t-shirt to put back on, and I wanted to wrap my arms around him!!  I think I did.

Fast forward nearly twenty years, and I'm still cutting his hair.  And he still takes his shirt off.  And thanks to all those times I've wanted to wrap my arms around him, we now have a whole crew of little ones in need of haircuts.

Today I powered through my regular five haircuts. FIVE! It probably took a little over a half hour.  I've gotten really, really fast at cutting hair.  Sometimes I think of all the money I could have made at BYU by giving haircuts in ten minutes or less!

By the end, I'm covered in hair.  And I'm pretty soaked from loading boys in and out of the shower as I go, but I still love a boy with a fresh hair cut.

That's a LOT of hair! I have a LOT of boys!

Hair cut, showers, and ready for bed!  Love it!

April 17, 2017

Today I took Austin to the E.N.T. doctor.  His nose is always running, and he has a chronic cough.  Dr. Gardner scoped his nose and throat.  Austin was really brave during the whole procedure.  Dr. Gardner said that Austin's adenoids were slightly enlarged and that his throat was a little swollen, but he seemed to be okay.  We are moving on to see an Allergy/Asthma doctor on Friday to see if by chance it is just allergies before we try other things.

While we were gone, the other kids were hard at work testing out the snow cone flavors for the snow cone shack they are constantly dreaming about.  They all want to sell snow cones so badly, that now I'm going to have to pull through as a mom and make it happen!  I'm happy that they are all dreaming and scheming together, it's just that I'm not sure MY dream is to run a snow cone stand!! Ha!

Austin also had a baseball game this evening and Mom and Dad came to watch.  We had such a great time sitting in the shade cheering for Austin.  During one inning while Austin was pitching, he threw out two batters at first base and struck out another batter.  He got all three outs!  He was so cute out there, and so very happy to be pitching.  He loves it.  We won't talk about his behavior earlier in the day when he cried and cried because he doesn't want to do ANY jobs around the house!!  Ugh!

It's been the most beautiful day today.  The weather right now is absolutely perfect.  We are having clear blue skies, temps in the low eighties, and a slight breeze in the afternoons.  I LOVE having my windows open, but everyone's allergies are going really crazy right now.  Greg has been really suffering.  So today I shut the windows in our bedroom, washed all the sheets and pillowcases, dusted and vacuumed, and hope that it makes things better for Greg.  There is a window right next to my bed that I usually open wide at night and fall asleep listening to the crickets chirping and the palms rustling.  By the morning, our room is usually pretty chilly, but it just makes my big, cozy bed feel that much better (and that much harder to get out of!).

Hopefully we can get on top of this allergy season, but in the meantime, I'm throwing open the windows in the kitchen and family room and enjoying the sounds of birds chirping all throughout the day.  What a glorious world!!

April 16, 2017

What a glorious Easter Sunday!  The world is all aglow today and St. George is basking in all of her fabulous glory.  Other than the insane allergies everyone is having lately, this is a little piece of heaven!  After the Easter baskets this morning and all the colored eggs were gathered up, we watched some of the church's Easter videos.  My heart was full of the spirit.  I'm so thankful to know that our Savior broke the bands of death, that He accomplished his mission here on earth, and that because of Him, we can all be saved.  I love Him.  I am so grateful to Him.

Miles--coloring his eggs

Julia!

Emma

Austin --the cool dude

Owen

Having lots of fun!

The morning hunt!

Julia

Emma...and all of the swimming suits the Easter Bunny left!

Owen's new suit!

A little wrestling -- Lance and Austin

Owen had to join in!

Lance has been really sick with a cold, but we all went to Sacrament meeting together and then Greg brought him home for a nap.  The Young Women and some of the Young Men sang "Gethsemane" for the musical number.  What a touching, sweet song!  Tears sprang to my eyes as I looked up and saw all the girls I love so much singing such a beautiful Easter song.  It was a great day.

In Relief Society, the teacher said, "Do you really believe?" when thinking about all that we celebrate at Easter time, and then she asked, "So what will you do?"  I've been thinking about that.  What will I do to show my Savior that I love Him and that I really believe in Him?  It was a great lesson and a great time to reflect.

