Friday, October 19, 2018

Sunday, October 14th, 2018

Rexburg, Idaho
125th operating temple
Dedicated: 10 Feb 2008
By: Thomas S. Monson

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion
DC 21:9
For, behold, I will bless all those who labor in my vineyard with a mighty blessing, and they shall believe on his words, which are given him through me by the Comforter, which manifesteth that Jesus was crucified by sinful men for the sins of the world, yea, for the remission of sins unto the contrite heart.
Book of Mormon
3 Nephi 5:1-19
*What do these verses teach us about forgiveness?
- Forgiveness can be a healing balm for the person who has been offended. Usually those who have gone through the most in regards to trials are also those who have developed empathy and are good listeners and have developed Christlike love. 
When we forgive the person who did us wrong we will find liberty in letting go of the resentment which if not dealt with can turn into contention. Forgiveness is never easy but in the long run will bring peace and contentment.
Old Testament
Jeremiah 19-21
General Conference
Divine Discontent
Michelle D. Craig
"Divine discontent can move us to act in faith, follow the Savior's invitations to do good, and give our lives humbly to Him."




We attended the Whitehouse ward, Tyler, Texas stake, sacrament meeting this morning with Bishop Anderson presiding. The building is located in Bullard, Texas.

Jared gave Charlie a name and a blessing. The following were in the circle: James, Darrel, Albert, and Palmer. 
Jared blessed  Charlie Mae Lambson that she would have a desire for knowledge, a testimony and a love of the Savior, that she would be an example to her family and bring them closer together. He blessed her that she would be strong in the gospel and seek an education and that she would be married in the temple.  He blessed her that she would stay close to her mother and follow her counsel. He blessed her to know that the Savior watches over her and loves her. It was a beautiful blessing and I am so grateful we were able to be here.

There were three speakers in the meeting today. An Aaronic Priesthood youth Madden, Sister Sluder, and Brother Wiseman. 

Madden spoke about the Holy Ghost and although he spoke very fast, he was prepared and did a good job. He ended with this scripture: Moroni 10:7 - And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

Sister Sluder asked us to think of one person who had influenced our life for good. Sister Kempton came to my mind. Can one person really make a difference? I would say yes and could give many examples, Kacey being one. 
Are we an example of the believers? "That thy light may be a standard to the world. Member's examples are the greatest missionaries to the world. 
Do we have His image in our countenance? If we do, people won't need to ask who we believe in or what church we belong to. 

Brother Wiseman quoted from the Proclamation to the World
to stress the point of how we need each other. He shared the story of how he and his wife met and his conversion and baptism. He quoted the Savior from the book of John: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."

After sacrament meeting Kacey had all the family gather in the foyer and her friend took a picture.


 Kacey had more family, most of them coming
from Arkansas,  but Jared's family came further.

Charlie's blessing dress:

Charlie Mae Lambson

Darrel and Trina left after sacrament meeting. They had an assignment to put the ham in the oven. Jared and Kacey taught and fed with Jared's cookies, their Sunday School class of 17 year olds. 
I took Charlie with us to Sunday School where we learned about the teachings of Isaiah. She slept the entire time. 
We sat by an older brother named Bruce Bennett. When he found out we were from Arizona he said he had an old college roommate from Show Low. His name was Jeff Frost. Did we know him? 
Yes, we did. He used to work in my dad's store and his parents, Aut and Jayne were good friends with my grandparents. It's a small world!

After Sunday School Kacey came and got Charlie and she and Jared went home. I think James and I were the only family members who stayed for the entire block. Sister Wood, the Relief Society President, introduced herself to me and then she introduced me in Relief Society. The lesson was from a talk in 2016 by Elder Kevin Duncan on forgiveness.

The family gathered at Jared and Kacey's for lunch. There was ham, baked beans, Kacey's homemade potato salad, salad and rolls. Everything was delicious. For dessert we had brownies by Trina, cookies by Jared, and ice cream by Darrel. We enjoyed visiting with Autumn and her family, and Loren, Kacey's sister, and her husband Albert and their kids Michael, Macey, and McCoy. Michael brought his girlfriend but I can't remember her name.

Since Autumn and Palmer have over a three hour drive back to Arkansas they were the first to leave. Loren and Albert live in the same town as Autumn and Palmer, Benton, and they left before 5.

Jared and Kacey took us to a park for an afternoon walk. The park was beautiful. We did see lots of large daddy long leg like spiders and painted rocks with scriptures on them. I can't remember the name of the park but it is in Tyler. We drove past some gorgeous homes with big beautiful lawns and trees. This really is a beautiful area. The temperature today was 90 degrees and the humidity was 71%. James, Darrel, Trina and I aren't used to the humidity.

This evening we watched more of our home movies.  

