far far away up visiting nature

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

the greatness of motherhood

I say that mothers nurture all those in need...Julie B. Beck says "the responsibility mothers have today has never required more vigilance. More than at any time in the history of the world, we need mothers who know. Children are being born into a world where they “wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” "However, mothers need not fear. When mothers know who they are and who God is and have made covenants with Him, they will have great power and influence for good on their children.”

I say that mothers teach their children to dream - that which is possible. Gordon B. Hinkley says: "You [mothers] are the real builders of the nation wherever you live, for you have created homes of strength and peace and security. These become the very sinew of any nation.”

I say that mothers find the beauty of life wherever it may be...Julie B. Beck says "She knows that the influence of righteous, conscientious, persistent, daily mothering is far more lasting, far more powerful, far more influential than any earthly position or institution invented by man. She has the vision that, if worthy, she has the potential to be blessed as Rebekah of old"

I say that a mother is teacher, mentor and student...Elder Jeffrey R. Holland says "“When you have come to the Lord in meekness and lowliness of heart and, as one mother said, “pounded on the doors of heaven to ask for, to plead for, to demand guidance and wisdom and help for this wondrous task,” that door is thrown open to provide you the influence and the help of all eternity. Claim the promises of the Savior of the world. Ask for the healing balm of the Atonement for whatever may be troubling you or your children. Know that in faith things will be made right in spite of you, or more correctly, because of you."

I say that a mother must maintain proper perspective in order to see the view. Harold B. Lee says "the most important of the Lord’s work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes”

In conclusion and as I embark on my life endeavors...I can say that as I read some today and thought some today I realized how special motherhood really is (thanks mom for being that teacher and a friend to me all of my life)...and even though I have not embarked on that journey I feel very blessed to, someday, walk and talk with my children...enjoying each precious moment of their lives, building on those experiences and learning from my mistakes. I am enjoying the memories (as a single family) I am making right now with Jordan and how blessed I am to have his love for all eternity, building a family together is what, I think, makes life worth living. Whether you're a family of 2 or one of 8 (smile). I love love and I am enjoying loving my husband, family, and friends. So "cheers" to our future and to the happiness it WILL bring all of us.

SO.....I am a chicken what can I say...lol

OK well this isn't as short as I had planned...when I got to the salon, Lisa (stylist) and I thought that we should just take baby steps seeing that I walked in so very nervous :-) so this is the new hair...next time I go I'll make sure to go shorter but this way I get some practice in (urrr something...LOL) but after today I definitely think I will go shorter...it wasn't as bad as I thought and if I hadn't already been there for over an hour I probably would have had her go shorter....(smile) but I think it's a good style right? Still plain Sarah though but I promise I'm working on it (wink) love you guys! and miss you all! Sorry for the bad photo job....I had to make due with what I had...MuAh!
After:



Before

Snowqualmie Falls - so beautiful!

What an amazing adventure Kate, Parker, Jordan, and I had going to Snowqualmie Falls this weekend! We had such a blast hiking down to the falls (being careful to not hurt ourselves...LOL...because as of right now it appears that only Kate has insurance!) and having a blast doing so. We took with us an amazing homemade picnic full of (dummmm daaaa dummmm): peanut butter and Jelly (I held the jelly of course (wink)) sandwich's, sun chips, cookies, water, and rice cakes...who could ask for more right!
If you notice in the collage of pictures there is a fisherman...he's lacated in the 5th row, last picture. We thought he was so cool, just standing out there all by himself for hours just fishing. It's like he was painted there by God (smile). To say the least it was a great time full of peace and just great company. We all want, hope, and wish to go again but we'll have to see how that goes. We are truly blessed to be here and I'm so blessed to have Jordan in my life...he keeps it exciting and fun and teaches me much about what it is to be a good person.

If you just click on the picture they should enlarge...in case you didn't know already (smile).

so these are some of my ideas I am having for how I am wishing to cut my hair tomorrow morning (smile) so from left to right....1 - 12....which ones do you all like? LOL...this will be fun! I'll post my hair tomorrow sometime.

