I delight in knowing forever.

grandma's funeral

april 2014

Grandma would have loved the gathering of people who all came together on Tuesday. As I saw face after face, heard memory after memory, got hug after hug and laugh after laugh, I couldn't help but think...she just would have loved this.  I am grateful I had the opportunity to speak of just some of the things I love and admire about her...her wit, her sarcasm, her honest to goodness love for people and her outstanding ability to make and keep friends and to let people know that she was thinking of them. These are just a few things, but they are things that have made an incredible impact on me.

I have much more I want to write and will write. Many more pictures I want to post and will post. And many more things to share, but alas the time is far spent before the next adventures in my life. :)

And so, I delight in knowing that forever is forever.

I also delight in knowing that because of him, this is not the end and that we will all live again.

delighting in 8/52

 

so much to be grateful for.

first of all, can i just tell you how delighting daily is my saving grace? it helps me so much in seeing the bright side of things, the light at the end of the tunnel, the sparkle on the rain and the sunshine among the shadows.

i try and start each weekly post at the beginning of the week; however it doesn't usually actually get started until thursday, friday, saturday or sometimes sunday (night!). truth. needless to say however; i am constantly thinking of things that need to go on the list.

i delighted in a spontaneous hug and kiss from a patient who usually only seems to tolerate me.
being asked if i was still miss erin, even though i had short hair. hair comments. sewing my carrot table runner with my mom. it's so cute. institute night, cocoa and birthday celebrations with the best cupcakes ever. seriously so good. wearing the red shoes. bright pants (love that trend). seeing progress in severe phonological process kiddos. laughing, a lot. pinning down my opinions. eating burned pancakes for dinner. getting sleep. studying for a sunday lesson. the bunny bunting sitting on my desk that i started last year. being able to see my work desk at the end of the week. tax surprises. tax lessons. making easy connections. friends. revelation. people who just say it like it is and who are who they are. new friends who tell you good things about their lives, recommend books you should read and believe in the ability to change. driving. early morning temple trips. sitting and discussing the scriptures and things i've learned. watching couples waiting to be sealed in the temple and being grateful for eternal perspective. salt lake city. celebrating my grandpa's 92 year old birthday. preparing for lessons. learning lessons. hearing christin use the word "several" in a sentence. taking pictures of a full moon. finance discussions with my dad. dinner with friends. visiting. hearing a song that reminds me so much of my mission (we can be together forever someday). having a dad willing to go supervise while i dig rocks in the snow. reading books. attempting to start family history more seriously (its a step right?).

having a week of experiences that have intricately yet simply connected to my gospel studies. faith, trials, covenants and charity.


***in case you're wondering what the deal is with the lines below and the random links underneath. its just where i post some of the week's influences--things i've heard, read, thought about, watched or discovered that have been thought provoking or that i've just liked for one reason or another. fyi.
------
trial of your faith, elder neal l. andersen
bretheren, we have a work to do, elder d. todd christofferson
"i need the spirit more than i need the sleep."
the atonement can secure your peace and happiness, elder scott
mountains to climb, mormon message
1 peter 1:7-9
ether 12:6
lessons from the life of peter the apostle: the first great commandment, elder holland

I delight in the spontaneous.

Did a weekend just happen because I think I missed it. This week was work x5 days then a packed day of play! Craig and I headed south after LEND on Friday and landed in happy valley. Seeing my sweet grandpa is my favorite! Friday night I ate delicious food (thank goodness someone cancelled their reservation at the black sheep cafe) with my favorite aussie and mission companion. It was delightful to catch up on life and hear about the love of her life. We topped off the night at the creamery. I get so nostalgic on that campus. It seems like my BYU experience was a whole other life ago.

Saturday morning I woke up on my favorite couch in the world. The special of the morning was waffles which I only ever have at Grandpa's because he is the only one who has a belgian waffle maker. They were delicious as always. Then the three of us set out on an adventure. First to the barber, then around BYU, the cemetery, springville, salem and finally payson. The temple is looking SO much more like a temple now! It was fantastic! On the way back, we drove past the "provo city temple" (I think that's what they're calling it). So crazy as the entire structure is jacked up while they dig two stories below. I know right? 

