Thursday, March 21st, 2019

Sacramento, California

123rd operating temple

Dedicated: 3 Sept 2006

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Divine Sonship

DC 52:44

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the So of God, and I will lift them up at the last day. Even so. Amen.

Book of Mormon

Jacob 5:1-18

New Testament "Come Follow Me"

Matthew 13:44-58

"Lord, I Believe"

Jeffrey R. Holland

April 2013

General Conference

The Role of the Book of Mormon in Conversion

Elder Shayne M. Bowen

"The Book of Mormon contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It leads us to the covenants of the Father, which if kept will assure us of His greatest gift - eternal life. The Book of Mormon is the keystone to the conversion of all of Heavenly Father's sons and daughters."

I got a call from the sister who is supposed to teach the Relief Society lesson this week. Since I work directly with the teachers she called me. She was coughing so much she could barely speak. She has pneumonia and will not be able to teach on Sunday. I told her no to worry about the lesson, I would take care of it. Becky is a faithful and dedicated sister. I served in the Primary when she was the Primary president and I learned to love her for her positive attitude and her faith in the Lord. At first I was just going to teach the lesson myself but then I decided I needed to talk to our Relief Society President, Tamara. She said she would think about it and try to come up with a name of someone that we could call at the last minute and ask to teach.

I took my friend Catherine to Snowflake today. She has recently gone to the Compass Medical Center in Snowflake for the neuropathy she has as a result of her diabetes. She recently had to have two toenails removed because her toes were turning black. 

The Compass Center uses natural methods and herbs for much of their treatment. Catherine had to pick up her herbs, etc. and needed a ride. I was happy to take her. She is a delightful 85 year old who was born in Oklahoma and calls herself an "Oakie." I told her about James's mom and that she was born in Oklahoma,  and told her what she said about why the devil she needed a babysitter and Catherine responded, "Sounds just like an Oakie." 

After picking up Catherine's supplies she wanted to go to lunch. She said it was the least she could do for me being her chauffeur. I suggested Eva's because she said she liked Mexican food and she said she wanted to sit down somewhere and eat. 

Catherine was good and ordered a taco salad. I ordered my favorite, chicken enchilada with red sauce with rice and beans. I wasn't good, but my food sure was!

 We had a nice visit. She has a daughter who has left the Church that she is sad about. All of Catherine's children are adopted except one. I couldn't help but mention the nature vs. nurture theory I picked up from watching "Jane Doe, The Ties That Bind." What has the greatest affect on a person; nature,  their biological background, or nurture, the environment in which they grow up. I told her a little about Tricia. Tricia sounds a lot like her daughter Kathy. We did not come to any conclusions but I can think of examples where nature overcomes nurture. I am sure there are examples of nurture overcoming nature so the jury is still out on this one. As we everything else in life we just have to wait and see, and trust in the Lord.

I finally learned the value of setting Keepa alerts and how to do it for our book business. One of our successful mentors says he has 20,000 Keepa alerts set. When you set a price alert on a book you want to buy at a lower price Keepa will send you an email alert and then you can go back and purchase the book. I am determined that we are going to be successful in this book business!

James arrived home at 9:30 this evening. I was so happy to have him home! For some reason I missed him more than usual. I guess maybe because it's been awhile since we have been apart. 

Darrel and Trina made the big move today. Sheri said she took off work to help them today and tomorrow. I guess Darrel and Trina's brothers and dad did most of the heavy stuff and Sheri helped with the rest. I am grateful to Sheri and her desire to give service. She loves Trina and Darrel. Rowan spent the night with Max and Evan.

Hallmark movies to keep me company while James is gone:

"Perfect on Paper," "My Favorite Wedding," "Love, Once and Always."

I walked 13,562 steps today.

 Jared, is this good news for the Suns?

 So pretty!

 Fiona, Elizabeth and Abigail

from "When Calls the Heart", the

best show on TV.

Pictures of the best missionary ever:

Love that infectious smile Elder Trezise!

 Missionaries "on the ball"

 Little Miss Sunshine

 This picture was taken a year ago, I think

Darrel has changed the most.

James's job. He says this is an optical illusion

because that paved area was perfectly straight.

 These two have a special bond. Maybe it's because

she saved his life a couple of times.

 Hallmark movies make me happy.

Wednesday, May 10th, 2017

Merida, Mexico

92nd operating temple

Dedicated: 8 July 2000 by

Thomas S. Monson

Mosiah 27:1-17

*An angel calls Alma the Younger and the sons of Mosiah to repentance.

