Looking through Windows

"Tonight I’d like to share with you a few thoughts concerning how we view each other. Are we looking through a window which needs cleaning? Are we making judgments when we don’t have all the facts? What do we see when we look at others? What judgments do we make about them?Said the Savior, “Judge not.”1 He continued, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”2 Or, to paraphrase, why beholdest thou what you think is dirty laundry at your neighbor’s house but considerest not the soiled window in your own house? None of us is perfect. I know of no one who would profess to be so. And yet for some reason, despite our own imperfections, we have a tendency to point out those of others. We make judgments concerning their actions or inactions.There is really no way we can know the heart, the intentions, or the circumstances of someone who might say or do something we find reason to criticize. Thus the commandment: “Judge not.”

The Bend in the Road

Welcome back! Ok, you probably never went anywhere, but I've been shamefully neglectful. I started half a dozen posts over these past five or six months, but then left them half-finished. But today I have some free time I will use productively (along with the keeping of my resolutions!-going strong still : )



A favorite poem of mine explains some of this time for me:

The Bend in the Road

When we feel we have nothing left to give

And we are sure that the song has ended,

When our day seems over and the shadows fall

And the darkness of night has descended,

Where can we go to find the strength

To valiantly keep on trying?

Where can we find the hand that will dry

The tears that the heart is crying?

There's but one place to go and that is to God,

And dropping all pretence and pride,

We can pour out our problems without restraint

And gain strength with Him at our side.

And together we stand at life's cross roads

And view what we think is the end,

But God has a much bigger vision,

And He tells us it's only a bend.

For the road goes on and is smoother,

And the pause in the song is a rest,

And the part that's unsung and unfinished

Is the sweetest and richest and best.

So rest and relax and grow stronger

Let go and let God share your load.

Your work is not finished or ended

You've just come to a bend in the road.

Helen Steiner Rice

I kept telling myself that I would wait until I knew exactly what I was actually doing, but isn't that a conundrum in itself? You can't always wait to figure out the future--you have to step forward and embrace it. I mentioned last August that I had turned a 180 from the direction I had so carefully planned out for myself, which included BYU, marrying Brother Charming before graduating, and settling down to start a family. Sounded like a good plan right? But the Master Planner had a better one. So I came back to Indiana with my family. I've worked as a waitress and a substitute teacher (both of which will get an exciting post), gained a beautiful neice ( Lily should have her own blog, but I will definitely give her a post), and after much preparation and an abundance of tender mercies, drumroll please......................

SUBMITTED MY MISSION PAPERS!!!!!!!



As much as I love missionary work and have been involved with it my entire life, I was surprised last summer when I felt the prompting to prepare. Yet with a bit more reflection, I can look back and see the host of experiences that have prepared me specifically for this service. So the game plan: catch you up a little on my work of the past few months, post on Lily, and then transition both of us to mission mode, in which I will be posting letters here on this very blog. So hang in here with me! And a beautiful song that Hilary Weeks just released--just for you.

Welcome Home and Catch-up

Welcome home to my boys!! That's how I think about you all even though I realize you are mostly grown up men now. But in my head, you are still my boys. To clarify- I mean my freshmen year boys, the Carroll Hall boys, the men of the 55th ward. 78 guys who have gone to all corners of the globe serving missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. From right here in Utah to California, England, Mexico, Brazil, Guatemala, all the way to Russia, Korea and New Zealand- and everywhere in between. I can't wait to catch-up with all of you!

Us girls haven't been idly waiting around while you were gone however. Rather- eagerly preparing : ) We've traveled too- from Hawaii and Jerusalem, to Spain, Germany, Italy, India, Ghana, and China. 29 of the girls are married with 4 more engaged. We have 2, almost 3, children born while you were away. 6 girls are away serving missions, with 2 more having received their calls recently. But more than that- we've been studying hard and working hard. Sometimes working full time and taking a full load just trying to make everything work. Even changing our majors and careers completely. We've moved apartments, probably several times for some of us. We've gone to new wards and made new friends, but stayed in touch with old friends too. We've been on blind dates and horrible dates, first dates, and the last first dates too. We've fallen in love and some of us have had our hearts broken. But we've picked ourselves up and moved on . We've thrown bridal showers, even baby showers, and we've cried and laughed together. We've been to weddings and mission farewells and homecomings. We've been in hospitals and doctor's offices, sick and tired, sometimes alone, other times surrounded. We have gotten phone calls that made us cry- sometimes because everything was crashing down and other times because life was wonderful. We've gotten in fights and been to funerals. We've lost people we love and gained strength and hope in the journey. We've become stronger, deeper, more faithful, better communicators, and experienced students. We've discovered a lot of things about life, about growing up and responsibility, about family, about enjoying the little things, and about ourselves. And through it all- we're still your girls!

