Thursday, January 24th, 2019

Edmonton, Alberta

67th operating temple

Dedicated: 11 Dec 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

Matthew 4:3

And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.

Book of Mormon

1 Nephi 17:1-16

*Why did Nephi feel so blessed in spite of their suffering?

*How has the Lord been your light in the wilderness?

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

John 1:19-28; JST John 1:20-28; BD Elias

General Conference

Try, Try, Try

President Henry B. Eyring

"Each time we say the word amen when that prayer is offered on our behalf, we pledge that by partaking of the bread, we are willing to take upon us the holy name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. In turn, we are promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us. Because of these promises, the Savior is the rock upon which we can stand safely and without fear in every storm we face."

I got up early, before six, but not back on schedule. Still a bit sluggish in the morning. 

I had a pure carb breakfast: cereal, pie, lemon cake bites, and on yes, a shake with a little protein. Maybe this is why I am feeling sluggish.

I made sub sandwiches for lunch. This afternoon I played Five Crowns with Jared and Kacey. We also watched the Beach Boy movie about Brian Wilson, "Love and Mercy." Kind of a sad story with sort of a happy ending but definitely not Hallmark worthy.

Today is Tanna Conrad's birthday. James is her ministering brother so he wanted to take her a treat. Jared offered to do the baking when we decided on peanut butter cookies. We had to throw out some of our peanut butter because it was so old it was rancid. Anyway, the cookies turned out delicious and we had our fair share while giving a dozen or so to Tanna. 

This afternoon we watched Taylor Cole starring as "Ruby Herring" on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries. It was pretty good. I guessed who the killer was before the ending.

James made us venison and gravy for dinner. I put the biscuits in the oven. Everything was delicious and Kacey and I both had seconds.

We watched "Maverick" this evening. 

Summer had a photo session today for her senior pictures. Her photographer is from Show Low. Of course Vickie knows the family. 

Trina sent me a couple of texts today. One was of their kitchen cabinets and railing being installed in their new house and another one was of Lola's gratitude journal.

Trina is so excited about this house!

Trina has her kids write 3 things they are thankful for each night.

Tonight Lola was thankful for us coming to visit and for Charlie and her family and she wishes we would come back.

 The Trezise's love their dog!

This definitely interrupts my joy!

I guess Roe vs. Wade was on the 22nd, not

on James's birthday.

 I'm doing it now!

 She loves to look at colors.

Kacey is reading Llama, llama, red pajama to Charlie

with her llama pajamas on.

Such a pretty girl with a great smile!

Friday, August 17th, 2018

Edmonton, Alberta
67th operating temple
Dedicated: 11 Dec 1999
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Creator

Moses 2:1

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I reveal unto you concerning this heaven, and this earth; write the words which I speak. I am the Beginning and the End, the Almighty God; by mine Only Begotten I created these things yea, in the beginning I created the heaven, and the earth upon which thou standest.

Book of Mormon

Alma 51:22-37
*How did the personal preparedness of each of Teancum's soldiers turn the tides of Amalickiah's success?
- Mormon tells us of Teancum's courage and how he put his life on the line for the benefit of the cause...Today I will work on being more courageous in doing what the ord asks, even though it may seem hard.
A team is only as good as it's weakest player. We all have to do our best for the good of the team, ward, family, etc.
Old Testament

Psalms 33-37
33 Rejoice in the Lord - Sing unto Him a new song - He loves righteousness and judgment - Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord.
34 David blesses the Lord at all times - He counsels, Keep your tongue from evil; do good and seek peace - He says that not one of the Messiah's bones will be broken.
35 David complains of his enemies and their wrong dealings - He asks the Lord to judge him according to his righteousness.
36 David praises the Lord for His mercy, His righteousness, and His loving kindness - The fountain of life is with the Lord.
37 David counsels, Trust in the Lord and do good - Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him - Cease from anger and forsake wrath - The meek will inherit the earth - The Lord loves justice and does not forsake His Saints.

