Yellowstone Day 2

On the 2nd day we went to the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center which was like the Hoogle Zoo I thought. Braxton really liked the wolf's because they are like Taia. They had a activity where they let the bears find their food under the rocks.  Than we went into Yellowstone and saw Old Faithful and some of the geysers.

Yellowstone Day 1

We left early  Friday morning on my B-day at 5:30  with my mom and dad.  I even got to drive some of the way because Brian was having a hard time staying awake. The trip was fine and In West Yellowstone  we stayed at a KOA that was 6 miles out and away from the park and a lil town. I have to tell first things first, when we were trying to pull into our campsite Brian was having a hard time seeing with all of the stuff loaded in the back, I believe he wanted to back up into the campsite BUT everything happened so fast, I know that he was concerned about my mom and she was where he wanted to be. He kept asking Braxton to check that side and I was saying I would get out and direct him in.  Brian got mad and put it in reverse and the next thing I know we had hit something like another car because that was what it sounded like. I had heard my mom honk her horn just before that. Scared to look I stayed put for a minute..... Brian put the foot on the gas and all we were doing was shooting rocks and not going anywhere. We had high-centered on like a sewer cover that had  a cone on it. Obviously we didnt see it or didnt know how close we were to it!  People from all around us came to help, there was about 6 men that told Brian what to do and  with their help we were able to get off.  We didnt go anywhere that first day and pulled the Chevy in the campsite till the 2nd day when it was making some really bad noises underneath. Luckily there was a automotive shop in town, just minor damage and a minor fee. Thank goodness!!

Old Maid and Checkers are fun in the tent! Just staying around camp and having Hoagie sandwiches our first day

Holding the door for strangers

Last night we went and saw Harry Potter which was excellent by the way....

We were walking out of the movie theater into the mall,  Me and Brian were walking and I admit I was in my own thougths and not paying attention didn't notice that Braxton wasn't behind me or beside me. I got to a certain point and turned around I just noticed that Braxton was barely catching up with us, knowing Braxton I had a idea  "Did you get stuck holding the door for people again?"  Braxton said "Yes there was a big group (or family) of about ten and two of them were senior citizens and they didn't even say thank you" As we were talking I saw them....it doesn't really matter but it looked like some grandparents taking their grand kids to the movies. I didn't really study them to hard or anything,we just kept walking but Braxton said "How hard would it  of been to say two easy words?"
I felt so bad for him and said "I agree Braxton but just keep doing what you are doing because that is exactly how the world is becoming, just a simple thing like holding the door for someone else, your action will touch or influence someone else sometime." So I would like to recognize him for the very nice thing that he did last night, and even though he didn't get thanked by that family,  His family thinks the world of him!!

Learners permit

It was  alot of work somedays to  make him read that drivers manual but we finally got his learners permit a couple of weeks ago!!!

Lets celebrate the 4th with a Flag cake

How about eating a American Flag cake with strawberry filling  to start the weekend off?  My friend Linda or  “The Cake Boss” I like teasing her, she loves making cakes, she said she wanted to make a flag cake  and  bring it into work for  all of us to eat, I gave her some of my input on this recipe that used strawberries and blueberries SO….. this is her Flag cake.  She has inspired me to make one next year……Happy 4th to you all!

Experiences, feelings, and other things

Wow where do I begin....I guess I will start with this week and back up to the past a little.  Yesterday in my Icon work family a co-worker in my moms dept was killed in a Motorcycle accident with  a truck in West Point. It is really hard to believe this happened.....

I would like to say how much I was touched by Brian's family recently , this has been long over due but I really enjoyed when Brian's dad came to visit, and the nice things he did for us, It  really was a nice week with him.  And to Brian's mom  for her awesome cards to us with personal messages  just to ME Thank you Karen it always means alot. 

I have never experienced anything like this before so this is a start in building a testimony, my faith is being tested right now ........... the feelings and the prayers that have been answered. One time I was given an answer so quick,  I was still sitting there for a minute after my prayer when thoughts were already there what I needed to do. I did what I was supposed to and the next day was my answer that I had prayed about.

