I have a feeling...

...that 2010 is going to be a fabulous year!
Happy New Year!

Recipe for Christmas Joy!

1 cup of hugs
4 teaspoons of kisses
1 cup of smiles
4 cups of l♥ve
1 cup of special holiday cheer
1 cup of peace on earth
3 teaspoons of Christmas spirits
2 cups of goodwill toward man
1 sprig of mistletoe
1 large bag of Christmas snowflakes

Mix hugs, kisses, smiles and love until consistent.
Blend in Holiday cheer, peace on earth, Christmas spirits & goodwill toward men. Use the mixture to fill a large, warm heart, where it can be stored for a lifetime. (It never goes Bad).
Serve as desired under mistletoe, sprinkled liberally
with special Christmas snowflakes.

Tragedy or Destiny

Today my heart goes out to a loving family who lost father & husband unexpectedly on Friday at the age of 32. He left behind his wife & 6 beautiful daughters, ages 9-1. I barely know this family, their older girls dance at Jive with Julia. Yet, I admire & love them in so many ways. I once witnesses Naki giving advice to one of his daughters & was impressed with the love he had for her. I knew his family was blessed to have him in their lives. Trying to make sence of it all, I remembered a lesson I gave in Relief Society about 3 years ago. It was a hard & emotion lesson for me to give, but I was greatful for the opportunity to study these words.

From the Life of Spencer W. Kimball

When we face the apparent tragedies of
sorrow, suffering, & death, we must put our trust in God.

When Spencer W. Kimball was 8 years old, his baby sister, Mary, died. On his 9th birthday his 5 year old sister, Fannie, died.
At 11 years old his heart seemed to burst when his mother died.
He found comfort in prayer & in the principles of the gospel.

In His wisdom, God does not always prevent tragedy.

The Lord did not consider death always as a curse or tragedy, He said, “... blessed are the dead that die in the Lord...” Life goes on & free agency continues, & death, which seems such a calamity, could be a blessing in disguise.
If we say that all death is a calamity, disaster or tragedy, would it not be saying that mortality is preferable to earlier entrance into the spirit world & to eventual salvation & exaltation? If mortality be the perfect state, then death would be a frustration, but the Gospel teaches us there is no tragedy in death, but only in sin.
Can the Lord prevent tragedies? The answer is, Yes. The Lord is omnipotent, with all power to control our lives, save us pain, prevent all accidents, feed us, protect us, save us from labor, effort, sickness, even from death, if he will. But he will not.
Every act of God is purposeful. He sees the end from the beginning. He knows what builds us, or tears us down, what will thwart the program & what will give us eventual triumph. The Lord does not always heal the sick, nor save those in hazardous zones. He does not always relieve suffering & distress, for even these seemingly undesirable conditions may be part of a purposeful plan. God controls our lives, guides & blesses us, but gives us our agency.
If all the sick were healed, if all the righteous were protected, & the wicked destroyed, the whole program of the Father would be annulled & the basic principles of the Gospel, free agency, would be ended. No man would have to live by faith.
Should all prayers be immediately answered according to our selfish desires & our limited understanding, then there would be little or no suffering, sorrow, disappointment or even death, & if these were not there would also be an absence of joy, success, resurrection, eternal life & Godhood.
I’m positive in my mind that the Lord has planned our destiny. We shorten our lives but I think we cannot lengthen them very much. Sometime we’ll understand fully, & when we see back from the vantage point of the future we shall be satisfied with many of the happenings of this life which seemed so difficult for us to comprehend.
We knew before we were born that we were coming to the earth for bodies & experience, & that we would have joys & sorrows, pain & comforts, ease, & hardships, health & sickness, success & disappointments, & we knew also that we would die. We accepted all these eventualities with a glad heart, eager to accept both the favorable & unfavorable. We were undoubtedly willing to have a mortal body, even if it were deformed. We eagerly accepted the chance to come... though it might be for a day, a year, or a century. Perhaps we were not so much concerned whether we should die of disease. We were willing to come & take life as it was, without murmur or complaint or unreasonable demands.
We sometimes think we would like to know what was ahead, but sober thought brings us back to accepting life a day at a time & magnifying & glorifying that day.
Everyone must die. Death is an important part of life. Of course, we are never quite ready for the change. Not knowing when it should come, we properly fight to retain our life.
Why are we so afraid of death? We pray for the sick-we administer to the afflicted- we implore the Lord to heal & reduce the pain & save life & postpone death, & properly so, but is eternity frightful? So awful?

