Anything but Even

Keys to Happiness

2010-09-09T09:39:00.000-07:00

On the radio yesterday the talk show host was asking the question...

"If you could go back and give your 15 year old SELF advice, NOW, knowing what you know, what would you tell him or her?"

I have thought a lot about this question. We try to tell our children what we have learned through our life's lesson, but do they listen? Most of them, at least mine, have to experience it on their own, and by all rights should. But how much heartache and pain might be avoided if we and they would listen to our parents and the wisdom that comes with age.

So I pose this question to any blog readers that might stumble upon my blog and read it. I would be interested to hear what you would tell yourself, if you had the opportunity to give yourself advice. Don't be afraid, leave your thoughts. I hope to learn from you. In advance I thank you for sharing.

Early morning riser

2010-09-04T15:37:00.001-07:00

I love the morning. It is quiet, cooler than the rest of the day, and so peaceful. I have been getting up, occasionally, and going to a 5:15 am class at the gym and in doing so have witnesses some pretty amazing sunrises. I thought I would share. Here is just one good reason to be an early riser......

Behold:

I'm thinking that 2 of these pictures might be sunset shots, but still beautiful! I am so grateful for the beauties of the earth and ALL that Heavenly Father tickles our senses with.

A Moment in Time

2010-08-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

True friends.....now that is a treasure. Jeff and I recently had visitors from Florida, long time, treasured friends that don't come around too often in a persons life. We love this family.......and just as important, our kids love them too.

You see the story is long and short. Jack, Deanne and I all grew up in the same stake. Jack and I, in the same ward; we "hung out" together, we went on our missions together (at the same time), we came home together, we got married about the same time. It would seem that our lives moved in tandem.

After Jack and Deanne were married, Jack's job eventually took them out of state. They have lived in several different places, ending up in Orlando, Florida. Our kids haven't grown up together, in fact, have hardly even seen each other. Yet when we get together, it's like old times. There is a chemistry between our families that is hard to explain. We fit!!

We were so happy that they were able to make Grantsville a stop on their Utah vacation. Here are pictures of us as they were preparing to leave this morning.

It was a windy morning....what else would we expect in Grantsville?

"A good friend is hard to find, hard to lose, and impossible to forget..."

Abi's home

2010-07-26T11:25:00.000-07:00

Ok, so here is another late post.

This story begins on June 9th, at 7:00 am. Jeff and I flew from Salt Lake to Minneapolis to Cleveland, Ohio in preparations to pick Abi up at the conclusion of her mission. We were so excited. We arrived in Cleveland around 4:30pm and had to wait until 8:30 the NEXT morning before getting to see her.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I will let the pictures do the talking.......

On our way to pick her up

I'm getting excited!

Dad gets first greetings!

Then me!!!!!

Different from how my mission was, Abi's mission home is the same as her Mission President's home, so we were blessed to be able to have a short visit with President and Sister Sorenson and hear wonderful things said about Abi. As my sister says, this was definitely a "parental paycheck day". Truly grateful for the blessings that Heavenly Father has blessed me with and allowed me to enjoy. We didn't stay too long, after some wise council from her Mission President, we were off....to see Ohio and the people that Abi loves so much.

First stop.....KIRTLAND.

The Temple

Newell K. Whitney Store

"School of the Prophets" & other Historic sights

the Erie Canal

Downtown Cleveland

The Columbus Temple with Brother and Sister Houghton and Sister Titera

We met many wonderful people that Abi had the chance to teach and testify of Jesus Christ to. They love her and she certainly loves them. It was a wonderful experience.

The finals days of our trip tomorrow.

The best weekend ever!

2010-05-10T10:12:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday was May 8th, my 50th birthday! I decided that to celebrate and honor my mom I would walk in Salt Lake City's "Race for a Cure". It was one of the neatest experiences I have had the privilege of participating in in a very long time. Thank you to Emalee for covering the store for me so that I could do this with many loved family members. Our "group" was walking in remembrance of Lona Topham, Kerstin's daughters mother who passed away from breast cancer, but I wanted to walk in honor of my mom as well.

Thank you Kerstin for planting the idea and giving me the motivation to act!

I was lucky, my "big" sister came from Idaho to help celebrate my surprise birthday party (more on that later), and because she came, she and I were able walk together in honor of mom. She reminded me of my mom's own battle with breast cancer, a story that I had forgotten about. My mom was incredible! A woman that I took for granted and didn't learn to appreciate until after her passing. She was amazing! She was a strong woman! You see my mom was in her early 30's when she went in for a gall bladder operation. After mom had been "knocked out" and during the preparations for her surgery the "nurse" found a lump on mom's breast, they determined that it was serious enough that something needed to be done immediately, and my dad was asked to sign papers giving permission for the doctors to "investigate" the lump and do whatever would be necessary. To keep the story short, mom went in for gall bladder surgery and came out without a breast. She had been given mastectomy. It was hard for her to accept and deal with. Can you imagine?

Mom recovered from her breast cancer; but she suffered with cancer for most of her life. She had ovarian cancer, breast cancer and eventually died from lung cancer. During one of her lung cancer surgeries, the doctors found dead tumors adhered to her chest cavity that had died many years earlier because of the cobalt treatments she had to have to kill the cancer. Had my dad not signed those papers, I would have lost my mom much sooner than 1985. He helped prolong her life and we were blessed to have her for many more years.

(I started this post a long time ago. Thought that I finally ought to post it.... I guess the story of the birthday will just have to wait.)

Trying to change

2010-04-01T09:48:00.000-07:00

It has been a long time since my last post. I have wanted to put a new post up for so long, but of what? My days seem boring and mundane!

Well I finally thought of something that I want to share......

It is really hard to be IN shape when for so many years you have allowed yourself to be OUT of shape.

I have been going to Gold's Gym now for 13 1/2 months, 5 days a week, and yet I see no visible signs of improvement. Yes, I can see some toning, and strengthening, but where I want to see improvement (on the scale), nothing is happening. Hopefully until NOW.......

I am putting this up on my blog to enlist ALL of your help. The experts in the health and fitness industry say that for my height and bone structure I should weigh about 145lbs. I haven't weighed that since I was in Jr. High. I don't want to be that tiny, but I would love to shed 40-50 pounds. In an obsession of this quest, I even thought about going to the auditions in Salt Lake a week or so ago for the show, "The Biggest Loser", but chickened out. (Maybe I'm not that big).

Recently a good friend told me about a web site that helped her SIL loose some weight. The website counts my calories, all I have to do is set my desired caloric intake, plug in what I ate and what I do for exercise, and the computer does the rest. Maybe this is just too easy, but I think that I can do this. Nothing complicated about it. No counting pts, reading labels, or figuring required. If I want to loose weight all I have to do is be honest and plug in the information and stay below the allowed calorie intake. I then will be told if I am eating too much, or the wrong things.

