Weekly Letter

Sunday, January 26, 2014

This week has been fun.  We’ve been much healthier than last week.  Good health is such a blessing.  I am so thankful for my body that can heal and do so many wonderful things.

I forgot to record that I started teaching Karalee piano lessons over Christmas break.  She is doing pretty well.  Usually I wait until my kids have started 2^nd grade so they are really good readers before I start teaching them piano, but she is reading well now so I started her earlier.  I hope she’ll love it and progress well.  I also forgot to record

that on Monday, Jan. 13th Spencer’s good friend at school had a seizure in the middle of class.  It was really scary for Spencer to witness.  Spencer was pretty sad about it when he got home.  As soon as he walked in the door I could tell something was wrong and he tearfully told me all about it and said how scary it was.  He said he was shaking when they had all the kids line up in the hall while the school nurse came upstairs to check things out.  It helped Spencer not be so scared when he talked about it with me and we also said a prayer together for his friend and asked that Spencer wouldn’t feel so scared anymore.  I am sure glad I was there for Spencer when he came home, that I noticed something was wrong, and I was available to talk about it with him.

As I recorded in my last letter, on Monday Chad and the kids had the day off work and school and we went to the Gilbert Temple open house. 

Tuesday the kids went back to school.  I worked on the YW lesson that I taught today.  It was my first time teaching.  I LOVE the Come Follow Me Youth curriculum.  It is so personal and provides good, thought provoking discussion questions.  We heard last week in sacrament meeting from a member of our stake Sunday school presidency that they are going to be changing the church’s adult curriculum to be more like the youth Come Follow Me curriculum since it is so good.  Tuesday night I taught the YM and YW in my ward the temple cultural celebration songs for the last time.  I’m relieved to be done with that responsibility so I can concentrate on spending more time with the YW and getting to know them better.

Wednesday I had visiting teaching appointments while the girls were at Grammy Days.  I love being a visiting teacher.

Thursday afternoon I had a member discussion with Puring and the missionaries.  The lesson went well except at one point where Puring told us she wants to die.  She said she is so tired and is ready for God to take her home.  It reminded me of how my Grandma Flake was ready to die for so many years before she was actually called back home to Heavenly Father.  I feel sad for Puring.  We are going to work on some of her family history though.  She is interested in having temple work done for her mother and Grandmother.  Hopefully that will give her a purpose and make her life sweeter.  Thursday night Chad went to dinner with his Dad and his brother Jace.  He had a nice time eating and visiting with them.  I took Bryant to weigh in his pinewood derby car and to turn it in to his leaders until the race.  We had to make one little adjustment since it weighed 5.1 pound when we got there and the limit is 5.0 pounds.  Chad told me how to take a little bit of weight off if it ended up too heavy though so it wasn't a problem. 

Thursday morning Tilly went pee pee in the potty for the first time ever!  I'm hoping to start potty training soon, but we haven't had any more successful attempts at going potty except for Thursday morning.

Karalee LOVES to play Phase 10 now.  She's in a Phase 10 phase.  She asks to play several times a day.  :)

Friday after school I had all the young women come over for a little get together.  We had lots of cookies and had a fun time visiting and getting to know each other.  I printed off a long list of fun getting to know you questions and we asked each other some of them.  It was fun to have the YW in our home.  Friday night Chad and I went out to eat at Ruby Tuesday’s then we went bowling at Flip Side for our date.  It was fun.  When I got home I answered the interview questions about mine and Chad’s courtship and marriage that Hayley asked me for an essay she’s writing in her marriage and family class and emailed them to her.  I posted them on my blog too if you’re interested in reading about it.  

This made over 16 dozen cookies!!!

