Sun, Feb 14, 2021: Snow day, no Church, Tom Howard passes away, Valentine's Day, Arizona's birthday, Charlie, Our celebration

Star Valley, Wyoming

154th operating temple

Dedicated: 30 Oct 2016

By: David A. Bednar

Jesus Christ, Mission of 

D&C 45:52

Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 6:8-7:11

"Come Follow Me"

Review D&C 12-13, JS-H 1:66-75 "Upon You My Fellow Servants"

OctGenCon

'Keep the Change'

Sister Becky Craven

Second Counselor in the Young Women General Presidency

In the shade of gospel branches, we enjoy many blessings associated with our covenants. Some may have fallen from the safety of their covenants and need our help climbing back into the security of gospel branches. It can be difficult for them to come back on their own. Can we gently tug a little here and hoist up a little there to help them heal while they enjoy our friendship?

Restoration Proclamation

P9 S3

We testify that those who prayerfully study the message of the Restoration and act in faith will be blessed to gain their own witness of its divinity and of its purpose to prepare the world for the promised Second Coming of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The Living Christ

P1 S1

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice.

A foot of snow on the ground this morning. We are snowed in. There will be no church meetings at the Vernon ward today. Jared and Kacey are in the same situation as church is cancelled in Texas because of a huge ice storm.

James texted the bishop this morning to ask if he could administer the sacrament but the bishop never replied. I guess he was busy with the Howard's. Tom passed away this morning and I know the bishop and his family spent time with the Howard's, taking them dinner, having family prayer with them and giving Jean a blessing.

Jean is not accepting that Tom is gone. It is not a reality to her yet because he has been in the hospital so long she thinks he is still there.

James said when he went out to feed Luna she was prancing around and kicking, running in circles, bucking, and rolling in the snow. I guess she likes it.

Happy Valentine's Day!

James gave me a pair of earrings for Valentine's day and I gave him a cute card and lots of dark chocolate, but more importantly we spent the day together.

I made these lava cakes for a Valentine dessert

but ended up not liking them and threw them out.

I love these standup cards. James and I are having

herbal tea, I'm having a sweet treat with mine.

Just like real life.

I also got him dark chocolate covered hazelnuts,

Nestle dark chocolate Treasures with almonds and

chocolate covered almonds.

James got me these beautiful earrings.

All day long I kept thinking about making

a strawberry cake. I finally caved and here it is.

It was delicious only James won't eat any of it

because it's not chocolate.

We watched Brother Halverson teach "Come Follow Me" and then watched a Hallmark Valentine movie, "Playing Cupid" which we both enjoyed. We also watched the last two episodes of season 3 of Anne with an E only to realize that was the end of the series. Gilbert and Anne finally get together and Anne finds a scrapbook all about her mom and dad. We sure wish there was a season 4.

James made me some chocolate covered strawberries and they were delicious!

We talked with Jared, Kacey, and Charlie on FaceTime. They are lucky to still have their electricity on. Some 2.5 million people in Texas are without electricity. Jared put the electricity to good use and made homemade cinnamon rolls.

Kim and Trina both wished us a Happy Valentine's day.  

My index total is now 2, 535. Happy Day!

 

A special Valentine dinner of:

Lemon chicken salad, rice, rolls and a

chocolate torte. Yum!!

 

Sat, Feb 13th, 2021: Fort Collins Temple, Cold and wind, Deliver Valentines and Legos to Grapp's, Cassie calls me about Jean and Tom, Snow

 

Fort Collins, Colorado

153rd operating temple

Dedicated: 16 Oct 2016

By: Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Jesus Christ, Mission of

Zechariah 13:6

And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 5:26-6:7

"Come Follow Me"

Learn More and Family Home Evening and Family Scripture Study

OctGenCon

'By Union of Feeling We Obtain Power With God'

Sister Sharon Eubank

First Counselor in the Relief Society General Presidency

Unity doesn't magically happen; it takes work. It's messy, sometimes uncomfortable, and happens gradually when we clear away the bad as fast as the good can grow.

We are never alone in our efforts to create unity. Jacob 5 says, "The servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them."

Each of us is going to have deeply wounding experiences, things that should never happen. Each of us will also, at various times, allow pride and loftiness to corrup the fruit we bear. But Jesus Christ is our Savior in all things. His power reaches to the very bottom and is reliably there for us when we call on Him. We all beg for mercy for our sins and failures. He freely gives it. And He asks us if we can give that same mercy and understanding to each other.

Jesus put it bluntly: "Be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine." But if we are one - if we can spare a piece of our pie or fit our individual talents so the boat can swing in perfect unison - then we are His. And He will help clear away the bad as fast as the good does grow.

Restoration Proclamation

P9 S2

We affirm that God is making known His will for His beloved sons and daughters.

Ensign

Forgiveness

Neil L. Andersen

Anthony has Covid. Pierce went out last night and took his ivermectin, which is a medicine for horses to treat worms, and gave Anthony a dose along with some candy to make it go down easier. He also took him some dinner, chicken salad. Anthony said he thought he had lost his sense of taste but the chicken salad tasted really good. He is also taking all the vitamins Jerry Scott told us to take, D3, Zinc, Vitamin C, potassium, and magnesium and Vitamin K2. I have been taking these vitamins very faithfully everyday.

