A Month of Thanksgiving Day 11

I am so grateful for our freedoms.  It is another one of those things, like electricity and plumbing, that we totally take for granted.  We live our lives, make our choices, do what we want, all without a single worry about whether we can or not.  We can.  It is our right.  Our liberty.  We get to be free.  We can make our choices and live the lives we choose for ourselves.  And we forget just how lucky we are to be able to do all that.  We forget that there are people in the world who don't have those rights and that if it weren't for wise, brave, and selfless men and women who have sacrificed for our rights, we wouldn't either.

Today is Veteran's Day and it just seemed right to express my gratitude for all who have fought, all who are fighting now, and all who ever will fight for our freedom.  I am so grateful for them, and also for their families who sacrifice just as much in letting their loved one leave and risk their life for us. 

Fireworks

I usually just try to take photos during the fireworks (still haven't perfected it), but this year I also tried getting some video.  I found that some of the fireworks were just too big for how close we were, so they were pretty fuzzy.  And I wish I had taken the camcorder to the balcony, which had a great vantage point to see all of the fireworks going off all over the city.  I didn't record the finale, in fact, I didn't take any pictures of the finale either.  This year, I just WATCHED it.  And it was great! :)

But here is a little sampling of some of the firework fun we had. 

Ryan opted to sit out most of the fireworks this year.  Usually he is the head hauncho, with Chad as his wingman.  This year he passed the torch (quite literally) to Chad who managed most of it by himself with a little help with Spencer.

4th of July

We LOVE the 4th of July!  We love it for many reasons, not least of which is for the great blessings we enjoy by living in this great country.  We are so grateful for all who have fought and made it possible for us to enjoy those freedoms.  We are grateful for our founding fathers, for their courage and determination to create a safe, new country where people can live and worship as they please.

I did precious little to deserve or earn my freedoms, but people I have never known sacrificed all so I could have them.  I am profoundly grateful.

I have always loved celebrating our Independance Day, but since moving here to Washington where so many more fireworks are legal than any other place I've ever lived before, the enjoyment has been raised to a whole new level. lol  Ryan discovered his inner pyro shortly after witnessing all the glorious possibilities and we soon became familiar with the Indian Reservations where you can get some totally awesome deals on fireworks.  *insert evil laughter here*

So, with all that great anticipation, we began our preparations for this fantastic and meaningful day.  Starting with Rori's hair.  Yep, even hair can get into the patriotic spirit.  I tried this last year and it ended up kind of lop-sided, so I did it again this year and it turned out much better. lol

I brought two red/white/blue desserts to our family BBQ/party.  I wish I had taken a picture of the one that my cousin brought though!  It turns out that my sister did the same thing at their party in Sacramento though, so you can look at hers and get an idea of how Alisha's was.  Alisha used red velvet cake for her red, so it was a lot darker, but other than that, it looked just like Debi's.  It was pretty impressive!

The BBQ was delicious and it was a lot of fun visiting and playing with everyone.  We invited a family we are friends with to come join us and it was fun to introduce them to my family and have them join in our fun.  After the BBQ, most of us walked up the hill to the park to have a water balloon fight.

It was a fierce battle and I believe that more than one person went home with a bruise or two, but everyone had a fun time and eventually when the balloons ran out, we took the walk back home and started getting ready for fireworks.

Have I mentioned how much Ryan enjoys this portion of the festivities? lol  We always end up with a fantastic show!

And after all the mortars, shells, cakes, and fans had been blown up, we kept the fun going for a little longer.  We hadn't used very many of the sparklers yet, and Sami had an idea she just wanted to try...

Fun! But then we ran out of sparklers and really did have to admit that the fun was over. Time to clean up (Rori was such a good helper!), pack up, head home, and start dreaming about next year's Fourth of July!

History of the Star Spangled Banner

Have a very fun and safe 4th of July weekend!

I love my country and I love celebrating her birthday and the freedoms we enjoy!  God Bless America!!!

Happy Couple

But each enjoying their pleasures seperately.  No, don't go shutting down this page, it's totally appropriate, let me explain...

