Prom

So today was the day we needed to find a dress for Prom.  Hannah was asked last Friday.  Her Prom is on March 12.  We went yesterday to a shop in Logan and it was a very nice shop, but very expensive.  I wanted her to have something nice, without going bankrupt.  Well, today we went to a different shop.  These are the two dresses she liked (sorry the pictures aren't very good.  They were taken from my phone).  We decided on the blue one as it was $100 dollars less than the red one and we also found out that someone from her school had already bought the red one. 

I think she looks great in both dresses, but with someone else already having bought the red one it made it easier to get the blue one.  She is so excited to go and I think she will have alot of fun with the group she is going with.  I'll write more when the big event happens.

Service

That was the Lesson today in RS.  Our teacher was so inspired and I so needed to hear what she had to say.  She talked about 4 things that we need when serving others.

• First, we need the desire to serve others.  Without that desire, what is the purpose?
• Second, we need to have love.  We need to serve others with a Christ-like attitude and try to see them as our Heavenly Father sees them.  We need to have Love.  If you serve with love it is much more meaningful for both the server and the receiver.  (But I think it really blesses the server).
• Third, We need to heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  This will lead and guide us to who it is that is in need of our special talents.
• Fourth, DOn't waIT.  (Do It).  Don't fail to follow through on those promptings.  First, what can it hurt if it wasn't really a prompting?  And second, if it was, you will learn to become more discerning in listening to the Spirit.

I loved this lesson and hope I can become better at serving those around me.  I need to learn to listen more closely as those promptings come and then not be afraid to act upon them. 

I was so blessed to be there to hear this timely lesson that I needed.

Happenings - Celiac Disease

As many of you know I have Celiac disease.  I was diagnosed 3 years ago this month.  It has been a definite trial, though not a devastating one.  When I first was diagnosed, it seemed that there was nothing I could eat.  Everything I loved, I could no longer eat.  That was until I really started looking at what I could eat and that's where the change took place.  I started to look at the other side of the coin and concentrate on the things that I could eat.  And there are many. 

When I was sixteen, my father was diagnosed with Celiac disease.  At that time, there weren't many foods on the market that were gluten-free.  My poor mom had to try and create her own.  She did a wonderful job and really took good care of us.  My dad started a different eating regimen and he began to heal.  He was under a study at the UofU and has been since that time.  About six months ago, his doctor contacted him and asked if they could have a unit of blood.  He consented and they took his blood to study.  It seems that he is one of a handful of people that have healed themselves of the Celiac disease.  They have made several breakthroughs with his blood and hopefully it will bless the lives of many.

My dear parents in their concern for me talked with their doctor at the UofU to see if there was a way that I could benefit from my father's healing.  They talked about me having a blood transfusion of my father's blood to see if the antibodies in his blood would heal my Celiac disease.  It has been several months and meetings for this doctor, but he has gotten approval for this to happen. 

We had to make sure that I had the same blood type as my father and it had to go before the ethics committee at the University Research Department.  They have approved it and now I am just waiting for the phone call to come down.  They will have to take my blood and my father's blood and cross-type and match it and if all goes well, I can have the transfusion then and there.  We are hoping and praying that this happens soon.  I know it's a long shot, but if this can happen it would be such a miracle in my life.  I will let you know what happens when this happens.  Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer that this works. 

Realizations!

So I had a job interview this week.  I had applied for a job that was posted as a part-time position. It would be working with the state.  I was so excited and went to the interview looking very professional in a suit.  The interview went very well, and then something happened!  On my way home from the interview I found myself praying that they wouldn't call me back.  I know, I know.  Stupid thing to want, but as I drove home I contemplated what was revealed in the interview.  It really wasn't a 20-hour a week  job.  During the interview I was told that it would be 20 hours minimum, but more like 30 to 40 hours a week.

As I continued to think about all that the job entailed, I realized I really have enjoyed having me time.  I like being able to go with my friends when we want to go shopping, I like being able to go with my kids to lunch, I will love being able to go and hold my granddaughter (coming in March) when she comes,  I love being able to do what I want to do when I want to do it.

It is crazy.  For so long (most of my life) I was taught, maybe taught isn't the word.  Maybe,  instead of taught I should say, it was implied that a woman wasn't a succes unless she was a mom and a career woman and could be organized and do it all.  Well, I'm here to tell you I've finally realized that this isn't so!!  I can be a success as a wife and mother without the career!  Don't get me wrong, I love to work and I've loved some of the jobs I've worked over the years, but truly, I don't need to work to be successful.  I have 4 beautiful children and I think they've grown up to be pretty wonderful people.  I have a super husband that is willing to support me in anything I want to do.  I love being able to do things around my house that makes it a nice place to live for our family.  I feel pretty special and pretty successful thus far. 

I think I will want to continue to grow in my life with my education and I may possibly want to work at something sometime, but that is no longer the driving force in my life to feel successful.  Isn't it sad that it's taken me so many years to finally figure this out.  But I'm glad I finally have.  I want to continue to be a positive force in the community, and I can do that without having to have a career.  Maybe at sometime I'll want to work, BUT I DON'T FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO DO THIS TO BE A SUCCESS. What an Ah-ha moment!!  I can enjoy and I will enjoy life so much more knowing that I can be successful without having to do it all!  I can't tell you the peace I feel now that I've come to terms with this.  It's one of those little (although to me it's BIG) tender mercies of our Heavenly Father.  To help me come to terms with what I'm doing in my life!  I love these moments of realization and am truly grateful!!