General Conference

Ministering with the Power and Authority of God

President Russell M. Nelson
"Brethren, there are doors we can open, priesthood blessings we can give, hearts we can heal, burdens we can lift, testimonies we can strengthen, lives we can save, and joy we can bring into the homes of the Latter-day Saints - all because we hold the priesthood of God. We are the men who have been called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of our exceeding faith,' to do this work."

"Everything I do must be in Christ." 
-A.S. Miller

Alex got up early this morning and said he and his friends were going to Big Lake to go fishing today. We reminded him that we were leaving for the valley. Soon Alex got Carter, Shayna and Sky up and they left before I ever go to see them. 

We left a little after ten but we had to come back twice. Once for my phone charger and once for the fishing pole Joshua is borrowing for his first camping trip as a scout. It's a good thing we got an early start.

We stopped at the gas station/carwash in Show Low. While the car was being James went over to McDonald's and got us a couple of quarter pounders and me a diet Coke. We have slipped a little on our diet, especially when we are traveling. 

Something is stuck in our ac fan and when it's on high the steering wheel vibrates.  We read a little from "The Secret Keeper" but I can't read much on the windy Salt River Canyon route. 

This first place we went when we arrived in the valley was Stacy's. We got there around 3 o'clock just before she had to leave to pick up Joshua at school. As an added bonus Michael was there and I got to visit with him about his trip to California. 

We dropped off the fishing pole, a slip and temple dress and my slippers for Stacy. While I was inside, James was outside operating on the car. He cleaned out the ac fan so now we can use it on high. The fan is also working better too. I got to see Joshua for a minute too.

Next I dropped James off at Sheri's. He's Ben's escort and they have to be at the Gilbert temple by 5:30. 

On my own now. I entered the address Trina gave me for where they live and drove east to find 2706 Calderon in East Mesa. I could not find it. Google Maps kept taking me to the 3500 block and Map Quest the 3700 block. Finally I tested Trina and told her the problem. She said, "Oh, I gave you the wrong address," it's 3706." Success at last. Darrel, Addy, Ruby, and Lola were at home. If I'd have known that Darrel was home I could have contacted him but I thought he was at work. Trina and Rowan are at Main Event for Rowan's birthday party. Darrel carried my luggage in for me and then he and the girls left. They are spending the night at gramma Suzy's for the next two nights so Darrel and Trina can celebrate their anniversary. Suzy also has Bryce and Lexy's kids and Westley's and Lacey's, 12 kids in all with 6 of them 4 and under. She and Bob are brave grandparents!

I left for the temple around six for the seven o'clock session. I arrived at 6:30, the same time as Stacy. The parking lot was packed.

We got ready and went up to the waiting room which was already full with a line waiting outside. We asked if we could go to the front of the line and the temple worker said we could but we would have to get permission from those in line. We told them we were the grandmother and aunt of one of the young men going together for the first time. Another brother was the dad of one of the young women going through and Jeffrey D. was there with his wife. His brother Isaac is going through for the first time too. Luckily we were all able to get in the session. Sheri and Kim said they were worried we weren't going to make it. 

It was a great session. James and I went up for the prayer circle along with Sheri and Ben. In the celestial room there were several members of Sheri's ward; Adrienne and Mike E., Jason and Drea B., the Jensen's, Bishop Lewis and his family, and of course the Dowdles. There was such a good feeling and Ben looked so happy. He said he had the most spiritual experience of his life doing the initiatory ordinance.

Afterwards we tried to take pictures outside but it was a little dark. Ben is spending the rest of the evening with his friends. 

James was hungry so we stopped at Chik-fil-a before going home. 

James got a sandwich which he tried to eat while driving. He got grease on his light suit. He said he was going to go back to Trina's and wash it. I told him it was dry clean only. Now he's worried.

