One Last Lesson

As much as I love Nursery, there is one thing I struggle with. It's when the new year begins and the three year olds start going to Primary with the older children. It's hard to let them go. Last Sunday was our final week with them since Christmas is on Sunday this year. I was able to learn one more lesson from G before he starts going to Primary. 

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My mom gave me a necklace a few months ago and it has a metal stamped charm that says "Hope". I wear it all of the time. As we were sitting around the table, G noticed my necklace and asked what it was. I told him it said hope. After telling him, I tucked my necklace under my shirt so it wouldn't distract him. A few minutes later, he looks up and is extremely concerned. "Where's your hope?" he asked. I pulled out my necklace and showed him that my hope was still there.

I know he meant my necklace, but I've been thinking about where my hope is. I can honestly say that my hope is anchored in Jesus Christ. His atoning sacrifice is what enables us to become clean so that we can return to the presence of God, our loving Father.
We make it back home without Him. I am grateful for His selfless act of love for each and every one of us.

Temple Square at Christmas

The Monday before Christmas, we headed up to Salt Lake to see the lights in Temple Square. It was pretty crazy, but it was gorgeous!

After awhile, we went inside the Joseph Smith Memorial building to thaw out along with a lot of other people. We wandered around and took some pictures from the toasty rooms.

We made our way back out to see the nativity.

Temple Square is truly magical with all of the lights and Christmas spirit.

We Did It!!!

Since moving to Utah, Jonathan and I have been without callings. It was nice to have a break, but after awhile it felt like we weren't contributing to the ward in any real way. A few weeks ago, we were invited to be assistant nursery leaders. I was really surprised and excited because this would be the first time we would have a calling together.

This past Sunday we gave our very first lesson. I was confident in the lesson part, but a little worried about doing singing time. Thankfully there was another couple in nursery with us the entire time and they were able to help us as we needed. Everything was great! Only one child cried when her mom dropped her off and all of the little 18 month olds were so sweet and good!

I have a feeling that we are going to have a great time in nursery!

Life Lately

Since it's been a while since my last post, I'll share quite a few pictures of what we've been up to for the past month and a half.

Back at in April, Mercedes came over to help me bake a colorful cake. She may or may not have eaten half of the batter...

Jonathan took me on a tour of a few of the places he lived in Provo before he met me.

This was his first apartment which is also where his dad lived when he met Jonathan's mom.

He lived in the basement of that cute little house.

We then went to hear Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk about religious freedom and how it is still very important in our day. Jonathan made an audio recording of what he said, so if you want a copy of it let us know!

Elder Quinten L. Cook, Elder D. Todd Christofferson, and Elder Jeffery R. Holland were in the audience as well.

Elder Oaks on the big screen!

I finally printed out about 40 of our instagram pictures!

I'm embarrassed with how long it took, but I finally recovered Jonathan's desk chair.

We took a trip up to Idaho to see these two silly monkeys! Seth was showing us the new bedspread he got from my mom for his birthday. Jonathan is totally jealous and now wants his own Star Wars bed.

We flew kites at the farm and were totally unprepared for how cold it still can me in Idaho in the springtime.

I got a beautiful flower arrangement from my parents for Mother's day.

We had some crazy clouds come through and cover up the mountains.

We walked around BYU and saw a really cute duck family!

Charlotte made her debut on our photo wall. (I'll share the rest of it another time!)

Mercedes, Jonathan, and I all got to shoot Taylor's AR-15 for the first time. I really can't wait to have one of my own! It's a really nice gun!

Jonathan and I took a hike up Rock Canyon on Memorial day with a lot of other people.

What are men to rocks and mountains! - Jane Austen

We found a nice old car that apparently tumbled off of the trail.

After Mackenzie's birthday party, we checked out the progress of the Payson temple.

I got to spend a couple of hours with my cousin's adorable little girl!

We took another trip up to Idaho, (not surprising!) to find Clara jumping on our bed while Seth and Jonathan played with legos.

We all walked to church. Seth was holding my hand, trust me he was really there!

Seth and Clara picked some flowers for me.

It's nice now that spring is really here and quickly turning into summer! In less than 2 weeks my parents will be here and so there will definitely be more to share!

This Weekend

This weekend we have the opportunity to listen to living prophets. In preparation, I'm making a list of questions. I know that they will be answered.

