A not so Black Friday

I've always wondered why people would subject themselves to Black Friday. The name itself makes it seem so bleak. Why would you stand in line for hours, knowing that you may not even have a chance at what you wanted? Why would you lose precious hours of sleep for a single sale? Why would you want to be in such close proximity to so many strangers? Why, Why, WHY?!?

In the past, I've heard horror stories of consumer stampedes, and stolen wallets, and jail time over a Tickle Me Elmo. I have even had the bad luck of working in the electronics department of a WalMart on a Black Friday, and let me tell you, it's as though these folks fall into that wonderful turkey coma on a wonderful Thursday afternoon, and wake up as thoughtless, careless zombies in search for brains 50% off. I swore to myself, "Never will I be one of those mindless shoppers. Never!"



This year was a different story.



I don't know what sparked my curiosity this holiday season. I was sitting at the computer one night racking my brain about what kind of camcorder I should get my hubby for Christmas. What were the good features? What was a good price? Was there really a better brand? Would he like what I picked? I was about to give up when the thought crossed my mind... Black Friday. That is how I would get a camcorder. I would find one that was on sale, and I would cross my fingers and hope for the best. Neither of us know very much about camcorders. I had prodded John for the features that he wanted, and he really didn't know. All we knew was we wanted a decent way to catch some of our sons developmental moments. I couldn't really go wrong right? If we weren't looking for a specific feature, or brand,  I would set a price, and find something within that range.

I decided that I didn't want to spend more than $200 on a camcorder. I had done some digging and found that I could get a decent product for around that price. I thought about it some more and decided if I could get one at a normal price for $200 I should change my criteria. I would not spend more than $150 if I was going to go out and face the crowds. I poured through local adds, and finally I found the camcorder I wanted. It was only $119, and it had great reviews. It was user friendly which was a plus for us newbies. There was a down side. I would have to brave the crowds at WalMart. I was dreading this.

I finally convinced myself that it was worth it. I decided that if I was going to go out in search of this camcorder, that I was at least going to have a couple of things on my list, that way even if I didn't get the camcorder, I could walk away without feeling as though I failed.

After dinner at my sister's house, we headed to Wally World. When we got there, it was a zoo. There were people everywhere. John and I decided that the best plan would  be for me to go in and start shopping, while he took the baby home, and came back with the other brave shoppers in the family. As I made it into the store, I realized just how crazy this was. There were zero carts for me to use. They had all been claimed already. I could deal with that though. I set out to find the first set of items on my list. it was only eight o clock, and my camcorder would not be available until ten. I found everything on my list except for towels. Who knew they would be such a hot item? I had a problem though... I could not carry all of the merchandise that I wanted without a cart, and there were still no free carts to be found.

I had an idea. I went into the home organization department and found a storage tote. I filled my tote and carried it throughout the store. It quickly got heavy. I stopped for a moment and set it down. As I looked around, a mother and her two teenage daughters were looking around, planning their assault on the store. We made eye contact and she smiled. "Why are we doing this?" I asked.

"I don't know, but I do it every year."

At this point, I was starting to understand the rush that people get from this massive sale. "All I want now is a cart."

She laughed, "If I see an extra one, I'll let you know."

Her daughters smiled, and I went on my way.

A few minutes later, as I was debating whether or not a memory foam bath mat would fit into my tote, I heard from behind me, "Hey... Tote-Girl."

There is was my holiday shopping alias. Surely nobody else would be referred to as "Tote-Girl." I turned, and there were the two teenage girls I had parted with moments earlier. "We found you a cart," they explained with smiles and kind eyes. "Someone just left it in the aisle, and we grabbed it for you."

What angels! It was a Black Friday miracle! Who knew that you could witness kindness from a stranger in a WalMart on one of the biggest sale days of the year? I was astonished. "This made my night," I told them. They smiled again and were on their way.

So with my cart, I set out to find the line for my camcorder. I found it, and as I settled into a nice little spot for it, John called. He was back and was ready to stand somewhere to get something. Naturally, I made him stand in line for his Christmas present, and I went to search for the memory cards to go with it.

All in all, aside form the towels... we got it all, and it was a NOT so black Friday thanks to a couple of teenage miracle workers.

