Thoughts From a Frazzled Mind

WHOO HOO! I can't believe how excited I am!   After spending hours doing research I just printed up my formal request to perform temple ordinances for family members that I have found! I honestly never thought that I would be able to to actually see the fruits of genealogy work (read previous post  here ).  But since I caught the bug, I seemed to be driven to research family names and details, and now I have really done it!  And, I'm happy to report that this may just be the beginning!  Hooray! I firmly believe in the temple ordinances and blessings that are attached to them.  I believe that many people have passed to the other side without the information needed to make an informed decision on receiving the blessings of the gospel while in this life.  Performing the ordinances vicariously gives them the opportunity to receive the blessings of having eternal or forever families and living with Christ and Heavenly Father eternally.  I feel so...

Saturday was the annual Olsen Family Christmas party.  The Rasmussens were in charge this year, and a good time was had by all!. Dinner was a baked potato bar and salads - one of my favs! The kids ran and ran and ran - they had so much fun!  After dinner we had a game of Christmas Bingo.  Kalel got the very first Bingo - he was so excited!  He also got the third bingo.  Obviously he had a terrific card! After bingo we had a snowball fight!  It was just crazy! Kalel was a great help at putting the chairs away After the party, since the weather was still nice, Kim, Kalel, and I drove over to the Brigham City temple to see the nativity scene.  It was very simple and beautiful.  It is so wonderful to have a temple so close!

Busy, busy weekend. Saturday we stated off the day with some landscaping projects.  Luckily we had Bubba to give us a hand.  First of all, we planted a couple of lilac bushes.  I absolutely love the smell and look of lilacs.  I had a bush when we lived in Perry (our horse Jake kept it trimmed for us).  Thinking back, I don't know why I didn't plant one as soon as we moved into this house - I must have lost my mind for several years.  I can't wait for them to start producing flowers!  Next, we started our next big - okay more like HUGH - project.  I have hated the corner of the grass where the driveway and sidewalk meet.  It seems like nothing grows well there, and it is such a sharp corner it is difficult to maneuver.  Well, the decision to change that corner seemed to grow until we soon had a major project going.  Starting point Kim working very hard.  Kim and I worked very hard almost all afternoon, ...

With the Labor Day holiday, the crowds of people coming to see the Brigham City Temple during the open house have gotten larger and larger!  Labor Day the lines wound clear around the temple and along Main Street! On Friday (before the big crowds came) I was able to work at the temple as the "counter".  It was a fairly slow day, and yet I still counted an average of 1,000 - 1,200 people an hour!  I heard rumor that a week ago the Saturday count was 33,000 in 13 hours.  WOW!   I absolutely LOVE working at the temple during this open house.  It kind of makes me feel like I am taking a little bit of "ownership" in the temple - like it is "my" temple.  I love feeling like I am helping to further in the Lord's work.  I am so excited to be able to start attending the temple after it is dedicated! Saturday we were able to go with Tasha & Zane and Mark & Ashley on another tour.  It was so fun to "share" this special building wi...

 It is finished!  Our little town of Brigham City actually has a temple!  What a fantastic and wonderful blessing to those of us living here.  The temple open house runs from August 18 through September 15, and during that time they are anticipating over 300,000 visitors!  I have the opportunity to serve as a volunteer for three different 5-hour shifts.  My first shift I put shoe covers on peoples feet before they entered the temple to protect the carpeting and then I spent time at the  South Gate where my duties included answering questions and taking pictures for the people visiting.  I look forward to my next two shifts, and whatever duties they assign me.   Today I got to the see beautiful inside with Kim, Shandra and Kalel, Kim's mom, my dad, and my friend Rondi.  I am overwhelmed by the beauty!  They have incorporated Brigham City's logo, peaches, in many, many places.  The detail work is absolutely phenomenal...

Friday afternoon Kim, his brother Dave, and I attended the a session at the Boise Temple. Several years ago we drove by this temple but were not able to attend, and at that time both Kim and I remarked how beautiful it was. Seeing it up close today just confirmed our original thoughts. The Boise Temple is gorgeous! The gray stone and spires are breathtaking. During the session I was struck with the fact that no matter how beautiful the temple's physical attributes are, the real beauty lies in the way I feel while inside. The layout of this temple is quite different than any other I have visited, however once I entered I was immediately filled with the same feeling of peace that I have felt in every temple. I love the feeling of familiarity of the work that is being done there, and it is so comforting to know that all over the world, the it is the same. I love the fact that once you step through the doors you feel that you leave the "world" outside and become enveloped in ...