Tuesday, July 23, 2024: Finished "Secret of the Sonnets" & began "Highcliffe House", chills & achiness, lesson, walk, nap, Tom is my bright spot, J working @ home, love learning about covenants

 

Red Cliff, Utah

189th operating temple

Dedicated: 24 Mar 2024

By: Henry B. Eyring

Book of Mormon

Alma 33:1-11

Come Follow Me

Alma 32:17-43 

I exercise faith in Jesus Christ by planting and nourishing His word in my heart. 

"Christ is Risen; Faith in Him Will Move Mountains" President Russell M. Nelson, October 2021 General Conference

1.) Study and become an engaged learner. Learn about miracles 2.) Chose to believe in Jesus Christ and stay faithful. 3.) Act in faith.

4.) Partake of sacred ordinances 5.) Ask in the name of Jesus Christ for help.

April General Conference

"Swallowed Up in the Joy of Christ" Elder Brian K. Taylor

D&C 109:53

53 But inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of thine Anointed.

I finished the book I was listening to, "Secret of the Sonnets," and started another one, "Highcliffe House" by Megan Walker.

It almost feels like I have the flu. I have chills and achiness. I had to take a morning nap before I felt like doing anything. I do this after taking a couple of Tramadol. 

I worked on my lesson and walked and that's about all I accomplished today. It's hard to be accomplished when you don't feel well. Tom is a bright spot for me since I don't have any grandchildren close by.

It was quite warm today and no rain. James is working at home. He graded part of the backyard. I think Paul Peeler is doing some painting at the Hipps's. Otherwise they are just waiting for the roofers. James has contracted Brother Laren Ellsworth to put the roof on. Brother Hipps isn't feeling well so he went and had a Covid test done. No results yet or at least if he got results he hasn't shared them. 

I had 12,000 steps on my phone when I gave it to James to listen to his story while he walked. I really do love learning about the Abrahamic covenant or what is now called the New and Everlasting Covenant. I read an articled from the October 2022 Liahona by President Nelson called "The Everlasting Covenant." So good!

Notes & Quotes

3 Nephi 20:25-27

25 And behold, ye are the children of the prophets; and ye are of the house of Israel; and ye are of the covenant which the Father made with your fathers, saying unto Abraham: And in thy seed shall all of kindreds of the earth be blessed.

26 The Father having raised me up unto you first, and sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; and this because ye are the children of the covenant -

27 And after that ye were blessed then fulfilleth the Father the covenant which he made with Abraham, saying: In thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed - unto the pouring out of the Holy Ghost through me upon the Gentiles, which blessing upon the Gentiles shall make them mighty above all unto the scattering of my people, O house of Israel.

Happy Birthday Summer!

They look more like sisters than

mother and daughter.

Look at those cute bunny feet

Go ahead, call me the Cat Lady

All three lived in Show Low

Carol and Loretta are sisters

Leone was friends with my mom & dad

Beautiful Mt. Montoso

Somewhere in Europe, at a Taylor Swift concert,

probably Munich

Kacey with her sisters and ...

I love how Kacey and her sisters do these

sister trips. It looks like so much fun!

Monday, July 22, 2024: Oh what a beautiful morning, J & I are pretty miserable in spite of the beautiful day, Tom lets me pet him before leaving, mailed our voting ballots, Voted for Mark Lamb, Biden withdraws reelection bid

 

Orem, Utah

188th operating temple

Dedicated: 21 Jan 2024

By: D. Todd Christofferson

Book of Mormon

Alma 32:30-43

Come Follow Me

July 22-28: "Plant This Word in Your Hearts" Alma 32-35

April General Conference

"God's Intent is to Bring You Home" Elder Patrick Kearon

Walk with Him

"Covenant Confidence Through Jesus Christ" Elder Ulisses Soares

O what a beautiful morning, O what a beautiful day! It is a beautiful day but James and I are both pretty miserable. I feel like I have the flu, James said Covid but I ignored him.

Tom headed for the door to go outside this morning and I said to him: "Aren't you even going to let me pet you?" He lays down, and looks up at me. I think he understands me!

We got a little rain today, but not much. I saved working on my blog until evening and then I was too tired to do it. 