The afternoon brought a drive to Eagle Mountain visiting my best friend from my undergrad days and lifesaver time and time again. She has the sweetest children (which is to be anticipated considering she is so sweet and constantly Christ-like herself) and we had a delightful time decorating sugar cookies. My only regrets are that I couldn't stay longer and that I didn't take any pictures. The most precious memory I walked away with is the one of her sweetest little one falling asleep with his head snuggled on my chest. Precious and so so delightful!

Then the whirlwind began...Draper and visiting a dear old roommate and friend and meeting her adorable baby! My friends have the cutest children! Anyway, it was so wonderful to catch up and go to another roommates bridal shower. It is so fantastic to get to hang out with people who you just love and who you just have a history with that makes you go...wow...being friends with you has been awesome! I love love love it. The night ended with a drive back to Provo, seeing my cousins, grandpa, picking up Craig and heading north with a diet coke in hand. 

I'm sad the weekend is over and I've only really recounted Saturday, mostly because I never want to forget it and because I really delighted in all of it. On the drive home, I enjoyed listening to general conference addresses from October 2010 from President Monson, President Eyring and President Uctodorf. The line that stuck me the most was this, "...diligently doing the things that matter most will lead us to the Savior of the World..." (President Uctodorf). One of the things that matters the most to me is my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It shapes my life and I pray it continues to define and refine my life. 

-----

joseph smith: the prophet of the restoration

of things that matter most, president uctdorf, october 2010 general conference

trust in god, then go and do, president eyring, october 2010 general conference

the divine gift of gratitude, president monson, october 2010 general conference

acts 2:17

happy fall y'all!

family picture

23 september 2012

mantua, ut

fall has arrived here in the great state of utah! is is my favorite season of them all.  if i could, i would live in the season of fall!

this week has been truly delightful in all sorts of twisted ways. it is always true that in some low times in life, we find /realize some of our greatest blessings. and so it is.

• brigham city temple dedication
• kayaking and a trip to maddox in the company of great friends
• reading general conference addresses and finding some gems that hadn't stood out before
• figuring out what my research group is really going to research (still in the works)
• going to the dentist and having NO cavities
• deciding which pies i'm going to make for thanksgiving dinner
• making pumpkin cookies
• driving to see the fall leaves with family
• enjoying family dinner with my family on a weeknight
• sunday family dinner with the grandparents
• being invited to sit with an adorable couple at maddox (because there were no tables at the drive in) who i happened to actually know
• wearing a scarf, sweater, and boots

I delight in a week of delightful moments.

Since my daily delighting just isn't in the cards at the moment...I've decided to give a run down of some of of the past week's delights:

• Finally seeing Wicked, loving Wicked as much as I always hoped I would, loving that my Mom and LB loved Wicked too.  And now, I really love that Wicked is Christin's CD of choice in the car (since it has been Taylor Swift for the past 2 years, it was time for a change!)
• Saying good-bye to Nat and JD. This is only half a delight because I miss them terribly and Utah won't be the same without them, but I am SO excited for their adventures in the northwest, and I'm so excited I now have a fantastic excuse to visit the northwest!  
• Attending my 'Cuz's' sealing in the Timpanogos  Temple on Saturday!  I am so happy for Breanne and Mark!  He is one lucky man because Breanne is amazing!  Attending the dinner that night and seeing how much everyone there loved and supported them was so great!  Pictures to come!
• Being in the temple with my Grandpa!  Grandpa B attended Breanne's wedding too and he and I have never been in the temple at the same time.  It was such a special moment for me to be there with family as that was a first for me!  I'm so grateful for such wonderful events to bring the family together.
• Spending time with Mom.  Its always a rare occasion so I always enjoy it when it happens...even though I am the worst passenger side driver ever.
• Teaching the 7-8 year olds in Primary on Sunday!  I haven't been in Primary since I was in Primary so I wasn't sure what to expect.  But boy, the girls and boys of my ward don't disappoint!  They are SO smart!  We talked about the importance of being kind and the scripture story of the Good Samaritan.  Possibly my favorite part was hearing them recount the story after the lesson...I love hearing what parts of the story they remember and how they interpret it.  Classic quotes from my experience in primary to come...and believe you me, they are classic!
• Playing memory with LB, we started playing a game of memory every night when I get home from work.  It's great!
• I ordered some new books off Amazon.  I sold a few of my grad school text books in the previous couple of weeks, only the ones I never liked anyway and wouldn't use ever, mostly because I never used them even when I had them.  So I decided to take the money I got from selling them and put it into books I would actually use.  I'm excited!