I don't know if I should be sharing so much information about my deepest struggle, am I setting myself up for disappointment by telling you all this? I feel good, I feel healthy, but I know that I need to loose some weight. I weighed myself this morning and I am down 2 pounds this week using this program. I am excited and so far I love it.

Many of you might be wondering what it is.......Well I got to it through livestrong.com/myplate. I hope to be able to report good things and share with others my experiences in this healthy eating journey. Old habits die hard, but this one needs to die!

Building nightmare!!!

2010-02-17T16:24:00.001-08:00

this is a building that is currently (has been for the past 3 years) being built in Las Vegas, right across the street from the Retail Furniture Market buildings. It houses a brain institute. I think the architect might need his brain look at. What do you think? Pretty crazy huh?

26th Anniversary & Las Vegas

2010-02-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

You all have such cute and cleaver posts that I am feeling inadequate! So to update what we have done in the last month.

Feb. 1st:

Jeff and I celebrated our 26th wedding anniversary. I was going to put up an old wedding photo, but haven't looked for my wedding album, hence, no old picture.

To celebrate Jeff and I went to Las Vegas a day ahead of our scheduled trip there for furniture market. We were able to go see Lance Burton, a magician for free.!!! (Thanks Steve and Emily!!!!) He was pretty amazing, even made a car disappear and levitate.

We shopped until we about dropped. You would never believe that there are that many different manufacturer's/distributors of furniture.

The best part of this annual trip is being with family. My nephew, Steve and his family live in Vegas and my dad and his wife always meet us there. Here are a few pictures of our adventures.

Emily, Easton and Steve

My Dad and Nita

We took Easton up to Grandpa's room to see the lights of Las Vegas and this is all of us in an elevator, obviously trying to take a picture and I had the camera and short arms, hence I am in front. I know, I look really scary! Too bad Grandpa got cut out of the picture.

Thanks for your help, Grandpa from Arizona. That's how Easton was able to relate to my dad. You see, he has Grandparents in both Oregon and Idaho too. It was really cute to watch him try and understand it all.

He grew up to be a cowboy!

2010-01-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to actually have something to blog about and that I get to put up a new post. Saturday night, Jeff, my MIL, and I all went to Ogden to watch Ethan ride in his most recent Rodeo. It was the Rocky Mountain Professional Rodeo Associations (RMPRA) Winter Series rodeo. It was a 2 night event, each night had 7-8 different bareback riders. Ethan was "up" on Saturday night's performance, 85 was the leading score from Friday.

So here is a little rodeo judging information:

There are 2 arena judges, each judge has a total of 50 pts to award. The horse can get a max. of 25 pts, and the cowboy gets 25 pts. The judges are on opposite sides of the arena, watching how the cowboy spurs the horse, moves his legs and maintains control of his body; and also watching how well the horse bucks. Lots to watch! Well Ethan scored a 42 on each side, that's a score of 84! Pretty good, and because of that score, won first place in his performance and 2nd place overall. It proved to be a nice payday for him.

Here is a video of his ride, see what you think.

Watch the horse's timing, he actually kicks Ethan's hat.

1987

2009-12-14T11:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday, Abi!!!!

Here I am, a day or so late again. Today I want to celebrate Abi's birth. Abi was born 22 years ago, December 11, 1987 at 2:36pm at Cottonwood Hospital. She weighed in at 8lbs 12oz was 20 1/2" long and had brown hair, not a lot but some. Abi's actual due date was Christmas Day and since I had the pleasure of having all my children C-section, I was able to move her due date as far away from Christmas as possible. They would only take her 2 weeks early, so I always know that on her birthday, there are 2 more weeks until Santa arrives.
Grandma Hickok, Abi and mom

It didn't take long for us to realize what a special little girl this gal was. Abi has been a joy since the first day we had her. She slept through the night pretty much right from the start. She has been a peacemaker in our family and an example for all of us to look up to. It is so hard for me to believe that she has grown up so quickly. I am so proud of her.

Abi is currently serving a mission in Cleveland, Ohio. She is privileged enough to have the Kirtland Temple in her mission. She loves that she gets to go to and be in places where the Lord himself has been.

She is our adventurous child. An example of this....once when she was about 11 or so, we went to Virg's here in Tooele County for dinner one night. On the table was a bottle of Tabasco sauce, she asked her dad what it was. After explaining what it is he then offered her $5.00 if she would "eat" a spoonful of it. Mustering the courage she needed, she did so. Pretty soon her eyes started to water, her mouth started to burn and she was "dying". Successfully, after a few hours, she was able to enjoy her well earned $5.00. Abi has also shown this adventurous spirit by attending school in several different environments. She started at BYU-I, transferred to BYU-H, and then went to BYU- Jerusalem all before venturing off to Ohio for her mission.

She is a wonderful daughter! A valiant and obedient servant of the Lord. She loves life and finds happiness in all that she does. Her goal is to be "wheeled" in to the chapel for her "homecoming" through the funeral doors, because she has exhausted herself in the service of others.

The blessings of service and a very good man.

2009-12-07T14:07:00.000-08:00

No pictures with this post, just thoughts....

Last Friday, December 5th, the High Council of the Grantsville Utah Stake had a dinner and caroling activity. Jeff was assigned to bring a main dish, and after much deliberation we decided to take a Korean dish of marinated meat called: Pulgogi. It is delicious and since we haven't made any for a long time I was really looking forward to the feast. However we had a small scheduling conflict that night and so I ran to Salt Lake for Stephanie Clayton's wedding reception and then went to the activity late. I had told Jeff to save me some meat since my taste buds had been salavating all day long. He thought there would be no need, we brought enough, or so he thought. Luckily for me Bro. Casey Killian, also a RM from Korea had the same idea as me. He brought pulgogi but even better than that is he brought some cucumber kimchi to go with it. Now that was heaven! So I was able to enjoy the Korean feast made that much better by the fact that there was kimchi and seaweed to eat too. I can't even tell you how yummy it was and how many memories flooded my memory bank from days spent in the mission field. It was all so good.

We then went caroling to some of the members of the stake who are either suffering from age, health, or loneliness. May I share with you two experiences from this night of joy?!?! We had gone to a home of an older widow who lost her husband earlier this year, but unknown to us she had moved. Well when 10 cars all pull up in front of your home, one might open the door to inquire what was going on. This poor unsuspecting new resident was thrilled to have us sing to her. From what I understand, she isn't a member of the church and has no interest in any part of it, but was accepting and even eager to share the Christmas Spirit with us and all of her family. She called all of them to come out on the porch and listen to us. It was a great time and hopefully a true opportunity to become "brothers and sisters in Christ".

My second story is approached with tenderness and meekness as there are feelings very close to the surface for those directly involved. We had the privileged and opportunity to go to the home of Robin and Annette Baird. As those of you close to the Grantsville community know, Robin is battling cancer and his fight seems to be getting harder to win.