I did manage to work on my Relief Society lesson a little. It is based on President Oaks's talk, "Covenants and Responsibilities."

James and I mailed our voting ballots in today. They are due next Tuesday. We voted for Mark Lamb. I didn't know anyone else on the ballot. I hope Mark wins for U.S. Senate. He is running against Kari Lake.

Biden has resigned his bid for re-election. Now it's Kamala Harris against Trump. I don't think she is much better than Biden.

Notes & Quotes

"Inscribed on the front of each temple is a solemn statement: "Holiness to the Lord." These inspired words are a clear invitation that when we enter the Lord's house, we embark on a sacred journey of learning to become higher and holier disciples of Christ."

'Covenant Confidence Through Jesus Christ'

Elder Ulisses Soares

Mason Griffin Templeton

Time flies when you have kids

Is this a joke?

Rowan

Ruby

 Lola

Tom waiting for his prey to come out.

Deanne & Marion Hatch with a granddaughter

 

Sunday, July 21, 2024: Robles family speak in sacrament meeting, Sunday School too much time on Korihor, lunch and nap on recliner, Rain, lightning, thunder, Tom sleeps on my lap, delicious watermelon, love the rain!

 

Lima, Peru Los Olivos

187th operating temple

Dedicated: 14 Jan 2024

By: D. Todd Christofferson

Book of Mormon

Alma 32:14-29

Come Follow Me

Sunday School and Review

April General Conference

"Trust in the Lord" by Elder Paul B. Pieper

D&C 109:53-56

53 But inasmuch as they will repent, thou art gracious and merciful, and wilt turn away thy wrath when thou lookest upon the face of thine Anointed.

54 Have mercy, O Lord, upon all the nations of the earth; have mercy upon the rulers of our land; may those principles, which were so honorably and nobly defended, namely, the Constitution of our land, by our fathers, be established forever.

55 Remember the kings, the princes, the nobles, and the great ones of the earth, and all people, and the churches, all the poor, the needy, and afflicted ones of the earth;

56 That their hearts may be softened when thy servants shall go out from thy house, O Jehovah, to bear testimony of thy name; that their prejudices may give way before the truth, and thy people may obtain favor in the sight of all;

I studied the lesson off and on all night. I am teaching Alma 30-31 which includes Korihor, the Zoramites and their prayer, Alma's prayer, and the "virtue of the word of God." 

The Robles family spoke in sacrament meeting today, all six of them, beginning with Eli who shared his testimony of Joseph Smith. 

Logan is the oldest and the only one not in Primary. Who spoke about being true to the truth. Ethan talked about loving your enemies and Makenzie talked about inviting a friend to church.

Natalie Robles - Talked about intentional parenting using President Nelson's talk from 2015. She reminded us that we should all have the Church magazines because they are free now. Natalie talked about their family going camping and how much they enjoy being out in nature. She also talked about pouring the concrete slab for the home they are building and how many from the ward helped. She said she noticed many ward members being patient with her children and she was very appreciative. She said instead of getting in a hurry she noticed many being patient and helping the way the Savior would help. 

Jacob Robles - Elder Alonso's talk, "Jesus Christ at the Center of Our Lives." Brother Robles told of a time when he got lost at night. This thought came to his mind: When lost, look up, there is always a way back. I was taught by the Lord and was reminded of the Resurrection. Prayer is powerful. We must keep Christ at the center of our lives. I am grateful for all of you. I have never had so many friends. Christ is our light.

Brother Applegate greeted the class and started out by doing an activity on the chalkboard. He asked for the class members to give him ways that Satan tempts us. When he was finished he asked me for my list. I told him that my list was different. It wasn't how does Satan tempt us but how to we overcome Satan. I got these five ideas from a podcast I listened to:

1. Recognize his tactics.

2. Encourage performances of the Church. Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly.

3. Have a testimony based on evidence.

4. Know the truth, know the doctrine.

5. Don't get too involved in anti-Church literature as it appeals to the natural man.

At the end of the lesson, this is how I felt. I spent too much time on Korihor and ran out of time for prayer and "the virtue of the word." 

