Training meeting

A couple weeks ago I had an opportunity to meet Sister Linda Burton, who is the general Relief Society President.  She came to do a leadership training meeting in Jacksonville.  It was so good and I'm grateful I got to go!  Totally worth the headache of finding three different babysitters for my kids. :)  Sister Burton and I had the chance to talk for a bit after it was over. She asked me about my ward and what our RS is like.   She is just the nicest person, as you can imagine.  I also got to meet a member of the general Primary presidency and a member of the general YW presidency. It was a great opportunity and I learned a lot.  I look forward to hearing Sister Burton speak again on Saturday night at the general RS broadcast.

And, I just had to have my picture taken with her because I had to send it to my friend Michelle Woodbury (our husbands are related somehow).  We have a running joke that she always gets to see "famous" Mormons since she lives in Utah, and so she always texts me when she does.  I finally got to send her a picture of my own! Haha.

Movin' on up!

Today was a big day at our house: Abby moved up into the "Primary" program at Church - basically that means that she goes to a Sunday School-type class instead of the nursery (where all the toys are).  And it just so happens that Ellie turned 18 months old yesterday, so she is now old enough to go to nursery!  Didn't I plan that well? :)

It was so nice to be able to do music time in the Primary without Ellie hanging onto me or screaming that she wants me (I used to have to keep Ellie with me during the second hour since Garrett teaches a teenage Sunday School class, then he would take her during third hour).  Garrett had to work today so he didn't get to see the girls in their new classes, but it was so cute to see them experiencing something new.  Ellie did just fine in the nursery, probably because there was only one other kid in there (which I am so thankful for... I hate when the nursery has a ton of kids).  Abby seemed a bit tentative about coming into the Primary (there were a lot of screaming kids at the beginning), but she did well and enjoyed herself in her class, too.

I can't believe I have a kid in Primary.  Where does the time go?

Blessing

I spent lots of time in November thinking of my blessings.  I am so grateful for the things I have and enjoy in my life.

Speaking of blessings, we had the opportunity to bless Ellie in October.  For those who aren't familiar with this term:  in our Church, men have the Priesthood, which is the power of God here on earth.  It's the same power that Jesus Christ used to perform miracles when he was living on the earth 2000 years ago.  Garrett has the Priesthood, and when babies are born in LDS (Mormon) families, the father gives the baby a special blessing to start their lives.  Traditionally these blessings are held during Church on Sundays; however, that's not the rule, so our family usually opts to do it at home.  That way, we can do it on our own schedule and invite people who may not be able to attend otherwise.

Ellie's blessing was such a wonderful experience!  My parents came from Pennsylvania, and Garrett's parents were here as well.  We also had some good friends here from Church, and several good friends from school were in attendance as well.

We started by singing "Families Can Be Together Forever", then had a prayer.  Garrett took a few minutes to talk about the Priesthood and explain to our friends what he would be doing.  Then, Ellie was blessed by Garrett, with our fathers and our Bishop in the circle with him.

We also framed some copies of the "Proclamation to the Family", which we gave to our friends who aren't members of our Church.  We are so thankful that they could come and share that special time with us.

One of the neatest things about the day was that Ellie was able to wear a very special dress.  It was handmade in the 1800s by one of my ancestors on my Grandma Siebach's side.  I am so thankful that she let us borrow it for the occasion.

Baby blessings are so neat - they make me really think about what a blessing children are, and what a great responsibility it is to raise them righteously.  I feel in awe that my Heavenly Father has entrusted me to raise two of his precious daughters here on earth.

Food for Thought...

Last week, Garrett's grandma sent us this quote, which I really enjoyed. It's by Neal A. Maxwell, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. In fact, I went back and read the entire talk, and it's very good. Just something to think about with all that's going on in the world...

