AWOL...again.

Sorry about my extended absence.  I've had a bit of personal drama over the last several weeks and as a result let all of my blogs fall by the way-side.  I won't go over it here so don't ask.

One very exciting thing is that I now teach Gospel Doctrine to the adults in my ward (church).  We are studying the New Testament so I have found myself really studying the scriptures for the first time.  It has been an eye-opening and wonderful experience.  I've only taught once but it was wonderful.  School starts May 9th so I've been trying to get my class all figured out and ready for my students.  I've also started editing the novel I've written and am hoping to get that taken care of fairly quickly so that at least it's coherent and makes sense from start to finish.  I do not want there to be any loose ends and after the first draft there were several.  This week I get to go to Women's Conference in Provo and am looking forward to the classes and spending time with family.  Overall things are pretty good and I hope that I will be better about two out of three of my blogs and the updates.  I'm sure you were all waiting on pins and needles waiting for my next update (LOL) so there it is.  :)

B-Town

Otherwise known as Blanding.  We've been here for almost two months and we still love it.  I am still doing substitute work for the school district (mostly the elementary school) and Clint is still doing lots of translation and ASL jobs.  Some he can do from home (which is awesome) and others he has to travel for.  Gweny loves her preschool and her teachers which she goes to twice a week.  On the days that she doesn't go she and I do projects.  We also try to incorporate "good" tv including PBS and Kipper which are available on NetFlicks. Every Friday (mostly) Clint takes Gweny on a hike with the cousins and I get a little break.  Gweny and I go to the library every week or two to exchange our books.  The book she found on this last trip was "Harold and the Purple Crayon" which is one of my favorites.  It's from the 1950s so imagine my surprise when neither Clint or his mom had heard of it.  We got it yesterday and I've already read it to her four or five times, it's a good thing it's a fun book. :)

I don't have much to share this week.  Things are still pretty much the same.  We have our routine which we stick fairly close to for Gweny.  Clint does grad school mostly at night but occassionally needs to do it while Gweny's awake.  We are looking forward to a trip out to see family this summer for my brother's wedding and hope to do lots of fun mini-trips in the surrounding area.  We are experimenting with Gwen's hair and are putting cute braids in it today for church.  Life is pretty good and Gweny keeps us busy. 

An obsession passed down

Do you think certain obsessions can be passed down from generation to generation?  I think they can be.  I found out recently that my mom's mom's dad was an avid collector of antique books and that he had an literal obsession with Abraham Lincoln.  I know that my mom loves to read and is a fantastic writer.  I also love books and have way too many for my own good as well as my own little  obsession with Elizabeth Tudor.  Today while working on a project Gweny told me she loves letters and she wrote "Q", "T", and "O" over and over on one of them.  It did my heart good to hear that.  She also loves the library, which we visit once every week or two depending on how fast I read.  She selects one book each time and we read that together.  Sometimes she will pick something that's semi age appropriate but several weeks ago she chose a book "written by" Geronimo Stilton, a newspaper mouse.  It was a Christmas book and we read it, then I went to the library and chose another one for her by the same author about sunken treasure.  She LOVES them.  We went yesterday and she chose a counting book about Cinderella.  It just makes me happy to see that she and I share this same interest.  Right now she is looking at a dragon book but lately she has been obsessed with her "Body Book", specifically the page on digestion.  She has learned all about her bones, nervous system, digestive system, teeth, brain, blood vessels, etc.  She's such a smart girl and hopefully, with the help of books and the library I'll be able to keep her occupied and learning. :)

An Epiphany...but honestly...I think it was a "Duh Moment"

I substitute teach.  For kids.  Yep...me...weird.  This week I substituted three days: 5th grade once and 1st grade twice.  I could go on and on about that but that's not the point, we all have jobs and things we do but what do we do with that information?  Do you ever take the insights gained home and put them into practice?  I have.  I realized while being with and teaching other people's kids that my most important role was at home teaching my own daughter.  I realized that she and I spend quantity time together and not quality time.  She's a smart girl and she needs to be challenged regularly...so I decided to do just that.  I went online and started looking up activities and things she and I could do that will challenge her and help her learn. 