My Own Mountains to Climb

Since Henry B Eyring, of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, gave his conference address titled, “Mountains to Climb,” I have had the opportunity to reflect on the mountains that are being climbed by those around me as well as the Mountains that I, myself, have to climb. There are many around me suffering trials of health. They suffer themselves, as well as on behalf of family members. There are many choices that have to be made for these families that I have grown close to, and I hold a place in the prayers of my heart for them as they begin their journeys down this road of uncertainty. There will be many obstacles that will still come their way, but I know that there will be a way for them to come out on top if they will be grateful for the opportunity to grow. Seeing them conquer their trials on a day to day basis gives me renewed faith that I too can conquer mine.

I have been grateful to have confirmed to me some of the things that I have thought about over the past few months by the examples of those around me. I now believe with all of my heart that I can conquer any trial that the Lord sets in front of me, as long as I have faith, and lean on my family. My husband and I have had the opportunity to struggle financially over the past few months and it has really opened my eyes to some of the blessings given to those in the church who will follow the law of consecration. I have come to know that I have been blessed far more than I imagined possible when I have given my time to helping those around me. I have been reminded of my earlier adult years on my own when money was always tight, and I sometimes had no idea how I would feed myself between paychecks. I have been nowhere close to this level of destitution recently, but it has been a good reminder of what I have already overcome.

 I know that we are receiving the chances to grow through hardship because we are doing the right things in our lives. We decided at the end of the last year that we wanted to begin our family. What a blessing it has been to be successful in this. I have come to understand in the short amount of time that I have been pregnant the love that my parents feel for me.  I remember thinking as a teenager that it would be impossible to love anyone the way that my parents said they loved me. I thought that they were saying things to make me feel guilty about the things that I was doing that upset them. I now understand that what they were saying was true that it was not at all something that they just said.

I have also come to know how important the family unit must be to the plan of salvation because since we began to try to have our family things have seemed to spiral out of control at times. It is only through reflecting on the humble acts of my wonderful husband that I have been able to keep my cool in some instances. I know that without the service that he is willing to provide me that I would not be able to accomplish the things that I am tasked with on a daily basis. It has been through our trial of finances that we have learned how to communicate about the things that we want in life, and the things that we need in the near future.

I am grateful for the opportunity that I have to be surrounded by family. This is also the direct result of financial trial. We have had the unique experience since our marriage to truly learn about the law of consecration and how it pertains to being part of a family.

Many times in recent years, couples have found themselves struggling to make ends meet, and end up moving in with parents to help shoulder the burden and lighten the load on both sides. It is beneficial for senior parents to have the help of younger and willing children around the house again, and it is financially beneficial for both parties for whatever amount of time it lasts. Without getting in to too much detail, I’d like to expound just a bit on our situation.

We have found ourselves in a comparable situation. Ours, however, comes with a twist. Over the past few years, children in my husband’s family have grown to maturity and decided to start families. This is an integral part of the plan of happiness in this life. With sons so close in age, my dear mother in law found herself with three sons engaged to be married within seven months of each other. Wow! This has proved to be both a challenge and a blessing. With half of the family in Utah and half of the family in California, it became apparent that this would require a lot of travel, and money was a problem with no solution. The desire on the part of my in laws to be closer to their children and the desire of their sons to be able to help their parents led to one solution. The family would move back to Utah, and share the financial burden of weddings and finding a home together.

It was quickly realized that the easiest way to shoulder this burden for the time being would be to find a place that we could all live together. Yes, ALL LIVE TOGETHER. There are currently 10 of us sharing a large home. This has given us the opportunity to learn more about each other than we ever wanted to, but has also shown each of us the blessings that family plays in life. It has not been easy, but it has definitely been worth it. We are coming to the end of our lease and have found ourselves struggling to go our separate ways. We have grown so close to each other, and now that we’ve worked out most of the kinks, are happy in our full home. I can’t imagine what this last year would have been like without them. I know that because of the willingness of our husbands, each of us three sisters-in-law have been blessed with an understanding of family that we did not already have. We do not get along all the time, as is expected, but we do know how to let it go and put our differences aside.