"Make no mistake about it, brothers and sisters, in the months and years ahead, events are likely to require each member to decide whether or not he will follow the First Presidency. Members will find it more difficult to halt longer between two opinions. President Marion G. Romney said, many years ago, that he had 'never hesitated to follow the counsel of the Authorities of the Church even though it crossed my social, professional or political life.' "This is hard doctrine, but it is particularly vital doctrine in a society which is becoming more wicked. In short, brothers and sisters, not being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ includes not being ashamed of the prophets of Jesus Christ. . . . Your discipleship may see the time when such religious convictions are discounted. . . . This new irreligious imperialism seeks to disallow certain opinions simply because those opinions grow out of religious convictions. "Resistance to abortion will be seen as primitive. Concern over the institution of the family will be viewed as untrendy and unenlightened....Before the ultimate victory of the forces of righteousness, some skirmishes will be lost. Even in these, however, let us leave a record so that the choices are clear, letting others do as they will in the face of prophetic counsel. There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, but others will step forward, having been rallied to rightness by what we do. We will know the joy, on occasion, of having awakened a slumbering majority of the decent people of all races and creeds which was, till then, unconscious of itself. Jesus said that when the fig trees put forth their leaves, 'summer is nigh.' Thus warned that summer is upon us, let us not then complain of the heat."

Elder Maxwell also said this, which I want to add:

"It may well be that as our time comes to "suffer shame for his name", some of that special stress will grow out of that portion of discipleship which involves citizenship. Remember, as Nephi and Jacob said, we must learn to endure "the crosses of the world" and yet to despise "the shame of it". To go on clinging to the iron rod in spite of the mockery and scorn that flow at us from the multitudes in that great and spacious building seen by Father Lehi, which is the "pride of the world" (1 Ne. 11:36)—is to disregard the shame of the world."

Neal A. Maxwell, "A More Determined Discipleship," Ensign, Feb 1979, 69–73

Busy Bees

We have been so busy lately, which is why I haven't updated our blog as often lately. I'll try to be better about it, though, because I really want to have a good record of our family happenings.

What's keeping me so busy? WELL.....

• I'm making ALL our Christmas gifts this year, so that's already consumed a LOT of time. I know, it seems way too early to be thinking about Christmas but making gifts takes a long time! I actually started working on them in July and it's been a lot of fun for me so far. And as much as I would LOVE to share my projects here, that's just going to have to wait, since they are for the family!
• Book club! We are reading The Secret Life of Bees, and I'm only about 65 pages in but I'm enjoying it.
• Friendship Quilt. I got together with some friends and we're making friendship quilts. All of us bought our own fabrics for a quilt, then we found 2 quilt squares that we wanted to make. Then, we gave pieces of our fabrics to each other, and we made the quilt squares we chose. It's been a lot of fun so far and I'm excited to see the final products.
• My food storage blog. This blog takes an incredible amount of time, but it's well worth it. Food storage is something I should be working on anyway, so Abbie and I figured we might as well help other people out while we were at it. It's made it much more enjoyable for us, and I really love doing the blog. We get about 250-300 hits a day, which is ok. We also have tons of new ideas all the time, which makes it exciting and interesting.
• Abby! Abby is learning her ABC's, and it's so cute to hear her sing them. I'll try to get a video posted. She also recognizes many letters (A, B, E, J, M, O, T, U, Y) and it's fun when she points them out on everything (books, signs, etc)
• Garrett and I repainted our bedroom yesterday. It's a gray/blue color and we love it - so soothing. I'll take pictures when our room is completely done, though... I have a few more projects in mind for the room.
• ASL. I signed for all of sacrament meeting yesterday, which was very intimidating but good experience for me. Still learning, though.
• I'm the Personal Progress Coordinator in our ward. Basically, I'm in charge of keeping track of the girls' personal progress, and I also plan one activity a month for all the girls, and we work on one of the values. This month we are focusing on Divine Nature, so we worked on DN experience #2 - I had a panel of mothers come in and talk about motherhood, and I also gave a short lesson and we reviewed Proverbs 30, and gave out some conference talks for them to review. In 2 weeks I'll follow up with them and see if they completed the requirements, and we'll sign them off!!