She expressed an interest the other day about the human body so that day she and I sat down and we looked at two books that are about the human body.  Initially she wanted to learn about bones, so we talked about that then we just went through the various body systems including the circulatory, digestive, musculature, and nervous system.  We talked about our senses and why they work.  Since Clint works with the Deaf and my sister, Anna, works with the blind I talked to her about that.  We practiced not being able to hear or see.  I talked about what Daddy and Aunt B (Anna) do in their jobs.  Later we talked about what happens to food in our bodies and she thought that it was hilarious about where the poop comes out.  I didn't teach her "rectum" although I was tempted. :)

I printed off a worksheet with various shapes and she colored it then I cut them out and she pasted them to a sheet and we then labeled them.  We worked on her tracing skills and cutting skills.  This morning we made crowns and decorated them with shapes.  She listened and sang to Veggie Tales (on my iPod) and danced around.  Each time we completed a project she was so excited and wanted to show Grandma and Daddy. 

In anticipation of this week (Spring Break) I've been thinking about when we'll be home and what we can do.  So far only Thursday is planned.  It's St. Patrick's Day and my brother's birthday.  I'm sure we'll make him a card and mail it this week but I've been planning all kinds of fun stuff for the two of us to do.  We're going to have green food (green bread, green eggs, green milk, green pudding, etc), we are going to make a shamrock tree using an outline of her arm for the trunk, I have a puzzle to finish making for her (a leprechaun), and a coloring sheet. 

I've also thought about incorporating history into her learning.  Mostly they will be coloring sheets of famous people (African American's, Deaf, Women, Inventors, Presidents, etc) while I give her a brief description of what they do.  I will save each of these in a "Gwen's History Binder" and add their stories etc so we can look at them later. I am also in the process of making U.S. President Flash Cards...I already created Prophets of the LDS church cards which we look at during Sacrament meeting and whenever else she wants.  I'm still trying to determine the schedule but I know that the days she doesn't have preschool (so three days a week) I'll work on these things with her.  This will give her a set schedule and the two of us will have quality time.  I've had so much fun with her and am excited to start working on this in earnest.  Below are two coloring page websites I've found that I like.  I hope you like them too!  As I find more great websites I'll be sure to share them. :)

http://web.knoxnews.com/web/blackhistory/color/

http://www.educationalsynthesis.org/famamer/

Improving Focus

So how do you keep up with all you want to do?  I haven't figured it out yet but I have figured out what I want to do...I think.  Last Sunday (not yesterday) I gave a talk in sacrament (which I posted) about the Holy Ghost.  I realized how little I truly understood about my own beliefs.  The week before during sacrament I prayed that I would know what to study and then the Bishop asked us to speak and then this past week I realized that I want to study, in depth, the beliefs of my church.  As I pondered this I wondered how to start.  Obviously I will continue an in depth study of the Holy Ghost but where to after that?  I fell asleep on Saturday night thinking about the book "The Articles of Faith" written by James Talmage and woke up thinking about it as well.  So I figured that's a good place to start.  There are thirteen articles of faith which point out our basic beliefs.  If I concentrate on one article each month I will be done in a little over one year...or maybe fifty. :) 

That was the first thing.  The next thing I want to do is put together a book for those who have had Gastric Bypass that includes recipes for each stage of their post-op recovery.  During the last year that has been something I've struggled with. I've gotten bored with food and so branched out into things I shouldn't eat.  If I'd had something like that I think I could have stayed on track better.  Along these same lines I've decided to join a triathlon group with Clint and Karen. There is a "Try a Tri" in June just after by little brother's wedding that I think I might work toward.  I want to make sure that I had the surgery and am using the tools it gave me to a good purpose (a long and healthy life).

