Pumpkin Patch!

For Three years running Rose and I have had a Halloween tradition of taking our boys to Farmer Grant’s pumpkin patch. This is something our mother took us to do when we were young. Our boys are starting to love this tradition almost as much as we do!



We started out walking through the pumpkin patch and into the corn maze. Aiden and Bear loved the maze and ran almost the entire time. Michael and I took turns chasing after them telling them to wait for us. Following the corn maze is an area with all sorts of farm animals for the kids to look at and feed. This eventually led us to the spook alley or alley of lights as they call it.



Finally, we finished and it was time to pick our pumpkins! We had a blast loading the boys up in the wagon trying to get them to pose for a picture…. They are never very cooperative when it comes to taking their pictures. …



We each picked our own pumpkin - the idea was to get something that resembled each of us.



Tonight we had a fun carving our pumpkins!



Aiden was little grossed out by the pumpkin guts…but loved eating the roasted pumpkin seeds.



The pumpkins turned out great and we are officially ready for Halloween!

Soap box Sunday

I’ve decided to take a page from Janessa’s book and write my own soap box Sunday. This Sunday was particularly special because Michael administered the sacrament for the first time. Although he hasn’t been officially called, the bishop did request he plan on administering the sacrament for a while. I am thrilled because it is not only a great example for Aiden, but it also helps Michael to fulfill his priesthood calling. It is also so much fun to see how everyone in the ward gets so excited to see this new convert advance in the church!



This week our Relief Society lesson was on “Stand fast through the storms of life.” How appropriate given that this has been a constant theme in my life the last few months. This lesson was a great reminder that my challenges in life really pale in comparison to so many other peoples. I am really blessed to have a job that allows me to provide for my family. I have an amazing son and a wonderful husband and a family that loves me.



Joseph Smith taught that our trials help shape the people we become, “Trials will only give us the knowledge Necessary to understand the minds of the ancients. For my part, I think I never could have felt as I now do, if I had not suffered the wrongs that I have suffered. All things shall work together for the good to them that love God." (Romans 8:28)

Joseph Smith also teaches that “All difficulties which might and would cross our way must be surmounted. Though the soul be tired, the heart be faint, and the hands hang down, we must not retrace our steps; there must be decision of character.” I love this quote particularly the comment about the decision of character. It is so easy for me to feel bad for myself or frustrated with my set of circumstances. The Lord would have us raise ourselves to these challenges as they cross our paths. Our Lord and Savior is the greatest example of this, he suffered so much pain in the Garden of Gethsemane that he bled from every pore. In spite of this still he still carried out the will of our Heavenly Father.

Tagged!

I've been tagged with the answer 5 with 5 game! I have to answer these 5 questions, and then tag 5 other people!!!!

10 years ago...
1. I purchased my condo
2. I was in the middle of my second year at UVU
3. I started a new Job with Modus Media as a Collection Analyst
4. I started my own business called R&R Property Management
5. I was a size 2!!!!

5 things on today's list
1. Go to the Airport to cash in travel voucher for trip to St. Louis
2. Complete business case for new business model
3. Discuss Q4 sales strategy and target market
4. Check airfare for November flights
5. Mail Aiden’s birthday invitations

5 snacks
1. String cheese
2. Fruit snacks (preferably cliff kids)
3. Jell-o pudding snacks (but only if it is chocolate)
4. Diet Pepsi
5. M&M’s or starbursts

5 things I would do if I was a millionaire
1. Pay off all my mortgages!!
2. Pay off all remaining debt
3. Invest!
4. Start college fund for our kids
5. Move to Missouri

5 places I've lived
1. San Diego
2. PG
3. Dublin
4. Buenos Aires
5. UT Co

5 jobs I've had
1. Product Manager – iBAHN
2. Sales and Operations Manager – iBAHN
3. Program Manager – iBAHN
4. Account Executive – Teleperformance USA
5. New Business Development Manager – Modus Media

5 people I am tagging
Well, I only have 3 blog buddies and Janessa already tagged me… so I’m tagging Amanda and Rose!

Washington DC, a Historic Treasure

He said….

Wendy and I spent this past weekend in Washington DC; the majority of our time we walked around simply taking in the sites, when we were not lost in the car. There are so many things to see; it seemed as if as soon as we walked up to something of interest we saw something else we wanted to see.

The first day we were there we parked the car, in my opinion way too far from where we needed to be, and walked to the White House.



We continued along the sidewalks, seeing the Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Jefferson Monuments.


Washington Memorial

We saw the Korean, WWII memorial, Arlington National Cemetery, and the Capitol building and dozens of other government buildings.


Korean War Memorial

We went to the Air and Space museum and to the Natural History museum..





We saw A LOT! We walked even more!

A few things for those who are interested in visiting Washington DC, make a list of what you want to see, mark a map of where those things are, wear comfortable shoes and for goodness sake, if you’re driving, get a GPS.

She said…

This past weekend Michael and I had the opportunity to spend a couple days in our nation’s capital, Washington DC. I had a meeting with a client on Monday which required me to be there. Michael was already in Boston and needed to get to DC this month anyway so we took the opportunity to spend the weekend together in D.C.



I have always wanted to see this historic city and this was a very inexpensive way to accomplish that goal. Our airfare was already covered and we were able to get a complimentary room at one of the newest full service hotels in the D.C. area, a great perk to working in the hospitality industry!

Given that we only had two days to see the sites we decided to see all famous land marks on Saturday and to hit the museums on Sunday. When you are in the city it appears that all the major sites are in a relatively close proximity, if you make it to D.C. do not be fooled! We spent several hours and walked several miles getting to and from each site.