This week has been such a fantastic one for our family.  Emma earned a medal at her track meet.  Austin earned two tennis medals.  We had a dance performance, an Easter party, a swim party, a golfing day, lots of cousins, lots of food, a day off from school, beautiful sunshine, lots of time to relax and be together, and a great time to think of our Savior.  I'm so thankful.

I've finally found some friends to run with.  Twice this week I got up at 5:45, met my group at 6:00 a.m. and hit the road.  I ran a 5- and a 6-mile run with them. There are about seven of us and lots of us are signed up for the marathon.  It has been so great to feel part of a group.  And it is so much easier to run and stay motivated when there are lots of us going together.  I'm feeling really great and I'm ready to ride this wave through the summer and straight into the marathon.  These girls are really going to help get me there.  I'm so excited!!

Well, it's starting to get dark outside.  The sun has set on this beautiful Sabbath day.  I'm so content here with my little family.  My heart is filled up with love and peace.  I'm thankful for Easter Sunday. "He is not here. He is risen."  Such a glorious message to all the world.

April 15, 2017

Emma, my beautiful daughter--the one who loves all things Hawaiian, danced at the St. George Arts Festival this morning.  Eliese and Avree dance in the same group, so we all went over to watch.  Katie and her family came to town for our Easter party later, so they came to the performance with Mom and Dad.  It was so fun to watch Emma dance and shake those hips.  She's so cute and did such a great job.

Emma and her cousin, Eliese Eardley

My "Polynesian" Beauty

We came back to our house and had a fabulous Easter celebration.  We swam and lounged around the pool for hours.  The kids stayed in FOREVER!  Then we ate a scrumptious ham dinner with yummy funeral potatoes, Mom's famous peach jell-o, hot rolls and butter, and lots of Easter candy!  Then the kids swam for a few more hours!  They did get out for our Easter Egg Hunt.  :)  The adults got to sit on the patio and just laugh and talk, enjoying the picture-perfect weather, the Hawaiian music filtering through the yard, and the laughs and splashes of a bunch of kids having a great time in the pool.

Emma posing with her performance hair and makeup!

These girls love each other: Julia, Emma, and Marlee Dannehl

I love having family over.  Family is the best.  And I love celebrating Easter.  I'm so thankful, beyond any words I could write, for my Savior, Jesus Christ.  I know He lives.  I love Him with all of my heart.  Happy Easter 2017!

April 14, 2017

Friday.  The kids were out of school for Easter Break.  We were so happy to have Mom and Dad stop by with Chic-Fil-A for lunch.  Sunee came over with her kids and we swam and played and had a wonderful time.  The weather was so gorgeous and it felt so good to watch the kids swim and play so hard.

In the early afternoon, we sent everyone on their way, and I met Greg at his work so that we could go golfing for our date.  We went up to The Ledges golf course for 18 holes.  We had the most marvelous time.  The weather was heavenly, the course was nearly empty, the sun set over Snow Canyon, and we just enjoyed being together so much!  It was such a calm, peaceful afternoon.  I loved it.

Golf at The Ledges with my Love

After golf, we stayed and ate at The Fish Rock Grille, which is the restaurant in the clubhouse.  It overlooks the course and the water.  Of course I had to ask if we could sit out on the patio!  The waitress let us sit out there even though we were the only ones, but after about a half hour, I was begging to go back inside.  Once the sun really set and the breeze picked up, it was pretty chilly in my shorts and short-sleeved shirt!  

Greg and I had a delicious dinner.  It was so quiet and we enjoyed the time to talk and dream together.  When we got home, we were so proud of the kids.  The whole house was clean and they were in their pajamas, ready for bed.  Greg and I are enjoying a wonderful time in our lives.  We are busier than I ever thought possible!  But we are so happy right where we are.  The children bring us such immense joy.  And we are finding a freedom together that we have almost never had.

There was one hole on the course that had the most secluded, picturesque view of the canyon.  As I sat in the cart up on the path and watched Greg step up to his ball, with the majestic view in the background, my heart sang with all the joy and wonder it could possibly muster. My goodness, I thought, this is the most breathtaking moment.  I never want to forget what a joy it is to be alive. 

