We went back to my hometown from the 23rd of July until Aug. 1st. We were going for the holiday and then hubby had to work in a different office for the next week, while someone was out of town.
It was a long stay, but fun for the kids to be with grandparents and their Uncle Eric for so long. They may say differently... ;) My kids are now going through withdrawals and bored to death with just Mom.
We had great plans to stay in our tent trailer that we just bought before we left. Since we were going to be there so long, we thought it would keep us out of their way more. Well, that fell through. We took our trailer, old and used of course, and set it up. The first night, i layed out there for about 10 minutes and my throat was itching, my eyes were burning and watering and I was coughing all of the sudden. So, i figured my allergies were to something in bloom outside. I went in the house and slept the first night. The next day i was out in trailer straightening up, again, major reaction. So i started looking closer and there was CAT HAIR all over the cushions for the beds and table benches and canvas. It was awful. I priced what new covers would cost, um, yeah, $56.00 for the smallest bench cushion, without new foam. I needed four of those total plus one long bench and two full beds. That was not in our budget book! So, my dear sweet mother said she would sew new covers for them. We went to Joann's and got enough uphoulstry fabric to recover everything for $85.00! It took two days of me sweeping out and disinfecting the entire trailer and three days of mom sewing, but we got it done. The fabric was not our first pick, of course i was picking all the "cutsie" patterns that ran about $40/yd so we got this fabric on clearance and it works. The project was bigger than anticipated, but worth it. I owe my mom BIG TIME! I can actaully camp in my camp trailer now. I had to vacuum out all the foam cusions before we put new covers on and they were terrible. I could tell which ones the cats like most! This so made me never want to have pets camping with us, and if we do...there not staying where we sleep. They are OUTSIDE!!!
Sorry such a long post. HAven't done one in a while. I will post pics once mom emails them too me, i forgot my camera. We had a good visit with sister Keri and STacy and grandparents. We also got to go to dinner with brad's newly married sister, Sue. We love her hubby, the kids especially. We had a good visit and some good food too!
Going home is always such a bitter-sweet thing for me. Things change as you grow up and it was much easier, emotionally for me, as a kid. When everything was going just right, in my opinion. I love visiting with family, the kids have so much fun with their cousins they don't get to see too often. We always get together with stacy and alan and play games with eric and mom. This is the sweet part...
The bitter part for me is not being able to talk as openly as I used to. Three of my sisters have chosen a different path then we were taught on and it hurts me if i think about it too much. I lose sleep at nights and have started having this anxiety thing, if i stress or worry too much, my heart fills like someone is squeezing it as hard as they can.
It's different. You can't talk about what you've just learned in sunday school or something new you discovered during scripture study. I do with my parents, but we find ourselves having to bite our tongue when sisters are visiting. They either change the subject or there is always that worry there of offending them. At Christmas time they chose to opt out on the re-inactment of the Nativity, because they don't believe it, or whatever. Then i have to explain to my kids why they are not there. They think we are trying to push beliefs on them, when really we are just living the way we always have. Just because it bothers them now, doesn't mean we should have to change the way we have always done things. It just saddens my heart, which effects my family as I am not able to give all of my mental emotion to them, as is is strained in these others ways.
My brother-in-law just updated his facebook religion to Diest. Well, i wasn't 100% positive as to what this religion believed, so i googled it. It says they believe in a God, but that he does not intervene here on this earth. Basically he put us here and just left us. That religion was not the gift he gave, but the ability to reason. It makes me sad to think that people can not believe there is a god who helps us each and every day in our personal and family lives. If you have had children, this, in and of itself is a
MIRACLE! But diest claim to not believe in
miraculous events. God has to be involved in this earth in order for us to have children, such sweet spirits who are so close to Christ, because their veils are so thin. Another sister had her years that she didn't believe in anything, but now she at least believes in God again. And my younger sister is inactive and has gotten a tattoo. Her reasons, I am not sure, maybe just unsure at the moment. But all of these changes in my family has pained me more than I ever thought possible. But, I am making it, maybe not understanding it all, but making it through Faith in my Heavenly Father.
I believe that he can take burdens off of our shoulders and has lightened mine in more ways than one. It is hard to see and live through these changes, but I am happy in my life because I have the
Gospel present. I live day to day, striving to become
perfect. I know in this life I will never aquire perfectness, as Jesus Christ is the only perfect being on this Earth. But as long as I keep striving to do what's right and never give up, and teach my kids the TRUENESS of this gospel, I will one day attain this percfection, as I reach the other side of the veil. I sometimes wish the second coming would hurry up and get here, so that the physical heartache could end, but then I don't want it to, because I know I am not where i need to be in order to have this perfection I am striving towards. It is a constant battle, but one I am willing to fight. Yes, we all make mistakes, some stupid, some through curiosity, and some through the temptations that we face each day, but this is why we have the
Atonement, so that we may
repent, be forgiven and start over again, striving for our
celestial glory.
I love this Gospel and the things I have learned. The things I value in life. Yes, it is hard t go to church every sunday, but we do it, even though we know we are just going to chase kids around...It is a sacrifice we are willing to make for our
Father in Heaven. We go each week to renew our promises we have made and to further our knowledge of Christ and this Gospel. I am so glad I have a husband who honor his priesthood and family. Yes we argue and fight sometimes, we are not a happy family all of the time, but we still love eachother. Knowing about the atonement and the role it plays in our lives, I believe, makes it easier for us to forgive one another, knowing Christ will forgive us too. I know that
paying tithing and
fast offerings blesses our lives. I've had enough experiences to know that if I pay my tithes, then all will be provided. No we don't make enough money for all of our wants, but that all they are WANTS. We have our needs: our home, food to eat, clothes to wear and vehicles to drive and some of our wants: tent trailer, decorations for home, nice vehicles to drive. This is enough for us to be happy, knowing we have paid our tithes to the Lord.
He asks us to do things we may not understand or want to do, but this is where we practice our
Faith in Him which then strengthens our knowledge of his presence in our day to day lives. I truly do love this Gospel in my life, yes it's hard to live, but living is hard anyway and I feel the sacrifices we choose to make or do in this Gospel only make living in this world easier.
I know we have a living prophet who guides us as the world changes. I am so thankful to my dad, and gpa's and other male family members who honor their
priesthood, which therefore blesses my life and many others. I'm thankful to those family members who are strong in the gospel, for their examples of righteousness and never-ending service. I am also thankful to those who have chosen other paths, as these decisions and the heartache that comes with, have strengthened my testimony ten-fold! I still ache to understand the confusion others have with this Gospel, and pray for them daily, that their understanding will come with time. I love my mom and dad for teaching me this Gospel and living it to it's fullest extent, as this has been a great expamle to me. I love my grandma Boothe for converting to this Gospel at age 14. Bringing this wonderful blessing into my life especially and her posterity's. I hope I can live the Gospel as I have been taught, that my children will apprecaite our examples as well and grow to be good, strong
missionaires for this Gospel. To bring this HAPPINESS to those out there who may be seeking it at this time. I am thankful to brad's parents for making the sacrifice of serving a mission and wanting to go on another, because it brings them joy to bring others to the Gospel. Another example of never-ending
service. I have been blessed with so many "unselfish" people in my life and hope I too can be this way and serve the Lord in anyway that he asks of me.
I leave this Testimony of my savior and this Gospel with you in the name of Jesus Christ,
Our Savior, Amen.