I just wanted to honor this man. Ever since I have known him, he has been involved with girl's softball. Teaching many young girls the skills necessary to play the game well and to "compete" in life. Skills that coaches so generously teach by sacrificing their time. He was always so supportive of my daughters while they were playing softball even though he never actually coached either of them. But Robin did more than just influence girl's in softball, he was an entrepreneur, he was friendly, and showed his friendship to all. An example of this....He would wave to me as he would pass by while I was out walking and he was driving by early in the mornings on his way to work. Always with a friendly wave and smile.

I am privileged to call him friend, even though I am no more than an acquaintance from the community. As he fights this final fight, I hope his family may be comforted with an understanding of God's love for each of them. I have no words of comfort to offer, just an appreciation for a life well lived, for a heart that has been deeply touched. Thank you Robin, you have made an impact on my family and a community that will not soon forget what you have done. God bless you and your family.

1989

2009-11-23T09:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a week late on this post. Ethan turned 20 last Monday, November 16th. It is really hard to believe that he is no longer a teenager and that he is growing/grown up. Ethan was my biggest baby, weighing in at 10lbs 4oz. He was born is Wailuku, Maui, Hawaii.

These are the only pictures of him he would let me take. I can't find his baby book since we moved 2 years ago. It's still packed up somewhere in the shop. I guess I ought to finally unpack things. Anyway....enjoy.

Ethan in a very tender, caring young man. He loves his mom and puts up with her antics and sillyness. Our favorite conversation is: me, "Love you", him, "Love you more", me, "Love you most", him, "love you mostest" etc, etc,. Yes, we know those aren't real words, but we love to try to out do the other person in expressing our love for each other. Thanks E, you know I love that about you.
He loves having his back rubbed or fingers run through his hair. (He is just like a cat when you touch his head. He will move it around and almost purr while his head is rubbed.) hehe!
Ethan has a great love for family. His best friends are his cousins and sisters. He admires his "older" cousins and enjoys hanging out with them, their wives and their kids. He is a very hard worker. Cannot sit still for 15 min. He loves construction and working with his hands, but his first love is horses. He still enjoys trying to let a horse buck him off during a rodeo. Ethan has high hopes of one day being in the NFR as a Bareback contestant, but for now, he is riding in every possible rodeo he can enter and living his dream to the fullest. Ethan is faithful in his attendance at church and in his priesthood duties. He's a teenager/young adult that doesn't really enjoy sitting through church, but knows that is where he is suppose to be, so that is where he is. Ethan is a joy and a blessing to our family. He is a good son!

Princesses

2009-11-20T09:47:00.000-08:00

When our neighbors moved in a few years back, their oldest daughter was about 1 and her and Abi hit it off. Abi gave her the title of Princess Kaiya. Well Kaiya is now almost 4, and with Disney's Princess on Ice in town, it just seemed logical for us to go. Emalee, Kaiya, her little sister, Mekenna, her mom Michelle and I all went for a "ladies" night out. It was soooooo much fun....here are some pictures of our adventure

As you can see from the distant pictures, we needed a better camera or closer seats, but since we bought the tickets just a few days prior to going, seats selection was limited. We had so much fun. Mekenna was jabbering away during most of the first half. By the second half she was winding down and ready for some sleep. Kaiya loved seeing all the princesses. She kept asking where was Cinderella. I don't think that she was disappointed at the end. We took 137 pictures!! Enjoy
Let's see, we saw Snow White, Mulan, Ariel, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Jasmine and Belle.

1985

2009-11-10T16:31:00.000-08:00

I'm a day late with this BIRTHDAY post. It is hard to believe that my 1st born turned 24 years old yesterday. I am in awe of the fine young man that he is.

Here is the story of him entering the world. I found out that I was pregnant in March of 1985. I was given a due date of Oct. 25th. As the months went by, I slowly developed a very large belly. The doctors were concerned about my size and the possible size of the baby, (This is back in the day when ultrasounds weren't as common as they are now)so they thought that they better find out how big this little guy was. Well, after they did the ultrasound they moved my due date up to September 26th, a whole month. I knew that there was no way that I was that off with the date of my last period, but figuring that the doctors knew better, we went with that. I began going to my doctors appointments on a weekly basis the first of September and by the time I had gone 8 weeks, every week to see the doctor, with no progress we knew something was up. I had to go to the hospital several times to have non-stress test done to make sure that the baby wasn't in any stress. Winston stopped moving around and after we passed our original due date of October 25th, we asked the Doctor when we should start to worry. Mind you, I have not dialated or thinned at all. No progress what so ever! The doctor says that usually at about 2 weeks past the due date they begin to get concerned about the placenta functioning effectively. We told the doctor that we were at 2 weeks, he said see you in the morning. We left the doctors office, went straight to the hospital for blood draws, knowing that I was going to have to deliver c-section. All went well.

I forgot to add that just before they pulled Winston out, he pooped, swallowed it and was in Intensive Care for a day and a half. Scary but like I said all was well.

Winston Grant McNeill
9lbs 14oz
(born sometime in the morning, can't remember the exact time.)
head circumference 47" (too big to fit through the birth canal.)

My beautiful baby has grown to be a handsome man. Winston works with his dad, understands the construction business, wants to go to school to be an accountant, loves to dance, sing, & play WOW. He is working to be able to put himself through school.

CLEVELAND ROCKS

2009-11-06T09:35:00.000-08:00

While I was at the Salt Lake Temple last night, Mardee said that she had been told about my blog and went to see what I had to update about Abi. Well when she told me this story, I thought that I had better put something up about my darling missionary.
Abi feels truly blessed to be able to have the Kirtland Temple in her area. It is truly sacred ground. A fantastic missionary tool to help investigators feel the Spirit as they are taught the truths of the restoration.

Abi is currently serving in the North Olmsted Area, Cleveland Zone. She has been out 10 months, has been in 3 areas and has had only 1 companion for 2 transfers. She was a trainer after just 6 months out. She is currently living with the Stake President, President Titera and his wife. A funny thing about this.....It's a small world!!!!! Sister Titera's sister and BIL live in the 11th ward of the Grantsville Utah Stake. Abi and Sister Romney are serving in the same ward that the Mission President and Stake President attend. PRESSURE.

This is Abi with her 1st Mission President and Sister Peterson. They are from Salt Lake. Abi changed Mission President's in July. She now serves under President and Sister Sorenson.

Some of Abi's most recent thoughts....

"Our teaching pool is REALLY small, in fact we have no progressing investigators. (This letter was written just after her transfer to a new area). This area has so much potential and I'm thrilled with the trust Heavenly Father has placed in me to help build it up. I decided at the beginning of my mission that I just wanted Heavenly Father to trust me with whatever He needed done. Every area I've served in I've come in with no investigators and a lot of tracting before me.....then as I've left I've usually left behind a couple of baptisms or baptismal dates or a large teaching pool. I do not boast of myself, but I glory in Jesus. I'm grateful for these blessings. I guess it just goes back to the rule of leaving things better than you found them. These people aren't mine, they are Heavenly Father's children. I do my best to trust in Him and that He will tell me what to do with them."