I am grateful for my in laws. They have raised three wonderful sons, and three wonderful daughters. Without their faith, and ability to teach by example, I would not have the wonderful husband that I have. It has been their willingness to endure trial after trial and climb mountain after mountain that has given their sons the faith to lead their fledgling families to do the same. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I am thankful for its ability to bring families together. If it had not been for this gospel, I would not have had the opportunity to be raised by two wonderful sets of parents, and a loving aunt that successfully prepared a stubborn young woman to make covenants that will last an eternity. I am blessed by receiving new trials, and new mountains to climb, and I hope that I can inspire others to continue to do the same.

Dear Baby Knowles

My Dear Sweet Child,

There are so many things that race across my mind throughout the day, but most of them revolve around you. I can't wait until you are here so that your daddy and I can teach you about this amazing, crazy, scary, and wonderful world that we live in. I can't express how much I look forward to laughing with you, and crying with you, and comforting you when your tiny heart is aching from the trials of this world. I know that there will be many things that you won't understand, and many things that even after we've explained them to you in the best way that we can, you may still struggle with, but know that I love you, and that your daddy loves you. Please understand that we can't wait to be your best friends, but that we'll also be your parents every time that we need to be. There will be times that you will struggle, and you won't know what decision is truly the best for you, but I KNOW that if you will take the time to counsel with your parents, and with your Father in Heaven, that you will come away from it with a decision that will truly benefit you in this life that you have been given.

I'm excited to tell you that you live in a time that needs your valiant attitude and the positive morals that we will try to instill in you. You are a spirit that was saved for these days because you are choice above many others. You will be far more intelligent than I have ever been, and you will be blessed for doing the right things.

We heard your heartbeat for the first time, and we both teared up because we were so happy. The day that we saw you on an ultrasound, we smiled for the rest of the day. I stared at your tiny little body for days on that black and white picture and marveled at the fact that I get to be your mommy. I looked at your precious little hands and feet in those photos, and wondered how we had made such an amazing little profile. You are coming to a family that is excited about you, and to parents and grandparents who love you. You have many aunts and uncles and cousins who can't wait for you to arrive, and we are all so very excited to see who you grow to become. I look forward to peek-a-boo and hide-and-seek. I know that we'll also play games around the table like "one more big bite," and "not until you eat your vegetables" after the days of vrooming airplanes and chugging trains have failed to get you to eat. I can't wait to run with you and tickle you, and watch daddy teach you to ride a bike. There are so many exciting things for you to do and learn in this world, and we are waiting to teach you and learn with you. Know that we love you and are waiting for you, but please take you time, and come to us healthy.

 All of my love, Mommy.

