My friend Bonnie asked me to sing with her in Sacrament meeting tomorrow. We'll be singing the song "If Thou Had Been Here", which is a song about Lazarus's and the Savior then raising him from the dead.
When she first asked me to sing this song with her, I had never heard it before. So, I did what I usually do when I need some knowledge about something...I turned to the internet. Armed with all powerful Google, I discovered this version of "If Thou Had Been Here", which has been a great help to me as I have worked on learning this song:
Besides this video, there are quite a few videos on YouTube from the ladies that sing this, Jorose and Ary. I have watched many of their videos, and at the risk of sounding like some crazy stalker lady, can I just say that "If [They] Had Been Here" (in the same town where I live) then I would hope that we would be friends.
I'd want to be friends with them because of their singing. I love singing, and obviously these ladies do, too. I love the joy that they seem to have when they sing, and I love the playfulness they have when they sing together. I also love that their videos often have their kids stealing the limelight for a minute or two, and that they just smile and laugh at that and go right on singing.
Music is just one of those things for me that helps make life complete. There is a quote, atttributed to Thomas Carlyle, which says, "Music is well said to be the speech of angels; in fact, nothing among the utterances allowed to man is felt to be so divine. It brings us near to the infinite." Music can lift my mood so easily and often gives me great peace and happiness.
And, speaking of mood-lifting, here's another one of my favorite videos from them:
La-ti-da! :-)
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
I Belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Today it has been 26 years since I was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In honor of that, here's a list of some of the ways my life has been touched by being a member of the church.
*The Holy Ghost--After being baptized, hands were laid on my head and I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has touched my life by helping me know truth, know the Savior better, and feel peace.
*A Living Prophet--Heavenly Father desires his children here on earth to know Him and what He wants us to do. He did not send prophets only in olden days and have that be good enough for the rest of time. He knows of things that are happening today that did not happen in earlier days and He knows that we still need His guidance to help us navigate through those things. And so, He still calls prophets for us today. And wonderfully, at least twice a year, I can listen to words from those living prophets at General Conference and hear the things I need to hear in order to draw me closer to the Savior and enable me to know how to deal with things life brings.
*Craig, Melanie, Bradley, Trevor, Jacob...or in other words, eternal families through temple ordinances--In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in the family, and we believe in the family for eternity when sealed together by proper priesthood authority through temple ordinances. Because of this, I have not only a wonderful husband and 4 wonderful children, but I have them forever and ever.
*The Book of Mormon--The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion with the Bible to testify of the living Christ. I love The Book of Mormon. I understand the Savior and His teachings and the atonement better as I study The Book of Mormon, especially those teachings that may seem a little unclear in the Bible.
*A better understanding of why--Many times when life throws people a curve ball, they question why. The gospel gives me a better understanding of why. Heavenly Father sent us all here to be tested and tried and to see if we would do the things He commands us to. He wants us to be like Him, and this life gives us a chance to learn how. While I may not always know the intricate details of why something happened, I know broadly that things happen because I am to learn to keep the commandments and to be like Heavenly Father, and that gives me faith that whatever happens (no matter how hard it may be) is to help me accomplish that.
*The Priesthood--In the church, worthy males ages 12 and up are given offices in the priesthood. The priesthood is the power to act in God's name and the responsibilities priesthood holders have are to administer ordinances, serve and help others, and preach the gospel. One thing I am thankful for with the priesthood is the opportunity to receive blessings. For example, today, when Melanie gets her wisdom teeth out, Craig will have the chance to lay his hands on her head and bless her that things will go well with that surgery. Priesthood blessings are a great comfort and I am thankful for a husband (and sons) who are worthy to use their priesthood for good in the world.
What a wonderful 26 years it has been! I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to be a member of His church. I am thankful for the fullness of the gospel that is found therein, and for the great blessing that is in my life, and the great blessings that brings to my life!
*The Holy Ghost--After being baptized, hands were laid on my head and I was given the gift of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has touched my life by helping me know truth, know the Savior better, and feel peace.
*A Living Prophet--Heavenly Father desires his children here on earth to know Him and what He wants us to do. He did not send prophets only in olden days and have that be good enough for the rest of time. He knows of things that are happening today that did not happen in earlier days and He knows that we still need His guidance to help us navigate through those things. And so, He still calls prophets for us today. And wonderfully, at least twice a year, I can listen to words from those living prophets at General Conference and hear the things I need to hear in order to draw me closer to the Savior and enable me to know how to deal with things life brings.
