Thoughts From a Frazzled Mind

The past month has been crazy, busy, but very good! First of all my handsome, young Bubba got a new church suit and a "skull" tie.  I'm pretty sure that he is the most handsome boy in the whole ward! We had the great opportunity to present the production "The Ten Virgins" by Emily Freeman again, this time for our ward and a neighboring ward.  I honestly believe that it means more to me each time that I do it! I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to participate in this wonderful production.  Hopefully I can work on having plenty of oil on hand and be prepared for the time when the bridegroom comes.  We had a great excursion to the Heritage Theater to see A fantastic musical! Our group included Shandra and Bubba, Robin and Corbin, and Ashley and Tristan.  All of the boys did very well and enjoyed the first half of the play, but it is a very long play and they started getting tired during the last half.  Corbin and Bubba were both ...

Just found this quote and I LOVE it!

I just had a thought that I want to record.  How often in life do we hear (or are guilty of ourselves) that people assume that if we do what is right then our lives will be smooth with no bumps or lumps.  Or, if we are struggling with challenges or trials we chastise ourselves, assuming we are being punished for some sin that we have committed. Yes, we do read in the scriptures about the times that the Lord punishes whole groups of people who were wicked.  But I'm not talking about these things - these people were truly wicked, murderers, adulterers, and persecuting faithful saints. What I am talking about is those of us who are good, kind people who for the most part are trying to do what is right.  Yet we make mistakes and then assume we are being justly punished for the mistakes when life deals us lemons.  For example, years ago a loved one was about to undergo extensive surgery.  The entire family had a day of fasting prior to the surgery.  I d...

I DID IT! For most of my adult life I have had a secret.  I have always felt that I was missing something important in my life, but I didn't miss it enough to do anything about it. Whenever anyone mentioned that they had completed college with a bachelor's degree I was GREEN with envy.  However,   I felt that I was successful without it, and it never felt like it was the right time to pursue the degree. Now, here I am, older than dirt , but I have finally achieved my secret desire.  I have earned a BSN, Bachelor's of Science in Nursing.  WOW!  I'm overwhelmed to think that I am officially a college graduate!   I will not have the actual diploma until the end of April, I can't wait to frame it and display it proudly! So, here is the weird thing.  Since I am enrolled in a program where I ultimately will have a master's degree in nursing education and have been working on the master's part concurrently with the bachelor's work...

Yesterday in Relief Society we had a wonderful lesson that really touched me and has been on my mind since.   As part of the lesson we were given this quote by  Elder   David A. Bednar   of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles ( BYU Address October 2001 ):   “I suspect that [we] are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with the enabling power of the Atonement.” 1  He suggested that most of us understand that Christ came to earth to die for us, to pay the price for our sins, to make us clean, to redeem us from our fallen state, and to enable every person to be resurrected from the dead. But, Elder Bednar said, “I frankly do not think many of us ‘get it’ concerning [the] enabling and strengthening aspect of the Atonement, and I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our ob...

We decided to take some time off and head up to the Wolf Creek condo to celebrate BJ's birthday and also to rest and relax for a few days.  It was really hard that Tasha and Zane were not able to join us - the first time we haven't all been together for the birthday celebration.  However, we are so blessed to live in a time of great technology!  We were able to connect with them via Skype and the connection was wonderful!  It was almost as if they were in the same room with us - almost. We set them up on a chair and they played Disney Charades with us.  It was really fun!  Kalel even was able to give his Tia a big hug! We decided to watch some old home movies of when the kids were small and Tasha was even able to watch them with us - although she wasn't able to see them very clearly. We always celebrate BJ's birthday by playing games because that was his very favorite thing to do. Shandra and I both squeezed in a little time for homework while ...

Kim and I started hanging out with the Lotts and the Johnsons back when our oldest children were mere toddlers.  In fact, one year we were all pregnant at the same time!  We have had so many great times together over the years. This week we all got together for dinner at Moore's restaurant.  It is so amazing to me how much fun we have whenever we get together, even though we don't see each other very often any more, we still mesh together, laughing and sharing stories, just like we have done for almost 30 years! Needless to say we have changed a lot over the years.  Some of us have less hair on our heads, some of us now wear glasses, and some of us have added a few pounds.  Together we have worried about our children - and now grandchildren.  Together we have mourned losses of family members and learned to be caretakers of aging parents.  We have shared weddings and vacations, Superbowl parties, job losses, and house remodeling. How very gratef...