Abi has had her share of mishaps and accidents. She has been in 2 car wrecks, neither were the missionaries fault. She has fallen down and scraped her leg several times. She has had birds poop on her head and been caught outside in several down pours. She is loving her missionary experiences.

Hope you have enjoyed getting caught up on what our darling daughter is up to. She loves being called as a special witness of Jesus Christ, and testifying to the world, or the Cleveland community, that Jesus is the Christ and that happiness comes through Him.

Change in callings

2009-10-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to let you all know what is happening in my life. After nearly 3 years, I was recently released as the 16-17 year old Sunday School teacher. I am going to miss this calling. I want my students to know how grateful I am for their testimonies of the Savior and for the examples they set for me and others. You guys and gals are awesome!!!! It has been a pleasure to learn more about the Gospel together with all of you.

So along with the release I received a new calling. I am now going to be a Relief Society teacher. Errrrrhhh, I have NEVER taught adults. I am scared to death but excited all at the same time. Wish me luck......

Beware

2009-10-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

I went to the doctor yesterday, I have been coughing so much lately that the kids watched the store for me and I visited the doc's office. Well, I knew it, I have..........
BRONCHITIS

Yuck, stay away, beware, and WASH YOUR HANDS. Sorry if I infected anybody!

I am trying to be careful, staying away when it is possible. I need to get better soon, I want to go to the gym.

THE RESULTS OF 1 RIGHTEOUS DECISION

2009-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

What are the results of a decision?

Jeff and I had the opportunity this past weekend to witness first hand the fruition of a righteous decision made many, many years earlier.

My older sister had 1 granddaughter baptized and 2 granddaughters blessed this weekend by their fathers, quite possibly because of a decision she made as a young girl in California.

You see, when I was very young we lived in Walnut Creek, CA. My parents were not active in the church but we had a faithful home teacher that came and visited monthly. As my sister reached Young Women's age, this faithful Home teacher invited her to church. Going so far as to assist her in getting to the meetinghouse. Well that faithful man, where ever he may be, probably will never know the results of his faithful service, but partially, because of him a little girl in Idaho became one of the newest members of the church this weekend, and 2 beautiful babies became recipients of a fathers blessing as they start their mortal lives.

(Lani, I hope I got the story right)

We all make decisions every day. Most of the time without even a thought of what the consequences may be. Generations far beyond our view will be the recipient of some of those choices. I am grateful for the promptings of the Spirit which help me to make the best decisions in my life.

Thanks family for the awesome weekend. I loved every single minute of it. Not to have to worry about the store, Thank you kids!!!! Visiting with wonderful family members that I don't get to see very often. Thanks Lani & Dave

This is for GIO!

2009-10-12T08:54:00.000-07:00

This is how close we were to the Prophet and ALL the General Authorities!

I know that this post is late, but I have been trying to get pictures to post from my card onto my computer and have been having all kinds of problems, but since it seems to be working I will update my boring blog.

This blog entry is for Gio; Abi's awesome friend from Ohio who was planning on coming to Utah for conference, and then was unable to make it. So Gio.......Not to make you feel bad for missing it, but to share the experience with you here are some pictures.

I don't know why I looked so scared in this picture.....lol

Anyway, we were blessed to have very close seats so that we were literally sitting at the feet of the Prophets. A nice story, we had 2 extra seats, because Gio couldn't make it out. Not wanting them to go to waste, we gave them to a gentleman who asking for tickets as we were walking towards the conference center. After we had taken our seats, this man came over to us, asked us if we were the ones who had given him the tickets. When we told him yes, he then told us this story. His 14 yr old son had just received his patriarchal blessing, and in it it told him that he would sit at the feet of the Prophets to be instructed in the ways of the Lord. And there he was, a prophecy fulfilled.

One of my favorite talks given was by Bishop H. Burke Peterson. He spoke about the "ity" virtues. Virtues in today's society that might be missing, virtues like, RESPONSIBILITY, HUMILITY, MORALITY, CIVILITY, HONESTY, FIDELITY, GENEROSITY, SPIRITUALITY, CREDIBILITY, ACCOUNTABILITY, CHARITY, INTEGRITY were just some of the ITY virtues that he spoke about. He said that Integrity is the mother of all virtues. That if Integrity is lost, all the rest of the virtues are impossible to keep. I am grateful for the reminder from living latter day Prophets, who are inspired to give a sermon on things designed to help make us better individuals.

Then to sit at the feet of a Prophet of God. To hear President Monson speak about Service. "What have I done for someone else today?" That if I look outside of myself and my life, and my troubles, there will be ways to serve somebody every single day!!! What an awesome thought. I can be of service, I might just make a difference in someone else's life.

Other various thoughts from conference......

"Do I find myself int he thick or thin of things? Am I focused on what really matters?"

"There are no monthly service fees with communication to Heaven."

"Using the safety equipment provided to us is a choice. One we must choose to enjoy."

"Resist all distractions that would remove us from the iron rod"

"We obey, not by force but by desire"

I am grateful to be a member of the Living church. To have a Living Prophet of God, who teaches and guides us to be better than we were yesterday, IF we choose to follow him. I know that these things are true, Gio. I know that true happiness in found in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Oh Mommy.......How are MY prayers answered?

2009-08-27T10:46:00.000-07:00

I labeled this post with the question that has plagued my life. All too often I want the thunderbolt and lightning to come down from Heaven to answer my prayers and give me the needed information to fix the crisis that is currently plaguing my life. But unfortunately for me I never get the LOUD, NOISY answers. Those answers usually come with the still small voice, that I still haven't learned how to listen to. Then I have to decipher what the Lord wants me to hear and act with faith upon what I THINK I am being told.

For example, I have a particular concern that consumes my thoughts right now. It keeps me from getting a good nights sleep, as I toss and turn and wake up several times a night pondering it. I have been praying fervently for an answer, or more specifically, guidance. This has been going on for a few months now, with no real answer, other than to "trust the Lord". As long as I put the Lord first in my life, ALL things will work out. So that is what I have been trying to do. Going on with life, TRUSTING that Heavenly Father will make His will known to me at the appropriate time.

So here is the dilemma, this morning out of a deep sleep at 4:45am I wake up with the clear memory of a dream that I had just had. The dream was specifically about what has me concerned, but this answer isn't the answer that I had hoped would come. So is this my personal revelation and an answer to my prayers? or is it my own conscience and fear causing me to dream of the exact thing I don't want to happen?

Since my mom passed away 13 1/2 years ago, I can't really ask her, but I long for her words of wisdom and love. I have always trusted my mom, and I miss her unconditional love and support. I miss feeling her loving arms around me, comforting me and making "everything" alright. With those thoughts in mind, I ask again........ Mommy, how are MY prayers answered? Why am I so confused?

