New Beginning

It has been a VERY long time since I used this blog. But I want to start posting again. About my life. About my son. About my calling.

I was called seven and a half months ago as Primary President. There are about twenty children in our Primary, our main issue was reverence. I understand that these are children and that they are not built for being quiet for three hours (two of which are with me) so we have been working on trying to make our lessons shorter and give them ways to apply everything to themselves, have more activities, more coloring pages. Anything we could think of to split up the same old, same old.

I also saw online a wonderful idea and I wish I remembered where I read it so I could give them the credit. I promise this was not my idea at all. But the idea was to have a paper egg for each child. I wrote every child's name on one and made a couple blank ones then laminated them. They get their egg at the beginning of Primary and then they have to sit on it through the whole Primary. We don't have a teacher yet so they are stuck in the same seat for the whole two hours. If they are being disruptive or if we see their egg because they are standing up when they shouldn't be, we take their egg. We are fairly lenient and they get their egg back once they are being good again. At the end of Primary, their egg "hatches" and they get a rewards. I have been stocking up every time I am at Dollar Tree with animal related rewards (animal stickers, animal erasers, etc.). I also bought some animal stamps on Amazon and once in a while they get their hand stamped. I try to stay away from it always being candy but some weeks, they do get candy. We've been doing this for about two months now and obviously some weeks are harder than others. But with parent support and consistency, this last week was AMAZING. The children did wonderful and we rarely had to tell them twice to pay attention.

I love these children and I am so grateful for this calling. I really hope that I am making a difference in their lives and that they know they are loved.

Bzz Agent :

I am a Bzz Agent which basically means I get rewarded for reviewing products. The latest product I would like to review is about.me It's a website that is the equivalent of an online business card. You put in your information (biography, website, Facebook url, Twitter, etc.) and then you tell people to check out your about.me page. I don't have a business so this product wasn't of much use to me. I also only have this blog and a Facebook so there wasn't much for me to add. However, I could see the benefits of using it as a company. It is very easy to use and maneuver. I signed up and attached my blog and Facebook in probably five minutes. Not a hard site to figure out at all. As soon as I signed up they also offered me 50 free business cards which would be very beneficial for a company just starting out and needing that little bit of help getting the word out about their company. It's also a wonderful way to get people to look at your about.me and see your qualifications and other information that would persuade them to hire you. Overall I would give about.me a 9 for businesses but a 5 for personal use ... unless you are going to use it to convince girls to date you :-P

Timing Is Everything

Ok, can I just say that the Lord definitely knows how to to get your attention!? Well, today was one of those days where He had to slap me in the face because I just wasn't listening. And haven't been listening for a few weeks..at least about one thing. I have been waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too antsy about moving on to the next stage of life. And I would get very jealous and angry when I would hear other people excited about their own lives being taken to the next level.

Well today I was reading Conference and Devotional talks for my Teachings of the Living Prophets class (in which I am waaaaaaay behind in). And what do you know my favorite scripture was quoted right in the middle of one. And do you know what my favorite scripture says?!?!? Well let me tell you in case you were curious... My favorite scripture is Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 and it says:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What a wake-up call!! The Lord was telling me "Nicole, it's just not your time. It's not my plan right now. So be patient, breathe. Trust me and in due time, you will be permitted to move forward and feel that same happiness that others are feeling right now."

Well I will be breathing and trusting in the Lord. Because let's be honest, He definitely knows better than me what is best.

Blessed in the Best Ways Possible

I have got to say that I have had an absolutely frustrating and bad week. My car broke, I almost got in a really bad car accident (one that I have no doubt would have put me IN the hospital instead of working there), I got stranded in Minot and had to be towed and wait for Chris and Craig (brother-in-law) come rescue me, I hit broken gravel and had my hub caps (I think that's what they are called...the metal caps in the middle of tires) go flying off behind me, the dogs ran away from me TWICE in the SAME day, Blue was neutered and I have been worried about him pulling out the stitches and had more swelling and redness than is "normal." I have been soooo tired and having to drive about three hours round trip to and from work has not helped my mood this week. Needless to say, I just wanted to climb into my  bed, pull the covers over my head and not see daylight for a while. But that's just not how life is, I have to keep getting up and trying to make today better than yesterday. Especially since my brother-in-law and his family are coming this weekend to stay with us for a week. I need to get my house and myself ready for visitors. But first I needed a little me time so I checked my email and Facebook. I am beyond grateful that some of my friends posted this video:

I am still very emotionally and physically exhausted but I feel a smidge better. I need to focus on the fact that at least Blue and Cocoa are healthy enough to run away from me; that at least I have a vehicle that was getting me to work and a husband and brother-in-law who CAN fix my car and make it all better; that I have a house to clean; that I have family that loves us and wants to spend some time with us. Life may be hard but at least I am still living and breathing. Something that car accident could have very well taken from me. Car accidents are something that we see at the hospital (twice in this week) and so I know how horrible car accidents can be and how much they can take away from the victims. Anyways, I am just grateful that the Lord is watching over me and didn't let anything happen to me yesterday and that I have such wonderful family and friends watching over me.

