Summer 2014

This summer will go in my books as thee crazy busiest summer YET! I know there are more to come. It's the nature of the game when you have several teenagers living under your roof.

So . . . . . . I've got to attempt some sort of documentation. I've found my kids over the past month pulling out the blog book I made last year and reliving their lives. They love to read about our family life together.

School is back in session. Tyler and I celebrated with lunch at Zupas, one of our favorites. I love having a house that stays clean, particularly my kitchen.

BIRTHDAYS
Both Alex and Nate had birthdays. Alex is now four and loving every minute of it. He says funny things like "Can I have sprinklers on my ice cream?" "Oooch" for which, "bebout" for without and "waterfaddle" for waterfall. His magic word is 1-2 and he's made up a song called "It's Awful for the Children." I have to wonder what in his short four years made him come up with that!

Today at dinner the conversation was about rolls: "I don't even have a roll!" And I said, "Alex, what do we do?" and his response was "Have one."

He is loved by all his siblings and even the kids in the neighborhood. Many of them at church make a point to seek him out and say hi.

He gave his first Primary talk and he's learned to ride his bike with training wheels. That little bit of mobility has taken him around the block often without my say so.

His favorite job around the house is to put the silverware away after being washed and he's pretty good about setting the table. He's started "having piano lessons" which consists of Ash sitting down with him and showing him how to play some songs out of our easy book. Ian is his best friend and he's constantly running over to see if he can play. It's been hard now that Ian has started school.

Nate turned the big 12 this year and is so excited to finally be able to join all his friends at young men activities. He had a birthday party of laser tag, homemade pizza and ice cream, and just hanging out. He's entered the big time now that he's started junior high.

He was able to participate in baptisms for the dead shortly after his birthday. 

About a week before his birthday we were with Grandpa Sharm and he asked Nate what he would like for his birthday. Nate told him he was most excited to receive the priesthood, especially on his actual birthday. He has definitely been looking forward to this day for a long time.

Nate is my child who is kind, thoughtful, dedicated. He knows what is right and wants desperately to be obedient to the commandments. He's been running with Kiersten and the Stansbury Cross Country team this summer. That means getting up early to train EVERY morning. I don't know many kids who would dedicate their summer to doing this. And because of it, it's paid off. He's gotten faster. He even elected to run the last half of my race in Bryce Canyon with me.


And that, my folks, is just a minuscule portion of our summer.

Paul Bay Ellis

Today was a long emotional day as Tyler and me and Alex attended another funeral.

Another great man has been called home. And again he left much too early at the age of 51.

We got the news last Friday morning that Tyler's Uncle Paul had passed away.

His wife Amy had come home from work to attend a funeral and found him unresponsive. The paramedics were unable to revive him.

Tyler got his first finance-related job with Washington Mutual Bank because of Paul, who worked in some capacity for them. Many of the employees would in fact confuse Tyler for Paul. Apparently they look somewhat alike :)

(Photo taken by Camilla Gomez Bottelberghe)

As I've been thinking about the loss of two great men, my Uncle Russell and now Tyler's Uncle Paul, I've been deeply saddened for their families and for the experiences and life they miss out on. I feel for their grandchildren who will never know their grandpa and for wives who will grow old alone.

Life is precious. Life is fragile. Life is not to be wasted.

The true tragedy is a life taken too early who was not yet ready to go. Both of these men had their lives in order. They had their priorities straight. I hope they both left with no regrets.

Yes, I truly believe in life after death. I know that families are eternal and one day we will have that chance to become reacquainted. Death is not the end and what a glorious thing that is. What a magnificent gift Jesus Christ gave to everyone one. As my dad said in the talk he gave at Russell's funeral, those who pass on are simply on the other side of the wall. They're not that far from us.

I've also been contemplating the characteristics of these two men, and thinking about what I'd want others to remember me for, and there seems to be a common theme between the two of them: service. Both devoted their lives to the service of others.

Russell was generous to the core. He gave so much of his time and money that his own wife, my aunt, didn't know about a lot of it. And Paul was the auto mechanic, roofer, plummer, electrician, all-around handyman for his friends and neighbors who are going to sorely miss him. He was generous with his boat and came every summer to East Canyon to take anyone who wanted out on the lake.

Isn't that what the gospel is all about?