U.S. Marines Corps Memorial with Washington Memorial & Capital building in background

Although it is hard to pick a favorite site of interest, I will narrow it down to two, the Lincoln Memorial and the Smithsonian Air and Space museum. The Lincoln Memorial stands 19ft tall made from Georgia marble with 36 columns surrounding it to represent each state of the union. Engraved inside are his two most famous speeches, the Gettysburg address and his second inaugural speech. I hate to say it, but I never realized how powerful these speeches were until I read them this past weekend. It is clear that Lincoln was not only a God fearing man but also a man ordained of God to drive this great cause.





The Smithsonian Air Space museum is AWESOME!! We felt a special connection given that my grandpa worked for General Dynamics as an engineer and given that Michael’s dad worked for McDonald Douglas as an Electrical design engineer. We didn’t have near enough time to see everything in the museum but we loved everything we did see.



All in all D.C. is my new favorite city! Truly a must see. I told Michael when the kids were grown I’d like to live there! However once we had to drive in traffic he said to forget it…. I’ll keep working on him though.

Hold fast to the Iron Rod!

One of the greatest blessings I think we have today is the Book of Mormon! The Book of Mormon was specifically written for the gentiles, that’s us! I’m always surprised by how relevant it really is to us in these latter days.

Over past two months Michael and I have done a lot of traveling- most of it on the fly without much forethought. We recently went to Colorado to visit with Michael’s family. Logically we booked a hotel 5 miles from Jodi’s house however we didn’t do much planning after that. We jumped in the car with no map and no directions on how to get there. It ended up taking us 1.5 hours!!! To drive five miles!! It occurred to me that this is so similar to life. If we don’t carefully put thought in to the direction of our life we usually end up taking the long way to get what we want or we don’t get there at all.

The book of Mormon tells us in 2 Ne. 2:26 “And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given.” If we don’t decide today that we will serve the lord then we will not have that choice when the Day of Judgment comes. To serve the Lord means more than just believing. We must choose to serve him daily by obeying his commandments and following his teachings.

Josh. 24:15. 15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

This past weekend we were driving in DC with a GPS system, TomTom. We were trying to meet up with some friends for dinner. We entered in our route and the GPS told us we were 2.9 miles from our destination. We missed one turn and had to re-route and the GPS system told us we were now 4 miles from our destination. We missed another turn and had to re-route yet again and our GPS system told us we were now 7 miles from our destination!! This made me think of the book of Nephi and the Liahona. When they were wicked the Liahona stopped working and they ended up lost and off course. Only when they were righteous and listened to the Lord did they make it to their destination. This is so relevant to us in our lives today.

The Lord has given us the Holy Ghost as our Compass along with the gospel plan and scriptures, our spiritual GPS systems if you will. These are designed to help us reach our destination, eternal salvation. Fortunately for us, the Lords plan is perfect, even though we aren’t. If we make wrong choices, we have the opportunity to re-route our trip through the plan of salvation. It just takes us longer to get there than if we had stayed on course. As we learn in first Nephi it is critical that we hold to the iron rod which represents the word of God so that we can partake of the fruit from the tree of life, which means to have eternal life.

Read the Book of Mormon online!! http://scriptures.lds.org/en/bm/contents

LDS General Conference

Last weekend was the 178 Semi-Annual LDS General Conference. We thoroughly enjoyed each session, particularly the second session on Saturday. I am so grateful to have a latter-day prophet at the head of our church. It seems that the so many of the talks are specifically geared toward me and my family and our set of circumstances.

I especially loved Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s talk “Come what may, and love it”. Michael and I have had such a difficult year and this was exactly what I needed to hear. Some of my favorite excerpts from his talk were “in spite of discouragement and adversity, those who are happiest seem to have a way of learning from difficult times, becoming stronger, wiser, and happier as a result.” I truly believe this, but it is difficult for me to do, and I frequently need to be reminded of this during our struggles.

He also said “The Lord in His wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness.” And that “the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life. If we approach adversities wisely, our hardest times can be times of greatest growth, which in turn can lead toward times of greatest happiness.” It struck me when he said this that this is what eternal progression is all about. I once read “One’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” I think this is so true! As I get older I find my life struggles get more convoluted and difficult, I used to think life would get easier. I guess it’s like I’ve graduated to the next level and the Lord is continues to challenge me, to stretch my limits so that I can continue to grow.

I took great comfort in his words when he said, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son.” John 3:16. “He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong.” One of the things I continue to struggle with is turning things over to the Lord. It takes me along time be for I recognize that I cannot do this alone, I need my Lord and Savior.

There were so many wonderful talks this conference and they are now available in text and audio online!! http://www.lds.org/conference/sessions/display/0,5239,23-1-947,00.html

Making a Splash!

One of the fun things we were able to do while we were in San Diego last weekend was spend a little time in La Jolla. Aiden had never seen the Ocean and it had been 13 years since Michael had been to San Diego - it had been about 5 years for me. Since most of the family was there we decided to spend a couple hours together at the beach in La Jolla. Michael and I really wanted to take Aiden to see the tide pools at the cove but we had scheduling conflicts with the tide.



We found a great beach in La Jolla that also had some reefs. We weren’t exactly expecting to spend time at the beach so none of us brought bathing suites. We had a great time walking in the sand with our bare feet though and feeling the ocean waves crash in to our legs.



Aiden was absolutely elated to see the ocean!! He had a riot running in the sand and into the ocean waves! He made quite the splash!! Aiden and I had fun racing across the beach and scarring the seagulls!



Even though the time wasn’t quite right we did find a couple tide pools with little sea creatures. We saw exotic fish and a few crabs! Aiden had no interest in holding the sea creatures – he thought they were scary but he did enjoy looking at them.



We can’t wait to go back when we can spend more time enjoying the beaches and all that San Diego has to offer!