Yesterday was Bryant’s second pinewood derby.  His “Perry the Platycar” was fastest in the bear den.  He was so happy that it did well, so as a result we were happy too.  Our ward tells the boys which car was the fastest overall, and which cars were the fastest in each den.  I took Spencer to a merit badge clinic for citizenship in the community right as the pinewood derby ended.  He said it was REALLY boring.  I asked him if all the merit badge clinics were boring and he said no, but this time the teacher talked really slowly it seemed to drag on forever.  Yesterday we were lucky to have two groups come to our house to change clothes and visit us after the Gilbert temple dedication.  Travis came and brought his teacher’s quorum around 9:30 and Kari and Alden came around 1:00.  It was sure nice to have them visit for a while.  Late yesterday morning we also had some of the young men in our ward come over to help Chad put some dirt around our basketball court so it will be flush with our yard.--Chad spent Monday afternoon and several evenings this week installing new sprinklers around the court.--The young men stayed and played basketball for quite a while and had lunch with us.  They introduced us to the McKraken sandwich they made up.  When you put a McDonald’s spicy McChicken sandwhich in the middle of a McDouble hamburger it becomes a McKraken.  It was pretty good, but I think I prefer to eat them separately. 

I was assigned to give the spiritual thought in Ward Council this morning so I’ll use it for my quote today.  

Marriage has been on my mind a lot for the past few months.  A couple very close to Chad and I have separated and are getting a divorce.  It is incredibly sad; a tragedy really.  It has really been a wakeup call.  Chad and I have always had a close marriage, but with divorce hitting so close to home, we’ve resolved to make our marriage even stronger.  I’ve spent a lot of time doing sealings in the temple and listening closely to the sealing ordinance.  I noticed that when a couple is sealed together in the temple the man covenants to do six things.  The woman covenants seven things.  I am really trying hard to live up to what I’ve covenanted to do, and I know Chad is too.  In the last conference, Elder Eyring gave some great counsel regarding marriage.  He said,  

“It is only with the companionship of the Holy Ghost that we can hope to be equally yoked in a marriage free from discord. I have seen how that companionship is crucial for felicity in a marriage. The miracle of becoming one requires the help of heaven, and it takes time. Our goal is to live together forever in the presence of Heavenly Father and our Savior” (2013 October General Conference, To My Grandchildren, Sun. Morning Session - By Henry B. Eyring).

Aside from our relationship with God, the relationship between a husband and a wife is our most important relationship and should be given our best efforts and our highest priority. When we are happy in our marriages in helps our children feel more secure and will help them progress and gain testimonies.  In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Love,

Mindy

Marriage and Family Interview

My sister-in-law Hayley asked me to answer these questions about mine and Chad's courtship and marriage for an essay she's writing for her marriage and family class.

How were they attracted to each other and how did they meet?

• ·         I was attracted to Chad because he was obedient, kind, respectful, fun, and we had common interests.  We both like to play sports.
• ·         I met Chad in college.  We were in the same student ward and in the same family home evening group.  We also had choir together at school and we both went to open gym and played volleyball.

 How would you explain their dating experience in terms of length, activities, etc.

• ·         We dated for about 1 ½ months before we got engaged.  I had a mission call and was set to report to the MTC two months after we started dating so we had to make a decision quickly.  Once we started dating we spent as much time with each other as possible, we spent every evening together.  We didn’t have a lot of money so we didn’t go out to eat or to the movie theater, but we went to institute and singles ward activities, hung out with our friends and watched movies at my condo.

 How did they know they wanted to marry one another?

• ·         I knew I wanted to marry Chad because he was obedient, wanted a family, and I knew I could trust him to help me make it to the Celestial Kingdom.

Did they have premarital counseling? What type? Would they recommend that couples have it? Why or why not?

• ·         No we didn’t have premarital counseling.  I don’t really know what premarital counseling is since I’ve never been so I don’t know if I’d recommend it.  I think as long as a couple has seen good role models with a healthy marriage then they will probably be ok without premarital counseling.

How did getting married change their relationship and them as individuals?

• ·         I feel like getting married made us closer and brought more joy into our lives individually.  I felt more complete, like part of me had been missing.  For several years before we got married I had a strong desire to be married, but not to be married to just anyone, to the right person.  To someone who viewed marriage and life the same way I did.  I found that in Chad and it has made life so wonderful.

How does this couple divide up chores and family functions, would you say they are more traditional or egalitarian? Explain with specific examples.