*Craig, Melanie, Bradley, Trevor, Jacob...or in other words, eternal families through temple ordinances--In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe in the family, and we believe in the family for eternity when sealed together by proper priesthood authority through temple ordinances. Because of this, I have not only a wonderful husband and 4 wonderful children, but I have them forever and ever.
*The Book of Mormon--The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ, a companion with the Bible to testify of the living Christ. I love The Book of Mormon. I understand the Savior and His teachings and the atonement better as I study The Book of Mormon, especially those teachings that may seem a little unclear in the Bible.
*A better understanding of why--Many times when life throws people a curve ball, they question why. The gospel gives me a better understanding of why. Heavenly Father sent us all here to be tested and tried and to see if we would do the things He commands us to. He wants us to be like Him, and this life gives us a chance to learn how. While I may not always know the intricate details of why something happened, I know broadly that things happen because I am to learn to keep the commandments and to be like Heavenly Father, and that gives me faith that whatever happens (no matter how hard it may be) is to help me accomplish that.
*The Priesthood--In the church, worthy males ages 12 and up are given offices in the priesthood. The priesthood is the power to act in God's name and the responsibilities priesthood holders have are to administer ordinances, serve and help others, and preach the gospel. One thing I am thankful for with the priesthood is the opportunity to receive blessings. For example, today, when Melanie gets her wisdom teeth out, Craig will have the chance to lay his hands on her head and bless her that things will go well with that surgery. Priesthood blessings are a great comfort and I am thankful for a husband (and sons) who are worthy to use their priesthood for good in the world.
What a wonderful 26 years it has been! I am thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the opportunity to be a member of His church. I am thankful for the fullness of the gospel that is found therein, and for the great blessing that is in my life, and the great blessings that brings to my life!
Monday, March 15, 2010
A to Z...All about Me!
A--Algebra--I am a math fan. I once even planned to major in math education and teach math (although that didn't happen...I did elementary education instead).
B--Baseball--In elementary school my friend Mary Neumann and I were huge Chicago Cub fans. My favorite player at that time was Manny Trillo.
C--Class Clown--I always kind of wished I was the class clown. I love joking around and hearing people laugh. One of my favorite sounds in the world is my husband's laugh.
D--Dog--I have had one dog in my life. He was a dachshund named Teke.
E--Eating--I often eat too much. Once upon a time that didn't matter that much. Now with a slower metabolism, it probably does. I'm a junk food junkie and a carnivore. I'm not a huge fan of fruits (I only like about 4 total--Apples, Oranges, Watermelon, and Pineapple). Veggies are better than fruit, but I still don't like a ton of them.
F--French--I took French for all 4 years in high school. Sometimes I think I should go back and learn it again. I love the Olympics because French is one of two official Olympic languages, and I love to hear the announcers speak French and try to decipher what they are saying. My nephew Caleb is on a French speaking mission, and each week in his letter home he writes "the French phrase of the week"...95% of the time I know exactly what he's saying.
G--Games--I love to play games. Some of my favorites are Scrabble, Taboo, card games, and Racko.
H--Hawaii--I love Hawaii and Polynesian things. Sometimes I think I must have been a Polynesian in a former life because it all seems so wonderful to me. I would love to know how to hula, and I would love to live in Hawaii.
I--Iowa and Illinois--I've lived in two states that start with the letter I.
J--Jon--I have only one sibling, a brother named Jon. (And, I think J-O-N is the best way to spell Jon, who needs an H?)
K--King Size--After sleeping for 20 years of my marriage on a double bed, we now sleep in a king size bed.
L--Libby--Although I am technically an Elizabeth, I have gone by Libby for pretty much my whole life. If you call me Elizabeth, I know you have no clue who I am.
M--Mormon--I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I joined the church when I was nearly 16 years old. I love it.
N--Night owl--I am definitely more of a night owl than a morning person. Which maybe is why I'm writing this as 12:45...I can't sleep right now.
O--Oklahoma--My husband owns a company in Oklahoma. How strange is that?
P--Packrat--I have a lot of packrat in me, although I think the older I get the less packrat I have in me. I used to keep everything, but I'm a lot better now at not keeping a lot of things that I probably don't need.
