The Best of SariahSays #15: "A believing heart"

It has been a lot of fun revisiting some of my old posts. (At least it was fun for me! lol) I wanted my final "best of" post to contain my testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ because its, in the end, the absolute most important part of who I am. It defines me, it guides me, it brings me the greatest joy.

Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with me... here's to another 1,500 posts! :)

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I have often wondered what I would have done in the days of Christ or even in the days of Joseph Smith. I have often wondered if I would have believed and followed them. I have wondered if I would have had the faith to cross the plains as a pioneer, willing to leave my home and possibly all the people I knew and loved to follow a new religion.

Sometimes I encounter people who constantly question. They need to KNOW. They need proof. They need to hear it from "the horse's mouth". They believe, or at least claim to believe, yet they bring up things and sometimes even search for things that create doubt in their own minds and sometimes in others. I often feel uncomfortable when I am associating with people like that.

In Sunday School, I, along with the other YW leaders are taking Teacher Development classes. We just began last week and I believe they will last all summer. As I have been reading the assignment, I came across a section about testimony. Something in it, but I can't quite pinpoint an exact quote, filled me with an understanding. Something I've always wondered but never knew.

I am a believer. My heart just believes. I do not walk blindly, following others just because they say so or it sounds good. I can and do think for myself. But something in me recognizes the truth when I hear it. In my patriarchal blessing, I am told this. That I recognize the truth when I read or hear it. But I never fully understood just how important that is. It's a gift, you could say. And I don't say that to boast or brag. In the Doctrine and Covenants, we are told that we all have gifts, and they aren't all the same.

I am well aware that I lack many talents. I often think to myself that I have not "mastered" any talent really. I remember a teacher referring to himself as, "A jack of all trades, master of none". I relate to that. I like many things, am okay at most, maybe even good at a few, but I am not proficient in any way, in any of those things. But I am reminded of another man I knew who was a quadriplegic. His body was broken and it was a great trial to him and his family. However, one day he told his father, "I am grateful that my trial is physical and not spiritual. When I am resurrected, I will be made whole again. If it were my testimony that was broken instead of my body, I think that would be a much more difficult trial to endure."

If I could have only one gift, I would want it to be a spiritual gift like this. To believe. To recognize truth. To know without needing to KNOW. The testimony that I have is a great one. It has carried me through trials that I don't think I could have endured without it. And because of my testimony, I know I can continue to endure. It really doesn't matter what happens to or around me, so long as I have that faith. Faith that there is a Heavenly Father who loves me and knows what is best for me. If He says this is where I should be, then I know it is so. If He says this is the path I should take, then I know it is so. I know that He leads and guides The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And when I hear the prophet speak, I know he is speaking for the Lord. I know that whatever he says, it will be what the Lord wants me to hear. I can still pray for a confirmation, but the truth is that everytime I have read or heard the prophet's words, the spirit HAS confirmed it to me IMMEDIATELY. I have not needed to research it myself or to take time to really consider what has been said. I can do those things to develop more of an understanding of the matter, but I do not need to do them in order to receive a testimony that it is true. Because I have already received that testimony.
I truly believe that if I had lived in the days of Christ, I would have been one of His followers. I truly believe that if I had lived in the 1800's when Joseph Smith restored the Gospel, I would have accepted it and followed him and the other saints. I truly believe that if I had lived in those days that I would have joined the saints and left my home in order to find a place where I could worship without persecution and play an active role in the building of the kingdom. I also believe that none of those things would have been easy. But I truly believe, as I also believe now, that any sacrifice I would have had to make would be worth it.

Today, more than anything else, I am grateful for my believing heart. And I thank the Lord for such a great gift.

The Best of SariahSays #14: "10 years old!" and "Baby Blue"

My girls... I just love them so much!!!  Being their mom is the best thing I've done.  I guess you could say that they are "the best of" me. :)

These were the blogs I posted on their birthdays this year... 

 

Today is Acadia's 10th birthday!  I can hardly believe it!  I remember being ten, I remember turning ten and my mom feeling the same way I feel now.  I couldn't understand.  What was the big deal?  But now I get it. 

Acadia is my Mini Me.  She is so helpful and loving!  She is smart, talented, and beautiful.  She's such a good girl, through and through.  I really feel spoiled that she is our daughter.

We love you, Cadi!  Happy Birthday!!!

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Today my baby turns three!  I can hardly believe it!


Aurora keeps me so busy; she keeps all of us on our toes.  But she is one of the best things to happen to our family.  Aurora is nothing more than a miracle and no one will ever know just what that means to me and to us as a family.  We adore her.  She has brought out the best in all of us.  Acadia has become a wonderful, loving, patient big sister.  Ryan's heart melts everytime Rori laughs and says "Daddy".  And me... well, she brought me healing that nothing else could.  I often say that her cuteness is her saving grace, but the truth is, to a certain degree, she is my saving grace.



Acadia is my "Mini Me" and Aurora is more of a miniature Ryan in little girl form; she's my "Baby Blue". 
Happy Birthday Aurora!  We love you!!!

The Best of SariahSays #13: "Made up Memories"

This is one of my very favorite posts. It was SO FUN! But just posting the post wouldn't be the fun part, so I am going to post the comments I got from it, too. I may have to do this experiment again sometime, it was that good. lol

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Okay, I'm stealing this quick little meme from April Mommy:

If you read this, if your eyes are passing over this right now, please post a comment with a COMPLETELY MADE UP AND FICTIONAL memory of you and me. It can be anything you want BUT IT HAS TO BE FAKE. And keep it "clean" please, lol.

