Thankful Thursday

This will be short because I just do not have the strength to write more.  I am thankful for all the prayers offered on my family's behalf...they were truly felt today!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Today, I'm just glad it's just raining in Las Vegas, not freezing rain like in Utah!  I hope all my friends made it safely home!

Stay warm!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I've been a bit out of sorts so this is a bit late, but today I'm thankful for my friend Peg who invited me to lunch at Olive Garden!  I haven't been there for a few months and it's one of my favorites!  She had  her 5 kids there, a daughter-in-law, all six grandkids, and 4 of her youngest daughter's friends (my daughter being one of them).  It was fun to spend time with all 17 of them (those poor waiters)!  I got to love on her newest grandbaby and giggle and play hid-and-seek with the toddlers, the teenagers were all buzzing about midterms and there I was with my breadsticks and alfredo sauce, smiling!  Was it completely crazy?  You bet!  But it was fun to spend a few hours with some of my favorite people in the world!  Life is good because of good friends like Peg!  Thanks, girlie!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Do you believe in miracles?  I certainly do!  I believe that prayers are answered, not always the way we want or expect, but they are answered.  I believe that angels are close, and not just the unseen ones.  I believe that people all around us are inspired to help, encourage, protect, and love us.  Most people may not even know that they have been the answer to our prayers and we may not know all the times when we have answered someone else's prayer.  I know that sometimes I don't recognize the miracle until I look back on it--sometimes years later.  I hope that I can be more aware of the miracles that happen every day, and not just the ones that scream "THAT was a miracle!" I've had quite a few miracles happen in the last few days, and maybe one day I will share them, but for now, I'm just so thankful for the people in my life (and some complete strangers) who have been a part of my miracles!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Everyone deserves a new start!  The new year is just a day, really, but many of us take the opportunity to resolve to do better throughout the coming year.  But isn't that the way we should live our lives all the time? Every morning we should resolve to do better than the day before, even if it's just baby steps.  I'm not one who makes new years resolutions (well, I should say, I have, but like most people, I haven't kept them very well!).  This year the only resolution I want to make is to wake up every morning and say, "Today, I will do better than yesterday!  And since I am human, I know that it's not possible to do everything better, but what if I only do one thing better?  That is what counts, right?  I am thankful for today...and everyday that I can start over and say, "I will do better today".

Happy new day!!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I have so much to be thankful for this holiday!  I have a wonderful family who loves me, a lovely home, fabulous friends.  I am so completely blessed.  We had such a nice, quiet Christmas.  The "kids" didn't get up until 9, so I just took my time getting ready.  We opened presents and then proceeded to the kitchen where the "kids" made most of the breakfast (I only assisted a bit) and David cleaned up.  We had crepes (a Christmas tradition) and candied bacon on our Christmas china and it was so yummy.  After we had cleaned up all the paper and boxes, we finished getting ready and we went to the movie theater to see Les Miserables!  Oh. WOW! It was so amazing!  I actually went into the "ugly cry" where you are trying not to make a sound but your body literally convulses with sobs!  Yep, that one!  I was careful not to disturb the others sniffling around me, but I was pretty much bawling like a baby at the end.  And I don't know about anyone else, but I so wanted to stand up at the end and start singing "Do you Hear the People Sing?"  It was so good, I will be seeing that again...and again!
I don't want to finish today before I say how thankful I am for my Savior who's birth we celebrate at this special time of year.  It is only because of him that I have all that I have and I am all that I am.  He is my example and my elder brother.  He has suffered for my sins so that I can repent and place my burden upon him.  I can never repay gift he has given, although I can live my life so that he will be pleased with my offering.  As we journey into a new year, make it one where you can be satisfied with where you have traveled this time next year, one that you have grown and progressed and done your best.  Hope your Christmas holiday was bright and that the coming year will be even brighter!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I am thankful for my primary children!  I am the president of the Primary children's group at church (18 mo. to 11 yrs.) and they teach me so much!  I have learned how to love, how to be more kind, how to be more patient, and how to serve others.  They each have such a wonderful love for their Savior and their prayers are so sweet and honest.  We decided to make a christmas card for all of our missionaries from our ward family (congregation) who are serving in all different parts of the world.  We have 10 right now from Argentina to Toronto, Illinois to Virginia, even South Africa and France, plus a few in between!  Here's the photo from our Primary Christmas card!

Here they are just being silly--they love to be silly!
I know that some of these cards will not arrive for Christmas (sorry) but they are all sent with love to those who have sacrificed two years of their lives in service to their Savior.  We love our missionaries!!