I'm so glad that I live in this beautiful world.  Yes, I know Heavenly Father loves me. 

April 13, 2017

I took Emma to a Sports Medicine doctor to talk about her shin splints.  It honestly brought up a lot of painful memories for me.  I suffered with my shin splints for three years straight in high school.  I told Emma that half of the time I am trying to just completely ignore that she has shin splints (I'm in denial!), and the other half of the time, I am so completely sad and overwhelmed about it (or, overreacting!!).

The doctor had some good ideas for us, but mostly Emma just needs to give her shins a break.  She's been growing and intensely working out, and she has probably inherited the risk of shin splints from me. When the doctor said to Emma, with a big smile, Well, you can probably thank your mother, I knew he was right.

I took Emma straight to The Running Store to buy some inserts for her shoes.  I wanted to buy the everything that might help: inserts, compression socks, muscle rollers...  But the nice man at the running store tried to calm me down.  He had us start with inserts.  And he seemed so confident that she would heal.  I realized I was totally lacking any faith that her shin splints can get better.  Just because mine didn't doesn't mean hers won't.  The doctor was confident too.  So, I told Emma as I drove her back to school, we are just going to assume that this CAN get better.

I now totally understand why my mom drove me to physical therapy three times a week, and why she took me to doctors, and why she bought me lots of different shoes, and why she iced my shins, and why she worried, and why she prayed for me.  Emma is my beautiful daughter, and I love her so much.  I want her to be pain free.  Of course I want her to be pain free! But actually, her life won't be pain free.  Mothers can't always protect their children.  And that's definitely a hard lesson to learn.

As I walked through my own painful memories today, I also remembered the sweet moments.  I remembered my high school trainer who taped my legs every day.  And I remembered how my coaches dragged the exercise bike into the gym so I could ride it when the team did sprints.  I remembered all of the love and support from my mom as she tried to help me.  I remembered the blessings from my dad as he tried to help me, too.

So I guess what I really want is for my daughter to have a life with a full range of experiences.  And I want her to feel the golden threads of love weaving through every fabric of her life--love from her parents, love from her family, and most importantly, love from a Heavenly Father, who is very aware of each of us.

Maybe I'm a better mother to Emma, right here, right in this instant, because of the pain I suffered in high school.  If so, then I wouldn't change a thing. :) I'm so thankful that I've had a life wrapped in so much love.  I'm so thankful that I have a wonderful mother!  And that I am now a mother.  I am amazed every day at how incredibly blessed I am.  God is good.  So very good.

April 12, 2017

Two things happened today that made me think.

First, I was listening to the Book of Mormon while I cleaned this morning, and something stood out to me.  I was in 1 Nephi, listening to the part about Nephi and his brothers trying to obtain the brass plates from Laban.  I like to listen to familiar scriptures and purposely listen for something I hadn't noticed before.  I love the way I learn new things just by listening differently.  I've read 1 Nephi chapter 3 verse 25 many, many times I'm sure.  I know this story like the back of my hand.  But I was listening for anything that I hadn't thought of before.  In this verse, it says, ...when Laban saw our property, and that it was exceedingly great, he did lust after it, insomuch that he thrust us out, and sent his servants to slay us, that he might obtain our property.  I paused on that verse.  I started to really think about it.  We know that Laban was a wealthy, powerful man.  So why was he so intent on robbing these young men and boys, to the point that he was willing to murder them, just to steal their possessions?  Did he need the money?  Did he have no soul?  How can a rich man rob and murder young men?  WHY would a rich man rob and murder young men?

The answer is right there in the verse.  When Laban saw their property, he lusted after it.  It's interesting that the word lust is used in this verse.  Even when I looked up the definition of lust, it was usually centered around a strong sexual desire.  But it can also mean a consuming desire, or a powerful hunger, thirst, or appetite for something.  And since lusting after something is so carnal in nature, it is rarely ever satisfied.  When you lust after something, enough is never enough.  Laban, wealthy and powerful, wanted more wealth, with a desire that consumed him.  And his soul.