The Prophet Joseph Smith confirmed:The Lord takes many away in infancy, that they may escape the envy of man & the sorrows & evils of the present world. They were too pure, too lovely, to live on this earth. Therefore I mightily considered,instead of mourning we have reason to rejoice as they are delivered from evil & we shall have them again. The only difference between the old & young dying, is one lives longer in heaven & eternal light & glory than the other, & is freed a little sooner from this miserable world.”

“No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude & humility. All that we suffer
& all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our character, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, & makes us more tender & charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . & it is through sorrow & suffering, toil & tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire & which will make us more like our Father & Mother in heaven. . . .” (Orson F. Whitney)

I would not dare to take the responsibility of bringing back to life my loved ones. Christ himself acknowledged the difference between his will & the Father’s when he prayed that the cup of suffering be taken from him; yet he added, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.”

We sometimes think we would like to know what lies ahead,
but sober thought brings us back to accepting life a day at a time
& magnifying & glorifying that day. . . .

My Angel

My little joyful Julia turned 10 years old this morning! Happy Birthday! I lucked out with this girl.
She's the best child a mom could hope for.
Dear Julia,
As you get older I enjoy being your mother even more than the year before. I love you more everyday. I love to have meals where you are sitting at the head of the table. You have lots of things to say & I am happy to be your captive audience. I want you to know that sometimes it is OK to command the attention of a room. You are beautiful, savvy, smart & confident. I learn new things from you everyday.
Please don't be in a hurry to grow up. You have some power moves, like groaning & moaning when I ask the simplest thing. But, I will never forget that underneath all that attitude is a little girl who needs to sit on my lap, or wants me to brush her hair or hold her every once in a while as she drifts gently off to sleep. I will never get tired of your daily hugs & kisses. I need hugs just as much as you do.
I enjoy girls night out with you. I get a chance to do girlhood all over again, & be the coolest Mom around. I like taking you to restaurants like P.F. Changs, you act grown up & sophisticated. You are simply adorable. Did you know that I love it when you turn the music up when your favorite song comes on? I do. I enjoy giving you foot massages. When you are relaxed you say the cutest things, or you feel comfortable to talk about serious subjects.
One of my most memorable moments is watching you dance in the living room like it's 1999. I danced too, & you laughed at some of my moves. I was delighted when you tried to show me a thing or two. It is OK to be silly & to let your heart go for the love of dancing fun. By the way, in case you didn't know, your beautiful smile is priceless to me.
I do all I can for you, & I don't always get it right but I hope that I get it right enough that when you grow up you will still want to go shopping together & spend Christmas with me. I hope you love being 10 yo, I think this year will be wonderful. I love you with all my heart.
♥Mommy

Party like it's 1999

10 years ago today, I was induced @ 7a.m. to have my first child. I was excited to hold my precious baby girl. I was thrilled to know that my pregnancy was going to end, & I would soon be home with my new bundle of joy. It was a Monday, I was 10 days over due & Little did I know at the time...she would not come till the next day. 1999 was an awesome year for my family. I was pregnant for the 2nd time & my baby was growing just as she should.
What else happened the Year Julia was born?
My sister, Julie, graduated from High School!
My Mom graduated from BYU!
On October 8th, President George W. Bush announced the establishment of the Office of Homeland Security.
Popular Song: Believe ~ Cher
Popular Movies: Notting Hill & Runaway Bride both starring JULIA Roberts!
A first class stamp cost 33 cents.
July 16: JFK Jr. plane crash
August 11: A very rare F2 tornado strikes Salt Lake City, killing 1.
September 9: Sega releases the Sega Dreamcast. Benjamin Scott was one of the first people in line to buy it. We had just moved to Andrews Air Force Base, MD. I was due in 4 weeks, our things had not arrived yet, & Scott did not need to report for duty for a few days. He needed a new toy, & Sega Dreamcast satisfied him for several hours a day.
October 12: World Population reaches 6 billion people!
Y2K Scare: Y2K hype gets everyone paranoid that the end of the world is near. Billions of dollars spent world-wide on Y2K upgrade on computer software. At 4:00 AM on December 31, 1999 as the new year passes on the little island of Fiji we discover that the supposed Y2k Bug will not cause impending doom.