I'd love to hear what you are thankful for!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

What is your favorite music to listen to?  I love mostly all kinds of music!  When I'm cleaning, I like either some 80's alternative, maybe New Order or Dead or Alive, when I'm working or in the car, I usually just to listen to top 40.  This time of year, of course I love to listen to all sorts of Christmas music, from the MTC to PTX, from Nat King Cole to Coldplay, from "Santa, Baby" to "Hippopotamus".  There are very few Christmas songs that I don't like, maybe if you comment on my post I will tell you which ones I literally have to change the channel because I don't like them that much!!!  Anyway, I am getting ready to sing with my choir at church for the Christmas program.  We are singing some beautiful hymns and there will be other music as well along with a few talks.  I have the opportunity to sing a beautiful song "It Came Upon the Midnight Clear" but it will be much different than the normal hymn.  I am so excited to be able to sing, it's been a while since I last sang a solo at church, and just between you and me, I'd much rather sing than speak!  I started singing before I could talk and I was asked to sing my first solo at the age of 3 on the Mother's day program.  In fact, the Bishop liked it so much he actually had me sing it again...all while my mom and grandma cried in the back of the congregation!  I have been in singing and performing groups most of my life, whether it was concert choir or Carousel Kids, my life has been filled with music.  I even had the opportunity to sing with the Ricks College Centennial Choir in the Mormon Tabernacle on Temple Square during General Conference of the LDS church!  That was a wonderful honor!

I am so thankful for music and the impact it has had on my life.  I would love for you to come hear this beautiful Christmas program on Sunday, December 23rd at 9:00 am at the Hillpointe LDS Chapel on 9011 Hillpointe Road in Summerlin (northwest Las Vegas).  You will enjoy it!

"Although it's been said many times, many ways...Merry Christmas to you!!!"

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I mentioned the other day that I started a new "job" on Tuesday.  Well, my new job isn't really a job, as in a paying job, it's a volunteer job.  I volunteer here...

...this is the beautiful Las Vegas Nevada Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. On the front of every LDS temple there is a plaque that says, "Holiness to the Lord, the house of the Lord".  It is his house and you can definitely feel his spirit there when you enter. I answer phones and help in the temple office.  It is a wonderful place to be!  Although it is a very sacred place, I work with some fun, energetic, exciting people.  I think one of my favorite things I get to do is to take down names for the prayer roll.  If you ever feel someone needs extra prayers, please call the temple (you do not have to be a member of the church to put names on the temple prayer roll).  People are prayed for throughout the day and their names stay on the prayer roll for two weeks.  I love being able to participate in helping others, even if it's just sharing a kind word with someone on the phone who is concerned about a friend or a family member--or even a stranger for that matter!
I love the feeling I have when I am in the temple!  It is a place where heaven and earth touch, even in Las Vegas!  It is a refuge from the craziness of the world and I can't think of a better place to spend a few hours of my day, aside from my own home!  I'm so thankful for this opportunity to serve my Heavenly Father, in His home!

I'd love to hear what you are thankful for today!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

"Charity suffereth long and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,  doth not behave itself unseemly; seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Charity never faileth" 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Charity Never Faileth is the motto for the Relief Society, one of the largest women's organization in the world with approximately 6 million members. I have the honor of being a part of this wonderful organization and although membership usually starts around 18 years old (or after graduation from high school) I feel that I've belonged all my life!  It's so delightful to spend time with the women in the Relief Society, I have learned so much from them. There are women from all walks of life; single, married, widowed, divorced, stay-at-home moms, working moms, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, great grandmothers, daughters, wives, friends, and neighbors.  We call each other "sister" because that's what we are, spirit daughters of a loving Father in Heaven. We all have something to offer and something to learn.  Last night we had a delicious dinner of yummy soups, salads, and homemade rolls and of course, dessert!  Bishop Yamane talked to us about service and charity and how we can become closer to our Savior by serving others and being truly charitable, by actually helping others in need and learning to love them.  As I helped clean up, it warmed my heart to see these women that I love and admire putting together hygiene kits for humanitarian aid and write letters to people who might need a kind word of encouragement, and even write memories of a young man who has passed away so that the family can have a priceless book of remembrance of their son.  I know that what I do is so little compared to some of these great women, but I'm thankful to be able to learn from their example.
I love this quote from Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley:
"The history of the organization has shown that women of the church have not had to wait to sit together in heaven to taste the sweet fruit...They have experienced much of heaven on earth as in life they have cherished one another, comforted one another, and instructed one another."
That is exactly how I feel about these women!  I get to catch glimpses of heaven when I am with them! We are all on the same path, some moving faster and some slower, but headed in the same direction--toward their Heavenly Father and their Savior!  What a divine blessing!

