eventful week.

This week was eventful!

I just received the calling of Faith in God Leader and on Wednesday I taught my first Activity Days! It was so fun, we wrote Thank You cards to our families. The girls are so cute! Although, next time I need to remember to have them write the letters first, and THEN give them stickers! I forgot how much that age of girls LOVES stickers!

Then on Thursday night we got a CAR! It is a Green '99 Honda Accord (I guess we like green cars, our 4runner is green too!) It is in really good condition and I just love cruising around in my little car! After we got the car I was supposed to go to a Relief Society Healthy Living Night and I was in a hurry anyway because I had to be there at 6 PM. Well, Connel had to take the backroads because the windsheild in the new car had just been replaced and hadn't fully cured yet, so I took the four runner. Let me preface this next part by saying that after this experience the GPS has become a bit of a crutch (as in we DON'T go ANYWHERE without it!) Since Connel had to take the backroads, he took the GPS and I took directions written on the back of reciept. Can you guess what happened next?
Yep...I got lost. I took the first turn down a one way street, well I was going the RIGHT way down the street, then realized I was on the wrong street, well I couldn't very well just take other one way streets to get back to the street I was supposed to be on, so I decided to take my chances and head back down the one way street the WRONG way. I went on my way, hoping that would be the last of it and since now I was on the highway I would be okay. Well I was on 44 and I had to turn onto 270 and then to 55. If you're not sure that is three...THREE (a.k.a. 3) highways! So I was feeling okay until...there was 4 lanes...two going to Memphis and 2 going to Chicago. (I was supposed to be going the Memphis way, but alas I was in the far right lane leading to Chicago in 6 PM rush hour traffic. So, although a trip to Chicago sounded fun, I decided to turn around at the next exit. I WAS on 270 just going the wrong way! So I turned around, I knew that 270 hit 55 at one point, but I was not sure where. I turned around and headed back the other way (I actually can't really tell you WHERE I was because at this point I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE IN THE WORLD I WAS!...in St. Louis somewhere...So by now I was already 15 minutes late to the R.S Activity (in which I was supposed to participate an instruct a few things)...so then I saw a sign leading to Fenton, and so I figured if I can get to a main road in Fenton I can find 55 and get back on track! But I was afraid that I would get lost again...so I stopped at a gas station and asked for directions. The kid gave me directions as if he were Speedy Gonzalez. I must have looked like I didn't know what he was talking about when he said what I thought was "It will be alright from here." I started to think, "Aww, what a sweet kid. Telling me I will be alright!" then I realized that he said, " Just take all rights from here." Oh... So thankfully I followed the directions and found my way to 55. (oh and by the way, I was somehow on 44, which is interesting, because I thought I was on 270...) Wow, this whole experience is really funny now, and would have been really funny if Connel was with me, but since I was BY MYSELF and in a GHETTO neighborhood it was NOT FUNNY THEN! One thing I learned...I am THANKFUL for my GPS..crutch or not! :D Oh and I made it to the R.S. thing, just 45 minutes late, but that's okay because they started late and I was still on time to do my thing. (and eat the yummies that were there!)

So anyway...On Friday I went to the Mills Mall with my friend Kim and her kids. It was fun and I got the ride the carousel with the kids! The Mills Mall is really huge and has some really cool stops for kids (and adults!)

We went to The Children's Place, which I had never been to (only seen ads in Magazines) and they have the CUTEST clothes for children.


This outfit is a must when I am a Mommy!


On Friday night Connel went on a Scout Campout (His calling is Assistant Scout Master). It was sooo cold outside and I really felt bad for them, but there was no complaining (at least from Connel). While he was gone I DECORATED FOR CHRISTMAS!
It was really fun. I turned up the Christmas Music and put on a Santa Hat and went to work it took me four hours to put together my Christmas village! I put in on top of our entertainment center, I am so proud of it! Now all we have to do is get a tree. I kind of want a fake one (weird I know) but I just want to put it up and keep it up for a while and you can't do than with a real one because it get all dry and makes a mess. However I like the real ones, because of the smell, and because of all the fun that is had while going and chopping it down in the forest, but we have no idea where to go to chop a tree down here and so we might end up going to a tree farm, fun nonetheless, but missing that dashing-through-the-snow kind of feeling, you know? Oh well, I'll just let Connel choose and we'll do that. It will make the decision making process alot easier.

Here are some of my favorites...

My Christmas Village



My Christmas Books

Then on Saturday I went to a little spa party at my friend Becky's house, I invited my friend Kate and we just had some fun with the girls!

On Sunday, Connel and I gave talks! I always get so nervous, whenever I speak in church or bear testimony I usually cry! But this time I felt good, I held my composure until the very end (then I bore my testimony and cried :D! Connel did a really great job as well, our talks were on giving thanks. Like always, I learned more studying for the talk then I'm sure people learned when I gave it! Here are a few of the things that really stood out to me about Giving Thanks...(I think sharing this is perfectly appropriate because Thanksgiving is only a few days away!) A lot of the things that I learned came from THIS talk by Elder Wirthlin of the Quorom of the Twelve Apostles. It is SOOO perfect!

“…[There] is a quality I have found in every happy person I know. It is a quality that instantly makes a person more likable and more at peace. Where there is an abundance of this virtue, there is happiness. Where there is an absence of this virtue, there is often sadness, resentment, and futility. The virtue I am speaking of is gratitude. ...Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character. We like to be around those who are grateful. They tend to brighten all around them. They make others feel better about themselves. They tend to be more humble, more joyful, more likable." -Elder Wirthlin <---I love him! He's my fave!! :D

(That is such a true statement! I really appreciate those kind of people...)

I found this poem on Sugardoodle and used it in my talk...I LOVED it! It really puts everyday thinking into perspective!

Lord, thank you for this sink of dirty dishes; We have plenty of food to eat. Thank you for this pile of dirty, stinky laundry; We have plenty of nice clothes to wear. And I would like to thank you, Lord, for those unmade beds; They were so warm and comfortable last night. I know that many have no bed. My thanks to you, Lord, for this bathroom, Complete with all the splattered mirrors, soggy, grimy towels and dirty lavatory; They are so convenient. Thank you for this finger-smudged refrigerator that needs defrosting so badly; It has served us faithfully for many years. It is full of cold drinks and enough leftovers for two or three meals. Thank you, Lord, for this oven that absolutely must be cleaned today. It has baked so many things over the years. The whole family is grateful for that tall grass that needs mowing, The lawn that needs raking; We all enjoy the yard. Thank you, Lord, even for that slamming screen door. My kids are healthy and able to run and play. Lord, the presence of all these chores awaiting me says You have richly blessed my family. I shall do them cheerfully and I shall do them gratefully.

There are a few things that I have gone through lately that have really tested me. I am so "grateful" for all the things that Heavenly Father blesses my with in my life. I KNOW that whatever struggles or trials we are going through, he shows us his tender, tender mercies whether they be through opportunities, everyday happenings or other people. Through those things he lets us know that we are cared about and LOVED BY HIM!

We are getting really excited for Thanksgiving this week! And for our upcoming to trip to IDAHO and OREGON! Looking forward to seeing those snow covered mountains! Aahh!