The Worst, BEST day of my life

It was definitely not a fairy tale wedding, but at the end of the day, we had attained eternity. It all started the night before. I should have been relaxing at home and looking forward to the next morning, but instead I was trying to conquer my last minute to-do list. Nothing could be easy about these simple tasks. For instance, half way through weaving some extra blonde into my soon to be sister's hair, the power went out due to the storm. Have no fear however, we finished by flashlight. Then, at 1 am, it was finally time for this bride to hit the sack. With fours hours to go before it was time to wake up, I finally drifted off to sleep. It was rest well deserved until about 3 am. I woke up, and physically felt ill. There was no going back to sleep, I was up for the day. So I double checked everything before the wedding, and I set out at 445 to meet the fabulous Emily Wrathall for hair and makeup. When that was done, I was ready to head to the temple. As I walked outside, the cold morning weather was bringing me a nice surprise... Rain. Thank you Mother Nature. I got to the Temple right on time. I headed inside and started to look for John. I didn't see him in the lobby. I stepped outside and called him. He was on his way, but he would be late because there was an accident on the freeway that had stopped traffic. It was clearing though, and he was on his way again. I sat and waited, and welcomed my family as they arrived. As more and more time passed, I started to worry. Where was he? Was he alright? Did he suddenly realize he didn't want to marry me? It was almost an hour later than it was supposed to be. I was on the brink of melt down, when I thought, "go get some air." As I walked toward the doors, I realized I was shaking. This really could be the worst day of my life. Then a vehicle, that I had never seen before, pulled up, and John hopped out. The truck had stopped down the hill, and John had been walking up the mountain to get to the wedding. I had turned my phone off earlier and had missed all of his calls. Relieved, I took John's hand, and we walked into the temple together, sure that nothing else could go wrong. Wrong again... The records that we needed hadn't been transmitted, and we were told that we wouldn't be able to be married. Luckily because we had been in the Salt Lake temple the day before, the stamp on our temple recommends was enough to get us through. Before the wedding, I was reminded that John had literally climbed a mountain to marry me, and I thought about that through the whole ceremony. We made some amazing promises to each other in the presence of our friends, family, and our Father in Heaven. It was beautiful. I will never forget the look in John's eyes as we knelt across from each other at an alter, and covenanted for Eternity. I have never felt a more peaceful feeling. The peace didn't last for long. As we walked outside the temple for pictures, we could see that Mother Nature had given us another gift. It was now snowing. By the time we had finished with our pictures, my hands were frozen, my teeth were chattering, and I was ready for a nap. We headed to the luncheon, and were not surprised when we found out the food was not there, the building was locked, and there was not a single soul there to let us in. After another fairly long delay, We were finally getting our luncheon started. The Luncheon was great despite it's late start. The food was good, family and friends mingled while they waited, and everyone had a good time. It was finally time to tackle the big task of the reception. This had the potential of being horrible if everything didn't fall into line. Hoping for the best, but expecting the worst, we headed to the reception site. We got there, and were pleasantly surprised that everything was in order. The cake arrived, and was set up. The food was there, the beverages were ready to go, and all of the tables were set, and ready for guests. For all of the lack of direction, things were amazing! the reception went well. It was no surprise that people loved the photo-booth, and the music was fab. We mingled with everyone that came to wish us well, and best of all, we didn't have to stand in a formal line! When all was said and done, it was a difficult day for the two of us, BUT we were married. I can't express how much it meant to me to be able to say at the end of the day that I would spend forever with John. And, Our pictures didn't turn out too horribly either.

Service from a Stranger

Isn't it your dream to kick off your weekend with an out of the blue service project that involves cleaning a perfect stranger's house? It's not mine either.

This past week, as we were getting ready to move into the house in Fruit Heights, we encountered one BIG problem. It wasn't clean. It was a disaster zone. Everything that the Landlord had promised would be done, wasn't. I could go on forever telling you about all of the things that hadn't been done, but I won't. I'll put up one picture of what we walked into, and let you imagine it yourself.

Now that that is taken care of, you can feel our pain. We were supposed to have taken the house on the 18th, but here it was, the 25th, and we still couldn't move in. We couldn't wait any longer either. The boys had given their notice to the current Landlord, and had to be out by the 30th. All of the storage units, that the rest of the family was using from their move had to be emptied by the 28th, and we couldn't move anything.

When we realized that we couldn't start our long weekend of moving until the house was clean, we made the obvious choice... We set out to do it ourselves. We were not at all thrilled, but we had no other options. We bought the cleaning supplies and prayed for the best as we started out.

With everyone working, and going to school, it was left to John, Jared and me to get started by ourselves. After four hours of unsuccessfully trying to clean the kitchen, we felt defeated. There was no way we would be able to get it done on time. We took a break to get some lunch, and then we headed back to it along with John's mom who was now off of work.

Minute after precious minute raced by, and it seemed like we were still hardly denting the dirt. Only a miracle would help us now.

Then we heard it... A knock at the door... Who could it be? We didn't know anyone in the area, and yet there it was, a knock on the door. We opened the door to find a pleasant looking woman with a smile who said, "Hi, I'm from next door. Are you guys moving in?"

We so didn't have the time for this, but we continued the conversation with smiles, "We are. We're working on cleaning some things before we can move in though, and we have to finish it tonight," desperately trying to hint, subtly that she needed to leave.

"You shouldn't have to clean to move into a house. It should be cleaned for you."

Of course we realized this, and knowing what a predicament we were in, again tried to hint to the nice woman that she leave, "We know, but here we are. We've really got to get back to it."

Peering from around the door, the woman asked, "Would you like a hand or two? I'd be glad to come over and help."

Embarrassed by a mess that wasn't ours, we calmly declined her offer, and added that she didn't need to help us. This was not what she wanted to hear. After a few moments of debating back and forth, it was agreed that the woman could help us if she really wanted to. She came in and quickly surveyed the situation. "Let me run to my house and grab a few things. I'll be back in just a few minutes."