That's all I can think of for now! It's looking like a busy week ahead, but we're going to Savannah this weekend so we have something to look forward to!

I thought price gouging was illegal...

Fortunately, Garrett and I filled our cars with gas on Wednesday night (for a cool $3.50 a gallon, which was pretty good for our area). Thanks to Hurricane Ike, by Thursday night gas prices had shot up to $4.50 a gallon. Now, it's $4.99 a gallon, but that's only if gas is available. Half the gas stations in our area are closed because they ran out! Today Garrett was looking at a "temperature map" online, but instead of temperatures it was showing gas prices around the country. Most states were still green (cheapest) and yellow (just above green), and there were a few red counties around the country, but our state was COMPLETELY maroon, which is the most expensive. California (which always seems to have the priciest gas) didn't even have any maroon counties! So frustrating! Thankfully, I don't have many obligations away home, so I can cut down my driving, and Garrett's car gets the best gas mileage of the two, so we'll get by ok.

It couldn't have come at a worse time for many people in our area, though, because Stake Conference was this weekend, and lots of people have to travel pretty far. In the Saturday evening session our Stake President told everyone to do whatever we could to come to our Sunday session, even if it meant having to buy gas on a Sunday (if gas stations were to reopen). Thankfully, we didn't have to do that, but we did probably use almost half a tank with all the traveling we did (Priesthood session, adult session, babysitters, Sunday morning session, etc).

But of course, Stake Conference was worth it - I loved both sessions, and I got more experience with ASL, so that was great. I interpreted for 3 or 4 talks, which I don't normally do, but it went well. Except for the time I signed "thief" instead of "Shepherd". That was embarassing...

Pioneer Day Fun

Sorry I have been so bad a posting lately... most of my computer time has gone towards my other blog. I'll be better, though... I know the grandparents really appreciate it!

On Pioneer Day weekend, our ward had a breakfast and some games. It was a lot of fun - Garrett participated in the "stick pull" and did a great job! I guess that means he would make a good pioneer?

We also had fun watching the kids pull each other around in a handcart, and having watermelon seed spitting contests (below).

Flashback Friday - Youth Conference 1998

Since our stake here did a "mini" youth conference last week, I've been thinking back to my experiences when I was a teenager. All our activities were memorable, but one of my favorites was my very first one - "Find the Real You: Building our Field of Dreams". We stayed in Exeter for the 2.5 days doing projects on our Stake Center's property. We built a baseball diamond, built dugouts with benches, painted a pavilion, built horseshoe games, and even put in a volleyball pit with sand. There was also a small bridge built going over a little stream (shown above), and we painted a chain-link fence green (there was a very difficult neighbor who complained that the silver was too shiny and distracting).

I've done a lot of work in my life, including lots of physical labor, but this set a new record. There was so much work to, and it was tough! We hauled rocks, dug holes, painted. It was really hard, but so much fun. I was assigned to the dugouts, and would you believe that the posts of the benches go down 4 feet into the ground?? It was a lot of work.

On the last day, all the families of the youth were invited to come for a BBQ and to check out all the things we had done. It was the perfect ending to a perfect weekend.

How did we get away with wearing such short shorts to YC?? :)

Flashback Friday - "From Cumorah's Hill" - 1997

In July of 1997, the youth in our stake performed "From Cumorah's Hill", a musical presentation with a chorus, soloists, and readers. It was an incredible experience.

As I listened again to our program the other day (we recorded it on CD's), I was brought back. I remember piling into our leaders' cars and making the monthly trips down to the Portsmouth building for rehearsals, which were always fun. We had 30 youth from our ward participate, which was great!! We'd divide into singing parts, and I remember sometimes I would play the piano for my group. That was back in the day when, for some strange reason, I thought I was a soprano. In fact, after listening to the CD, I'm convinced that probably half the girls who sang soprano in that program should have probably been singing alto! There are some pretty high notes!

