Brighton Beehive Camp

This girl got accepted to be a counselor at Brighton Beehive Camp this summer. 

Mail was waiting for our return from spring break and she was so nervous to open it. The interview went well but a lot of girls applying were coming home from missions and were older so she wasn't sure if she would get the counselor job or get stuck in the kitchen.

They are going to be so blessed to have her. And she'll get to spend a week with Ashlyn and her goofy friends.

Speaking of Ash and her goofy friends . . . I came home one day to bruises all over her arm.

Her friend Allie decided to hit her as hard as she could . . . just for fun. I really think it looks worse than it really is. I bruise very easily and it looks like Ash has my bruising genes. Allie's mom, however, was not too happy when she discovered the culprit behind Ash's multi-colored arm.

These are the days of . . . 
*Getting our home ready to sell . . . just in case. I've been deep-cleaning rooms and taking photos. The latest opportunity looks like Indianapolis. 

Utah Valley University

I got to wear my Wolverine Pride for St. Patty's Day.

Several weeks ago Kiersten got invited to attend an awards banquet at Utah Valley University for her scholarship. She got to attend a dinner and received a very nice blanket. Earlier that day she and Tyler toured some housing prospects and found one where if you are accepted into the honors program, rent is half off.

She came home and got to work writing several required essays, submitting them the day they were due. An email came the next day, stating she had been accepted into the honors program. I guess the next step is to put down a deposit. She also had an interview to be a Brighton counselor this summer and we are in waiting mode to see if she got accepted.

I am so grateful for her and for her steadiness and good heart. What a blessing she is in our lives.

What's happening in my yard
Ahhh spring! I love it. I love watching everything wake up. My forsythia is all in bloom and makes me want to plant more. What a beautiful yellow.

I also took care of my raspberries, cutting out old canes and thinning them down. Technically this should be done after my June bearing ones are done producing and then sometime in the fall after my everbearers are done. But life kind of got in the way last fall and I didn't get around to it until now. I start by cutting everything down to about 2 or 3 feet high. That way I can see what I'm dealing with. Then I cut out all the old stalks which look more gray than the newer stalks and tend to break easier. Then I cut out any that are out of bounds. Raspberries like to sucker and will start coming up in places you don't want them. I cut those out and then I cut out the thin, spindly stalks, leaving the stronger ones behind. I will also cut out some of the stronger ones if they are too crowded. Crowding will give you less yield. Last year I got enough to make my own jam in addition to just eating them. Can't wait to see what this year does.

These are the days of . . . 
* I got asked to give a gardening presentation in my old ward. However, the day did not work for me and I had to say no. That would have been a really fun experience. Hopefully they call me another time.

*Field trips to the Clarke Planetarium. Third time for me so I opted out of the star show and instead caught up with an old friend.

Answer to a prayer

"It was meant that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. . . . if you have a good, miserable day once in awhile, or several in a row, to stand steady and face them. Things will straighten out. There is great purpose in our struggle in life." --Boyd K. Packer

This last week.

Yeah, this last week.

Let's just say I'm glad it's behind me.

It should have been a good week.

I could have made it a good week.

For cryin' out loud, it was birthday week (and that's just what I did on my birthday . . . cried to my mom for an hour).

Doors for the job search seemed to shut one after the other.

Our check to pay off a 401(k) loan was lost in Kentucky for a week and a half due to bad weather and never made it on time. Thankfully they have worked with us so we won't be charged an outrageous penalty.

My washer broke. Thankfully I was almost done with laundry and only had to take two loads to the laundromat. But my goodness gracious . . . $5 to wash two loads. Hoping the repair man shows up tomorrow. The dirty clothes are oozing out of their baskets.

I lost the keys in our ward building and could feel the stress mounting. During my nightly prayers I asked Heavenly Father to please help me know where they might be. IMMEDIATELY the thought came to check where we always hang our car keys. Did I straightaway go check? No, I was nervous and waited until morning . . . and there they were, just like He said.

I know I have the power to make my days into any kind day I want it to be.

These are the days of . . . 
*"Trainings." Alex and his friends at school are in training for something. I thought at first it might be American Ninja Warrior, an ultimate obstacle course on tv. But after talking with another mom, it might be more Nacho Libre kicks and punches. We've talked about not doing this to other kids.

*Getting pulled over. Erik drifted through a stop sign on his way to work and was immediately pulled over. Thankfully he had his license on him and the cop just gave him a warning. I hope it scared the crap out of him that he'll be a little more cautious. I've told him that he cannot afford to get a ticket at his age. Not only will he have to pay the ticket but the rise in his insurance also.


*Kiersten getting her chance at concert mistress. She got to walk on stage with her teacher, the conductor, warm the orchestra up, and sit in first chair. Her friend Brianna usually has this spot, but Brianna didn't know the music. Kiersten was euphoric the night of her concert about this little turn of events.

Grace

Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer.

-Romans 12:12

The past couple of days have been some downers. I am usually an upbeat woman full of faith and hope and optimism. But I let fear creep into my thoughts, bringing me pretty low. I went to the temple needing some assurance and some heavenly help and power from on high.

The word GRACE was whispered to me as I entered and I contemplated and referenced this word, waiting.

"My grace is sufficient for thee . . ." 2 Corinthians 12:9. This was a tender answer to my pleading for assurance from my loving Father in Heaven. His blessings and love are enough for me to get through these most difficult times. God's grace is sufficient for everything I lack and everything lacking in me.

"[I]t is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." 2 Nephi 25:23. I had been wondering why it seemed nothing was working in our favor and yet I felt I was doing everything I could within my power. I came to the temple asking about this and was pointed to this scripture. The Lord knows I am doing all I can and through his love and mercy and power He will make things right. One day this trial will end, saving us in a sense.

When the trials of life drive you to your knees causing you to realize how utterly dependent on the Lord you have to be, the only place to look is up. And God ever so patiently waits for us.

I came home, not feeling really any better, still wondering how to stretch our dollars. I was in a funk, needing to snap out of it, and decided a nap could help. Sometime during that nap, a delivery man, disguised as our bishop, handed Ty an envelope from a unknown benefactor. This is the second such envelope within a month containing a "sufficient" amount of funds.

Tyler and I are still so unsure how to handle this, wanting to pay it forward in some way. And so it sits, in a nightstand, waiting for the right time and the right use to manifest itself to us. The goodness of the people in our little community and ward has been incomprehensible as they continue to shower us with God's grace in rich abundance.

I once saw a quote that said something like this: "The gospel made us sisters; visiting teaching made us friends." I have found a new friend in one of the ladies I visit teach. She became aware of my "no good, terrible, very bad day" and gave me something to cheer me up.

I had told her that ice cream makes everything better. And she believed me. This was no easy task for her, having taken a chemo pill two days earlier that left her feeling very sick. What a gracious gesture. A gesture full of God's grace.

On a day when everything seemed to be wrong, God showed me through simple, small ways that he is still in the details of my life, very aware and concerned. God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs.

These are the days of . . . 
* Ash's math competition. Two mornings a week since October she's been attending early morning math in preparation for this competition between the elementary schools in the district. Her team took 2nd place, only two-tenths behind first. So far all the my kids have participated in early morning math and loved it. Some of those questions had me scratching my head.

*Grammar Nazi.  Every day should be two words unless you are using it as an adjective as in "My everyday clothes are sweats and a t-shirt." This is one of the most common misspelled words I see in print, on billboards, and even on an English teacher's bulletin board.