Just a few little delightful delights!  :)

I delight in loving my little life.

this is the quilt i'll be making (although i'll be doing a different version but essentially the squares are the same).
work:  Today, I was a commuter in the Salt Lake Valley.  Oi!  Going to the Sandy Clinic was such a great experience!  I'm so grateful for the opportunity to observe so many awesome clinician's during my "training" period.  There are so many things I am excited to incorporate into my own practice as an SLP.

learning:  Today also marked me doing the URLEND+AE program "official."  I'm really excited, a little nervous to embark on this 2 year post-grad fellowship but it will be so good.  Its amazing all the people I've just happened to meet to make this happen, and who will help to make it a success!

family:  Tonight the parents went out on a date, aw.  So it was me and C and C for the evening.  LB wanted to 'finish her own stuff' (aka making necklaces, because she is the most thoughtful kind soul ever), Craig was watching wagon train, and I was...doing nothing (my brain is reaching its capacity, i swear).  Well, then I hear someone go outside and soon,  there was Christin with Ruby all leashed up, knocking on my window, ready for a walk.  So off the three of us go...Christin in one hand, Ruby in the other.  I'm sure we were quite the sight, and we got some great looks (story of my life).   And I just relished in every moment.  For so long I thought living at home was so bad, but it is so good!  I get to come home to this!  And so, tonight as we walked, I really felt like it was one of those 'perfect moments' to be filed away into the permanent happy thoughts file in my brain.  (And Ruby is the best dog ever!  Story of the dog not on a leash, dog comes running up, Ruby of course, got her mohawk, but as soon as I said, "Rubes" she twirled in a circle, and came and sat at my foot, still attentive on the runaway dog, but sitting and being obedient.  High praise for the pup!)

talent development: i may have signed up for a quilt square group.  yes that means that starting next month, every second saturday i will be at sew and save, taking in my made up square and getting the pieces for a new square to have done by the next second saturday.  thankfully i have the best mom and neighbor to teach me the tricks.

gospel studies:  i've been stuck on the same chapter and verse all week. I start the chapter over again, only to end up at the same place, pondering and pondering and pondering.

 "I will give away all my sins to know thee..." (Book of Mormon, Alma)

right?  It just makes me think, reflect, and ponder change and repentance.  Intentional change.  Intentional repentance.

mission: President 2 got home earlier this month.  Roadtrip this weekend to his homecoming with fellow sisters.  I'm super excited about it!  As I talked to one of my companions the other night, I couldn't help but think about how I am so grateful for the experience of a mission for a million different reasons.

i delight in family and history.

pearls of history 

(grandpa on the left, grandparents engagement photo in the middle and grandma on her tricycle on the right)

taken in the 1920s and 1940s

scanned by erin

Today was a really great day.  I put life together again in my room so I can stand living in it for however long I'm going to be here.  :)  I live so much better in clean, tidy and organized space.  Now to keep it that way...again :)  I spent time with my Mom.  Revision: I spent a lot of time laughing with my Mom.  We laughed a lot today at my house: this morning at breakfast, this afternoon about "Mary Problems" and tonight about the funny things people say when they're in denial about their life and circumstance (thank you dad, for sharing your experiences and for not making us share it firsthand with you).  I got to go bowling with my friends for the last time for a while (hello work starting next week!)  It's always entertaining.  And it always reminds me that one day I will learn why people with down syndrome stutter so much more frequently than the general population. I voted. I went to institute with katie, who always makes me smile and who i am so grateful we served in the same mission, even though we were both there together at the same time for a day but it has bonded us for life.  Talking with her always seems to make life manageable and happy, and of course, full of laughter.  Institute however was not a laughing matter but it was beautiful. We talked about the atonement of Jesus Christ and watched this video.  It is the first depiction of Christ's suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane that does not have any music or commentary or anything going on simultaneously, except the sound of crickets.  I realized how much background influences my emotions.  The gravity of the 'aloneness' set in, and my heart was and still is so full. It was so personal.  Please take 8:30 minutes to watch it.  The conversation that ensued afterwards was uplifting and powerful.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to gather with hundreds of other young single members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on a weekly basis, to feel of their strength and hear their experiences and testimonies.  I am always uplifted.  Finally, I got to spend time scanning pictures of my family.  I am always intimidated by family history.  My brother Craig knows it all and he is the family history guru.  He has our history memorized--dates, names, cities, relations, EVERYTHING.  He informs us of birth dates and death dates of loved ones who have passed on.  He notifies family members when he learns of the passing of a family member that was related to them.  He puts information on our family and other families on the church's family history site.  He gets phone calls and emails with questions, and thank you's regarding information he has provided.  Craig searches hundreds of newspapers everyday to see if in the obituaries, there is a relative that has passed away.  If there is he prints it out and keeps a record of it.  See where my intimidation comes in?  I know nothing. He knows everything.  At the beginning of the year though, I was determined to do something more than indexing so, I decided I was going to learn what my ancestors looked like.  Now that may sound strange so let me explain.  It is so much more powerful to me when I am hearing a story about a person to have a face pictured in my mind to whom I can attach the story to.  I am blessed to have known all 4 of my grandparents very well (and still have 3 living) and to have known 3 of 8 great grandparents.  But I have no visual image of any other family members.  So, I am collecting pictures of relatives.  The goal is 4 generations but really, there is no limit.  My goal is to organize them into a visual family tree (but really, I'm up for gathering as many pictures as possible and the stories to go with) so I can understand and know what they looked like so I can think of their picture in my mind when I hear something about them or about their posterity.  A visit to my Grandpa this weekend made at least he and my grandma's portion of that rather easy.   It has been a special experience to look at each picture one at a time and think about how it must have been.  There are stories I know, stories I want to know and stories to be recorded.  But starting with pictures, is my first step.  The day is now over, and this is probably as recorded as it is going to get.  It has been a delightful day that is ending right where it started, in my bed.  Good night. 