*What does verse 14 teach about how we can help others who are struggling?

Gospel Principle: The Lord responds to our faith prayers for others. (see James 5:16).

*When have you felt that your prayers have made a difference in someone's life?

Mormon 3

Mormon cries repentance unto the Nephites; They gain a great victory and glory in their own strength; Mormon refuses to lead them, and his prayers for them are without faith; The Book of Mormon invites the twelve tribes of Israel to believe the gospel. A.D. 360-62.

DC 71:1-11

Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon are sent forth to proclaim the gospel; Enemies of the Saints will be confounded.

Why does the Lord counsel us not to engage in debates and arguments?

* Almost always a debate entrenches each contestant and his sympathizers more firmly in the views already held. - BRMc

General Conference

Songs Song and Unsung

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

"In those moments when the melody of joy falters below our power of expression, we may have to stand silent for a time and simply 

listen to others, drawing strength from the splendor of

the music around us.  Surely it follows that in singing the anthems of eternity, we should stand as close as humanly possible to the Savior and Redeemer of the world -

who has absolutely perfect pitch.

We then take courage from His ability to hear our silence and take hope from His melodious messianic intercession in our behalf.

Truly it is 'when the Lord is near' that the dove of peace sings

in my heart and the flow'rs of grace appear"

At 7:24 this morning I looked out the window and said: "I wish I could see some elk this morning."  Sure enough, there they were.  I love it when I am the first to see.  In all fairness it was a tie this morning because James went outside the bedroom window and saw 8 more, which added to my 5 makes 13 for this morning.  James thinks they are drinking water out of the tree wells.  They won't touch the trees because of the magic potion James's mom gave him.

I read Gospel Doctrine lesson 18 today entitled, "Establish...A House of God."  This was the directive the Lord gave the saints in Kirtland.  When they hesitated because of lack of funds, He chastised them.  He revealed to Joseph Smith what the temple should look like.  They needed a temple to be endowed from on high, even though temple ordinances were never done in this temple, the Savior, Moses, Elijah and Elias made visits to Joseph Smith and others.

James and I left for the valley this morning around 9:30, plenty of time for me to finish my gospel study.  We went in the truck because James has to pick up some tile and other materials for his job in Mesa.  Our first stop was to check the mail, none.  Next t was Arby's in Show Low because James said he needed to use the little boys room.  He brought back a brisket sandwich to snack on and a roast beef slider for me.  That out to hold us until we get to Burger House in Miami.  I read from "To Kill a Mockingbird" which I think we will finish today.

When we got to James's job, nothing had been done that was supposed to be done.  The drywall people made such a mess, James had to Bob's sister and her partner to clean.  It ended up costing $400 when he thought it would be $100.  This was because of the drywall mess.  Maybe he will hire a different company for the next job or ask this one to include cleanup in their bid.  

After checking on his job James takes me to Cathi and Terry's while he goes to do a job for Susan Jacobson.  I take a nap.  When he is finished at Susan's he comes back and works on his little trailer outside while I blog.  It is an absolutely gorgeous day here in Chandler with the high around 75.  I guess they had rain earlier in the week.  Bob said it was cold, but I doubt he really knows what cold is.

Around 6:00 this evening James and I headed for Deseret Book.  My friend Polly's son-in-law greets us at the door.  He is the manager.  James told me I could get a new set of scriptures for mother's day.  These are the ones I picked out.

The older you get, the bigger 

your scriptures are.

The first thing I am going to do is record everything the Savior said and did, just as President Nelson directed the young adults to do.

I can hardly wait to get started!

While at Deseret Book I bought Braxton's scriptures and had his name put on them.  After we finished at the bookstore, it was on to Costco which is just around the block.  We are here to get James's Alpine Valley bread that he loves, steaks for mother's day, and new jeans and a Sunday shirt for James.  If you aren't careful you can get really distracted at Costco and spend way too much money. This time we kept it under $100, $97.24 to be exact. 

We were hungry after shopping at Costco so we decided to have dinner at Olive Garden using the giftcards Kim gave me for mother's day.  James ate healthy, ordering the grilled salmon and steamed broccoli.  He also had one half a breadstick.  I order the steak gorgonza with alfredo noodles and had two breadsticks.  Oh dear.  After mother's day I am going to do better!

