Friday, October 2, 2020

Focusing on What I CAN Do

Picture by Kayli

I was just trying to come up with questions that I should be looking for the answer to at General Conference, and during prayers, and just generally as I study.  The problem?  I am gifted at coming up with what I don't know, or what I don't do well and might need help with, and after a while I start to feel depressed.  Perfection is such a long way off, and I forget it's not required.  Thankfully, I was gifted with remembering what I learned last conference from President Nelson!  

"...the joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives."

So, I decided to focus on what I can do -- at least for tonight -- and I am feeling a LOT more motivated to do good things now than I was when I was trying to think of all the things I needed to work on and what question I might need to ask about them!  

Here's my list:

I can use my writing to lift others

I can create letters and poems to inspire others

I can create songs that share faith and joy

I can listen

I can use my time to help others

I can speak kind words

I can create beauty

I can share what I learn

I can call people

I can plan get togethers

I can play games with my family

I can walk with others 

I can communicate through Marco Polos and texts

I can look, and find things that I can make better

I can make gifts, and buy gifts

I can create stories

I can do puppet shows

I can dance

I can laugh

I can share my gratitude

I can watch shows with my family

I can notice those around me

I can create order

I can clean

I can read

I can memorize inspirational things

I can pray for others and for myself

I can spend time with Heavenly Father

I can repent

I can forgive

I can smile

I can hope

I can love

Thursday, October 1, 2020

My Happy Birthday!

 I had a good few days of celebrating my birthday.  I always try to plan what I want to do, and I sometimes buy myself a gift or three, and I also am spoiled by my wonderful family and friends!

Birthday Celebration Day 1 -- Jenny's birthday

I started out sending Jenny a happy birthday Marco Polo which included my lovely bed head hair and me not being so sure I wanted to go on the hike I planned.  However, I had decided that if we bought some good snacks that I wanted, and I took some water, it would probably be fine.

Derek bought me flowers while we were at the store getting snacks.  I somehow forgot to take a picture of them before they wilted a bit, but they are still very beautiful!
This is a part of the trail that we took up to the pine forest.
It is very pretty up there, and once we got to the pine forest, we started collecting pine cones for an activity I wanted to do later.
Trisa took a lot of the pictures for this post, and Tia took the rest. (Other than the flowers that I took a minute before posting it).

It was a beautiful, beautiful day as you can see.  I was afraid it would be too cold, but it was actually a bit hot by the time we were headed down (which is lots better than being hot when we headed up!)
I'm not sure why Derek has Teddy by the tail, but that is his arm, and Kayli is standing by her dog.
I am on the left wearing the shirt my sister Tina sent me for my birthday.  Then Derek, holding Teddy's tail, and then Kayli.
This is Tia and Mike.  Chewy is behind Tia.  Mike was pitching pine cones for Tia to hit.
Here is Tia again.  I suspect she had just been hitting a pine cone.
This is my happy hiking buddies and me.  Mike, Tia, Trisa, Kayli, Derek, Me, and Dan!
This is me with "Sher Bear" that Tia and Mike made for me at Build a Bear for my birthday.  So fun!  I think I get the best birthday presents!

After our hike Mike had to go to work, but some of us made Pine Cone owls.

The left one is Derek's (what a good husband he is!), and the right one is Trisa's.
The left "snowy owl" here is Dan's and the right one is Tia's.  I LOVE how she did the owls "hair"!
This is my owl family.  Daddy owl, Mommy owl, and baby owl.  

Next we played Boggle -- 3 rounds, and my niece Avery came in time to get in on the last one.  Later we had breakfast for dinner.  Waffles, with peanut butter, strawberries, and whipped cream.  Mmmmm.  There was a BYU game that night so we postponed the movie watching and I finished a book and watched the game until I got so sleepy that I went to bed.  We were winning anyway.  Go Cougs!

Sunday:  Birthday #2

On this day I opened more presents and we watched Singing in The Rain, which I chose.  I slept through some of it, but enjoyed all the funny parts!

My shirt from Trisa.  I opened my presents from me too which was another shirt and a magazine.  The picture above is freaky because I have a weird sun halo!

Monday:  My Actual Birthday

This was more of a communication day.  I talked to My Mom and Shannon on the phone.  I talked to My mother-in-law and my friend Carrie in person.  I had lots and lots of texts, Marco Polos, and Facebook messages, and am thankful to all those who thought of me on and around my birthday!

 I did laundry on my birthday, and since Canvas was down I decorated for Halloween with Dan, which was really fun.  I had a note from Derek tucked in my Bran Flakes cereal box in the morning, which was a good way to start the day!  I made the roast and potatoes on this day that I mean to make on Sunday.  We were going to have Apple Crisp for dessert but I got too tired to make it, and we didn't have enough apples, and I just bought brownies and we called it good.  

Last of all we solved a mystery!  I had got it from Finders Seekers to give it a try.  Some of us enjoyed it a lot more than others, but I thought it was fun.  I'll stop here and post more pictures another time!  Happy Birthday to Me!