Tuesday, January 7, 2014

My testimony of faith and religion.

I've been feeling the last couple of months the urge to, in some form, share my knowledge and testimony of my religious beliefs. It's been on my mind, but I also thought that I didn't want to appear boastful or pushy or offensive or, or, or... so here I am, finally writing in what I consider to be a safe place. This is not an exhaustive "list" of my beliefs, simply a summary of the most important highlights of it.

First and foremost, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died for our sins and that He lives today. I believe that we can have a personal relationship with Him. The Atonement of Jesus Christ is the single most important event in the history of the world. It gives us a chance to repent of our sins, to draw closer to Him, to make amends, to start anew. I believe in personal prayer to our Heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ. I have felt so close to Christ in doing so throughout my life. Whether it be to thank Him for my blessings, to plead for forgiveness, to ask for guidance, I have always felt Him there.

I believe that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost are three separate personages. I know this because I believe that God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith, the man who restored the true and living gospel to the world. When they appeared to him to tell him that no church on earth was completely correct, they were two separate people. They are one in spirit, one in mind and purpose, but two separate beings. I believe that Joseph Smith was a man of God, and that he was inspired to bring the priesthood back to the world, after it was lost in the dark ages. I believe that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon with the help of God. I believe that though he was a man, who made mistakes, as did Brigham Young and other prophets after, they were and are lead by God to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of men". I have a strong appreciation for the early days of the reformation on the church; for the pioneers who walked across the country to find religious freedoms, for the leaders of the church who were tarred and feathered and killed, for the building of temples and forsaking all material possessions to build up the kingdom of God on earth. Many lost children, husbands, wives and friends along the way, but saw a greater purpose. I believe that the Lord speaks to all people on Earth today through a living prophet and 12 apostles. I believe that the priesthood that was once on Earth in Christ's ministry is once again here. I have witnessed its power countless times.

I believe in the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I find peace and freedom in following its guidelines. I have been on both sides of this, seeing what it is like to not follow God's commandments and also following them. I can say with absolute confidence that I have always felt more peace and true happiness when I stand with God entirely. I believe in the law of tithing. I believe in the word of wisdom. I believe in the law of chastity. I believe in seeking after things that are "virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy." I believe in the different organizations that the church has. I am uplifted on a daily basis by the Relief Society. I have never seen a better display of true charity and love than I have through the Relief Society.

I believe in the Bible, Old and New Testament. I just started an Old Testament course (independent study) and I already have rediscovered the importance of the teachings of Abraham and Moses and other prophets of old. I also believe that the teachings of our living prophet and apostles today are scripture, and worth studying on a regular basis.

I believe in the power of faith. Through faith in things that are "hoped for, which are not seen, which are true", I have witnessed miracles. I know that God tests us, sometimes beyond our current limits, to stretch us, to make us better, to bring us closer to Him.

I believe in the importance of families. The family is the center of our society, and also the center of God's plan. He wants us to be happy, and we can be by embracing our families. I have felt more love in my heart in being a mother and a wife the last 4 and 1/2 years than I have the other 20 years of my life.

I believe in God's sacred temples. In these temples, sacred covenants are made, we are sealed to our families for time and all eternity, and we are promised great blessings in the next life if we endure to the end. The key word for our temples is "sacred", not "secret". I find that is important to clarify. I have had many friends ask me questions about the temple, about the happenings in there, about the holy garment, etc. I believe that the Lord wishes all of us to be happy, wants all of us to be able to make covenants, and that it is not a secret club of any sort, but so sacred that only those who prepare themselves can fully understand the blessings. But I know He is no respector of persons, and that we all have the chance to draw closer to Him in this way.


I was born and raised a Mormon, and as a young child, I went because I was told to, as we often do as children. Now, as an adult, with a long road of struggles and self discovery, I know with my whole heart that the gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today, in its entirety, and that it is what brings me the most happiness and joy in my life.


I hope this answers questions some may have, that it doesn't offend, and that you can appreciate the things I have shared.