Today I am happily drooling over my newest acquisition:

 




Yes, that would be LOTR Extended Edition on Blu-Ray!!!  Oh, me SO happy!!!

I pre-ordered it a few months back, then waited.  It was released yesterday, and I figured it would take a few days and at the earliest I would get it this weekend.  Imagine my thrill and surprise to find it on my doorstsep today!!!

It is so beautiful.  My precious!!!

Meanwhile...  Ryan's researching fireworks for our annual 4th of July celebration, in which he is the resident pyro.  I just heard him say, "Pyro Universe."  I said, "That sounds right for you," to which he answered, "Yeah, I'm familiar with it, I've been there before."  I am sure he has! lol

The next few days will be wonderful: I will be feasting my eyes upon all things LOTR in even better picture and clarity than ever before, and then we'll watch Ryan blow up cakes, mines, and mortars in a big Patriotic tribute.  Everyone will be happy.  Win-win! :)

Day of Service

Reported by The Associated Press
September 10, 2010

President Barack Obama is asking the country to observe the Sept. 11 anniversary as a day of "service and remembrance." He says Americans should find a way to serve their fellow citizens and rekindle the spirit of unity and common purpose felt in the wake of the 2001 terror attacks.

Obama spoke at a White House news conference Friday, a day ahead of the ninth anniversary of the attacks.


He said Saturday will be a day to commemorate not only heartbreak, but also the "enduring values and resilient spirit" of America.

Our "Day of Service" began a few weeks ago as our Stake organized humanitarian efforts to be carried out today. We collected and donated non perishable food, toiletries, and money to be used for new paint for Open House Ministries, a fantastic shelter here in Vancouver that helps families by not only providing them a home, but helping them find work and get on their feet so they can move on to their own home. A few representatives from our church took the donated items/money to Open House Ministries today.

Today, our "Day of Service" began by my family allowing me to SLEEP IN!!! I didn't wake up until after 9am!!! It was wonderful!!! Then, Ryan made us all breakfast. I felt spoiled. :)

This afternoon, though, I baked 6 loaves of zucchini bread, made with zucchini fresh out of my garden, and took five of the loaves over to our neighbors. (We did keep one loaf - how could we handle the delish smell and not keep ANY for ourselves??? lol) Two of the neighbors are relatively new and I hadn't met yet, so it was a great way to introduce our family.

The rest of the day will be pretty much your typical Saturday. Do some housecleaning, have family time, get ready for Sunday. I think we've started it off pretty nice, though. :)

Remember

President Spencer W. Kimball said that perhaps the most important word is "remember".

I don't think any of us can forget.  And I hope we never do.  I hope we always remember how united we became, how we stood together and were strong.  We have forgotten some of that, to some degree, so I'm glad we take time to remember on this day.

(Turn up your volume, the sound quality isn't that great.)


I remember how it felt to see the plane hit the second tower and to realize that this was no accident.  I remember how I sank to my knees in shock.  I remember praying with my family for all of the people on the planes and in the towers. 

Then the Pentagon was attacked.  And I remember wondering where else they might hit?  Planes were grounded.  One was missing.  And then we learned about United Airlines Flight 93's heroic acts which prevented even more devastation.  Those brave men and women fought to save others' lives, knowing that they would not survive themselves.

I remember all of the flags - everywhere!  So many people wanting to give blood.  I remember our landlord (a firefighter) going down to NYC (we lived in Massachusetts at the time) to help.  I remember the brotherhood he felt for his fellow firefighters in NYC.

I remember understanding that things would change in our world because of this attack.  Realizing that travel would change, security would change, and realizing that someday that would feel normal.
I remember the support we received from around the world.  The tributes, the signs, the candles.  I remember one sign that said, "Today we are all Americans."

I remember loving my country and being proud of what she stands for.  Even knowing that this made us a target, I felt grateful that we stood for something so good and right and true that no attack, no terrorist, could change that.  I remember the intense determination that we all felt to prove that we would overcome and emerge an even stronger nation.

I don't like looking at the images, reliving those moments, thinking about the suffering of those who were there and experiencing it all.  I don't like hearing the stories of people who have lost their loved ones and are left behind, their lives changed forever.  I don't like thinking about how a group of people could commit such horrible acts in the name of religion. 