We visited with Darrel and Trina this evening before going to bed.

The kids are all at the Case's.

I only got 7,051 steps today.

Such a great experience!

I joined a fat quarters club. I will get a package of

six fat quarters a month. Woohoo!

This one looks a little less desirable.

Four Peaks

Vickie posted this. I am not sure if it's in Arizona.

Lightning near Tucson.

Sunday, March 11th, 2018

Edmonton, Alberta

67th operating temple

Dedicated: 11-12 Dec 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ Authority of

2 Nephi 10:14
For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.
Book of Mormon
2 Nephi 29:1-14
* How have these verses increased my appreciation for the Book of Mormon?
Old Testament
Numbers 24
Balaam sees in vision and prophesies of the destiny of Israel - He prophesies of the Messiah: There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel.
Old Testament Favorite Scriptures
Exodus 20:16
Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.
General Conference

Repentance is Always Positive

Stephen W. Owen

" I have a friend who grew up in a less-active Latter-day Saint family. When he was a young adult, he too 'came to himself' and decided to prepare for a mission. He became an excellent missionary. On his last day before returning home, the mission president interviewed him and asked him to bear his testimony. He did so, and after a tearful embrace, the president said, 'Elder, you could forget or deny everything you have just testified of in a matter of months if you do not continue to do the things that built your testimony in the first place.' My friend later tole me that he has prayed and read the scriptures daily since he returned from his mission. Being constantly 'nourished by the good word of God' has kept him 'in the right way.'"

I was up at 4:15 this morning. I had my prayers and continued working on my Primary lesson, "Abraham and Lot," The Circle of Love.

We left at 8:40 because I wrote personal notes to all the kids in my class.

Andy W. was the youth speaker in sacrament meeting today.  He spoke on his favorite scripture story which was Nephi getting the plates and what an example he was of overcoming trials.

Sister S. Wilhelm spoke on the Church's Self-Reliance program. 

Brother Goodman was the final speaker and what a wonderful talk he gave. He spoke about justice and mercy and how God wants all his children to enjoy all of His blessings. We open the vault to those blessings through our faith and obedience. As we live God's laws we find protection and are pointed toward Jesus Christ. Suffering for sins should help us to change. That is it's purpose.

We had two visitors in our Primary class, the Patrick's grandchildren Rhea and Graham. They are not members but they love coming to Primary. I also had Curtis from the older class, and Liana, Amaron, and Andyn from my class. I spoke with Sister Singleton about Jace and he is in Whiteriver visiting his birth mother. Gracie was not here today and I have written her a note as I did all of the children in my class. Colter was in the valley visiting his sister Brielle with his parents and LeeAnn and Hailey.

When I gave out the notes I wrote to the children in my class, Curtis ran out of the room. It was sometime before he returned.

Sister Hall's mother did singing time today. She was quite good. 

Sister Skousen did sharing time which involved all the children and was based on the scriptures. 

I spoke with Sister Skousen about Sister Gentry and she loves Sister Gentry as much as Sister Gentry loves her.

Liana and Andyn both got to pick two treasures for the two newsletters they turned in. Amaron wanted one too but I had to tell him no. I told him I would help him do the paper which isn't due until the next fast Sunday so he could pick a treasure. I can no longer do these papers every week, but now only once a month.

Andyn took the fishing hat and some colored pencils. Liana took some candy and a doll.

We went home and had lunch and before we knew it Darrel and Trina were here with all the kiddies.  

At 4 p.m. I went to a high priest group presidency meeting with James. They are planning a party for the older single sisters in the ward and they want the wives input. Sister Hunsaker was there too but Sister Curtis is still in St. David taking care of her father who has alzheimers.

The meeting was just an hour long and then we were back home with our company. James cut the chicken breasts in half and I made a honey mustard to marinate them in. I also took out the chicken tenders from the freezer and put them in some warm water and took some rolls out to rise. We had a very nice dinner: Chicken, grilled and fried tenders, green beans, corn, beans, a salad which Trina made, and rolls. It was quite delicious.