Thursday, November 8, 2012

Josie at almost 15 weeks

I was looking through my phone pictures of Josie and wanted to share them with you all. They span mostly through the month of October.



Chubby little Jos!



Ever since Josie was just days old, she has loved looking at the pictures of my grandparents' bamboo on our wall. She is totally obsessed with it! This is her sitting on our couch looking up at them.



There's her smile!



This is us waiting at the bus stop. Two or three times a week, Josie and I take the bus to USU to go visit Jake. I put her in my baby wrap, walk to the bus stop, take the bus to the transit center, then take another bus to campus. She always loves the bus. She has never ever cried. I dare say it's her favorite thing to do. I enjoy the bus too; somebody interesting always ends up talking to us.



Her "I just pooped my pants" face.



A few weeks ago, Josie started going crazy kicking her legs like crazy. This day in particular she kept lifting one leg up and holding it there, like a dog!



"Ooo oo ooo! Pick me, I know the answer!"



We've wanted a baby swing for her since she was born, and finally decided it was worth the investment. As you can see, she loves it!



Okay, this is one of my favorite pictures. This is Josie with her cousin, Jack (age 4). We spent the weekend with my family, and Jack and Josie totally bonded. Jack is adorable with little babies. He kept coming up to me and asking to hold her, asking how she was doing, and in this picture, he was talking to her in the car. She absolutely adores him. That weekend, Jack got Josie to start laughing hysterically, the first and ONLY time this has happened! Jake and I have tried replicating what Jack did to make her crack up, but it doesn't work. Too cute.



Josie has gotten pretty good at her hand motor skills. I was feeding her a bottle, and looked down to see she was holding it herself. So I let go and she fed herself for a good 2 or 3 minutes without letting go!



I know it seems like all of her pictures are taken in this blue chair... she doesn't spend all of her time in that chair, she just takes the best pictures in it! This is her toy, Mr. Froggy. It's her favorite toy. If I give it to her I can usually get the dishes done or the laundry put away and she'll keep herself happy.

Monday, September 24, 2012

Little Josie Lynn

Josie is 8 weeks old today, and I realized I haven't written a single blog post about her! I'm feeling overwhelmed with all that I should say about our sweet little daughter, so I'll just try and sum it up as best I can.

Josie was born on July 30th at 11:14. She weighed 6 pounds, 14 ounces and was 20 inches long. I was 5 days overdue, and miserable until I went into labor! I have never been more impatient for something, not even to get married. The hardest part was not knowing when she was going to make her grand entrance, and just waiting around. I was going to be induced on August 1st if she didn't come out on her own, and I really wanted a July baby.

The morning of July 30th, Jake and I went in to the doctor to see how she was doing. They hooked me up to a big machine that measured my contractions and her heartbeat. That was at about 11 or noon. A few hours later I started having contractions, but they weren't very painful so I didn't think too much of it. They were close together, but I would be so embarrassed if I went in and they sent me home. Jake left to go pick up some dinner, and while he was gone I kept having them closer and closer together. He got home and we ate dinner, and then I said maybe we should go to the hospital. We took our bags and her car seat and left! When we checked in to the hospital, they saw that I was 5 centimeters dilated, and they were surprised because they said I was so calm and smiley when I checked in at the front desk that there was no way I could be in labor! I dilated pretty quickly from there, but it still took a few hours until it was time to push. I packed a bunch of my favorite movies, and decided on "That Thing You Do!" because I could pretty much watch that movie every day and never get sick of it. It's my comfort movie. Jake was great, he just sat next to me and smiled and asked how I was every 5 seconds. I started pushing at around 10:00, and almost an hour and a half later, there she was!


Me just waiting for her to decide to be born.


Just moments after being born. She looks so terrified!


From the moment she was born she alert and awake. She didn't cry, just looked around in bewilderment at everything. She stayed awake for quite a while before finally going to sleep. I didn't love staying in the hospital. In fact I sort of hated it after she was born. A nurse or social worker or doctor or specialist of some sort was coming into our room at least once an hour, all hours of the day. I hardly got any sleep. Neither did Jake; he had to sleep on a small little couch, curled up in a ball both nights we were there! I'm glad he stayed though; I really needed him when I was going on hours and hours with no sleep. I was so happy to finally come home and start my own schedule. My mom stayed with us until Saturday morning. I LOVED having her here. A woman with 7 children is definitely and expert on how to soothe a crying newborn.

