I have this as my desktop picture at work. I absolutely love to see this precious bundle of joy several times a day. This is my cute niece Mckenna. I can't help but smile and be happy when I see her sweet face. I can't wait to hold her a week from today, October 12!!!!
Trav and I want to make sure that we explore California while we are here. We don't know how long we will stay, it could be a very long time, it could be short, but we want to make sure we go see the places that are now such a short drive away.
This weekend we took a trip to the Santa Monica Pier. We enjoyed the carnival rides on the pier. They are not as crazy and adrenalin rushing as Magic Mountain, but it was a wonderful date. I especially love the Ferris Wheel. The lights had so many varieties and it was kind of like watching an awesome firework show in a sense. For dinner, we ate at a place downtown Santa Monica called Yankee Doodles.
The next day we headed back down tot he pier, but decided to hit up the beach. Travis didn't want to miss out on Clam Chowder so we found a place on the pier and he had clam chowder while I had a burger. lol....I'm not a seafood fan.
--As a side note, Trav LOVES Red Lobster. I don't prefer to go there because there is basically nothing that I want to eat, well I just heard a commercial on TV that stated that Red Lobster will be offering a wider variety of foods. BEST NEWS EVER! lol :)--
After lunch we headed down to the beach. We laid out on our towels for while just feeling the perfect temperature breeze and watching the waves crash in. Of course we wanted to go for a swim. As we slowly creeped into the water it was super cold, but our bodies adjusted just fine after a a few splashes. Because I have hard contacts I have to be VERY careful that I don't get the salt water in my eyes or I am down for the day. So I stayed closer to shore where the waves would crash up high, but not completely cover me. Trav on the other hand, headed out to the deeper waters and eventually came to join me after being completely crashed on my a huge wave. He experienced being sucked under to the point he was worried about coming back up. So he thought where I was located looked perfect for him too. Which I was glad because we had a great time laughing together and loving the waves. I love the ocean! It is beautiful!! I could listen to the sound of waves crashing and seagulls all day....so soothing.
I really cherish the moments that me and Travis spend together. President Uchtdorf said it well today in Conference...."We cannot take for granted one single day. I pray that we will not wait until we are ready to die before we truly learn to live." I think that with not having much of his time while he was in school, I REALLY appreciate the time we have together to laugh, to talk, to become closer, and to share life experiences.
Today I gave my R.S. lesson on the talk given by President Henry B. Eyring from the April General Conference titled Mountains to Climb.
Foudation of Faith
1. The footing or ground on which our foundation is built-Personal Integrity.
The ground on which we are building our foundation must be strong to withstand the storms that will come into every life. choosing good in the sight of god will help prepare our faithe for the tirals that are ahead of us in life.
"Our choosing the right consistently, and whenever the choice is placed beofore us, creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begine in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spritit of Christ. With the Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done gwrong in His sight."
2. The metal framework or rebar- The Gospel of Jesus Christ
The Gospel helps us to build our faith in Christ and enables us to receive and keep the covenants, ordiinances, and principles given to us, which also gives our foundation strength.
3. Forms the concrete is poured into-Testimonies (My thoughts)
Your Testimony is wrapped around The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Sometimes your testimony is strong and and other times when it is weak, you can rely on others testimonies to hold you up in difficult times.
Curing Time-Requires action
That curing does not come automatically through the passage of time, but it does take time. Getting older does not do it alone. It is serving God and others persistently with full heart and soul that turns testimony of truth into unbreakable spiritual strength.
"It is never too late to strengthen the foundation of faith. There is always time. With faith in the Savior, you can repent and plead for forgiveness. There is someone you can forgive. There is someone you can thank. There is someone you can serve and lift. You can do it wherever you are and however alone and deserted you may feel "If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as
well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing". I shared this quote that hangs on my wall from my Grandma and Grandpa Tidwell that includes this quote by Thomas S. Monson.
“Anxiously you ask, 'Is there a way to safety? Can someone
guide me? Is there an escape from threatened destruction?' The answer is a
resounding yes! I counsel you: Look to the lighthouse of the Lord. There is no
fog so dense, no night so dark, no gale so strong, no mariner so lost but what
its beacon light can rescue. It beckons through the storms of life. It calls,
'This way to safety; this way to home.”
― Thomas
S. Monson
My first niece on my side of the family was born this week. I'll leave Shannon to tell all the details, but her name is Mckenna Jassamine Ewell (Jassamine after my Great Grandma Ford). She was 6 lbs. 6 oz. and was 21 1/2 inches long. It is very hard not to be there and be able to hold her. I always imagined being at the hospital and seeing my sister's babies in the hospital, but I did get a chance to skype with baby Mckenna. It isn't quite the same, but I am grateful for technology that helps me stay connected to our families. I will be headed out to cuddle this little cutie on October 12th and it just can't come fast enough. I just want to kiss her cute little cheeks!!
She is just a little doll and my sister says that she is a great baby thus far. Shannon and Josh are wonderful parents to baby Mckenna. We are so glad to have her here with us.
I came home from work and Trav had bought me some "Just Because" flowers. It was super sweet I love having fresh flowers to look at everyday. I love my honey!
