P.S.

I'm realizing I am very fond of this little abbreviation. I use it quite frequently, in emails, blog comments, and letters. There often seems to be something I want to say that sounds better, has more umph, fits better in a P.S. that in the main body of what I'm saying. Has anyone noticed that I do this? Does anyone find it annoying?

I've Been Tagged

Carrie tagged me, so here goes: (Sorry it took me so long, Carrie!)

*10 Years Ago?
Was not the most shining time of my life. Let's just say MIDDLE SCHOOL. You all probably understand.

*5 Things On My To Do list?
1-Write and send late wedding cards to four of my newly married friends.
2-Write and send letters to four of my missionary friends.
3-Work on planning curriculum for my cute and challenging preschoolers.
4-Nail up the framed pictures I have ready to put up on our walls (yay, I'm finally decorating!).
5-Get our food storage rolling (visit Costco and the cannery).

*3 Bad Habits?
1-Looking for split ends in my hair. I'm seriously compulsive about it.
2-Spending too much time on the computer.
3-Putting off cleaning anything until it's really dirty.

*Places I have Lived?-
Utah
Oregon
Washington
Michigan
England
Romania

*Things Most People Don't Know About Me?
1-I love performing on stage (as long as I feel well trained and prepared for whatever I am supposed to be doing). Whenever I was in ballroom dance competitions in college, I LOVED walking out on the dance floor and performing for the audience and judges.
2-I love sleeping and can sleep for really long periods of time if I don't set an alarm clock (hence that rarely happens).

An Honor

The last two nights I have spent a couple hours at the bedside of my grandma in the hospital. I love my grandma so much, and it has been special to be with her during this time. She has been a real trooper through it all. She is so cheerful and kind. On Monday when a young man came in and asked her if she wanted a snack, she said enthusiastically, "You bet!!" Yesterday when I asked her how her day was, she said, "Oh, lovely. Just lovely."

She is just so beautiful. As I sat there holding her hand, I thought about all that her hands have done: rocked babies to sleep (including my mother), RAISED NINE CHILDREN, wrote letters to her missionary sons, made thousands of meals, folded thousands of loads of laundry, taught Chinese college students, traveled side by side her husband, worked as a missionary president's wife (while also raising eight children), cooked thousands of cookies for those missionaries, gave hugs to many, many souls who needed them, etc., etc., etc. And I thought, "Wow, what an honor to be sitting here and holding such special hands--hands that have done an immeasurable amount of good in this world." Just thinking about all that made her hands seem sacred, and I felt so honored to be there to hold them during this time. I feel it an honor to simply be her granddaughter!


This is a picture of my Grandma H*'s, Mom's, sister Jessi's, and niece Emily's hands, taken by Audra C*. Doesn't it speak volumes?!

More Prayers Needed

This is my beautiful, affectionate, loving, wonderful Grandma H*. She fell down the stairs in her house in the middle of the night Saturday-Sunday and is in the hospital. If you could all pray for her, I would really appreciate it! She is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and so she has a hard time understanding what's going on, and that makes it all the harder. She could really use your prayers for the Lord to comfort her, strengthen her in her pain, and give her peace that she'll be okay at the hospital or the nursing home (she really just wants to go home and doesn't understand why she can't).

This man could also use your prayers. He is my Grandpa H*, and he is an angel on the earth. He has been so good to my grandmother through everything and I love him more every day for how graciously, patiently, and lovingly he has gone through my grandma's loss of memory and deteriorating physical health. He has always been so smart, witty, funny, and bright, but just in the last few years I have also realized how tender his heart is. I love him so much and I'm sure he would also benefit from your prayers for the Lord to give him peace, hope, and strength during this trying time.

Thank you for all your prayers! I know Heavenly Father hears them and answers them! So thank you again!

Compliments

Last week my sister-in-law Crystal posted about how a little girl gave her the best compliment that made her so happy. Today at church I was given a similar compliment that just made me so happy, and I thought I'd share it with you. I taught the Relief Society lesson today (I was subbing for another lady in the ward), and afterwards an older lady, Sister Giles, came up to me and said it was a great lesson and, "What I want to know is where you served your mission!" I told her I hadn't served a mission, and she said, "Wow, I am so surprised! You taught just like a missionary." That made me so happy!!