yet another week

southern utah collection 

kane county building, kanab

zions national park

kolob reservoir

june 2012

Monday, which would be my first day, will not be my first day.  I'm not delighting in that.  I was so excited to start my first real job.  But alas, I've decided I really have to seize this last week of play time. So, here's to exercising, photography, institute, cooking, family history, adventuring, temple tripping, playing with LB, kayaking, fishing and anything else that blows my way.  

Last week, the whole fam went on vacation to St. George.  More about that later but we had a blast!

In other news, I've been thinking a lot about the future lately.  I seem to have misplaced the goals I wrote for myself this year.  That is a bad sign.  I believe in goals and usually I post them on my wall, but since I moved, I guess that never happened?  One of my goals this week is to find them because I feel like I'm so much more motivated and directed (especially in all this 'free' time) when I remember what I want long term.  Even though I have been a big believer in goals practically as long as I can remember, now when I think about goals, I think of this quote from Elder Ballard, found in Preach My Gospel (Chapter 8).

“I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will then be able to make a great difference in the results he attains in this life.”

– ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD TALK GIVEN TO SALT LAKE AREA YOUNG ADULTS, OCT. 18, 1981

The perfect balance and bouncing back.

It has been an interesting weekend here.  You know those times where you make a plan and then none of it happens?  That's been my weekend.  


But as in everything, there are lessons to be learned.  Bouncing back and moving on and up is so important and crucial.


One of the greatest lessons and greatest delights that I want to share is something I learned last week at church.  We had some fantastic talks about charity.  Charity is something I'm always striving for and subsequently falling short of.  Defined, charity is the pure love of Christ.  This is something I've always been taught and have known and have been striving for.  But something I'd never really thought of is how critical the role of forgiveness is in the whole 'becoming charitable' process.  


And so in the bouncing back process...enter forgiveness.  So grateful to know these principles and how beautifully they all work together for good.


*LB, the perfect balance to life.

I delight in the happenings as of late.

life has been a lot of fun lately. so let's have a recap:

last week the school district was on spring break so I had two days off, thanks to sickness turned into 3 days off and thanks to a conference turned into 4 days off. on tuesday, nat and i headed to slc to check out city creek, go to the u, the clinic, the u bookstore, temple square, the gateway and the hunger games. not to mention gourmandise and costco pizza. what more could you ask for, seriously? thanks for the great picture collage nat! :) it rightfully sums up a great and needed day!
being outside is finally a pleasant experience. on easter sunday, we enjoyed our first family fire of the year. i was too full from the delicious dinner to participate in eating my first s'more of the year but it felt so nice to be outside, smelling campfire and laughing with my family!

on thursday, i headed south via morgan/park city and a stop at carly's in heber. we had a wonderful time being crafty and catching up. somehow our fun times together seem to evade photographic evidence, however, we treasure the times in our hearts for sure! i'm so grateful "the clifford's" aka our dad's are lifelong friends so we can follow in their footsteps.

