Just Plugging Away! (Sept 25, 2011)

I haven't written for a while, but with good reasons. Life has been busy. But I have to say, I am happier right now than I have been in a very long time. I know it is because I am filling my life with the things of God. Attending the temple has helped me so much! I know I have been blessed with peace because of the time I take to serve in our beautiful Logan temple. I also have made an effort to study the scriptures for at least 30 minutes every day. It means I get up very early, but it is so worth that sacrifice! Are all my morning study sessions the most efficient? Probably not. Sometimes it is all I can do to stay awake! (0: But I am putting good habits into place and it feels great!!

I love my classes this semester. They are challenging, but so fun. Statistics has been one of the classes I love most. My teacher is amazing! When I read the material in the book, I always come away feeling so lost. Then I listen to her lectures and it is like a big lightbulb lights up in my brain. I actually understand the concept and it is fun to complete my assignments. I never thought I would say that I love statistics! But I do. I can't express my gratitude for the opportunity to learn and prepare for the future.

I am also exercising regurlarly. I love my exercise time! I can feel myself getting stronger every day. It isn't easy. There are days when I don't want to workout, but the end result is worth the time. I feel happier and more alert. My weight goal hasn't been met yet, but again, I am creating habits that will bless my life and it feels great!

Jason started his new job on Friday. I knew he would be blessed to find a job quickly. He has such amazing skills, and it didn't take long for the employers to see what an asset he would be to their company. Jason received two job offers in one day. After praying about both, he decided to tak the job at Factory Outlet, which is a manufactured home dealership. The great part of this job is that Jason has tons of experience. He worked at two different manufactured home dealerships in the past, both selling and managing them. It is something he is comfortable doing. The struggle he has now is that he wants to get out of sales and move to an IT position. He started the process last week of enrolling in Western Governor's University to pursue an IT degree. It won't be a quick process, but it is what he wants to do. I know he will do great. It is always scary to go back to school. I had so many emotions when I started back at Utah State. Jason still doubts himself. His self esteem is very low. But I know he can do it! I will try my hardest to support him.

The boys are doing great! Spencer has been blessed to find a good friend. Preston loves his teacher and has a wonderful group of friends as well. Austin is prospering at the middle school. He loves all his classes, and so far has good grades. He is in band and plays the flute, which he loves. I never thought Austin would enjoy band. I figured it would be too much practicing and sitting still for him. But I was wrong. He is doing well, and he loves it! I have been happy with his new friend group. He is friends with boys from the ward now, and good boys at that! They have good standards, and they are great kids to have around. Not that Austin's former best friend was bad. He just didn't have the same standards, and I was always worrying about what Austin was exposed to. He is still Austin's friend, but they aren't together every day like they used to be. Austin hangs around with Josh now. Josh is a great kid with super awesome parents. I am happy about that! (0:

Austin has the priesthood now. I can't tell you how proud I was of him on the first Sunday he passed the sacrament. He looked to grown up! He has loved Young Men's. On Friday they went to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. Austin was so delighted to get to go! (0: He told me how warm and happy he felt inside while he was in the temple and we had a good discussion about that. I just LOVE the temple!!! I always felt the spirit there when I was younger. I am so happy Austin was able to feel it too!

Well, I need to write more, but it is time to get ready for church. I am just so thankful for this time in my life. It is a happy time. I feel so good about myself. I love feeling the spirit every day. This is what life is all about. It isn't about gaining earthly things. It is about filling your life with the things of God. It is about coming closer and closer to Heavenly Father and His beloved son, Jesus Christ. It is about making the most of every day. It is about serving those around you. It is about attending the temple and feeling the peace in that most Holy Place. It is about teaching your children to love their Father in Heaven and rejoicing with them as they accomplish each milestone on their journey through this life.