Good times - 6/14/08

It was so much fun tonight! Jodan and I had a great great time, courtesy of Ben and Lisa, at the baseball game tonight. THANKS BEN AND LISA!

We watched the Seattle Mariners vs. Washington Nationals live...(sadly) the Nationals won 4-2 but that was fine because it wasn't the Phillies loosing (smile).

We had great times with the friends eating popcorn, hot dogs, Reese's cups and pieces (to much candy to keep going on about), pretzels, soda, sun flower seeds, and some french fries that were LOADED with garlic! LOL. Basically stuffing our bellies of crap but crap that just taste so stinken good! We got to see Nate add his new baseball bat to his collection and attempt to finish a whole bag of popcorn, Josh and Jordan eat a foot long hot dog, Me almost falling trying to get back in my seat but luckily I had Jordan and Josh to make sure that didn't happen...so much energy it was great!

Lisa waves around a free t-shirt the guys all got from attending, she looked as though she was meant to be in a music video for petey pablo - "raise up"! come on you all know what song I am talking about right?

This one's for North Carolina! C'mon and raise up Take your shirt off, twist it 'round yo' hand Spin it like a helicopter North Carolina! C'mon and raise up This one's for you, uh-huh, this one's for who? Us, us, us.

All right so maybe not all of you but still watching her was classic. Josh, Jordan, Parker, and a bunch of the guys did it in the stands as well with her...will be a moment never forgotten. You can see some of the picks below in the slide show I put up.

friendships makes us fresh

One of the nice things about traveling is that every trip offers opportunities to make new friendships or nurture old ones--if you make it a priority and take the time.
Every connection starts with one person being brave enough to make a move---to take the initiative and hope the other person will respond in kind. As scary as it might feel at the moment you do it, it usually works. As Jordan and I traveled out here to Washington we took advantage of many serendipitous opportunities to stop and visit family and friends along the way. Many a mornings, afternoons, and evenings Jordan and I found ourselves sitting around kitchens, backyards, and livingrooms drinking whatever and getting lost in conversation because it just felt so right and good and the conversation flowed so effortlessly. Jordan and loved visiting with our Aunt and Uncle in MO...sitting on lawn chairs in the warm/cold MO sun while we exchanged stories about our work and our lives. I just love my family so much I wish I could travel to see them more. We enjoyed Erika and the family sooooooooooo much I would love to just hug this little character right now! She is also the best colorer in the world (wink).

Jordan and I could have visited museums, gone shopping, or easily fallen into the trap of staying on top of our emails in the hotel rooms, but these brief interludes turned out to be amongst the most memorable of our trip---and I have every hope that as we return to Florida we will have the same experiences!


So aside from that...as I know we have now been in Auburn for a while we finally made it to Lake Tapps ward on Sunday! Kate and I were sitting in relief society and met some amazing women, they were so kind and opened up themselves and wanted to really get to know us. All about our husbands and what we like and where we come from. It truly placed a huge smile our my faces and such a comforting feeling in our soulthat we just screamed with excited for future get togethers with them. We have already been extended an invitation to go to Robin's home tomorrow as they will and are starting a quilt as a way to say thank you to a former friend of theirs that has sense moved away...I am so happy and can't wait to call Kate and let her know the good news. Now Kate and Parker are so awesome! I am so glad that they are here with us and we are here with them. We are always involved in such great conversations Kate and I are...go Dr. Laura! LOL...games, movies...they are two people who are examples to me in my life, they exemplify how we should live as Christ did...loving each day and showing humility and interest in others.
That being said I have been having such a overwhelming feeling regarding the love of those around me that I have began to rethink my New Years resolution! So I don't want to get rid of the one I made...so what about starting a mid-year resolution (being June and everything).
How easy is it to make resolutions and yet it is so hard to keep them (grrrr). Every year, women resolve to lose weight, reduce stress, work smarter, and improve their relationships. I thought a little more specificity and that I will from here on out have a friendship resolution. I know that there is no substitute for setting aside time for your friendships and the payoff is worthwhile. Don’t just talk about getting together. Mark you calendar...that's my plan. (smile)

Thy friendship makes us fresh. - William Shakespeare