Happy Anniversary to Us!

We went for a ride through Zion yesterday morning while
the Grandmas took turns watching our boys.
We had a blast on Greg's "Orange MotorMycle" (as Kirby would say)
or the Buell Ulysses (as Greg would specify).

Nobody was around to take a picture of both of us.
That's ok, we have only two pictures from our honeymoon, too,
one of each of us by the world's tallest thermometer (or so it claimed to be).
You can tell which of us is which here because
I am the one wearing the pink motorcycle jacket! :)


"I have a big head, and little arms!"
This was my attempt to test if I could take a picture of both of us.
There was nowhere to set it for a timed picture, so this is the best we have.
Greg is peeking around saying, "What are you doing now? Let's just ride!"

We did get off the bike to hike a little.
This is from the Canyon Overlook Trail, by the tunnel.
After our ride through Zion, we still wanted more adventure.
So we went to Red Canyon, by Bryce Canyon National Park.

Five Years

This is one of my favorite pictures of the St. George Temple, where Greg and I were married 5 years ago today. This picture is the one I have set as my desktop image. Greg and I recently upped our temple goal and we have been blessed to go very often and enjoy the sweet spirit of temple worship. It helps our focus stay on things that really matter, of eternal consequence. I have been reading over the Conference issue of the Ensign and have been learning a lot about the temple and our covenants. I liked this truth from Elder Stevenson's talk: "Understanding the eternal nature of the temple will draw you to your family; understanding the eternal nature of the family will draw you to the temple." Since Greg and I have set our new goals for temple attendance and have made it a higher priority, we have drawn closer to each other and feel help from the Lord in our parenting. We feel very blessed to be so close to a temple! With the nice weather we've been having, we've been able to ride Greg's motorcycle down when we go, which is a lot of fun.

Mason's Wisdom

I have to agree with my nephew (age 5) that "Three-year-olds have a lot of uncalmness." My own three-year-old's "uncalmness" gives me ample opportunity to develop patience. It also makes me long for equal energy!

Forget Yourself and Go to Work

I am here, where God has placed me. I got to this point in my life by following the Lord and trusting that His plan for me is better than my own. I am here to be the mother of my children, here to be the "creator" of my home and family in my own sphere. I can't do it alone. It seems I keep having to be "compelled to be humble" because I am a slow learner in this area. I feel like I have to do it all by myself and when I look around and see evidence of my inadequacies, I struggle to feel my worth until I turn to the Lord and remember His promises to me. When I focus on ME and what I can or can't do, the details under scrutiny are irrelevant because my focus is in the wrong place. I can do what the Lord requires because my work is His work. The phrase "Forget yourself and go to work" is one that always seems to come up in answer to my prayers to get out of the rut of discouragement. Today I came across that directive again today while browsing through some blogs by people who inspire me. Another thought I really appreciated from one such blog was "we don't have to make ourselves great we just have to follow Christ and trust that He has great things in store for us." That thought correlates with some writing I have been working on for the last couple of years. A personal affirmation I also am reminded of today is this: "I keep moving forward, accomplishing hard things, because I know that in the strength of the Lord I can do all things."

Joining the World of Bloggers...

Hurray for computers! After a month and a half of being computerless, I am ready to start fresh with my new computer and catch up with the rest of the world on sharing thoughts and pictures from and with my family! Hurray for family!!