I also want to concentrate on being a good mom and doing things with Gweny that will help her to continue to grow and learn.  I don't think I'm a bad mom or neglectful or anything I just want to be better.  I will probably post some of our projects in my other blog "Underground Stampers" when something fun comes up.  I want to use the time we have in Southeastern Utah to my advantage.  I've already started and hopefully this weekly blog will continue to show my progress in my goals.

If you have fun activities, projects, crafts, books, etc that you want to share please do so.  I need all the help I can get.  Now get out there and celebrate the set of circumstance that is your life!

Talk in Sacrament

Yesterday Clint and I had the opportunity to speak in our new ward.  We were given the topic of the 'Function of the Holy Ghost' and I ended up concentrating on how and what it means for the Holy Ghost to sanctify.  Clint was sick all week with a horrible fever but luckily felt well enough to go to church and gave the most beautiful impromptu talk citing specific and personal examples.  I think it went well and we received several comments and compliments about how much people had learned and how they had felt the spirit.  I hope that's true.  I've gone ahead and posted (below) my talk.  It's not exactly what I said but it is the notes I used while standing at the podium, Gweny next to me directing or signing as I spoke.  Luckily her presence helped and people enjoyed having her there...I enjoyed not be the total center of attention and having her share the spotlight with me. :)  Hopefully you enjoy it.

I’m going to take just a moment to introduce myself, I’ll let Clint take care of his own introductions.  My name is Cynthia but you can call me Cindy.  I generally answer to almost anything if it's nice. :) I’m from a small town near Champaign, Illinois although I’ve lived overseas and in Florida.  I was introduced to the church when I was ten and moved in with my father, step-mother and their family.  I have four brothers and five sisters and nine nieces and nephews.  Clint and I met through a friend when we were both working at UVSC, she felt like we needed to meet so set up a very successful blind date and eight months later we were married in the Salt Lake City Temple eight months later.  We've been married now for 9.5 years.  We’ve lived in Provo and Saratoga Springs and both have Bachelor degrees through UVU.  Clint is currently working on his Master’s degree in Organizational Communication and I’m enjoying being at home with our 3.5 year old Gwenyth.  We were blessed with Gweny in 2007 about an hour after her birth in Louisiana after being chosen by her birth mother. We’ve always talked about moving to Blanding to raise Gweny and any other children that come along so when the opportunity arose we jumped at the chance.

President Faust quotes Elder Parley P. Pratt during his March 2000 First Presidency Message  regarding the function of the Holy Ghost:  “It quickens all the intellectual functions; increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. …it inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity.  It develops beauty of person, form and feature.  …It develops and invigorates all the facilities of the physical and intellectual man.  It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves.  In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.”  Persons enjoying these gifts have “light of their countenances,” and their presence is “a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy.” (The Need for Balance In Our Lives, President James E. Faust).  The Holy Ghost is described as a comforter, revelator, teacher and sanctifier.  These are His four functions although we tend to concentrate only on His ability to comfort us in our time of need, as He did for me this week when my daughter became very sick with a high fever.  He is also well-known for his ability to provide inspiration and revelation to those who seek it.  If we listen He can also teach us truths that we may not have noticed before or were unwilling to learn.  Many people may not realize or understand His function as a “Sanctifier”.  I hope that by the end of this talk the impression to share this aspect of the Holy Ghost will result in a better understand of one of the sacred functions of our constant companion.

                According to Dictionary.com when used as a verb to sanctify means (1) to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate (2) to purify or free from sin (3) to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding (4) to entitle to reverence or respect and (5) to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing.  The Holy Ghost fulfills all of these definitions if we allow Him to. 