Labor Day Weekend 2011

I feel like I am in the eye of the storm. My job started last week, as well as my classes for this semester. As I predicted, this semester is going to keep me hopping. Right from the get go, I had three assignments due. I also had lots of reading. But you know what? I feel so good about what I am accomplishing. I know I am on the road to a better life for my family, and it is going to be so worth it in the end. I love learning. I love the opportunity to improve myself. I am so excited to continue on this path. It is going to be tough, but since when have I run from a challenge? Ha ha ha! (0:

I absolutely LOVE working at the school. This year, I am in such a better place emotionally and physically that I was last year. I know what is in store for me. I am not adjusting to a new life like I was last year. I am not wound up like a tight ball of twine like I was last year. I have found the balance in my life I needed then. It is a great place to be. I feel like I have more tools in my belt to help me cope with my busy life. I can't wait to start teaching my groups. It looks like I will be in kindergarten, 4th and 5th, unless the DIBELS test scores change things. I am not expecting that to happen, but it might. I hope I do get to work with the 5th graders. They were so fun last year. It was challenging, but they are hilarious. I also hope I get to teach writing. I loved my writing groups. Writing has become something I really enjoy. I want so much to convey that to my students. It is not an easy skill to master, but they can improve if they keep practicing. Tell that to a 5th grader though! (0:

This weekend was a blast. I thought I better write about it while I actually have time. After today, my life is going to be drastically different. Every spare moment I have will be filled with studying. I know I won't get to blog much. I have to say, this weekend has been the most enjoyable one I have had in a long time. I don't know why it was so different. It just was. Perhaps it was because Dawn's husband ended up in the hospital with a bowel obstrution. We originally planned to go to Bear Lake on Saturday. But late Friday night, when Jaxon came home from work in horrible pain, our plans changed. Jaxon has Krohn's disease. It has been controlled for many years now, but for some reason, it flared up badly. When we knew he was desperately sick, facing major surgery to correct the obstruction, our family went into crisis mode. That is one of the things about my family I love most. When one of us goes down, the rest come to the rescue. We pull together like no other. This weekend was no exception. Dawn had purchased lots of food for our Bear Lake excursion, so we had plenty of lunch items. Jason and I, along with my parents and other sisters, also contributed. Needless to say, it was super easy to fix meals. We had food coming out our ears. (0: We brought all the kids to my house and let the cousins play together. They all get along so well. It is always fun for them to be together. We fixed lunch and dinner, and made sure Dawn could be at the hospital as much as possible. Dad and Jason went to the hospital in the later afternoon and gave Jaxon a blessing. We pretty much hung out and visited with one another for the rest of the day. There was such a close feeling amongst us this weekend. I always feel close to my family. But for some reason, this weekend, I felt something I haven't felt before. I was overwhelmed with feelings of love for each of my family and extended family members. I can't describe what it was. It made me so thankful and appreciative for the wonderful family I was blessed to become a part of.

Yesterday was another wonderful day for Jason and I. Our son passed the sacrament for the first time! He looked so amazing, all dressed up in his white shirt and tie. The other cool part was that he was able to pass the sacrament to us. Mom and Dad and Tammy were able to come, so he passed to them as well. I never knew I could feel so much pride! I wanted so much to tell him how proud of him I was. It was fast Sunday, and I knew I should bare my testimony. There were so many others who were sharing their testimonies, and being the chicken I was, I kept thinking to myself I would go up after so and so. Then it didn't happen. Our meeting went over and I didn't get a chance to tell Austin from the pulpit, how proud I was of him and the righteous decisions he is making in his life. I also wanted to tell my parents how grateful I am for them, and their righteous examples. Our family is strong because of them. We know how to pray. We know how to pull together. We know how to work hard and how to raise our kids to be upright and virtuous. We know these things because of what they taught to us. I wanted them to know what a good job they did. Then, I blew my opportunity. I missed my chance. The boat left without me. (0: I wanted to write that in this blog so they would know what fine parents they have been and still are.

The rest of our Sunday was spent playing games, visiting, and walking at Riverwalk. The best and most miraculous part of the day was when Jaxon was released from the hospital. The last time he had a bowl obstructiont, he was in the hospital for five days before it cleared. The doctors thought for sure he would be in for a while, and possibly still face surgery. I know the priesthood blessing made him well. He was promised he would recover without complications. And he did! He still has to be on a soft diet for a few days and rest, but it is a miracle he recovered so quickly. Priesthood blessing work! We were all so glad to have him with us instead of in a cold, hospital bed.

This morning, my wonderful parents and two sisters came with me to First Dam to walk the Bonneville Shoreline trail. For this month's pack meeting, our pack is going on a hike. The problem is, I don't know where to go. Dawn found out from a co-worker about the Shoreline trail. Her co-worker said it was a fun walk, and in an easy location for us to drive to. We only have an hour for pack meeting before mutual starts, so we need to go somewhere close. I considered Riverwalk, but many people have been there. It might be boring. We decided to scout the trail. It was just over two miles long and kind of steep in the beginning, but overall, it was wonderful! I found out there is a darling little park at First Dam, with nice covered picnic areas. We won't have time to hike the entire trail, but it will be a super fun activity for pack meeting. I was grateful they were able to come with me. I am not sure when I would have had time otherwise.

