Other December Pictures

Babysitting Kit and Olive while Jed and Heather went Christmas shopping

A Christmas Day kiss

 Skyping with Elder Eastman in La Concordia, Ecuador

A family game of Monopoly

An evening with Chelsea and Spencer

Shopping for a wedding dress with my girls at Fantasy Bridal

Christmas Eve Pajama Hunt with our guest, Geri, from Singapore

Christmas morning

Plates to go with our 12 Days Joy theme

Christmas Day snow storm

Emma's new toy

Seeing Star Wars in comfortable style

Jultompten came again to our Wright Fammy Jammy Christmas Party

Serving at the Utah Food Bank after Christmas with Uncle Erik's family

12 Days of Christmas: A Joy-Full Christmas!

On the first day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Special Box Full of JOY

Our 2015 Twelve Days of Christmas will be a JOY-Full one!  Celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ is a happy time.  We will spend the next 12 days doing joyful things.  Let the contents of this little box remind you of the “good tidings of comfort and joy” of our Savior’s birth.  Today we will SHARE JOY with the Eastman family as we decorate Grandma’s Christmas tree, have dinner together, and surprise G&G with a live nativity by the grandkids.  

On the second day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Family Home Evening 

Tonight we will learn together how to LIVE JOYFULLY in this life.  “Men are that they might have joy.” We are to discover ways to enjoy our mortal journey.  Being in a loving family will help us to do just that.  So, “Come on everybody, It’s family night!  You better take the phone off the hook.  Come on everybody, It’s family night!  I’ve already got the family night book!”

On the third day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Ornaments For The Tree

These ornaments were chosen with you in mind.  Each member of our family is special and unique.  We love each one of you!  You BRING JOY to our lives every day!  Even your name makes us smile, so your initials were chosen to be this year’s ornaments.

On the fourth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Inside Out Dvd

This cute movie deals with the emotions that we feel each day.  All of our emotions are normal and guide us through our lives.  It can be a struggle to balance them out and to figure out how to allow joy be the underlying emotion everyday.   Let’s WATCH JOY together tonight (or when we all have time).

On the fifth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Homemade Hot Fudge and Ice Cream

Since mom’s other plan for tonight was messed up, we are going to TASTE JOY by making some homemade hot fudge and pour it over some yummy peppermint ice cream.  Our taste buds will burst with happiness!

On the sixth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Secret Act of Kindness

When we do kind things for other people, we SPREAD JOY.  So throughout today, find ways to help other people feel a little more joy in their hearts.  What gift is better than that? Come home tonight and share your feelings of how it went  for you.  You don’t have to tell what you did, just how it made you feel. 

(No pictures for this day.  All acts of kindness were done anonymously.)

On the seventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Tonight we will FIND JOY as we spend time together hunting for various Christmas objects around town.  Maybe we can stop for some hot chocolate along the way.

On the eighth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

A Trip to Temple Square

Today we will SEE JOY as we walk around our beautiful Salt Lake Temple and enJOY all of the sparkling lights around Temple Square.  The joy of Christ’s birth is certainly evident there!

On the ninth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Comfort Kits for the Homeless

For family home evening, we are headed to the store to buy items to put into comfort kits that we can give to some homeless people that we see on the streets.  It’s a small way that we can GIVE JOY to individuals who are struggling right now.  

On the tenth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Homemade Almond JOY Bars

It’s treat making night!  After dinner we will be trying out a new candy recipe.  Almond JOY bars.  If they turn out, let’s share them with the neighbors!  Let’s get busy and MAKE JOY! 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Waffle Love

Tonight’s the night to EAT JOY!  We are heading to the new Waffle Love location in Midvale (unless the truck is closer) for a yummy dinner of deliciousness!  Yeah, it doesn’t have much to do with Christmas, but we will be together, and that’s important to us year ‘round. 

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love

Our Annual Christmas Book

Here is our 2016 Christmas book.  It is a beautiful Nativity book that we will love to look at for years to come.  Let’s read it together and ReJOICE at the thought of our dear Savior’s birth.  It really did happen.  It’s not just a nice story to read.  He truly did live here on this earth.  He lived, suffered, died, and was resurrected for us.  He fulfilled His divine role in God’s Plan.  JOY to the World, the LORD is come! Let earth receive her King!

