It's 3:00 on this beautiful spring sabbath afternoon. Our family is enjoying some quiet time. Anthony and Kayla are napping, Joseph's lying on the living room floor watching a cartoon and Joshua is sipping applejuice from a straw while I get in some journal time.
In an hour we will walk down the street (2 houses) to mom & dad's for dinner. They just got back from Washington DC and being that they missed Anth's b-day on Wednesday of this week they invited us for dinner. Anthony's birthday was a good day. He took the day off work. I let him sleep in by taking Joseph to school for him, and then taking Joshua & Kayla with me to the gym. After working out, I quickly got my hair trimmed at Super Cuts, hoping that josh would behave and that Kayla would stay sasleep by my feet in her carseat...it all turned out okay. I was trying to rush back to pick up Joseph from Stacy by noon, so I left a little early from the hair cut, not getting the layered look that I wanted, unfortunately, but no big deal. However Anth called as I was leaving Super Cuts to say that I didn't need to rush back because he was getting Joseph from Stacy and would meet us in Folsom for lunch, so I could have stayed a little longer to finish the layers but oh well! We met at Pita Pita, our favorite sit-down but fast food restaurant. Shwerma, falafel, basmati rice, yummy sauce, pitas, hummus, mmmm.... So Anth was happy already. Two of his main three sources of happiness had be fulfilled: sleep, and food! :) It was just a great, kick-back day that we spent together as a family. For dinner we drove back out to Folsom to his sister Christine's house for a Telford family dinner because Scott's family, Star & the girls were in town, and also to have cake & icecream for Anth's b-day.
We enjoyed the visit. The kids had a great time, as always. My boys love playing there. We adults had fun too, talking and laughing until it was time for cake. The boys helped me decorate daddy's "28 is Great" cake with oreos and candles; it was pretty cute. They also made a cd with my help for their dad. "28 is Great" Joshua recorded on the mic with his adorable 3 yr. old voice, and then Joseph said,"28 reasons why we love daddy" followed by 28 things we th
ought of together, taking turns saying them. It turned out really cute.
Anthony can't believe that he's twenty-eight years old, has been out of highschool for a decade, and has been married to me for seven years now.
In an hour we will walk down the street (2 houses) to mom & dad's for dinner. They just got back from Washington DC and being that they missed Anth's b-day on Wednesday of this week they invited us for dinner. Anthony's birthday was a good day. He took the day off work. I let him sleep in by taking Joseph to school for him, and then taking Joshua & Kayla with me to the gym. After working out, I quickly got my hair trimmed at Super Cuts, hoping that josh would behave and that Kayla would stay sasleep by my feet in her carseat...it all turned out okay. I was trying to rush back to pick up Joseph from Stacy by noon, so I left a little early from the hair cut, not getting the layered look that I wanted, unfortunately, but no big deal. However Anth called as I was leaving Super Cuts to say that I didn't need to rush back because he was getting Joseph from Stacy and would meet us in Folsom for lunch, so I could have stayed a little longer to finish the layers but oh well! We met at Pita Pita, our favorite sit-down but fast food restaurant. Shwerma, falafel, basmati rice, yummy sauce, pitas, hummus, mmmm.... So Anth was happy already. Two of his main three sources of happiness had be fulfilled: sleep, and food! :) It was just a great, kick-back day that we spent together as a family. For dinner we drove back out to Folsom to his sister Christine's house for a Telford family dinner because Scott's family, Star & the girls were in town, and also to have cake & icecream for Anth's b-day.
We enjoyed the visit. The kids had a great time, as always. My boys love playing there. We adults had fun too, talking and laughing until it was time for cake. The boys helped me decorate daddy's "28 is Great" cake with oreos and candles; it was pretty cute. They also made a cd with my help for their dad. "28 is Great" Joshua recorded on the mic with his adorable 3 yr. old voice, and then Joseph said,"28 reasons why we love daddy" followed by 28 things we th
ought of together, taking turns saying them. It turned out really cute.Anthony can't believe that he's twenty-eight years old, has been out of highschool for a decade, and has been married to me for seven years now.
Sometimes it gets me too, but even weirder than the fact that we're getting older and have been together for 7 years here on earth is the fact that we will be together for endless years throughout the eternities. We will never be seperated; Anthony and I are one, and will be side by side forever with no end. THAT is what boggles my mind! It's always pointless to ponder on such things of eternity so far in the future and of us having no end, etc. 
because I dont think our brains were designed to comprehend it at this stage of our existence. But even though I cant comprehend or understand it, I do believe it. I know it's true and that's that. I love that I have been blessed with simple faith. I love that I have never doubted or questioned these eternal truths. I am so thankful for the foundation of truth that was given to me by my parents and that I built upon as a child.
