Cute pictures

Yesterday was Abby's first official day in the nursery. I had to get a picture to mark the momentous occasion. I couldn't keep her out of her "bike" long enough to get a picture though!

Tonight for family night we went up to the cemetery and then to Temple Square. Here is Abby giving her sister loves and kisses...

I remembered some really pretty magnolia trees on Temple Square and wanted to see if they were still in bloom. Most of them had dropped all the blossoms, but these two were nice and protected and looked so pretty!

The lighting around the temple spires was really pretty...
So after chasing the fountains a bit, Abby got tired. What better thing to do than to take your blankie out of the stroller and lay down on the comfy sidewalk. She looked so funny. Mike and I got a good chuckle out of it!

Way to go, Brian!

(my brother--recent BYU grad--another engineer in the family)

A good book...

I just finished reading The Traveler's Gift by Andy Andrews. It is the next book in our Relief Society book group. I thought I'd put a plug in for it...I enjoyed it...quick and easy read. The basic premise is a 40-something going through a midlife crisis learns life lessons as he travels back in time following a car accident. It may sound a bit cheesy or cliche but I really enjoy historical fiction so even if for no other reason, I enjoyed the stories from the past.

An example: While visiting with Abraham Lincoln, our protagonist, David, asks the President if he believes that God is on "our" side in the Civil War. Here is an excerpt that follows (p. 128):

"If we familiarize ourselves with the chains of bondage, we prepare our own limbs to wear them. The spirit of our government and our institutions must be to elevate people, and I am opposed to whatever degrades them. I am of the opinion that right makes right. Therefore I signed the [emancipation], and now we will enforce its effectiveness.
"So your question was, 'Do I believe that God is on our side?' To be quite honest, I haven't given that question very much attention. I am much more concerned with whether we are on God's side."

So if you are in my ward (or if not), read it. It'll make for an interesting discussion (last Tuesday in May).

PS The quote by Lincoln is a compilation of some of his actual quotes at different times and places. I found most of the sentences quoted online.

Tagged by Jen

Ten years ago, I was on my mission. I was a couple weeks from coming home, probably stressing out a bit because I did that at the end of my mission (wanting to make sure I’d done all that needed to be done). I was in the Ovejeria Alto Branch in Osorno.

5 Things on My "To Do" List:
Hmmm…
1) Weed – I’m trying to get into a good habit before it gets hotter and I don’t want to
2) Call my friend who just had a new baby
3) Get out the box of little girl clothes that my sister passed on to me to find the next size/season for Abby
4) Make dinner
5) Mow the lawn

5 Places I've Lived:
1) Del Rio, Texas (born there)
2) A few other military bases in IN, AL, CA, NE
3) Sandy, UT
4) Southern Chile
5) Murray, UT


5 Jobs I've had:
1) Receptionist/Accounts Payable person/cashier/other stuff at Wasatch Shadows Nursery during high school and college
2) Janitor in Helaman Halls during my Freshman year
3) Salesperson at Express during the holidays one year
4) Kindergarten teacher for a long time
5) Mom (will be for a really long time!)

5 Things People Don't Know About Me:
1) I am left-handed
2) I started at BYU as a pre-med student
3) A week or two after my offer on my house here in Murray had been accepted, I freaked out and called my uncle (agent) to back out. Luckily, I couldn’t bring myself to do it (embarrassed or something) so I started mumbling some silly question about the house to him and then hung up. He probably thought I was losing it. (I never told him my real reason for calling.)
4) I was a debater in high school (silly)
5) That I have a hard time thinking of things that people don’t know about me

I tag all of you:)

Last installment of our trip log

Tuesday

• Sent Mike to work while we veg'd at the hotel for a while and let Abby nap
  
• Abby and I went back to the park and played on a great playground
• Went by the beach for an ever so short very windy moment
• Explored the city by car (crazy idea, but not as bad as I thought it might be)
• Picked up Mike and went to Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39 to see the infamous sea lions
• Ate at a very yummy Italian place
  

Wednesday

• Sent Mike to work and checked out of the hotel
• Left to explore the northern lands (ie we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County)
• Saw lots of pretty things (beaches, birds, trees, mountains, streams, etc.)
• Wished a few times I had my binoculars with me:)
• Picked Mike up
• Drove around to see the biotech companies in South SF that Mike thinks are very cool (impressive company campuses)
• Headed to the airport and came home

We're back and it was a lot of fun!

Northern California Trip, Part 2

Sunday

• Went to church in Watsonville
• Ate lunch and checked out of the hotel
• Drove to San Jose and met some distant cousins - very nice people and lots of fun to visit with them in person:)
• Visited the Oakland Temple and Visitor's Center
• Drove into San Francisco and checked into the hotel
  

Monday

• Sent Mike off to work
• Ate breakfast (I only mention this because Hampton Inn's breakfasts are much better than the previous un-named hotel's breakfasts)
• Swam in the pool
• Relaxed while Abby napped
• Drove to Golden Gate Park (bigger than Central Park, interestingly enough)
• Played in the playground
• Visited the botanical gardens
• Visited the Japanese Tea Garden (very beautiful)
• Met Mike for dinner at a sushi place
• Minor traffic and public transportation woes, but not too bad (now I'm a pro)

Here is a picture and a slide show. (I thought this picture just looked funny. It was taken in downtown SF. She might look a bit upset, but she was really happy.)

