Happy 22nd Birthday Spencer!!!

 Happy 22nd Birthday Spencer!!!!!  I always love your birthday as it is such a beautiful time of year with Spring in full force!!!!   Because you were so busy on the night of your birthday we celebrated it a day early.   It seemed kind of bittersweet to celebrate with everyone when we knew this would be the last time we would be together as a family for the next five months.  

 Spencer if leaving to go and live in Fiji for the next  almost five months to help with an organization called HELP International you can learn more about them http://fiji.help-international.org/.  The mission of HELP is about fighting poverty by empowering individuals that are natives to various countries. HELP wants to provide self sustaining solutions to the problems that have plagued countries for decades. Help wants to solve a problem through local organizations that once solved will stay solved long after participants have left and finished projects.  So it is an amazing opportunity!!!!

 For Spencer's birthday he wanted barbecue ribs.  We made his favorite recipe for barbecue ribs.  It needs to cook for 9 hours.  So the house smelled mighty fine all day.  It is a delicious recipe!!!!  Yummy!!!!!

 Coby was on his way to a wedding reception  so he was dressed up for the occasion.   He took Spencer out to lunch for his birthday.  

 Kara thinks she is so silly!

 All my children love a good oreo ice cream cake and they are so simple to make or buy!!!

 Tayler, Spencer's best friend joined us for cake. We missed her at dinner, but she had a final.

Kara made Spencer breakfast this morning even though she had to leave the house at 6:30am.  She definitely loves her brother as we all do!!!!  Spencer took a final on his birthday!!!  What a fun birthday present.  For Spencer's birthday present he wanted money to go to Fiji!! He also wanted a camera so he can take lots of good pictures!!!!!  It is a great cause so hopefully, if you get a letter asking for a donation to his cause you might consider it.  He will appreciate it as he has spent over 5k of his own money to help others.   He also had to sell his car.

 I love the passionate person Spencer is.  I love how he is involved and knows so much about so many things.  He is so fun to talk to as he has an opinion about everything, seriously!!!  I love his quick wit and his humor he brings to every situation.   I love  how he shows each family member his love for them and how he is willing to help others so willingly.   He is a great example to me of dedication, hard work, and being the best you.     Spencer please know how much we love and adore you!!!!!! 

I feel so grateful and thankful for.......

Every year for the month of November I try to make some kind of list or decoration where each family member will be able to write things they are thankful for.  It is a little sparse this year with only 4 members living at home.  It is really fun to look at the list on Thanksgiving day, to see all the vast things our family is grateful for!

 Here is a list of some of the things our family listed they were grateful for:

1. Christ.  He. made. it. possible. for. us. to. live. again.  We love our Savior, very much and we are grateful for His atoning  sacrifice for each of us.  We have been fortunate to feel his love for us and because of that we are able to love all of Heavenly Father's children because we know He loves each of His children.

2. My Husband.  I am grateful that I married such a good man, who treats me with kindness, love and respect.  We will be married for 25 years in a few months and I am grateful for my decision to marry him each and every day.
3.  My children.  They have given me a lot of joy and purpose for living.  I feel like my life is enriched because I have them.  I have learned to be better at being selfless from the experiences with them.
4. My parents, I am grateful for all they did for me now more than ever. I realize their sacrifices in my behalf and I feel a tremendous amount of love for them.
5. My sibling,  I have some of the best brothers a girl could ask for.  And then I was blessed with a sweet sister years later. 
6.  I am grateful for the gospel and how it has influenced my life for good.  It truly is "good news."
7.  My extended family-they make our lives complete. They have given us  support, a listening ear, and help in more ways than I can ever express.  
8.  My home! I am so grateful for a warm place to live!  We have all the comforts of life and have never wanted for anything.
9. My husband's job. We have had a couple experiences where we are unemployed and it is no fun.  I am grateful that my husband works hard for our family and never complains about having to do so.
10.  A car!!!  I am so glad that we don't have to walk everywhere.  Matt always keep my car maintained and very safe.  I am grateful he knows so much about cars.
11. Friends!!!!!!  Friends truly make life complete. I love my friends from high school, early married years, and friends in Sandy. I am grateful for the opportunity we had to move because I have met some amazing people that I love and adore!!!
12.  Lynn, my hairdresser!  I love Lynn and can talk to her about anything.  She is so good to me about my hair. She colors my hair ever few weeks at her home for a small amount and for that I am so grateful.  She can work magic when she does my hair.
13.  Food,  I love food!  I love how food can bring families together and help create better memories. I hope when I die that we will be able to still enjoy food!
13. Traveling!!!!  I love to explore new places and to see parts of the world that I haven't experienced before. I am blessed that my husband loves to travel too and because of that, we have went to some amazing places!
14.  My job!!!  I love where I work and I have the best boss anyone could ever ask for!  She is kind, caring and wants what is best for the students at our school.  I have become friends with some very incredible people that will be life  long friends. 
15. Books!!!!  I love to read. I have learned so much from my love of reading.   There is nothing better than having a good book to curl up with. 
16.  The YW's program!!!  I love how inspired it is and I love being able to work with the young woman.  It is my favorite place to work in, in the church. I am grateful I get to work there now while my daughter is in Young Women's.
17. Music!!!  Do I need to say more?
18. The telephone! I am grateful that I have ways to communicate with my son, Coby who lives far away from our family right now.  
19.  Cell phones, facebook, texting!!!!!  I  love being able to communicate with people that I haven't seen for a long time.  I love being able to get information very quickly! 
20.  Health.  I have had times where I had health problems and so I grateful that I am blessed with a healthy body and so are my children and husband.  I am grateful that I am able to keep up with the demands of life because of the body I have been given.
21.  Exercise!!!!  I have always loved to exercise. It make my body feel more energized so I can accomplish a lot in each day.
22.  Washing machine and dryer!!!!  Yay!!!!! So glad I don't have to wash my clothes the old fashion way, by hand.
23. Freedom,  I may not know what it's like to live without freedom, but I do know what it feels like to have choices taken away from you. I may not know what death during war looks like, but I do know what it's like to have someone you love taken without your permission. So, when I think of patriotic liberty within the frame of what I can relate to, freedom becomes more tangible. Easier to hold and appreciate.