Q--Quilts--I like quilts, I think they are rather cool. I once made a quilt for my grandma which was symbolic of her life. I am currently in a quilt block group (where we make 8 quilt blocks that are the same and then trade them and come home with 8 different quilt blocks), but I don't think I'm going to keep doing it, because although I like quilts, I don't think at this point in my life I really want to make quilts.
R--Running--I hate running. I have hated running since 3rd grade, when I got a side stitch while running. Lots of people in my family like running. My husband has run 16 (or is it 17?) marathons and my sons run track. But I hate running.
S--Singing--I like to sing. But I do not like singing with people when I don't feel like our voices blend. I feel like a horrible singer when that happens.
T--TV--I'm not really a huge fan of TV. I could probably survive not having a TV at all without any problems. A few years ago when we changed from Dish Network to Direct TV (or was it the other way around?) they said in order to have a TV in our bedroom we'd have to run a cable down the wall and I said "NO WAY!" and that was one of the best things that ever happened in my life. I really hate TV in the bedroom.
U--Ususally Unforgettable--I have a knack for remembering people's names. Not very many people seem to have that knack, so they are usually impressed with my name remembering skills.
V--Vaccine--I'm afraid of needles, so if I can help it, I don't get any shots (such as yearly flu shots, or allergy shots, etc.)
W--Walking--My preferred form of exercise would be walking. But I can't walk by myself very well. I need a walking buddy, 'cause it's just too easy to wimp out when I have to go by myself. I currently don't have a consistant walking buddy, so I currently don't exercise much. :-(
X--X-rays--I haven't had very many x-rays in my life because I've never broken a bone.
Y--Yearn--I am a yearner. To yearn is "to desire strongly or persistently". I am always desiring something strongly or persistently...it could be I want to move (see previous post) or I want an exercise buddy or I want to live on a beach or I want to learn how to tile a floor or reupholster furniture or whatever it is. I'm always yearning for something.
Z--Zits--I can't help it. I'm a zit squeezer and a scab picker. It's pathetic. (And, as I just barely read on the internet, it can be a form of OCD. Hmm.)
B--Baseball--In elementary school my friend Mary Neumann and I were huge Chicago Cub fans. My favorite player at that time was Manny Trillo.
C--Class Clown--I always kind of wished I was the class clown. I love joking around and hearing people laugh. One of my favorite sounds in the world is my husband's laugh.
D--Dog--I have had one dog in my life. He was a dachshund named Teke.
E--Eating--I often eat too much. Once upon a time that didn't matter that much. Now with a slower metabolism, it probably does. I'm a junk food junkie and a carnivore. I'm not a huge fan of fruits (I only like about 4 total--Apples, Oranges, Watermelon, and Pineapple). Veggies are better than fruit, but I still don't like a ton of them.
F--French--I took French for all 4 years in high school. Sometimes I think I should go back and learn it again. I love the Olympics because French is one of two official Olympic languages, and I love to hear the announcers speak French and try to decipher what they are saying. My nephew Caleb is on a French speaking mission, and each week in his letter home he writes "the French phrase of the week"...95% of the time I know exactly what he's saying.
G--Games--I love to play games. Some of my favorites are Scrabble, Taboo, card games, and Racko.
H--Hawaii--I love Hawaii and Polynesian things. Sometimes I think I must have been a Polynesian in a former life because it all seems so wonderful to me. I would love to know how to hula, and I would love to live in Hawaii.
I--Iowa and Illinois--I've lived in two states that start with the letter I.
J--Jon--I have only one sibling, a brother named Jon. (And, I think J-O-N is the best way to spell Jon, who needs an H?)
K--King Size--After sleeping for 20 years of my marriage on a double bed, we now sleep in a king size bed.
L--Libby--Although I am technically an Elizabeth, I have gone by Libby for pretty much my whole life. If you call me Elizabeth, I know you have no clue who I am.
M--Mormon--I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I joined the church when I was nearly 16 years old. I love it.
N--Night owl--I am definitely more of a night owl than a morning person. Which maybe is why I'm writing this as 12:45...I can't sleep right now.
O--Oklahoma--My husband owns a company in Oklahoma. How strange is that?
P--Packrat--I have a lot of packrat in me, although I think the older I get the less packrat I have in me. I used to keep everything, but I'm a lot better now at not keeping a lot of things that I probably don't need.