Thanks for letting me vent and express my greatest concerns. I love all of you who participate with me in my blog. I treasure your example, your wisdom, your love, and your testimony in our Savior. Thank you for you examples!

The people who take care of me....

2009-08-12T10:03:00.000-07:00

So much to catch up on.....

Surgery went really well. My leg has healed quickly, I have been released by the doctor after just 3 1/2 weeks. I have been cleared to head back to the gym for physical therapy and exercise. Slow, consistent progress is the key. I have to send a huge shout out to my awesome sister. She flew down from Idaho and took care of me during and after my surgery. I have to tell you she went above and beyond. I invited her down to help me and she totally cleaned my house while I laid around in bed catching up on......Good Day Utah, The View, and the food network. Thanks Lani, so much for your sacrifice and love! Your an awesome big sister and I love you!

Jeff recently celebrated his birthday. Since he was out of town for the actual day, we celebrated by going to Saltimbanco at the E Center. It was so much fun. I am so grateful for Jeff and all that he does to support and take care of our family. He works long hours, goes wherever the work is and has practically had to give up his passion, riding his horses, in order to take care of us. I love him and appreciate all that he has done to bless our lives. Thanks honey, you're the best!!!!

P.S. I have tried several times to add the pictures to make this post more interesting. They won't download to my blog, even though the computer is telling me that they have. I hate computers, only because I don't understand them!

Mom's Surgery!!

2009-07-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hi all! This is Emalee posting on my mom's blog to tell you all briefly that her surgery today went great!! They only had to do a partial knee replacement. She is going to be in the hospital for at least tonight and could come home tomorrow at the earliest!! We will keep you informed on how the recovery part goes!!! I am sure that she wouldn't mind a few visitors!! ;)

DAD

2009-06-22T10:23:00.000-07:00

I am very grateful for my dad!!!! I wish I had more pictures of the rest of the dad's that I am thankful for. For my FIL, my stepdad, and of course the Father of my children, Jeff. Happy Father's day to all of you! You rock my world!

Also, my dad recently celebrated his 77th birthday. Happy Birthday Dad, you look awesome. I love you!

It's Official - GHS Class of 2009

2009-06-03T10:49:00.000-07:00

Babes do grow up......TOO FAST!

2009-05-30T09:36:00.000-07:00

Emalee McNeill

This week she gets to experience many milestones in her life and I would like to take the opportunity to honor her!

18 years ago this beautiful young lady blessed our home and our lives. She grew up way too fast....Saturday was Emalee's 18th BIRTHDAY. Wow, 18 wonderful years of watching her mature in to the fine young lady that she is today. I remember watching her play girls softball, clogging, enjoying activities with many friends, participating in FFA, Goat tying in HS rodeo and many other things.

Sunday night she attended SEMINARY GRADUATION with her fellow ward and stake members. I am so proud that she took the time during High School to dedicate a class period to Seminary.

Abby DuClos, Bonnie Phelps, Jessica Matthews, Kendra Phelps, Brittney Baldy, Emalee, Bishop May, and Andrew Beckett. Missing: Breanne Bevan and Mickela Shepherd.

And Tuesday is the culmination of her adolescent life, she will attended her HIGH SCHOOL GRADUATION from Grantsville High School and receive her diploma.More pictures to follow!

Can I turn back the hands of time and enjoy the little girl that grew up before my very own eyes? Can I hold her little hand for just a while longer? It is hard to believe that right before my eyes she grew up! How did it happen so fast? Treasure your time with your children....because Babes grow up too fast, then it's gone and all you have are treasured memories of days gone by. When did I become my parents?

It's a Venting Day

2009-05-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

As most of you may know, I joined the gym a few months back. I have been faithful to go, missing only the days when Jeff and I were in Alaska. That means for 4 months I have gone 5 days a week! That's a lot! You would think that some progress would be made, right? So here is why I am venting......Last Thursday, the 21st, my trainer took my BMI (Body Mass Index) to see how much improvement I have made. In order to do this he has to know my weight, so I step on the scale and I have put on 8 pounds! URGH! He then has me hold this machine out in front of me, and somehow it measures my BMI, and guess what....It says that I haven't changed there either.

So what am I to do?......I have a friend who posts HIS weight loss success and failures on HIS facebook page. I have thought about doing this, but just don't think I want to divulge that much information about my self. I am afraid that it might be too much whining and groaning about my weaknesses, and not enough positive stuff about my strengths, but I could be accountable to all of you?

I have participated in Weight Watcher's over the years. The hardest thing there was writing down everything I ate. It still is the hardest part of trying to figure out why I can't seem to get in to shape. I realize that I have 2 things going against me...my bad knee and menopause. Oooops, too much information. I really just want to be successful!

Anyway, here's wishing you a happy, healthy, active and enjoyable summer.

Behold His Handiwork....

2009-05-20T09:51:00.000-07:00

I was driving to the gym this morning and was blessed to be able to witness one of God's beautiful creations. Isn't this beautiful! I am grateful to have been out early enough to see this. I hope that you enjoy it too.

I'm not so lonely anymore. I have company coming this week and I am so excited. Go here, goravec.blogspot.com to see who it is coming to visit. I am way excited!

Have you ever been lonely?

2009-05-01T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have, this week...

Jeff and Winston are working in....

Ethan is on the rodeo circuit in these states.....

And of course, Abi is in.........

Sorry about the "whinning". I just hate that my whole family is everywhere but here, at home, where they belong. (Except for Abi. She is where she belongs) How well do you think I am going to handle the empty nest? Who told these children to grow up so quickly?

The Strength of a Family

2009-04-25T13:43:00.000-07:00

In this picture:
Back row; Dewey, Jeremy, Ethan, Stephen, Andrew, Front row; Grant, Richie, Bryce

Jeff and I have lived in close proximity to his family most, if not all of our married life. There could be some negative things associated with such closeness, but when the trials of life come upon us, it is with great certainty that I am grateful for that closeness!

I grew up in a medium size family, 3 siblings, but I had a pretty large extended family. Now the sad thing is, my Aunt and Uncle lived in the very same stake as I do,(before the stake was divided, they now live in the new Stansbury South Stake) and I didn't even know it. I know that if I walked passed most of my cousins I would not even be able to recognize them. I have missed out on a lot of fun memories with extended family since both my Grandparents and my mother have passed on, and thus widening the communication gap in the generations.

So what does that have to do with living close to Jeff's family......

growing up in such close proximity my childrens best friends, in many cases, are there cousins. They know them. They know about their lives and who they are and what they like and dislike. I love this about Jeff's family. We are close and those bands of closeness were tightened this week while we all experienced the loss of the patriarch of the family.

It is hard to loose a parent. They are the one constant in our lives. They have known us since the beginning. They are our first memories, and strongest memories. They have been there through it all, all of our ups and downs, joys and sorrows, pleasures and pain. So when they are gone, it can be hard to say farewell.