 24.  The scriptures!!!!  I love having easy access to what Ardith Kapp called, "letters from home."  I feel the spirit when I read from them.
25.  Prayer!!!!!  I love being able to talk to God like I would a real close friend.
26.  The spirit!  I am grateful to have this positive influence in my life that will never lead me astray. I have been richly blessed by the promptings I receive. 

27.  Nature!  I love the beautiful world that I have the privilege of living in!   There is so much beauty and goodness to enjoy.
28. I am grateful for the little things.  A smile from a stranger,   someone stopping to let me in the lane when traffic is heavy,  kind words,  a warm bowl of soap on a cold day.
29.  Smiles!!!!  I love to smile and I love to be around people who smile. I love to smile at the cute kids that I work with.  It is so cute to see them go from  despondent to all of the sudden happy.
30. Service!!!!  I am grateful to be able to serve others  because it blesses my life abundantly!!!  I am grateful for the small and big acts of service I have been blessed to be a part of!!! 

Super Service Saturday, October 8th

This year our ward decided to do many projects for Super Saturday... but this year instead of them being for us they were for others. It was so awesome to come together as a R.S. and make things for those that needed a cheer.   Above are sisters  that are writing Christmas cards for Military men and women who are in the Bethesda Military Hospital in Maryland.  This is one of the activities I did and I felt such gratitude for those who serve our country.

On this table we were making Muslim dolls for Primary Children's Hospital.  The dolls we gave are given to the children when they have surgery.  The staff there marks the spot they are having surgery so that the doll can have surgery with them.

There were tables set up all over and every one was busy working and visiting with each other.

I cut out a lot of patterns for the dolls dress.  Luckily, everyone was on a sewing machine which was really good for the children getting the doll.

Some of our young women came and helped.  The "Jingle Cubes" were made for Inner City Refugee families.  They were so cute. Kami was teaching this part.

Everyone brought plastic grocery bags.  The grocery sacks are cut into strip that is super long.  The strips are sent to Africa with the Director of Women's Initiative for Reach for Children.  This organization is a non-governmental group that helps women in Africa.   After the bags are all cut up the women their are taught how to crochet the bags in which they then sell for money.   I think it is so neat that others have found a way for these women to help themselves. ... After our time was up.. many women took hundreds of bags home to cut up and finish.. so they can be ready for Africa in a few months.
It takes 50 plastic grocery sacks to make one crotchet bag.  Cutting up the bags took a lot of time so many of the ladies took bags home so they could make even more.

At another stations we made Reusable Sanitary Pads were made from small pieces of flannel for many women in Africa and India.

I had never thought about how some women would need reusable sanitary pads.  This just really made me think how blessed we are to never have to use this.   Each women gets one and they feel so blessed that they have this because before this many women were using "mud packs" or "grass" and maybe a rag if they were lucky.  Many of the girls had to quit school or jobs once there started menstruating.

Patty Liston who is the Executive Director for Grow.Learn.Give., an organization that teaches hygiene and maturation to children ages 5-18. She told us how happy these women from Africa and India were to receive this one simple cloth.

We are so blessed to never have to worry about this problem.

Tying quilts for to give to others in  need.

These are what the plastic bags make when they are all crocheted.  I think they are really cute!

These ladies are  making beaded bracelets for the still born babies at hospitals in the area.

At one table they were making stillborn blankets to wrap up the little babies in.

Above I am making Christmas cards for those I described above.  We had a yummy lunch of soup, salad and dessert and I think we all went home very grateful for our many blessings we enjoy.   Thanks again Ann for the pictures; you are awesome!