after my wonderful time with car, i headed to provo for a sleep at grandpa's on my favorite couch ever+a roasty toasty electric blanket! it's the recipe for sleeping perfection. friday morning, i woke up, went upstairs and grandpa informed me that it was raining. as we looked outside we watched the rain turn to snow and then watched it pile up over breakfast. oh utah and your blasted constantly changing weather. i was so grateful i could sleep at grandpa's so my drive to byu was so short. i spent the day at a conference on the management of childhood apraxia of speech up on byu campus. it felt so good to be back on that campus as more of a 'professional' than a student and to hear about apraxia from edy strand herself. she's a legend in the field and a fantastic presenter. during lunch, i went with 4 of my fellow colleagues to the creamery for lunch and 4 of the clinic supervisors followed suit. it was entertaining if i do say so myself. it was so great to hear about all the exciting times everyone has been having at their externships. i can't believe we'll all be 'moving on' so soon. finally, i dropped mary off at her sister's house which just happened to be on the same street as my great grandma and grandpa mcquivey's house. it looks just the same, only their chairs aren't in the window. i absolutely adore mary's nieces and nephews and had a great time going on a backyard adventure, attending an orchestral event and getting a big farewell wave from everyone at the doorstep! friday night, i enjoyed a quiet night with grandpa. first i enjoyed a dinner of ice cream and raisin toast (it was that, going and picking something up or a microwave dinner--the choice i made was definitely the best!) then we watched wheel of fortune, jeopardy (which as always, i only knew the answer to 3 questions--one of which none of the contestants knew the answer to which made me feel smarter), a complete hour of who wants to be a millionaire (this would be the gameshow i would be most successful on), and finally channel surfing before we gave up and went to bed--at 8:30. boy did that feel good! :)
saturday, it was time for an adventure. after breakfast, grandpa and i went up to BYU campus. it's always fun to go up there with grandpa because he watched the "upper campus" be built and knows what each building started as--for example: the now testing center was a library when he was there. as we walked into the wilkinson center, he told me how ernie was quite the guy...earnest "ernie" wilkinson. yep, he knew ernie. grandpa was also one of 3 students who had cars, so parking was never a problem for him. and tuition, well we can't even go there. the bookstore was as great as ever, got LB's requested hoodie and grandpa got his chocolate covered mixed nuts--can't go to campus without restocking on that supply!

after leaving campus and driving down 9th east, we made a stop at the cemetery. that's when spontaneity kicked in and we headed for payson to find the spot for the payson temple. grandpa doesn't travel too far from home on his own so it was a good chance for him and a fun chance for me to go with him and hear more about the way things used to be. we took the old road and relived the good old days when that old road was the only road! fyi, there is nothing built or dug that we could tell at the temple site. *see the picture above our journey ended with a trip to the new jdawgs by grandpa's house. i took him to the original jdawgs once upon a time and he really liked it. he was observant however that he was "by far the oldest one in the place" however, at 91, i wasn't too surprised.
finally i headed home.

i couldn't get too far without a stop at one of my favorite temples. draper is usually pretty out of the way for me, so since it was more on the way traveling north from provo, i couldn't help but make a stop. living at home with no ogden temple has been...challenging to make it to the temple as often as i would like however, i have learned that whenever possible...take the unexpected opportunity...like today. i now keep a skirt in my trunk with my temple bag. always prepared.

that was a long run down of my adventures but i had to share because it was so fantastic! craig has reminded me a lot lately about the value of a small vacation and the trip to provo was it for me. i'm so excited that he gets to have a vacation when our family heads west in the upcoming days.

I delight in a sister's love.

lb in her snuggie

I haven't talked much about LB (otherwise known as Christin, my little sister) in a while.

Since moving home back in December, LB has been adorable as ever. She often leaves me voicemails on my phone while I'm at work saying things like, "Sis, this is your "widdo" sis. I call you and, you not there. Please come home and give me hugs. Okay? I waiting for you!!!"

How can you not love that?

Well...there are times when you just don't want to be touched or hugged or told how much your missed. However, for the most part, 95% of the time, I love it! The thing I need the very most at the end of my day at my externship is a big smiling sis wiggling with her arms spread wide saying "hug me hug me hug me."

