My New Life - Amazing!

Can you call a General Authority a Rockstar?

I loved General Conference! I felt like it was specifically for me. I downloaded the mp3 files and listen to it while I am in the car, at times I sit in the car once I have arrived at work, just trying to get a little more. One of my favorite talks was by President Uchtdorf titled "Continue with Patience". You need to read it, I think I could read or listen to it everyday and still learn more!

I loved these quotes:

"Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can - working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our heart are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"

"But eventually I learned that God's promises are not always fulfilled as quickly as or in the way we might hope; they come according to His timing and His ways."

"Brigham Young taught that when something came up which he could not comprehend fully, he would pray to the Lord, "Give me patience to wait until I can understand it for myself." And then Brigham would continue to pray until he could comprehend it."

"Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can't see the Lord's hand in our lives until long after trials have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understanding, and happiness."

"Patience means accepting that which cannot be changed and facing it with courage, grace, and faith. It means being "willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon us, even as a child doth submit to his fathers."

"The work of patience boils down to this: keep the commandments; trust in God, our Heavenly Father; serve Him with meekness and Christlike love; exercise faith and hope in the Savior; and never give up."

Manna

What does your manna from Heaven look like? Mine this week was a "mistake" made by the University of Utah. As a favor to a Chemistry teacher I complied a list of Chem 1010 students for someone at the school and they sent all the Chemistry teachers $50 in Amazon gift certificates. I'm not a teacher, but I create lists for them? The teachers all told me to keep the certificates, and I did not hesitate!

Immediately my mind went to my lovely little Amazon wish list of cook books and Forensic/Criminal mind based books I have had saved forever. Unfortunately, my first focus had to be towards my next textbook, which even used was over $100...with great regret and complete revolting disdain I purchased a Math book....I know, the shock, the horror! My last Math class in what I hope to be the rest of my eternal life...(yeah, in my world we will not be using Math). And I had to use my stinkin certificates on it! I sure hope it's worth it.

Anyway, trying to see life through my dirty glass half full theory, my possibly undeserved certificates were put towards a good cause.

That's my manna for the week. I hope your manna is extra cash found in a pair of jeans or a misplaced dark chocolate candy bar that you forgot about.

Whew!

Wow! After a wonderful Christmas trip to Atlanta, things have been nuts around here ever since! We both work very hard all week and keep busy on the weekends with church responsibilities. We have, not that it is our preference, that we need to stay put in Lehi for the time being. Between the terrible economy and budget cuts all around us, it just didn't make sense to do anything drastic at this point in our lives. We know that we are where we need to be right now and we are excited about whatever opportunities or lessons may come our way. This week marks the beginning of the State Tournaments for Basketball. Both the Lady Cavemen and the Miners won their Regions and enter the tournament as #1 seeds. If all goes to plan, we will play each other on Friday night in the Semi-Finals. Go Lady Cavemen!!! Luckily, I can always talk Amy into wearing AF Red instead of Bingham Blue!

Yep, we're spoiled!

What we have been working on lately. Days and days working with car dealerships and we received the most help and service from Larry H. Miller in Murray. We felt like we had been hand carried through their dealership and the whole time we were there. And unlike Stockton to Malone at least they didn't tell us that the only we could get would be the Silver one that was on its way to Utah, via a boat from Japan...the only CR-V they could find....yeah we thought that was weird too.

Beyond that, life has been super busy. We are almost done with the bulk of Christmas shopping (so I may actually enjoy the season). School and work are crazy and we both just finished our first quarters.

Now we just have the finishing up of High School Football. AF is done, Bingham could-go-all-the-way starting with another game on Friday...yeah, couldn't resist that one. Once again raising that question...will it be a great day to be a Miner?

Medical Miracles

Several weeks ago my mom had a Total Ankle Replacement. It is so amazing! See here for the video, no it's not her surgery, it's just a video on how they preform the procedure. This is such a huge blessing for she and my dad! She had an ankle fusion 8 years ago that never fused. She has basically been walking on a broke ankle/foot and two huge broken screws for the last few years. We were able to go up have dinner with them last night and just hang out and talk for several hours. I am so grateful for parents that love each other and support each other. I know I'm biased but I really feel that we both have the best families!

Happiness

There's a song from the "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" musical called Happiness it talks about what Happiness is listing things like 2 kinds of Ice Cream, 5 different Crayons, sharing a sandwich, singing together and those that sing with you. It's one of our favorite songs. A song we sing together at the top of our lungs in the car, and one I frequently hear Chad sing when he comes home. Our happiness is the Gospel, the Spirit, our Leaders and Apostles, Conference weekends, and the Testimony the He lives, that He knows and loves us. My heart is full tonight as I think of how blessed we are and how grateful I am for all that we have.