Grandpa always said that he wanted to be buried in a pine box out back by the barn. They got him as close to that as they could. He was buried in a pine casket with a barn embroidered in the fabric. Rest in peace, Grandpa!Aunt Tracey made this floral arrangement to honor Grandpa. It has some of his old tools that she got from his workshop and the sign says..."the priveledge to work is a gift, power to work is a blessing, love to work is success." An appropriate sign and saying for Grandpa.

Let me just say that I am grateful to be a part of this family! Thank you for accepting me and loving me. For making me feel like a daughter and not an appendage to the family. I love you all.

The Passing of a Great Man

2009-04-21T09:36:00.000-07:00

Monday, April 20th Grandpa McNeill was called home and peacefully crossed through the veil to the next life. He passed away surrounded by his loving wife and children, who had been with him continually during these last days of his life.

We have had plenty of time to prepare for his departing, recounting with one another the wonderful times shared with him. We spent many hours recounting the life that he led and the man that he was. Just a few are: He taught by example. He loved each of his children completely and without question. He was devoted to his wife of 50+ years. He loved the Savior. He did good continually, whether at home or at work. He was a hard worker and taught his posterity to do the same. He never cheated anybody out of what was rightfully theirs, he was a man of Integrity.

We love you Grandpa! Each of us, your children, grandchildren and great grandchildren will have memories to buoy us up when life gets difficult. It has truly been, a life well lived!

Sister McNeill update!

2009-04-11T16:54:00.000-07:00

From the mouth of Abi.........

While President Monson was speaking on Sunday morning telling all of the stories of his ancestors coming before and such Gio started crying...I turned to her and said
"yeah, one day you'll be my story from a pulpit....and better yet, can you hear YOUR posterity...you'll be there story too!" She loved conference. Of course I have a lot
of favorite parts of conference, but the best part was sitting next to Gio, watching
her take notes, seeing the tears slide down her face, and just feeling of her
spirit. I loved loved loved that! It was that moment that I will cherish forever
about this conference. And, it's that moment that makes all of missionary work
"worth it."

We had a great district meeting this week. Elder Bergeson, our DL,promised us that if we went throughout the week teaching the true doctrine of the Godhead that we would see success. We found that to be very true. I love the power of the priesthood. I love being a missionary and carrying the name of Jesus Christ and I love that I have the power to promise people blessings in His name. It's awesome. I'm excited for district meeting this week, because as Gio told you, I get to share one of the most sacred, and awesome, and wonderful experiences of my life. Being the easter season Elder Bergesen has asked me that I share my Jerusalem pics with them and how we can help our investigators enjoy the full benefits of the Atonement. I'm thrilled.

I LOVED Elder Hollands talk in conference where he said that "It trumpets from the
hill of Calvary that we NEVER have to do it alone." I heard that trumpet! I'm so
grateful for it!
I let an old man in the ward cut my hair...but I'm not sending pics until mom and
Emalee send me some of there hair!! Why did I do it? Well, I really want to grow my
hair out and have it be long and beautiful again, but the perm was growing out, and
the color was growing out...it looked and felt nasty and the last girl here that I
had cut it for me did the worlds worst chop job. I hated it. Every morning I was SO
sad. So, we went to dinner at the Merrymans. Larry is this really old cool guy, he
was sewing up the pocket on my coat and I thought to myself "I bet 50 dollars he can
cut hair." So I asked him, showed him what that girl had done and what I wanted and
sure enough I had a hair cut! I like it. It's not anything extravagant...it's simple but now I can let it grow out long and pretty again! Yeah!
We need your prayers in finding more people to teach...but not just people to teach,
people that are prepared to progress. We are having real struggles getting people to
progress, especially come to church. I'm praying the Lord will let me stay here one more transfer. They are on the 15th...Gio's baptism is the 18th. However, I have been saying not my will but His be done...I will do what the Lord asks without complaining. It doesn't mean that it won't be hard, and I won't cry, but I will do it.

Thanks for all you do for me and the love and prayers you are sending my way. I feel them all the time. I love being a missionary. I'm so glad I made this decision to serve the Lord.

North to Alaska

2009-04-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

This week Jeff and I went to Anchorage, Alaska to look at a job that Jeff is going to do for Jacobsen Construction this summer. He has been contracted to add an addition to the LDS Church in Seward and to retrofit it to be earthquake proof. (If such a thing is possible!?!)Here is a picture of the cute little meeting house he will be working on. I thought that I would share both my thoughts and pictures of the trip.
Let's start with the negative, not to offend anybody from Alaska, but I found that in alot of places, it was just dirty. Maybe it's not like that all the time, but with Mt. Redoubt just blowing her top, there was ashe and rock everywhere. It is also "break up" season. What that means is that all the ice and snow are melting, breaking up or away from the glaciers and flowing through the inlet. The chunks of ice are brown and dirty. The roads are constantly wet and hence the cars are just dirty. No body washes their vehicles until after "break up", see example.... Now I don't mean to be picking on Alaska, because this is the biggest thing I hate with Utah winters too. I hate when the snow gets piled up on the side of the roads and it gets all dirty and yucky! It just isn't very attractive.

So now that I have told you what I didn't like about Alaska, let me fill you in on what a beautiful state Alaska is. I was awe struck by her beauty. I could easily find myself loving life there, and I HATE snow. It wasn't too cold while we were there; about 42-48 in the day. But I hear winters are brutal, so maybe not live, just visit. Anyway, we had to drive 2.5 hrs from Anchorage to Seward to the job site and the drive was so peaceful and beautiful. The ice/snow covered mountains. And talk about mountains. Straight up from sea level. They were beautiful! In Utah when you go to the mountains, you get up in them. They are all around you and you are "in" them. In Alaska, the mountains continue on and on and on forever. You can never get over them, around them, above them, it was just beautiful. Then you have to add to their beauty the beauty of the water. Cold, blue, calm and melodic. I loved to watch the sea otters play and swim so gracefully. Didn't see much of any other wildlife. We did see one moose walking down a street in downtown Anchorage, but I couldn't get my camera out fast enough. See her beauty...

And finally, our favorite part of our trip. There are saints there, those who believe just as we do. There was a Temple of God there. (We didn't get to go in, go figure, the few days we are there; it is closed for cleaning.) My thoughts often went to the pre-existence when in the grand council of Heaven we all said yes. As the world was created with us in mind. With places to go and live with such diversity and beauty. I am so grateful to a loving Father who gave us so much because he loves us so. And then for our Elder Brother who also gave so much. We live in a wonderful place. Earth, wouldn't it be wonderful if we all lived in peace and harmony as children of a kind and loving Father in Heaven. It was an amazing and quick and fun trip. Thanks, honey!

HELP.......again

2009-03-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

How do you post a video from a camera to your blog. I tried all day yesterday to make it work with no success......any body? thanks in advance for the info.