• ·         Since I am a stay at home mom and am home most of the time I do most of the household chores.  On Saturday nights after the kids go to bed we both work together to sweep and mop and clean the kitchen so the house is clean for the Sabbath Day.  I do the majority of the yard work too because I enjoy working in the yard and because I don’t want to spend my weekend watching Chad do the yard work.  I would rather get it done during the week so we can relax together and/or go on family outings.
• ·         For family functions we trade off each year which side of the family we visit for Thanksgiving.  For Christmas we stay at home.  We enjoy spending time with extended family on both sides of our family so we try to attend as many special occasions and family functions and reunions as we can.

Are their child-rearing practices similar to their parents? Do they tend to agree on discipline?

• ·         Yes, our child-rearing practices are similar to our parents. 
• ·         Yes, we agree on discipline.

How does this couple maintain marital satisfaction?

• ·         To maintain marital satisfaction we try to have charity towards each other and to make each other happy.  It makes me happy to see Chad happy and I know it makes Chad happy when I’m happy too.

Have they ever had anything strain their marriage? How did they overcome the problem?

• ·         No we haven’t ever had anything strain our marriage.  Neither of us is confrontational so we get along well.  We’ve had some sad trials, but have comforted each other through them and we communicate well. 

What advice would they give to someone who is considering marriage? What do you think of

that advice?

• ·         You should have charity towards your significant other.  Their happiness should be your happiness and vice versa.
• ·         If you are willing and happy to serve the person you are considering marrying and if they are willing and happy to serve you then I think you can have a happy marriage.    
• ·         You should have similar goals, dreams and financial lifestyles.
• ·         Your significant other should be honest.  If you've ever caught them in a lie that should be a big red flag.
• ·         Don’t take offense easily.  Your significant other should never try to hurt you intentionally.  If you are offended by something, you should communicate those feelings quickly before they have a chance to rot and fester.  They need to be resolved quickly and behavior should be modified so it won’t happen again.

Letter - New Beginnings, Sick Day, Temple Open House

Monday, January 20, 2014

Last week was kind of yucky.  The girls and I were all sick.  Karalee missed school on Monday and Tuesday and Marlee missed preschool on Tuesday.  To make matters worse, I was also a single mother while I was feeling yucky since Chad had a business trip in Dallas.  It wasn’t really that bad, I wasn’t completely knocked out by the sickness, I was still able to function pretty well, but in the middle of the night I missed my tag team partner since the girls were up a lot.  I couldn’t lean over and wake Chad up and tell him it was his turn to help out.

At least Chad was able to work from home on Monday to help me take care of the sickies for part of the week.

 Last Monday I met with our ward’s former Young Women’s President and she gave me her binder, keys, the YW’s volleyball/softball shirts, etc. and told me about the young women that I get to work with now.  I’ve been overwhelmed all week.  However, after meeting with my new Presidency on Friday and then typing out our New Beginnings program on Saturday I feel better.  I think I was so overwhelmed all week because I knew I had a lot of new responsibilities but I didn’t know where to start.  After working on our New Beginnings program, Seek the Sweet: Come Unto Christ, I felt so much better because I actually did something.  So the moral of this story is, when you get a new calling jump in and work on a project, it will help you get acclimated more quickly.  I’ll have to tuck that life lesson away for the future. 

Tuesday night I taught the YM and YW the songs for the cultural celebration.  I had a sore throat and had to talk over the youth a bit so I was pretty worn out when it was done.  Tilly didn’t go to sleep until 11:00 that night and then she woke up the next morning at 5:00am.  Nice.  She made up for it on Thursday though she went to bed at 8:00pm and didn’t wake up on Friday morning until 10:00. 

Our backyard basketball court light was installed on Tuesday.  It's huge.  Way bigger than we were expecting.  I sent a picture to Chad since he was in Dallas when it was put it and told him we might have overdone it.  We'll now have plenty of backyard light though.  I'm sure we'll love it.  

Wednesday the only time I ever left the house was to take the kids to school and then Marlee Tilly and I had a Disney day.  I think we watched 5-6 Disney movies in a row.  I consider that a good education on a sick day.  I made sure I showed some of the classic Disney movies, like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Jungle Book, to make our day more educational.   

 I made these cookies for an after school snack on Wednesday.  However, instead of shortening I used 1/4 cup + 2 T. applesauce.  It turned out really yummy without any type of oil or butter.  So they were healthier than normal, but still had lots of sugar.