Second, I drove Owen and his little preschool buddies to their Easter picnic today.  As I drove past the sharp-looking security guards at the gated entrance to the neighborhood, and pushed my gas pedal a little harder to climb the beautiful tree-lined street, I admired the gorgeous homes sprawling across the view lots.  I noticed how clean everything was, how quiet and serene, how well-manicured the yards were.  I even saw a lady out working in the shade near her flower beds.  She had on a broad hat, and just beyond her I could see the huge front windows of her home.  Inside the windows (which I imagined were sparkling clean), I saw a big, white grand piano and beyond that I saw that there were large windows looking out the back of the house.  In that split second, I envisioned her house and her life.  I imagined that she had plenty of free time to pursue her hobbies, which surely included yard work and playing the piano.  I imagined that she had no cares in the world.  I imagined that her beautiful home was always clean and calm and quiet.  I imagined that everything about her life was enjoyable.

Then I turned into the home where the picnic was taking place.  They had a grand circular drive beyond their gates and a big waterfall feature in the middle of the drive.  Every part of me thought, I wish I lived in this beautiful neighborhood.  

But almost as quickly as that thought came into my mind, another one, loud and clear, pushed it out.  When Laban saw their property, he lusted after it.

You see, I DO live in a grand, beautiful home.  And my yard is well-manicured too.  I drive the nicest vehicle--my swanky Escalade--and my life is pretty great (just not that calm and quiet!).  But if I'm not careful, if we all aren't careful, lust will consume us.  Lust is different than admiring or appreciating something valuable.  It is desiring it for one's self, with little or no thought to what one already has.  The opposite of lust, in this sense, is probably gratitude.

We live in a world all about bigger and better.  It is easy to get caught up in it.  I remember taking my kids trick or treating in our darling neighborhood in Pennsylvania.  We were just a short walk through a grove of trees from the hospital.  It was perfect for Greg to walk from our little, old house to and from work every day.  Apparently, in our small town, other people thought the walk was perfect too.  Mixed up on our street were doctors, nurses, school teachers, medical residents, and retired people.  All in the same neighborhood.  All in regular houses.  Of course, as I looked inside, I could see that the doctors' homes were much more updated and better furnished than ours.  But I felt admiration for those people who lived well below their means.  And right next door to me.  Had I seen my future house and life, I would have fainted on the spot, overwhelmed with how nice it all would be.

I knew as I approached the gated community on the return trip to pick up the kids that I could live here if I wanted.  But I also knew that I would never be happy if I was always looking at what I didn't have, instead of being grateful for what I did.   And this all might sound so strange because I have so much, but even Laban, who had it all, wanted more.

Even though it was such a small, fleeting thought on a regular day, I was thankful that I had listened to the Book of Mormon.  I was thankful that I had paid attention to the tiny, little lesson in 1 Nephi 3:25.  As I've climbed the ranks of monetary wealth, having started somewhere in the basement, I've noticed something fantastic.  Big, beautiful, expensive homes have sinks full of dishes, and jumbled up toy boxes, and cranky days, and morning sickness, and stinky diapers, and hurt feelings just the same as tiny, little, outdated homes.  And tiny, little, outdated homes have sunsets, and spring flowers, and the squeals of Christmas morning, and family dinners, and tender moments just the same as big, beautiful, expensive homes.

So, we bloom where we are planted.  We make sure to live, and love, and laugh right now, and NEVER look over with lust at what someone else has.  Lusting after worldly riches never ends well.  Just look at Laban, for example.

April 11, 2017

Tuesday was just a blur of activity!  But it was so much fun, too!  (In the crazy way a mother loves to watch her children perform!!)

I was already pretty tired from our late night with Owen, and then the day just about did me in.  But I wouldn't want it any other way.

My mom took Emma to her track meet in Hurricane.  She did so great and brought home a 2nd place ribbon for the 400 meters!!  And she nearly got first.   Her best friend, Lainee, passed her at the last second.

I took Austin to his tennis match.  He came home with a second place medal! He almost got first, too.  When they ended it, he was tied 1-1 with the girl who won first place, but they were in their third game and she was up a point on Austin.

The tennis group!

Austin took Second Place! He was so happy!

