7.15

It all ends.

Harry Potter and my 26th year.

We got a babysitter and E took the afternoon off

to celebrate my 27th birthday

by watching the final Harry Potter.

Hooray for free movies on your birthday!

 The rain ruined our plans to spend the evening outdoors,
so we improvised with
"party games"
AKA torture.
My mom sent edible yumminess for us to enjoy.
To keep it fresh and cold,
the company packed it with 4 ice packs.

So someone in our family came up with this
terrible idea
to see who could keep the freezing ice pack under their head the longest.
It was so cold it burned.
Kyler was so tough and so competitive,
he won this round.

The next challenge was to lay on your stomach
with the icepack on your skin.
Our poor tummies were so red when we were done,
And Kacin triumphed this time.

And then came the foot challenge.
After 20 minutes,
it came down to me and Kyler.
So Eric added another icepack on top of our foot.
Our feet were in pain until
I finally bribed Kyler with 5 Sour Patch candies
to step off
so I could claim a victory.

And this is how my 27th year began.

30 Day Challenge

As a 7-year old,

I read the Book of Mormon by myself for the first time.

My parents taught us that if we wanted to be baptized

into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

when we were 8 years old

we needed to read the Book of Mormon first

to know for ourselves if it is true.

I remember when I finished reading

 I went into my parents walk-in closet

to pray to God

to know for myself if the book was true.

No voices, no visions,

but a feeling of happiness, joy, and peace

filled me.

Some may question a 7 year old--

did you really even understand what you read?

couldn't you just have imagined and felt what you thought

your parents would want you to?

But I did not make it up or can I ever deny what I felt

and what I knew at that moment.

I knew the Book of Mormon was true

and I knew that I should get baptized.

This experience became the foundation of my testimony.

Since that time,

I have read the Book of Mormon many times

and what I knew that day as a 7-year old has been confirmed to me again and again.

But because a testimony does not stand still--

we are always either strengthening it or letting it slip away--

I have also had times of doubt or questioning,

usually when my busy life

got in the way

of saying my prayers and studying the scriptures.

But my testimony

of the gospel and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

is rooted in my testimony of the Book of Mormon.

If I know that the Book of Mormon is true,

then

everything else falls into place . . .

I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet called of God to restore Christ's church in these latter days 

and

I know that there is a Prophet on this earth, President Thomas S. Monson, who leads and guides Christ's church today 

and

I know the gospel and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is true.

At the beginning of June,

I gave myself a challenge

 to do something I've never done before--

read the Book of Mormon in 30 days or less.

It's always taken me a looooong time to read it before 

because I would read a page today, a chapter tomorrow 

and so it went until

 I would finish it eventually--

which is not a bad thing to do.

But I wanted to try something different.

If I can read a book for book club in a month,

why not the Book of Mormon?

This meant about 18 pages per day.

And I'll confess that I'm pretty apt to zone out and

fall

asleep

while reading scriptures.

That sounds terrible, but you know it happens.

So my plan was no more than ten pages at a time

and to keep a notebook and pen in hand

to write down my thoughts or summarize every few verses

to help me stay engaged.

What also helped me

was to wake up 15 min. earlier than usual to read before exercising

and then to use any other spare minutes in the day to read.

I simply had to make it a priority.

And carry my Book of Mormon everywhere--

in the car, to the park, etc.

If I missed a day,

I made time to read even more the next day.

So

at the end of 30 days . . .

I still wasn't done.

But sometimes you have to make allowances,

and so

I finished in 32 days!!

I had such a powerful experience

reading the Book of Mormon.

I know that it testifies of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I know that we can develop

a personal relationship with Christ by reading this book.

I was basically happy with my life before I started this challenge,

but I was much, much happier and felt peace and strength

each day that I read and studied.

I gained personal insights and my understanding grew,

especially as I kept my notebook nearby

and jotted down things that stood out to me.

I know that our Heavenly Father loves each of us--no matter what.

I know that there is a purpose for our life here on Earth

and there is a plan to help us be happy

and to return to our Father in Heaven.

I know that through the atonement of our Savior and Redeemer,

even Jesus Christ,

we can repent and we can be healed.

   I wish everyone could read this book with a sincere heart 

and feel and know of its truthfulness.

Because it is true,

undeniably true.

Now my challenge is to continue to study this book

more often than I have in the past

and to be more diligent in reading all of the scriptures.

The Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine & Covenants, the Pearl of Great Price, and the words of living prophets and apostles complement each other

and invite us all to come unto Christ and to learn of Him.

*The Book of Mormon here.

Playland Tour

When my children grow up
and look back on their childhood,
they will either think their mother was
brilliant, genius, and awesome
or
totally cuckoo and completely nuts.
I had plans to get out today and enjoy this cool park in the area.
But
the
weather is
icky.
Muy
yuck.
Instead of a day in the sun,
it was a day under the golden arches--
A McDonald's Playland Tour!

I like McDonalds about as much as I like cleaning the bathroom
blech blech blech
but the fact that I could bring a book along on this outing
was very appealing to me.
I grabbed handfuls of change from the jar
(one cuckoo part of my motherness . . .)
and we went on a progressive playland tour.
We ended up spending almost 3 hours
(including driving time and a quick trip to the store)
at 3 different McDonald's.
At the first McD's, we counted out our coins for cheeseburgers.
At the next McDonald's, we ordered up some fries.
At the last McD's, we tried out a parfait.
At the end, we voted on our favorite playland.
And I had finished half of my book.
A golden afternoon under those golden arches!

Stylish Wheels

Lookin' good behind this wheel.

A smooth ride for a little boy with smooth moves.
I didn't get the picture,
but we all noticed
when he was driving around
with one hand on the wheel
and the other arm around Kiera.

Farmers Market

tasting honey + shaved ice + tossing money to a street musician + kettle corn + apples=
Farmers market 

Royalty

Once upon a time,
a little girl visited two little boys
and they all entered a land of pretend.

Each accompanied by a stuffed friend,

they hired a master felt-crown maker
and arranged their treasured jewels
in the most stunning of designs.

Now known to all as
Princess, Prince, and King

they set off on a journey
slaying dragons and exploring new lands

without ever leaving the backyard.

Cousin Josh and KT

Ahh, newlyweds.
They are just so cute.
And so excited about marriage and life.
Not that I'm not,
but you know how it is--
It's just so refreshing to see young love.
Eric's cousin Josh and his wife Katie
had a day in Seattle at the end of their honeymoon.
When they got off their cruise ship,
we were thrilled to spend the day with them
catching up, church, BBQing, playing Settlers and going on a walk.
We are so happy for them
and their decision to marry in the temple.
I know their decision has already brought them so much joy.
We hope it's not too long before we see them again!