Thursday night Chad came home around 9:00pm.  I had planned on and was looking forward to going to our ward’s Relief Society night where we were walking from our church building to the temple earlier than evening, but Tilly was still sick and was having a bad night and was crying a lot so I didn’t feel like I should leave her with Spencer in that state.  I was kind of bummed and I cried a little, but got over it.  Tilly’s worth it.

Friday night we got dinner from the new Taco’s and More that opened up across the street from us.  It was ok.  Saturday we worked around the house and the kids played with the neighbors for quite a while.  I made the kids mac and cheese for dinner (with almond milk of course since they’re lactose intolerant) and Chad and I went out to eat at Chen’s and then went shopping for Sunday dinner at Walmart for our date.  Not super exciting, but it was still nice to be alone together for a little while.

Fun night with the neighbors

The little girls love play-doh right now.

Yesterday I had a BYC meeting before church and then a New Beginning’s planning meeting with all the class presidencies after church.  I won’t have many lazy Sunday anymore.  That’s ok.  Yesterday evening I helped Bryant paint his Pinewood Derby car.  He decided to do a Perry the Platypus car so I ended up having to paint most of it, but Bryant helped too and was very excited about watching it come together.

Today Chad and I took our kids to the Gilbert Temple open house.  It was VERY busy.  It was very beautiful and I can’t wait until I’ll get to spend more time there after it is dedicated and not full of tourists.  I kind of want to take just my older kids back to the open house at a time when it is not so crowded to have more of a chance to linger and share my testimony and excitement about the temple with them. 

Even though there were long lines, they moved quickly.

My quote today is from the opening Hymn we sang in Sacrament meeting yesterday.  “Father, all my heart I give thee; All my service shall be thine.  Guide me as I search in weakness; Let thy loving light be mine” (Lead Me into Life Eternal, verse 2, Hymn #45).  

Love,

Mindy

Seek the Sweet: Come Unto Christ - 2014 New Beginnings

Conducting:

Opening Song:

Pianist:

Chorister:

Opening Prayer:

Welcome:  Welcome to new beginnings!  The purpose of new beginnings is to help young women and their parents learn about the Young Women program.  We are excited for each of the new 11-year old girls to join us in Young Women’s as we SEEK THE SWEET and Come unto Christ.

2014 Mutual Theme:  (Show Slide #1) - The 2014 Mutual theme is: “Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32).

(There is a link to the slide show HERE.  I only use the first 7 slides.)

YW Motto and Logo: (Show Slide #2) – The Young Women motto is “stand for truth and righteousness.”  The Young Women logo is a torch surrounded by the Young Women motto.  The torch represents the light of Christ, inviting all to “come unto Christ.”

Young Women Theme:   (Show Slide #3) – We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him. We will “stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places” as we strive to live the Young Women values, which are:

Faith • Divine Nature • Individual Worth • Knowledge • Choice and Accountability • Good Works • Integrity • and Virtue

We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values, we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

There are three different classes that each girl will attend while there are in Young Women’s.  Each class has a specific age group, purpose and symbol.

Beehives:  (Show Slide #4) – Twelve and thirteen year old girls attend the Beehive class.  The beehive was a symbol of harmony, cooperation, and work for the early pioneers of the Church. Beehive was also the first name by which young women were known. Beehives today learn to work together in cooperation and harmony as they strengthen their faith in Jesus Christ and prepare to stand for truth and righteousness. This is a time to “arise and shine forth” (D&C 115:5).

YW Share about a SWEET Beehive activity:

Mia Maid:  (Show Slide #5) – Fourteen and fifteen year old girls attend the Mia Maid class.  The name Mia Maid refers historically to the Mutual Improvement Association, which adopted the emblem of the rose as a symbol of love, faith, and purity. Mia Maids today learn about love, faith, and purity as they strengthen their testimony and accept and act upon the Young Women values.

YW Share about a SWEET Mia Maid activity:

Laurels:  (Show Slide #6) – Sixteen and seventeen year old girls attend the Laurel class.  For centuries the laurel wreath has been a crown woven from the leaves of the laurel tree. It is given to someone who finishes a significant achievement as a symbol of honor and accomplishment. Laurels today are finishing their preparation to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.