HEADLINES:
• February: President Clinton is acquitted.
• April 20: 2 students go on a shooting rampage at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado.
They kill 12 students, 1 teacher, & themselves.

Love One Another

That is what I heard alot of this past weekend...Love One Another. General Conference was awesome. Thanks to Tivo I did not miss a word. My favorite speaker was President Uchtdorf, his words were comforting to me. My first 5 faves are from him.

" Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely.
Though we are imperfect, God loves us perfectly. Though
we feel lost & without compass, God's love encompasses us."

"Love ought to be at the center of everything we do."

" The first step in walking in righteousness is to TRY."

God does not need us to love Him, but oh, how we need to ♥ Him.

"Love should be our walk & our talk."
~President Uchtdorf

"Express love & show it. Bare testimony & Live it. Be consistent."
~Bednar

"No matter who u are or what u have done, you can always pray."
~Packer

"Real Love does not support self-destructive behavior."
~Oaks

"Repentance always means there is greater happiness ahead."
~Anderson

"Please, no empty seats." ~President Eyring

Flashback Friday

1993 San Diego Harbor Festival A Capella Choir Tour
The tour to CA is one of my most memorable experiences at Mountain View High School.
What a great looking group of people.
I am on left side, top row with the biggest hair!
My friend, Becky, is just to the right with her hair in a pony tail.
We were able to go to the San Diego Temple Open House together.
What a awesome weekend! We also had the best teacher in the world, Mr. Petersen.

A Capella gone Wild!

Family is Everything

Cameron, Tammy, Mom, Jocelyn, Brock, & Julia Renee

My Baby Sister & Me

Jocelyn is visiting from Massachusetts for 3 weeks!

She is pregnant with her 2nd baby & I hope she has a girl.

We have been having a great time & Julia loves to play with Brock. On Friday night we went to a wedding reception for Denver & Bree. It was beautiful & so much fun. I had such a great time visiting with all my Aunts, Uncles & cousins on the Andersen side.

I had been looking forward to this event because my family

is everything to me. Thank you for all the hugs!

Reminder : Be Careful

Last night Julia & I attended a Musical Fireside. It was excellent!
I was reminded to live in the moment & to be careful.
These are the lyrics to my favorite song of the evening.

Children Will Listen
How do you say to your child in the night
Nothing is all black but then nothing is all white?
How do you say it will all be alright
When you know that it might not be true? What do you do?
Careful the things you say, children will listen.
Careful the things you do, children will see & learn.
Children may not obey, but children will listen.
Children will look to u for which way to turn, to learn what to be.
Careful before you say, listen to me. Children will listen.
Careful the wish you make, wishes are children.
Careful the path they take, wishes come true, not free.
Careful the spell you cast, not just on children.
The spell may last past what you can see & turn against you...
Careful the tale you tell. That is the spell. Children will listen...
How can you say to a child who's in flight,
Don't slip away & I won't hold so tight?
What can you say that no matter how slight
Won't be misunderstood?
What do you leave to your child when you're dead
Only what ever you put in its head
Things that your mother & father had said
Which were left to them too.
Careful what you say, children will listen
Careful you do it too, children will see & learn.
Oh! Guide them but step away, children will glisten.
Temper with what is true & children will turn, if just to be free.
Careful before you say, listen to me. Children will listen!

I Choose to be Happy!

"Joy has nothing to do with material things, or with man's outward circumstance...A man living in the lap of luxury can be wretched, & a man in the depths of poverty can overflow with joy."
William Barclay

"Remember that happiness is a way of travel -- not a destination."
Roy M. Goodman

Why? What? Where?

Why is 6 afraid of 7?
Because 789!

Today I am lucky enough to bring my little princess with

me to work. Julia is checking out fun shows on youtube.com.

I am running a job on the color copier

that may take me the rest of the day.

Today @ 12:34:56 it will be 123456789!

This only happens once every thousand years!

How fun...I l♥ve numbers!

I've never...