Last Saturday was the General Women's meeting. All women 8 and older were invited to be there. The spirit was just incredible and General Conference is the same way. When we gather together, there is a very real power that comes with it. Here is a snipet from the General Women's meeting.

I invite you to join General Conference. Click here to watch it.

Church

I am grateful for church. I am grateful that I live in a country that offers me the freedom of choosing how I want to worship. That's not the case in so many parts of the world. 

Right now, my calling in church is to teach the 14-15 year old girls. I absolutely love it! They are each unique and wonderful and help teach me. The lessons we've had so far I feel like they are really meant for me. Even though I am the teacher, I still have so much to learn. These are the lessons I've done already.

Today started out as a rough day for me, but as I was at Church my personal struggles faded a little. They are still there, but they are more manageable. I am grateful that Church is such an uplifting experience.

Truth and the Holy Ghost

I am grateful that the Holy Ghost testifies of truth. Back in April, Jonathan and I went to UC Davis to go to some Physics lectures. I couldn't contain my excitement that I'm married to a guy that will take time off from work to go to Physics lectures with me! I don't plan on sharing the details of what was being taught because most people would get bored. I do want to share an experience there that strengthened my testimony of how the Holy Ghost works.

The first speaker was giving kind of an overview on where Physics is currently and some of the next set of questions that they are looking to understand. As he was speaking, it felt like the spirit was in the room. This was later confirmed during the question and answer portion when a man compared a scientific discovery to Mary, the mother of Christ, and would scientists cling to that discovery even if it was proven wrong in the same way the Vatican clings to Mary and how that one thing makes or breaks all of their religion. The emotion behind his question was hostile and demeaning. Both Jonathan and I could feel the spirit leave the room. Since we felt the spirit leave, that meant that it was in that room. The things that were being shared previously are truths.

It seems like most people today can't reconcile religion and science. The thought seems to prevail in the scientific community is that because we can't prove that there is a God that there must not be one. Has anyone ever disproved that there is a God? I find it ironic that one of the biggest theories in Physics is String Theory. The major problem string theory has it that it there are no testable predictions which means they trust that it is there without seeing it or proving it. That sounds like faith to me.

I am grateful that as I learn more about science that I feel closer to our Heavenly Father. I am getting a glimpse of how He uses physical laws to give us the world we live in. Heavenly Father isn't just some cosmic being that snaps His fingers and suddenly everything works perfectly. He understands and knows the physical laws and then uses them. We have the potential to know and do all that He has done for us.

Two for One

Even with an extra hour yesterday, I didn't find enough time to post.
Today I'll share 2 to make up for it.

Yesterday I was grateful that I had an extra hour. I taught the teenage girls at church and was so grateful for the extra hour I had to prepare for it. I finished figuring out the structure of the lesson and noticed I still had more than enough time to make handouts. So, I took my time and then saw a clock that said 9:45 and nearly had a heart attack because I had to be at church by 10. I started running all over the house trying to get ready and then I realized that I looked at a clock that hadn't been changed. My morning was so much more relaxing after that. This is the lesson I taught.

Today I am grateful for a new week. Last week got really crazy and overwhelming. This week will probably end up the same, but it just feels like I am more prepared to handle the craziness.

It's Finally Happening!

I am finally starting to get into the Christmas spirit! Now I know that makes me sound a bit like a Grinch  but let me explain. 

I think that there is something very wrong when you go to a store in October or November and they are decorated and selling Christmas items. Yes, I am one of those people who gets mad when I hear Christmas music before December. Thanks to my mom, Halloween is one of my favorite holidays and you can (and should) have your decorations up all month long. Then we have Thanksgiving. I'm honestly not super big about the meal on Thanksgiving, but you can tell that I love theme of that holiday. I put away my more ghoulish looking decorations and leave out my pumpkins and have reminders to give thanks for what we have. I don't appreciate stores trying to push aside these holidays in order to make the Christmas season last for three whole months.

This year, I've had an even harder time than usual getting into the Christmas spirit. I think it's because I've been so focused on doing well in school this semester that I haven't really done much decorating for any of the holidays. I honestly took down my 4th of July decorations in the middle of October. (What can I say, I just love our red, white, and blue!) Anyways, let me tell you what helped me snap out of this holiday slump!