YW Share about a SWEET Laurel activity:

Special Musical Number – Do you have any ideas for a good special musical number that a few of the girls could sing/play? 

While in Young Women’s you’ll get a change to strengthen your talents and abilities through the personal progress program.  As you participate in Personal Progress, you join with thousands of other young women who are SEEKING THE SWEET and striving to come unto Christ

The Purpose of Personal Progress:  (Show Slide #7) - Personal Progress will help you strengthen your faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ as you learn His teachings and regularly apply them in your life. It will help you strengthen both your present family and your future family. It will help you prepare to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.  Young women work with their parents, Young Women leaders, and other exemplary women to set and accomplish goals based on the eight Young Women values.  Personal Progress can help parents and leaders improve their relationship with young women as they work together.

Invite each of the new 11-year-olds up.  Give each girl a cute treat bag.  A few young women come up one at a time and give each 11-year-old girl a candy that represents the color of each value and then explain why that value is SWEET to them.

Faith: (Hand each 11-year-old girl a White candy) - The color white represents Faith.  Faith is SWEET to me because….

YW share a Faith value project they completed:

Divine Nature:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Blue candy) - The color blue represents Divine Nature.  Divine Nature is SWEET to me because….

YW share a Divine Nature value project they completed:

Individual Worth:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Red candy) – The color red represents Individual Worth.  Individual Worth is SWEET to me because …

YW share an Individual Worth value project they completed:

Knowledge:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Green candy) – The color green represents Knowledge.  Knowledge is SWEET to me because …

YW share a Knowledge value project they completed:

Choice and Accountability:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl an Orange candy) – The color orange represents Choice and Accountability.  Choice and Accountability is SWEET to me because …

YW share a Choice and Accountability value project they completed:

Good Works:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Yellow candy) – The color yellow represents Good Works.  Good Works is SWEET to me because …

YW share a Good Works value project they completed:

Integrity:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Purple candy) – The color Purple represents Integrity.  Integrity is SWEET to me because …

YW share an Integrity value project they completed:

Virtue:  (Hand each 11-year-old girl a Gold candy) – The color Gold represents Virtue.  Virtue is SWEET to me because …

YW share a Virtue value project they completed:

Introduce each of the 11-year-old who will be joining Young Women’s.  Have a parent of each girl come forward and introduce us to their daughter.

Bishopric Member Concluding Remarks

Closing Song:

Closing Prayer:

Refreshments:  Desserts and Candy in all the YW colors

Here are the sample invitation and decoration ideas I got from: http://courtneyaitken.blogspot.com/2012/09/yw-in-excellence-seek-sweet-this-past.html?m=1

I plan on using the YW value colors for decorations though.

  

Letter - Mom's birthday, Young Women's President

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Happy birthday to my wonderful mother today!!  I love her dearly.  She is beautiful and caring and spiritual and a wonderful example of faithfulness.

This week has gone well.  We’ve made our way back into the school routine nicely.  Tuesday I was so nervous about my first night of teaching the Young Men (YM) and Young Women (YW) in the ward the songs for the cultural celebration.  It went well though.  I wrote up a little pep talk and a lesson plan that I’ll include at the end of this letter.  Tuesday my eye started to get red again.  I don’t think I really ever had pink eye, but that my sinuses were infected and started putting pressure on my eye.  They were bothering me again that day.  I decided to try going to my chiropractor who also does holistic care and he massaged my sinus areas and the redness went away and I’ve been feeling better.  I keep massaging them here at home too.  I wish the urgent care doctor would have known that it was my sinuses and not pink eye and that I wouldn’t have used antibiotic eye drops for the wrong diagnosis, but I’m sure he was just doing his best.  I was really freaked out all Tuesday that my eye was getting red again.  Every time I have something wrong with me that isn’t normal I automatically assume I have cancer and that I’m going to die and leave my little children motherless.  It’s really scary sometimes, but I can usually break out of the fear when I pray and reason with myself and trust the Lord that whatever His plan is for me will be ok. Having those fears and then the nervousness of teaching the YM and YW on the same day was kind of crazy though.