Q--Quilts--I like quilts, I think they are rather cool. I once made a quilt for my grandma which was symbolic of her life. I am currently in a quilt block group (where we make 8 quilt blocks that are the same and then trade them and come home with 8 different quilt blocks), but I don't think I'm going to keep doing it, because although I like quilts, I don't think at this point in my life I really want to make quilts.
R--Running--I hate running. I have hated running since 3rd grade, when I got a side stitch while running. Lots of people in my family like running. My husband has run 16 (or is it 17?) marathons and my sons run track. But I hate running.
S--Singing--I like to sing. But I do not like singing with people when I don't feel like our voices blend. I feel like a horrible singer when that happens.
T--TV--I'm not really a huge fan of TV. I could probably survive not having a TV at all without any problems. A few years ago when we changed from Dish Network to Direct TV (or was it the other way around?) they said in order to have a TV in our bedroom we'd have to run a cable down the wall and I said "NO WAY!" and that was one of the best things that ever happened in my life. I really hate TV in the bedroom.
U--Ususally Unforgettable--I have a knack for remembering people's names. Not very many people seem to have that knack, so they are usually impressed with my name remembering skills.
V--Vaccine--I'm afraid of needles, so if I can help it, I don't get any shots (such as yearly flu shots, or allergy shots, etc.)
W--Walking--My preferred form of exercise would be walking. But I can't walk by myself very well. I need a walking buddy, 'cause it's just too easy to wimp out when I have to go by myself. I currently don't have a consistant walking buddy, so I currently don't exercise much. :-(
X--X-rays--I haven't had very many x-rays in my life because I've never broken a bone.
Y--Yearn--I am a yearner. To yearn is "to desire strongly or persistently". I am always desiring something strongly or persistently...it could be I want to move (see previous post) or I want an exercise buddy or I want to live on a beach or I want to learn how to tile a floor or reupholster furniture or whatever it is. I'm always yearning for something.
Z--Zits--I can't help it. I'm a zit squeezer and a scab picker. It's pathetic. (And, as I just barely read on the internet, it can be a form of OCD. Hmm.)
Saturday, March 13, 2010
If I had a Million Dollars
There is a song (sung by the oddly named group "Barenaked Ladies") called "If I had a Million Dollars." Today I am wishing I had a million dollars. It would be most handy.
The reason I wish I had a million dollars today is to buy the cool house I saw for sale. (Disclaimer: technically the house does not cost a million dollars. It's "only" $399,000. But hey, "If I had 399,000 dollars" just doesn't have the same ring to it. And besides, if I had a million dollars I'm sure I could find some way to use the extra $601,000 if I thought hard enough.)
Why, you ask, am I looking at houses? Well, I want to move, and I've pretty much wanted to move for a very long time. I have lived in the house I am currently in for 12 1/2 years, which is the longest I've EVER lived anywhere in my life. In the 29 years before I moved to my current house I lived in a grand total of 14 different places, which is moving on average about every 2 years. (If you read my last blog entry you know I like change, so you might see that living somewhere for 12+ years is a little strange to me.)
--5108 square feet of house. There are 7 bedrooms--one for Craig and I, one for each of our kids, one for guests, and one left over for a home office for Craig. Or we could double up some kids like we do in our current home and have an exercise room, or a craft room, or possibly even BOTH. There's a nice big laundry room (no more laundry closet for me!) as well as a 4 car garage (two regular bays, as well as a double long single bay.) We could park all 3 cars in the garage and still have room for the bikes and mowers and weedwackers and ladders and tools and etc. Or, if we wanted, we could put all the bikes and mower and weedwackers and ladders and tools in the huge shed that's out back instead! Some people may say, "But your kids are getting older and soon they'll be moving out. Why do you need such a big house?" Well, the hope is that part of why they move out is to get married and have their own families. A big house like that would be great for family parties when they all come home for the holidays with their wonderful spouses and my adorable grandchildren, right?
--Just over 2/3 of an acre of lawn. Just think of the soccer games my sons could play back there with that size lawn! We could even possibly have a soccer game and a badminton game going on at the same time if we wanted! The yard could technically be big enough that we could place a garden where produce wouldn't be destroyed by wildly kicked balls. And, someday, if they so desired, I'd be able to host a wedding reception for my kids in my backyard and be able to seat more than the probably 20 people I'd get to fit in my current backyard. It also looks like there's a fire pit out back...roasted marshmallows, anyone?
