Close to Heaven.....

Today I went through some doors that lead to Heaven….or the closest thing to Heaven on this Earth.  It amazes me how just walking through a set of doors can be so perfectly peaceful!  I love this beautiful Palace built for our King & Savior, Jesus Christ!  (Draper LDS Temple)  I am so thankful that I am able to enter and experience the things I do there.  I love how absolutely beautiful the Temple is.  It is breath taking and serene! I look around and see others that are so similar to myself……all Angels in Gods eyes but somehow I feel like I am the "Special One".  I feel my light inside of me shine brighter and I am sure the others feel the same way.  God see us All…….He loves us All…..We are His Children.  I am so sure of that and am very grateful for my relationship with Him.

I have plenty of time to meditate and think and feel.  I love how I feel like I have been wrapped in a warm blanket…..I feel warm from the inside out, yet amongst the warmth I still get tingles….I love this feeling and would say it's better than anything else I have ever felt.  It's indescribable and comes from my soul.  My eyes feel it too.  So often this feeling is so strong it literally consumes my whole soul and trickles out my eyes…..I let it! 

I love entering into the Celestial Room and seeing the ones I love.  Today I saw Kevin and Julie and Julie's Sister and husband and Taylor V.  This room is elegant and I find myself usually looking UP!  Maybe that has some significance to it and maybe not but I love looking up into the magnificent chandeliers!  They are gorgeous and pull me right into them.  We linger in this room and bask in the love that is here……it's amazing and wonderful!

I always leave desiring to be better.  

Temple

I love going to the Temple and I'm really glad that our Ward has been good about scheduling Ward Temple days or nights monthly.  Since Larry has been Bishop we always invite the Single Ladies to go with us. (widows)  They are fun and they are always happy to get out and go with their Bishop.  He also has been inviting our niece, Shannon and she has went with us a few times.  I really enjoy their company and love being around these ladies.  I love being around all our ward members.....I am really glad Brad & and Crystal met up with us after for some dinner.  We don't always go to dinner but it's fun to stop somewhere for a minute to visit some more.  One month Ruth and Sharon bought me and Larry pie after....they are so sweet!

I love going to the Temple and love feeling the spirit.  I think I always feel the spirit when I go.  I love the love I feel.....I love the peace I feel.....I love the safety I feel.....I love the Temple!

S...N....O....W......I like it!

I love all the seasons we enjoy living in Utah.  I have always loved the changing of the season.  It's always exciting as one ends and another one begins.  I love the snow and the beauty it adds.  I love that the snow covers all the weeds and makes everything look so clean and pretty.

I enjoy the clothing that I get to wear in the winter.  I love sweat shirts over any other clothing.  Sweatshirts are like blankets to me and I love feeling cozy in them.  This snow fall was perfect.  It was cold enough to stay on the grounds but not the roads or side walks.  We didn't have to shovel and driving on the roads wasn't bad at all at least around here.

I laughed when I saw our bikes all covered in snow.  Not just because of the snow but because when people see all our bikes and our play ground they are sure we run a day care.  I think it's funny since they are just for our kids and grands.  We have always had lots of bikes out front and toys around so I don't notice it but others who don't know us that well do.

I am thankful for the changing of the seasons!

We are Family!

We are Family......my niece, my sister and me!  I'm singing that as I write.  I just couldn't help but bring those silly glasses with me when I met my sister for lunch.  They song actually came to my mind when we made our lunch date.  I was excited to go to lunch with Susan and Shan.....in my opinion we don't see each other enough and I enjoy our visits when they happen.

Liam came too and was very cute about wearing the silly glasses.  He didn't seem to be bothered by them at all.  It was just a nice day and I love my sister and her family so much.  Susan likes my stories and laughs a lot.  I like making my sister laugh.  We also have some serious talks and we'll even cry and that is why we are so important to each other.

I love my sis!  I have always been taller than Susan but I'm not anymore.  When we stood up to leave Susan looked at me and asked Shan who was taller.  Shan looked closely and so did we and I believe we are the same height now.  Susan thought that was so funny to look me straight in the eye and not up....I don't think it's quite so funny.  I wouldn't mind if my body also shrunk.....loosing two inches doesn't give the torso anywhere to go but out.  I have no waist at all.  My ribs touch my hips and I have a muffin top that I try to hide. I really wish I could pump up my vertebrae and get those inches back.  Oh well......might be a sign I am getting older. :)  But for being over 50 and having 7 kids I look pretty good. :) (that's a joke between me and my friends this age.....I have been told that a lot and laugh every time.....I didn't look as good like this when I was in my 30's or 40's with 7 kids....or at least others didn't tell me I did)  Funny!