I could delight in something LB does or says every single day. In fact, Craig and I were talking just a few days ago about how happy we are to have such a happy little sister even though she does get a little annoying at times, right Craig? :)

All and all, I feel abundantly blessed to have someone under my same roof who has as much a capacity to love as Christin. It truly is a gift. When I think about far we could come as a people and as a world with a little more love toward our neighbors, our friends, our families and imagine a brightness. Christin has a brightness about her because of just how much she loves others. You can't help but smile.

And so, today, I delight in you my little lou. You make me happy and your hugs do to!

thankful list 2011

if you read my blog on reader, check out the blog's new header in real life!!!

thankful list 2011

1. The opportunity to live here and now
2. The opportunity to get a good education
3. A fantastically supportive and loving family who loves to talk to me as much as I like to talk to them and has recently discovered facetime so I can see them all the time too!
4. Fantastic people who fill my life with good examples and constant reminders of just how wonderful people can be
5. To be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I know my life is better because of my faith in my Savior Jesus Christ and the opportunity it gives me to change and become something better.
6. To live within walking distance of a temple
7. A grad school study buddy who has helped me be a "successful graduate student"
8. Kindred spirits and friends who "get it"
9. The ability to write. I may not do it well, but it is a big de-stressor to just be able to write--journals, blogs, study guides, gospel lesson lectures, etc.
10. Ruby the puppy. Its amazing how having someone in your life with a little 'spunk' really adds to the zest you have for life. Rubes has brightened my life and torn apart my poor families backyard. Penny's a great pup too. She's finally warmed her way into my heart as well.
11. Books. I love books because I love to read and learn new things. In a sense a physical book is becoming outdated but I will always love them even though they give me back and neck pain as I lug them all over...I still love them and all the treasures they contain.
12. Grandparents.
13. Make-up, because it makes me look more awake than I ever seem to feel.
14. Compensatory strategies like planners, sticky notes, visual diagrams, graphic organizers, and index cards. I'd be constantly late and forgetting more things than I already do without them. It also makes it easy to come up with compensatory strategies for your client when all he/she needs is to employ the strategies I already use daily!
15. A good ward. I love my ward and I've had the opportunity to serve in the Relief Society Presidency this year. Its been such a privilege to get to know and love all the amazing sisters in my ward. I'm already missing it and I still have a few more weeks left.
16. Feeling okay about my circumstances in life. This feeling seemed to be a long time coming but this year I really went on the search of some perspective to find it. Life is good, and although so many of my friends are in such different circumstances in life than I, I'm grateful for where I'm at and what I get the opportunity to do.
17. Lessons learned. I'm grateful for the lessons Heavenly Father continually teaches me and I'm grateful to recognize them for what they are--significant lessons to serve as stepping stones to further growth and attainment
18. Boots. Not really typical with other things on the list, but I do love boots.
19. Living in Salt Lake. Its been great, its been fun and I think I might actually miss living in 'the big city.'
20. Sleep.

The list could go on and on, the things I've named are just a few. The final thing I want to include is being grateful for an extra-adorable little sister who jumps around outside when you come home and draws twenty-something turkeys to decorate the kitchen for thanksgiving.

I delight in someone to watch over me.

Rubes has grown up a bit since this picture was taken--Dad does still pick her up though when she's not cooperating.

I talked Mom into taking a 'mock' headshot of me last weekend. I should just get a real headshot taken but in the meantime--this will due. Anyway...I took about as many pictures of her as she did of me as I metered the light and figured out backgrounds. This picture of her was my favorite! Classy Mom! :)

I'm so blessed to have earthly parents who take good care of me.

Since the first signs of 'the dying tooth' (see yesterday's post) Mom has been so kind to check on me everyday (she does that anyway) but now she asks me first thing--how I'm feeling. Sometimes I want to be annoyed, and sometimes I am, but deep down, all the time...I'm so grateful for someone who asks because they really care.

Dad called me tonight just to check in. He informed me it was snowing. It made my night. As a grad school invalid this weekend due to an exam on Monday--I was grateful for someone who would call to inform me about the outside world.

I delight in memory.

For an entire class today (that's 3 hours) we talked about memory.

My teacher began the discussion by saying that memory is really important. In fact, it is our memory that makes us who we are.