Last week, my ward had it's Relief Society Christmas dinner. Jonathan and I were asked to participate in the program. We read parts of the Christmas Jar. This was the first time I have ever heard that story. It started out with a couple (Jonathan and me) having their first Christmas. Money was tight, so they decided to fill a jar with their pocket change and use that money for their Christmas gifts. It became a family tradition and grew to include their children. One year as they were taking the money to the bank and the daughter saw a woman crying. She offered the money to the woman and their family tradition was forever changed. They started using their Christmas Jar to help others. Years passed and her husband died. The evening after the funeral, she received dozens of jars in return. Some of the people shared their stories of when they were in need and a jar was at their door.

I love the spirit of giving in this story. I love how their simple, daily sacrifice was able to grow and help others. I found a blog where people share their own Christmas Jar stories. (Click here. They're really good!)

I want to start this tradition for our family.

Yet Another Reason I Love the Temple (like I really need another)

My love of the temple is rather obvious to anyone who reads my blog.

Well, now I have a new reason to love the temple. I get to work there! It is so much fun. After I went through the temple for the first time I decided that I wanted to work at the temple. So, you can't just show up and start working there. (It's a house of order and that would just not work.) Just before summer started, I noticed little cards that you could fill out if you were available to serve. I got so excited! I filled it out and turned it in. 

I forgot that I had filled out the card and a little over a month ago I got a call from the temple recorder. (It's a person not an automated machine.) He told me that my bishop had suggested me to serve at the temple and he had a couple of open shifts in the laundry. I quickly agreed and was ready to burst with joy! I know that most 22 year-olds don't like doing their own laundry let alone volunteer to do laundry for 4 hours, but I'm not most 22 year-olds! I love working at the temple.

As I work at the temple, I feel closer to my grandparents. My grandma and grandpa Machen served twice a week at the Oakland temple for years. I am named after my grandma Patterson who died a few years before I was born. Before Jonathan and I were married, I would try to go to the temple every week to do baptisms. As I would sit in the baptistery, I would end up thinking about my grandma. I would get the feeling that she was proud of my decisions and glad that we share the same name.

I am so grateful that I live so close to the temple and that I can serve there.

I Am Grateful for Institute

I am so grateful for Institute.

I am grateful for all of the wonderful people there.

Us and Brother Watkins right after Jonathan proposed at the end of our Institute class.

I love Brother Watkins. He is one of the most sweet, thoughtful man I have ever known. He takes a genuine interest in everyone he meets. The lessons he prepares, oh man are they amazing! I took a Pearl of Great Price class before I went to the temple and he would tell us to write down certain symbols because they correlated with the temple. After I went through the temple, I looked at my notes and I understood what he was showing us in the scriptures. It was so cool!

I also love Sister Harte. She is the secretary and she is another wonderful person to spend time with. I keep her updated on Chris and the rest of my family. Though lately, we talked a lot about the Giants. On Wednesday, Sister Harte came into the study room and asked me if I wanted the commemorative section in the paper about the Giants winning the World Series. That was so thoughtful and sweet of her to give it to me. I just love how wonderful she is!

Institute has been such a blessing in my life. It's helped me to gain a deeper understanding of the scriptures and how they apply to me thousands of years after they were written. I am so grateful for Institute and I am grateful that even though I graduated a few years ago, that I still can go to class.

I Am Grateful For So Many Things!

So, I know I've been slacking off with my daily gratitude post, but I blame school, family filled weekends, and more school! On the bright side I get to share quite a few things that I am grateful for! (That means this will be quite long.)

I am so grateful for my job. I just love my job! I work in the office of a landscaping company (the kind that rips everything out and makes it pretty, not the mowing kind). I work with such wonderful people and am so grateful that they hired me. It has been really interesting learning all that goes into running a business and learning how to use a Mac. I really am so grateful that I can be of help in an office setting.

I am grateful for extended family. I love my family. A couple of weeks ago, my great-uncle Gerald was in town. I just love him! As soon as he saw me, he asked me if I brought my saxophone so I could play him a song. He loves that I play the saxophone and was rather concerned when I switched to trombone. (He told me that a pretty girl shouldn't have move my arm back and forth to play music. He's so cute!) We also spent some time with my cousins and grandparents that weekend. It's such a blessing to be part of a loving family.