Election

This year was quite the Election. The race between President Obama and Mitt Romney was a good one.  I feel like more people were interested in it than every before.  Our Country has had some real problems and I never trusted Obama from the start.  Needless to say President Obama has another four years to test our faith and encourage us all to pray more for him and our country.

When the votes were counted I wasn't surprised of the way things turned out.....disappointed for sure but not surprised.  Immediately I thought how lucky the Romney's were for not winning the election.  I can only imagine the strain and stress it would have been on their sweet family.  The Romney's are great people and they would have had a lot of people being unkind to them.  So I think they are blessed.

Then the thought came to me that even though Mitt didn't win He did make a difference.  He is a great man and his greatness was felt.  I believe that even President Obama felt it and even tried to be more like him.  Mitt is courageous and set the path for another candidate in a few years.  He handled things with dignity and I respect him for that.

I believe things ended the way they were meant to.  If Mitt was suppose to be President .... He would have been.  I believe this is a time for all of us to pray more. We do pray more when things aren't going as well as we would like....I think God is looking forward to that.  This is a time for us all to Trust in the Lord more and put our faith in Him and Pray for our Country.  It is God who is in Charge.

The Big "6~0" for Kathy O

Kathy turned 60 today and that is worth celebrating!  We talked about having her meet me at Ben Lomond Lanes and then driving together.  But....Kathy is 60 and went to the old, rundown, not there anymore Hill Top Lanes.  Thank goodness for cell phones.  I couldn't stop laughing from that point on!  The girl just cracks me up....together we are quite the pair!  We mostly laugh and have fun but we did get in a little serious conversation that had my eyes watering!  Kathy is a great listener and a wonderful friend.  I love her so much!

We talked about going somewhere close and when I mentioned the Greenery...Kathy immediately mentioned Las Vegas.  I guess the Greenery isn't as close as most places but it is so fun to go shopping after and the food is great!  They brought Kathy a slice of chocolate cake and she wasn't quite sure she wanted to share.....but she did. ☺

I love looking around Rainbow Gardens but usually gasp when I look at the tags.  Good stuff but a little more expensive than I can afford.  They are starting to get Christmas out which I always love seeing....I love how cute Christmas stuff can be!  I love how cute we can be with Christmas stuff on us. ;)

The shop across the hall is a fun shop to visit also.  I know they have a sign somewhere in that store that says no pictures but I purposely did not look at anything I had to read.  My camera didn't flash either so we got away with taking a few pictures.

Kathy is so stinkin cute and talented. She's just plain fun!  I am so glad to have Kathy as my friend. I love spending time with Kathy and we always make fun memories.  They are easier to remember with pictures.  We continually laugh about our time together.....past and present!

I think the picture of us in our sparkly hats looks like Kathy is singing to herself.  Maybe she was....I look like I ...........never mind!

After our fun time together I went and voted!  The ladies helping me made sure I got a sticker!  Who's idea was it to spend money on silly stickers?  I think they are so dumb!  But, I voted so that is good and I got a picture of my sticker so everyone would know that I voted!

32nd Anniversary

Well I am happy to say that we made it another year!  This past year kind of just happened....we survived!   I wouldn't say it was our worst year but it wasn't our best.  There were so many distractions that kept us busy and just surviving.  It was on this day last year that the Roger's had their accident....that's hard on a family. (their's and ours)  I know it is truly harder on their's they lost DJ.  It breaks my heart and it breaks Larry's.  Larry has dedicated a lot of his time to both families....Dave & Wendy's and Brittney's.  It's his job, it's what he's needed to do.  I get that but I'm not going to lie.....I felt his absence! The stress of work, Bishop and life has overwhelmed us all.  I've missed my hubby!

For our anniversary this year it worked out well that we were able to go to Hawaii with the Winters & Brinkerhoff's.  I love getting away with Larry because we can focus on each other and fall deeper in love.  That didn't happen this trip.  Larry was stressed and he didn't show up until late Friday...or even Saturday, the day we left. (his body was there of course but he wasn't)  I have a hard time seeing my hubby stressed and worried and unable to share with me.  The stress eventually creeps over to me and overwhelms me too. (I hate that!)  I have endured this calling of his and hopefully will be able to endure it to the end.  I don't think I could say yes to a calling like this again. (I can't handle it.....I respect all those women who do, even more so now.....I didn't ever want to be one and it has been a challenge for me to say the least)

I'm thankful for Larry....he's a great guy!  He's a terrific Bishop and truly is a better person since his calling.  There really is plenty of good happening.....it's just the timing! (stress rules! Dangit!)

Today since it is our anniversary we have decided to take Zaden to a movie (wreck it ralph) and then go to another movie (taken 2) after taking Zaden back home and then to dinner.  I like our time together....movies are a good place to go since we seldom do and you have to turn your phone off! :)  Cheers to another Year.....looking forward to the ones we have left!