I love the "From Cumorah's Hill" program. It's a testimony of the divinity of the Book of Mormon and how it can help us in our day. The first track of our CD is President Pouliot speaking about this, and I just love it. I have always loved hearing him speak, and that also takes me back because he was my stake president throughout most of my youth.

One funny little story: just the other day I was reading through an old journal (I was de-cluttering, and when I came across it I just had to read for a while!). Anyway, we didn't get the From Cumorah's Hill CD's until about a year later (at our 1998 Youth Conference, actually). Here's a short paragraph from my journal (please note, I am only 14):

"We got back from swimming and went to the Church building and guess what! THE "FROM CUMORAH'S HILL CD'S WERE IN!!! Last year they said we'd get them before the end of summer, then it was Christmas. Next President H moved and everyone gave up hope. I am so happy! They sound ok. The audience is kinda loud. Let me just say, THE PERFORMANCE WAS BETTER. We listened to the CD while we had root beer floats and watched the movie of the day's work. It's been almost a year exactly since the performance. When we found out they came in, Courtney and I ran to find Shauna. She and Katie were in the bathroom. We said 'Guess what!!' They were like, 'What?!' We said better than boys, and better than money. They couldn't guess. COME ON! We told them about the CD's."

Maybe I should share journal entries more often... they're pretty funny. And embarrassing. And that's a good combination, if you ask me.

Flashback Friday - Eagle Court of Honor 1999

Mike, Hannah, Emma, Molly, Mom, Dad

I don't have much of an explanation for this - just some pictures. I remember that in order to get his driver's license, Mike had to have his Eagle Scout award and know how to play 50 hymns on the piano, so this was pretty significant. Mike and Danny C. had their Eagle Courts of Honor together, which made the day extra special for everyone.

The C* Family

Flashback Friday - Girls' Camps!

I had, in my opinion, the best girls' camp experiences ever. I loved girls' camp so much, and every year was more fun than the last. I was so blessed to have wonderful YW leaders who worked hard to make camp enjoyable for all the girls.

Camp Quinny was about 3-4 hours away, up in northern NH. It's a beautiful part of the state, and the camp was set on a huge lake. The lake was so much fun - we had canoeing, kayaking, sailing, rowboating, fishing, and swimming. I remember my first year, when I was 12, my friend Courtney and I never showered that whole week and man, we stunk. All the years after that, there was a rule that you had to shower after swimming in the lake because it was really unclean water. Gross!

The food at camp was another reason I loved it so much. We had the BEST food! We had pizza bread, pancakes, eggs & bacon, baked potato bar, etc. We were well fed. We only had to make our own meals for one night - and it was foil dinners, my favorite!

We camped together by year, which was a lot of fun because it allowed me to get to know all the girls in my Stake who were my age. The first four years we camped in canvas tents on platforms, with cots inside them, and then for 5-6 year we all shared one big cabin with bunk beds.

Besides water activities, there were MANY more things to keep us busy. We had hiking, archery, and marksmanship (Mom got the Annie Oakley award every year! She got nothing but bulls-eyes!). There was a craft tent, which was actually a big pavillion with drop-in projects you could do, or bigger projects you could sign up for. And one year we even had horseback riding! We also had D.E.A.R. time every day, where everyone in the entire camp would Drop Everything And Read. It was a nice quiet time to relax from the hustle and bustle of constant activities and fun.

I also strengthened my testimony a lot during camp. We had wonderful firesides every night at the big amphitheater on the hillside. We sang songs, had testimony meetings, and played big group games, like Gospel Jeopardy.

I am forever indebted to all the people who made camp such a great experience for me year after year.

Gotta have smooth legs if we're going to be living in our bathing suits!

Three bulls-eyes! Not bad!