I know I get readers... so I better get some comments with some fun, made up memories!


And here are the comments:



#1 'No Cool Story' posted this on Fri 28 Apr 2006, 7:45 pm visit their home page

Remember that time we wanted to do something crazy (you + me = crazy) so I said "hey, come play volleyball with us at church" , so you and Heather G came by, all geared up to play some serious v-game, and there wre like 50 people (and they ALL brought treats for the game), so you and I were on the same team and WE beat the other team like 20-0?? That was awesome!..oh yeah, and I was so awesome, I even had time to tie a quilt :-) Do I get a prize?

#2 'Mandy' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 2:54 am visit their home page

Hiya Sariah ! I was just reminiscing about the old days when we used to go down to the lake fishing. Remember that? You caught a fish and was too afraid to touch it. I picked it up and chased you with it and when I caught up with you I put it down your sweater LOL. that was too funny. I still giglle about that now.

Your old friend Mandy :)



#3 'Skittles' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 7:15 am visit their home page

Now why do I need to post such a lie? We have been friends for years. Tea and brownies the other day was so much fun. And yes I did finally enjoy Tea with not so much honey or sugar. BUT you will never get me to touch that lemon. I am a true sour puss @ heart. Now you go sit and put those feet up or I will have to come back over and drink more tea with ya. ;)

#4 'Sariah' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 8:42 am

No Cool Story: You had me at "you + me = crazy"!

Mandy: I never could get the fish smell out of that sweater! You owe me a shopping trip! ;)



Skittles: You would think that after all these years you would have gotten over the whole "lemon" thing. lol



To all: Thanks for the memories!!! ;)



#5 'feather123' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 2:43 pm

Hey! Remember that one time we were shopping in Beverly Hills, on Rodeo Drive, for my 5th Louis Vuitton bag? And, we had lunch at The Cheesecake Factory? Didn't you LOVE the cheesecake you had?

:)



#6 'Barbara' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 4:07 pm

I remember when we first saw you in that little crowded Chinese orphanage. Atlhough all the children tugged at my heart, I knew the minute I laid eyes on you that you would be my own little girl. It was a long trip back home on the sailing sloop, but you made friends with all the swabbies. We even caught you climbing the rigging!





#7 'Sariah' posted this on Sat 29 Apr 2006, 4:26 pm

Feather: Don't forget the hot guys that kept hitting on us!!! lol

Mom: (This one was the best!!!) While I admit I was too young to remember any of our first meeting or the journey to my new home, I will venture to say that this is the reason why I have always liked sailors. ;)



#8 'Eddie' posted this on Tue 2 May 2006, 4:22 am visit their home page

Well, Sariah, my memory has to be the time I introduced you to Ryan, your future husband. I remember when he and I walked into the (sushi) bar. I said, "Dude, there she is. You've got to marry that girl!" He was a bit nervous to talk to you, so if you'll recall I made up this story about how he was hard of hearing, and would you mind talking right into my friend's ear so he could hear you? The rest is, as they say, history.

#9 'Sariah' posted this on Tue 2 May 2006, 9:22 pm

Eddie: And I am eternally indebted to you! ;)

The Best of SariahSays #12: "FHE - Election Edition"

Today is Election Day, so I thought it would be fun to revisit the "election" we held at our house exactly one year ago.  And yes, I'm cheating a little; I'm going to put more than one post up here today.  But they go together; it's the original post, then the two follow up posts I made the next day.

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Originally posted: November 3, 2008

I am so excited for our FHE tonight and I want to share it with you so you can copy it if you want.  (In all fairness, it isn't my original idea.  I have stolen it from... somewhere - I can't remember where I saw it!)  It may be too late for you to do it tonight, but it would be fun to do tomorrow, too. :)

We are going to have an election!  Our first ever Roser Family Dinner Election.  I have prepared a "Voters' Pamphlet" for each person in our family, listing the candidates for main dish, side dish, and vegetable dish.  Each "candidate" has a description and a statement to help the voter better understand what a vote for that item would mean.  After reviewing our pamphlets, we will hold our primary election tonight.  Complete with voter ballots.  The top two candidates in each category will then be placed on a new ballot for our dinner election tomorrow.  In the morning, before leaving for work or school, we will all vote on the candidates.  During the day, I will tally the votes and my family will learn what dishes have won our election when we have our elected dinner tomorrow night.

I am seriously, so excited about this!  lol

We have been learning the Articles of Faith this year and tonight we will also discuss the Twelfth Article of Faith, "We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law."  We'll talk briefly about what this means and start learning to memorize it.  In fact, we'll probably start the FHE with the 12th Article of Faith and do the election part afterwards.

With the elections tomorrow, I think it will be fun to have an election of our own that Cadi can participate in.  Maybe it will become a new tradition for our family; we'll see how well the family likes it. ;)

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"I voted today - twice!"

Originally posted: November 4, 2008

This morning, after dropping Acadia off at school and before hitting the gym, Rori and stopped by one of the ballot drop boxes to turn in our vote. (I had Ryan's ballot to drop off, too.)  I even got my "I voted" sticker.  :)

But before that even, Ryan, Acadia, and I each voted in our family election today. 