I've always had a desire to serve a mission, but when I was about to turn 21 I just didn't feel good about it (now I know why--a certain gentleman came into my life about a month after I turned 21). Even though I know that wasn't God's plan for me, I still feel a little twinge of jealousy when I see sister missionaries--that I was never able to experience that. But I can't wait to be a missionary with Chad someday! So when that sister told me I taught like a missionary, I thought it was the nicest compliment she could have given me!

Compliments are so powerful--they are examples of how small things can make such a big difference! Just one little sentence can make a person feel so good for the rest of the day! Like the compliment Crystal received from that little girl, and the one Sister Giles gave me to me. Another compliment that made me feel so good was one I received on my wedding day. Chad and I were walking around the temple grounds to a spot where our photographer wanted to take some pictures, and we passed a little girl about four years old and her mom sitting on a blanket in the shade of a tree. The little girl looked at me, and then at her mom and excitedly said, "Look Mom--there's the princess!!" That made me feel so good!!

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, one of my most favorite apostles, spoke on compliments in his conference talk in May of 2005. His talk was titled "The Virtue of Kindness," and it is one of my favorite conference talks. In it he recounted these stories and gave this counsel:

"One day, when I was in college, a man seven years my senior congratulated me on my performance in a football game. He not only praised how well I had done in the game, but he had noticed that I had showed good sportsmanship. Even though this conversation happened more than 60 years ago, and even though it’s highly unlikely the person who complimented me has any recollection of this conversation, I still remember the kind words spoken to me that day by Gordon B. Hinckley, who would later become President of the Church.

"The attributes of thoughtfulness and kindness are inseparably linked with President Hinckley. When my father passed away in 1963, President Hinckley was the first person to come to our home. I’ll never forget his kindness. He gave my mother a blessing and, among other things, promised her that she had much to look forward to and that life would be sweet for her. These words have brought comfort to her and to me, and I’ll never forget his kindness.

"Kindness is the essence of a celestial life. Kindness is how a Christlike person treats others. Kindness should permeate all of our words and actions at work, at school, at church, and especially in our homes."

So when a compliment comes to your mind, say it! It might just make both you and the other person feel good for the rest of the day! And who knows--it may even make a lasting impression on them for the rest of their lives.

I Voted!

One of the things I love about my husband is how he keeps up with politics. In my American Heritage class at BYU, I was inspired to become an active citizen, but it wasn't until I met Chad that I really did what I was inspired to do. Chad has helped me learn about politics, understand the political process, and think critically about a lot of the issues our nation is facing. He has gently invited me to the world of politics that is often overwhelming, intimidating, and frustrating to me.

This year I am learning about the primaries process. For the first time in my life, I actually know the candidates for each political party. I've kept up with primaries for Iowa, New Hampshire, North Carolina, etc... And today, Super Tuesday, I voted! I'm fulfilling my dream to become politically active!

I still don't really like politics, though. I believe it's important, but I don't like it. And here's why:

1. I don't like the fact that politicians seem to always be trying to impress everyone, especially during campaigning season. I feel like they are all fake! And because of that, I have a hard time trusting them or wanting to vote for any of them.

2. Along the same lines, I feel like during campaigning season, politicians are all trying to talk themselves up and make unrealistic promises. I want to say, "Yeah right, get real" to all of them.

3. I don't like how politics can be so polarizing. Why can't we all just get along?! :)

4. And most of all, I DO NOT like how political candidates bash on each other. Even when they rationalize it as necessary to point out differences between themselves and other candidates, I still think pointing out the weaknesses of others while emphasizing your own strengths is just plain low, whether it's in the political arena or outside of it.

But with that said, I voted! Yay! :)

A Word on Shoveling

Since posting about shoveling a couple weeks ago, I realized it could have made my husband look bad. Well, I just wanted to clarify that. The reason why I've shoveled the snow so many times in the last two months is because the sky has dumped snow on us close to every day! :) Chad has shoveled the snow a lot of those days, but he has also been working a lot, and so while he's at work I shovel. And I like doing it. I'm one of those weird people who really likes snow, and I even like to shovel it once in a while. :) So I apologize if it sounded as though I was complaining, because that wasn't my intention! I was just celebrating how I've gotten so much better at shoveling. :) And here's an update on our house and the mountain of snow in front of it (and we're supposed to receive 6 more inches in the next day!):