The Last Two Weeks

 

I am so exhausted...this will be a short post.  I just wanted to make an entry before time starts slipping away from me again.

Craig texted early this morning and said that he and Amanda are getting divorced.  It's very sad.  This has been a long time coming...but it is still very heartbreaking.  I wish that I could do something, anything, for them.  I feel like all I can do is pray.  I know that Mom is there, just in another realm.  I wish more than anything that she were in this realm with us.

I gave a talk in the Quartz Hill ward last week.  I didn't feel confident at all.  In fact, I keep ruminating on my mistakes.  I feel like every single day, every time that open my mouth, I say or do something that I regret. 

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I wrote the above paragraphs on Sunday, then I fell asleep!  Ha ha.  It's currently Tuesday night and I'm going to quickly end this post.

I felt inspired to give my talk on "Diligence".  Here is the acronym that the Holy Ghost helped me to come up with:

D: Desire

I: Imitate the Savior

 L: Let the Savior Lift and Lighten your Load

I: Immerse Yourself in Prayer and Scripture Study

G: Get Guidance and Get Going

E: Earnest Effort

N: Notice Needs

C: Continuously Connect to Christ through Covenants, Correction, and Change

E: Evaluate and Endure

I'll have to post my talk in a separate post.  It was my first time giving a talk in someone else's ward.  I was so nervous...and I just don't feel like I did a good job.

Anyway, work is going well.  I love spending my days with my students.  I really don't think that there is any other career that I would like to do aside from being with kids all day.  I had my heart set on nursing for a long time...which is also intriguing to me.  However, with teaching, I have the opportunity to really develop relationships and hopefully make a positive difference in a child's life.  At least, that's my goal.

Lizzie taught Mason and Caitlyn how to crochet.  She is an absolutely amazing big sister and I couldn't be more grateful for her!  We are also paying her to teach them piano lessons and they are progressing!  Hallelujah.

Grandma Norma came to visit Lancaster for about 3 weeks.  It was good to see her!  They came over for dinner on Sunday with the Elders.  I made loaded baked potato soup, salad, delicious homemade rolls, and my fall traditional pumpkin crunch dessert.  We were stuffed!

Casual in the living room, playing the saxophone! 

Beautiful Sunset!  Doesn't get much better than this!  Aside from Yellowstone, of course, ha ha.

Jon made the BEST enchiladas the other day!  All from scratch and absolutely amazing!

Believe it or not, Lizzie made this dress!  She wore it to the Stake Dance we had a few weeks ago.  She cut off the bottom of a long skirt and sewed it to the top, forming a stylish dress.  She's absolutely amazing, that girl!  I'm so proud of her.  There is nothing that she can't do.

We caught a rattlesnake the other day on our property -- the kids wanted me to cut off the rattle.  I did, but then we through it away.  This picture is the only evidence that we have.

Another breathtaking sunrise!

Lizzie had a test in her college biology class and the professor said that she could use whatever notes she could fit on a note card.  She wrote SO tiny!  But she aced the test! That's my girl!