Fourth year we did an overnight hike. The hike was fun, but then it rained at our campsite and everything got soaked! I remember holding up sleeping bags around the fires to dry them off. Also, it rained through the night and Courtney and I had pitched our tent in a little dip in the ground. Thankfully, we were using her Dad's really nice tent and no water got in, and it felt like we were sleeping on a water bed!

Sailing! After this picture was taken the wind died down and Courtney had to tie her kayak to me and pull me in to shore.

Marie and I were taking a lifeguard class in the early mornings. Brr, the water was cold!

Every Thursday night, there was a treasure hunt. The waterfront leaders would hide 4 "treasure chests" somewhere in the lake (they floated) and we got into canoes in teams of three and we'd try to find them (two people to paddle, one person to hold the flashlight). I won every year. I kind of felt bad, and my last year there I wasn't really trying to find it, but I did! I swear, I never cheated. I just always got lucky, I guess.

What Does That Say??

One of the many fond memories that Garrett has of his mission to Taiwan is of the English signs they have (like city signs, bumper stickers, billboards, etc). Their translation from Chinese to English isn't really the best, so he and his companion would often come across some pretty amusing signs. For example, on a billboard ad for perfume, it said "you touched my things and a smile came out like music." Or, on a scooter (not a bumper sticker, this was on the actual scooter) it said "we reach for the sky, neither does civilization".

Today I found an article on the LDS Newsroom website about how the mayor of Taichung has asked the LDS missionaries for help in improving their English signs, in hopes that Taiwan will become more inviting to tourists and international businesses. He recognized that many of the missionaries there are from North America, and are native English speakers, and offered to pay them for their service. Of course, they will help free of charge.

The article gives some good examples of some signs that need help:

At a Confucian temple: "Please keep orderliness solemnly silent." (Changed to "Please be silent and respectful.)

Or, at a baseball field: "Game that attention to flying out-of-bounds." (Pay attention to foul balls.)

When I told Garrett about what the missionaries are doing, he laughed but was kind of sad. "That's one of the things I loved about that place... it was so funny!!" I told him that it's too bad it didn't happen while he was there, because then maybe he could have taken an old sign when it was replaced - he would have loved that. Oh well...at least he has a few pictures of some signs with his other mission stuff.

Homework

Every week during Sunday School I go to an ASL class. There is one deaf woman in our ward, and only a few interpreters, so the Sunday School class is to teach ASL to anyone who wants to learn. Now, realistically, most people in the class will probably never feel comfortable enough with the language to actually interpret. I have been learning ASL for 4 years and I still feel very underqualified for it. In fact, I don't really interpret as much as I probably should. I do the hymns (mostly because I can practice many of them beforehand with a DVD I have), and I feel very comfortable interpreting prayers (especially the sacrament prayers). However, I would really like to improve. The ASL teacher in our ward (she just happened to be the best at ASL out of any of us, so she became the main interpreter) has told me that I have improved a lot since last fall, so that has really boosted my confidence. So... now I'm going to start co-teaching the Sunday School class with her! She let me borrow some of her materials, and she even gave me a homework assignment with instructions of what I should prepare to teach on Sunday. I'm nervous because the things I'm supposed to teach (some ASL grammar rules) are things even I haven't learned yet, but it's exciting. Hopefully this will really jumpstart my abilities. The signing isn't really an issue for me - I know most signs, I think - but the grammar is difficult. Like any other language, ASL has it's own unique grammar... it's similar to how Yoda on Star Wars speaks, actually! It's one thing to sign in a conversation with someone, but interpreting is a whole other difficulty. Especially in Sacrament Meeting, people tend to speak quickly, so you have to really be on your toes to listen to what they say, turn it all around in your head to make it fit with ASL grammar, and then sign it! And you still have to be concentrating on what the speaker is saying next, so you can sign that next. Whew, it's a challenge. But I enjoy it and hopefully someday I'll be really comfortable with it all. Also in our Sunday School class we are watching the short Joseph Smith movie (the one that came out in the Ensign a couple years ago) with the ASL interpreter on it, and that has been really interesting and helpful.