Isn't is about serving and helping elevate others and bringing joy and happiness to those in our circle of influence.

I believe these two men were some of the happiest because they knew what love was and what is was to love as Christ would love, through a life devoted to others.

Looking outward instead of inward . . . that's where the meaning of life lies.

Courageous Nate

Earlier this week a cute 11-year-old girl called Kiersten about accompanying her while she sang in sacrament meeting. When Kiersten found out the song was "If the Savior Stood Beside Me," she immediately volunteered Nate because "that's his song."

And it is.

He loves it and practices it all the time and even has it memorized.

Today they performed. First, Nicole messed up by reading the wrong words. Nate hesitated and kept playing and she caught up. Then Nate messed up and quit playing in the middle. She kept singing and he figured out where they were and started in again. Some even thought that was how it was supposed to be.

Oh, he was embarrassed by his mistakes and embarrassed at what his friends thought of his performance. They were even the topic of our ward council thought today.

Courage is more than doing some great feat; Courage is not giving up and finishing the task. It's to keep going when you don't feel like giving anymore.

Those two young kids today were as courageous and brave as they come. It's not every sacrament meeting where you get to hear a 12-year-old accompany an 11-year-old in a musical performance. Kids having a way of bringing the spirit into a meeting that adults can't do. Even thought there were mistakes, you know everyone was cheering them on.

I hope we get to hear more from them.

I'm alive

I just completed my first mutual activity last night and I think it was a pretty fun evening.

Wait.

I didn't tell you.

My life has been spinning out of control the past couple of weeks, but I'm slowly making my way to the eye of the storm where it's calm and controlled.

Remember this post singing-by-seat-of-my-pants? Well, I was right. Changes came.

But you know, I actually knew this was coming since January. Sometimes you get those thoughts and feelings as a way for the Lord to prepare you.

However, I was still caught off guard sitting in the bishop's office.

You see I thought I was going to be Relief Society president. But then I got called to go to girls camp and knew they wouldn't redo the presidency until after girls camp.

At girls camp the bishop asked me a question that made me think, "Okay, maybe Young Women president." So I started gearing up for that.

Either way, I knew something BIG was headed my way.

When I was called to meet with the bishop, they still hadn't reorganized the Relief Society and I knew it had to happen before the Young Women's organization was redone.

So as I sat waiting I was back to thinking it was Relief Society president.

This is where I was caught off guard, when I was asked to serve as the Young Women President in our ward. My brain had to switch gears pretty quickly.

Anyway, it's been a crazy ride the past couple of weeks as I try to sort through all the logistics of how this organization is run.

I have not been in Young Women's since I was a girl. That's over 20 years ago! And it is all so different now.

I'm going to love it. I already love those girls and am so glad I had that chance to go to camp before getting called to this position.

Stayed tuned. Life just got a whole lot busier.

Girls Camp, part 4

Fourth and final installment of girls camp.

Thursday: The theme this day was Whoooo's Waiting for Your Super Power. The weather was anything but predictable that week. We finally had some warm weather, which was good since this was our hike day. Our ward was scheduled to hike first and games second. As we our hiking up the mountain, I was being a SUPER leader and out ahead of all the girls. You know. Showing them how it's done. Well, we finally stop for a break and the other leader asked if all our girls were accounted for. Nope. We're missing some. So I head back down the mountain to find them and discover one of our girls never even made it to the parking lot because of some breathing issues and returned back to camp. So we had three girls who were wardless (because they had awesome leaders who were always aware of where they were at all times . . . NOT!) I joined them and we ended up doing a different hike . . . to a waterfall which was super cool.

Later that day, after the bishop had arrived, the girls decided it was time to commence their obligatory water fight and attempted to drag me into it. I calmly held out and pointed to my camera. Snowball fight one day and water fight another. Definitely a girls camp to remember. Can I also say we have a cool bishop. He calmly lets those girls take over.

And we have a cool stake president who happens to live in our ward. Those stake leaders pretty much get what they want. Gotta love the "Super Suit."

That night was the highlight of camp. As a stake we gathered at the amphitheater to watch the bishops' pie eating contest (which turned into a pie flying fiasco which our stake leaders did not anticipate)

and watch a video that the stake leaders had actually made for the junior leaders' FHE. Monday night they were unable to get it to work but by Thursday night had all the bugs worked out. I know we were all meant to see this video.