I did share what I wanted to from President Benson and some of what President Nelson says about the Book of Mormon. If I had it to do over again I would have done the prayer comparison of the Zoramites and Alma and the "virtue of the word of God" first, asking people to share experiences they have had with the word of God. 

I was exhausted when I got home.  and fell asleep on the bedroom recliner after having some lunch. I slept most of the afternoon.

We got more rain today, and lots of it. Tom did not like the thunder. He cuddled up on my lap. I love hearing the rain on the roof and the smell of wet pine trees.

James cut up the watermelon we bought and it is delicious! 

This evening I worked at my desk until I got tired and went to the recliner to take a nap. James woke me up and we had scriptures. 

Notes & Quotes

"Each of us is a beloved spirit son or daughter of a loving Heavenly Father. But while that spiritual genealogy provides a foundation, it does not of itself create a meaningful relationship with God. A relationship can be built only when we choose to trust in Him."

'Trust in the Lord'

Elder Paul B. Pieper

Sweet Scarlett

Charming Charlie

A memory of Lady before she lost

her eyes and eye sight.

Snowflake Reunion

I don't know this guy, but this is a bit much.

Reservation Lake in

the White Mountains of Arizona

One of my very favorite Christmas movies!

"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"

Tom, I think you've outgrown this chair.

Outside view of the rain

Saturday, July 20, 2024: Walked, studied, slept before going to Snowflake w/ Rita, lunch @ LaDon's and then pictures at the high school, Dennis, Denise & Peg, Sue Hubble, Skyler & Kaitlyn, Rain

Okinawa, Japan

186th operating temple

Dedicated: 12 Nov 2023

By: Gary E. Stevenson

Book of Mormon

Alma 32:1-13

Come Follow Me

"The Virtue of the Word of God" by Elder Mark D. Eddy, October 2022 General Conference

April General Conference

"The Powerful, Virtuous Cycle of the Doctrine of Christ" by Elder Dale G. Renlund

D&C 109:52

And if it cannot be otherwise, that the cause of thy people may not fail before thee may thine anger be kindled, and thine indignation fall upon them, that they may be wasted away, both root and branch, from under heaven;

This morning I walked, studied, and slept before getting ready to go to Snowflake. I left my house @ 10:22 and drove in to the Quality Inn in Show Low. Rita said this is where Marion & Deanne are staying. The plan was to meet at the hotel at 11 and all of us drive over to Snowflake together. I got there a little before 11 and saw no one. I texted Rita and told her I was at the hotel in a white Chevy Equinox, parked out front between the highway and the front entrance. This was at 10:55.

I heard back from Rita who was still at her brother Arlee's where she had spent the night: I'm loaded in and about to leave Arlee's. Marion and Deanne went on so they could go to the car show. Be there is a jiffy. Well, it wasn't a jiffy, more like 20 minutes, but she did make it and I followed her to Snowflake. She drives a white Toyota Rav4.

When we got to Snowflake we went the back way in case the parade was still going on. It's a good thing Rita was leading because I would have never found my way to LaDon's, but she took us right there. I guess I could have found it using MapQuest but I was grateful to her for knowing exactly where to go. 

I had gotten a call from Dennis on the way to Snowflake. I had talked to him the other day about coming to the reunion but he said he didn't think he would come.  Denise's mom, Peg is here visiting and she wanted to come down to Snowflake to see some of the historical homes and to go to the arts and crafts show.  She said she would really like to see me. They were just going in to the John Freeman home in downtown Snowflake next to the stake center so I told them I would meet them there.

I explained to Rita and told her I would be back in less than an hour. 

We took some pictures while we were in this pioneer home. One of the women who worked there had the last name of Trezise. I talked to her a few minutes but I don't think she is directly related to Ian's family. Just a coincidence.

Dennis, Peg, and Denise

How nice of Peg to wear Snowflake's

Royal Blue. She said she didn't know.

The four of us went to New York together right after

9/11. I fell and hurt my arm and Peg helped me do

my hair. She was my partner. It was great to see her.

She is 88 years old and in great shape. She just

finished one of her Bucket List items. She has

been to all 50 of the states in the United States.

We said our goodbyes as I went back to LaDon's and they were on their way to the arts and crafts fair at the park. Later Denise sent me this picture:

Dennis graduated from Snowflake in 1972.