Date Night!

On Saturday night we had a Stake Dinner & Dance for the adults. It was great! It was fun to get dressed up and go out for an evening together. The food was good, and the company was even better. It was especially fun watching some of the older folks from the stake dancing... I can't believe how much energy some of those people have! They were crazier than we were!

Our table with friends

Garrett and myself

The fancy dessert we brought

Special thanks to Abbie M. for doing my hair, and for babysitting our Abby! And for helping with the dessert!

A Day of Rest

I know that the Sabbath is supposed to be the day of rest, but sometimes it feels like the busiest day of the week! Thankfully, it's usually a really good kind of busy - serving the Lord and doing the things we're supposed to be doing. Tonight Garrett was especially worn out - Church is always a little tough for him because he usually has Abby for all 3 hours, because I interpret (ASL) in Sacrament Meeting, then go to an ASL Sunday School class, and then I usually teach the Laurels during the third hour. But he and Abby both seem to love the "daddy/daughter time" since Garrett is at school all week, and he does a great job with her during Church. Anyway, then this afternoon right after we got home, Garrett went Home Teaching with a friend whose companion was unavailable to go. It's a busy day, but certainly rewarding!

Continuing the Chain

I loved President Hinckley's funeral today. It was so touching, and I loved hearing the personal stories of the people he was close to. I was reminded again just how much I love President Hinckley and how much I will miss him.

One thing that really made me reflect was when his daughter Virginia shared some thoughts on her father. Quoting him, she said that he realized "the tremendous obligation that was mine to pass on all that I had received as an inheritance from my forbears to the generations who have now come after me." I think about this idea a lot, especially when I'm working on my family history. I have wonderful ancestors and I love learning all that I can about them. I feel honored to be a descendant of such great people, on both my parents' sides. But sometimes, it feels like a lot of pressure. I come from a long line of valiant people, but what am I? How tragic it would be if I decided to quit, and break the strong family chain that has been building and growing.

On the other hand, it reminds me of how lucky I am to be a part of this chain. I look forward to passing on my wisdom and faithfulness to my children, so that they can continue our family legacy. If I stay faithful to the Gospel and what I have been taught, I have such a wonderful opportunity to impact generations of people, just like President Hinckley and his wife have done in their own family. It's such a huge responsibility, which is scary sometimes, but I know that Garrett and I are up for the challenge, especially with such good examples within our families that we can follow.

We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet

I think nearly everyone has a prophet whom they feel is "their" prophet. Usually it's the prophet who was called during the time they were born, baptized, growing up, or during a specific time in their adult life. I have always considered President Hinckley to be "my" prophet. I remember many times as a youth sitting in the Exeter Stake Center (NH) and listening to him counsel us as youth specifically. I remember the talk on the "Six B's", and I remember when he added 3 more "B's" to the list. He dedicated the Boston Temple, and my mom sang in the small choir for it. He presented the Proclamation to the Family, which is one of my favorite documents. He called my Grandpa S* (really, on the phone!) and called him to be the President of the Palmyra Temple. President Hinckley will always have a special place in my heart and I will always consider him to be "my prophet". He always inspired me to do a little better, stand a little taller, and be a little kinder.

I always thought that I would be pretty devastated when died, but tonight as I heard the news of his passing, I couldn't help but rejoice that he has finally joined his wife, Marjorie. Of course, it's sad for the world to lose such a wonderful prophet, but the Church is taken care of. The Church will continue to thrive and grow. But can you imagine the rejoicing in Heaven, and the happiness that he and his wife must be feeling right now? Can you imagine the kinds of rewards in Heaven that he will receive? What a reunion that must be taking place!

I will miss President Hinckley for his wit, for the humor and sparkle in his eyes, for the wonderful way that he built up the Saints and led us through the scary world that surrounds us.