                There are several steps that must be undertaken in order to receive this gift and therefore be sanctified by the Holy Ghost.  In Doctrine & Covenants 39:6 it states:  “And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.”  First you must repent of anything that may prevent you from leading a Christ-like life, part of repentance is forsaking that sin and promising Heavenly Father never to do it again, or strive to avoid that sin. 

Baptism by immersion is then performed so that we may have  a remission (or erasing) of our sins, so that once we emerge from the water we are clean and spotless thus completing the repentance process we under-took when we decided to join the church. In the 4^th Article of Faith the third item listed is “Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.”  Once this step is completed we are then able to obtain the fourth item in the list, another baptism – “The Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost”.

This is sometimes referred to in the scriptures as a baptism by fire which is specifically addressing the laying on of hands and the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Fire is generally a symbol for cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying.  After baptism has cleansed you of your sins you are then given the gift of the Holy Ghost to be a constant companion as well as to sanctify you.  As I mentioned earlier, sanctification means to “make holy”, by receiving this gift you not only have that constant companion you have also been made holy.  Each of us is a son or daughter of God and are given this beautiful tabernacle we call a body.  Many choose to do things which defile it, this can be something as obvious as taking in substances which can create a dependence or as subtle as reading books or watching movies that plant immodest thoughts in our brain.  By doing these things we are in a sense polluting that which has been made holy through the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

Each of us is sacred to our Father in Heaven and to Jesus Christ.  If we understood how precious we are to Them I believe that we would think twice about how we treat ourselves and those around us.  Children are blessed to be unaccountable for their sins until the age of eight when they are given the choice to be baptized; once baptized you are taking the name of Jesus Christ upon you, promising that you will do your best to live a life worthy of Him.  Upon receiving the Holy Ghost you are given tools to use so that you may return to Him.  They are both so proud of each of us for choosing to come to Earth that they wanted to give us these tools, They wanted to remind us of how precious and of great worth we are to Them that they sent the Holy Ghost to us if we would accept him.  This is only part of the function of sanctification that the Holy Ghost fulfills.  As hands are placed upon us and we receive this gift we are made holy and sacred not only in His sight but in ours as well.

Another part of the sanctification that the Holy Ghost imparts is to purify and free us from sin.  This is not a one-time blessing, for which I am truly grateful.  Through the ordinances we have participated in we can renew the promises we made at baptism by partaking of the sacrament.  Through this and through the repentance process the Holy Ghost is able to purify us so that we can remain a “spotless white” as the scriptures have advised.  We are here upon the earth to learn and sometimes through that process we make mistakes that then bind us to habits or substances that are in direct opposition to the commandments of God.  Once we recognize our addictions and begin to take steps to release their incredible hold the Holy Ghost can assist us through this act of sanctification and help free us from sin.  The process is not easy or pleasant in many cases but the end result, eternal life with our family, is definitely worth it.  The Holy Ghost, through his companionship and guidance, will alert you to when you are about to make a mistake and in many cases will inspire you as to how you should begin your repentance process.

The Holy Ghost’s third function under sanctification is to impart religious sanction or assist in binding our promises and covenants that we’ve made with Heavenly Father.  When baptized we promise to take upon the name of Jesus Christ, and always remember Him.  What this means is that by word and deed we are representatives of Jesus Christ.  It is not surprising that many people choose to work with Latter-Day Saints because we are known as an honest and law abiding people.  By not using profanity, dressing immodestly, or using addictive substances we are fulfilling this promise made at baptism.  At baptism we are then promised that if we take upon the name of Jesus Christ and always remember Him He promises to always have His Spirit to be with us.  This Spirit is the Holy Ghost in one of His many capacities.  Once we enter the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances there other covenants are made and the Holy Ghost binds these promises between us and Heavenly Father.  Part of sanctification is this binding process.  If we fulfill our part of the covenant then because of the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost Heavenly Father will then fulfill all of His promises.