I had a couple of requests to share the candidates and their statements, so I decided to scan in and post the pamphlet that I made for our dinner election.  The front looked like this:



The inside had these candidates (copy and pasting really messed with the spacing and settings a bit, but you at least get the idea):

Main Dish Candidates
Mom’s MeatballsDescription: Gound beef, bread crumbs, egg, worcestershire sauce, and onion soup seasonings blended together and formed into balls, baked.
Candidate Statement:
Side Dish Candidates
Scalloped PotatoesDesciption: Real Idaho Russet Potatoes, sliced and baked in a creamy roasted garlic sauce, made by Betty Crocker.
Candidate Statement:                       
                        Betty Crocker has the experience and reputation to provide a delicious addition to our dinner.  They’ve done most of the work, so Mom doesn’t have to.  Preparation time is minimal.

  

CouscousDescription: Roasted garlic and olive oil flavored couscous, made by Near East.                       

Candidate Statement:

                        Couscous is a healthy grain that our family enjoys very much.  We’ve had couscous on many occasions and it is a side dish we know we can rely on to be nutritious and delicious!  It will compliment any main dish and cooks in only 5 minutes! 

RiceDescription: Parboiled white rice, seasoned as desired.

Candidate Statement:                       
                         Parboiled rice is a wonderful, healthier alternative to regular white rice.  The look, taste, and cooking are so close to regular white rice that you cannot tell the difference, but the process in which the rice had been prepared before we purchased it, enabled it to keep many of the nutrients that are often lost when regular white rice is prepared for purchase.  Our family is very familiar with parboiled rice and we know that it tastes great no matter what else it is served with.


Vegetable Dish

Peas

Description:  Frozen peas, steamed and lightly buttered.
Candidate Statement:Peas are a colorful, delicious, and healthy vegetable, which is an excellent source of iron, vitamins A & C, and fiber.  They are fun to eat because you can use a French accent, like the peas have on VeggieTales.

 

Corn on the Cob

Description:  Corn on the cob, husked, and boiled.
Candidate Statement:Corn on the Cob is fun to eat; you get to eat it with your hands and it sticks in your teeth!  How many vegetables can say that?  Corn isn’t the most nutritious vegetable that you can choose, but it is the tastiest!

 

Green Beans and Onions

Description: Frozen French cut green beans, steamed with chopped onions and a dab of butter, seasoned lightly with garlic salt and black pepper.

 Candidate Statement:                This vegetable dish often experiences opposition by those with simpler tastes but it is still worth considering.  Why?  Because Mom really, really likes them!  A vote for this vegetable dish is a vote to make Mom happy!  J 

 Thank you for taking the time to careful consider the candidates participating in our family dinner election.  Don’t forget to vote before school or work on Tuesday, November 4, 2008!  Results will be revealed at the dinner table that night.

So, after the Primaries last night, our candidates were narrowed down to these:
Main Dish Candidates: Mom's Meatballs and Zesty Grilled Chops
Side Dish Candidates: Scalloped Potatoes and Rice
Vegetable Candidates: Corn on the Cob and Green Beans & Onions
The votes are in and tonight we will find out the results! :)

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"The Results are In!"

Originally posted: November 4, 2008

No, not those results yet.  I'm talking about the winners of today's Dinner Election.  And those winners are...


We had Zesty Grilled Chops, rice, and corn on the cob.  It was very delicious and we all loved the chops!  In fact, we rated it 4.5 out of 5 possible stars and plan on adding it to our favorites. :)

                        A family favorite, passed down from generation to generation.  This delicious meatball is versatile and a definite crowd pleaser.  Our home has some pre-made and ready to pop into the oven, so preparation time and costs are minimal.

Herb & Garlic Chicken BreastsDescription: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, marinade in Lowry’s Herb & Garlic marinade sauce, baked.
Candidate Statement:

                        White chicken breast is a very healthy source of protein for our bodies.  The Herb & Garlic marinade is delicious and compliments any side dish.  Marinade time is only 30 minutes, and because we have the ingredients in our pantry, there would be no additional cost to our family.

Zesty Grilled ChopsDescription:  Pork chops marinade in soy sauce, lemon juice, brown sugar, chili sauce, and garlic powder, grilled on the BBQ.
Candidate Statement:
                       This excited dish brings change to our family; we have never tried it before!  If you are tired of the same dinners night after night, week after week, this is our opportunity to try something new!  It might taste wonderful, we might not like it at all, or perhaps we’ll find ourselves somewhere in the middle.  We’ll only know if we give it a try.  We have all of the ingredients on hand, though the marinade would need to be prepared from scratch; which will require Mom to work a little longer on this meal. 

The Best of SariahSays #11: "What makes a great dad?"

There is a reason why we have girls: so Ryan would have little fingers to wrap himself around. He adores them and they adore him. This post is just one example of how patient, loving, and positive Ryan is...

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Originally posted: March 9, 2006

(What makes a great dad?)

When he comes home at night after a long day of work and finds some pictures that have been colored scattered in the entrance to the family room along with the colored pencils used to color these pictures... he looks down and says, "Are those Cadi's? Wow - she did AWESOME!" No comment about how she left them out right in the walkway, just how great of a job she did with the detailed coloring in the picture.

THAT, my friends, is what makes a great dad!

The Best of SariahSays#10: "The Giving of Thanks"

This seemed to be the appropriate post to start off the month of November.  :)

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Originally posted: November 22, 2006

Tomorrow is Turkey Day and I'm ready!  Bring on the food!
But before we do...

Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that tends to be mis-celebrated.  When you think of Thanksgiving, your first thought is FOOD!  Followed by gathering with family, football, and parades.  It's only when we really stop to think about it that we remember, "Oh yeah, I'm thankful...".  I suppose it really isn't so bad.  I mean, we are thankful for food, family, friends, and yes football and parades.  So, as we celebrate by stuffing ourselves silly and spending time with the people we love, let's also remember that it is a day to give thanks - for all of our many blessings. :)

Tomorrow our Thanksgiving will be small and quiet.  Ryan could not get the time off of work so he will go in like normal.  I didn't call any of my relatives to see if we could crash their dinners.  Instead, I bought a small turkey and all the fixings to make our own Thanksgiving feast here.  Ryan will hopefully be able to come home after checking in at work.  *Keeping fingers crossed that it will be an uneventful day at work so he can do this.*  He's planning on playing football with some of the guys from church and then we're planning an early dinner.  Then he heads back to work so his co-worker can go home for the rest of the day to be with his family.

I can't help but think back to last Thanksgiving. 


We were in Sacramento and I felt so tired and yucky.  I thought I knew why but I was wrong. lol  We ran the 10K for Run to Feed the Hungry and I just couldn't understand why I stuggled so much that last mile. lol  Later we had dinner with my family and I was disappointed that I didn't feel well enough to really eat a lot. lol  ... I had no clue.

About a week later, I found out that I was pregnant!  No wonder I was felt so tired and crummy!  No wonder I struggled at the end of that 10K!  No wonder I couldn't eat all the pie I thought I had earned by running! 

We were hesitant to be excited... we had been through the heartache of miscarriage before and I was getting all sorts of bad signals from my body.  But somehow when we went in for an ultrasound, there was a heartbeat!  It's hard to imagine that one year ago, I had no clue that Aurora was about to come into our lives.  But here she is!  So healthy, so beautiful, so happy!


And then of course there is our first precious little girl.  Acadia has grown so much in the last year.  She is so helpful, so considerate, so loving.  She is an excellent big sister.  She has taken that role gladly and hasn't complained or acted out in any way.  I get glimpses of a young woman as she lovingly holds her little sister or reads her a story.  I just wish she wouldn't grow up quite so fast.


I've been so blessed.  I have an amazing husband who loves me and treats me far better than I deserve.  He is my best friend and I am so grateful that our relationship is so strong.  I know that with him by my side, I can get through anything.

I'm so very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I'm grateful for the opportunity to be with my family forever.  I'm grateful for the comfort and joy that it brings to my life!  I am grateful for the scriptures and that I can read them daily.  When I read, my days go so much better.  They truly are a blessing in my life. 
There are so many little things and so many not-so-little things.  I simply can't list them all and I'm not even going to try.  But I am grateful none the less. :)

I hope that you all have a wonderful (and delicious) Thanksgiving! 

The Best of SariahSays #9: "Just Because I..."

A "best of" could not be complete without a post dedicated entirely to The Lord of the Rings, could it?  No way, not if it's MY "best of"!  There were several to pick from, this is one of my favorites...

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Originally posted on April 18, 2005
Just because I...

• have told Ryan I want to play a clip of LOTR at his funeral,
• have made my car CD player the permanent home for the Return of the King Soundtrack,
• will now willingly play Risk and Monopoly - as long as it's the LOTR version,
• recognized when the official answer to a question in the LOTR Trivia Game was wrong - and proved I was right,
• named our computer after something in LOTR (actually that was done mutually with Ryan),
• recently named a post on my blog after the last line in the LOTR movies - and I did it on purpose,
• am considering changing the ringtone on my cell phone to one of the LOTR songs,
• hope that Howard Shore and the LOTR Orchestra someday makes their way near here so I can spend LOTS of money to go hear them play that beautiful music,
• want to own Anduril (well a replica of course),
• have dreamed about LOTR,
• ordered Arwen and Aragorn costumes last year for Halloween - and even glued Elf ear tips to my ears,
• have Aragorn as the background on our desktop and images of LOTR as screensavers,
• read LOTR nightly outloud to Ryan before we go to bed,
• have quoted LOTR to make a spiritual point - even have it written as a reference in the margin of my scriptures,

...doesn't mean I'm "obsessed"! ...Does it? For those of you who think it does, I have two things to say to you:
1) "Don't be hasty." And...
2) "Go now, and die in what way seems best to you."

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And since then,

• I do have two LOTR ringtones on my cell phone,
• Ryan and I have gone to hear the LOTR symphony (it was A-MA-ZING!),
• We do own Anduril and have it displayed in our front room,
• Oh - and since today is Halloween, here is the pumpkin that I carved four years ago:

"One gourd to rule them all."  Yes, that's the accurate spelling and it wraps all around the pumpkin.  And yes, I did it myself, no pattern, totally freehand.  Pretty much, that was THE BEST CARVED PUMPKIN EVER. lol

The Best of SariahSays #8: "L-O-V-E"

Earlier this month, Ryan and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.  It's amazing how quickly 13 years can go by!  I love him now more than ever and I'm so glad that we've been sealed to each other for eternity.  The following is the blog I posted last year for our 12th anniversary...

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Originally posted on October 3, 2008


Today is our 12th wedding anniversary! 

So here are just twelve things that I love about Ryan.  In truth, I love so many more things than that (One year for our anniversary, I made a list of 365 things I love about him... Poor guy, the list is getting shorter! lol  No, of course not.  It really has gotten longer but I don't have that kind of time.), but today you get twelve. :)

• He makes me laugh - a lot!
• He is a wonderful father.
• He works hard and provides for our family so I can choose to stay home with our girls.
• He almost always lets me have my way. lol
• He loves the Gospel and leads our family in prayer, scripture study, etc.
• He doesn't mind helping around the house and will often do it without me even asking.
• He introduced me to Lord of the Rings!  ... And for that matter, Twilight, too!
• He gives the most wonderful hugs.
• I always know I'm safe when I'm with him.
• He encourages me and supports me in everything that I do.
• He bakes REALLY well!
• He is my very best friend; He knows me better than anyone else and he loves me better than anyone else.

