Jacque's Sr. Portraits

So, yesterday  morning I woke up @ 3:00.  I went back to sleep and woke up again at 4.  Am I CRAZY you ask...well YES I am!  I was supposed to go take Jacque's pics, so I guess I just didn't want to miss it.  :)

Anyway, she got here @ 6 and we headed out.  The weather was gorgeous!  We had such a blast!!  Well, here are some of the finished product.  It was hard to choose just a few...

I wanted to do so much more, but my computer was being stupid...I'll try again later.  :)

Kaylee's Sr.Pics

         So, a few of my Young Women asked me to do some Sr. Pics for them.  I told them I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL!  :)  But they wanted me to do it anyway.  I did the first "session" on Tuesday. (Don't I SOUND like a true professional?  LOL!!!)  I took some of Kaylee and she did a great job!  We had a ton of fun, too.  We went to the Mesa Temple and the Mesa Arts Center.  Here are a few of my faves.  I will take her again and Jacque, too.  I LOVE these girls!  More pics to come. 

             

And a special thanks to Michelle for letting me borrrow her camera!!!

Bittersweet

Today, after 3 1/2 years, I was released from my calling as YW President.  I have known for about a month and was (I thought) ready for it.  Bishop found me in the Library this morning and told me he was going through with it today.  He asked, "Are you ready for this?"  Of course I was!  Well, about 15 minutes later as he stood up there and announced it, I started to cry.   I honestly didn't expect it to be this hard. I pulled myself together and then Mandy came into the library after sacrament and gave me a hug. I just about lost it again, but was pretty busy so I had things to keep my mind off of it.  I walked down to Primary to deliver some papers and Lacey gave me a hug.  Boy! You guys know how to make a girl cry!  :)  After I finished up in the library, I decided to go home for a few minutes to pull myself together.  I was walking out the door and Brother Cronin was there...here we go again!  I talked to him for a few minutes and by the time we were done I was bawling.  I couldn't keep it in anymore.  I came home and got a box of tissues (I knew we would need them!).  The lesson in YW today was on Temples.  What a beautiful way to go out!  Heidi did a fabulous job (even though she was rushed so we could bear testimonies).  Lindsey got up and bore her testimony and then Kalia, and then I went up.  What a strong spirit in the room!!  I don't think there was a dry eye in the room.  I will miss these girls and leaders tremendously, but I know that the leaders that were called were inspired choices and they will do great.  But it is hard letting go.  For some of these young women I have been the only one they've known, and the others I have seen grow into beautiful young ladies.  I am grateful for the opportunity I have had to be associated with these girls and leaders.  I think more often than not they have been the ones to teach me.  I know that my Heavenly Father loves me.  I know that He lives.  Jesus IS the Christ!   The gospel has been such a wonderful part of my life.  I don't even want to think about where I would be without it.  I love my Ward!!!!  There are THE most AMAZING people in it!  Bishop Lamb is truly called of God and he loves us and prays for us all.  It has been a pleasure working so closely with him over the last 3 1/2 years!  I am grateful for the support and the friendship of my ward family.  I have a testimony of this gospel and I just want all my young women to know that!  (And you will always be MY young women!!)  I love you all!  :)

I am truly grateful for my husband and all the support he has given me over the years.  I am grateful for the times he listened to my worry and ventings (is there such a word?).  He is my rock.  I could not have gotten through this without him.  I am so glad that I will be able to spend more time with him.  I love you Aaron!

So, there is my bitterweet moment for today...

Planting Seeds of Service

Yesterday, April 15, the stake YW went to the Mesa Temple to plant flowers.  They weren't seeds, but I think some seeds of service were planted in the girls.  They were amazing!  I didn't hear anyone asking what to do or where to go, they just did it. 

We had this many girls starting out...





and this many girls in the end.......







Here are some pics of my girls and leaders...

Cheyenne, Sister Sol, Brenda, and Hailey

Kaylee and Shelby (my only 2 Laurels that showed up!)

Sadie and Madison H.(the look on Sadie's face says it all!)

Cute Kaylee

Shelbs hard at work

Chey and Brenda

Kayla and Hailey

Emma hiding out in the forest...

Brenda

Dirty hands pics.

Sister Hammond

Sadiekins

Emma

Madison

Brenda and Chey washing their hands in the fountain...

 

Emma and Madison

 

Bonding

Kayla and Hailey

As you can tell, the girls had a great time planting flowers, seeds of service, and friendship.