We had a huge barbecue with lots of yummy food afterwards. Then everyone headed for home. I know I have to get back to the grind soon. There is lots of be done. But what a wonderful weekend with my family! I enjoyed every minute. I am so thankful for the peace that has come into my life. I have tried so hard to live as good as I can. I make sure I study, not just read, but really study from the scriptures every morning. I have been faithful with my prayers. I attend the temple every week. I have included exercise and I am eating better than I have in a long time. I have eliminated all the temptations which side track me from where I want to be, including smutty television programs. (0: It feels so good to be good! How grateful I am for the gospel of Jesus Christ! I love knowing life has a purpose. I love knowing I am not alone and when life gets hard, I have a loving Father in Heaven and His Beloved, Son, Jesus Christ, who will be there to lift me back up and keep me moving forward.

School Begins! (0:

What a week this has been! Wow! It is Thursday and I am exhausted already! I am happy to report my children are all settled in school and doing well. Preston ended up with Mr. Holmgren this year. He is a fabulous teacher. I was in his room a little last year, and I was always impressed with how well his classroom ran. He never raised his voice. Yet his students knew what was expected of them, and they respected his rules and expectations. I wish I could command my groups like Mr. Holmgren.

Spencer has Mrs. Gish. She is going to be fabulous! This is her first year teaching, but fortunately, she substituted for Mrs. Deaton last year so Spencer already knew her. He loved her as as sub and he loves her now. The principal additionally placed Spencer in the same class as his friend, Seth. Last year was a horrible year for Spencer. He was unhappy and he didn't have any close friends. The changes in our family just about did him in. He was physically sick and emotionally distraught. The school counselor did not help at all. As soon as summer came, his stomach aches disappeared. He was happy and relaxed. The minute he knew school was starting, his stomach pains returned. He shed many tears, and I prayed my heart out this year would be better for him. The minute we walked into the classroom on Back to School Night, I knew all would be well. He had a wonderful teacher he already knew. The teacher placed him right next to Seth. Spencer came home with a ear to ear grin. So far, he is happy. He has a friend. I couldn't be happier!

Austin began middle school today. I really like the way Mount Logan handles the incoming 6th graders. They started the 7th and 8th graders yesterday, and the 6th graders stayed home. Today the 6th graders attended and the 7th and 8th graders stayed home. It gave those 6th graders a wonderful opportunity to get a feel for the school without so many others in their way. Austin did well. I was the one who was a mess! I was worried about him getting to class on time. His locker was broken when we were at orientation last night, and I worried it would not be fixed today. I worried about him finding the bus at the school to bring him home. My prayers were heard! He didn't have any problems, except at lunch. The stupid lunch line was so long, he didn't get to eat before the bell rang. Tomorrow I will send him a lunch so he won't get stuck in line like he did today. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day, other than the lunch glitch. He was blessed. He liked his classes. His locker was fixed and way better than before. He made friends and found a girl he likes. (Imagine that!) He was happy! I hope tomorrow will be as good of day for him. Lots of prayers yet to be said!

I also feel so blessed! I was online last night and discovered I was charged too much tuition for this semester. The financial aid I was planning to use for books and rent was non-existant! They charged me student fees I had never seen before and tacked on an out of state tuition charge. I was so distraught! I didn't understand why the charges were there, when they weren't previously. I didn't know how we would afford my books. They are going to cost me 500.00 this semester. That is saving money by buying used books off line. I had to buy a calculator for stats, which cost us 100.00, which we already bought (included in the $500). On top of that, our van died two times last night. Fortunately, Jason was driving because we were in the construction zone. We just spent 150.00 fixing the van a few weeks ago. Obviously, it isn't fixed yet. I was super upset about that as well. We don't have the money for expensive vehicle repairs. I am scared to drive the van for fear it will die in the middle of an intersection. It will start again, but only after sitting for a couple of minutes. The mechanic doesn't know what the problem is either. He can't get the van to duplicate the problem. With the worry over Austin's first day today, I was a wreck last night. I got up early this morning and studied and prayed for a while. After the boys went to school, I called Utah State and fixed my tuition crisis. As it was, I registered for a campus class and thus the reason for the extra charges. What a relief to find out I will receive the money for books and rent after all! Jason talked to the mechanic this morning. I don't know what we will do with the van yet, but at least we have Jason's car. It is a stick, but I am getting pretty darn good at driving it. I think we will take the van to the repair shop in the morning for an evaluation to see what we are in for. Hopefully, we can afford to fix it. I know I was blessed today. All of the things I worried about melted away. My school is okay. Austin did well. We are working on the van. I can afford my books. And tonight, I was at peace. The stressed, scared feeling totally fled my person. I knew all would be alright. Next week, the whirlwind continues. School begins. Work begins. I have to learn to manage our new morning routine, with Austin catching the bus so early. But we will survive! As I said previously, with God, all things are possible!! (0:

The Journey of Sheeka

For those of you who don't know, not long ago, while visiting Grandma Bell in Brigham City, my boys discovered a beautiful female Gopher snake crawling down the road. We captured her and brought her home. She is now a part of our little zoo. (Yes, we have a zoo. We have two dogs, two birds, two fish, one snake and three stray cats we feed!) The snake's original name was Bully, but due to our discovery that the "he" was a "she", the snake became Sheeka. Well, two weeks ago, our Sheeka shed. I was sure after she completed the shedding process, she would eat again. Thus far, she has had no appetite. I have been very concerned about her and her happiness. I decided a couple of days ago to let her crawl around the cupboard in the kitchen, in the sunshine, hoping a little freedom might perk her up. At first, it was fine. She slithered up into the window seal and in and out of the blinds. She layed in the open window, basking in the sun. It was great! Since it was successful to let her crawl then, I figured she could do that same today and be fine. How wrong I was! She discovered a little ledge at the top of window, which she happily crawled into. The ledge itself wasn't a problem. The problem was getting her out again. We were meeting my sister and her family at Riverwalk, so we had to get her off the ledge and back into her cage before departing. Well, being comfortable in her little niche, she didn't want to come out. I got this brillant idea that we could gently nudge her with a straw to get her to move. Well, she did move when we prodded her, but she discovered a hole in the window in which she quickly crawled. This particular hole was on the top right side and went all the way down the window frame. (In my defense, I did not realize the hole was present!) There was no way to access that hole except from the top right of the window or the bottom left of the window. I am not doing a good job explaining. Let me just say, we thought Skeeka was lost and gone forever in the interior wall of our house. The kids started crying. It was pandemonium! My sweet Spencer came to me, with his pure little heart, and begged me to gather everyone for a special prayer that we could get our snake out of the wall. We all knelt down and I said a quick but heartfelt prayer that if it were possible, we could find a way to retrieve our snake. In the mean time, my handyman husband went to work trying to scare her out. At first he lit matches and held them to the hole opening. That didn't work. Then he got his compressor and blew air into the hole. That made her tail come out of the hole, but she was still inside. He finally got the idea to use alcohol. He put an alcohol soaked cottong ball up to the hole and guess what?? Our snake came out of the wall!!!! It was a miracle for the Winn Family! The boys all hugged her. We made sure she was not hurt and promptly returned her to her cage. We had a wonderful discussion about how Heavenly Father answers our prayers, especially when we have great faith in Him. In this instance, it was His will our snake come out of the wall before she died and stunk up our house. (0: I know my sweet boys will remember forever the day Sheeka was rescued from possible death.

Sunday August 21

I can't believe school begins this week! It seems like yesterday the kids were starting their summer vacation. I feel both excited and nervous all at the same time. Spencer and Preston will begin on Wednesday. Austin won't start until Thursday. I can't believe I have a middle schooler this year! Of course, Ashley would be entering 8th grade, but when she was in 6th grade, she was too ill to go to school. We were homeschooling, so I didn't have to watch her make that school change. Austin is way excited to enter middle school. Last week at registration, we found all his classes, and practiced with his locker. He isn't a bit nervous. But I am!! I worry about bullies and him being tardy for class. I worry about lunch time and if he will have people to hang around with. Austin is my social kid. He hasn't ever had problems finding people to hang out with. But I still worry! Believe it or not, I am sad because I won't get my "mom" hug every day like I did last year. I taught 5th grade power hour and never fail, at the end of group, he would come find me and give me a big hug. Those hugs meant the world to me! I won't get my treasured "mom" hug with him at a different school. I don't think he would think it was cool anyway. (0: But who knows!! (0:

It is late and I am tired so I won't write a huge novel tonight. I did want to say two things about today. First of all, I did speak to the bishop about cub scouts. This morning in bishop brick meeting, Bro. Phillips mentioned to the bishop the poor turnout for pack meeting and the lack of leaders present. The bishop was already aware of most of my concerns. We talked about several solutions. I came away feeling much relieved! I don't want to give up on this calling. I really enjoy planning the activities. It makes me proud when my hard work pays off, even in the smallest ways. I think with changes in leadership our program will improve by leaps and bounds. I will continue to pray we will be guided to those who will help us make our cub program more successful.

Sacrament meeting was awesome today! The last speaker was Bro. Maughn, who is the high counselor over our ward. He talk centered around fasting and how important fasting is in our lives. I have a testimony of fasting. Many years ago, when I was at college, I had a young man who was pursing me very diligently. He had me convinced God wanted us to be together. He told me on more than one occasion, he was prompted by the spirit that I was to be his wife. At first I resisted him. But over time, I came to believe he was the one for me. He never asked me to marry him. It was more like an unspoken agreement between us. There was no ring. Nothing like that. But we talked about marriage, where we wanted to live, when we wanted to be married, etc. Another huge problem with this boy was that he had previously dated my sister. She really cared about him. Then he decided he liked me. My sister and I were roomates at the time, and there was not good feelings between us. I was too stupid and naive to realize what a mess I was creating. (Jason had not yet left on his mission.) My parents knew I was in trouble. They knew this boy was driving a wedge between my sister and myself. They felt he wasn't the right person for me. They decided to have an extended family fast to help me in this decision. My dad drove all the way to Rexburg to get me for the weekend so I would be away from Mark as I prayed and pondered. It was on Sunday night, while I was in my room praying, that I finally saw the situation for what it was. I knew I was not to marry Mark! Heavenly Father had other plans for me and for my life. I started bawling!! In the mean time, my dear sweet Jason came over and took me to the park in Paul. We talked for almost three hours! In that time, I knew how much I loved Jason! I wanted him to leave in his mission knowing how much I cared and how much I supported him. He forgave me completely. I had to go back to Rexburg and tell Mark he needed to do some more praying because his revelations were not correct. It was embarassing and I felt awful!!! The point of all this is that I did not ruin my life because of the family fast my parents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings held in my behalf. I know fasting works, and I feel that is a huge answer to our situation. Jason and I need to fast. We need to fast for guidance. We need to fast so the path for us will become clear. Fasting is hard. I don't like to fast often because I have blood sugar problems and I get sick and dizzy when I go without food for too long. But I know we need those blessings! Especially right now when so much is up in the air. I truly felt Bro. Maughn's talk was an answer to my prayers.

Thursday August 18, 2011

I picked blue tonight because I am feeling in a blue mood! Today was just a poopy day! Jason lost his job. We knew it was coming. In all honesty, it is good he is leaving Verizon. They are not a good company to work for. They have no loyalty at all. They are firing their top seller tomorrow because of some comments he made many months ago. He wasn't even warned before hand. They were going to blind side him. I am thankful Jason at least had warning. The good part about this situation is that he already has a job offer. Idaho Watersports offered him his pick of three different postions. He loves those wonderful people there. I know Jason wants to work for them again. It would mean we have to move to Burley. We are not sure Burley is where we should go next. We are finally loving Logan. It has taken some time to get used to life here, but now I really enjoy it. I got my school job back. The kids are adjusting well. They struggled at first, which is to be expected when their lives turn upside down. But overall, they are happy. I love living right next to a temple. I get to attend every week, and that has blessed my life immensely! I am right next to Utah State, so going on to graduate school would be easy. I could finish my bachelor's degree in Burley via Logan Distance Education, but getting my master's degree would be difficult. ISU does have a school counseling program, but I don't know how I would live in Burley and go to school in Pocatello. I hate to uproot the boys. Austin is so excited for Middle School. We have his schedule all worked out. He has lots of friends. Spencer doesn't want to move. They all said they love our home here. Burley is appealing to me in other ways. I love the small town atmosphere. Jason and I both grew up there, so it feels like home. We love the size of the schools and the people. I would be close to my parents again. I just don't know what we will do!! My head hurts thinking about it!