I don't have a copy of the video but here are some of the short videos that were shown. I had such a powerful witness that this is what I wanted for my family. I want us to be more service-oriented and look at how we can better serve those around us and make a difference in our little piece of the world.

Angels in Disguise
Unsung Hero
Basketball Player
Dayton's Legs

Each person was given a balloon and after the video and while we were singing several songs together, each of us were to release our balloons when we knew who was waiting for us and our super powers. I can't even describe the feelings I had when the spirit dictated to me who was waiting for me to enable my divine gifts that Heavenly Father has bestowed on me to help in furthering his work in the kingdom.

Afterwards we returned to our own camps and held testimony meeting on a ward level. I stood and told those girls that I didn't think it was possible to come to love them like I had in those three days. Earlier the bishop had asked me if I had ever worked with the youth before. I had to tell him no. I have served in Primary my entire adult life (except for a brief stint in Relief Society as an instructor). This was my first experience with the youth and I loved it! I also told them that one of my super powers is the gift of faith. In the scriptures it tells us that some are given the gift of faith and others are given the gift to believe on their words and that if they needed to they could lean on my faith and know that I knew this gospel was the same gospel that Jesus Christ himself taught.

It was truly a week of discovering, sharing, and coming to know what the Lord has in store for little ol' me.

(This was just some of our girls. Several had gone home the night before.)

I came home and put together this little slide show that I hope the girls get to see some time.

Girls Camp 2014

Russell Glenn Seamons

A great man was taken home today.

Much too early, at the age of 64.

My uncle Russ (sitting next to my grandma above) was my dad's older brother by 2 years. Russ and the twins were quite a trio for a number of years.

He was fit and healthy and unfortunately was cursed with my grandpa's bad heart genes who died at age 55 from a heart attack.

Eight months earlier (almost to the day) my Uncle Russell suffered a major heart attack and lived to have a 6 coronary artery bypass operation.

I think we all thought he had defied the odds. In fact he was just given a good bill of health several months ago. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh, and in this instance he took a very good man. One of the best. For several years he watched over my grandma as her health failed her (1928-2012). And for many years before that he routinely took tremendous care of my great-grandma Zetta Knowles (1905-2005). His was a life devoted to service.

I'm afraid I just might have inherited my family's bad heart genes. Awhile ago I was asked to participate in a cleft palate study. One of the things they did was take my blood and in return they sent me the results. Everything looked good except my cholesterol.

I have high cholesterol.

Nobody likes to hear that, especially someone disposed to heart failure. I'm really sad to see two of my besties get the boot, but ice cream and butter, you're just no good to me anymore. My sister in law told me if I keep running and eating healthy I'd be fine.

I'm afraid that ain't so. Family genetics trumps everything.

Symbolism and the sacrament

Nate was ordained to the Aaronic priesthood last week on his birthday! How cool is that. This week was his first week having the opportunity to pass the sacrament.

[Can I just say how nice it is that we have so many deacons right now. When we first moved in to this ward three and half years ago Erik was the only deacon for awhile. Slowly we've added to a few boys his age group.]

I watched as Nate brought the bread tray back to the sacrament table. His right hand was holding the tray and with his left hand he reached in to get a piece of bread. Only then did he see the 16-year-old priest holding out his hand for the tray and didn't realize that he needed to hand the priest his tray and let the priest offer the tray back to Nate for him to take his piece of bread.

I'm sure Nate was embarrassed by this but no one in the audience even noticed and next week he'll know what to do.

But it made me think about the entire process.

Those two priests who pray over the bread and water at the table (or altar) are standing as a representation of Jesus Christ. As one of the priests hands the bread and water trays to the deacons, he is asking that the atonement be taken to the congregation. The deacons then stand as representatives of Christ by offering the atonement to us, the congregation. We can then either accept that offering and gift and partake or we can reject that offering and pass the tray by us.

The offering of the bread and water is not limited to members only. It is freely given to everyone in attendance . . . just like Jesus Christ's sacrifice was made for each and every person. His is a gift freely given to everyone.

When Nate did not give up the tray to the priest he was in essence taking something that had not been offered to him. It was not his to take.

Ultimately the choice is ours. We are not coerced or prodded. The Savior stands as those deacons stand waiting to see whether we will accept his gift or not.