Benjamin Franklin Statement

I was watching a broadcast on the BYU channel and Elder Edgley was the speaker and he presented what I thought was a profound statement from Benjamin Franklin and I wanted to pass it along:

We stand at the crossroads,
each minute,
each hour,
each day,
making choices.
We choose
the thoughts
we allow ourselves to think,
the passions
we allow ourselves to feel,
and the actions
we allow ourselves to perform.
Each choice
is made in the context
of whatever value system
we've selected
to govern our lives.
In selecting that value system,
we are,
in a very real way,
making the most important choice
we will ever make.
Those who believe there is one God
who made all things
and who governs the world by his Providence
will make many choices different
from those who do not.
Those who hold in reverence
that being who gave them life
and worship Him through
adoration,
prayer,
and thanksgiving
will make many choices different
from those who do not.
Those who believe
that mankind are all of a family
and that the most acceptable
service of God
is doing good to man
will make many choices different
from those who do not.
Those who believe
in a future state
in which
all that is wrong here
will be made right
will make many choices different
from those who do not.
Those who subscribe
to the morals of Jesus
will make many choices different
from those who do not.
Since the foundation of all happiness
is thinking rightly,
and since correct action
is dependent on correct opinion,
we cannot be too careful
in choosing the value system
we allow to govern
our thoughts and actions.
And to know that God governs
in the affairs of men,
that he hears and answers prayers,
and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him,
is indeed,
a powerful regulator
of human conduct.

[Benjamin Franklin's The Art of Virtue: His Formula for Successful Living, ed. George L. Rogers, 3rd ed. (Eden Prairie, Minnesota: Acorn Publishing, 1996), 88­90]

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!

Happy 38th Anniversary Mom & Dad!!!

Today my parents have been married 13,879 days,

David and I have been married 306 days.

I can't even fathom the difference there.

I remember not being able to imagine being married to the same person for that long,

but now it's hard to imagine NOT being married to David for AT LEAST that long!!!

Can't wait for all the adventures the lie ahead!

Showering Katelyn with Gifts!

Wow, I feel like I've already had a baby shower because of all the wonderful gifts Katelyn has been given. After last night's deluge of clothes from Grandma Stiles and Aunt Shelli, adding to what she already had, Katelyn now has 48 outfits!! This picture doesn't tell you how cute they are, but I don't have room on my blog to take a picture of all of them :)

Also, Katelyn's Great Grandmother made her four beautiful blankets! My favorite is the one on top that says "God Loves You".

How do you know you have a wonderful husband?

Happy Anniversary to us! 10 months today!! Can you believe it?! Of course, for us it seems much longer than that. (In a good way!). Anyway, back to the heading of this post... Last night during the night, my gorgeous hubby was snoring a bit, so I nudged him a little to try to get him to turn onto his side to help alleviate the beautiful noise. Well, instead of turning away from me like he usually does, he turned towards me and started rubbing my back!!! I guess he thought I was bugging him to rub my back (like I always do). When I asked him about it this morning, he said he doesn't remember any of it, but what a great response/reflex he had. It stopped the storing AND I got a free backrub (as I was giggling the whole time at my "accomplishment")!! Yup, he's wonderful!

Baby Appointment #Something

Katelyn and I went to the doctor today (not that she had a choice). Doc said all my symptoms are normal. I guess I'm supposed to be relieved/happy that they are normal, but don't you sometimes want to to hear, "No, that's not normal, here, have a pill and it will be all better in an hour". :) 26 weeks and 3 days along. My next appointment is 3 weeks from today (Sep 14) and then we will start going every 2 weeks as the big day approaches. Tomorrow I work at the Temple, then afterwards hopefully David and I will work on getting the nursery cleaned up, then Sunday off to my mom's for her belated birthday dinner, and then Monday David and I celebrate our 10 month anniversary and Wednesday Mom and Dad celebrate their 38th (year, not month) anniversary!!

Fun Home Ownership

One of the fun things about owning a home is the "courtesy" letters you get from the HOA describing "opportunities" for you to improve the value of the neighborhood. We received such a letter while we were on vacation. Most of you will be grateful that we were told to take down the wreath from our front door (I guess they think Christmas is over). We also need a paint job and a nicer lawn. Note to the ladies: When you ask your husband to fertilize the lawn, it's probably not a good idea to lock him out of the house! I was pulling out of the garage on my way to work this morning and my husband was working hard on the lawn. Now, every other morning when I leave the garage, I close the door behind me, so why would today be any different??? OOPS!!!!! Can I blame it on the pregnancy brain?? Pleeeeeease.

How to Make a Pregnant Woman Scream

Today as I opened my overhead shelf at work, I noticed some old frosting that had been left in there for a while. It had 3 dime-sized holes in it, so I figured I must have a little critter in there at one time. No big deal, right? Well, as I went to pull out the frosting tube to throw it away, some of the frosting had hardened and fell out of the tube, which of course I imagined were bugs, so I screamed (louder than you should in an office) and threw the tube across the room as fast as I could!!! Three of my co-workers came running over to my desk to see what was the matter!!! I then proceeded to laugh so hard that they then began worried that I would go into labor right then and there. It was definitely a fun time for all!

Happy Birthday Shelli!

Today's blog is dedicated to my favorite sister's birthday!!

Double Digits!

This week we are down to double digits for our countdown to Katelyn!! On a different note, I finally was able to get my wedding rings off today, which brings mixed emotions. I have been trying to get them off for a week now, but wasn't able to due to their new fun size. I've heard about women who have to have them cut off because of the swelling, and since my engagement ring belonged to one of David's grandmothers, I couldn't bear to have that happen. So, I poured on the lotion and pulled and pulled until my finger was red and sore, but finally got them off. I look forward to Katelyn's arrival for yet another reason :)

PICTURES!

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