I am grateful for Primary Programs. Once every year, the children in my Church participate in our Sacrament Meetings. They sing songs, share scriptures, and bare their testimonies of Jesus. It truly is my favorite Sacrament Meeting of the year. The spirit in that meeting is so sweet and the children are unintentionally hilarious! One little boy got up to the pulpit to share his part and in the middle of his sentence, he hiccupped! He paused and then continued as though nothing happened and hiccupped again! It was adorable. He stayed calm and shared his entire part. I am so grateful for Primary and all of the wonderful things that are taught by the leaders and teachers.

I am grateful for the men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedoms. It is such a blessing to have so much freedom in our lives that we don't even realize how much choice we do have in this country. That has been preserved through the sacrifice of so many brave and courageous men and women. I am grateful to them and their families for their daily sacrifice to ensure that our freedoms are not taken away. 

I am grateful for 6 hour lunch dates. On the Monday after Veteran's Day, I went out to lunch with my mom, Amy, Garrett, and our good friend Lisa. Well, no surprise that there was so much talking and catching up, but we didn't expect to be there for 6 whole hours! It was dinner time by the time we left the restaurant. It so wonderful to have such good friends that you don't mind spending the entire day talking with them.

Clara and Lyla playing on the floor.

The little boys watching a cartoon.

I am grateful for all the time that I've been able to spend with my nieces and nephews. I just love my kids (yes, I call them my kids). They are all so different and funny. I am grateful that I get to be part of their lives. They are so wonderful and each has amazing parents. I love watching my siblings being parents.

I am grateful for shelter from the cold and the rain. I love our little apartment especially when it starts to be cold and rainy outside. I feel so blessed to have a warm and cozy place to call home.

I am grateful for girl's night. Last week, I had a girls night with Kenzie and Christina. It was so much fun! We talked and snacked and watched a movie together. It is totally becoming a new Nelson girl tradition and next month Hannah and Mom will be with us too!

I am grateful for fall leaves. I love that as the wind blows, the leaves fall from the trees. It almost looks magical. I think that is one reason why I love fall. The leaves just kind of dance on their way down to the ground. Don't believe me? Watch for it. It's wonderful.

I am grateful for funerals. I know this one sounds really, really odd, but let me explain. I went to a funeral for my sister in law's cousin. During the funeral, sweet stories were shared about her and the sweet person she was throughout her mortal life. Her life was much more difficult than for most of us, but she still shared her love. Sometimes we forget how vulnerable our mortal bodies are and how much we rely on each other. I am grateful that I know that there is a purpose to life and that we will be with our loved ones that have gone on before us. I look forward to the day that I get to be with my grandmother, Barbara Jean Patterson. I am so grateful for the reminder that funerals are to me.

I am grateful for Sunday School. I love that I get to share lessons that are really meant for me (at least it feels that way to me). I love it when my class engage in the lesson (sometimes they all decide to be silent... it's not good). I love my kids (yeah, I have more kids). They are quite the bunch and I love each of them. I can't believe that another year is almost over. It seems like I've only been with them for a couple of months!

I am grateful for two cars that mostly work. (Jonathan has been having some minor problems with his battery dying and my brakes are starting to wear out.) I am so grateful that we can get to where we need to be and that we can rely on our cars to get us there safely. I am grateful that Jonathan knows how to maintain them and fix some of the problems. (He's planning on fixing my brakes. Yeah, he knows how to do that!)

I am grateful for the jinxing game. You know what I'm talking about. When you say the same thing as someone else and you shout "Jinx, you owe me a soda!" Yesterday, Jonathan came and visited me while I was in the Physics lab waiting to use the lab equipment and we were talking. When he was getting ready to leave, we both said the same thing and then I jinxed  him. I did request cranberry juice instead of soda (that stuff is bad for you!) I forgot all about it until Jonathan walked into our apartment carrying a bottle of juice for me. I just love that man!

I am grateful for this time in my life. I love having a cute little apartment to share with my sweet husband. I love spending time with him and our silly nieces and nephews. I love that we are still getting to know each other and learning how to be even sweeter to each other. I love that our life is simple. I am grateful that I have Jonathan by my side in all that I do.

A Special Invitation!

This weekend something very special is happening and I want to invite you to join me.

It's not very difficult or strenuous. It mostly takes time.

I want to invite you to listen to the words of living prophets.

This weekend, the world has the opportunity to listen to the words of actual living prophets.