Depending on your mission, you might have missed some things that happened over the past two years. Just a sampling. . .
Death of Michael Jackson
Death of Polish President, his wife, most of the cabinet and members of parliament in plane crash
H1N1 flu virus
Ms. Sotomayor -first Latin on Supreme Court
Wiki Leaks
Haiti Earthquake, Chile earthquake
Oil Spill in Gulf of Mexico
New Healthcare reform
Justin Bieber
The Republican Congress in 2010
Winter Olympics in Vancouver
World Cup in South Africa- Spain wins
Shooting at Fort Hood- 13 dead
Osama bin Laden killed

Some good movies you missed:
Animated- Toy Story 3, The Princess and the Frog, Despicable Me, Megamind, Tangled, **How To Train Your Dragon, Cars 2

Chick Flicks- Time Traveler's Wife, Letters To Juliet, Water for Elephants (And others, but I'll spare you)

Action Movies- Prince of Persia, Iron Man 2, Red, Unstoppable, Sherlock Holmes, Inception

Other Good Ones-Invictus, The Karate Kid, The King's Speech, Tron Legacy, Pirates of the Caribbean 4, The Blind Side

Welcome Home and I hope to see you all soon!

Em's Wedding Day!!

Waking up at 5am, I think both Em and I were instantly alert and excited, despite only five or six hours of sleep. I got completely ready while Em did her makeup so we could leave to get her hair done. About 6:15 we went to get her hair done. Curls everywhere, tons of hairspray, special bobby pins to keep the hair securely in place. As much as I liked the veil she wore, it was a shame that it covered up her beautiful hair. H picked up Em from the hairdressers and I went with Em's mom with the dress and everything in the van over to the Mesa temple. They had to be there by eight for the sealing at nine, so I waited in the lobby until the rest of the family showed up. Then along with Emilee's younger siblings, watched three babies during the ceremony. Early in the morning and it was already baking!
9:30ish Em and H came out of the temple, glowing brighter than the Arizona sun. They were married!!!...everything else afterward is just icing on the cake. As quickly as possible we took pictures in front of the temple with all the family before people started melting. Everyone left, well almost. I stayed with H while mom went and helped Em change out of her wedding dress. While we waited, I thanked H for making Em so happy. Honestly, I've never seen her like this. And I'm just getting to know Em's husband so we got to talk some more. I realized that she makes him just as happy, so there you go! After they came out, mom and I ran home before the luncheon to get the first load of things over to the stake center for the reception. Meanwhile, Dad grabbed the sheet cakes and other last minute things from the store.
12- H's mom hosted the luncheon for the families and close friends with sandwiches, pasta salad, and cookies. Favorite part- H's mom coordinated the colors with Em's reception so it was orange and yellow. So therefore in the middle of the tables she had scattered Reese's Pieces!!! It was fun to relax and talk for a couple hours with friends, family, and of course, Em and H. Funny moment- a friend of H's family came over to the table I was sitting at with other friends and Em's brother (who was keeping us all laughing) to get to know everyone. She assured us that after years of knowing H, she knew that he was a wonderful man. Without skipping a beat I replied that I knew that because all three of H's background checks came back clean. Sometimes I can be witty : )
2ish - running back home to gather the second load of everything that needed to be brought to the reception site. Changing back into my coordinating outfit I also helped the siblings get ready before heading back to set up.
4:30 Back to the church with carloads of vases, coolers, the wedding dress, the tv for the video, and many many other things. The florist was already there setting up the vases, the lights were already hung with the paper lanterns.
5- Em and H got there and I helped Em back into her dress. Back into her dress, making all the adjustments, putting up the bustle, redo the makeup, pin up the escaped curls. It was fun having a moment with just me and Emilee talking and sharing these moments together. Thank you Emilee.
5:30- The family went to go take more pictures while I instructed the kitchen help on making the Caesar salad, making the chicken salad sandwiches, the lemonade, the pasta salad, and the cake. Then running around adjusting. In all honesty, I can't remember everything because I was running around meticulously trying to make everything perfect for Em.
6:30 Reception started!! It was absolutely beautiful. Twinkling lights, white, orange, and yellow paper lanterns, cute photos, beautiful flowers, a jazz pianist playing his little heart out, and love spilling out into the evening. I promise- I stopped to eat two plates of food and a piece of cake at some point during the night, but I also kept running to check on the kitchen, refilling water for Em and H since they were standing in line for hours. I did have a small trip up once refilling water--I went behind the buffet table and someone had spilled some pasta salad. Down I went with ice cubes flying. But not to worry, I was back up in an instant. By the end of the reception my feet were on fire and my limbs felt like they'd been filled with cement. But after the dancing (with a few tears from everyone) Em changed and I gave them a basket of food I'd packed for them. And off they went. Immediately we started taking down tables, collecting the decorations, cleaning the kitchen, etc.
10:30 We had packed the cars full of everything we could and went home to unload. They was still more to get, but Mom told me I was released. Whew! What a day! Then the girls wanted a girls night- I think because they missed Em already. So we grabbed our blankets and popped in Night At the Museum. I was so tired but I think I caught most of the show. Finally off to bed around midnight. But the important thing-- Emilee is married for time and all eternity to the love of her life!

Plus... my 100th post coming up next!!