Last Sunday we had a lesson in Relief Society about having a sure foundation that we can fall back on when we are going through difficult trials in this life. The teacher was Jo Taylor, our ex-Relief Society president and my OBGYN, whom we all respect, and also enjoy because she is so unique. I like her lessons; her teaching style is different from anyone else I've listened to. She is very direct, almost harsh in her approach, but it's almost refreshing. She speaks openly, shares her honest thoughts even if they are weak, or unpopular. And she moves on from one point to the next, speaking very quickly, trying to share all of the content she prepared for her lesson which is probably 3 times as much as most people prepare.
Anyway! I found this lesson to be very interesting because it made me realize how blessed I am and feel very thankful for my foundation. Jo started out by sharing a few horror stories of people she knows personally, and even of her own experiences, of suffering and trials in this mortal life that seem unnecissarily cruel. And then she asked the question, "Have any of you ever felt so down/depressed, or that your trials were so overwhelming that you felt abandoned by God, that it caused you to question your faith?" She asked it in a way that seemed obvious that she had often felt this way and as if she expected everybody else to have experienced that feeling as well. She followed it up with, "Have any of you not felt that way?" and acted a little surprised when I raised my hand. Only one other lady also raised her hand, and she was the one to speak for us. She briefly explained that although she had felt down and suffered from trials, etc. she had never felt abandoned or questioned things, doubting her faith. That is how I feel, and it is due to my sure foundation. It is also due to a blessed life of comfort and ease, with no intense suffering or difficult trials so far. But I truly believe that if difficult trials come that I would still feel as I do now, knowing that my Father in heaven does not abandon his children, but cannot save us from trials and suffering, for it would destroy our growth and progress in this perfect plan of salvation, and it would completely destroy the gift of free agency. God will not interfere with men's choices and the consequences because he loves us, but I believe it pains him more than we comprehend to witness the cruelty of his children or the pain we suffer. This is a subject that I care about very deeply, especially since it is so misunderstood by most people. I really like Truman G. Madsen's words on the subject in his book 'Eternal Man'. I also love 'Four Essays on Love' and 'The Highest In Us'.
because I dont think our brains were designed to comprehend it at this stage of our existence. But even though I cant comprehend or understand it, I do believe it. I know it's true and that's that. I love that I have been blessed with simple faith. I love that I have never doubted or questioned these eternal truths. I am so thankful for the foundation of truth that was given to me by my parents and that I built upon as a child.Last Sunday we had a lesson in Relief Society about having a sure foundation that we can fall back on when we are going through difficult trials in this life. The teacher was Jo Taylor, our ex-Relief Society president and my OBGYN, whom we all respect, and also enjoy because she is so unique. I like her lessons; her teaching style is different from anyone else I've listened to. She is very direct, almost harsh in her approach, but it's almost refreshing. She speaks openly, shares her honest thoughts even if they are weak, or unpopular. And she moves on from one point to the next, speaking very quickly, trying to share all of the content she prepared for her lesson which is probably 3 times as much as most people prepare.
Anyway! I found this lesson to be very interesting because it made me realize how blessed I am and feel very thankful for my foundation. Jo started out by sharing a few horror stories of people she knows personally, and even of her own experiences, of suffering and trials in this mortal life that seem unnecissarily cruel. And then she asked the question, "Have any of you ever felt so down/depressed, or that your trials were so overwhelming that you felt abandoned by God, that it caused you to question your faith?" She asked it in a way that seemed obvious that she had often felt this way and as if she expected everybody else to have experienced that feeling as well. She followed it up with, "Have any of you not felt that way?" and acted a little surprised when I raised my hand. Only one other lady also raised her hand, and she was the one to speak for us. She briefly explained that although she had felt down and suffered from trials, etc. she had never felt abandoned or questioned things, doubting her faith. That is how I feel, and it is due to my sure foundation. It is also due to a blessed life of comfort and ease, with no intense suffering or difficult trials so far. But I truly believe that if difficult trials come that I would still feel as I do now, knowing that my Father in heaven does not abandon his children, but cannot save us from trials and suffering, for it would destroy our growth and progress in this perfect plan of salvation, and it would completely destroy the gift of free agency. God will not interfere with men's choices and the consequences because he loves us, but I believe it pains him more than we comprehend to witness the cruelty of his children or the pain we suffer. This is a subject that I care about very deeply, especially since it is so misunderstood by most people. I really like Truman G. Madsen's words on the subject in his book 'Eternal Man'. I also love 'Four Essays on Love' and 'The Highest In Us'.
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