Since she's been born, she has grown so much! I'm not sure how much she weighs now, but I'm guessing almost 11 pounds. She is growing out of her little newborn clothes. It makes me a little sad. She's started cooing and smiling at us, acknowledging how much we love her. It's the best feeling in the world! She likes to stick her tongue out, and tries to stick her whole fist in her mouth, or her wrist, whatever is more convenient. Her favorite time of the day is bath time. If I wait too long in the day to give her a bath, she gets grumpy. But as soon as she gets in the water, she's all smile and giggles! Her favorite album to listen to is "Adore" by Smashing Pumpkins; it will soothe her cries almost every time. She also enjoys the beats of Bob Marley and the melodies of Harry Nilsson's "The Point!". She sleeps really well when we swaddle her, but lately has become quite the Houdini and in the middle of the night will have gotten at least one arm out of the swaddle! She absolutely loves loves loves her daddy. I knew this would be the case. He is so sweet with her. Sometimes he will just watch her first thing in the morning before she and I are awake, or he'll take pictures of her instead of doing his homework while I teach violin lessons. I couldn't ask for a better dad for our little girl.



She is growing up so much, and we love to see how she looks like me one minute and then Jake the next. I can't imagine my life without her!


This is Josie and I today.

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Baby Nursery

My project for the last couple of weeks has been getting the baby's room ready. Aside from the rocking chair we'll be getting soon, her room is finished! I feel a huge sense of accomplishment. I never thought I could make anything crafty from scratch and be pleased with it. I actually ventured into the world of Pinterest and took some ideas and made them my own. A lot of these are purely original though, and that makes me even happier with how the room looks!

I decided to go with yellow and lavender for the baby's room. I have nothing against pink, but lavender is so much more calming and beautiful to me. I also wanted to run full force with a bird/birdhouse theme, but let that one kind of be just partially a theme. Here are some pictures!




I took an old picture frame and tore it apart, then painted some wooden birds and hung them with ribbon.



I guess it's no secret what our baby girl's name is going to be... we were going to wait until she was born to decide for sure but we already call her by name. I got a cheap canvas, covered it in yellow fabric, drew a letter J and then covered it in purple buttons. I got a few painful burns on my fingers before I learned to put glue on the little buttons by holding them with tweezers.



When I bought the canvas for the "J" monogram project, it came with an extra one for free. So I decided to use more of those purple buttons and make this. The quote around the heart is from a children's book, "Love You Forever" that my parents used to read to me. I love that quote, and wanted to incorporate it in her room somehow.



This is how they look from across the room.




I wish I had a more straight on view of these little pom poms, but I made these out of tuelle (I have no idea how to spell that!). I folded a bunch of them accordion style and tied them together to make them puff out. They look a lot better in person! I wanted to hang something light above her bed, not a picture because if there was an earthquake it would fall on her. These add a lot of light to the room.



The cute little gnome picture is something I bought at a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago for Jake. He thought it would be perfect for the baby's room, and I agreed! The birdhouse is one I painted, and the "Cute as a button" frame was an idea from Pinterest. I guess I like buttons!



These are her cute crib sheets! I spent waaaaay too long on Amazon trying to find the perfect one.



This is an old Eeyore clock my parents bought me at Disneyland when I was a kid. The birdhouse is from our wedding, painted by my Aunt Rulaine. There are a few diapers in the cabinet. All of her clothes, diapers, bath needs, etc are in the hall closet.



I found this at Summerfest last weekend. I love pigs, had to get it!



Bookshelf with lots of fun books to read! A shelf dedicated to pigs (I didn't know where else to put them...) and more stuffed animals.



Jake's Aunt Regina made this for me, I absolutely love it! It has a little light that shines really bright. The angel was a Christmas gift from a student.