Greg took Julia to her basketball game in Cedar.  They got beat pretty badly and Julia was really upset about it.  Also, the ref was so terrible that Greg got another technical foul.  They were pretty upset by the time they got home.

Miles tended the little boys while I took Austin to his baseball game.  He had pitched Monday night, so he didn't pitch tonight.  He took a turn at catcher and first baseman and outfielder.  He also got a really good hit.  It's been fun watching him play.  And the night was so beautiful.  I loved looking out over the field with the lights glowing overhead.  The breeze turned a little chilly by the end, but it was so beautiful and pleasant most of the game.

I made Owen miss his baseball practice just to make sure he didn't get itchy again.  And Miles had piano and scouts today.  Lance was just along for the ride.  So was I!  It's been a great day!

I found them snuggling like this.  So cute after a rough night and day!

April 10, 2017

Greg and I were quietly talking in the dark before we fell asleep last night when Owen ran down to our room crying.  He had been asleep, of course, and was crying and holding his tummy.  I jumped up and ran him into the bathroom thinking he might be on the verge of throwing up.  But as I tried to put him on the toilet, he woke up enough to let me know that it was his actual skin on his stomach that was hurting.  Plus, I could now tell that he was scratching it like crazy.  I turned on the lights to find he was covered in red welts!

Owen was pretty miserable, but Greg helped me get him calmed down.  We quickly gave him some Benadryl and rubbed him down with hydrocortisone cream.  I made up a little bed for him next to our bed and after about a half hour, he had calmed down and was drifting off to sleep.

In the morning, I gave him some prednisone that we had on hand and since he still had quite a few hives, I kept him home from school.  Mom came over to watch the little boys while I went to the school (Sunrise Ridge Intermediate) for a school community council meeting.

By the time I got home, Owen was looking pretty bad again.  I called Greg and he told me to give Owen some more Benadryl, which totally cleared him up by the afternoon.  That evening, we went to Austin's baseball game.  I was thinking that Owen was all better since he had been completely cleared up, but by the end of the game, he came over to show me that he was breaking out in hives all over again.  I rushed him home to get him some medicine.  He was so sweet about it.  He said, "Mom, that medicine is so yucky, but it helped so much so I'm going to take it." The whole car ride home, he was grunting and groaning and trying little tricks for himself to not scratch.  It was sad.

After I gave him the medicine, I put him in a shower to wash him off.  We were feeling so clueless about what was causing his hives.  By the time I got him out of the shower, his whole face was covered and his lips were swelling.  That really scared me and Greg.  We decided that this was just getting worse.  I rushed Owen to the after-hours clinic at the pediatrician's office in the hospital.  I pushed him in Lance's Mickey Mouse stroller, running the whole way in to the hospital.  They quickly took his oxygen levels, which were fine, but after looking at his face, they sent us down to the E.R.  I didn't want to go there.  But I was worried too.

Poor Owen!

By the time we got all situated in the E.R., the medicine started to kick in and Owen started looking a little better. Finally the doctor came in and I told him our whole story.  He wanted to call Greg and consult with him about what to do.  (It was funny and I felt like the hospital should pay Greg part of our fee!!).  We all finally decided to just let us go home and to continue with the steroids and the antihistamines.  Owen was so tired by now.

Feeling better in the hospital.

Ready to go home.  So tired! 

I brought him home and tucked him into the bed on my floor.  I set my alarm for one a.m., knowing that I would have to stay on top of the Benadryl so we didn't get into an emergency situation.  One o'clock was when he could have his next dose.  It was almost 11:00 when we turned out the lights and started to fall asleep.  I heard Owen start to rustle around in his bed.  Then, he started thrashing a bit more.  Worried, I turned on a small light to look at him.  He was covered head to toe in bright red welts!