Moments later, she returned, and with her she brought a bucket and some more cleaning supplies. "where should I start?" she asked. "I called some of the other women from the Relief Society as well. They should be here soon." She added.

We were blown away. Within thirty minutes, over twenty new smiling faces were in our house, and were working away at cleaning the mess that was neither our nor their's. It was amazing! A couple of hours later, and most of the work was done. Bathrooms had been cleaned, the laundry room had been vaccuumed out, and scrubbed. Walls had been washed, cupboards had been scrubbed and disinfected, and all of the windows had been washed, inside and out. There were only a few smaller tasks left, and we could finish them ourselves.

With smiles and welcoming words, they each left a few at a time. All we were left with was a much better outlook on the job at hand, and an overwhelming feeling of love.

This act of love exemplifies a quote from Spencer W. Kimball, which says, ""Service to others deepens and sweetens this life while we are preparing to live in a better world. It is by serving that we learn to serve. When we are engaged in the service of our fellowmen, not only do our deeds assist them, but we put our own problems in a fresher perspective. When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves! In the midst of the miracle of serving, there is the promise of Jesus that by losing ourselves, we find ourselves!" -Speaks Out on Service to Others, New Era, Mar. 1981, 47.

I don't even have the names of these wonderful women, but I know that they each understand the meaning of service. These women are righteous examples of losing oneself in service. I am so grateful that they are the kind of women that we are surrounding ourselves with, and I hope that I can have the opportunity to serve each of them in return.

What a way to meet the Relief Society!

Trials and Testimony

In getting ready for the wedding, I’ve been doing a lot of things to prepare for the Temple. I’ve been meeting with my Bishop, and working on reading my scriptures daily. I’ve been trying to grow closer to my Heavenly Father, and my Savior through prayer, and I have come to realize that on a lot of levels, I fall short of what many expect of me, but as I have tried to better prepare myself for the promises that I will be making, I have come to realize a few things:
1.       I don’t need to be concerned with what the world thinks of me.
2.       I don’t have to be perfect only willing to try.
3.       I won’t fall short of my eternal potential if I just keep pushing forward.
4.       There will be opposition in all things, and that’s good for me.

To expound… At the end of the day, the most important relationship that I can hope to nurture, other than the relationship with my eternal companion, is my relationship with God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. I don’t need to worry about whether or not people think that my life is on the right track, or whether or not they accept my decision in my faith. I don’t need the people who would question my friendship, or my goodness as a person because of how I choose to worship. There are many different faiths, and they work for many different people. If they make them better people then, that’s what matters. This is the faith that I choose to make me a better person. I believe with all of my heart that I have made the choice to join the most correct church.

I don’t have to be perfect. Many people would get hung up on the scriptures in Matthew 5:48, and 3 Nephi 12:48 that ask us to be “PERFECT” like our Father.  The perfection being referred to is Man’s potential to become like God. One of the things that I have come to love as I read the scriptures is the fact that my understanding  of what is asked of us in this life has become clearer. Often times we dwell on the words that seem impossible. To ask anyone on this earth to be perfect would be setting them up for failure. An example of this is the sacrament prayer (Doctrine and Covenants 20:77). In the blessing said over the bread many people would say that we are promising to do four things: 1. Take upon themselves the name of the Savior 2. Always remember him 3. Keep the commandments 4. Always have the spirit with them. These are great principles, and principles that we should always be striving to abide by. The most important word in this verse (to me) is the word willing.  We promise to be willing to do the four things mentioned above. I will admit that throughout my life, and my day to day tasks, and errands, I sometimes have things on mind that I allow to come before my remembrance of the Savior. I get angry, and am unable to have His spirit with me at all times. I am human. I break commandments from time to time, BUT I know that because I am willing to try to do all of those things, because I am willing to try again to do them when I fall short, by taking the sacrament, that I will be blessed. I know that it gets easier over time to DO the things that I say I am willing to do.