Today in our regional Stake Conference, which was broadcast to the South, President Monson spoke. After the Conference, Garrett and I were discussing his talk, which was about missionary work. It was a little odd, however. Both of us found it a little hard to follow, and President Monson seemed distracted. I think he probably knew what was in store for him, and was contemplating the mantle that would soon be placed on his shoulders.

I am so grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in my life. I am thankful that we have living prophets and apostles who speak in behalf of the Lord. The world can be a scary and dark place, but the Lord's Church is a beacon of light in my life. I am so grateful for a loving family, and wonderful parents who taught me the true Gospel. I am thankful for temple work, and for eternal marriage, and the knowledge that I can be with my family forever.

Interesting...

Another benefit to fasting.

Sign Language

Well, I have a new assignment at Church. It's not exactly a calling, because I haven't been set apart. I've just been helping out.
There is a new member of our Ward who is going deaf. She was born "hard of hearing" and recently received a cochlear implant, but it didn't work, so within a year she will be completely deaf. There is a woman in the ward who is very good at Sign Language, so she has been interpreting for her. Now, I am by no means great at Sign Language, but I did take 5 semesters of it at BYU, so I SHOULD be very good. However, it's been over 2 years since any of my classes, and let's just say I'm a bit rusty. I thought about not saying anything and just letting this one girl interpret forever, but it's a very demanding job, plus I would really like to get better at it.
So, I've been interpreting! One week I did the entire Sacrament Meeting, which was SO hard! I knew I didn't do a very good job, but thankfully the woman didn't miss too much because she can still hear a little bit, plus she can lipread, so I didn't feel TOO bad when I messed up. I figure I have to start somewhere. Thankfully it was a fast and testimony meeting, so the doctrine wasn't too deep, so I was able to remember most of the signs I needed.
Now I mostly interpret for the hymns and the prayers, including the Sacrament prayers. The sacrament prayers are hard because they say them so quickly, so I still need to practice those. But every week I'm a little more confident and I'm really happy that I'm practicing this skill. There is also a Sunday School class every week taught by the interpreter where we just learn Sign Language, so that more people will be able to eventually help out. That has helped a lot too, and I'm really enjoying it.
A lot of people don't consider Sign Language to be a "real" language because it isn't spoken. People also tend to think that it's just English, but using your hands. It's not! It has it's own grammar rules and everything. For example, if someone said in English "I can go to the store for you", it would not be signed "I can go to the store for you." ASL's grammar rules make it so that I would sign "For you, store I go can". It's a challenge to remember! It's especially difficult to interpret because you get so focused on translating a certain sentence or idea that I completely miss the next part because I'm still signing the previous thing they said. But that's a problem that all interpreters face, I think.
Anyway, so that's my new assignment. I'm still serving in YW, which I LOVE. As it happens, we are camping this weekend because that's what the Laurels really want to do. Granted, it will be in the YW president's back yard, but still... it will be great because I like sleeping outside and everything, but I also love clean bathrooms... so this is a perfect medium.

Blessing Day

We finally blessed Abby this last Sunday at the beach house. It was so nice and thankfully she was very good during the whole thing (she wanted to show up her cousin!). Garrett gave the blessing, and included in the circle were Grandpa Woodbury, Jared, and Jesse (the 2 brother-in-laws). Before we started the blessing we sang “Families Can Be Together Forever”, which is one of my favorite primary songs (we also sang it as a big family on the day that Garrett and I were married, right before we left our wedding reception, so it’s pretty special to me). Anyway, for a little bit there we weren’t sure if we would be able to bless Abby outside of sacrament meeting, but thankfully we got permission from the Bishop. At first when we asked he was a bit hesitant to let us, but then he looked in the handbook and saw it was ok. I am so grateful, too. I just think that doing it at home is so much nicer because we could do it around Abby’s schedule, and it’s just so much more private and special, in my opinion. I mean, I love baby blessings and I enjoy them at Church, but it’s not like the entire ward is dying to hear the blessing. I just think doing it at home has so many benefits and it’s just so nice.