Why Doug Takes The Pictures In Our Family

I should be posting about our FABULOUS trip to Washington, D.C. two weeks ago, but I don't have the energy so I'm just going to post a few pictures that Doug took on our trip. I feel bad that he is always taking the pictures, but he does a much better job than I do. I'll try to get more posted later. Maybe this will leave you anticipating more.

Tagged

Rules Once Tagged:

1) Link to the person who tagged you.
2) Post the rules on your blog (copy and paste 1-6).
3) Write 6 random things about yourself (see below).
4) Tag 6 people at the end of your post.
5) Let them know they are tagged and leave a comment on their blog.
6) Let the tagger (who tagged you) know when your post is up.


Randomness about me:

1. I don't like to go clothes shopping for myself. I don't have a clue how to put outfits together other than jeans and a t-shirt. If I can see an example set out for me than I can purchase the items, but usually they don't look nearly as cute on me as the did on the hanger. However; I do LOVE to buy clothes for my girls. It's so fun to create outfits for them---a little TOO fun.

2. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to talk! I probably come across as snooty when you first meet me because I'm quite shy and HATE making the first move. Once I feel even the smallest connection with someone, I start yammering and can't shut up. My poor mother and husband have probably got the sorest ears on the planet. I guess that's why Doug is always tuning me out. :)

3. I love birthdays! It is the one day when you get to have the whole day to yourself. People are nice to you and they have you on their mind. I don't care about presents and that sort of thing, I just LOVE knowing that people are thinking about me. I also love to dote on family members that are celebrating their birthdays, especially now that I have kids. My favorite thing to do was take balloons and a bag of candy to school and leave it in the office for my brothers. I'm sure they didn't care, but it was what I always wanted done for me, so I did it for them. It was great! That way even more people knew it was their birthday and wished them well. I love it!

4. I don't have any self control when it comes to reading. Once I start a book I can't put it down until it's done. If it's a mystery, I'll most likely skip to the back and find out the ending before I get too far into it. I don't know why, but I just love knowing the ending so that as I read everything makes sense. I strictly read for the enjoyment of the moment, so I don't remember much of anything after I'm finished. I've read the Work and the Glory series about 5 times already and it's a real treat when I read them again. I can't wait until I get back to Idaho and can dig in to some of the books I left behind.

5. I am a total homebody. I love staying home and just hanging out. Occasionally I'll feel the need to get out and go somewhere, but usually I just sit at home in the comfort of my little life. I LOVE to have visitors over, but I'm pretty much content to just be with my little family.

6. I don't like to drive. I know, BIG shocker to those of you who know me. I've always preferred to be the passenger instead of the driver. I don't mind driving so much in a small community, but I HATE big city driving. I get all tense and scared. In fact, whenever I have to drive anywhere here, we have a small prayer before leaving. Just the other day Miriam said the prayer before we left, and then once we were in the car asked if we could say another one. Either she doesn't feel safe with me, or she knows I need the extra help. Either way, so far the prayers have worked in our favor.

People I'm tagging: Mom Ricks, Melina, Rebecca, Katy, Kendra, and Rachel H.

Let's Go Down Memory Lane

1. Add a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

I've seen this on many other blogs and decided that I wanted to see what you would write about me. So, cough up the memories folks! If you so desire, you can write something about Doug, too. By the way, if I wrote a memory for you, I'm expecting one in return. I do know where to find you all!

Little Wonders

I added a song to my playlist from the movie, "Meet the Robinsons". It is Miriam and Shaylynn's new obsession. This song has hit my heart like a....well, I don't know, but I LOVE it! Listen carefully to the words. I'm going to include the lyrics in this post so you can read what the words are, but I think the music is fantastic. It's sung by Rob Thomas and is called "Little Wonders".

When I listen to this song I can't help but think of how it's so easy to get caught in the misery of life and forget that we are being refined in the refiners fire. Satan would have us feel discouraged and frustrated, but if we have faith in Heavenly Father and persevere, we will come out on the other side stronger. The trick is to have faith that He will not abandon us even though Satan is whispering in our ears. It's important to remember negative thoughts come from Satan. A loving Heavenly Father would NOT say those things to us. He is there as our support and cheering squad. Pray often and hang on tight, things will work out, somehow.

let it go,
let it roll right off your shoulder
don’t you know
the hardest part is over
let it in,
let your clarity define you
in the end
we will only just remember how it feels

our lives are made
in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain

let it slide,
let your troubles fall behind you
let it shine
until you feel it all around you
and i don’t mind
if it’s me you need to turn to
we’ll get by,
it’s the heart that really matters in the end

our lives are made
in these small hours
these little wonders,
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away,
but these small hours,
these small hours still remain

all of my regret
will wash away some how
but i can not forget
the way i feel right now

in these small hours
these little wonders
these twists & turns of fate
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away but these small hours
these small hours, still remain,
still remain
these little wonders
these twists & turns of fate
time falls away
but these small hours
these little wonders still remain

We're Going Home!

We did it, today we purchased our airline tickets to move home! It's a happy/sad day for me. I'm so excited to get back to the west and be closer to our families, but I have made some wonderful friends that I'll miss tremendously. Why don't you all just pack up and move with us to wherever we go?

I won't tell you what day we're leaving because it's a surprise for our families. Let's just say, December is going to be a busy month, especially around Christmas time!

I'm an Aunt....Again!

My brother and sister-in-law had their baby on Sunday (8/10/08) afternoon. I couldn't quite catch her first name, but her middle and last name are Kate Anderson. She was 5 lbs. 12 oz. with a lengthy 21 inches.

Congratulations Seth and Sherry on your new miracle! I can't wait to see her. Love you!

Miriam's Talk

I've been meaning to get Miriam's talk in Primary posted for the past couple of weeks, but just haven't gotten it done. Well, here it is!

Missionary Work
Miriam Ricks, age 5
Pennypack Ward---July 13, 2008

I want to be a missionary when I grow up. I want to preach to people, tell them how to do right things, show them how to love Heavenly Father, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. I want to teach them how to repent so their hears can belong to Jesus. If they are bad then they can't live with Heavenly Father. (SIDE NOTE: Other than the first sentence, this whole paragraph was created by Miriam--she said the words and I wrote them down).

I have many family members that went on missions. If you look at this map, you will see that they have served in places like Russia, Norway, Brazil, Argentina, Texas, Chicago, California, Canada, and many other places. One of my uncles served in Philadelphia for a little while. My Uncle Hyrum is currently in Bulgaria serving his mission.


Being a missionary is hard work. You have to walk a lot and talk to lots of different people. Sometimes you even have to learn another language.

I know that Heavenly Father wants everyone to have the chance to learn the gospel. By being a missionary I can help Heavenly Father teach people about the gospel.

Even though I'm still young, I can be a missionary now. I can be an example to those around me by speaking kindly, playing nice doing acts of service, and sharing stories of Jesus. I hope someday I can go on a mission like my dad, uncles, aunt, great-grandma, and grandpas.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Mamma Mia

Last night some of us girlies from the ward headed out to PARTY! We piled into Natalie B.'s car and headed for $5 movie night at Franklin Mills. It was so much fun to get out of the house without the kiddies. I enjoyed watching the movie, but most of all I enjoyed just hanging out with other women and talking adult topics.

Happy Birthday Kelsey and Natalie B.! It was great having an excuse to get out and celebrate. Now to come up with a reason to go out in the month of August!

Sorry I don't have any pictures. We'll have to remember to do that next time.