Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Last night a storm blew into Albuquerque. My kids were so excited when they woke up this morning to snow on the ground. Of course, this is Albuquerque and so it was only 1/2 an inch of snow. (Albuquerque experienced a Blizzard (or two) of the Century last winter - while we were stuck in Houston. We were sad to miss it.)

School was put on a 2-hour delay due to the road conditions and then it was cancelled outright. Peter and Laura spent an hour in the snow in our backyard. Poor Emily was in bed with a cold, so she missed out on the fun.

Grateful Sunday

I'm going to steal an idea from someone else's blog. Sunday will now be my day to post a list of things for which I am grateful.

I had some trivial things to list, but I just found out that President Gordon B. Hinckley, the prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, passed away this evening.   

And so I must express my gratitude for this man. I have been in several meetings where President Hinckley spoke, at BYU, at the dedications of the St. Louis and Albuquerque temples, at a regional conference, and at a stake conference. Shad actually worked security for both the regional and stake conference. At BYU I worked as an usher at the Marriott Center and was able to observe Pres. Hinckley up close and personal on several occasions. 

• I will always remember how tenderly he treated his wife. I hope to have that kind of loving relationship with my husband in my 80's!  I am grateful to know that families are forever and to know that right now Pres. Hinckley is with his beloved wife again. I bet he is so happy!
  
• I am grateful for the temples that now dot the Earth (including one right here in Albuquerque) because of Pres. Hinckley's inspired vision. 
• I am grateful for his optimism and his counsel to "enjoy the journey." 
• I am so thankful for modern prophets and I know that our new prophet will be called of God. I am thankful that God loves the people on Earth today as much as he loved the Israelites and that He speaks to us through a living prophet.
• I am grateful that I will be able to pray and receive my own confirmation from the Holy Ghost that Pres. Monson is Heavenly Father's choice to lead and guide His Church upon the Earth.

-Windy

The Best of Intentions

I truly hope that our intentions do count for something, as my results don't always turn out so well. Here are two examples:

First off, I made 2 bundt cakes for a baby shower I'm going to tomorrow. One of them sunk in the middle - now there's a moat running through the cake. I'm sure it will taste wonderful, but I had hoped it would look great too.

Secondly, a neighbor called me to ask for help. His wife had just taken their 2 month-old baby to the hospital with RSV. He was working on a film crew shooting a movie downtown and couldn't get away to pick up his 2 year-old son Rowen from daycare. So he asked me to get his son and let their dogs out. He told me the patio door was open and that's how I could get in to let the dogs out and to get diapers and stuff for his son. I had the 2 bundt cakes baking so I told him it would be an hour or so before I could pick up Rowen. No problem. While the cakes baked I ran next door and let the dogs out. I figured I'd leave the dogs outside for a while as they had been in their kennel all day. I went out through the front door and went to pick up Rowen. When I got home with Rowen, I ran next door to let the dogs back into the house. Unfortunately I had locked the patio door after I left the dogs in the backyard and ran into the house to get Rowen's stuff. So I was locked out, the dogs were locked out, and it was cold, cold, cold! I had to call my neighbor to see if he had a spare key hidden anywhere. He didn't - so I went down to where he was working to get his garage door opener. I meant well, but I have the feeling that my help might have caused more stress than it relieved.

Who Knew?

Apparently my husband was ahead of the times. He set up our blog 2 years ago! After having spent too many hours looking at other people's blogs, I told Shad I wanted to have my own blog. He informed me that we already had one - who knew?! I'm hoping this blog will inspire me to take more pictures of my family (or to make Shad take more - he's the photographer in the family) and to find more "tender mercies" in my life.

I found a quote from Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley that I'm going to take as my motto this year:

Life is to be enjoyed, not just endured.

I'm really good at enduring. I want to learn how to enjoy!

And speaking of enjoyment, here's my trio enjoying a moment of hilarity!

Big Mistakes

Windy and I were shaken today at the news of some good friends who had a child step off the good path recently. That's not to say that this child was not good, just that they made some big mistakes. We talked about if it was due to some thing that their parnets did or didn't do. Was it just rebellion or was it just free will exercising itself? Who knows, but it sure does make one worry if they are doing everything that they can to ensure that children have all that they will need to resist mistakes in the future. We love our children dearly and yearn for them to enjoy the blessings of righteousness.

Have you ever felt like . . . ???

Windy and I have wrestled with so much lately. We have been at out wits end with the kids who really know how to push our buttons. Also, new budget guidelines as well as dealing with difficult, indecisive and ambiguous people have made church callings a mess. Lastly, I find myself waffling back and forth about what position I should apply for at work, or if I should just stay the course.
So much confusion, so many questions, I feel like George's father on Seinfeld. Like I sould begin screaming, "Serenity Now!!!"
The good news is that I was finally able to put both cars in the garage finally. :)