Unfortuantely, I don't have a million dollars today, so I guess I'll have to stay where I am for now. For the most part that's ok, though, 'cause life is pretty good right where we are! But hey...I can dream, right?
(Clarification: For those who may be wondering, even though I have great desires to move, my "looking at houses" consists of checking out the MLS listings for the area and looking at house tours online. I have not actually set foot in the above desired house.)
The reason I wish I had a million dollars today is to buy the cool house I saw for sale. (Disclaimer: technically the house does not cost a million dollars. It's "only" $399,000. But hey, "If I had 399,000 dollars" just doesn't have the same ring to it. And besides, if I had a million dollars I'm sure I could find some way to use the extra $601,000 if I thought hard enough.)
Why, you ask, am I looking at houses? Well, I want to move, and I've pretty much wanted to move for a very long time. I have lived in the house I am currently in for 12 1/2 years, which is the longest I've EVER lived anywhere in my life. In the 29 years before I moved to my current house I lived in a grand total of 14 different places, which is moving on average about every 2 years. (If you read my last blog entry you know I like change, so you might see that living somewhere for 12+ years is a little strange to me.)
Here's the funny thing about my desire to move. If you ask me about where I want to move, I'd normally say I want to move to Kaysville (because I want my kids to go to Davis High School) and I want to move to a two-story house (because in general that's my favorite type of floor plan). However, this house that I decided that I'd buy if I had a million dollars, doesn't fit the Kaysville/two story bill! This house is actually in Layton (although it's about a block from Kaysville, which is closer than my current 4 or 5 blocks from Kaysville. And, with 3 out of 4 kids already gone or going to Davis High, I guess I'm feeling that the Davis High thing is workable living in Layton still). Also, it's a one-story rambler. In fact, it is technically almost exactly the same floor plan that I currently have, just bigger. I still probably like two story houses best, but everyone is always telling me that when I get old and my knees give out I'll be glad I had a one-story. Anyway, regardless of it's "downfalls", if I actually did have a million dollars (or even $399,000), I would buy this house:
For "only" $399,000, here's what I'd get:
--Just over 2/3 of an acre of lawn. Just think of the soccer games my sons could play back there with that size lawn! We could even possibly have a soccer game and a badminton game going on at the same time if we wanted! The yard could technically be big enough that we could place a garden where produce wouldn't be destroyed by wildly kicked balls. And, someday, if they so desired, I'd be able to host a wedding reception for my kids in my backyard and be able to seat more than the probably 20 people I'd get to fit in my current backyard. It also looks like there's a fire pit out back...roasted marshmallows, anyone?
Unfortuantely, I don't have a million dollars today, so I guess I'll have to stay where I am for now. For the most part that's ok, though, 'cause life is pretty good right where we are! But hey...I can dream, right?
(Clarification: For those who may be wondering, even though I have great desires to move, my "looking at houses" consists of checking out the MLS listings for the area and looking at house tours online. I have not actually set foot in the above desired house.)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
The Latest House Change
If you know me well, you know that I love change and "shaking things up", so to speak. Routine is not my forte. In my house, this regularly translates into decorating changes for the various rooms in the house. It's usually not "little" decorating changes like I bought a new pillow, it's changes in "big" things like color schemes or paint, and sometimes even the furniture. (If not some new furniture, then at least a rearrangement of the furniture I already have.) I once counted all the decor changes I had made in my house over the 12 years I've lived here. I think I came up with nearly 30.
The latest change is in the downstairs bathroom. I wanted a fabric shower curtain, which is easier to wash, since it's very near the potty in a bathroom used 95% of the time by boys. (Each of them SWEARS they aim, but I'm not sure I'm buying it!) It also needed to match the forest green counter top I had in there. The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed a shower curtain that I thought would fit the bill, and the redo began!
And, here's what the downstairs bathroom looks like now:
The latest change is in the downstairs bathroom. I wanted a fabric shower curtain, which is easier to wash, since it's very near the potty in a bathroom used 95% of the time by boys. (Each of them SWEARS they aim, but I'm not sure I'm buying it!) It also needed to match the forest green counter top I had in there. The other day when I was at Walmart I noticed a shower curtain that I thought would fit the bill, and the redo began!
And, here's what the downstairs bathroom looks like now:
I like it! Well, at least for the next few months...or until someone teaches me how to tile my bathroom floor and I put in new tile...whichever comes first!
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