 
 Ever since I was about 5 years old I said that I was going to marry in the temple, I will not settle for anything less than a temple marriage,  my struggle has been in many areas but its that focus that I have to be married in the temple that keeps me in a direction and determined.  I have alot to work on, but the day is approaching soon....

Mom's 70th Birthday

At work this week my friend and I planned a lil party and got everyone together in my mom's dept to have cake and ice cream and sing Happy Birthday to her.  My friend wanted to make the cake for her. Didnt she do a awesome job? I have great friends at work :)

  We had a fancy dinner at the Maddox with the Bingham Family for her birthday last weekend.

These are my proud Aunt pictures...Tyler, Tiffany and Nicholas came to Utah for the Birthday. 

Nicholas say "Jackie"  :) He did really good!

 And the grandkids all together for a picture............

The Last 3 years have been awesome

Its the end of the school year and Braxtons Junior High years,  I remember enrolling him for Junior High in the spring of 08 and being really nervous of course sending him,  thinking how big he had gotten and where had the time flown!!!

The school year started  that year for us with the 7th grade camp one day in Aug,  that was the best thing in the world for concerned mothers. ( That impressed me the most)
 Camp was for them to spend a few hours at the school and with the help of the teachers and the student officers they helped the 7th graders ( or sev-ies) to find there lockers/practice their combinations.... Find there classes and learn about the lunchroom process and to have fun games to play.
From than on I learned more about the positive things about the school all the time.  It is a safe school, and there is no bullying allowed at all!

I was always impressed with this school  and will miss it very much....Braxton will too. The good friends and teachers that Braxton has made and met during those years. ( He had a lot of friends) I always felt that this school was always a blessing and gave me a peace of mind! These last few years have been just awesome, Braxton was very happy going to this school, and I hope the next 3 years in High School will be just as good :)

A Mother's "Worst" Nightmare

Sunday night I woke up from a terrible dream at 2:30am.... this was my dream

I had sent Braxton to go do a errand for me and walk to Wal-Mart/he had also offered to walk. He had his phone, and  he called me when he was walking home and everything was fine.  Than it turned into a very long time and I got worried, I called his phone and there was no answer. I waited  a little longer and called a second time, there was no answer.  I called again....this time it went to the voice mail and the voice on the message  wasnt his! It was all in Spanish so I didnt understand a word but my first thought was someone had done something to him and stole his phone and kept it.  I remember panicking and going out to find him, I came across two old ladies at a stop sign in there car. I asked  them some questions and that I needed some help please!  They had heard about a teenage boy that had gotten kidnapped and murdered up at certain spot just a week ago. Everything I kept hearing I was convinced that, that was exactly what happened to him....my fear increased and I panicked more and more. So I got in there car and they drove me up to this same spot where this other boy had been found. We were going really slow so that I could look for him.  When I spotted him laying in a  ditch like in a tunnel he was on my left side,  his face was all covered in dirt and he didnt have any shoes on. He was laying like he was dead. When I approached him I  touched him a little to make sure when he woke up.........he had been asleep! Instead of saying "MOM" he said "is that you Jackie?" and he was laughing at me a little and his image changed a little.   What a relief!!!!!!

Just than I pulled myself out of the dream and woke up completely.....Just than a message came to me and it was "Your just making a bigger deal out of this, than what it really is, it isnt going to be that bad"

I had thought about a problem just before on the weekend again...Okay I thought that is comforting BUT... its human to fear the unknown (It has nothing to do with Braxton I promise)

   I thought about it all day yesterday, this is one of those dreams that didnt just go away or I forgot soon after I  woke up.

Have you ever had a dream that had a message in it that you were supposed to know about?

Michael's Band

At West Point Jr High  they did a really neat thing for a boy with Autism named Michael Powell a few weeks ago.  They fulfilled his dream and gave him a band at the school.  Mrs Hayward ordered shirts from a company and put a logo on them that said "MICHAEL'S BAND" for the students to buy.  The story was in the Standard Examiner and Braxton found the video footage so I could share it..... this was so awesome what they did for him!

Michael's Band at WPJH CLICK HERE

Spring Concert

A good friend of Braxton's  ~~Helen Cox~~ a friend ever since he was in Elementary school. 