After dinner I played Apples to Apples with Ruby, Trina, and Addy.  Addy and Rowan worked on my Provo City Center, "Brick'em temple and then we watched Lindsay Lohan in "The Parent Trap." Of course Lola had to watch her favorite movie, "Brave" before we watched ours. It was after midnight before we went to bed.

Couldn't resist this one.

President Nelson and his wife Wendy

greet some young adults at the 

Nevada fireside.

The last of the Butler brothers.

Salt River Canyon

Such a lovely couple

Trina said it was like they were in a cloud.

Salt River Canyon

Courtesy of Darrel

Tuesday, October 3rd, 2017

Edmonton, Alberta

67th operating temple

Dedicated 11 Dec. 1999

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Antemortal, Appearances

John 12:41

These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him.

Helaman 14:1-19

*How can we always be preparing for the Second Coming of Christ?

-Repentance is of the utmost importance in preparing to meet the Savior. After we recognize our sins we must feel sorrow for them and abandon them. We need to confess our sins to the Lord, and also in some cases, to the proper Priesthood authority. We need to ask forgiveness if we have offended someone and to the best of our ability make restitution for the sin. we need to strive daily to keep the commandments and recognize our need for a Savior. We need to know the signs of His coming so that we are prepared both temporally and spiritually. We need to do all we can on a daily basis to strengthen our testimonies of Him and serve others in an effort to become more like Him.

DC Scripture Mastery

DC 10:5

Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.

General Conference

Value Beyond Measure

Sister Joy D. Jones

A sister from India said: 

"Before I had the gospel in my life I was always trying to prove to others that I was someone special But when I learned that truth, that I am a daughter of God, I didn't have to prove anything to anyone. I knew that I was special ... Don't ever think that you are nothing."  President Monson said it perfectly when he quoted these words: "The worth of a soul is it's capacity to become as God."

James went out looking for elk this morning. He said he saw four cows and a bull.  The bull was actually by himself. While he was gone I made some lasagna soup with Italian sausage. I turned out delicious. This recipe is definitely a keeper. 

I washed the outside of some of the windows today. I have been going to do this for a long time, but just hadn't gotten around to it. 

I went to town today by myself so James could stay home and work on the patio. I bought the rest of the stuff I needed for Alice's candy bouquet. Today is her 16th birthday. 

The finished product.

Her mom told me that she liked Reese's and Almond Joys.

Later Alice told me she is allergic to coconut so she gave the Almond Joy's to her mom. Maybe that we Sandra's plan all along.

Happy Sweet Sixteen Alice!

(Alice is on the left)

We called to see if anyone was going to be home. Sandra said she was there but when we went to deliver no one answered the door so we left it in the car.

Today was my first day of doing the 10,000 steps program with my app, Pacer. I did really well with no pains in my knees.

Tonight was Guilty Pleasures night on "DWTS." Lindsey Stirling said her guilty pleasure, is she had one, would be staying in her pajamas all day.

Their dance was the best!!

We also watched an episode of Heartland, "True Enough."

Other Random Photos:

Our friends Dianne and C.T. took this picture as they are

visiting San Antonio where C.T. used to live.

This baby red fox reminds me of the Trezise's new dog

Oliver.

lambsondallen posted this on Instagram

I am doing this challenge, one scripture reference

at a time so it will take awhile to complete.

Spider Rock at Canyon de Chelly

October 3, 2016

Addy's Fall Concert

Squirrel's at play in our grass.

Hailey and Huntleigh

Elk in our yard.

We haven't seen any since James put our fence up this year.

October 3, 2015

A game of chess

James getting ready to watch conference.

Soccer buddies.

Stroller buddies.

October 3, 2014

Fishing for the big ones

Nice one Grandpa!