Valentine's Day

 Before I start talking about Valentine's Day (which is today), I wanted to do a quick re-cap on our week.

Life is going well.  We are so incredibly blessed!

For our youth activity on Wednesday, we (The Young Women Presidency) introduced the 2021 Youth Theme to our girls.  I thought that it turned out really well.  I love these Young Women so much.  They are so phenomenal and they impress me more and more every single day.  Two of them taught the Young Women lesson today and it was incredible.  These young women are ready to take on the world!

The YW lesson today was about the priesthood power.  I was asked how baptism and the sacrament help me to access the power of Christ.  I'm not exactly sure how I answered, but I thought I'd record a bit of how I answered (for my family to also read). 

Our covenants connect us to Christ.  It's that simple!  When we were baptized, we made covenants that, in keeping them, we will feel closer to Christ and be able to connect to His power.  When we were baptized, we covenanted to Keep the Commandments (which, in doing so, will help us Come Unto Christ).  We also covenanted to Always Remember Him, and to Take His Name Upon Us.  Each of these things will help us access Christ's power.  Each Sunday as we partake of the sacrament we have the opportunity to remember our Baptismal Covenants and continue to be renewed and access Christ's power.

I learned another neat acronym this week.  It was in a talk that I listened to by Neil G. Anderson (not the apostle).

Here is the acronym (COME):

C...Come unto Christ.

(Coming unto Christ is and action word and requires us to take that first step)

O...Ordinances.

(Our Ordinances (such as baptism, the sacrament, and temple ordinances bring us closer to Christ)

M...Ministering

(It says in Mosiah 18 that part of our baptismal covenants is to help to mourn with those who morn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort...ministering)

E...Evaluate

(Self-evaluation each week during scripture study, daily prayers, or during the sacrament can help us to stop doing the things that pull us away from Christ and to start doing the things that will bring us closer to Him...helping us to access His power.)

I love acronyms such as these.  I am able to remember concepts so much easier.

I learned some very tragic news today.  A sweet Sister Missionary who served in our area a few years ago (and who even visited us after her mission was over) passed away.  She had a stroke and she didn't make it.  This breaks my heart.  Why do some people have to experience such heartbreaking experiences?  She was an only child.  She was recently married with a young daughter who was not even a year old yet.  Her daughter will have no memory of her mother.  Oh my goodness...why, oh, why do things like this have to happen?  I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for us all and that things happen for a reason...but it's so difficult to see His reason for allowing such tragic things to happen.  In the next life, everything will be made known unto us, but for now, in this life, we are often left wondering.

Here are just a few pictures of the last few days.

Last Sunday, Jon made homemade Ravioli.  It was delicious!  I am beyond grateful that I married such a wonderful man.  Not only does he work hard to provide for our family, but he is spiritual, funny, kind, and a good cook!  I did not do anything in this life to deserve such a man.  He looks past all of my many faults and loves me anyway.

Another day this week we tried our hand at making pizza on the grill!  It was delicious...I love my handsome chef in the kitchen!

The weather has been very nice lately!  Living here is Heaven!

Today was Valentine's Day.

I try to do what I can to make the holiday's (even the smaller ones) special for the kids.

I decorated the table for them last night and I gave them a few special valentine goodies in their mailboxes.

I think they appreciated the gesture!

For breakfast, I made crepes with fresh strawberry sauce and whipped cream.

Lizzie is such a sweet daughter.  While I was making breakfast, she made our bed and left these adorable valentines gifts on our bed.  How I love her!

For dinner, I made these cheesy bread sticks in a heart shape.  Delicious!

We also had Caesar salad, heart-shaped noodles, and brownies and ice-cream for dessert.

It was a beautiful day celebrating with my wonderful family whom I love so much.

I feel blessed every single day that I have each of them here with me, as I am recognizing more and more that life is fragile and tomorrow is not promised for any of us.