Back at Cathi and Terry's as James is putting our four fillets in the refrigerator he tells Cathi that two of the steaks are for them.  She thanks him.  Cathi, being raised on a cattle ranch, loves a good steak.  James goes over to talk to Terry and I sit down on the couch and visit with Cathi.  She tells me about her latest experience with Colin, their five year old grandson.  Cathi saw this trick on Facebook using sand, sugar, baking soda, and lighter fluid.  You pour the lighter fluid on the solids and a big snake like creature rises up.  She was excited to show it to Colin.  When he senses this is going to include fire, he runs over and gets the hose.  When Cathi lights the sand he says: "Don't you know this is not good for the ozone.  It's you old people that are destroying the ozone."  Cathi certainly didn't expect that reaction.  Later when she called Colin's dad, Brian, Brian said: "Yeah, I might have told him that."  Cathi says: "What's your next lesson about, how old people are stealing Social Security?"

As I predicted, we finished reading "To Kill a Mockingbird" this evening.  James is anxious to start the next book by Harper Lee. He is feeling so much better and can actually talk!  I guess it's the prednisone.

Photos:

Granny "Pods" are the new rage.  You set

one up in your backyard for granny to live in.

 This is James's cousin and good friend

Hayden.

Michael's before picture.

During the haircut

Stacy says it's even shorter

now!  Woohoo!

Look at this sweet kitty.

Looks can be deceiving!

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

1 Nephi 13:40-14:8
Why is it so important to hold fast to the plain and precious truths of the gospel?
2 Nephi 7-8
DC 10:11-21
These verses are a powerful reminder that God is in control.  How can this bring you comfort in these perilous times?
Talk: "Abide in My Love"
By: D. Todd Christofferson
October 2016
GC: 'Joy and Spiritual Survival' by President Russell M. Nelson

"When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening or not happening in our lives."

I spent the morning getting ready to go to Chandler.  I left at noon.  Rolling fog and snow was descending off the Vernon hills.  There was some moisture along the way, but no snow.  The story would have been different if I had come tomorrow.  There is a huge storm coming in.  

Superstition Mountains

In Show Low I stopped at Walmart to pick up prescriptions.  I had to show I.D. for my Tramadol as it is now a controlled substance.  

I drove over to Firehouse Subs to get some lunch and saw Donna Peeler getting in to her Mustang convertible.  She is the coolest grandma on the mountain!  Next I went to the Splash and Dash for gas and a car wash.  James sprayed my car off on Sunday but by the time I reached the Hunsaker's today it was covered in mud again.  I also stopped at the CVS to pick up a prescription for James, and then it was on to Heber.

That's right Dolly!

There were just patches of snow on the Rim.  I stopped at the McDonald's in Payson for an ice cream cone.  There were three highway patrol on the highway just outside of Payson keeping the speed of traffic in check. I was in a race with a car from Minnesota but lost him when I got into the rush hour traffic in the valley.  

I sure do love this girl!

I got to Cathi and Terry's around 5.  James came home and took a shower.  He had been laying tile at his job all day.

That is alot of tile!

Alex and Adam were his worthy assistants.

Nice job!

We took Cathi and Terry to Black Angus for dinner this evening.  James wanted to say thank you to Terry for picking up the tile for his job and we were also celebrating Cathi's birthday.  The food was delicious and the company was great!

Back at home I have to rub Indy's tummy and James has to give Lady a treat before we could read from "Adam-Ondi-Ahman."

Charlotte called so I spent some time on the phone with her.

Fun Photos

I love Joe's hair!

The many faces of Sheri.

Here's another one.

Evan looks a little like Nancy.

Saturday, November 7, 2015

Sheri's quote of the day:
"It is our duty to improve each day.  And look upon our course last week and do things better this week; do things better today than
yesterday." 
-Lorenzo Snow

 Switzerland

James has to be finished with the doctor's office he's working on, on Monday.  He has very little help, right now just Lauro and Bob.  

He is a little concerned because we won't be here on Monday so he can finish up.  

I went to Ruby's last soccer game this morning and then afterwards went to Joshua's, Rowan's, and Evan's game.  Both of our teams lost.

 Ruby on the field

 Ruby with her trophy

Unwrapping the trophy

Lola goes exploring

Ruby went with me after the game to take my car back to Cathi's and leave it so James can take it in to get the tire fixed.  We rode back with Sheri and the boys, Rowan, Evan, and Joshua, for their game.  Rowan and Joshua spent the night at Evan's and I don't think they got much sleep.  They all looked a little tired.