But I pray I never forget.

4th of July

Ryan's brother, Rance, and his family came up from Reno to celebrate the 4th of July and spend a few days with us.  We had a lot of fun!

The Fourth was great!  We started by getting ready for church and I tried a new hairdo on Rori.  It's supposed to look like a star.  It needs work, and next time I'll do better, but for the first time and it being a bit more complicated than most of her hairdos, I think it was pretty good:



After church, we went to the Hills house.  We love celebrating the Fourth with them each year!  And we are so grateful that they welcome anyone who we want to bring along!  This year, we brought Rance's family AND our friends, the Bowers!  (They had both gone with us previously, but seperately before.)  It (as always) was SO MUCH FUN!

Being that it was Sunday, things were a little more toned down this year.  We got together a little later in the day, played games, and had a delicious BBQ.  Then we visited and played more games, had dessert, and of course, we blew up a lot of stuff.  Even though we scaled back the fireworks this year, we still had a great show - Ryan always does a great job!  And of course, my cousins, Chad and Spencer are always very involved, too.  It's simply one of our favorite times of they year!

(Click on collages to enlarge.)


As the guys start setting up the fireworks, the kids have lots of fun with Roman Candles and Sparklers.



Then we pull up the camping chairs, bundle up under the blankets, and get ready for the show!  Rori never lasts long.  She starts out excited, but always ends up rolled up in a blanket, sound asleep. lol



Acadia, on the other hand, loves to be involved!  She likes to help get the mortars ready for the guys.  In past years, Ryan has even let her light off a few, but this year there were so many kids we thought it would be best to leave the real pyro stuff to the men. ;)  They did not disappoint!!!



Sami put together some of the photos and video that she took and put it all together in this great montage, check it out!  She did an awesome job!!  (Turn on your volume for the full effect.)

"Obedience to the law of Christ is liberty." ~ Marion G. Romney

I am giving the lesson today in Relief Society and thought I'd post it here, too...


What is “liberty”?

Webster’s Dictionary defines it as: 1: the quality or state of being free: a: the power to do as one pleases b : freedom from physical restraint c : freedom from arbitrary or despotic control d : the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges e : the power of choice 2 a : a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant : privilege b : permission especially to go freely within specified limits

Moroni knew the value of liberty. When he saw that Amalickiah was deceiving people, seeking to destroy the church and the foundation of liberty, which God had given them, he was mad!

Alma 46:12-13 “And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.”

He put on his armor and took the Title of Liberty, bowed to the earth and began to pray “mightily unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land.”

The Title of Liberty stirred the people and reminded them of what was important; they rallied together and followed Moroni, eventually eliminating Amalickiah and those who followed his teachings. Moroni hoisted the Title of Liberty upon every tower in the land of the Nephites and it became their standard.

In this dispensation, we have our own standard; the U.S. Constitution is our standard of freedom.

In revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Savior spoke of the “principle of freedom” in these last days and related it to the U. S. Constitution:

D&C 98:4-8 “And now, verily I say unto you concerning the laws of the land, it is my will that my people should observe to do all things whatsoever I command them.

“And the law of the land which is constitutional, supporting that principle of freedom in maintaining rights and privileges, belongs to all mankind, and is justifiable before me.

“Therefore, I, the Lord, justify you, and your brethren of my church, in befriending that law which is the constitutional law of the land;

“And as pertaining to law of man, whatsoever is more or less than this, cometh of evil.

“I, the Lord God, make you free, therefore ye are free indeed; and the law also maketh you free.”

What does “justify” mean? (To show to be right or reasonable.)

In 1787, wise men came together to establish a governmental plan for the new land, a plan “justifiable” before the Lord so that moral agency could prevail and every man could “be accountable for his own sins in the day of judgment.”

According to James Madison, often referred to as the father of the Constitution, “We have staked the whole future of American civilization not upon the power of the government – far from it. We have staked the future of all our political institutions upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Because of the Constitution, we are free to live how we choose. What are some of the freedoms that we enjoy?

These liberties were paid for at a great price. And all of this was in preparation for the Gospel to be restored; through which we would learn about the greatest liberty we’ve been given, paid for at the greatest price.

