The Priesthood

It's Never Too Late ...
... to receive a priesthood blessing

"As you feel the heaviness of the hands placed on your head, notice the lightness they bring to your heart. Listen to the words spoken. Feel Heavenly Father's love for you. Priesthood blessings can lighten your burdens and bring peace to your soul." ~Britney Rule

"Every father, having children born to him under the covenant, is to them a patriarch, and he has the right to bless his posterity in the authority of the priesthood which he holds." ~John A. Widtsoe

How grateful I am for the Priesthood! And how thankful I always have been for it. From a very young age, I sensed it's power and was blessed by the authority from God. My dad wasn't a member of the church for very long before he passed away. But I remember him giving me a father's blessing like it was yesterday. A memory I will treasure for the rest of this life. And then, after dad died, we had amazing home teachers and church leaders that would take care of us. They were always there to give mom or I a priesthood blessing when we needed one. Throughout my college years and during my mission, when I was so sick and my body was plagued with arthritis, I sometimes felt like I was calling upon my priesthood brothers too often. But they always came. And they always blessed me. I remember so clearly a blessing that my mission President gave to me. He blessed me that the Lord would take the physical pains that were ailing my body at the time and make them light upon my shoulders, just as he had for the Nephite slaves in the Book of Mormon. And that is a promise that I have seen come to pass in my life. Most people who know me now would NEVER guess that arthritis once was such a huge burden that I could barely even move on my own without a great deal of help. Because of the arthritis, and having an autoimmune disease, my immune system is weak and I have had many health complications since. And I have always been able to call upon the priesthood when needed. I am SO eternally grateful for my good husband, who is a strong, worthy priesthood holder. My patriarchal blessing told me to look for a companion who loves the priesthood. And indeed, Jeff does. I am so thankful for him. I am thankful for the Spirit which he brings into our home and for the way the priesthood blesses our lives.

I had an interesting experience this weekend. I wasn't feeling well. I had a couple of different pains. And so I was taking advil for one pain and we went and got me some maalox to take for the other. I had NO CLUE that the two combined could be a problem. I went to sleep on the night of the 4th with a little bit of tinnitus (ringing in my ears). When I woke up on the morning of the 5th, I could barely hear! It was the strangest phenomenon! It was kind of scary to me! My ears were ringing so loud and I couldn't hear hardly any sounds around me. There was also a lot of pressure in my ears and I felt dizzy.

I was obviously worried about it. I wasn't sure why this would be happening, since I hadn't been around any terribly loud noises. I didn't know why else your hearing would just leave. Jeff gave me a priesthood blessing and promised me that my hearing would return and the ringing would stop in due time. I trusted that promise and took a little nap. When I woke up, I did some internet research. And it turns out that there are certain medications that are considered "ototoxic," which means that they can damage the ear. (Ototoxicity is damage of the ear (oto), specifically the cochlea or auditory nerve and sometimes the vestibulum, by a toxin (often medication).) And when you take two of these kinds of medications at the same time, the damage can be permanent!! Any sounds which would normally not damage the ear, can be really dangerous when you are on an ototoxic medication. So we're thinking that hearing the popping of the fireworks the night before, even though they weren't TERRIBLY loud, caused the damage and the ringing in my ears, since my senses were heightened.

I was worried, since the damage is more likely to be permanent if you take more than one ototoxic medication at the same time and also if you are exposed to any sort of loud noise while on them. But I kept thinking back and remembering the blessing Jeff had given me, promising me that my hearing would return. And I just trusted that it would. I never really was completely afraid that my hearing would be gone forever.

This morning I woke up, and my hearing has all but returned!! There is still a little bit of ringing in my ears, but I can hear high pitched sounds again and the pressure and dizziness are basically gone! I am SO thankful for the promises of the Lord given through his priesthood power.

Happy Fourth of July!!

Since we spent "Canada Day" in Canada with Jeff's side of the family, we decided to spend the Fourth of July in Oakley with my side of the family! The Fourth of July, I think, is my favorite holiday. I absolutely LOVE it! I always have and I always will! My mom finally got moved into her little place about a month ago, so she was excited and happy to have us up to celebrate and play. We brought our tents and camped out in her yard. It was a GREAT Fourth of July weekend!


Jeff is so handsome when he sets up a tent ... oh, wait ... he's handsome ALL of the time!



Do you see me?



Sitting on our "front porch" :)



Gregg (my brotha) relaxes in the hammock




Jeff tosses the frisby to Ammon



The little guy was pretty good!



They played for quite awhile






Then I took a turn





Awww ... nice to take a break after a rousing game of frisby! Thanks for sharing the hammock with me, mom!



Mom and Aunt Lyla put the fishing poles together - aren't they cute?!



Ammon models his superhero muscle suit (aka his life jacket)



Mom's property is right on the Weber River - great for fishing!



Too bad nothing was biting



Aaron had a fun time teaching Ammon how to fish



Hammock overload!



Andrea and Olivia ended up on the ground! Good thing it's a low hanging hammock!



Caitlyn was ENAMORED with Jeff! I started to get a little jealous! :) (hee hee!)



Seriously - she ADORES him!!



Isn't she cute?!



Still holding onto Jeff





Caitlyn decided that Jeff is her new favorite person




It was so dang cute! Seriously - ANY baby or kid that meets Jeff instantly falls in love with him. It happens over and over! Even our CAT prefers Jeff to me! We need our own babies! The only thing is that I wonder if our kids are going to love Jeff more than me! Ha ha! Probably! But I don't care! I don't blame them - he IS amazing and so easy to love! :)



My favorite thing about this picture (besides my sexy man playing volleyball) is Ammon sulking in the bottom right corner! Ha ha! So funny!!!



Jeff makes a s'more - this is before Julie taught everyone about puggy pies!



Olivia eats her cracker jacks



And we didn't even have to drive to Evanston to get these ...




Happy Birthday, America!



Yay for sparklers!



Whose idea was it, anyway, to take a stick of flaming FIRE and give it to a CHILD?! Ha ha!



Ammon plays with fire



So does Ethan


And Olivia


We hope you all had a safe and FUN 4th of July 2008!!!

The Road Island Diner - "Justly Famous Since 1939"

I love history. I love good food. I love old diners. So ... this place was perfect!

http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9726799

Here's the diner history (as told on the back of the menu:)

"In 1939 the nation's leading diner manufacturer, the Jerry O'Mahony Co. of Elizabeth, NJ, rolled out of its factory diner number #1107 which it touted as its largest deluxe model complete with chrome glass showcased green Italian Marble counter tops, Tiffany glass clerestory windows in a monitor style roof and hand laid quarry tiled flooring. The company7 showcased its creation in the 1939 New York World's Fair.

After the Fair, diner aficionado Al McDermott purchased the streamlined-styled Art Deco diner and had it towed to Fall River, Mass. where it operated with great success for 14 years. His moniker was "Justly Famous since 1939." Looking to serve more customers in Fall River, Al Mac purchased a larger Deraffle diner in 1953 where it still operates today.

The O'Mahony was sold that year to a Greek immigrant, Tommy Borodemus, who was looking to expand out of his 15 stool 1936 Worchester lunch wagon which he had purchased with the $600.00 New Deal bonus offered to WWI veterans by FDR to counteract the effects of the great depression. Borodemus had the diner moved to the nearby seaside town of Middletown, RI and renamed it "Tommy's Deluxe Diner."

The Greek family opened the diner to much fanfare and passed down its operation for 4 generations. Countless memories for the family and its patrons were generated over the years. The diner was featured in many TV spots and on Charles Osgood's CBS Sunday Morning. In 2006, with mounting competition from fast food outlets and restaurant chains, the family decided to sell the property to the Tim Horton doughnut chain. A search began for a deserving home for this rare piece of Americana. Although other cities were considered, Oakley, Utah was offered to preserve the diner's history.

In May of 2007, the diner was transported across the country weaving its way through designated back roads complete with state police escorts and pilot cars. It arrived in Oakley in mid-July and began its complete restoration. Unlike the few remaining diners still operating on the east coast, thankfully little structural and cosmetic changes had occurred over the diner's 73 year history. Those that did were replicated from old photos. What you see now is what you would have seen in 1939 as this depression era pre-war diner was wheeled out of the factory. The tabletop remote jukeboxes, flat TV's and air conditioning are moder embellishments.

In honor of this icon's legacy we have named it the "Road Island Diner" because of its origin and the fact that it was placed on the island in the road. We hope you enjoy your stay with us, marvel at the bygone craftsmanship and we hope you will come back often."

Oh - we will!!!

Oakley on the Fourth!

Welcome to Oakley, Utah!! One of the greatest little towns on earth! I grew up in a very small town in Idaho (population about 800). It was really hard for me when my mom left Council and moved to Utah. I got pretty homesick. Especially around the 4th of July. The Council parade is full of four wheelers and pick-up trucks, decorated with crepe paper streamers. Those were the kinds of parades I was used to as a kid. Well, this past spring, my mom moved to Oakley, Utah. Another small town. YAY! My sister and her family live there as well. Hooray for little towns and the summer and the fourth of July and parades! Nothin' beats 'em!!



Jaren's last fourth of July in America for two years!


My family lines up to watch the parade



We thought this was one of the funniest "pooper scooper" ideas to date!



Here they are in action ...



Our niece, Holly, is one of the Fauvines (the South Summit High drill team) - she's the last one (on the left) in the front row. Go, Hol!!



Quite a kick, Holly!



Good thing these water girls were going around. Maybe next year I'll do this - I bet they make a killing!



Amen to that! Friends, family and mules - nothin' beats an Oakley 4th of July!



My mom picks up her share of candy - don't worry - she gave it to the kids ...



Our nephew Tanner gets some candy



He's so darn cute!



I don't know who "she" is, but she thinks the tractor driver is sexy



My kind of horses - they're wearing high heels!



This truck was dang patriotic!



I loved that the old folk's home had a float! Too cute!



This guy cracked us up! Yay for small towns!

Happy Birthday, America!!!

Happy Fourth of July


From our house to yours :)

Home Again

We returned home from our Canada trip safe and sound tonight. I have to show you the following two pictures. First of all, this is what the temperature gauge in our car said when we got in and turned it on! Yikes! We had just come from very mild (and even down right cold at times!) Canadian weather.

The second picture - I just had to take. The news had a misspelling in the Calgary airport and said "Hugh" instead of "Huge." And since we had just had the Laycock family reunion with Grandpa Hugh (and Hugh is Jeff's middle name), I thought it was an appropriate error ...

The Old Lethbridge Water Tower - AKA Rics Grill

In the center of Lethbridge sits the old water tower. Now it's known as one of the best restaurants in town - Ric's Grill. We had to give it a try. It was really good! Darn good food! The Mediterranean dip is to die for - just in case anyone is so inclined to go to Canada and give it a try! I had the pesto halibut and was very pleased! The views were great. Melanie pointed out all the old spots around town. It was quite a charming little place and so quaint that it used to literally be the dirty old water tower in town!

Waterton National Park

Can you say gorgeous?!! Waterton National Park is the Canadian side of our Glacier National Park. What a beautiful place! It was always a tradition for Jeff's mom's family to go there on Canada Day and take a picnic and play. We went there on Canada Day as part of the family reunion. However, it was cold. Not just kind of cold, but DANG cold! It was about 13-14 degrees centigrade. Which translates into roughly 57 or so degrees farenheit!!! BRRR! PLUS, the wind was blowing and the water in Waterton Lake is literally like ICE!! But we still had a great time!

Jeff skips some rocks. Melanie said that when he was a baby, this is the exact spot where they couldn't keep him from crawling into the lake - and it's ice cold waters!



Grandpa skips rocks too! He's 85 years old and probably the "youngest" person I know! We love you, Grandpa Hugh!!




Do we look cold? Because WE WERE!!!!


The colors in Waterton Lake are so beautiful



Jeff tests the temp of the water. I tried it with my toes and almost died!


Beautiful Cameron Falls. Seriously one of the coolest waterfalls I've seen.



The little LDS chapel in Waterton


Okay - Jeff's cousins are C-RAZY!!! Seriously, they literally have Canadian blood. I've already told you that the outside temp was about 57 degrees. The water temp is probably 30 degrees, it was windy and rainy - and his cousins were taking their kids BOATING in Waterton Lake!! And the kids were swimming! Jeff and I were bundled up in a BLANKET on the shore, watching them in utter disbelief!!! Those crazy cannuks! :)


Aunt Carol and cute little Anthony (check out his ringlets!)

The Many Faces of Aerie

About a year and a half ago, our cousin Kimberly and her husband Charles had the privilege and joy of adopting the most ADORABLE, beautiful and FUNNY baby girl. Now she's 19 months old, and her personality is HUGE! She is soooo dang cute! I couldn't stop taking pictures of her at the reunion!

Oh, Canada!

There "aint" nothin' like a parade in a small town! On Canada Day (their version of our 4th of July), we went to the little town of Raymond to watch the parade. Neither Jeff nor I are really "parade people," but this one was just about exactly how we like 'em - small town, very short, no crowds. Ahhh! This reminded me VERY much of Council - the little town I grew up in - minus the porcupines.

This is what we should do for a float next year, eh? Fund the next family reunion! Ha ha!


THIS is Council, Idaho, 100%! Made me homesick!



Yep, definitely a small town. Bring your 4 wheeler and your truck and put streamers on it!


Jeff and I really enjoyed the Raymond Parade


Oops ... let's try that again, sans sunglasses


This man was so nice - he didn't just give out candy. He gave out beanie babies!


Jenn and Amy joined the kids in collecting candy


See? They're so proud of their findings!!

Laycock Family Reunion

We just spent the past four days in Canada, where we attended the big Laycock family reunion. Jeff's mom is a Laycock and grew up in Southern Alberta - in Raymond and Lethbridge. A VERY fun week was had by all! :) Enjoy the following posts to come - with details! :)

20 Year Tag

I like doing these tags because you learn a lot about people that you didn't know, so thanks Aubrey! (And this one is really going to give my age away!)


20 years ago I was:
1. 9 years old! I had just been baptized in May - on the same day as my dad.
2. Enjoying my summer between 2nd and 3rd grades. Or maybe it was 3rd and 4th? I'm not sure. I don't remember that far back :)
3. Excited that I had a new brother-in-law, Steve. He and Jana were married in June. That's right - this year they celebrated their 20 year anniversary! Congratulations, guys!

This is not the greatest picture. Nine years old is just the start of that "awkward ugly stage!" ha ha! If only it had been a "25 year tag!" I was much cuter at age 4!



10 years ago I was:
1. Enjoying a FUN summer term at Ricks College - between my freshman and Sophomore years
2. Playing with my fun roommates and taking road trips (like the one below)
3. Wishing my short hair would grow a lot faster than it did!

Yep, that's me on the right end. My hair seemed to be that short forever! I was so happy when it finally started growing!


5 years ago I was:
1. Working at In2M in Salt Lake City
2. Living in Provo and having a BLAST with a great ward and fun roommates
3. Dating around and having fun. Seriously, though, I was preparing to meet Jeff, even though I didn't know it yet!

One of my many dates ... er, um ...



3 years ago I was:
1. Looking forward to my first anniversary with Jeff and discovering that frozen wedding cake tops really do taste good after a year in the freezer!
2. Buying and moving into our first home
3. Traveling to San Diego, Lake Powell and HawaiiWith our beautifully preserved (and surprisingly still tasty!) cake topper on our first anniversary in Park City



1 year ago I was:
1. Really starting to take off with my CJPhotography business
2. Having a CRAZY summer - traveling all over the stinking place! And excited to go to Maui for the first time with our good friends the Permanns.
3. Totally in love with my amazing husband (oh wait, that's every day! Not just one year ago!)One of my favorite shots - taken on the north shore of Maui, summer 2007




So far this year I have:
1. Lost 30 pounds!
2. Cut out sugar completely (I haven't had a drop of the stuff since February!)
3. Visited England, Ireland and Wales for the first time
Alysia Peterson, Kellie Perkins and I sitting next to the Irish Sea



Yesterday I:
1. Drove up the Alpine Loop
2. Took engagement pictures for a couple
3. Edited those engagement pictures
Denise and Jeff's engagement session yesterday



Today I:
1. Enjoyed a beautiful drive up the canyon to Oakley, Utah.
2. Proudly sat and cried as a beaming aunt while I watched my nephew give his mission farewell talk.
3. Caught up with friends and family at Jaren's farewell dinner/party
I'm so proud of my "little" Jaren!!



Tomorrow I will:
1. Pack!
2. Fly to Canada
3. Roast hot dogs on the Laycock family farm!



In the next year I will:
1. Turn 30! YIKES!!!!
2. Hopefully get pregnant
3. Let's hope I get pregnant!

And I tag whoever would like to sit back and reminisce! :) Enjoy!

An AMAZING Day!!

Yay for missionaries! Yay for families! Today was one of the most special days that I can remember in a long time. In fact, blogging about it just doesn't seem to do it justice. We went up to Oakley to listen to our nephew Jaren give his mission farewell talk. What an amazing young man Jaren is!!! It was probably the best farewell talk I've ever heard! And seriously - that's not from a biased aunt's perspective! It was even better than some homecoming talks I've heard! Jar is SO prepared for this mission. His testimony, that he shared at the end of his talk, and the reasons he gave for going on a mission were so incredible. I was crying so much that I couldn't even sing the closing hymn! I'm just so proud of Jaren. He's always been such a good boy. And it's been fantastic watching him grow into the spiritual giant of a young man that he is. He will make the most awesome missionary! He already loves the German people and he loves his Savior. What a powerful combination! We love you, Jaren! Or shall we say Elder Smith!!

It's never too late ...

... to be patient

"Everyone understands the importance of patience, yet it's one of the most elusive virtues to put into practice. But keep trying. Stay calm when trouble or trials hit. You can withstand anything you have to face. You are stronger than the storm." ~Britney Rule

"Continue in patience until ye are perfected." ~ D&C 67:13

First of all, yay! I found my "It's never too late book!" I took it on my trip to England, and I misplaced it when I got home. But I just found it again!

Secondly, I feel bad for last night's post. I have very few moments of that complete weakness when I let the "natural man" feelings take over. And I apologize for breaking down in such a public venue. But, then again, I was just "keeping it real!" It's truly how I was feeling. And since this blog is more of a journaling thing for me, I wrote about it.

However, today, when I found my little book, the patience entry was the thing I opened right to! Coincidence? I doubt it! I know that I need to increase my patience and my faith.

I have to disagree with Ms. Rule just a tad. She said "you are stronger than the storm." I'd like to change that up a little and say that HE is stronger than the storm. His love is stronger than the storm. He's always there, no matter what we're facing. I'm so grateful for that.

Keeping It Real

The other day, I saw a post on my friend Kirstynn's blog about "keeping it real." So today, inspired by Kirstynn, I am going to keep it real.

Lest anyone think I'm a happy person 24/7, today is proof for you. I am having one of "those days." Just keeping it real.

I was so 100% positive that this was the month for us. That I was pregnant. But today I took a test and it was, yet again, negative. I don't know why I set myself up for failures like this. I always hear that Heavenly Father won't give us more than we can handle. And for sure, this month, I was like "If I'm not pregnant, I literally can't handle it." But ... I guess He knows more than I do about what I can handle. I don't want to be a bitter girl, but I heard about another person that hasn't been married very long and is already expecting and I got a twinge of jealousy and frustration in my heart. I know I shouldn't be like this. But I'm just keeping it real.

I've had a lot of trials and a lot of health complications and even suffered many losses. But I don't know if anything compares to the pain and frustration of infertility issues. It's so heartbreaking, month by month, year after year. Today marks 1,397 days of actively trying to have a baby. I know this sounds negative, and I should be positive, but I'm just keeping it real.

And to top it off, Jeff is making cookies and the warm, sugary aroma is filling up our house. And I can't have sugar. Just keeping it real.

I Feel So Useful!

I just got back from Shaun and Tenille's house where I spent a couple of hours helping Tenille get their blog going. Yay! I'm so proud of you, Tenille, for joining the world of technology! :) And thanks for making me feel so useful!

http://www.shaunandtenillefarr.blogspot.com

Jeff is feeling a lot better. We're still not sure what was wrong. But I'm really glad I stayed home with him today. His brothers came over this afternoon and gave him a blessing. It was very nice. And then, later tonight, he just started feeling better. Thanks for the prayers and well wishes! We love you all! And thanks, Jeff, for making me feel so useful :)

Sacrifice Brings Forth the Blessings of Heaven ... Right?

I'm having a tough day. For a couple of reasons. First of all, Jeff is REALLY sick. He's sicker than I've seen him in a LONG time. Jeff never gets sick. Not like this. The last time he was THIS sick is when he had Mono right after we got married. He's been throwing up all morning. And he has a migraine. Jeff. He NEVER gets headaches. Let alone one this bad. So you can probably see why I'm worried. And it's interesting because I'm the one that's usually sick and it makes me feel so helpless when it's him.

I was supposed to attend Jenny's vocal workshop today. And this is something that I've been looking forward to for a long time. Not just days or weeks, but MONTHS! I have been SO EXCITED to go!!! And then, today, this happens. And I don't feel comfortable leaving Jeff. He needs me to be here. I've already had to make some pepto, coke, gatorade runs for him. And I am going to have to take him to the hospital later on. I just called his brothers to come and give him a blessing. When I told Jeff that I'm not going today, he was so grateful and relieved. And I am so happy to stay here with him to help him. Yet, at the same time, it's kind of a sacrifice on my part because I'm missing the workshop. And that's hard for me. But, yet, I know that I made the right choice in staying here with my sweetheart. And then, to say that it's a sacrifice, sounds incredibly selfish. Especially considering that I am sick very often and Jeff gives up a lot in order to take care of me. Yes, the least I can do is return the favor in some small part.

And I shouldn't have started out by saying that I'm having a tough day. Because, really, it's beautiful! The sun is shining, yet it's not TOO hot. I have such an amazing, wonderful husband. I am very blessed! Please keep Jeff in your prayers. I have been really worried today, but I'm sure everything will be just fine!

Boating!

We finally made it out to the lake this summer! YAY!! Finally! EXACTLY what I've been craving!!! Even though both Jeff and I are so busy we really have no business being out having fun, we took the time out of our schedules to do it anyway! It was so therapeutic! We love Utah Lake! Our cousin John and our friend Jessi came with us. What a great day! The only problem is that I'm really mad at myself because I got a really bad sunburn. And I even lathered up with SPF 50 sunscreen!!! But we were out for quite a few hours and we're thinking the sunscreen might have been old. Oh well. I got lots of Vitamin D, right? :) What a great day! :)

PS - sorry these are all with my phone. I didn't want to take my nice camera out to the lake.

Jessi and I on da boat
Our cousin John Laycock
Jeff's so amazing!
I love to watch him wakeboard!
I even covered up with a towel because I didn't want to get sunburned. Oh well :)

On the job

In case you've ever wondered if Jessi and I love what we do ... here are some fun "on the job" shots that will hopefully answer that question!

Aw, the days of summah!

Can I just tell you how much I love summer? I adore it! Last night was so fun! Jessi came over to have FHE with Jeff and I. Before we left to go see a movie (Iron Man - which I was surprised I enjoyed!), we "played" in the backyard for a little while. So fun! Then we came home and had a great lesson. I love Mondays. I love summer! I love friends and I love my Jeffrey! Yay for life!