By now, he was completely groggy from the Benadryl, completely out-of-control itchy from the rash, and completely unreasonable!  We somehow got him to take some of Greg's allergy medicine, but we knew it would take an hour to kick in.  And the next hour of our lives was so sad and miserable.  Owen was itching himself bloody, and no matter what Greg and I tried, he was so mad.  He would say, "Just shut up, Mom!" (And he doesn't normally talk like that!).  Then he would cry.  Then he would want to rub my hair like he loves, but his palms were so swollen and red that it would hurt so bad and he would start to cry all over again.  We tried hydrocortisone and ice packs and anything we could think of.  He. Was. Miserable.  Finally, finally, he started to calm down just enough to watch a little show on T.V., still itching and scratching like crazy.  And then he started to hold still for a few seconds, then a minute, then another.  At midnight, as Owen calmed down a lot, Greg told me to give him his next dose of Benadryl even though we were an hour too early.  We were all exhausted and we were so afraid of a break out again.

Thankfully, Owen slept through the rest of the night.  We've stayed on top of the medicine and we are hanging in there. But boy, these "itchies" -as we call them- have been quite the nightmare!  As for the cause, we aren't sure.  Maybe it was his vaccinations from last week.  Maybe it was something he ate.  We just can't figure it out.  I'm just so glad he's okay.

April 9, 2017

Greg and I were engaged on this day (I think!) 18 years ago, so when Greg looked at me and said, "Hmmm, April 9, one of the greatest days ever...do you know what is significant about today?" I perked up, surprised that he would remember.  We haven't ever really talked about this day.  Then he said, with absolute joy on his face, "It's the 2017 Masters!"  Oh, well, yeah.  That too.  Unfortunately he missed the amazing finish and win by Sergio Garcia.  We were in church.  :)

I went to Relief Society for the first time in about 18 months.  It was interesting to feel so lonely for my Young Women.  I remember the first week in Young Women's and feeling so sad to miss out on Relief Society!  I need to jump right back in and be a part of the Relief Society.  As I heard the Bishop read off all of the names for the new presidency and the new advisors I just had to hold in a tear.  I don't really remember a time when I was so sad to be released from a calling!  But I am excited to move forward.  As President Uchtodorf says, "The most important calling is the one you have right now."

April 8, 2017

I'm sitting in bed waiting for Greg and the girls to get home from Las Vegas.  I'm awake and it's nearing midnight for the second night in a row!

The boys and I had a nice and slow day today.  We cleaned up and played and I even took a nap with Lance.  Then, late in the afternoon, I got on the treadmill to knock out a few miles.  I've made great progress this week towards adding more friends in my life!  I found out which of my neighbors are running the marathon (and it turned out to be a group of them) and then asked if I could join them for our training.  They were more than happy to have me come along.  They didn't know I was planning to run it too.  I REALLY needed a group to help me along, so I was super excited to find some friends to train with.

Anyway, while I was chugging along up on the treadmill, Sunee and Kyle stopped by to help with a few handyman issues we've been having.  I didn't know they were coming, so it was a pleasant surprise to see them.  However, I was super sweaty!!

After we visited for a while, they left and I jumped in the shower.  I knew that the boys and I would just stay in the rest of the evening so I put on my pajamas even though it was only about six o'clock.  Then I cooked some hamburgers on the grill for our dinner.  After we'd eaten, but not cleaned up!, I let the boys watch a movie while I worked on family history.  I was working on the Gardner line, after spending so much time on Birdie Gardner's life history last night.

So there I sat, in my pajamas, at the table, with the food still out, when the doorbell rang.  I told the boys that if it was a friend, tell them we can't play!  But it wasn't a friend.  The door was for me.  I got up and walked over, a little embarrassed that I was in my pajamas and my hair was still slightly damp from my shower.  It was a young guy ready to sell me something.  Except I was caught off guard when he said the name of his company was Jacobsen something.  I was patiently waiting for him to finish his speech so that I could then launch into a few questions of my own about the name of his company.  But just as I was thinking that, my nephew, Brad, and his wife, Briar, stepped from around the corner to surprise me.  It was all a big joke, and they weren't selling a thing!

They are all on a road trip to California from Idaho for spring break from college.  They wanted to stop and say hi.  I hugged them and let them in and we had a great little visit, but oh how I wished I wasn't standing there in my frumpy pajamas!  It was pretty funny.  All I could think was that I was glad I had at least showered!!

And the good news is, I found ten names for the temple!

I just heard the door open.  Good thing because I am super tired.  So, good night!