• been alone
• been on a mission
• been on a cruise ship
• been to Disney World
• been short for my age
• been depressed
• been to a HS reunion
• bought a lottery ticket
• bounced a check
• changed my own oil
• done my own taxes
• drank Coke or Pepsi
• liked convertibles
• lost my sanity
• made noodles from scratch
• met a RB float that I didn't like
• owned a pair of pink shoes
• said "yes" to drugs
• slept under the stars
• so optimistic as I am now
• understood why some parents are so cruel when it comes to naming their children. If your last name is Pitts, why would you name your 1st son Harry. If your last name is Brown, why would you name your child Charlie?
• watched or read Harry Potter
• loved Julia more than I do today
• seen beaches more beautiful than the ones in Maui

Jive Concert 2009

Julia loved dancing to the song 'Route 66' using her own scooter. She was excited to perform at each of the 5 showings, & looks forward to doing it again next year! Julia was grateful to have friends & family at each of her performances. I was lucky to
sit front & center at 2 of the shows so Julia could see me,
she said I was grinning from ear to ear...imagine that.
Julia is a strong, smart, beautiful girl, & I admire her confidence.
♥ I wanted to cry, I was so proud of her. ♥

Julia & her dance instructor, Ricki, after the 5th & final show.
It was 9:30 on Saturday night, & they looked like they could easily go one more round. WOW! Julia adores Ricki, & as you can see the feeling is mutual. Ricki is 16 years old, positive & full of energy.
I love Ricki because she believes in Julia & makes her feel special. These girls are beautiful in so many ways.

Thank you Udo for the beautiful flowers & taking great pictures.

Lindsay & Julia. They may be 2 years apart, but Julia considers Lindsay one of her best friends. Last year Julia planned her birthday party around Lindsay's busy schedule.
A party, is just not a party without Lindsay.

Lindsay danced to the song 'Freeze Frame". She was the star

of their dance, she has a smile that never quits. Great Job!

Motivational Monday

Sometimes I am not able to accomplish as much as I would like to, & that is okay. I really wanted some personal time last weekend, but Julia needed me, so I chose to spend my time with her.
It was so worth while. When I apply patience, I have peace.
When I am patient I have all the time in the world to spend with my child. Today I am motivated to learn to be more patient everyday. I love the message of this poem.

If I had my child to raise over again,

I'd finger paint more & point the finger less.

I'd do less correcting & more connecting.

I'd take my eyes off my watch, & watch with my eyes.

I would care to know less & know to care more.

I'd take more hikes & fly more kites.

I'd stop playing serious, & seriously play.

I'd run through more fields & gaze at more stars.

I'd do more hugging and less tugging.

I would be firm less often, & affirm much more.

I'd build self-esteem first, & the house later.

I'd teach less about the love of power,

& more about the power of love.

---Diane Loomans

The Lunceford Children

This is my sweet niece, Baby Ashlin,

with her handsome Big brothers, Jaxson & Caidyn.

Thank you Matt & Britani for the adorable pictures.

I wonder…

Julia picked out these shoes herself a few months ago. I tried to talk her out of them because it was hard to imagine my little Princess wearing skater shoes like her Uncle Mark! Julia is 9 years old & wears a size 8. I wonder if she will wear a size 11 by the time she is 11 years old? Could she be that lucky? My shoe size is 11 & it has been since I was 11. I have told her that we could share shoes & she thinks that is just gross. What do you think?

Name Analysis

♥ I am Experiencing an Attitude of Gratitude!

~

Attitude Adjustments ♥ Books & Blogs ♥ Cuddles

Dreams ♥ Education ♥ Friends ♥ Grandpa Rene

Health ♥ Ice cream ♥ Julia

♥ Karilyn...grateful to be me! ♥

Love ♥ My Mother ♥ Neat Home

Opportunities to repent & begin again, & again

Patience. I don't have much of it,

so that is why I am thankful for "O"

Quiet Time ♥ Rest & relaxation ♥ Salmon

Timing. Things happen for a reason, & it is all in Heavenly Father's hands. ♥ Udo & the USA ♥ Vegetables

Washington D.C. Temple

Xtra Hugs & Kisses ♥ Years of Great Memories

Zillions of Blessings !

Thankful For TiVo

♥♥♥ General Conference was a feast of spiritual proportions. ♥♥♥ It was a privilege to hear what the Lord would say if he were here. I know that the messages of general conference can change my life if I am willing to follow the counsel I hear. This is the first time I have recorded all 4 sessions, thanks to TiVo. I am glad that I don't have to wait for the Ensign to read the parts that I missed, or the talks that I loved, I can watch it whenever I want! During the next 6 months I will refer to it often because of the truth & direction it gives me. I enjoyed playing bingo, because it kept me awake. These are some of my favorite quotes that were uplifting to me.