The fourth function of sanctification of the Holy Ghost is to entitle that which is sanctified to reverence and respect.  These traits are often thought of as only pertaining to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Apostles, or others with leadership roles within the church but this also refers to you.  Each of us is entitled to reverence and respect.  What exactly does this mean?  Within our relationships we should treat each other with respect.  Husbands and wives should show each other proper respect and reverence for each of their individual roles.  Thus far there have been at least seventy-five (75) talks given in various General Conferences on the marriage relationship.  Some of the titles of the talks given are “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church”, “Celestial Marriage”, “Nurturing Marriage”, and “Slow to Anger”.   It is sad to realize that many married couples do not show each other the proper respect or reverence that they deserve or are entitled to.  There have also been at least 175 talks given in General Conference on “family relationships”.  Titles include “Fathers and Sons: A Remarkable Relationship”, “Mothers and Daughters”, “The Importance of Family” and “Friendship: A Gospel Principle”.  Each of us performs various roles within our families.  Some of these roles include sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons , aunts, uncles, wives and husbands – just to name a few.  Each of these roles performs vital functions and as such should be given proper reverence and respect. 

The fifth function the Holy Ghost provides through sanctification is to make us productive or conducive to spiritual blessings.  The Holy Ghost opens the way for each of us to be more receptive to those spiritual blessings that Heavenly Father has promised us.  Some of these blessings may include a deeper understanding or appreciation for the scriptures, a testimony of the truthfulness of the First Vision, the gift of learning topics (specifically languages) quickly, or the ability to love those around you regardless of what wrongs they may have done to you.  Some of these blessings may come to you naturally and may be an inherent part of your personality while others you may have to work on.  Heavenly Father provides us with spiritual and temporal blessings as He sees fit but having the Gift of the Holy Ghost, by his sanctification, opens the pathway for us to receive and recognize these blessings if we are open to His teachings.

The Holy Ghost is an amazing companion and we are lucky to have him.  Not only does he provide comfort, revelation, and knowledge but He also reminds each and every one of us that we are Daughters and Sons of God blessed with holy tabernacles deserving of respect and reverence for the various roles and functions we perform.  He assures us that if we do all that we should be doing that Heavenly Father is bound to keep His promises to us.  We can each free ourselves from sin and the chains of addiction.  The Holy Ghost is vital to our success upon the Earth as we constantly strive to return to our Father in Heaven.  The sanctification provided by the Holy Ghost will assist us in this most righteous and worthwhile endeavor.  I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Adventure is out there!

Yep, we've been watching 'UP' a lot lately but it's so true!  Over the last month we have made some pretty drastic changes in our lives.  We moved to SouthEastern Utah and are living with Clint's mom!  It's amazing how it all happened.  One thing just lead to another and we felt that this was the best thing for our family.  We are enjoying our time here and have been kept busy by unpacking, organizing, completing several projects for his mom around the house, potty training Gweny, taking her to Pre-School at the Elementary school, and substitute teaching for the school district. 

Small town life is quite a bit different than living in the Orem-Provo area.  There's no traffic or pollution.  It takes five minutes or less to get anywhere in town.  We have family almost right next door (just around the corner) right next to the cutest library ever.  You can see the sunrise when it's supposed to and not later - no mountains to block it.  There is one mountain and tons of canyons.  Gweny gets to go to the playground several times a week, she goes to preschool twice a week, and she is now officially potty trained (at least during the day). 

Overall life is really good.  I don't miss Wal-Mart or Target or all the other distractions.  It's nice to be able to read and write almost whenever I want.  I love having Clint around and will miss him when his interpreting gigs start to pick up.  To be honest I do miss my friends a lot.  That has been the hardest thing for me but I know that this will get better as I put myself out there.  I've met a lot of people through subbing and church so it's only a matter of time right?  Due to other circumstances I'm no longer a demonstrator for Stampin Up! but will occasionally post to that blog.  Instead I've decided to have a blog about something that I'm passionate about:  books.  Be on the lookout for that. :)