12 Days: A Preach My Gospel Christmas

“Therefore, go ye into all the world…” 

A Preach My Gospel Christmas- 2014

On the first day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Our Annual Ornaments

Because this will be the only Christmas when our family will have two missionaries serving at the same time, I chose to do our 12 Days of Christmas based on Preach My Gospel.  Each of the days we will be focusing on a chapter and understanding a little bit of how we can all share the gospel of Christ.  Today is chapter one: What Is My Purpose as a Missionary?  President Benson teaches, “We are commanded by God to take this gospel to all the world.  Only the gospel will bring joy, happiness, and salvation to the human family.”  These ornaments will be our reminder of this responsibility.

On the second day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Orange Wreaths to Give Away

How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit?  President Gordon B. Hinckley said, “You recognize the promptings of the Spirit by the fruits of the Spirit- that which enlighteneth, that which buildeth up, that which is positive and affirmative and uplifting and leads us to better thoughts and better words and better deeds is of the Spirit of God.”  Today, let’s make these orange wreaths and deliver them to Dad’s home teaching families.  

On the third day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Service at the Utah Food Bank

How Do I Develop Christlike Attributes?  “Christlike attributes are gifts from God.  They come as you use your agency righteously.  Ask you Heavenly Father to bless you with these attributes; you cannot develop them without His help.  With a desire to please God, recognize your weaknesses and be willing and anxious to improve.” As we serve with Uncle Erik’s family tonight at the food bank, let’s think about the attribute of charity and love that we are developing.  

On the fourth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Scripture Study Charts

How Do I Study Effectively and Prepare to Teach?  “Effective daily study must always begin with prayer.  Study is an act of faith requiring the use of personal agency.  Getting good results from you study depends on having a strong desire to learn, studying with real intent, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, and searching for answers to your investigators’ questions and concerns.”  Let’s all do better with our own personal scripture study.  Heavenly Father wants to bless us with more spiritual knowledge as we put forth the effort to pray then study His words.  

On the fifth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

“Simply” Products from Target

What Is the Role of the Book of Mormon?  What do “Simply” products have to do with the Book of Mormon?  Chelsea recently said how important it is for her to “teach simply”…down to the basics.  And the Book of Mormon is our main source.  “It is the most correct of any book on the earth.  It teaches the doctrine of Christ plainly.”  Simply put by Joseph Smith…the Book of Mormon is “the keystone of our religion”.  It is our witness of Christ; it contains the fulness of doctrine, and it is the foundation of testimony.    Let’s enjoy some “Simply” snacks while we do our nightly reading of the Book of Mormon.

On the sixth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

A Visit to Temple Square

What Do I Study and Teach?  The living prophets and apostles have given the missionaries five specific lessons to teach investigators. Can you name them? They contain essential doctrines, principles, and commandments.  (1-the message of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ, 2-the plan of salvation, 3-the gospel of Jesus Christ, 4-the commandments, 5-the laws and ordinances)  Tonight we are going to Temple Square where many people every year learn more about our Church and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Since we’ve been there before, let’s go and see it as if we were non-members.  Let’s see if we can learn a little of each of the five missionary lessons.

On the seventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

A Latino Dinner

How Can I Better Learn My Mission Language?  The Lord declared, “Every man shall hear the fulness of the gospel in his own tongue, and in his own language, through those who are ordained unto this power” D&C 90:11.  As Chelsea and Josh recognize that they have been called by a prophet of God, live worthy of the Holy Ghost, are obedient to the commandments and missionary standards, pray for divine help, and study, practice, and use Spanish every day, they will be able to teach and testify convincingly to the Latino people of California and Ecuador.  Tonight we are going to eat dinner at a Ecuadorian/El Salvadorian restaurant, Salcita, and get a little practice speaking in Spanish while we wait and while we eat.  

On the eighth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Cinnamon Rolls

How Can I Improve My Teaching Skills?  ‘By studying, developing, and using the teaching skills in this chapter, we will become more capable instruments in the hands of the Lord.”  Christ was the perfect teacher.  We can follow his example as we strive to be better teachers.  Mom is going to teach how to make cinnamon rolls today.  She doesn’t know everything about it, but that’s okay.  Nobody has to be perfect at something in order to teach.

On the ninth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Our Annual Christmas Book

How Do I find People to Teach?  We are all part of God’s family.  We are brothers and sisters.  He wants all His children to come unto Christ and return to live with Him forever.  Heavenly Father has has given us, and especially His full time missionaries, the responsibility and blessing to find and teach our brothers and sisters who are prepared to receive the restored gospel.  This nativity book will remind us that no matter where someone lives on this earth, they are loved sons and daughters of God.

On the tenth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

2015 Calendars

How Do I Use My Time Wisely?  In this chapter, we learn that “Goals reflect the desires of our hearts and our vision of what we can accomplish.  Through goals and plans, our hopes are transformed into action.  Goal setting and planning are acts of faith.” If it is done meaningfully and carefully then it will help us accomplish what the Lord requires of us.  These calendars can help us in our planning and goal setting if we use them as such.  What do you want out of the new year?  How can you become a better person?  Who can you influence for good as you become more goal oriented and organized? 

On the eleventh day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

Body Wash/Scrub

How Do I Help People Make and Keep Commitments?  “Commitment is an essential part of repentance. It is the act of obligating oneself to a course of action and then diligently following through on that decision.  When people are genuinely committed, they make an unwavering and earnest decision to change.”  Hence, the body wash can remind us each day of the importance to repent and keep the commitments that we have made to our Heavenly Father.  Let us be devoted followers of Christ and dedicated to living his gospel.  

On the twelfth day of Christmas, we bring to you with love…

A Painting of Christ: Rescue of the Lost Lambs

How Do I Prepare People for Baptism and Confirmation?  Missionaries follow Jesus’ example and strive to find and rescue the “lost lambs” by bringing them unto Him through baptism.  Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 tells us what the qualifications are for baptism.  Let’s read that together now.  One of those qualifications is to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ at baptism.  Since we have already been baptized, let’s allow this painting to remind us that we have have his name written in our hearts and to always be worthy of that name.  Also, let us look around us to find his “lost lambs”.  We are thankful for Christ’s birth on this Christmas Eve. He is central to God’s plan of salvation, and we should be forever grateful that he came to earth and fulfilled his purpose for us.  Let us go forward and PREACH HIS GOSPEL unto all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people! 

My 43rd Birthday

After a whole year of no blogging, I decided that I would start up again.  I think it was funny that my last post was titled "Stinky Blogger" because I never did blog again for 362ish days.  Much has happened this year that I certainly could have written about.  I barely wrote in my own personal journal about these things.  But hey, it's a new year.  I can do better.  Not that anyone looks at my blog anymore.

So yep, today I turned 43.  I usually start my new year off with a good run.  I have a healthy body, and I need to take care of it.  My running has been pretty sporadic the last couple of months.  I've put on 4-5 pounds since moving to Utah.  That has got to change.  We have been year round runners for the past five or six years.  Running in sub-freezing temps all winter long.  But we have gotten a bit wimpy since our move here.

Thankfully, my husband bought us a pretty cool treadmill.  We have a basement now, so we actually have a place to put one.  Our new 'toy' is pretty fun.  We can create our own running maps or we can use pre made ones... we can run through Central Park, hike up Diamond Head in Hawaii, run the Boston Marathon course and so much more.

This morning, I ran my old four mile route in Meridian.  It was awesome.  I ran past my friend Kris's old house and down Linder Road past the horses.  The new Walmart wasn't there on the corner of Overland.  It was the old empty field.  The satellite needs to catch up to the current times.  And then my run ended in front of my old house on the corner of Alaska.  I saw it.  And the nice diagonal mowing lines that Matt created that week in the front yard.

Here's to being 43!
(somebody get this girl some botox)

Hello Cub Street!  Kris's house on the right side.

Running past the horse field.