I also know that there will always be opposition in the things that I do. I know that the closer I get to my Heavenly Father, the harder the Adversary is going to try to stall my progression. I know that that is the way that it starts. It starts with a stall. By definition, stalling is the stopping of a moving force. It is very hard to turn an arrow around 180 degrees when it is traveling on a set course. Something must first slow, and then stop the arrow before it can be fired in the opposite direction. It is much the same when talking about reaching for the potential of man to become like God. A person who has a close relationship with the Lord is much harder to tempt and lead astray than a person with no spiritual driving force. The closer I become to my Heavenly Father, the more persuasion it is going to take to make me falter. The temptations of the adversary are subtle. They are as subtle as being idle. In 2 Nephi 28: 21 we learn that the devil will pacify, and lull spirits into a carnal security, and will make them believe that everything is well. This is how we allow, and enable the adversary to cheat our souls and lead us carefully down to hell.  It’s not a matter of walking to the edge and jumping off. The devil is careful in leading us away from our Father. The closer we get, the more opposition we will find, but on the same note, the closer we become to our Savior, the more careful and thought out the deceit will have to be.

I would like to share my testimony of the potential found in each and every one of us. I know that we are all choice spirit children of our Father in Heaven, and that there is not a trial or pitfall in this life that we cannot overcome. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the most correct church on this earth, and I know that by striving to be willing to do the things that we are asked by the Lord, we can obtain all of the blessings and rewards of reaching our eternal potential to be like our Father in Heaven.

Let’s get Stressy!
 
I think that there was a definite reason that Miss Frizzle was always saying let’s get messy. For the next little while, I’m going to don the mantle of Miss. Frazzle, and with much conviction declare it time to get Stressy! I’m definitely starting to feel overwhelmed because we are getting into the final stretch of things. It’s alright though, I’ve got my checklist, and we’re checking things off every day.
 
What is our most recent accomplishment?  Today, we picked our invitations up! YAY! Party time!
They are amazing! Thank you again Collette and Beautiful Wedding Announcements. You guys rock!
 
* If you would like to see what Collette can do for you, please check out the link to the right.*
 
The hardest thing for me lately is just remembering that I’m not in it alone, that John is there right alongside me, and that I still have time. It’s not too late until it’s over. The most important things are taken care of.
 
We have a venue for everything that we need. The ceremony and sealing themselves will be in the Bountiful Temple. The luncheon will be it a church nearby, and the reception will be at Wheeler Historic Farm’s Activity Barn. It is a wonderful venue. They are competitively priced for rentals, and they don’t have as many restrictions as many other venues. They don’t have a preferred list for vendors (cake, catering, decorating), and they don’t require you to set up and take down within four hours like many venues. The grounds are great. They are well kept, and maintained daily, and they are vast. You could get lost on the grounds if you wandered away in the dark. No worries though, it would be easy for someone to find you, and it is 100% safe.
 
I have a beautiful dress, created by Venus. My bridesmaids and Maid of Honor have fabulously cute dresses Custom creations from Kathleen’s Bridal. (I kept in mind whether or not I would want to wear this dress in public when I was choosing the details. They are rockin’.) The color scheme for the tuxedos is taken care of. Now it’s just fittings, and reservations for the boys.
 
The honeymoon is about to be paid off! That’s a big step. We’re heading out for a nine day cruise to the Mexican Riviera. The reason we chose a cruise was they are all inclusive and inexpensive as far as vacations go. If you are looking to relax, then a hotel or resort may be on top of your list. The only problem I found with hotels is that they are generally not going to include many of the things that you are going to need such as food, and entertainment variety. They usually cater to one form of entertainment or another. With a cruise, you always have a view, you have a pool on the ship, there are multiple lounges that you can go to for entertainment, and if you are feeling extra adventurous, there are shore excursions that they can book for you for a little extra. There is food 24 hours a day, and on top of it all for a 7 day cruise you can find state rooms as low as 500/person on most major cruise lines. Whether or not you want to spring for a balcony, or suite, is completely up to you and your soon to be spouse.
 
All of the other details like cake, and catering are falling into place. The decorations are fairly set now. Let’s schedule some Bridals, and some spa days, and I should be good. If there are any questions about any aspect of our wedding that I haven’t touched on, by all means, please ask . I would be thrilled to answer them. I do still have some fabulous how to videos coming up, as well as some fab photos of all the goings on in our world right now. I’ll get on posting them, but it has been a semi hectic couple of weeks.
 
As always, thanks for reading!