WW

Even after all the chocolate from Easter (you know, the clearance stuff that was 75% off?) , I was still down .2 this week.  Hey!  It's better than being up!  LOL  And today starts another week...

Brett's Glasses

So on Wed. I took Brett into the eye dr. and they said it would be 7-10 days for his glasses.  We got a call today and they were in.  I think that was the fastest glasses have ever come in for us.  Anyway, he still wasn't very happy about it, but he has them none the less. (And he BETTER wear them!!)  :) Well, here's the pic.  He would only smile for one, so it will have to do.  :)

Brett Needs Glasses

So I took Brett to the eye dr. today and found out he needs glasses. Boy is he NOT happy about it! He is nearsighted a little, so the only time he needs to wear them is when he goes to school or when he watches tv. Not that big of a deal, right? WRONG!! He is moping and griping and pouting about it. When we were picking out frames, he was kinda being a stink. The lady working there came over to help him pick some out. She picked up a pair that I suggested (that he HATED!) and he decided to go with those. He was adamant about thick black frames. (funny kid!) There was a pair with wire frames that looked SO good on him, but he would have none of that. Maybe because I suggested it? lol Anyway... I'm sure by the time they get done, he'll have come to terms with it and it won't be a big deal anymore. (I hope!)

I don't know why, but that kid fights me on everything! Hopefully one day he'll outgrow that. :)
Well...pics to come when they finally arrive.

Child Crisis Center

So about a year ago we (the YW) made some fleece blankets and had yet to deliver them. So Sister Sol made a couple of phone calls and we were able to deliver them to the Child Crisis Center on W. 9th St. here in Mesa. We all showed up (10 girls, 7 YW leaders, and Bishop) and they gave us a little presentation. They have been open since 1981 and see about 350-500 kids a year. They started out as a permanent shelter, but have since gone temporary. These people are AMAZING!! They have a resource center for anyone to go into to find things and they have several other buildings, too. After the presentation all the group that was 16 or older was taken on a tour. Sister Bowman and Sister Williams stayed with the younger girls in the presentation room. We got to see some of the kids and really get a feel for the place. I could tell just how much these workers love what they do. The kids were cute, too. It was quiet time, so they were all watching movies and calming down before bedtime. The kids are split into 3 groups. There are the Tiny Tots (ages birth to 3), and then there are the Middlers (ages 4-7) and then there are the Big Kids (ages 8-11). They are able to have kids up to the age of 15, but they try not to have any that old because "They come with their own set of problems at that age" (our tour guide's words, not mine) :)

Anyway, I have a newfound respect for people that do this on a daily basis. There is so much work put into it. They are AMAZING people!!

It really was a testimony builder for a few of our YW as well. One of them posted on Facebook how grateful she was for her family and how much she loved them. It really opens your eyes when you realize how much you have compared to others! :)

WW

Oh yeah... I said I was going to keep you up to date on my WW saga. I was up .8 last week, but swear to do better this one! :) I am still down almost 15 pounds in 2 months. Yay me!!

Easter on the Levee

When I was a little girl we often had Easter in Louisiana. We would go spend the night at Maw-Maw Crum's house, the Easter Bunny would bring us our goodies, and then after we woke up and got ready we would go to Aunt Ann's house. I remember all the men (and probably some of the women too) would load up in the back of a pick up truck and go down to the levee to hide the eggs. They would come back and pick us up and we would go find them. I don't know why, but this year I have really missed this. We quit doing it when I was a little girl, but I can still picture it like it was yesterday.

This isn't THE levee, but an idea of what I was talking about. And for those of you who don't know what a levee is...it is basically an embankment to keep a river from flooding the area.

Easter Weekend

Well, this weekend was General Conference. I usually really enjoy it, but this weekend I was too busy to really get into it. I listened to it while I was doing other things, but it wasn't the same. :( I have decided to read the entire Ensign from cover to cover when it comes next month.

Yesterday I went to Kirsten's (Aaron's cousin) baby shower. She got a ton of cute stuff and I am really excited for her. Little Ollie is growing and doing well . Yay Kirsty! :) After the baby shower, I came home and listened to Conference as I sewed hair bows (yo-yos). I showed Chey how to do it, and she hasn't stopped yet! She even sewed quite a few for her cousins Savannah and Haley and even a few for Aunt Jennifer.


We had lunch at Mom and Dad's house, watched the last session of Conference and then had the Easter Egg hunt. The little kids had a blast. We had a few minor incidents, but it turned out pretty well for the most part.