Darrel, Addy, and Lola joined us at the game.  Trina has been called at a counselor in the Relief Society and she had to go to a funeral.

After the game Sheri dropped me off at Terry & Cathi's.  

 1533 S. 108th Way, our new home

away from home.

James and I went to pick up my car at Discount Tire.  They couldn't fix the tire so they gave us a new one.  We drove the car straight to Sears to get the oil changed.  It took over three hours.  

I took a nap and James went back to work because he is under a deadline.  Lauro and Bob were both tired and left.  James took Alex and Ben to help hi for awhile.  

At 5:30 we went to pick up my car.  The guys at Sears say I am missing a motor mount but we don't want the to fix it, we will take it to Erik later this month.  

We stop at the Jersey Mike's on Chandler Blvd. for dinner.  We both go to Sam's Club to get gas and then while James goes back to work I go shopping at Walmart for our trip.  

James comes home and says he didn't finish and will have to go back in the morning.  I cannot remember a time he has had to work on Sunday.  He also had to email a bid to Darrel before he could go to bed.  

A picture of Alexis and Michael at a Cross Country meet.  Alexis got first place and Michael got fourth.

 

Friday, October 30, 2015

No pinion picking today,

we are headed to the valley!

Sheri's thoughtful text:

"Casual prayer won't be enough  Reading a few verses of scripture won't be enough.  Doing the minimum of what the Lord asks us won't be enough.  Hoping that we will have the Atonement work in our llives and that we will perhaps sometimes feel the influence of the Holy Ghost won't be enough.  Only a steady ever-increasing effort will allow the Lord to take us to higher ground."

-Pres. Henry B. Eyring

We wanted to leave for the valley by 7am.  It was a little after 7 when we left the first time.  We went back for the book "Rough Stone Rolling", and to turn the water off.  We are off again.  Two miles down the road we have to go back for checks.  Finally we are on our way with no turnarounds!

On the way to Show Low we listen to our scriptures from the New Testament and the Book of Mormon.  We stop in Show Low at Burger King for a potty break and some breakfast.  Back on the road we listen to Cleon Skousen's talk from 1980 on The Atonement.  It is so good!  Sheri recommended it.

 Sheri posted this on Facebook

 As we arrive in the valley we get off on Power Rd. to pick up thyroid pills at Dr. Allen's.  On to Chandler where I drop James off at the job and then I go to the mall for a snack.  I got James a brownie at Barnes and Noble and then I get a cinnamon sugar pretzel at Wetzel Pretzel.  James calls for me to pick him up.

We drive from the jobsite to Security Title to pick up our check from the sale of the house.  Immediately we drive to the bank and deposit it. 

James drops me off at Sheri's where I wait for her and Kim.  We are going for a late lunch.  Sheri decides she can't go to lunch so she leaves to do errands.  It's about 2:30 when Kim picks me up.  We go to Zupa's for lunch.  We both feel so much better after we eat!

Kim drops me off at the Springhill Marriott which is just across the street from Zupa's and the mall.  James has already checked in to room 113.  

James and I both take a nap until a little before five when we start getting ready to pick up Evan and Joshua for the Trunk or Treat in Rowan's ward.

Trina's brother Westley and his wife Lacy and their three little girls went to the Trunk of Treat too.  

Evan's costume was the most fun to put on.  

Baemax strikes again!

I loved Addy's costume.  She wanted to be the Queen of Hearts so Trina told her to look on Pinterest for costume ideas.  Trina came up with this:

The cutest Queen of Hearts

I've ever seen!

 Ruby as Cinderella in the Halloween

Parade at her school.

Rowan as a storm trooper and

Joshua as Master Chief.

 Tinkerbell was afraid her mom

was going to leave her I think.

This was by far the best Trunk or Treat any of us had ever been to.

I think Trina and Darrel belong to the Emerald Bay ward in Gilbert.

They had a bounce house, an inflatable slide, popcorn, and cotton candy, as well as hot chocolate, chili, cornbread and hotdogs.

They had carnival games with cookies and cupcakes for prizes.  After the carnival aspect of the night, the kids got to go around Trunk or Treating.  Here are some pictures:

Lola, Gpa, and Joshua

The cutest couple at the 

Trunk or Treat!

Lola's dinner was a bun,

eaten on the run.

 Lola loves grandpa and he loves her!

Lola making a getaway.

The dance floor was a big hit.

They even had a limbo contest.