Chad was wiped out after going back to work on Monday

The Young Men and Young Women from Coronado 1st and 2nd ward's learning the Fire Dance for the Gilbert Temple Cultural Celebration. 

Wednesday I went to the temple while the girls were at Grammy Days.  It was nice to be in such a peaceful place after the anxiety I had felt the day before.  Wednesday afternoon I planned out our meals for the next week and made a grocery shopping list.  One of my goals for 2014 is to do better at meal planning and eat out less and eat less quick prep meals like chicken nuggets and hot dogs and junk food like that.

Marlee and Tilly were having fun stuffing their shirts full of little hot wheel cars.  Tilly has been playing with the cars a lot this week.  She likes to line them all up.

Thursday the girls and I did a big shopping trip at Walmart to buy all the items I’d written down the day before.  We only had a little over an hour to get in and out before I needed to take Marlee to preschool. The girls, Marlee and Tilly, did so well during the shopping trip; they stayed right by me, were happy, and kept up with my quick pace.  Hooray for that!!

Friday was a nice relaxing day.  I watched my friend Michelle’s daughter Victoria again.  We went to the blue park in our neighborhood where we met up with our friends the Sorenson’s.  It was such a beautiful day.  After lunch we went out in the back yard and played some more since it was such a nice, sunny day.  Friday evening Chad and I went out to eat at YC’s Mongolian grill.  We haven’t been there for several years, I forgot that I love that place. 

Yesterday was a fun family day.  We attended my niece Adelin’s baptism and had a nice lunch in Brandon and Jennifer’s home then we came home and got ready for the birthday party I’d planned for my Mom since she was in town.  Penny’s, Celeste’s, Wynn’s, Tyler’s, Brandon’s, Amy’s families were all able to come to our home for the party.  We had a nice time.

Today I was sustained and set apart as the Young Women’s president in our ward.  I was called clear back on Dec. 18^th so I’ve known for a while, but have had to keep my mouth shut about it.  For someone who’s life is such an open book it’s been hard to keep it quiet.  I did tell my Mom, Brenda, a few of my family members and my friend Renee Dawson who I served with in the Stake Primary Presidency, but they all kept my secret.  However, most of the ward already knew I was going to get the calling.  I never said anything to anyone in the ward, but news travels fast.  Here is my journal excerpt about my feelings about the call that I omitted from the letter I emailed out on Dec. 22^nd.  “Wednesday night I had a meeting with the Bishop.  I was called to be the Young Women’s President in our ward.  WOW!  I’m excited, nervous, and maybe just a bit overwhelmed, ok a lot overwhelmed.  After fasting on Thursday, going to the temple on Friday and lots and lots of thought and prayer I’ve chosen these women to help me: First counselor - Rebecca Hall, Second counselor – Heather Robinson, and Secretary – Emily Lines.  I feel like these women are who the Lord would like to teach the young women in our ward at this time.  I hope they will accept their call.”  Each of the ladies accepted the call to work with me and I think we will do well together.  We all got set apart together today.  When the Bishop called me he told me I would be able to know why the Lord chose me and what my purpose would be in this calling.  I really feel like one of my major purposes is the show the joy that comes from being a wife and mother, that it is something to be sought after and not to be put on the back burner.  That it is important to marry the right person, in the right place, at the right time.  Each of my counselors places a high priority on family life and I appreciate that about them.  We've had a nice relaxing evening hanging out with our little family tonight.  I love these kind of nights.  

Karalee's been sick with a sore throat and a belly ache. Chad brought her home after sacrament meeting, but since I was getting sustained today we talked her into going for just the first hour.

Tilly loves a good back rub.

My quote today is from the book I’m ready right now.  “Divine love is the key to churches that cleave together, to marriages that last and families that overcome, to friendships that forgive insult, and hands that reach out to those who are different from us.  We’ve got to love each other more than we love our own reflections in the mirror.  When we can do that, love is both a sword and a shield.  No matter where we go, or what kind of battle we’re facing, it’s all the armor we need” (Blue Moon Bay by Lisa Wingate).  I thought this was a beautiful quote.  It’s not scripture, but it rings true and is a good message.

Love,

Mindy