♥ "Fear not & be of good cheer. Our future is as bright as our faith." Pres. Thomas S. Monson

♥ "The Lord will shape your back to fit the burden."
Neil Anderson about his wife. "For most of my life, I've been trying to become what she thought I already was!"

♥ "You are never lost when you can see the temple." Gary E. Stevenson's young son

♥ "As we touch the temple, the temple will touch us."
Gary E. Stevenson

♥ "You have the power to shoes [choose]." José A. Teixeira

♥ "God never gives you more than you can handle." ♥
I have thought a lot about this saying lately.
I believe it is true, but sometimes God

does give us more than we can handle.

When I realize that I am unable to handle things

in my life, that is when I turn to Him for help.

He wants us to turn to Him for help

& not to walk alone.

When we turn to the Lord with all our ♥s,

He will help us to carry our burden.

With God, all things are possible.

I need Him as my partner.

♥

1 Nephi 3:7

"I will go & do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth

no commandments unto the children of men,

save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

♥

I am grateful for ...

♥ All the blessings God Has Given me.

♥ Trials in my life that have pushed me to do more.

♥ A loving mother & a compassionate daughter.

♥ My friends that support & encourage me.

♥ The people in my life that express their gratitude instead of singing their woes.

The Baby has Arrived!

Ashlin Nicole was born @ 8:30 this morning.

She weighs 7lbs. 7oz. 181/2" long.

Dark hair & chubby cheeks.

Britani is feeling great .

Give Green a Chance

I can't help it!

I can't help but smile when I see these adorable pictures. Babies are the best!

Nail in the Fence

There once was a little boy who had a bad temper. His Father gave him a bag of nails & told him that every time he lost his temper, he must hammer a nail into the back of the fence. The first day the boy had driven 37 nails into the fence. Over the next few weeks, as he learned to control his anger, the # of nails hammered daily gradually dwindled down. He discovered it was easier to hold his temper than to drive those nails into the fence.Finally the day came when the boy didn't lose his temper at all. He told his father about it & the father suggested that the boy now pull out one nail for each day that he was able to hold his temper.The days passed & the young boy was finally able to tell his father that all the nails were gone. The father took his son by the hand & led him to the fence. He said, "You have done well, my son, but look at the Holes in the fence. The fence will never be the same. When you say things in anger, they leave a scar just like this one. You can put a knife in a man & draw it out. It won't matter how many times you say I'm sorry, the wound is still there. " A verbal wound is as bad as a physical one. Friends are very rare jewels, indeed. They make you smile & encourage you to succeed.They lend an ear, they share words of praise & they always want to open their ♥s to us."
Please forgive me if I have ever left a hole in your ♥.

♥ From Me to You ♥

The first 5 people to respond to this post
will receive something fun, from me Just for you.
Of course there are some restrictions & limitations:
1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make!
2. What I create will be just for you.
3. It will be done sometime in 2009.
4. You have no clue what it will be... it may be a batch of homemade caramels, fun stickers, or poetry. Who knows?
5. I reserve the right to choose. The catch? Oh, the catch is that you must leave me a lovely comment. Doesn't this sound fun? Can't wait to see who responds!

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥
I hope you all enjoy your long weekend, I know I will.

Security

One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security.

In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. When we put ourselves trustingly in His arms we do not have to fear or worry. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents.

My Child

An intimate, up-close-&-personal feeling of the Savior's love.

The only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for her child.

This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privilege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves & we are entrusted to be the mothers & fathers of His children here on earth.

Innocence
The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. Children are innocent with clean slates, seeing the world & others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism & self-doubt. I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love & laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones & sets them up to be our examples.

For more precious art go Here !

Give your l♥ve away there's someone needing you.
Give your l♥ve away reach out in all you do.
For you have his l♥ve, it's sent from above.
GIVE YOUR L♥VE AWAY!
Thank you Julie for helping me today,
I think you are amazing, so organized! I love you.

♥Time heals almost everything. Give time, time.

♥Don't compare your life to others'.

You have no idea what their journey is.