I graduated in 1966 so we never went to high

school together.

Back to LaDon's where I thought we were helping her set up for lunch. When I got back everyone, Rita, Deanne, LaDon, Loretta Smithson Willis, were just sitting around in LaDon's living room. I said, "Is this the work crew?" "This is my kind of work." Everyone just laughed. 

LaDon lives in her parents old home. The one she grew up in. It is on the street next to the back of the school. It is a very small, older home. We were going to eat outside in the front yard, but it was too warm. We were a little crowded but it was better than being too hot.

Those who were here for lunch:

Rita, Deanne & Marion, Loretta & Randy, January S. Stratton, Kathy Hunt Brewer, LaDon, Alan Frost and his wife, Bobby & Karen Martineau, Pete & Christ Whipple, Bruce Greco, Anita Slick, Richard Gonzales, Jim & Debbie Reedy and myself. I introduced myself to Debbie Reedy. She said they came all the way from Amarillo, Texas for the reunion. She definitely had a Texas accent.

For lunch we had rolls with roast beef, macaroni salad, potato salad, nacho cheese with colored corn chips and lots of desserts. I had part of a sweet roll for dessert. 

 After lunch we walked across the street to the front of the Stake Academy building and had our class picture taken. My friend Sue Hubble and her two little grand daughters, Skyler and Kaitlyn were waiting for me when I was finished. I gave Sue a hug and Kaitlyn came over and gave me a hug. It was so great to see my dear friend.

After talking to Sue I told Rita I was going home and told her goodbye. I said goodbye to Deanne too. Rita has a motel room in Taylor for tonight so she can stay for the mix and mingle. I needed to get home to work on my lesson for tomorrow.

I had something to eat and fell asleep in the recliner until it was time for James to come in and go to bed. We said prayers together and I stayed up until past midnight to work on the lesson while he went to bed. I'm not going to get much sleep tonight. I guess I can sleep tomorrow afternoon. We got a good rain this evening.

Kacey's post

Western Drug memories

One dazed kitty

Tom taking care of a bug

Friday, July 19, 2024: Up @ 4:45 Let Tom out, James still asleep, J takes his tire to be fixed & other errands, Global Tech outage, 2pm SUHS class lunch @ Eva's, Rain, Tom in,

 

Bangkok, Thailand

185th operating temple

Dedicated: 22 Oct 2023

By: Ronald A. Rasband

Book of Mormon

Alma 31:24-38

Come Follow Me

Alma 31:5-6

Because of Jesus Christ, anyone can change.

April General Conference

"Pray, He Is There" Sister Susan Porter

D&C 109:51

But if they will not, make bare thine arm, O Lord, and redeem that which thou didst appoint a Zion unto thy people.

I got up at 4:45 and let Tom out. James was still asleep.  I said my prayers and studied my scriptures for awhile and then took a Tramadol nap. 

James took his tire in to town to be fixed and ran a couple of other errands. Daryl Johnson was supposed to pay us back today for the money he borrowed to get his car out of repo but he said he couldn't because of the Global Tech Outage. That's funny, I was able to send money through Zelle today. 

At 2:00 we met some of the other members of the Snowflake Union High School graduating class of 1966 at Eva's for lunch. We had out own special banquet room. LaDon Warner was in charge. She had some games for us to play and some cute little handouts. Here are the people who attended: Bobby Martineau and his wife Karen, Deanne & Marion Hatch, Rita Solomon, Jerry & Carol Dunaway, Robert Freeze, Kathy Hunt Brewer, Barry Flake & his wife, Loren & Lina Hatch, Anita Slick, January Smith Stratton, Loretta & Randy Willis, Steve & Ann Broadbent (Steve and Ann are brother and sister), Jim & Debbie Reedy, James and Karen Lambson, Richard Gonzales, Wendell Allen and his wife, and Ladon Warner.

Rita rented a room for tomorrow night in Taylor. She invited me to stay with her. I told her I had to teach Gospel Doctrine. She told me to ask James to teach for me. I asked him but he said he needed more time to prepare. 

We had lightning, thunder, and rain. Tom was ready to come in. 

James finished "The Brooding Baron" and started the book I am reading, "Secret of the Sonnets."