Julie

Happy Thankful Thursday!

I had a little laugh the other day when my husband asked me "what day is Thanksgiving on?" He probably just wasn't thinking but I was like "REALLY? Thanksgiving is on Thursday!! Just like last year, and the year before!!"   "Black Friday always comes the day after Thanksgiving and I've never heard it called 'Black Tuesday'!!!"
Well, this year, Thanksgiving is thankfully on Thursday--Thankful Thursday, so I will share with you what I am thankful for this Thanksgiving.  As always, I am so thankful for my family, my friends and my faith!  My life would be sad without them.  This year, on top of the basics, I am thankful for my new friends... YOU!  I know there are a few lurkers out there and I hope that one day you will comment so I can thank you personally, every little comment encourages me in this blogging experience and on my YouTube channel!  Seriously!  So, I wish you all a very wonderful Thanksgiving and pray that you have more than enough to be thankful for!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Since we honored our veterans this week, I decided that today I would share how thankful I am for all those who have served my country!  I imagine it cannot be easy to leave your friends and family behind to go into an unknown, dangerous land to defend your own country, and for those who willingly defend other countries, it's even more astonishing!  Where would we be without all those who have served, fought, loved and died for this country? I am so grateful for the supportive families of those who have served and are serving, and I share my deepest, heartfelt appreciation for those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for the country they love!  I just don't know that "thank you" will ever be enough to express my gratitude, but it will have to do.

I would love to hear what you are thankful for today!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Although Tuesday was a bit disappointing for me, I am still thankful that I had the opportunity to vote!  It's hard to believe that it's been less than 100 years since all adult women were given the right to vote in the US (women in Utah had the right to vote long before the amendment in 1920).  I know that there are still places today where peoples voices are silenced and those who stand up for freedom are jailed or killed for their courage!  I pray that one day, all countries will allow their citizens to vote for things that are important to them and not just have the ones in power make all the choices, that is not a government!  Agency is a God-given right and those who take that right by force will be held accountable.
Even though only a few of my choices actually won in this election, I wouldn't trade my vote for any amount of money in the world--it means that much to me!
I'd love to hear what you are thankful for, please leave a comment and let me know!

Julie

Thankful Thursday

I am...
That was the theme for this year's Stampin' Up! convention.  It may look a little vague but it was our opportunity to choose from all the wonderful descriptors that could fill that space!
I am...a daughter of God!
I am...a wife!
I am...a mother!
I am...a loyal friend!
I am...creative!
I am...grateful!
I am...a Stampin' Up! demonstrator!
I am thankful to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator--for 16 years now!  I saw my first Stampin' Up! catalog just a few weeks before giving birth to my baby girl in 1995 and I loved it!  I had dabbled in rubber stamps for a few years before that, but I had no idea what Stampin' Up! could offer.  Well, the very next year I had my first "party" and I decided that I could do this!  It was quite a sacrifice at the time to buy my kit, so thankfully my mom could see my potential (thanks mom!) and helped me get my starter kit.  I have met so many wonderful people and gained lifelong friends.  It has definitely been a blessing in my life.  It's been quite a ride and I can't wait to see what the future holds!
I'd love to hear what you're thankful for.  Please leave a comment! (I'm so thankful for comments!!!)

with my friend Sherrill Garff (in yellow) at this year's convention

15 year "march" (walk across stage for anniversary)

Julie

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for dependable transportation!  I have to take my car into the shop to make sure the engine mounts are not broken!  In the early part of our marriage and time here in Vegas, we lived with one car!  I would have to get up early, get Erik up and put him in his car seat and take David to work and then pick him up in the afternoon.  We also had a time when one of our cars broke down completely and we sold it for cheap--again only one working car!  It really makes you appreciate the fact that we have the blessing of modern transportation!  Can you imagine how long it would take to go to Costco with a horse and buggy?  It's only 5 miles away and it would take probably 6 hours after your buggy was loaded down!  I'm glad to be born in a day when we have so many choices and modern conveniences!!

Thankful Thursday!

Thunder, lightning, rain, rain, RAIN!  Today I am thankful for the rain!  It has been raining since yesterday and although the thunder and lightning seemed right on top of us throughout the night, the moisture is appreciated and long prayed for!

Photo by Dave Stoltz

What are you thankful for?

Julie