Home again...

Well for several weeks we have been traveling the roads of Utah, Nevada, and New Mexico! Not to mention the states we drove through just to make it there! Four Corners Monument, Zion's National Park, the Dolphin Habitat at the Mirage Hotel, Ka -the Cirque du Soleil show, the Bradshaw family RODEO reunion, Temple Square, the Roof restaurant, L&L's in Provo, EFY, Youth Conference at Wasatch Academy, Boondock's, and much much more! We stayed with family throughout the trip and enjoyed visiting with many of our old friends. We made some new friends along the way and enjoyed being back 'home' in Utah for a few weeks. We experienced some snow while we were visiting in Utah as well as some pretty hot temperatures in Las Vegas. The kids went swimming with Lucie (a very large happy golden lab) and got attached to my mother's maltese - Nikki. Relay races in Alpine and bon fires and smores. We'll definitely have many many memories of our summer vacation out West!

Dressed in white...

On Saturday Jessica was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in Woods Cross Utah! Gathered for the service were many family and friends who came from as far away as Hawaii to be there for Jessica's baptism! Lil Lisa played the piano for her service. Kenny gave a talk on receiving the Holy Ghost and her cousins sang the primary song "When I am Baptized" for a musical number! Jessica said it was one of the best days of her life! We hope she will always remember her special day! We are so proud of Jessica's decision to be baptized!

A mother's day tribute...

Lisa was asked to give a talk yesterday in church on Being & Setting Good Examples. She did a great job and her talk warmed my heart! Thanks Lisa for a very special Mother's day! I love you...

Talk: I’d like to thank Bro. Johnson for asking me to speak today for Mother’s Day. It has been such a great week! My mom has been sooooo nice hoping that I won’t say anything bad about her today in my talk! Well... unfortunately it didn’t work and the main focus of my talk today is in fact, my Mom.

Elder M. Russell Ballard once said “Just as it is difficult for a weary sailor to find his way across uncharted seas without the aid of a compass, it is almost impossible for children and youth to find their way through the seas of life without the guiding light of a good example.”

My mom is this guiding light. She has set a powerful, personal example of righteous strength, courage, sacrifice, unselfish service, and self-control. These are the traits that have helped me to hold on to the iron rod of the gospel and remain on the straight and narrow path.

My mom strengthens our home and family through her example.

Take for instance my recent driving lesson. I didn’t realize at the time that my foot was actually on the gas peddle and not the brake. With my mom by my side and after my ears stopped ringing from the high pitched screaming, I was able to learn the difference between maintaining a calm demeanor during an emergency and how not to over react. My mother never hesitates to teach me even when it is her own misstep that is used as the example to learn from.

President James E. Faust once said that “More often than not, sharing the gospel is not done on the stage with some public pronouncement, but in the example of righteousness and the countless gentle acts of love and kindness done so willingly, so often on a one-to-one basis.”

My mom teaches those around her about the gospel through her example.

When we first moved here there were many of our neighbors and school friends who knew nothing of the gospel and if they did know something it was most often incorrect or misguided. One of the things she said to me is that “they won’t always remember what we said about the church but they will always remember what we do.” She taught me that those we don’t see watching us are the ones who learn the most about the church from our example.

Most importantly, my mom is teaching me to follow Christ’s example.

In 1 Peter 2:21 we read, for even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: Christ was the ultimate example.

President Ezra Taft Benson said about Christ’s marvelous example: “Nearly two thousand years ago a perfect Man walked the earth—Jesus the Christ. … In His life, all the virtues were lived and kept in perfect balance; He taught men truth—that they might be free; His example and precepts provide the great standard—the only sure way—for all mankind”

I imagine Christ to be a pretty amazing person. Strong, kind, caring, and thoughtful. I’ve learned that He lost his temper once in a temple. And that He once wondered why Heavenly Father had forsaken him. But most of all I’ve learned that He never gave up through his trials and He never lost sight of his mission here on earth no matter how hungry he got after fasting for 40 whole days.