Side note: This video is even more special to me because it begins with a quote from President Gordon B. Hinckley, my favorite prophet in this dispensation, and then ends with a quote from President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, my favorite apostle :-)

Well I guess I should get up and clean for FAMILY :-D

LDS Blog Challenge Day 17

17. A time, if any, when you’ve felt the spirit direct your life.

Oh goodness, I would have to say one of the biggest ones was when I switched my major.  I got to a point in my Business degree where I just wasn't happy anymore, I hated it and I couldn't stand another moment as a Business major.  Ok so maybe that's exaggerated a little but I really didn't like being a Business major anymore.  It was too "worldly" and I just didn't want to be a part of it anymore.  So I started praying and trying to figure out what the next stage of my life was going to be.  I wanted to drop out of BYU-Idaho, return to Wisconsin and take some time to figure it all out.  But my dad would have nothing of that.  He wanted his little girl to get her college degree, whatever it was in.  And he knew that if I left, I might not come back.  So with that helpful encouragement, I took to praying my little heart out.  Anybody who knows me, knows that I love helping people, doing service and that I am a fairly good listener.  It was finally impressed into my heart that I needed to become a Social Work major.  Registration had already been open for weeks but by pure heavenly intervention, I was able to add every single prerequisite that I needed, I was able to go in and switch my major to Sociology until I was admitted into the Social Work program and everything just fell into place.  It was definitely divinely decided that this was what I was supposed to be doing.  I also passed every single one of those prereq's though I struggled with Brother Hay's Intro tests and I struggled even more with Human Biology, which both required a lot of memorization that I froze up on come test day.  And now I couldn't be more happy and I can definitely see that this is where the Lord wants me and what he wants me to do with my life.  I have those skills and knowledge to help people in my career and/or in my personal life.

LDS Blog Challenge Day 16

OK so it is absolutely official that I stink at Blog Challenges.  Eventually I will finish this challenge.  It might just take me three months instead of one..

16. Your favorite story from the Book of Mormon and why.

I feel like I have said this a million times already but I absolutely love the story of the Stripling Warriors.  I think of them as these really strongest men (both physically and spiritually).  What girl doesn't want a good strong man to protect her?  What Mormon girl doesn't want her own Peter Priesthood (to varying degrees)?  They were good guys and had very strong faith and you know what?  The Lord knew that and he protected them because of their righteousness and faith.

Maybe I should tell the story of why I think so highly of these boys/men.  So their fathers (the Ammonites) had made an oath that they would never take up arms again and fight in war.  However, the Lamanites were coming to fight against them.  They wanted to take up arms and protect themselves and their families.  Helaman warned them that this was a bad idea.  They had made an oath and if they broke this oath, they would very well die.  It was at this moment that their sons stepped in:

But behold, it came to pass they had many sons, who had not entered into a covenant that they would not take their weapons of war to defend themselves against their enemies; therefore they did assemble themselves together at this time, as many as were able to take up arms, and they called themselves Nephites.

And they entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites, yea, to protect the land unto the laying down of their lives; yea, even they covenanted that they never would give up their liberty, but they would fight in all cases to protect the Nephites and themselves from bondage. (Alma 53:16-17)

They were strong men who knew they had to help up and made an oath to do whatever it took in order to protect their family and home.  Helaman and Antipus came up with a very trick plan to get the Lamanities to come out and fight which you can read about in Alma 56:30-36.  But the real amazing part is that of the ten thousand warriors, "there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war" (Alma 56:56).

They fought another battle which you can read about in Alma 57 and again out of the two thousand sixty (sixty more had joined since the last fight), two hundred were minorly wounded but NONE were killed.  Wanna know why?!?  Because of the "miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe—that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power" (Alma 57:26).

Back in Chapter 53, it talked about their strength and courage.  This is where the "every girl wants a strong man to protect her" comes in..

And they were all young men, and they were exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength and activity; but behold, this was not all—they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted.

Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him. (Alma 53:20-21)

This leads in to the rest of the story.  This wonderful story wouldn't be complete without mentioning their moms!!!

...they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it (Alma 56:47-48).

Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them (Alma 57:21)

I can only imagine the wonderful examples those mothers must have been.  I know without doubt that they read bedtime stories to their children from the scriptures.  They prayed with their families and their children saw them praying individually.  They taught their children of the Lord and of the great miracles he has performed.  They taught faith both in word and deed.  They were the kind of mom that I hope to be someday.

LDS Blog Challenge Day 15

Sorry guys, I got out of the habit again!!  I will try to do better for the second half.

15. A church leader (priesthood/YW leader, Bishop, or General Authority) who changed your life and how.

Hmm...who has changed my life?  I would have to say Sister Nancy Hansen.

How I will always think of her. The fun loving woman.

This lady is truly, truly amazing.  I love my mom and she was definitely a good example to me growing up.  But I needed a Mormon mom.  And Sister Hansen was more than willing to fill that role for me.  I was always welcome in her home (probably because I was best friends with her daughter) and she was always such an amazing example to me of how to be a good LDS woman, a good mother, a good wife.  And she always believed me and wanted what was best for me.  When I was thinking about getting married civilly, she told me in a very nice and motherly way that she was thinking of me and wanted to remind me of the blessings of a temple wedding.  When I took out my endowments, she was my escort and helped me every step of the way.  Made the whole experience a lot less overwhelming.

Always making time for us girls.

I remember one year at Girl's Camp, they had the parents write their daughters expressing their testimony.  I got a very sweet letter from my second mom expressing her sweet, sweet testimony to me.  It touched my heart then and still does.  I still that letter and when I run across it once in a while, it always brings a smile to my face thinking about this wonderful woman and touches my heart to read her testimony of this wonderful gospel.

She clinked her glass to make us kiss. Turned out to be one of my favorite pictures from that night.

Like I said earlier, she was also a wonderful example of being a strong LDS woman, LDS wife and LDS mother.  She has seven children, biological and in her heart (Rebecca, Tina, Katherine, TJ, Jeremiah, Sean and Madison).  She had a miscarriage as well.  She never talks about it, at least to me so I can only imagine the pain she experienced.  But I can see in her life and in her testimony that it has only made her stronger.  And that is truly inspiring to me.  She never ceases to amaze me.  With seven children, you are sure to have your ups and downs.  But I know she will always love her children no matter what happens or what they do or what decisions they make.  She is an absolutely wonderful mother and I consider myself blessed to be able to call her my second mom.