April 7, 2017

Today I spent hours editing the life history of Greg's paternal grandmother, Birdie Gardner Jacobsen, for a big project one of the relatives is working on.  It is such a beautiful book, the layouts and pictures are fantastic, and the story was so fascinating.  I stayed up well past midnight trying to get it finished.  (I'm actually typing this the morning after...).

Birdie was a beautiful, smart, athletic, and incredibly musically talented lady.  She led a very interesting life.  She married Sylvan Jacobsen (my father-in-law's dad) and together they had three sons.  They were such a handsome couple, so young and full of promise.  But Sylvan had heart problems and died when he was around 40.  The doctors told him that his only option to live past 40 was to have open heart surgery.  I cried when I read the part where Birdie described this huge decision.  She said, "Sylvan loved life and he was crazy about his boys, so he wanted to do everything possible to live."  It was heartbreaking to read.  The surgery was not a success.  A year later, he passed away.  My father-in-law, Garr, was only twelve years old.

Birdie and Sylvan Jacobsen--engaged on New Year's Eve

As I delved deeply into her story, editing and working along, I came to know and love this woman.  I actually met her once when we were engaged and once when she was in a nursing home, but I, unfortunately, hardly paid much attention to her as she was old and frail.  Last night as I sat in my bed, propped up by pillows, with my computer on my lap, I had so many thoughts and questions for her.  In her pictures she was young and beautiful and vibrant.  She had so many wonderful talents and abilities.  And I'm amazed at her strength.  After losing her husband, she went back to school and work and supported her family as the secretary of the LDS institute at San Diego State.  I love this woman.

Hanging on my ancestor wall above the landing of my stairs, I have her picture, as well as her parents.  I look at them nearly every day.  And now I can look at them and really feel as though I know them and love them.  I am so thankful for the amazing legacy they have left behind.

It was hard to fall asleep after I shut my laptop for the night.  My eyes were weary, but my mind was going full speed.  Also, with Greg and the girls in Las Vegas for a volleyball tournament, I was lonely in my bed.  I never sleep as well without Greg next to me.  I kept thinking about how he is the exact age his grandpa was when he died.  I just couldn't imagine life without him.  I think I will hug him a bit tighter when he gets home.

April 6, 2017

When I first started this writing goal, I never intended to write about every day.  I just wanted to write every day, to exercise my writing muscles, to use my creativity, to do something I loved to do.  I knew that sometimes I would write about something that happened during that day, but sometimes I would just write about a topic that had been bouncing around in my mind lately.  Somehow, it's morphed into much more of a daily journal than I anticipated.  Somewhere along the line, I've grown to love accounting for my day.  I am amazed by the beautiful blessings of my life.  Journaling has filled my heart with an enormous amount of gratitude.  I've always loved to journal.  I think I started in the fourth grade with a little journal I got for my birthday.  I also got a pack of scented markers.  So, with markers in hand, I set out to write about each day.  I wrote in that journal EVERY SINGLE night until it was full.  I used to even take it on sleepovers with my friends.  Then I found out how much fun it was to read the things I had written.  My friends would actually listen.  We would laugh and talk about the things in my journal.  So, I'm definitely a journal-writing person.

Right now, I have a bunch of topics that I'm just thinking over, getting ready to write about.  But each time I sit down, I have so much that I want to remember about my day, that I end up journaling and calling it good.  And I'm SO thankful for all of these entries.  It is already so enjoyable to read back over what I've written.  It's amazing how much of it I've already forgotten.  I absolutely recommend journaling.  It truly is a blessing in my life.

Today, I want to remember how Judi and her boys came over to swim.  I want to remember how we all lounged around the hot tub (Mom and Dad included) and talked in the warm sunshine, with a beautiful blue sky overhead.  I want to remember how Lance was insistent on swimming!  He had his eyes open and a huge smile on his face as he went under the water over and over again.  Mom and I would pass him between us until he was starting to kick and swim.  One time while he was under the water, he turned and saw Owen under the water too.  Owen was wearing goggles, so they saw each other.  Lance came up absolutely shrieking with joy.  He was saying, 'OWEN!' and pointing.  Then he just dove his head right back under to look at Owen.  Every time, he would come up just laughing with pure joy.  It was so cute and so fun.  He's such a cute little swimmer boy.

