First Day of School & One Lonely Mom

Today, my baby started Kindergarten.

I always take a picture of Chloe on the first day of school in the front yard. I thought I'd do the same with Myah. She's cute!

Then we got in the car and I let her sit in the front seat. She feels special when she gets to sit in the front seat. She looks big.

Then we got to school and she got in line with her friends. They're cute too.

Then I took about 65 pictures of her standing in line, because she's so cute.

Then she was like, "MOM, seriously..."

Then she just ignored me and my camera.

Then she walked away.

And I cried. It was ugly.

Then I got in the car and thought it would be a good idea to call Leer. It wasn't. Crying, I told him that I had just dropped Myah off at school and that I was on my way to Target. Trying to help, he said, "just think, you get to go there all by yourself!"

Therein lies the problem. Now I have to go to Target by myself. Alone. Without my baby.

In other news, Chloe started 5th grade last week. This is the first year I didn't cry when I dropped her off. Don't get me wrong, I like her just as much as I like Myah. I guess by now I'm just used to her being at school. It's going to be a great year for her.

I always take a picture of her in the front yard on the first day of school. She's something pretty.

Trek - An Experience To Treasure

They, the builders of the nation,

Blazing trails along the way;

Stepping-stones for generations

Were their deeds of ev'ry day

Building new and firm foundations.

Pushing on the wild frontier,

Forging onward, ever onward,

Blessed, honored Pioneer!

Service ever was their watchcry;

Love became their guiding star;

Courage, their unfailing beacon,

Radiating near and far

Ev'ry day some burden lifted,

Ev'ry day some heart to cheer,

Ev'ry day some hope the brighter,

Blessed, honored Pioneer!

As an ensign to the nation,

They unfurled the flag of truth,

Pillar, guide and inspiration

To the hosts of waiting youth

Honor, praise, and veneration

To the founders we revere!

List our song of adoration

Blessed, honored Pioneer!

It was our honor to participate in the Pioneer Trek that our Stake organized for the youth in our area. Basically, it is a pioneer reenactment. A call was extended to me over a year ago to serve as the Clothing Committee Head. What a joy it has been to serve in that capacity and to work with such great people. My specific duties involved choosing what projects the youth would have to work on, supplying patterns to all the wards, and organizing sewing activities so that everyone could achieve an authentic pioneer look. It was truly rewarding to see everyone in their costumes. I believe the costumes really enhanced our Trek experience and helped everyone identify with the pioneers.

Jason was asked to be a Company Captain. That meant that he was there to help 4 of the 18 families with any emergencies or anything that they might need. We were able to trek all 25 miles with our 4 families and it was great to get to know them.

I'm really at a loss as to how to explain the experience we had there. The Spirit was sweet and strong. Before Trek, I had a respect for the pioneers and the struggles they had. I was truly grateful for the sacrifices made by them that we benefit so greatly from. However, now I find that I have a new reverence for the pioneers. We trekked 25 (sometimes grueling) miles over the course of 4 days. They trekked 1100 torturous miles, sometime walking up to 18 miles per day. We trekked in summer. Many of their journeys lasted well into winter. We had nice, comfortable shoes. Many of them ended up with their feet wrapped in burlap because their shoes were worn through. We ate extremely well. By the time they reached Ft. Laramie, they were allotted less that 1 cup of flour per day which they mixed with a little bit of water. Everything we own was waiting for us when we returned home. The pioneers were allowed to bring only 17 pounds of their belongings with them. We all survived, most of us with minor blisters. Countless pioneers buried their loved ones along the way. I recently heard a story of a pioneer mother who buried each of her 5 children during her journey West..digging their graves with her only possession - a tablespoon. I never want to know what that would be like.

My favorite scriptures are found in the 26th chapter of Alma. They seem to express my feelings in so many situations. These few verses definitely apply to my feelings about Trek: "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever...Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord?..Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel...Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people...I say, blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land."

The Goodwins - An Inspirational Story

Christine & Gary

Myah, Chloe, Mitchell, Ryan

January 1994:

One uneventful day, two missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints tracked a particular street in Watford, England. They didn't have any success that day, in fact, only 1 person was home on the entire street. Christine was a stay at home mother with 2 young children. When she answered the door, she saw who it was and promptly dismissed the 2 missionaries. They left.

The following week, the two missionaries found themselves in the very same neighborhood, even the very same street. For some reason, they felt a strong impression that they needed to tract this street again even though they had been unsuccessful just one week before. Again, it seemed nobody was home until they came to Christine's house. This time when she answered the door, she said, "I know who you are". They asked her how she knew and she explained that she was actually a member of the church who in her words was "beyond less-active". The prompting the missionaries felt to tract that street again was an answer to Christine's prayer. After they had left her house the prior week, Christine felt bad for the way she had treated them and prayed that she would have an opportunity to see them again. Jason was one of those missionaries. This was the beginning of a relationship that made my husband's entire mission worth it. With permission from Christine's husband Gary, they began teaching Christine and her little daughter, Victoria about the Gospel. Even though Gary wasn't interested in participating in any discussions or learning about the church, Christine faithfully started attending church again. She would walk an hour and a half to church every Sunday with her 2 children. Eventually, something changed within Gary and he was baptized as well. Their family has been blessed because of the choices they made to accept the Gospel in their lives. They have had 5 children, Victoria, Connor, Ryan, Mitchell and Joshua.

Sometimes, Heavenly Father gives you special experiences in your life that let you know that He is there, that He is mindful of you, that He knows you personally, and that if you are willing, He will use you to bless the lives of others. In our church, we have what is called a Patriarchal Blessing. This is the definition found on the Church's website:

Patriarchal blessings are given to worthy members of the Church by ordained patriarchs. Patriarchal blessings include a declaration of a person's lineage in the house of Israel and contain personal counsel from the Lord. As a person studies his or her patriarchal blessing and follows the counsel it contains, it will provide guidance, comfort, and protection.

Jason received his Patriarchal Blessing a couple months before he left to serve his mission in England. Amazingly, it speaks of this great family that he would meet and the impact that he would have on their lives. The Goodwins have been vacationing in Utah and last week we had the opportunity to spend some time with them. When Christine answered the door, she gave us all big hugs and knelt down by my daughters and said, "Your father changed my life".

The Goodwins are truly an inspirational family. You see, their youngest son, Joshua was born with Edward's Syndrome and died an hour after birth. As tragic as that is, to hear them speak about him, their testimonies of the Savior and the Atonement are very evident. They know that they were chosen to be Joshua's parents and that they will be reunited with their son and that he is still with them. They are able to cope with their great loss and recognize the many blessings and miracles in their lives because of the choices they made to accept the Gospel back in 1994 when my husband had the privilege to teach them.

Note: The feeling you are feeling right now is the Holy Ghost telling you that it is true.

How wonderful it was to see them! It was my first time to meet Gary and Mitchell. I had met Ryan when he was a baby and Christine flew all the way to Utah with him to come to our wedding. Sadly, I didn't get to meet Victoria and Connor this time because they were attending EFY down at BYU. Someday...

Mitchell, Christine, a moose, Gary. What's a trip to Park City without kissing a moose?