Here is a slide show I made from some of our wedding pics...

Happy Anniversary, Roe!  I love you!

The Best of SariahSays #7: "According to Cadi..."

Earlier this year, a meme went around the blogs that the blogger's CHILDREN were supposed to answer. So, I let Cadi do it and here were her answers:
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Originally posted on March 14, 2009


1. What is something Mom always says to you?

"Clean your room."



2. What makes Mom happy?

"When Dad gives you foot rubs. Or, when you go to nailux and get pampered by them."



3. What makes Mom sad?

"When you and Dad get in fights." (I told her she wasn't supposed to tell people that, she said, "So." lol)



4. How does your Mom make you laugh?

"I don't know, she just does it!" (laughing)



5. What was your Mom like as a child?

"She was a smart young lady and very pretty from her high school picture from the prom... yeah, I saw that!" (laughing)



6. How old is your Mom?

"(Giggle) Well, in July you'll be 34."



7. How tall is your Mom?

"Oooh... can I measure you? Um, then I'm going to guess... 5 feet."



8. What is her favorite thing to do?

"Read to Dad. Especially that new Twilight book... Midnight Sun. And Eldest."



9. What does your Mom do when you're not around?

"Go to the gym. And go to the store and not buy me anything."



10. If your Mom becomes famous, what will it be for?

"Her piano work. Definitely. Or singing. But I'm going more with piano work."



11. What is your Mom really good at?

"Playing the piano. And eating... (LAUGHING) No! I mean, (more laughing)... you're going to kill me... What I mean is, you're really good at cooking!!!"



12. What is your Mom not very good at?

"Um... I don't know, let me think... Don't write down everything I say! Stop!... You're not very good at... I don't know...um, when you plant flowers, you're not good at keeping them alive."



13. What does your Mom do for her job?

"Stay home and try not to kill Rori."



14. What is your Mom's favorite food?

"Samoas!"



15. What makes you proud of your Mom?

"A lot of stuff, but I can't narrow it down. Maybe playing the piano and your excellent singing, and your cooking - I love your cooking. Yep, definitely all that stuff."



16. If your Mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

"I don't know. That one's really getting me stuck. Do I have to answer it?"



17. What do you and your Mom do together?

"We go to Barnes and Nobles together, and the mall and all that other fun shopping stuff! Woot, woot, woot!"



18. How are you and your Mom the same?

"We love to play the piano."



19. How are you and your Mom different?

"I always want to get away with as little as possible and you want to make me to do more than I'm supposed to do."



20. How do you know your Mom loves you?

"Because she cares for me and gives me a lot of stuff like clothing and toys... and she's the best mom in the world. And she cooks steak for me!"



21. Where is your Mom's favorite place to go?

"Mongolian Grill"



22. What was your mom's response to most of these questions?

"Laughing, of course."
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In the comments on that original post, I felt the need to clarify a few things, and oddly enough, as I repost this, I still feel the need to include those clarifications. lol Here is what I added in the comments that day...

I should have put a disclaimer at the bottom. lol

#2 This week was a long week and I had a few days that had my feet just killing me at the end of the day, so I've been asking for lots of footrubs lately.

#3 This doesn't happen very often. But she is right, that does make me sad. lol

#9 She's not bitter is she? lol I do buy her stuff all the time and I'd buy her more stuff if she wasn't so picky! lol

I think it's funny that she thinks I sing so well... I'm just "okay" at singing.

And she's got #12 right, for sure! lol

#13 ROFL!!!

#17 We haven't been shopping very much lately, I wonder if she's trying to give me a hint? lol

Most of her answers made me laugh. Silly girl. lol

The Best of SariahSays #6: "Happy Sariah Stamper Day!"

Back when I first started blogging, I used to track the weird holidays that happen daily. For instance, did you know that yesterday was "Cranky Co-worker Day" and "Navy Day". And today is "Day of International Concern About Young People and Gun Violence", "St. Jude's Day", and "National Chocolates Day"... I definitely think I'll be celebrating that last one. ;)

"Well, on March 26, 2004, it was... well, why don't you just read the blog I posted that day:

TITLE: Happy Sariah Stamper Day!

DATE: 03/26/2004 09:16:06 AM

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BODY:

Today is "Make up your own holiday" Day! :grin:

In honor of Sariah Stamper Day, we must all stamp a card (preferrably for Sariah Stamper)! :thumb:

In addition, we must also participate in at least 2 of the following activities: (Sariah Stamper's Favorite things to do besides stamping...)

*Go to the beach

*Play the Piano

*Sing "Dear Jane" :lol:

*Eat either: Spaghetti Diablo, Mom's Meatballs, or Pork and Vegetables :lick:

*Read Helaman 5:12

*Scrapbook

*Eat Ice Cream (preferrably Strawberry Cheesecake or anything close to that)

*Watch Dr. Phil

*Kiss Ryan :kiss: - uh, :blush: let's just leave that one to Sariah Stamper herself!

*Cuddle Cadi

Have a very happy Sariah Stamper Day!:lol:
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You know, now that I think about it... that really was a great holiday. lol Luckily, March 26th is still "Make Up Your Own Holiday Day", so who knows, maybe I'll start a SariahSays Day next year! ;)

The Best of SariahSays #5: "Crazy 8's"

I've done a lot of these quizzes/memes but I think this one is one of the best at summing up who I am.