The "EYES" have it?

2009-02-21T13:15:00.000-08:00

Emalee has recently been nominated by the yearbook staff of Grantsville High School for one of the "senior hall of fame" awards. She has been nominated for best eyes......

No make-up

Make-up

What do you think? Personally, as the mom, I think she is the winnner! Time will tell.

Also along with this nomination, Emalee recently cut 6" off her hair length. She is now sporting a new doo, and loves it. She looks quite cute, if I do say so myself.

Can you tell that I am biased? After all, I am the mom.

Health & Fitness

2009-02-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

I decided that I need to do something for my health. With my knee surgery last year and the doctors telling me that I have arthritis, my activity has been limited to not much. So when the clothes don't fit, and I am left home alone* with nothing to do, I did what 1 out of 8 households in Tooele County did, I joined Gold's Gym.

I have started out with a bang, Tuesday I met with a trainer who helped me with an exercise routine, Tuesday morning (5:30am) I was up swimming laps, Tuesday night I was back working on my arms and strength training and this morning I did my stomach and legs. I have decided that this "membership" is going to be my second job. I will make this happen!

Wish me luck, this is my quest!

*Just so you know why I am left home alone. Jeff has been doing alot of work out of state for Jacobsen Construction. Emalee is always at the High School. So that is why I am left home alone.

All work and no play...

2009-02-18T16:41:00.000-08:00

If you were to ask my family they would tell you that I hate to shop. There are very few times that I am excited to go shopping for anything. Clothes, groceries, doesn't really matter what it is.........I HATE TO SHOP.

So, last weekend Jeff and I flew to Las Vegas for the semi-annual furniture market.(This is our attempt at a self picture on the airplane) Not that you could describe this activity as fun, but it was nice to get away with my sweetheart. We recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that we have been married that long. Here are some pictures of our adventures, and what the market looks like.

Can imagine what it was like for me to traverse these buildings, all floors, back and forth many times just to find the right things to buy. Then once you find the items to buy, the next question is how many? ARGH! Las Vegas Market is 3 buildings of 15 floors of furniture. Every kind, shape, look, style, color. Name it, somebody in one of the 3 buildings is going to have it. We traversed these 3 buildings, all 15 floors until I thought that my knee was going to give out. We visited many manufacturers in an attempt to buy just what all of you are going to need this coming year. That is hard, since you all have such different tastes and likes. But we tried, made some good buys and had an good time seeing what is new in the furniture business.

To add to the trips enjoyment, I have one of my favorite nephew lawyers living in Vegas and he brought this adorable little boy to have dinner with us at the hotel buffet. He kept all of us so entertained with his cute laugh. We had such a good time, one of the biggest benefits of going to market is getting to visit with these guys twice a year.

We had such a good time!

In case you haven't noticed, I cut my hair. I wanted to get my hair trimmed before heading out for Vegas, called at the last minute and Tami @ Hair Hut got me right in. I told her that I finally decided that I wanted my hair different, a little shorter. I think she passed out. I have been talking about doing this for years. As you can see, I finally did it.

The love of his life........

2009-01-27T12:40:00.000-08:00

Well I am going to venture out and try to post a video for you all to see. I hope that I can figure it out. If there is no video attached to see, leave me directions of how to do it. Thanks in advance.

Ethan is a different kind of fellow. His freshman year in high school he played football. Was pretty good at it too, at least that is what the coach said. He enjoyed playing football, but it interfered with his rodeo nights. You see Ethan gets a big rush out of climbing on the back of a bucking horse, holding on tight and "riding" it for 8 seconds. High school rodeo season starts in Aug. and goes until June, with a little break from Dec. - Apr. No time to pursue both sports since football and rodeo were on the same nights, Ethan chose the later.

Here are a few excerpts of his latest (not his best) ride. Every Monday night at Deseret Peak Complex, the Clegg boys bring some of their wild horses to "buck out" and practice on. Helping to make the horses better and of course the cowboy.

Oops! No video as of yet. I have missed placed (remember Fling and Toss?, it got me again) the input/output cords and so I can't download the videos yet. Hope this picture will give you the idea of what he loves to do. Video coming some day, SOON!

Abi sent her first e-mail from Cleveland. She is doing great. She says that it is cold but she is staying warm by layering up her clothing. "I wear my thermals, my tights,my stretchy pants, and some socks with my boots....I keep plenty warm" Also, she spoke about her tour with all the new missionaries and their Mission President to the Kirtland Temple. She stood in the prophets office and there sang The Spirit of God, in the very chapel where it was sung for the dedication of the Temple. They then went to Newel K Whitney's store where they sat in the school of the prophets and there she was allowed to sit in silence and dedicate her mission and her life for the next 18 months to the Lord. "It is not very often that the Father appears in scripture, but 2 of the 4 times were here in Kirtland.....I stood in both of those rooms...pretty sweet way to start my mission, huh?" She is having wonderful, spiritual experiences. Her and her companion, Sister Abby Dickson (from Murray) are in a new area, Parma, OH. They are the "Abby/Abi" Sisters. Abi is still receiving blessings for her piano playing. She is getting lots of opportunities to share. Abi's new address is: Sister Abigail McNeill
6223 Stumph Rd Suite 1-A
Parma Heights, OH 44130

I have to blog about my awesome neighbors. These kids call us up and ask if we can come over and play. Of course, their mom and dad are pretty awesome too. We recently went bowling with them. It was interesting with my sore knee to bowl. Must say that I didn't come in last.

Help

2009-01-13T11:11:00.000-08:00

I want to change the background of my blog. Abi taught me how to do this her last day here. Now I don't remember how. Can anybody help?

Tender Mercies

2009-01-13T09:45:00.000-08:00

It has taken me a while to sit down and express my feelings about some of the blessings that Heavenly Father gives me. These may seem trivial and unimportant to you, but that is why they are Tender Mercies to me. Heavenly Father, through His Son, Jesus Christ, knew how important they were to me. They knew what I needed and willing made up for my faults and shortcomings.

To explain, I am notorious for the fling and toss method at my house. (You would think that my house would be in total shambles because of this method) Well because of this fault, over the years I have usually had more than one Temple Recommend. The day before Abi was to enter the MTC, we decided to attended an early morning session at the Jordan River Temple. We got up at 4:30/5:00 to get ready and be there for the 7:00am session. Just before we left for the Temple I started searching for the all illusive Temple Recommend. No where to be found. Disappointed, I told Abi that we were not going to be able to attend a session because I could not find my recommend due to that FLING and TOSS habit. Abi took a few minutes, and then said, "Mom, I think your recommend is in your church bag." I was thrilled. Excitedly I went and got my church bag. Ruffling through the contents and pockets, I found nothing. I then proceeded to dump the whole bag out. Still no luck. So terribly disappointed, I wanted to attend the Temple one more time with Abi before her leaving on her mission. We had only been able to go together her first time through. Settling myself to the disappointment I was feeling I spotted my recommend barely sticking out of my pocket calendar. How blessed am I? Like I said, to me it was one of those Tender Mercies that we all too often pass off as "LUCK".

