Today my Sweetie is 63!

Funny how he has a birthday and I feel older. Well, he went to lunch at Cheesecake Factory (the cement man took him), put up Prop. 102 signs, took a nap, went to the doctor to have his pacemaker battery checked, was treated to frozen yogurt by Cecily and kids and nuked his own frozen dinner (not in that order AT ALL). Life is so exciting!

I sure love him though. He's been a wonderful, supporting, loving husband and a good husband and a good example of living the gospel. HAPPY BIRTHDAY HONEY!

My trip to New York

Anna is smelling the Rosemary in the Orangerie.
Anna in the Gazebo
Trees changing colors in Cold Spring and along the Hudson River.

Anna and I went up the Hudson River to a town (village) called Cold Spring. Very Gilmore Girls!

I love taking pictures of Anna.

I hope I have figured out how to post a movie. It only holds 100 megabytes and the movie I wanted to post was 99MB. So I guess adding a title or something put it over. Whatever! This one of Tressa's 1st birthday was only 41 MB.

Oh, I am so pathetic at this, but at least the pictures are adorable. Happy 3rd Birthday Sofia! (Or is that left birthday?)

Oh, wait! I think I got one. Let me try another.


(Sofia opening a gift from the Russells.)

Oh, the struggles of the aged and infirm!

So last night I spent over an hour trying to post a 30 second movie I took of Tressa when she was first starting to walk.
Never happened!
Tonight I am going to try to post a couple of photos. Let's see what happens.

I'm flying away. . . .

At 4:30 a.m. I am getting up so I can catch a 7:10 am flight to NYC. It's kind of hard to leave my husband and my business and all my grandkids and kids for a week. But it is also hard to live so far away from Anna and not be able to see her every week. I guess I just have to face it -- life is hard!

I really like listening to the scriptures on CD. They seem to have more continuity that way. I don't take things "out of text." But when I don't listen every day, it seems so easy for me to slip back into my old frightened, grouchy, panicky, faithless ways. I really need to get the scriptures or conference talks downloaded onto my ipod so I can listen when I am away from home or while I am exercising.

It's late. I really need to get into bed so I can get up in about 5 hours. I can probably sleep on the plane.

What do I want to remember?

The purpose of my blog is to keep a journal. That is something I've never done very well. So now I have to decide what I want to remember and what I want others to know and remember about me. Ooooh, heavy!

Yesterday, while I was exercising and listening to the radio, I heard part of a story on a Christian Radio station about some biblical king who was being advised by a prophet (I think). But what he said was very interesting and I can see it in the world today. He was telling this king that power and wealth were enemies to righteousness, because they usually make people turn their backs on God. He said that when they turn their backs on God then they despair and when they despair, they absorb themselves in distractions (video games, pornography, excessive exercising or sports, alcohol and other addictions). He said that the distractions don't relieve the despair but just keep one from thinking about the hopeless feelings they have and also keep people from turning to God. He said that the only way to overcome this is to turn ourselves completely to God. By being obedient even when it doesn't seem to make any sense. (Like paying your tithing when you don't have any money.)

That leads me to another great quote by Ezra Taft Benson: "Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends and pour out peace."

I just want to say how grateful I am for my family. I have a husband who has loved me for abut 40 years, despite all OUR mistakes and failings and I have wonderful children who have testimonies of the gospel and are teaching their children the gospel too. Not only by being good examples to them but by talking to them about it.

I am truly blessed.