I’ve seen my mom give up the last bit of Chocolate brownie fudge ice cream to one of us even when I knew she deserved every bit of it because of the kind of day she was having.

I’ve seen her survive on little to no sleep to accomplish a goal of another or serve someone in need even when the piles of stuff that need to be done at home go helplessly unnoticed.

I’ve seen her take time to help a stranger. To give to the needy. And to smile at a friend.

CONCLUSION: I am truly grateful for my mom and her example. This week has been a good week. Speaking today worked out really well for me and I want the Bishop to know that I am available for Father’s Day if they need someone.

Bear testimony...

Honor rolls and Straight A's

For another three straight semesters both Kenny and Jessica have received straight A's in school! Jessica was tested for reading comprehension this week and her teacher sent home a note saying that she is reading at a 5.9 grade level! She also made the most Accelerated Reading points for the entire Second grade! Her score was a 93 and the next highest reader below her was 57! Kenny tested second highest in his 4th grade level and it worked out pretty well since his best friend Joe made first! No hard feelings there! Lisa brought home a 4.1 gpa for her first semester (gotta love those weighted classes) and if she keeps her grades up for 10 more days she will have a 4.5by the end of her freshman year at Baker High School! Way to go kids! Keep up the great work!

A very sick puppy

Arnold came home sick from work one day complaining of fatigue and congestion. We put him to bed and hoped he would get some rest. Ten days later we were in the doctor's office getting a diagnosis. If you can believe it...we've lived here over three years and this is the first time we needed a Family doctor for Arnold. We called several offices and none would see us sooner than two weeks for "NEW" patients. They recommended we go to the ER but Arnold refused. Luckily I play Bunco monthly with a group of ladies in my neighborhood. One of them, Thamory, has a husband who is a doctor here in Mobile. A couple of phone calls later and we had an appointment that afternoon! Once we got to the office the doctor gave us the bad news. Arnold was not well at all. The doctor said he had two middle ear infections. A swollen throat. Fluid in his lungs. Bronchitis. And overall weakness and fatigue. He was told to take the next few shifts of work off and to stay on medication and bed rest for the next several days. In all the time Arnold has worked for Chevron (16 years this year) he has never called in late or sick. Now that's some record! I hated to break it, but doctor's orders. The guys at work couldn't believe it! I guess neither could we. A few days later Arnold still wasn't feeling up to par so we booked another appointment and went in a second time to see how he was doing. After a shot and another dose of reality the doctor proclaimed that Arnold indeed had been a "very sick puppy" and that we were lucky to get him in to see the doctor when we did. After that bit of information sunk in I realized all the time I spend doing things on my own and leading somewhat of a very independent life I don't think I would want to live it without him. Thanks goodness for neighbors married to doctors, 24 hour pharmacies, and cures for very sick puppies.

Pen Pals at Lee Primary

Jessica and her 2nd grade class traveled to lee Primay elementary school in Satsuma, Alabama today to meet the pen pals they have been writing to all year! It was fun to finally see them paired up with the friends they have been corresponding with via mail. As parents we are always amazed at how well the classes are paired up (Kenny did the same project when he was in Ms. Nik's class two years ago) Jessica and her penpal both had pigtails. JT and his buddy both wore hoodies. Maleah and her new friend both had long curly hair. And Karoline and her pen pal both wore pink bows in their hair! What fun!

USA Engineering program

Kenny and his Webelos I group traveled to USA campus to attend an Engineering workshop after school one day. USA is the Universtiy of South Alabama located here in Mobile. The scouts learned about gravity, how to make an electrical connection, how to create soap, they made gumdrops, and received their Engineering pin after the workshop was complete! Kenny is now only one pin away from receiving his Arrow of Light award!

Patriotic Program

Jessica participated in a Patriotic program for our Spring PTA meeting. The entire second grade gathered together in the gym to sing songs and to tell about all they have learned this year in school. With the threat of budget cuts taking our Music and Art teachers away next year I am so glad we had the opportunity to host the program.