Jared and Darrel both have rheumatoid arthritis. Jared was between medications when he moved here and tried to find a doctor. He said there were some days he was pretty miserable. I am so sorry that my boys are afflicted with this disease. 

We said our goodbyes before going to bed as we are getting up at 5am Texas time, which is 3 am Arizona time, to leave for home. National Turf put a stop payment on their check and we need to find out why. We are overdrawn in the Lambson Construction account. 

Charlie was definitely the center of attention today.













Visiting with family
Albert says he is coming to Arizona
to hunt elk. 

 When Charlie has a tummy ache
this is how Jared holds her.



 Path we followed at the park.


 Jared bought Kacey this rug for her
birthday and it is so soft!

 Trina being silly. Darrel even held the
baby but I didn't get a picture. 

 While everyone else was eating, Trina
was holding Charlie.








Thursday, October 18, 2018

Saturday, October 13th, 2018

Helsinki, Finland
124th operating temple
Dedicated: 22 Oct 2006
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion
DC 20:23
He was crucified, died, and rose again the third day;
Book of Mormon
3 Nephi 4:15-33
What do these verses teach about the importance of being prepared at all times, spiritually, physically, and provisionally?
- The Nephites knew that Zemnarihah and his men couldn't make it for long because they weren't prepared. Sometimes the battle is just being able to outlast the enemy. The Nephites had prepared temporally and provisionally and relied on the Lord spiritually to endure and outlast their enemy. 
Old Testament
Jeremiah 16-18
General Conference
For Him
Joy D. Jones
"Knowing the who and the why in serving others helps us understand that the highest manifestation of love is devotion to God."



Overcast and rainy this morning as we relax in Jared and Kacey's home. James kept trying to go out and walk and came in wet twice.

I had planned on getting up early to study but it was 8:00 when I went in to take a shower. Around 8:30 I asked Jared if he didn't think Trina and Darrel should be here. He said, "They came in about 30 minutes ago and they are sleeping in Summer's room."

I knew I had heard someone talking earlier but I did not recognize Trina's voice.

Charlie had an unfortunate incident in her diaper before we left for Scarlett's party in Longview. Jared and Kacey rightfully call it a "blowout."  It took the two of them to clean her up, give her a bath, and change her outfit. 


 Outfit #1
 Right before the "blowout"


 I feel so much better after that "blowout"

Kacey drove their minivan, I sat shotgun, Charlie and Jared in the second row and James and Summer in the back. I told Summer I would ride in the back on the way home. 
The trip was beautifully green with lots of trees. Charlie slept all the way. Kacey was glad because she says Charlie hates riding in the car. 

We were at ramada #4 at Kidview Park. Tanner was the first to greet us and helped Autumn decorate as did Jared. I pointed out to Jared that he had a poop stain on his shirt. After I did it I wished I hadn't because it stressed him out so much. 

We had pizza, cake and drink at the party and we sang happy birthday to Scarlett. She loved her cake!





So fun!



 Writing a message to Scarlett for her to open
on her 18th birthday.
 Kacey's ex-sister-in-law
Kacey realized she had all of her kids together
and took advantage of the opportunity to
take a family photo.

Charlie woke up on the way home and cried so hard she made herself sick. It was so sad. She also strained a blood vessel near her eye. 


 Charlie loves Trina!



Watching old home movies my mom
took when I was young, and some James took
when our kids were young.

Happy Birthday Kevin.
Kevin and Teresa a few years ago.


After a huge rainstorm and tornado warning
we all went out for dinner at Stanley's
BBQ. Kacey was sad because they were
out of ribs. "What BBQ place runs out
of ribs?"






Wednesday, October 17, 2018

Friday, October 12th, 2018

Sacramento, California
123rd operating temple
Dedicated: 3 September 2006
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion
DC 6:37
Behold the wounds which pierced my side, and also the prints of the nails in my hands and feet; be faithful, keep my commandments, and ye shall inherit the kingdom of heaven. Amen.
Book of Mormon
3 Nephi 4:1-14
*How can I prepare to meet my challenges and adversities with the "Strength of the Lord"?
- Through faith, repentance, prayer and gospel study and hard work. Being gathered together in righteousness with others. Being prepared to fight against Satan.
Old Testament
Jeremiah 13-15
General Conference
Believe, Love, Do
Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf
"We achieve the abundant life by becoming true disciples of Jesus Christ - by following in His ways and engaging in His work."



James forgot his meds and I forgot my bra on this trip. I brought my ah-bra but I don't usually wear that in public except when I am traveling. James called CVS and Dr. Moffat and made arrangements to pick up his blood pressure meds. 
Just down the street from CVS was a Walmart where I went shopping. I got what I needed and almost bought a $12 dot journal but I abstained. I don't need another one. 