Haven't met you yet

What hurts the Most

It was the very last concert for the school year and of Junior High, it was a fun/sad concert rolled all up in one,  Braxton's most favorite teacher all 3 years was Mrs. Hayward.

 Good Memories

Bohemian Rhapsody

La Callie Restaurant

Braxton's foods class at school had a  field trip to go down to Salt Lake to eat at La Callie to learn manners and etiquette in a formal dining situation. They were served a five course dinner....Braxton even ate snails! What is wrong here? I cant even get him to eat tuna fish, and certain  fruits and vegetables, and he ate snails. IT WAS BECAUSE ALL OF HIS FRIENDS WERE He's more brave than me, I wouldn't be able too because of my gag reflexes. I thought of my most favorite movie Pretty Woman, I loved the scene when Vivian ate at a expensive french restaurant with Edward and they were served snails.  Vivian said "slippery little suckers" when one of them slipped out of her grip and went flying across the room into the waiters hand.  He took some pictures, its a really pretty restaurant, he had a good time! His favorite part was when they served Banana Flambee  the waiter lights your ice cream on fire!

Wow this was a shocker

Marie re-married her first husband today Stephen Craig in the Las Vegas Temple. She was even wearing her original dress that she wore in 1982.

For along time she always said "I am going thru Menopause, so Men are on Pause"

Donny said it was a last minute  decision and not many people knew about it,  I AGREE IF I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT .... WOW DID I MISS SOMETHING  LOL I HAVE HEARD RUMORS

   I am so happy for her :) She got married today on both Michael and her Mothers birthday.

Brian's Dad....and a New Stove

Last Tuesday  Brian's dad Gordon or Poppy to Braxton came out to Utah for a visit from Pa.  While he was here we went up on Hill Field and looked around the base and ate at Popeye's chicken, that was a treat because that is the only one around here. Every night was a different place where we ate for a week. We really enjoyed having him visit us,  even though we might of bored him! While he was here we got a few things fixed around the house, we really appreciated that.  The last day that Brians dad  was here, we had a brand new stove installed ........ I am really excited about that!

Fear and Faith

There isn't much going on in our household but there is ALOT going on with me right now inside....I decided to shift things and hit on a few  things that is going on with me,  it is so nice that I can come here  to the blog and put my feelings out there. So please bare with me as I tell things in the future just as a warning.

  Click here for some lessons on faith  I came across a link that helped me so much!!

I wanted to be able to come back and read things and remember what I learned later.  The whole journey started with my blog post in January "I DID IT' and it is still continuing............

This is what I know is true and without a doubt....... the process of changing our lives is at the very foundation of  our Heavenly Fathers plan for us,  it is  changing for the better. Everything is lining up for my future outcome right now.......

Trials.......

There's no other word to describe a trial other than they suck!!

You might as well just hang on and enjoy the ride, it isn't going away.  The last couple of weeks I have had my good days and bad days.  But the worst part hasn't happened yet....that's the bad part I kinda know what is still coming and I am dreading it big time.  Only just a handful of people  know a small fraction of whats going on, but only me and my Heavenly Father knows what all the details are. I read that he wont make the trial go away but he will help you get through it,  I know this is all about testing my faith, and the worst of all things that could possibly bust me up inside is going to happen.  I have been back to driving alot lately like I used to do years ago, when I am under a lot of stress I need to drive it off.....so if I wind up clear up in California ha ha I might stop at Disneyland the rides are funner there.

General Conference Weekend

Braxton and I had the privilege of going to the afternoon session of General Conference on Saturday with my mom and dad and Tim. Every talk that was given in that session was a topic that pertained to my needs somehow on what I needed to hear.

"Desires dictate our priorities; priorities shape our choices; and choices determine our actions.  The desires we act on determine our changing, our  achieving, and our becoming."  -Dallin H. Oaks

That was a awesome message,  as well as paying a full tithing, and working on a weak testimony and faith. It was a beautiful session and it is always humbling when you  sit in the same room as the Prophet and the first presidency. I wouldnt of heard this session I am sure any other way unless I went.