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Originally posted: May 2, 2008

8 things I’m passionate about:

1. My personal testimony of, and relationship with, my Savior, Jesus Christ.

2. My husband

3. My children

4. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

5. Lord of the Rings

6. The New England Patriots

7. Living in the NorthWest

8. The ocean/beach/killer whales/dolphins

8 Songs I can listen to over and over again and never get sick of:

1. How Firm a Foundation

2. The Black Gate Opens (LOTR)

3. Return of the King (LOTR)

4. Just about any other song from any of the LOTR Trilogy soundtracks. lol

5. Live to Love (Paul Cardall)

6. George Winston's Variation on the Kanon

7. David Lanz's Variation on a Theme from Pachelbel's Cannon in D

8. Be Still My Soul


8 books I’ve read:

1. Book of Mormon

2. The Holy Bible

3. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy - J. R. R. Tolkien

4. Isaiah for Airheads - John Bytheway

5. Dispatches from the Edge - Anderson Cooper

6. The Work and the Glory series - Gerald N. Lund

7. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

8. Standing for Something- Gordon B. Hinckley


8 Things I say often:

1. I love you... Muah!

2. Rori, what are you getting into?

3. Dumb Dog

4. Fudge!

5. Flip!

6. Nigh-Nigh

7. Trust the Lord

8. Ya know?


8 Things that attract me to a friend:

1. Honesty

2. Common ground

3. A sense of humor

4. They have to like me too... kinda important, that one!

5. Someone who lifts me up instead of dragging me down.

6. Good values/standards/priorities.

7. Fun!

8. Kind Hearted


8 Random things about me:

1. I wish I had a self-cleaning house.

2. I don't like to bake.

3. I do like to cook.

4. I like singing in the choir even though my voice isn't that great.

5. I'm one of those people that Pam hates, who makes up their own harmony part in songs with only a melody. lol (But only if I'm familiar enough with the song that I know what harmony will really sound good.) I love harmony and I usually can't hit all the melody notes.

***Correction: Pam doesn't hate the people who do that, just that they do that. Okay, I'm one of the people who sometimes makes up my own harmony for songs... which Pam hates. lol

6. I'm the oldest in my family... but the shortest.

7. I wear a retainer at night when I sleep.

8. I'm often told that I have "perfect teeth" and a "beautiful smile" - not just by the dentist, often by strangers. :D


8 Things I want to do before I die:

1. Attend the SLC Temple.

2. See my children grow to be worthy to attend the temple.

3. Run a whole 10K without having to slow down to walk.

4. Visit New Zealand and go on a LOTR tour.

5. Go on a mission with Ryan.

6. Learn sign language

7. Become a scriptorian

8. Endure to the End


8 Things I’ve learned this past year:

1. Trust the Lord. God can do anything, and that means He can even help ME to do anything He wants me to do.

2. We each have our own agency.

3. Acadia is a very patient and loving big sister.

4. Rori is extremely headstrong and I will need to be diligent in teaching her to choose to be headstrong in the right ways about righteous things.

5. I need to buy an upholstery cleaner.

6. Getting on your knees to pray really does make a huge difference!

7. I used to think that I wanted a "break" but now I'm realizing that I really don't. I don't ever want to stand still or become stagnant. I need to continually work to improve myself, I can always do better and I need to always strive to be better. Challenges are opportunities for me to learn and to grow. If I'm not progressing, I'm not moving in the right direction. The pace I'm going isn't as important as the direction I'm headed.

8. At the same time, I need to be patient with myself. It is crucial to have a good balance in life. I need to have "me time" doing things that relax and rejuvinate me so that I'm better equipped to do all the other things that I need to do. You can't draw water from an empty well.

The Best of SariahSays #4: "There are just... Moments"

So this isn't a funny or clever post. But it's something I deal with often, I just don't usually talk much about it. Today just so happens to be the anniversary of the "would be" due date of one of my miscarriages. I always find myself especially emotional around these "anniversaries" and this one is usually the hardest for me. I've talked with people who have had miscarriages and apologized for "not being over it" when it had just been a couple of weeks. It bothers me when people expect a woman to "just get over it" and won't allow her the time to mourn or heal. I hope that any who have never experienced a loss like this will understand that you never get "over it". A mother will always mourn her unborn babies. If you ever find yourself with a friend or loved one in this situation, please let them mourn in whatever way and for however long they need to. My last miscarriage was four years ago and I still shed a tear or two when I think about it. I have heard my mom say the same thing and hers was about 15 years ago. I am so thankful for my faith and the love of my family and friends who have never made me feel like I was wrong for how I felt. It really does help, so much. But as this post says... There are (still) just... Moments.

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Originally posted: November 4, 2005 (about a week and a half after my last "would be" due date)


I think someone should write a book called, "What to Expect When You're No Longer Expecting" for women who have had miscarriages.

Mostly we try not to think much about it, but lately it's been thrown in our face everytime we turn around - or at least every time we get the mail. I get so many mailings about baby stuff - life insurance, diapers, coupons, baby stores, etc.

The worse one was the box of formula that came last week - one day before the due date. We're gonna take it down to Jared when we see him at Thanksgiving so I try to think of THAT when I see it sitting there next to all the clothes that we're taking Esther. It doesn't always work.

I should save more of the stuff for Jared (or for any one of the many babies born in our ward in the last month or two) but usually I just throw it away without opening it. Out of sight, out of mind.

How do you get yourself off these mailing lists? I don't exactly need the constant reminder right now...