I am also very down because once again I had a poopy pack meeting. Only one leader showed up. The others didn't even bother to let me know they weren't coming. They didn't make the assignments I asked them too. They didn't call and remind their boys like I asked them too. I had additionally asked them to advise me on our hike next month. I am new to this area, and I don't know where to take scouts on a hike. Only one leader responded to my email. I have no idea who to ask about the hike. I want our hike to be fun, but without guidance, it won't be. I was also bummed because we only had four boys. I worked very hard planning and preparing, and then had a horrible turnout. I will say, the water games we played went well with the boys who did come. They had a great time. It is so hard to shake that feeling of being unimportant. I was unimportant to the fire department when I asked them to speak. I am obviously unimportant to the den leaders. They don't care to help. My children have been unimportant to them as well. Austin has only been to a handful of scout meetings since we moved here. No one cares if he comes. They don't call. They don't reach out to him. In the past two months, they have tried a little bit, but it was a half hearted effort. Spencer hasn't been to a bear meeting yet this summer. No one cares if he isn't there. His leaders never call to check on him. They don't even call to tell him when the meetings are. I am the cubmaster. I should know, but they don't communicate with me either. Preston turned 8 in May. Do you think the Wolf leader cares? Nope. Not at all. He hasn't said a word about den meetings. Again, I should know when the den meetings are, but they don't tell me. Just plain frustrating!!!! I love the people in this ward. I know the den leaders. They are wonderful, but not with me. I am going to talk to the bishop on Sunday about my frustrations. I need some help figuring out a solution without offending anyone. I cannot carry pack meetings on my own. Once school begins, and I start work, I won't have time. I need help. The ironic thing about this month was our theme: cooperation. When a pack works together, things go well. Cubs are successful. When one person carries the pack, things don't go well. Meetings fail. Cubs can't reach their full potential. I want this pack to be as good as it can be. There has to be a way for us to bring cooperation and unity back. I need help to find that way.

I am happy that I get my job back. I loved working at the school last year. I know this semester is going to be tough. I want to keep my good habits going, like weekly temple attendance, scripture study, and exercising. It is going to be tough to find that balance. I think I will be so much happier if I do. I know I will be happier. The exercising has become a life line for me. I feel so good when I finish a nice, hard workout. I feel the stress leave my body. I like the feeling of being strong. The other night, when Austin and I tackled the swamp grass in our back yard, I was pretty darn proud of myself. We mowed that tall grass for almost two hours. The mower kept clogging. Austin ended up weed wacking while I mowed behind him. It was hard, grueling work, but we did it! I didn't get that tired. I wasn't even sore the next day from all the bending over and lifting. I know it is because of the hard workouts I do lately. I feel my body getting stronger. I still get dizzy, but I adjust.

Well, it is time to read scriptures with my boys. I know life isn't easy. It isn't meant to be. But oh I hope we can survive the next few months. It is going to be tough!!!!

*I have to add Jason came to my rescue tonight. I was feeling pretty low after pack meeting. We went for a walk up Center Street and around the temple. It felt so good to get out and walk and talk together. I am going to go to the temple in the morning. I know it will help me more than anything else at this point.

Ashley's Special Blanket

I didn't get a chance to write about the special gift from my sister. As many of you know, Ashley's 14th birthday was July 19. I blogged about that day previously. Not long after Ashley's birthday, my sister Tammy sent me a card in the mail. It was signed by all of my family, including cousins, aunts, and grandparents. They each related their love of our Ashley, and what she meant to them. It was so touching to me! At the same time, my sister included a picture of a blanket she had created. It was a special picture blanket, with various pictures of Ashley. (I will include pictures for all to see). When I saw the blanket, I cried! It is a beautiful tribute to our angel. Also included with the blanket was a special figurine of a little blond haired fairy. My sister has a talent of finding the most darling little things which remind me of my Ashley. I loved the little fairy as well! Words cannot express how grateful I was for my sister's thoughfulness.

I also wanted to post pictures of two wreaths I created on Memorial Day. We were not able to travel to Burley to decorate Ashley's grave. As such, I decided to create something to honor her here in Logan. I have to say, not being a crafty person, I think I did a pretty good job. (0: I do want to thank everyone for their love and prayers and kind words as we once again faced Ashley's birthday. It was a hard day, but with so many wonderful people behind us, I survived! (0: Enjoy the pictures!