This has become something that I look forward to every 6 months.

It's not because I get to stay home and watch church in my pajamas and not have to worry about preparing a lesson. General Conference gives me the opportunity to reevaluate how I am doing and how I can continue to improve. There are no assigned topics for any of the speakers and yet somehow they all connect and all have value in my life. I think they all connect for me because the overall tone is one of hope. I tend to get bogged down with how crazy life is and all that I still need to do. For me to hear this repetitive message of hope from about a dozen different people, makes life so much more manageable and enjoyable. I sometimes can be slow at figuring out or managing my feelings, so for me the repetition gets me to a point that I start to really take these messages into my heart and allow them to lift me up.

I want to invite you because I know that the things taught and spoken of at General Conference are true. They will lead you on a path of joy. I am so grateful that there are prophets on the earth today just like in the Bible. The things they teach us don't always fit in with the world around us, but they always fit in with what our Heavenly Father wants us to be. You can watch by clicking right here.

I hope you will watch it with us!

A Happy Father's Day

Our second day in Idaho, was a very special day. It was Father's Day and the day Clara was blessed. In our Church, we bless our children. It is very simple and very beautiful. (Read more about how we bless babies here.) It was such a wonderful sight to see my three brothers, father, grandfather, and husband (along with Annie's brother and father) all gather to bless our sweet little girl. I can't recall what Chris said, but I certainly remember how I felt. The deepest and perfect love was radiating out of my heart. I know that Clara has been part of our family for much longer than the 5 months she's spent on this earth. And now that she is here, 

she is stuck with us forever.

Of course, I didn't take any pictures of Clara in her sweet dress, but after Church we did take a new family picture with all 17 people! Hannah, Jonathan's sister, conveniently lives in Rexburg and takes amazing pictures! We picked her up after Church and brought her to the farm.

I love the look on my dad's face. You can tell that he got exactly what he wanted for Father's Day; time with all of his kids and grandkids. It's crazy to think that this family started 33 years ago with just these two kids.

Sorry about that detour, back to the pictures (it was seriously windy that's why our hair was everywhere)!

These 4 boys are so funny together!

Yes, it is tough getting 7 children to look at the camera with smiling faces!

See, it's hard work.

Even when they have their two trucks.

Dropping them, doesn't help.

Sorry Clara!

Wayne kept telling Jonathan that he needed to take his bride out on
the pond in the row boat. This is proof he did it.

After pictures were done, Jonathan and I needed to take Hannah back to Rexburg while everyone else enjoyed the 40 pound turkey for lunch. Thank goodness that turkey was so big. so there was still plenty when we got back. We ate our lunch as Kyle was waking up from a nap and all he wanted to eat was jam. I'm not kidding.

Chris feeding Kyle his jam.

Seth was refusing to take a nap, so in a desperate attempt to get him to sleep, we asked him if he wanted to take a nap with Jonathan and me and he nodded yes. Well, that certainly shocked us! It seemed like he was still warming up to us at this point. He laid down with us and was quiet until he eventually fell asleep. After awhile I woke up and saw how cute Jonathan and Seth looked together. I headed downstairs and spent time with the family. After awhile, Denise, Annie's mom, checked in on them and Seth was wide awake, silently laying on the bed next to snoring Jonathan. (Jonathan is a very, very heavy sleeper.) He's lucky she showed up, or else he could have been there for a very long time.

Jonathan sleeping on the job.

We spent the evening chatting in the parlor as the children played together.

I just love these two little girls! 

We ended up outside to play another game of kickball. It was really windy and chilly, but lots of fun. During our game, Mike was able to kick a ball over the back fence. (Yeah, it was very impressive!)

One of Garrett's favorite things to do is to come up from behind and hug/choke people. 

He ended up getting Grandma this time.

After the game was over, Jonathan and I sat on the porch to watch the sunset. It was so lovely and relaxing. I had visions of us doing the same at our own home after we put the children down for the night.

It was such a wonderful day to celebrate Clara and all of the fathers in our family. My brothers are such great fathers. Andy is always making up cute little songs with his babies, Chris is always making Seth and Clara laugh, and Mike is always watching out for Garrett's safety. Jonathan is a wonderful uncle. He is adorable playing with the baby girls and goofing around with the boys. Our children are so blessed that they will have him as a father. This was a memorable Father's Day for our family.