Most of the time I am okay. I am happy with my life, my family, my faith, etc. I don't doubt that my family is the way it is supposed to be right now. I don't doubt that I was not supposed to have those babies. I don't doubt the love of my Heavenly Father or husband or any other of those close to me who show me support. But there are moments...

No matter how much faith you have, no matter how much you KNOW that things are the way they should be, no matter how much peace and love you feel most of the time, no matter how much support you get from family and friends - there are moments when you realize that you will never be completely "over it".

No matter how many years go by, you will always remember the due dates and as they pass you will think of what might have been. No matter how happy you are with the family you do have, you will always have thoughts about the family you thought you were going to have.

No matter how much you know it isn't your fault, there are still moments when you actually feel guilty for the things that you can enjoy since you don't have a new baby. (Free time, fewer money concerns, smaller dress size, an extra bedroom, etc.)
No matter how happy you are to see your friends or family members having babies, when you see them or their new little one you can't help but think "What if...?" - just for a moment.

And in those moments, I get upset at myself for feeling this way.

I trust my Heavenly Father. I know I have been so blessed by Him. I could not ask for more than I have right now.

But there are just moments...

The Best of SariahSays#3: Most Commented on Blog Post, "The long awaited post with lots of pics!"

Otherwise known as Aurora's Birth Announcement Post!  This really does not surprise me.  :)  I don't usually get a lot of comments on my posts, my average is 2. lol  But this post has 15 comments. 

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(Posted on July 30, 2006)

I realize that I am probably just a tad biased, but I truly believe that I have one of the most perfect babies ever! 

Aurora Louise was born Friday, July 28 at 1:59 pm (PST).  She weighs 7 lb 6 oz and is 19 inches long.  She has red hair and blue eyes, though I believe her hair is a little darker than Acadia's was... maybe she will be more auburn?  We'll see. 

We went in to the hospital Friday morning to be induced.  It turns out that by that time, I had developed a mild case of pre-eclampsia.  However, it was not enough to need to be medicated and my doctor was not worried.  We just made sure to monitor my blood pressure and Aurora's heart beat.  I was started on Pit by 8:30 am... I was already dialated to a 4 but she was still pretty high up. There was some concern that  she might not drop with the contractions the pit induced.  But after a couple of hours thinking nothing was happening, we found out that sure enough, things were moving along. :)  By 11:15 am I was in active labor and starting to wonder how long I wanted to wait for my beloved drugs, lol.  Things were progressing fast and it wasn't long before I was sure I was ready for some relief.  I had my epidural a little after noon and from then on... it was lovely! (Funny how that works *wink*)

My doctor broke my water but since Aurora was still a little high up, she didn't expect a whole lot of action right away.  She headed back to the clinic to take care of some other work until I was closer.  (Thankfully the clinic is just across the street from the birth center.)  I am so glad for the epidural because everthing really happened quite fast from then on... I was having contractions right on top of each other and Aurora came down pretty fast.  The nurse had to call back my doctor and I had to "hold in" Aurora for about 15 minutes until the doctor was back and they were all set to deliver.  Btw, it is NOT fun to try to "hold in" a baby that is ready to come out!  Again... THANK GOODNESS for the epirdual!!!  But once we were all set, I was able to push and Aurora didn't waste anytime coming.  I think I pushed for about 10 minutes and there she was! 
With Acadia there were more concerns and when she was born, they weren't able to put her right on me.  That was okay - I wanted her to be healthy, so I waited from across the room to hear her take her first breath and cry.  But with Aurora, they immediately placed her on my stomach and I was able to look into her eyes and watch her take her first breath.  Wow.  She barely let out a couple of "wah"s, but it was enough to know that she was okay.  That is the most I've heard her cry at one time since!  From then on, she just quietly looked around, mostly at me (*proud mommy smiles*) and she even ate a little right away. 
My mom, who had been with us the whole time, left to go get Acadia so she could come meet her little sister.  We asked the nurse to wait to give Aurora a bath until Cadi was there to watch (per Cadi's request) so, they just took that time to get her footprints done, weigh and measure her, etc. 

When Acadia arrived, she made a beeline straight to Aurora and held her little hand and said, "She's so adorable!"  Acadia looked so happy!  Soon after, the nurse asked Acadia if she could not only watch, but HELP give Aurora's first bath!  That was really cool for Cadi!  Acadia loves to watch the home video of when she was born and she thinks it is so funny that she cried during the whole bath... so she was really looking forward to seeing Aurora cry... But Aurora didn't cry at all!  She made a little fuss when she was taken out, but that was it!  Cadi still enjoyed the experience. ;)

So far, Aurora has been a very quiet, easy baby!  She simply has not cried.  And she is an excellent sleeper!  She has slept most of the two nights she's been here for, waking only long enough to barely eat, then fall back to sleep (while eating).  She eats well when I can manage to wake her long enough to feed her.  I wonder how long this will last?  But so far, nothing has changed.  When she wakes up, instead of crying, she just makes little noises, then waits patiently for me to get her up, change her, and feed her. 

I was given the option of staying another night in the hospital, but I felt that I would be fine going home, as long as my doctor prescribed some meds I was taking for pain - which she did.  So last night, we all came home.  Today everyone is at church while Aurora and I stay home.  With how much she sleeps, I was able to upload our pics... so I'm going to share a few with you. :)

Meet Aurora...

This is a "before" shot:



Immediately after delivery:


With my doctor:



Daddy/Daughter moment:



Acadia meets her little sister for the first time:






Group Photo:



Sisters:



Ryan and his "Squeaker" (Because Aurora doesn't cry, but will occasionally let out a squeak, he has been calling her Squeaker.)...