2 Nephi 2: 24-28

“But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things. “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. “And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. “Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself. “And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;”

According to this scripture, what does Heavenly Father want for us? (Joy, Liberty, Eternal Life)

How did He provide a way for us to receive these blessings? (He provided a Savior to redeem us.)

What does Satan want for us? (Misery, captivity, and spiritual death)

Our individual actions determine whether we receive joy, liberty, and eternal life or misery, captivity, and spiritual death.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught: “The Lord has given you the gift of agency and instructed you sufficiently to know good from evil. You are free to choose and are permitted to act, but you are not free to choose the consequences. With absolute certainty, choices of good and right lead to happiness and peace, while choices of sin and evil eventually lead to unhappiness, sorrow, and misery.”

Marion G. Romney said, “Free agency, precious as it is, is not of itself the perfect liberty we seek, nor does it necessarily lead thereto. As a matter of fact, through the exercise of their agency more people have come to political, economic, and personal bondage than to liberty.”

How does sin destroy our freedom?

It’s really ironic; we don’t want anyone to tell us what to do, so we rebel and are disobedient in our attempt to be “free”, but in doing so, we bring ourselves into bondage.

Joseph F. Smith said, “The Lord has given to the children of men their agency. Men can do good or evil to suit themselves… He simply holds us responsible before him and answerable to him for the use of the intelligence and the opportunities that he has given to us here in the flesh… You will suffer the consequences of your own mistakes, of your own errors, though they bring sorrow, or sickness, or death! So, I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in this free agency that he has given to the children of men; but I acknowledge the hand of man in the consequences of his own acts, following his disobedience to the law of God. I do not charge the weaknesses, the mistakes, or errors, the crimes and wickedness of men, and the evils that exist in the world, to God the Father.”

It is obedience to God’s laws that leads to true freedom. The more we obey revealed truth, the more we become liberated. And the opposite is also true.

“The free agency possessed by any one person is increased or diminished by the use to which he puts it. Every wrong decision one makes restricts the area in which he can thereafter exercise his agency. The further one goes in the making of wrong decisions in the exercise of free agency, the more difficult it is for him to recover the lost ground. One can, by persisting long enough, reach the point of no return. He then becomes an abject slave. By the exercise of his free agency, he has decreased the area in which he can act, almost to the vanishing point.” Marion G. Romney

Galatians 5:1 “Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.”

Our responsibility is to “stand fast” for what we believe and to live according to our faith in the Lord. How do we do this?

“Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:31-32) This freedom, which we obtain by obedience to the law of Christ, is freedom of the soul and that is the highest form of liberty. And it doesn’t matter what other people say or do, or even what a nation does, this kind of freedom and liberty is completely within our reach. Elder Charles Didier said, “A follower of righteousness remains free.”

These are the last days and the Savior knew that we would be plagued with wars, contention, and discord. But he said, “Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” (John 14:27) He, of course, was speaking of the peace of God. Peace of mind; the peace that comes with personal testimony.

What are ways that you find this peace of God even amid the distractions, trials, and chaos of the world?

Peace, freedom, security… these all come as we develop and continue to strengthen our testimony. This is the primary purpose of every soul’s mortal life.

It is a great blessing to be “free to choose” and a great responsibility, also. I hope that we will remember that our liberty and freedoms are precious; and though we have our agency to choose what we will, we will have to face the consequences of those choices. I pray we will choose to follow the counsel that Lehi gave to his children to “choose liberty and eternal life” through Jesus Christ, “the great Mediator of all men”.

Inn Gratitude, we Remember

Memorial Day is nearly over but as it draws to a close I would like to express my gratitude and love for all who have sacrificed to make and keep our country free. We are so blessed to live where we can choose to do what we want to do, to live where we want to live, to worship how we want to worship, to be who we want to be. We are free to be happy!

