I Am Thankful for Digital Photography

I can’t remember the last time I bought a roll of film.  I love that I can take a ton of pictures and not worry about how much it will cost to develop them.  I can pick and choose and even delete the ones I don’t like.  Although there are very few that I actually delete because every photo tells some kind of story for me, even if the focus is a little off or the subject is looking the wrong way. I have been adding photos to my gallery today, and was so grateful for a visual way to keep family and friends updated on our family. And since I’m not good at letters or phone calls, this is a way that I can share what is going on. I signed up for an online class to learn how to use photoshop, so maybe I can make those shots even better now. Fun!

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I Am Thankful For Visitors

We all get so excited whenever we can get family to come visit with us.  Recently, we had Kezia (Rob’s cousin) stay with us overnight while she was here working in LA over a weekend.  The kids love her because she is always excited to see them, and usually has some sort of treat for them or something fun to do.  This time she did all of the girls’ hair and they looked beautiful!  Some people have a gift for doing little girls’ hair and she is one of them. It was great to stay up late chatting and catching up.

This weekend Rob’s parents are here!  They had an audiology conference in Las Vegas and decided to take a few days to come here afterwards.  The kids were jumping off the walls when they heard the news that they were coming, and it gave me a good reason to put the kids to work cleaning up this morning. (Another benefit to guests is that the kids don’t argue as much about having to clean up.) Tonight we went to dinner at Mimi’s Cafe, and hit Target to get some new shoes for Emma because hers broke today.  Even these regular things are more fun when we have visitors.  So who can come next?

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I Am Thankful for a Sense of Humor

httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f86qKQJg3Z8

I am thankful for the creative people of the world that can make me laugh (at the top of my list is my sweet Robby who makes me laugh every day!).  It’s easy to make fun of someone or do mean or dirty humor, but to do clean humor is the true test of a comedian. Lately we Mormons have been called all sorts of names, but if this is weird and peculiar, I’d rather not be normal.

What are you thankful for?

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I Am Thankful for Nice Weather

Tonight the elementary school had a family night sponsored by the PTA.  There was a small group of guys called Street Beat that did a little show while playing their buckets and trash cans with drum sticks and even a little breakdancing.  We went there in sweatshirts, ate pizza out on the playground and sat on blankets and lawn chairs to watch the show. Hannah put on a big winter coat before we left because it was dark and “cold” outside.  She took it off after ten minutes and did just fine in her cupcake t-shirt.  I love not having to deal with jackets or boots, or wet jeans, or shoveling, or scraping…  Seventies and eighties in November? I’ll take it!

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I Am Thankful for Tuesday

Yesterday was a busy day for our family. I didn’t get a chance to write my Thanksgiving post because I was moving all day long.  First thing in the morning Rob and I took the little girls and went to vote. Our poll happens to be at the elementary school, so I thought there might be a lot of parents that would come vote as they dropped off their kids.  The line wasn’t long and we had our notes to remind us how we wanted to vote on all of the issues (and we didn’t vote the same on everything) so it was pretty easy.

Next, I dropped Hannah at preschool and then went back to the elementary school to pick up Emma.  We have been excited for November 4th for a long time at our house. Not just because it was election day, but because it was the day Emma got her braces off!! She was absolutely giddy, and of course looks beautiful (pictures and details will follow in future posts).  I took her and Sabrina out for a treat at Yogurtland afterward and then she practiced talking with her new retainers in.  Having them on the top and bottom makes is tough.  Especially with those “S” sounds.  So we recited, “Sister Susie sat on a seashell,” and other tongue twisting sentences.

Then I took Emma back to her school, and picked up Hannah from preschool. We went home, had lunch and I tried to catch up on some housework and playtime with the little girls. After Hunter and Emma came home from school, I drove the kids over to the church where there was a party planned to entertain the kids while their parents worked making phone calls to get out the voters.  Rob and I along with about 35 others gathered at “headquarters” (a ward member’s home) and used our cell phones to call lists of voters and ask if they had remembered to vote.  Most of them had already voted, or said they were on their way to vote. We did that until 7:45 pm then picked up the kids from the church party and headed home for bedtime. After the kids were in bed, I pretty much crashed on the couch and was in and out of sleep as the election results rolled in.

Hunter has been reading this post as I’m writing and asked me, “Why are you thankful for Tuesday if it was so busy?”  Well, I was thankful for this busy day because it became even more clear to me on Tuesday what my priorities are and the blessings I have received from my work on Prop 8.

I did all of that work for my kids whom I love dearly, so they can have the best society possible to grow up in.  I am surrounded by others that value my children’s future as much as I do, and were willing to babysit and entertain 60 children for the afternoon and evening so their parents could go out and work on a cause we all believe in.

I took the call from the leaders of the church to heart, and did my best to write posts and provide information to the voters who were confused on how to vote and were looking for input. My testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ and of His church has grown from that experience.

I have connected with people who share my beliefs. Both from the articles and comments I have read and written and from the people I have been waving signs, knocking doors, and making phone calls with.  That association has made me a stronger person.

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