For journal purposes..
Later that weekend, just for fun, Trav and I headed up to Fresno to go shopping for Trav some new work shoes and church shoes and to find my dad a gift. We also had to check out Dog House Grill, which is a burger joint (a good one at that) accross from the campus of Fresno State. We always have a good time singing in the car together and trying to duets. I love doing the small things together!!
Trav and I have been following Big Brother 14. We love talking strategy and about who we think the Head of Household is going to put up on the block and what the winner of the "power of veto" will do. This season just got over and geeky, but strategic Ian won the $500,000, but we were both happy that Frank (who was up on the block every week and who won a lot of HOH competitions) took home $25,000 for being the fan favorite.
Friday, September 21st
One of my co-workers, Belen T. , had a birthday this week. A bunch of girl's from my work went out to dinner to celbrate her birthday at Chilito's Mexican Grill. The food was really good and we had a great time laughing about funny experiences at work. Always nice to have a girl's night out and these girls are a hoot! My mouth hurt from laughing so much. Don't worry....I had a diet coke :) While I was gone, Travis and Evan went to a high school football game...I just don't think they can get enough football!
We decided Friday night to take a trip up to Livermore-San Francisco for Labor Day Weekend. Our good friends Evan and Jessica Dean were kind enough to invite us. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying their company.
So my calling in my ward right now is a Relief Society Teacher. I am assigned the fourth Sunday of every month which means I get to teach the "Teaching for Our Times" lesson. I love studying the words of the prophet and apostles. I then love to share their encouraging and inspiring words with the sisters in my ward. I was thinking about the preparation that I put into my lessons and the thoughts that I have as I prepare. I decided it would be a good idea to blog about them so I can remember them always.
"What thinks Christ of Me?
Elder Neil L. Anderson-April 2012 General Conference
**Anything is blue is a direct quote**
"Jesus asked the Pharisees, “What think ye of Christ?”In the final assessment, our personal discipleship will not be judged by friends or foes. Rather, as Paul said, “We shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” At that day the important question for each of us will be, “What thinks Christ of me?”
**Discipleship is not a competition at all but an invitation to all.
"Jesus’s call “Come, follow me” is not only for those prepared to compete in a spiritual Olympics. In fact, discipleship is not a competition at all but an invitation to all."
I like to compare the World Olympics to our Spiritual Olympics.
World Olympics
People prepare and train their whole lives
Only the best are invited to go to the Olympic trials and then through qualifying events to get to the final event.
Judging could be unfair and biased
If a gymnast falls off the beam, the score she receives can't be erased. If a high jumper has a shortcoming of 1/100 of an inch, there out of the competition.
Only one person wins gold.
Spiritual Olympics-Journey of Discipleship
It doesn't matter what age we are, we can begin to prepare.
We are already pre-qualified by the choice we choose in heaven to follow Christ's plan.
We have the perfect coach and judge. Christ is the perfect teacher and friend and he is just.
We can erase our falls and our shortcomings through repentance.
We can all win the gold of eternal life.
The Lord blesses us with customized direction through the gift of the Holy Ghost.
**Discipleship is a lifelong migration toward a more celestial world.
Elder Anderson explains that Christ's invitation is a call to daily duty. It is showing love to God by keeping his commandments and serving others. It is having the desire to try everyday and to be willing to sacrifice our time and our talents. If we struggle one day, then we can always be better the next. That is what is so great about the gospel. "It doesn't matter where on the road to following Christ we are, it just matters that we are moving forward."
Wherever you now find yourself on the road of discipleship, you are on the right road, the road toward eternal life. Together we can lift and strengthen one another in the great and important days ahead. Whatever the difficulties confronting us, the weaknesses confining us, or the impossibilities surrounding us, let us have faith in the Son of God, who declared, “All things are possible to him that believeth."
**Discipleship is believing Him in seasons of peace and difficulty.
Jesus told the leader of the synagogue, “Be not afraid, only believe.” Discipleship is believing Him in seasons of peace and believing Him in seasons of difficulty, when our pain and fear are calmed only by the conviction that He loves us and keeps His promises.
I think the most true test of faith is believing in him when I am having trials, but also being grateful in the good times for all my blessings. Knowing that he loves me and is there to support me, and that will be on [my] right side and on [my] left side to buoy [me] up is very comforting.
As you love Him, trust Him, believe Him, and follow Him, you will feel His love and approval. As you ask, “What thinks Christ of me?” you will know that you are His disciple; you are His friend.
I can't wait for the chance to meet the Savior face to face. It is something that I ponder about often. It is something so exciting to think about. It will be a joyous day. I hope that when he sees me, he will think of me as one of his disciples and as his friend.
I wanted to play this video at church with my lesson, but you can't play youtube videos using the church's Internet. So I ended up just playing the music, but this song always brings me to tears because we can only imagine about how wonderful it will be to see Christ in all his glory and to feel the love he has for each of us as he looks us in the eye. I can't wait for that day.
In a future day, every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is the Christ. On that day, our concern will not be, “Do others consider me Christian?” At that time, our eyes will be fixed on Him, and our souls will be riveted on the question, “What thinks Christ of me?”