And so, today I delight in memory. I updated my blog header this weekend. Its now full of summer memories. Getting the cutest puppy in the world, going fishing multiple times, standing next to the 5-segment rocket motor with my entire family and being able to have my Dad take me on the same tour he takes real NASA people, going to temple square with my family multiple times, walking Ruby around the island with Craig, kayaking with Dad, Mom and LB, and family campfires. That's such a short snippet of summer but its those family memories that make me smile from my soul!

I delight in treasuring a memory.

Over Christmas Break last year our family went to visit Aunt Helen and her daughter Nancy. It was so nice to visit and spend time with them. Of the Dahlquist side of the family, my mother's mother's side--all of the children have passed away; three of the spouses remain: Helen, Afton and my grandpa, Harold. It was fun to hear Aunt Helen talk about Uncle Carlisle (who I never had the opportunity to meet) and Grandpa talk about he and "Rosie" in their younger years. Grandpa recently turned 90 and Helen was 93 so they're not spring chickens! :) I love hearing from the older generation about what it was like way back when. Aunt Helen passed away yesterday. I'm grateful to have known her however brief our visits were. I'm grateful she can be reunited with her husband whom she's been separated from for 30 years. I'm grateful for the memories that remain and the posterity that carries on.

I delight in 54 years.

These guys have been married 54 years!

To celebrate, they decided to go to dinner at Timbermine (YUM!) and invite my family.

To which my Dad responded: "Well wouldn't you rather go just the two of you since it is your anniversary?"

To which my Grandmother responded: "We already spend all our time together."

We're happy they're letting us celebrate with them! :)

Happy 54th Wedding Anniversary!

I delight in General Conference.

General Conference makes me happy. Spending General Conference weekend with my family makes me really happy. Its been a fantastic weekend full of thoughts, impressions, and ideas that I know will impact my next 6 months and thus, the rest of my life. I'll be sharing some of my favorite quotes from conference throughout the next 6 months, so to start us off:

"We are happier when we follow the teachings of Jesus Christ."

-A member of the seventy whose name I did not catch

I delight in inspired trips to DI.

Monday, Mom and I ventured to the Deseret Industries (also known as the DI, a fabulous thrift store of sorts). I'd spent the day doing homework and was in dire need of a break and since the DI has moved so conveniently close, Mom and I pop by there occasionally when I'm home. On the way there we discussed why we like to go to DI. Our conclusion? Tradition and the possibility of finding a treasure--colorful pyrex dishes, jadite, cool record for Craig, good church books--yes we go mostly for the 'antiquing aspect.'

So we wandered in, took our usual route back to the glass dishes and then met back up at the books/collectibles cases. Mom asked me what books I was looking for when something caught her eye in the glass case..."Oliver Cowdery, Second Elder and Scribe" by Stanley R. Gunn. It took a minute for me to connect the dots but I clued in when she said, "Its Uncle Stan's book."

You see my whole life I've heard about "Aunt Mary." Aunt Mary this and Aunt Mary that. To me, she rivaled Wonder Woman, the way Mom talked about her. It seemed she taught my Mom everything from sewing to painting. She was in so many of my Mom and her sister's childhood memories that my cousin and I have joked for years how we can't wait to one day meet this "Aunt Mary" who is so 'highly acclaimed' by our mothers.

Well, Aunt Mary's husband was Uncle Stan who once upon a time in 1962 published a book--the very book we found in the DI. My Mom had always wished she had a copy of the book and there it was, sitting underneath the class in the collectible session in perfect condition. Coincidence? I think not.

Why do we go to the DI? Well apparently sometimes we go because we're inspired, because there is something we're supposed to find when we go.

Another treasure? Uncle Stan had also personally addressed the book to a former seminary student of his and signed it.

I delight in my good dog.

Yesterday was a sad day at my house. Lucky, the best dog ever, passed away. I am grateful for kind surrounding classmates who offered their hugs and dog stories to help me feel better. I delight in the wonderful memories surrounding this dog. Cuddling with her every night when I was in Junior High and she was just a puppy, going on walks with her most nights while in high school, and enjoying her company during our summer night campfires.

I delight in LB's birthday.

23

--don't ask me when it happened. She grew up and she's beautiful, wonderful and fabulous in every way. She is my favorite person in the world and can brighten my day faster than anyone else. I feel so spoiled to have her as my sister, to be loved so much by someone is such a blessing. She teaches me about Christ because of her pure Christlike love. And, I'm so excited to give her her birthday present tomorrow--its a suprise!