Slideshow I tried to post the other day

Our Trip to Northern California, Part 1

Some highlights and pictures:

Thursday

• Abby went on her first plane ride
• Marinda's aunt and uncle happened to be on the same plane as us, one row behind us (but on a connecting a flight to Hawaii--poor guys)
• Marinda really liked the pendulum at the Exploratorium in SF
• Abby loved the lights and coin roller thing at the E... in SF
• She also likes to pass electric current through herself to light the light bulb
• But she really loved the ball floating in the air above the construction cone
• Mike had fun with all the science toys
• He also liked the pictures from New Guinea and the real live chicken embryos
• We drove the PCH down to Watsonville and ate Chinese food

Friday

• Santa Cruz was really, really warm
• Abby doesn't like to walk on the sand in bare feet until she's been distracted enough by the waves to forget that she doesn't like it
• Abby does love running into the waves
• Marinda saw the gravestone of her 4th great-grandfather in the most charming old cemetery
  
• The Santa Cruz Public Library has tons of genealogy stuff
  

Saturday

• We paid to drive 17 miles through really pretty beaches and golf courses
• Abby still loves running into waves
• Monterey is also warm or we just picked the best weather weekend of the year to come :)
• The Monterey Bay Aquarium has really cute otters and penguins
• There must be a million fish as well
• The aquarium was fabulous
• Abby especially loved the kids play areas
• Then we ate fish for dinner :)

So, I was going to post a slide show but that'll have to wait for a faster internet connection...

From the Sunday Afternoon Session

Are many blessings greater than living prophets? I feel so blessed to have President Monson and others to guide us. Conference was wonderful and specific prayers of mine were answered. President Monson's closing comment seemed to epitomize so much:

I love you and pray for you. Please pray for me and together we will reap the blessings.

I absolutely loved Elder Ballard's talk. I needed to be uplifted as a mom. Here was his advice:

• Recognize that the joys of motherhood come in moments.
• Focus more on doing more and less on getting more done. (I don't know that I have that right, but there is an idea in my mind that makes sense and is comforting:)
  
• Don't overschedule. Have unstructured time.
  
• Find time for ourselves.
• Pray, study and teach the gospel.
  

What do I delight in?

Family:

• My relationship with Mike
• Mike's patience, acceptance and support of me
• Our (Mike and I) similar goals
• My eternal relationship with all my children
• Abby's growth and personality - she is wonderful!
• Grandparents - the older I get, the more I realize how much they influence me
• Parents and siblings - I've delighted in them longer than anyone else:)
• Expanding my family with Mike's and calling them my own

The Church and the gospel:

• The Atonement of Jesus Christ
• The simple and tender mercies and miracles made possible only by Jesus
• Miracles on a grand scale
• The growth of the Church and Heavenly Father's kingdom on earth
• The Priesthood
• Church leaders who know exactly what the Father wants us to know and do
• The temple and family history work
• Being a woman and mother

Other stuff:

• My home
  
• Learning new stuff (maybe spending too much time on my computer)
• Vacations and traveling

Thoughts from Saturday Afternoon session of General Conference this morning

When we have a testimony of the gospel, it is our responsibility to share it.

***
Throughout the scriptures, the Father has repeatedly introduced His Son and commanded us to hear Him.
***
Truth is sent "unto", not "into" our hearts (2 Nephi 33:1). It is up to us whether we choose to welcome the truth into our hearts.
***
Christ came to earth, first and foremost, to perform the atoning sacrifice. He also came to teach and to serve. In those things we can certainly strive to follow His example.
***
The leadership of the church follows a pattern set by the Lord.
***
There are many ways to begin and foster healing in our lives, but healing is only made complete through the atonement of the Savior.
***
Begin with the end in mind (like the pretty pictures of food in cookbooks that give us an idea of what we are working towards)!
***
Baptism not only cleanses, but illuminates the soul.
***
Enduring to the end is not a DIY project. We also need the Savior, the Holy Ghost and the community of Saints.

Thoughts from Saturday Morning session of General Conference this morning

I love the idea of reaching out to the one. 3 Nephi 11:14-15 are two of my favorite verses in the Book of Mormon. Today I loved Elder Wirthlin’s talk. We must accept all--every one. We are all different, but cannot just reach out to those who are the same. He said that the Lord didn’t create an orchestra only to value the piccolos of the world. What a great image! President Eyring also talked about the need to reach out to the poor. As Elder Rasband spoke, I loved the idea that faith is increasing throughout the world. All of us, different as we may be (from Utah to Peru), are working towards the same goals. Why not work on them together!!!