I got my results for my second Covid test, Negative again! Now that I know I am negative I can reschedule my infusion appointment and my appointment with Sonoran Spine. I do still have a cough so I may wait a few more days. 

I got a call from the Howard's granddaughter, Cassie this morning. She is staying with Jean. She said none of them are quarantined any longer and was wondering if I wanted to come and sit with Jean. I told her I would love to but that I have a cough and would not want to make any of them sick. She said that was probably best. A few minutes later she called me back and said the hospital had called. They are taking Tom off the ventilator and they won't be putting him back on. They said that Jean and one other person could come and sit with him after he was off the ventilator. I know that Jean has been wanting to see him which will be good, but I worry how he will do when he's not on the ventilator. Last time they took him off he started aspirating. Our thoughts and prayers are with him.

It was cold and windy today. A storm is coming in tonight. This morning I wrapped Benson's Legos and got their Valentine's ready. Cammy said it would be best if I could bring them over later this afternoon. James went out to work on the fence around 4:30 and said he would be back in by six. It was actually five o'clock when he came in saying it was too cold to work. He went immediately and crawled into bed, turning on his heating pad. I had him get up around 5:30 and we went to deliver gifts to the Grapp's.

It  started snowing as we got to the middle of Vernon and snowed all of the way to the Grapp's. Tildy was waiting for us out at the gate and she was soaking wet. James helped her carry everything in the house. I waited in the car wrapped in my blanket. After a few minutes, James came out carrying two pieces of pecan pie and a loaf of banana nut bread. It's snowing pretty hard now.

It snows on us all the way home. When we left there was no snow at home but when we returned the ground was covered. We listened to our boo, "Fortune Cookie" there and back. We are in the final chapters and we think we know who the bad guys are, but we can't be sure. 

The pecan pie is divine, the best I've ever had. Cammy says that Benson made it. I love that she is teaching her kids to bake like she does. The banana nut bread was delicious too and I asked for both recipes. 

We finished walking and then watched a couple of episodes of "Anne with an E." We are almost at the end of season 3 and Anne is graduating from high school and getting ready to go to college. She realizes that she is in love with Gilbert Blythe.

Cute movie!

Ben goes through the Gilbert temple

Trenda's baby

Grapp's gifts

Benson loves Legos!

 

Fri, Feb 12, 2021: Philadelphia Temple, James visits Anthony, Taylor Walmart, Legos, Valentines, Trina's 38th Birthday, Christina's kids,

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

152nd operating temple

Dedicated: 18 Sept 2016

By: Henry B. Eyring

Jesus Christ, Mission of

Moses 1:39 - Immortality

For behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Book of Mormon

2 Nephi 5:10-25

"Come Follow Me"

Ordinances give me access to God's power.

OctGenCon

'God Will Do Something Unimaginable'

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

How many times in the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints did the Saints despair and wonder if God had forgotten them? But through persecutions, perils, and threats of extermination, the Lord God of Israel had something else in mind for His little flock. Something unimaginable.

Restoration Proclamation

P9 S1

With reverence and gratitude, we as His Apostles invite all to know-as we do-that the heavens are open.

I braised a roast and then put it in the crockpot this morning. I added onion, celery, and carrots, no potatoes. I was going to make mashed potatoes but ended up using some small red and yellow potatoes that I microwaved and seasoned before adding them. It will be ready to eat by the time I get home from my shopping trip to Taylor this afternoon.

I downloaded the Valentine tags I bought from Marci Coombs this morning. Here is what they look like:

These go with the Flippin tag.

No one had any of these except

Fry's. I should have gotten more when

I was there.

The Taylor Walmart shopping experience was a step above Show Low. Shopping at Show Low makes me want to pull my hair out. The shelves are bare and the workers are always pushing around big carts of boxes and you have to dodge them. There are way too many shoppers and by the time I am finished I am a bundle of nerves.

There were no Legos at all at the Show Low Walmart. Taylor had an entire aisle filled with Lego sets. There were so many to choose from. I sent pictures to Benson's mom to ask which one he would like. She finally decided that one that he could make something from his imagination rather than a set. This is the one I ended up buying:

There were a lot of people shopping and most of the Valentine goodies were gone. As I was checking out I grabbed myself a corndog to eat on the way home. As I was eating it I chipped one of my front teeth off. This is the third one. How embarrassing. Pierce can't help me for at least two weeks because he is quarantined because of his sister-in-law Vicky.

James visited Anthony this morning. He took him some roast, rolls, a burrito, and an oxygen meter. Anthony was in good spirits because he says he knows that he has great friends who care about him. Pierce took him food last night. James took hand sanitizer and Listerine to use after seeing Anthony. 

Kathy Crane had an angioplasty today, performed by Dr. Memon, James's heart doctor. Here is what she said:

Dr. Memon said 99.9% of my main artery was blocked. He put a stent in. They call it the widowmaker. He feels I should have no more stomach episodes.

Dr. Memon has now done surgery on James, Chuck, and Kathy. I wonder if I am next.

James loved the roast but since he throat surgery he has a hard time swallowing meat. We watched "Anne with an E" this evening. We are really enjoying the series.

I did not indexing today but will make up for it tomorrow. My goal for the month of February is 5,000.

Today was Trina's 38th birthday. She went hiking, went on a bike ride and just enjoyed a day of beautiful weather with family and friends.