I love this country! I love the freedoms which I enjoy! I love that my children are growing up knowing that they can be whoever they want to be, that there really are no limits for them. I love that I am not afraid of the police. I love that I can go to church on Sunday and pray to God daily, wherever I am. I love that I can talk about my religion openly. I love that my children have safe schools to attend. I love that Ryan has a good job which he chose, doing something he enjoys and is good at. I love that I can travel freely to visit family or even just to vacation. I love that we can own our own home and beautify it as we please. I love that we can make friends and associate with them whenever and wherever we want. I love that most of the people I meet love and appreciate these things, too. We all want to make our part of our world a little better, a little safer, a little happier. I love that we can do that.

To all who have, who now, and who ever will fight for these freedoms, Thank you! "Thank you" just doesn't seem adequate enough, but believe me, it is sincere! You are in our prayers. God bless you. And God bless America.

Our Birthday Part for America

We SO look forward to the Fourth of July every year!  This year, as always, we went to my aunt and uncle's house to BBQ, play, and light fireworks.  This year, we brought along some friends of ours, our awesome neighbors. :)

We visited and played bananagrams (I lost miserably the first game, but kicked butt the second game. lol) while we waited for dinner.  Uncle Matthew BBQed and everyone brought sides and salads.  Everything was SO GOOD!!! 

After dinner, we headed up the hill to a park, bringing along the wading pool full of water balloons. :D  Matthew tried to lay out the ground rules, silly enough to believe we'd actually follow them, and then the fun began!  We played Water Balloon Freeze Tag until we were out of water balloons.  We actually did kind of stick to the main rules of the game... for the most part. lol  It was a lot of fun!  And since it was 90 degrees, the water fight was refreshing! :)

Usually, I watch Rori and take pics while everyone plays, but this time I decided to get in on the fun and I left my camera in the hands of my friend, Susan.  She mostly took video of the fight, which I'm sure is going to be embarrassing to watch seeing as how I became a huge target for some reason and kept getting pelted with water balloons, but she did get a few pics:







We had some time between the water balloon fight and fireworks, so we visited and played more bananagrams.















And finally it was dark!  And that can mean only one thing... FIREWORKS!!!

Rori is frightened by the fireworks, so we had ear muffs for her and let her snuggle under a blanket.  She started out sitting with Emma, but after I took a few pics, she ended up on my lap and fell asleep.  She slept through all of the fireworks!  Except for the one time when a couple of the tubes exploded on the ground, everyone jumped, some of the girls screamed... yeah, that did wake her up for a few minutes, but then she fell back to sleep and slept until it was over. lol













While my normally sane and sound husband transformed into his annual pyro self, Stan helped the kids light sparklers and roman candles.  It's fun to take pics of the kids with sparklers, you get the neatest pics:





Ryan let Cadi light off a few of the fireworks this year.  It was hilarious because after she lit her first mortars, she yelled, "I feel like a Roser!"  It had us all laughing!!!  I didn't get a pic of her lighting the fireworks, but I did get this pic of her and Jessica helping Ryan load the next round of mortars.





I tried to take a candid pic of the group watching fireworks, but it turned out blurry. :(



I love my camera!  These were pics taken with my camera; I took some, and Emma took some (She loves my camera, too! lol):



The finale finished up around 11:45pm.  About that time, we realized that we never ate the cheesecake Ryan had made.  So we started what may become a new tradition: Midnight Cheesecake. lol  After the cheesecake, cleaning up, and saying goodbyes, we finally got home around 1am. 

It was such a fun night, probably one of the best Fourth of Julys we've had!  And I am already looking forward to next year's! :)

What's more American than a pancake breakfast and bicycle parade?

Our ward (church congregation) gathered this morning to enjoy a yummy breakfast, flag ceremony, bicycle parade, and singing of Patriotic hymns.  We had a great time! 

It started with the Boy Scouts presenting the flag and we all said the Pledge of Allegiance.  Then the Cub Scouts had a brief presentation about the U.S.A., followed by a beautiful acapella solo of "The Star Spangled Banner".  And then it was breakfast time; pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, hash browns, and juice. 







When we finished eating, the kids brought in their bicycles and decked them out in red, white, and blue. 





Of course, they had to have a parade, so they made one lap around the cultural hall and then made a lap our two around the building. 







And we finished up by singing "God Bless America". 

I love celebrating Independance Day and this was the perfect way to start!