Gratitude

Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.

It turns what we have into enough, and more.

It turns denial into acceptance,

chaos to order,

confusion to clarity.

It can turn a meal into a feast,

a house into a home,

a stranger into a friend.

Gratitude makes sense of our past,

brings peace for today,

and creates a vision for tomorrow.

- Melody Beattie

I stole this poem from my friend Melissa. I've been thinking a lot about gratitude lately. Maybe because I've been feeling so much gratitude for my amazing life. I really think it is a commandment we pay way too little attention to, even though I think it is probably one of the most important commandments we can keep. If I tried to share even a fraction of what I'm grateful for I'd been typing for days so I just want to share one of the things I've been sending prayers of gratitude to Heavenly Father for lately. FALL! What an incredibly beautiful season. The weather is sweet and the mountains couldn't be more beautiful. The sky is so blue and beautiful. I drive around town and can't help but praise God for the FALL beauty. Thank Heaven for FALL.

Been Gone

I've not been posting much lately because I've been visiting my friends, Father Tim, Cynthia, Dooley, Sadie Baxter, Hal and Marge Owens, and many more in their beautiful mountain village in Mitford, North Carolina. I've enjoyed my visit with them immensely even though this is my second visit to their little village. The food is wonderful and the company can't be beat. I appreciate them letting me share their joys and sorrows. They have taught me much and lifted my spirit. We've shared a few tears together and a great many laughs. I should be back in a couple of days after I visit Father Tim's home town in Holly Springs, Mississippi. Then its time to get serious about my Spanish studies and begin a more regular indexing regime. I know Father Tim and his friends would welcome you to Mitford if you should ever like to visit. If you go to the library it's free.

Happy Birthday to Me

It's my 42nd birthday. Wow! I feel younger now than I ever have. I love birthdays! Thanks everyone for your kind birthday wishes. I love having all of you in my life.

First Day of School

Janna-6th grade

Jeffrey-8th grade

Cammie-10th grade

Amberly-12th A SENIOR

I totally stole this picture from my friend Heather's blog. Her cutie patutie son Kaden is in our first grade class this year and she caught this shot as I let the kids into the room on the first day of school. I have pictures of the kids on the first day, but none of me so I was excited she got this. I'm loving first grade.

Our New Trailer

Last night we picked up our new trailer. I should say new to us. We found this 2002 Tahoe Lite built by Thor. It's a hybrid which means it's a contained trailer with all the features you find in a regular trailer, but the beds fold out so the sleeping space isn't taking up your living area. The kids slept in it last night. It's too bad our camping season is over. It does have a heater and maybe we'll try to go for fall break if we can get an equalizer hitch and trailer brakes by then. I hope I can adjust to camping is such luxury. I'm sure I'll be o.k.

Summer Finale

Well I've been trying not to think about it too much, but I finally have had to accept the fact that summer is winding down. Today I've done a deep clean of the kitchen to get ready for school to start. The kids do pretty well with maintenance cleaning every week, but a couple of times a year I feel the need to scrub it MOMMY CLEAN. I really don't enjoy it, but after putting my earphones in and blasting the ABBA, I get into the groove and go. It really is satisfying to have a clean kitchen. Wonder how long it will last?

Washington Lake Campout #4

We had a great group camping trip to Washington Lake this past few days. There were 9 families that came this year. The Hursts, Crimans, Daniels, Wrights, Jones', Farrers, Stewarts, Allreds and Williams. We went to Provo river and enjoyed the falls as always. The only scary part was when the Criman's dog Sally went down the falls. I thought for sure we were going to be carrying out a dead dog, but she was fine. We ate great food and had fun playing games, visiting, hiking, fishing and enjoying God's beauty. Now it's time to take a big breath and get ready for school to start in a couple of weeks. Where did the summer go anyway?