Snyder is a town of about 11,000 people and is still in the desolate part of Texas. The password for the internet at our hotel was "gocowboys." The Texas accent is alive and well here as demonstrated by my cashier, Ramona, at Walmart. 

As we left Snyder and it's windmills on the hill, it was overcast and cool. We get on the I-20 and pass the exit for Stink Creek. We see signs for Abilene which is "the storybook capital of Texas." As we pass the Taylor county line the scenery is changing from brown to green. There are fields of cotton and maize but there are no mountains. We head for Ft. Worth instead of Abilene. There are rolling hills and big walnut? trees. There seems to be a college in every one of these small towns. The speed limit is 75 most of the time on the freeways. It begins raining and we see a sign: Pecans for sale. Maybe those were pecan trees, not walnut.

Going through the rush hour traffic of Ft. Worth and Dallas really slowed us down. Once we get east of Dallas we take the 49 toll road to Tyler and Whitehouse, 2 1/2 hours away. 

We are finally at Kacey and Jared's! I see a car from Arkansas parked in front and I think it is Autumn's and Palmer's. I am right. We are happy to meet them and Scarlett. 






Beautiful scenery in east Texas

Soon Summer was home. She was wearing scrubs because she works at Jared's office. She is a senior this year and looking forward to graduating on June 1st, the same day that James graduates in San Antonio.

Autumn, Palmer, and Scarlett left to stay at Autumn's dad's in Longview/Hallsville. He has a big house and once Trina and Darrel get here, Kacey and Jared's will be pretty full. We said goodbye and look forward to seeing them tomorrow at Scarlett's 1st birthday party.

Soon Jared was home and we all sat down to a nice meal, Kacey's delicious meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans and Sister Schubert's rolls. I think Charlie stayed asleep until it was time for Kacey to eat. Charlie is so much cuter in person if that is possible!

We enjoyed visiting this evening and going for a walk with Kacey around the block several times while Jared and Charlie watched TV. 

We slept in Tanner's room and the bed was very comfortable. 
We look forward to seeing Darrel and Trina tomorrow. Trina texted me to see if it was cold. They are flying tonight and will arrive in Dallas at 5 am, where they will rent a car and drive to Whitehouse.









Thursday, October 11th, 2018

Newport Beach, California
122nd operating temple
Dedicated: 28 Aug 2005
By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Jesus Christ, Crucifixion
Mosiah 14:5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
Book of Mormon
3 Nephi 3:11-26
*Why did Lachoneus admonish his people to pray? After they prayed what did they do to fortify their lands and possessions?
- He wanted them to repent and be right before the Lord so they could receive His blessings. They gathered together with food and weapons.
Old Testament
Jeremiah 10-12
General Conference
All Must Take upon Them the Name Given of the Father
Elder Paul B. Pieper
The Savior's name has singular and essential power. It is the only name by which salvation is possible.



I love this quote about the Holy Ghost from President Henry B. Eyring: "If you have felt the influence of the Holy Ghost during this day...you may take it as evidence that the Atonement is working in your life." (CES Fireside, Sept 10, 2006).

This quote by Elder Uchtdorf also gives me food for thought:
"The more you trust and rely upon the Spirit, the greater your capacity to create."

This morning was spent getting ready for our trip to Whitehouse, Texas. We had to make a trip into Show Low to pick up our rental car, a white Toyota Corolla. We will get better gas mileage in this car and save Lexy from the wear and tear of traveling. I waited while James picked up the car because he took my driver's license in. 

As I was driving home, after only going three or four miles, I realized I had no gas. When I stopped to turn around James stopped too. He asked what was wrong. When I told him he asked if I wanted him to come with me, of course not, go home and get ready to go.

I filled up Lexy with gas and went through the carwash. We left the house a little after 10:30. We stopped at the post office and asked them to hold our mail. We left the post office at 11:00. Texas, here we come!

The rest of Arizona, New Mexico, and west Texas are pretty desolate. James did see a jaguarundi before we left Arizona.
Is that really a word and is there really an animal?? James says it is and there is. He says it is black and looks like a huge house cat. I wouldn't know, I didn't see it. 

We stopped for gas and lunch at Arby's in Socorro, New Mexico. I forgot, I really don't like Arby's. Their onion rings are very greasy.

After about 10 hours of traveling and losing two hours because of the time difference, we stopped in Snyder, Texas at the Baymont Inn for the night. This is a major truck stop as indicated by the 10 or more semi-trucks parked out in front. I don't care as long as my room is clean and quiet, which it was. We stayed in room 308.

During our driving today we read through "Saints" chapter 15. 

Since we didn't get many steps today James went down to the exercise room to walk. I stayed in our room and walked until I got over 10,000 steps. It was late when we went to bed.




Charlie is such an angel!

I think I could do this one!


 So cute!


My friend Catherine and her friend
Harriet from Oklahoma.