The other Tender Mercy that I wanted to share happened Dec. 29, 2008. Abi was selling her car to her Grandpa, then he was going to donate it to Kidney Kars for a tax write off. We needed the Title to her car out of my safety deposit box in order to donate the car. Well I ran to the bank, just before closing, knowing that my key is ALWAYS in my purse. Nope, not this time. I couldn't find the key anywhere. Safety Deposit boxes come with 2 keys issued. Well for many years, we have only had 1 key. The second key has been lost. This caused my stress to skyrocket, since I thought that I had now lost the only key to the box. I came home, mad, dejected, heartbroken and disappointed with myself. You would think that I could get over this FLING and TOSS habit when it leads to so many discouraging moments. I was so angry with myself all night. Constantly "cussing" at myself for my stupidity. When the Lord spoke to me in that soft voice that usually comes when you are willing to listen. Not only did I find the key that I had, but I found the second key that I thought we had lost years ago. We were able to get the title out of the box and send the car off to benefit others.

I am so grateful that we have a loving Heavenly Father who knows our deepest desires. Who, through His Son, makes up for all our weaknesses and shortcomings.
We ended up getting everything done that we wanted to do before Abi left. I know that it is because of His tender mercies towards us that my family (and yours)can have the blessings that are important to us. We matter. What a great blessing it is to have this knowledge.

Abi's starving

2009-01-07T10:36:00.000-08:00

I just received an e-mail from Abi and she says that she NEEDS mail. So if you can, please write:

Sister Abigail McNeill
MTC Mailbox #102
OH-CLE 0121
2005 N. 900 E.
Provo, Utah 84604-1793

She is doing great. Loves the MTC. Wishes she had more letters!!!!! She has only received 2 in her first week. Her MTC companion is from Las Vegas, NV and going to New York, New York Mission. She is learning the discussions and......well let me have her tell you in her own words:

Dear friends and family,
Please go to
DearElder.com you can write me a letter and they do same day delivery. Just follow
the directions when you get on there. The mail comes twice a day...so please please
please write me more letters!
The MTC has been an extremely gruelling scheduele. Nobody could have ever prepared
me for this...but it's totally awesome!!! I love being a missionary!! My sleep
insomnia is effecting me more than ever...especially that first night, but I think
that i'm definitly getting used to the scheduele.

My ministerial certificate says it expires June 9 2010...I think that is really cool
because it is valid in 2008..almost like I served for two years...cool huh? Anyway,
I love the ministerial certificate. i probably might never have to use it but I love
the words it says, "Abigail McNeill in full faith and fellowship of the church has
been trusted to preach the gospel." It gave me chills again just writing that!
Sister Wadsworth and i are the only girls in a group of boys. 5 sets of Elders, 2
male teachers. We are pretty spoiled. i didn't realize this, but the reason RM's
come home and are so good at being a gentleman is because they are asked to do it
here. they open the doors, take our trays, and even stand up when we walk to the
table. It's really cool. The Elders in our district are definitely taking good care
of us...in the ways that they can right?

We're so glad that Heavenly Father is taking good care of Abi. Please send her a letter as soon as you can. We appreciate all your love and support, thanks, family and friends.

Our Missionary - The Beginning

2009-01-03T15:50:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been 3 days since we left Abi at the MTC. I have been going to post our experiences but have felt intimidated by this computer, but decided today that I am better and tougher than these electronic gadgets. So here goes......

The hardest moment of the whole day was on SR-36 between Erda Way and the Hospital. I almost lost it. The thought that she was going to be leaving and the pitty party that I was feeling completely over took me. It was all I could do to hold in the tears, I had to just cuss at the sun and the reflection of the snow blinding me and causing my eyes to water. :-) We had to have Abi to the MTC by 12:30, we left in enough time to grab lunch in Provo before getting to the MTC. We crossed the street heading towards the entrance and came upon a group of Sister Missionaries called to serve in Hong Kong. They were so excited to see Abi and were so nice to her. Yeah Sister Power!!! For those of you who have the experience of taking a son to the MTC, daughters a bit different. They get lots of hugs from the volunteers there helping direct families. It was way cool. I got to clip Abi's name tag on her. How cool!

Let's see what else shall I tell you about? Oh yeah. We had this great idea to take our picture in front of the world map, pointing to our respective missions, only one of the sisters up in the front of the MTC said that they did not allow pictures there on Wednesday's because of the confusion and congestion that it might cause. Well, we get down by the map and Abi gets a hug from the Sister manning her station there, she explains her desire and since there was no "traffic" at that moment, the MTC volunteer Sister let Abi break her first mission rule. We got our picture!!!!

Ok, now we are headed to the chapel for the family meeting before parting company for 18 months. We are headed down a hallway where a brother escorts us up to the front row. Yikes! It was nice and peaceful in the chapel, then in walks a Brother; all official looking. He walks over to the Elder sitting next to us, asks him to say the opening prayer then comes to Abi and says that with every opening prayer there needs to be a closing and asked her to say the closing prayer. In front of all the other missionaries and there families, she wasn't even nervous.

The MTC President and his wife spoke to us. Something that Sister Boone said sunk deep into my soul and comforted me and I think from that point on I hardly shed any tears. She quoted Doctrine and Covenants 6:20. ...."Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love." Where else but in the loving arms of my Savior would I want my darling daughter to be? The peace that overcame me was incredible. I didn't cry anymore. I knew and felt it, that Abi was doing exactly what Abi should be doing. It was a powerful moment for me.

Her closing prayer was just a powerful as her "MOSS" talk on Sunday had been. She has taught me so many things and has been such a good example to all of us.

"MOSS" (Missionary Oriented Sacrament Service)

2008-12-30T16:12:00.000-08:00

Wow, what can I say!!!! The day was awesome and Abi was terrific. Her assigned topic was the Atonement and I think that everybody was trueley impressed. I was! I have to hurry with this post because Abi is now trying to teach me stuff, I will elaborate later.....

An official post by ME!

2008-12-27T12:59:00.000-08:00

Hi there family, friends and loved ones. Abi is now trying to teach me how to actually post a blog comment all by myself. Milestones! Hopefully this will be an exciting way for us to keep you up on all of our family happenings. I am looking forward to becoming an expert blogger like so many of you. I still don't know how to post a picture so I am going to do that soon.

I have a BLOG!

2008-12-23T11:26:00.000-08:00

I may not have a cell phone yet...but I have stepped into the blogging world. I think my life is boring, and find it very interesting to read others, Jeff says everyone will want to read about my life too, and this will be the easy way to keep in contact with others and let everyone know what we are up to, especially my wild and crazy and adventurous kids. Thanks Abi for setting it up for me!!!