We are SO excited for our little girl to get here. Now I just have to find something else to do with my time for the next 4 1/2 weeks!

Friday, April 20, 2012

Embroidery project

The other night I couldn't sleep and I asked Jake to sing me a song. Sometimes that just does the trick. When we were dating/engaged, he wrote a lot of songs for me. Isn't that sweet? Anyway, he was busy registering for classes so he put on a playlist of all the songs he wrote for me. There is a line from one of his songs that I absolutely love. As I was falling asleep, I realized that I wanted that line up in our room somehow. So the next day I decided to embroider it!


I finished it last night; it only took me a couple of days. I love sewing projects, they are so relaxing but help me feel productive at the same time. I traced the letters on, wanting a pretty big picture. But I didn't realize how big it was... when we went to find a frame for it a couple of days ago there were no frames that fit! It needed to be at least 22 inches wide. So last night I went to the DI and found a cute vintage $5 frame, it fit perfectly.

I hope to put it above our bed in the new place!

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Last weekend :)

This past weekend was one of the best Jake and I have had in a while.

On Friday night Jake and I went to the Ellen Eccles Theater to Celtic Night; my all-time favorite fiddler, Alasadair Fraser, came to Logan! He is touring with Natalie Haas, a great cellist.



This man is incredibly talented. He runs a fiddle camp every summer in California called Valley of the Moon Scottish Fiddling School. My mom, sister and I attended the summers of 2001 and 2002. I didn't realize that it has been 10 years since then! It was one of the best experiences of my life. Fiddling is my first love, over classical music. Anyway, I worked with him a lot, along with some other fiddlers from Norway, Ireland, Canada and other places I can't remember now. It felt like a little piece of home to go see Alasdair. We bought tickets for front row, center! One of the things I love about Jake is that he is so supportive of things that I love. He has no experience with Celtic music, but he loved seeing me so happy. So he was happy.

On Saturday I had a recital for my violin students. It was nearly ruined. Allow me to explain. On Friday afternoon I went in to make sure everything was set up and was told that the front door would be left unlocked for me to get in the next day. Saturday, Jake and I show up about 35 minutes before the recital to find the front door AND back door locked. We tried calling the guy in charge of the building. We called and called and called. I texted. Meanwhile, about 5 minutes before the recital is supposed to start, all of my students and their parents (about 50 people) are standing outside wondering what the heck we're going to do. I was mortified. I looked completely unprofessional and was trying to stay calm, but it was coming down to the wire! Jake decided to try texting him, and the guy casually texted back (after a half hour of calls AND a text) and said the front door was open. Obviously NOT! Jake finally called him and he picked up, and during the call Jake found a random set of stairs in the back alley with an unlocked door. So we all walked in right at 6:00, when the recital was supposed to start. I had wanted everything set up perfect. I am still pretty upset about the situation, and the way the guy didn't seem to care. But what matters is that we got in!

My students did great. I was so proud of all of them! Not all my students were able to attend, but most did. Jake took pictures of each student, but I can't put them up. Just know that my students looked and sounded great. I was a very proud teacher!

After the recital Jake and I went over to the movie theater and bought some tickets to see "The Hunger Games" later that night. While we waited for the showtime we dropped by Jake's brother and his wife's house, Dan and Liz. They are basically our best friends, we love them. We can just hang out and talk about nothing any time. Finally it was time to see "The Hunger Games". We loved it! The only complaint I have is that the camera work was way too dizzy. It made me sick to watch.

On Sunday, Jake and I went to church. I love going to church every week, it always starts my week off right. Afterward, Jake and I drove around Logan to find places for rent. I think it's still a little too early to look. WE'll try looking some more next month, closer to school getting out. We found ourselves driving through Logan Canyon, past first and second dam. I was amazed at how beautiful Logan is. I've lived here for 6 years but sometimes I forget how amazing the canyon looks. We got out and walked around for a while. It was nice to enjoy some nice spring weather.


So that was our weekend! I'm getting spring fever already. Next week is my work's spring break, and I'm taking a week off of teaching. After that summer can't be too far away I'm hoping!