Cadi kisses for Aurora:



Grandma and her newest grandchild:



Cadi gets to help with the bath!



Aurora's first visitor, my good friend, Amber:



Aurora doing what she does best:


On Day 2... Yep, she's still adorable!



Getting ready to come home:



A thoughtful homecoming from our friends:



To view all of the pictures, visit our Photobucket account, just click on the sub-albums for each day.

The Best of SariahSays #2: Most viewed blog post, "The Allegory of the Cherry Tree?".

I only have the statistics for this blog (not my original blog which I posted from yesterday), and of all 1,500 blog posts here, the following is currently the most viewed post, with 5,606 views to date.  I kind of think it's funny that this is the most viewed post, but okay!  "We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet" came in 2nd with 4,954 views.  And the distant 3rd is "99 Day Challenge", with 1,510 views.  Even my "Who am I?" (About me page) post is only at 1,193 views currently.  And I would have expected any of those to beat out this one.  I guess there are/were a lot of people searching for confused cherry trees. lol 

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(Posted on April 9, 2008)

I don't know a whole lot about Cherry Trees or Cherry Blossom Trees.  What I've been told is that to get a Cherry Blossom Tree, you take a Cherry Tree and graft in the Cherry Blossom Branches.  We have both (one Cherry Tree and one Cherry Blossom Tree) in our yard.  Or so we thought.  We definitely have a Cherry Tree that produces the YUMMIEST bing cherries for us every June.  And then we've had a Cherry Blossom Tree that is slightly pathetic, but is still very pretty when in bloom.

Awhile ago, Ryan noticed a branch growing up on the Cherry Blossom Tree.  He was going to chop it because it just didn't look right but for whatever reason, didn't get around to it and before we knew it, it was giving heighth to this Cherry Blossom Tree that it had never known.  It looked quite awkward actually. 
A week ago, Ryan pointed out that the buds on the branches from this added growth looked a heck of a lot like the buds on our Cherry Tree.  Yep, apparently our Cherry Blossom Tree has decided to go back to it's original roots and is playing the role of both Cherry Blossom Tree as well as Cherry Tree. 

I have mixed feelings about this.  1) It looks so silly! lol  2) We were considering cutting the Cherry Blossom Tree down when we ever get around to landscaping our yard.  But now, 3) if the cherries that come from this Cherry Blossom/Cherry Tree are as good as the ones from our Cherry Tree, I don't care!  I'll keep the awkward thing for the cherries alone! lol

It's interesting because a couple of weeks ago, in Sunday School, we were discussing the Allegory of the Olive Tree and there is so much in that about grafting branches and which branches brought forth good fruit or bad fruit... So now we are just waiting to see if the natural branches of our tree will bring forth good fruit or not.

Just for a visual, here is a picture of a normal Cherry Blossom Tree:


And this is what our normal Cherry Tree looks like:


And THIS is what our confused Cherry Blossom/Cherry Tree looks like:


Now, I suppose that for this to truly be an allegory, there needs to be some sort of symbolism here...

From my own personal experience, I know that my Cherry Tree is a good tree; it brings forth good fruit.  We love this tree and my husband and I have vowed never to chop the thing down because we look forward to enjoying the fruit each June.  If these new Cherry branches are indeed good branches that bring forth more good fruit for us, then it will be a pleasant surprise.  I think the lesson learned is that good things can come in places that are unexpected sometimes.  We shouldn't judge a tree based on the appearance we see at first.  Had we gone ahead and chopped down our pathetic Cherry Blossom Tree just because it was puny and sad, we would never had known it's potential to bring us so much joy! 

It's okay to be different.  In fact, the more I look at my awkward Cherry Blossom/Cherry Tree, the more beautiful I think it is.  How many Cherry Blossom/Cherry Trees have you seen?  It's quite unique and special.  We get the beauty of the Cherry Blossom in bloom and also the delicious fruit (assuming the Cherry branches really do produce bing cherries like our other tree).  It's the best of both worlds!

Likewise: We shouldn't judge others.  We should embrace our differences and appreciate each person's uniqueness.  And finally, we should allow each person the chance to bring forth good fruit, even if they aren't even a fruit tree. ;)

The Best of SariahSays #1: My first ever blog post, "Hi!".

Before I started using blog-city for my blog site, I used a blog that my sister set up for me under her domain. When she changed her account, I had to find another place to blog, and that's when I started this blog here. Fortunately, I did save all of my blog posts from that old site before they *poof* disappeared, so now I can share with you what is no longer available to the public, my first ever blog post:


AUTHOR: sariah

TITLE: Hi!

DATE: 02/16/2004 05:56:04 PM

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So this is my first post...

I have decided to start a blog! :grin: My mom and sister have blogs and I love visiting them regularly (be quiet Debi:tape:), so I thought I'd try one too. I don't know what this will turn into yet, but my goals are:

*to have a fun new way to keep in touch with my family and friends

*to have regular "journal"-type entries (because I am really bad at keeping a real journal)

*to have a way to share photos of our family and fun things going on (I'm not sure if I'll have those on this blog, or have a link to a website, or what)

The domain name I have chosen is www.helaman5-12.com. I want to explain why I chose it. Helaman 5:12 is a scripture in the Book of Mormon. While I have many favorite scripture verses, this is probably my very favorite. It has special meaning to me and I find alot of strength in it.

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

So, now that I have this blog, I don't really know what to say. I'm sure I'll think of something later. Right now I want to work with Debi a little bit more to learn how to do more stuff.

If "comments" isn't set up yet, it will be soon. So, leave a comment and visit often! :thumb: