Tribute to Jim Meeks

My friend and mentor, Jim Meeks passed away today. He has been battling cancer for some time now. Jim was a great mentor to me. He graciously allowed me to shadow him when I was deciding to become a PA. He again allowed me to work with him as a PA student. I learned so much from Jim. His influence will continue on my life. I work now in an Emergency Room and often reflect back on the things he taught me. I am eternally grateful to him.

Area Day of Service = turtle found

Southeast Area Day of Service: Our wards service was picking up sticks/branches at Scales Lake (still cleaning up from the Ice Storm in January)

My little man holding a turtle.
After he was done holding it he stated that the turtle needed to be placed by the water in mud -
so smart

These three older girls (Maddi, Sam & Boo) just love our little girl :)

Jed "where's the turtle"

There it is! In the mud near the water :)

Community Helpers

This past month in our co-op preschool, we have been talking about those people that help us in our community.
What would be a better way to learn then a field trip to the Fire Station!

All three of the kids had a blast, and they came home with their own fireman's hat

Sisters Rejoice

Being a member of Relief Society is such a blessing, which I'm still learning. I haven't always been great about going to Enrichment meetings. Sometimes I would forget, or I have felt "too busy", or my husband is at work and don't want to get a sitter, or something else comes up that sounds more fun to do. However, I've learned over the last couple of years that attending enrichment needs to be a priority. That I'm a better wife and mother when I attend these meetings. Being obedient brings happiness. Right?

Today, I attended a Stake Enrichment Meeting. The Theme was Sisters Rejoice. I'm so glad I attended. Being so far from family, it is so important to make family here. There are some amazing sisters in my ward & stake. Some of the things that I want to remember from today's meeting are: * The standard is raised, we need to raise our standards in our home *by small & simple things are great things bought to pass mainly eternal families are built * Being happy when others accomplish great things, is a great quality * Make each day brighter * Regarding young missionaries: you have 2 years to serve and an eternity to remember * Nothing is more important then people * Our plan for our lives isn't always the same plan as our Heavenly Father's plan for us-just move forward with Faith * A great comment when a stranger mentions that your hands are full since you have one child in the grocery basket while carrying another crying child, all while trying to push the basket though the store (I know we have all had this moment at least once) A great reply is: Yes I do, but it is a delightful handful :)

One of the songs that a young sister sang today was called "We're Sisters" I personally don't remember hearing this song before. I loved it so I had to come home and find the lyrics online. The song talks about how we're different - we're all from different walks of life, all doing different things, and living in different situations - but we are still SISTERS. It's a beautiful song, and gives me something to think about.

We're Sisters

Artist: Cherie Call
Album: Women of Destiny, Volume 2

It's Sunday morning
In this little town
With people waking in houses everywhere
And there's a woman in a kitchen
Eating breakfast all alone
While another one is putting ribbons in her children's hair
And many drive away to the church house down the street
While others stay at home wondering what they all believe

And we have more in common than we ever choose to see
We care about so many of the same things
We all belong to all one Father on high
But we hardly think of that as we pass each other by
We're sisters

Maybe you're the woman sitting in the front row
Singing praises to the Lord on high
And maybe I'm the one all the way in the back row
Who hardly sings at all and isn't there half the time
Maybe you'd think that we would never get alone
That I'm a hopeless cause
But you'd be wrong

We have more in common than we ever choose to see
We care about so many of the same things
We have a Father who loves all of us the same
Don't you think it'd be time that we asked each other's names?
We're sisters

Some of us are 80
Some of us are 20
Some of us are hungry
Some of us have plenty
Some of us are lonely
But few of us would be
If only we could see we are a family

And we have more in common than we ever choose to see
We care about so many of the same things
We all belong to the same God above
And we all have things to learn about that redeeming love

We're sisters
Let us love and lift and pray for one another
We're sisters.

Unplanned Utah Trip

We completely filled the 5 days that we were in Utah...with

1. playing with cousins, shopping and sleepovers

2. The traditional General Conference Pigout, watching Pete Pan with even more cousins, Celebrating a big birthday and squeezing in a girls outing at a salon while the kids and daddy played at Jump On It! However, no pictures of their fun-daddy forgot the camera:(

3. Family pictures at the Temple

4. Meeting and seeing family again but also saying goodbye to Grandma, which was the reason why we drove though
Fire to get there and back
and what did we come home to....
my beautiful bloomed tulips

Grandma's Obituary

September 12, 1924 ~ March 31, 2009 The author of The Book and the Map: New Insights into Book of Mormon Geography died Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at 8:15 p.m., at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. Venice was 84 years old. She and her husband of 68 years, Alfred (“Al”) Priddis, rose early on Thursday, March 26, had breakfast, and were preparing to go out when she complained of a headache and asked Al to rub her neck, at which she slumped to the ground with a stroke due to a brain aneurysm. She underwent surgery the next day but never recovered. She was born September 12, 1924, in the farming town of Cowley, Wyoming, to David and Ruby Baird Martin. In 1930 the family moved to a dairy farm in Draper, Utah, then to Santa Ana in southern California when Venice was 9. She met Al at an LDS Church dance in Anaheim when they were teenagers. Several years later they became reacquainted at a dance on the Huntington Beach Pier, establishing a tradition of dancing Friday nights, especially at the Hollywood Palladium. Their favorite song was Cole Porter’s Begin the Beguine. In 1941 they married in the Salt Lake Temple. Venice followed Al, an air force pilot, from place to place until they built their dream home in LaHabra Heights, California. However, when Al was recalled into military service during the Korean War, they had to sell the house. Afterward they moved to San Lorenzo in northern California, then to Lindon, Utah, on retirement. Venice was a homemaker, a dedicated mother of four, an avid reader and author (her major work, published by Bookcraft of Salt Lake City, went through some 20 printings), and enjoyed painting landscapes and restoring furniture. For nine years she taught early morning LDS seminary. She was also, for ten years, a member of the Public Relations Department for Western Electric Company, the then-manufacturing arm of AT&T, in San Leandro, California. She and Al served LDS missions to San Diego and Dallas. I’m with you once more under the stars,And down by the shore an orchestra’s playin’Even the palms seem to be swayin’ …And [we’re] promising … never to part! She is survived by her husband, Al; her brother David (Virginia) Martin; her sons Robert (Annette Scherbel), Christopher (Kristin Lindsay), Ronald, and Richard (Sandra Cook); twenty grandchildren; and twenty-nine great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents; her brother Leno (Jeradean) Martin; her sister LeNeve (Rod) Kimball, who similarly succumbed to an aneurysm; and her sister Hazel (Robert) McCook. A viewing will be held Sunday, April 5, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., in the LDS chapel at 60 Main Street in Lindon, Utah (across the street from Lindon Elementary School). The funeral will be held at the same location on Monday, April 6, at 2:00 p.m., with a viewing an hour prior to the service. Venice will be interred at the Lindon City Cemetery, 946 W. Center Street. Funeral arrangements by the Olpin Family Mortuary at 494 South 300 East, Pleasant Grove. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.olpinmortuary.com