Unintended Missionary Moment

Please take time to read this article about a woman who was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints after a misdirected voice mail. It's really neat!

Woot, Woot!

I think "woot, woot" is funny. It's something you don't say in every day life, just online life. I conducted an experiement on my kids, who have a shortage of short-term memory storage and wouldn't remember the following exercise in linguistics. So, in Scientific Method style, here we go.


Observation: "Woot, woot is only said online, not in person.
Hypothesis: "Woot, woot" is the online way to "high-five" and awkward if said in person.
Prediction: Saying, "woot, woot" in person would not be well-received.
Experiement: I celebrated an acheivement by saying, "woot, woot."
Conclusion: My kids looked at me like I had two heads. That look is why we don't say it. It's kinda weird. But perfectly acceptable to write in blogs. Or on Facebook. But not in line at the Post Office. "Sending a package to San Deigo? I LOVE San Diego! Woot, woot!" Again, the two-heads look, and the package is clutched a little tighter.

So let's have a "woot, woot." Just not in person.

All I Want for Christmas...

When asking Pierce what he wants for Christmas, he's been pretty consistent saying, “A scooter and Bakugans.” Until yesterday. He's been playing with a rope we normally keep in our 72-hour kit but was taken out for a scout activity (I'm over the Webelos in our ward). He loves being tied up in it, throwing it around, tying up Caroline, tying up toys and dropping them over the banister...you get the idea. Dan told him to put his rope back in the garage- he was so sad! Later when Dan asked Pierce what he wanted for Christmas, Pierce quickly replied, “A rope.”


Consider it done, cowboy.

Pete and Repeat

My CD player is stuck on repeat. It's not broken, I just can't figure out how to turn it off. There isn't an obvious button that says, "REPEAT." How did it happen in the first place? I have kids, remember? They touched something, and now one song will repeat. I've thought about having them mess around with it again, but that's inviting Trouble, an unwelcome guest that doesn't need to be welcomed with desperate and insane arms. Not yet. Just get the manual? Yes, well, that one is most likely in those boxes still sitting in the garage, waiting patiently to be unpacked. No, I think I'll just randomly push a sequence of buttons until the "REPEAT" goes off. It might be something really complicated like "push 5 while holding down the 'PLAY' button, while singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town.' Loudly. Ignore stares of confused and scared children. Repeat three times."


I'll get it figured out. I'll get it figured out. I'll get it figured out...I'm officially crazy. KIDS! I need your help...

My Miracle

My laptop has been resurrected. After the milk dumping incident, I was beside myself, grieving for the loss of pictures and data.  And access to the internet. Mostly the loss of my pictures.  So I had the kids kneel down and we all said prayers asking Heavenly Father to restore my laptop long enough to retrieve and back up our files.  And He did. I'm still in the process of backing up files, but all of our pictures have been backed up.  Lesson learned on that one.  Ok, lessons.
                   1. Don't leave the laptop next to milk. Ever.
                   2. Back up all photos. Always.
                   3. Tie up Caroline Make sure children are not left unsupervised around laptop.
                   4. Prayer works.

If I suddenly go offline, it's because my files have been backed up. But let's hope, no pray, for the best.

Tragedy Strikes

What goes on in the mind of a two-year-old I'll never know, but all I know is, my laptop is dead at the hand of Caroline. Did she see my computer and think, "It looks thirsty. I'll give it a drink," and that's when she poured milk over the whole thing? Or did my computer spontaneously combust and she put the flames out with milk? Maybe, oh, I don't know. I found my laptop dying in a pool of milk, with Caroline as the perpetrator.  No more computer.  No more camera, either, because I dropped it when we were moving. While we're on it, my piano has decided that the "D" note an octave below middle "C" needs to be 3x louder than all the other notes. These things happen in three's, right? I'm just happy it's not four's. Or five's. Counting my blessings...

*I'd like to thank Dan for the use of his laptop. I miss mine. RIP.

Hold to the Rod

Warning! This is a serious post! Feel free to navigate away now...
Consider this my "Monday Morning Devotional."

President David O. Mckay said, “If you have lived true to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and continue to do so, happiness will fill your soul. If you vary from it and become conscious that you have fallen short of what you know is right, you are going to be unhappy...”. My first experience with following the influence of the Spirit occurred in my youth and actually happened to my sister. We were on our annual fishing trip to Henry's Lake in Idaho and it was my sister's turn to take the fishing pole. As she was fishing, she related to us that “something said, 'Hold on,' so I did,” and seconds later she reeled in a fish. I was really struck by that incident, for several reasons, one being that Heavenly Father was aware of us; two, that he sent the Holy Ghost to speak to my sister; and three, she listened. It seemed so insignificant- a small girl fishing- but as I was reflecting on this experience, I realized that my sister was told to hold to the rod, which she did, and was thus rewarded. And so it is with all of us. We have been told to hold to the rod in order to receive our reward of eternal life, and if we listen, the Spirit will continue to point us toward our heavenly home, and give us reminders to “hold on.”

Follow the influence of the Spirit, and as you do so, do not doubt. Remember the scripture from Doctrine and Covenants 6:23, “Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter?What greater witness can you have than from God?”. The Lord will lead us on the right path, and as we follow that great compass, the Spirit, we will feel a happiness and a peace that we would not have had we chosen not to follow. We must live as Nephi did, who said, “I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded...”. As we are led by the Spirit, we will ensure our taking the right path to return home, for that is our goal- to receive the gift of eternal life, to live in the presence of our Father, with aid from the Holy Spirit. I know that as we follow the Spirit, we will be filled with light, knowledge, and love from on High. And in those moments when we begin to let go of the rod, the Spirit will be there to whisper, “Hold on.”