I want to remember how the little boys sat on the grass under a tree with me while we watched Austin's tennis practice.  It was such a beautiful time of day, late afternoon.  The heat of the day was fading, and a light breeze was making it perfect.  When tennis was over and we had collected Miles from his golf lessons, we called home to Greg and the girls.  They had just gotten home from basketball and track.  We told them we were on our way to get them.  Then we whisked them away for dinner at The Habit.  Because, of course, they have an outdoor patio.  A night like tonight deserved an outdoor dinner.  Greg always teases me, but I LOVE to eat outdoors.  As we ate and enjoyed one another's company, a relaxed feeling came over me.  I felt calm and happy.

Back at home, we had to get everyone showered and ready for bed.  And the girls needed to be all packed for their volleyball tournament tomorrow in Las Vegas.  I'm sad I don't get to go.  But Greg and I just have to take turns.  It is too hard with all of the little boys!  It was a little bit of an undertaking to get them all packed and ready to go and then showered and ready for bed.  Whew!  I love my girls, but they can be a lot of work.  :)

Really, I just want to remember today.  Another happy, ordinary, busy day.  I'm so thankful to my Heavenly Father for granting me another day of this.  I'm living my dream life.  I don't know how long it will last or how many more days I'll have like this.  But for now, I'm grateful I got today.

April 5, 2017

Lance and I got to go on a really fun hike this morning with Joni and her kids and Mom and Dad.  We had a really great time together.  St. George is really hopping right now with all of the Spring Breakers from up north.  I couldn't believe how packed Pioneer Park was.

Lance LOVES waterfalls.  He knows just what they are. "Waterfall, Mom!"

That's my dad up there.  He pretended to jump off the backside.  :) I was a little scared for him. Great job, Dad!

Lance hiked all the way up to the top on his own little legs!  But then he was tired and wanted to be held.  It was a beautiful day.  Don't ask me why I had a jacket on.  It was plenty warm.

We did some more swimming with cousins before kissing everyone goodbye.

Then it was volleyball practice and baseball practice and Owen's T-Ball game.  I packed a dinner for Greg, and Lance and Owen and I met him at the game.  While we cheered for Owen, we sat on a blanket (Greg was on a chair) and enjoyed the lovely evening, visiting with our neighbors, and having a great time.  Owen was so cute to watch, and so very happy with the game.  He is still so sunburned!  I feel so bad, but he is surviving.

While at the game, I found out that the new Young Women's presidency will be sustained this Sunday at church.  Since I've heard nothing about it, it's safe to assume that I'm not in the new presidency.  It's really okay, but I surprised myself by how sad I felt.  I think that the original shock of being released (when our ward boundaries changed) was tempered by my belief that I might be back in there somewhere.  Suddenly, all of these emotions came rushing in.  I was able to look back and see what an absolute highlight Girls Camp was, and how I was looking forward to it this summer.  I was able to think about how much I had loved being with Emma and Julia, especially Emma and her friends in the Mia Maids class.  I was able to look and see how much I loved and needed the other women as my friends!  It put me in a pretty sad mood the rest of the evening.

After the game, I came home and cleaned up the kitchen and did dishes.  Greg had stopped and picked up milk shakes for everyone, which was so fun.  But as I cleaned, I let my mind ponder on my release from Young Women's.  I let myself feel really sad.  And then I decided that it's all okay.  It's so great for these teenagers to have one more set of leaders who will love them.  I think it is really hard for a new presidency to compete with the outgoing one, at first.  So, I will step back quietly.  And I will let my heart be so grateful that I had this year and a half to be in the Young Women's.  I'm so grateful for the chances I had to both share and strengthen my testimony.  I'm so grateful for the chance I had to be at Girls Camp with Emma and Julia, to love them and watch them and help them.  I'm so grateful that I got to know so many wonderful women in our ward.  And I'm so grateful that I came to love so many wonderful girls.  What a highlight in my life!

And now I'm just tired.  :)  It's time to call it a night.