A day in history...

Jessica and I spent the day in downtown Mobile for her 2nd grade class field trip. We toured the Museum of Mobile and saw the inside of an old fort. I am amazed at the rich history our town has. Its hard to believe how things use to be here in the South compared to how they are now.

My how times have changed...

There was a time when Kenny was small enough to fit in my arms. Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined that in a blink of an eye Kenny would be 10 years old living as all 10 year old boys do! I have to hold my breath at times and count slowly to ten when I am approached with ideas of "mayhem and madness". But when all is said I done, I have to be grateful for a son who still enjoys a good game of 'war', still brings me flowers from the garden, and still lets me tuck him in to bed at night. Thank goodness for little boys!

Let the good times roll...

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) 2008 came a bit early this year but we still managed to take in a few parades! The Mobile Mystics Krewe proved to be very generous with their throws this year at their Saturday afternoon parade. Nerf footballs, stuffed seals, t-shirts, and our favorite...moon pies! I still haven't figured out if it was because we braved the rain that chilly afternoon or that we were the only ones on the West side of the street during that portion of the parade. It may have even been Lisa and her cute group of teenage friends that caused all the commotion that day. But whatever the case may be...we had a fun time, collected a few hundred more beads, and went home pretty happy! "Laissez le bon tempts rouler!” (Cajun for 'Let the Good Times Roll!')

Piano recital...

The end of the year marked Jessica's first Piano recital! Having started in July we were excited to see her perform for the very first time! Pictured is Jessica, Kenny and Lisa with their Piano teacher. Each child played three songs with one being a duet with the instructor.

A trip to Montgomery, Alabama...

The fourth graders at Kenny's school have a tradition of traveling to the State Capital in Montgomery and spending the day touring Historic sites that make up the tradition and culture of the state of Alabama. I was lucky enough to be able to go along as a chaperone and take in the sites of places I have only heard about and never seen in person. From the place where Rosa Parks got on the bus and changed history forever, to the steps of the capitol where the Confederacy came to an end. Walking down the same road Martin Luther King, Jr. led the infamous march to the capital gave each of us a new perspective on the history we have here in the South. Pictured here are Kenny and a group of his friends standing in front of the Eternal Flame monument built in honor of fallen ward heroes.

A bit of Christmas cheer...

When you least expect it the teenagers of the world can certainly surprise you! We scheduled a Christmas caroling trip to a retirement home near our church. All the youth and their parents were invited to join us! We had a tremendous turnout and the residents at the Cogburn Health Facility enjoyed a bit of Christmas in the halls of their home! Most of the residents were bed ridden. Only a few could get around by wheelchairs. So instead of them coming to us we took our show on the 'road' and caroled up and down each wing of the home until each resident had a carol sung by their doorway! I don't know if it was just the large group of youth we had with us that night or the acoustics from the hallway but I could've sworn we had a choir of angels singing with us!

Christmas with the Nikolakis's...

Seventeen years ago Jessica's teacher Ms. Nik lost her father on Christmas day due to a stroke. She was a junior in high school then and since that year Ms. Nik, her mother, Ms. Peggy and her brother, Mr. Johnny have traveled out of state on vacation for Christmas. Not being able to stay at home for the holidays because it proved to be too painful at first and then continuing the tradition because it was something they enjoyed doing. This year however Ms. Nik took in a young boy in her class named J.T. as a foster child and because of him they decided to stay at home for Christmas.

We were invited to their home early Christmas morning before we went to the homeless shelter. We opened presents and had a wonderful southern breakfast of grits, sausage and eggs! Kenny and Jessica kept J.T. company and Ms. Peggy found the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on satellite for us to listen to while we opened some presents. What more could I have asked for?

Jessica and JT are very good friends at school and Kenny loves having a younger "brother" to play with. It was a fun morning for all of us and we enjoyed being around friends who hadn't been home for a Christmas morning that was full of excitement and joy for a very long time.