My Heroes!

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When I was 5 years old, my best friend lived next door. We lived in the country so friends were few and far between, as they say. I spent quite a bit of time alone, not wanting to be too much of a burden to my friend, but once in a while I would go next door and he would be in the back of his house taking care of something important I’m sure. I really had a great time with my friend, when he could play. Sometimes I’d be gone for hours and my mom would wonder where I was. She would eventually find me…out in the field, plowing with my best friend. In case you couldn’t tell by now, my best friend wasn’t another 5 year old. It was Mr. Chard, a grandpa type who, like I said lived next door to me. I used to stand on the fence and say, “Mr. Chard, can you play?“ Even now thinking about him I miss him and his sweet and gentle way. This was many years ago; you could trust your 5 year old daughter with a man like Mr. Chard. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. I remember he never had time to “play”, but I remember riding the tractor next to him and plowing the fields for hours. It’s too bad that the world has changed. I would have never had a best friend when I was five if I didn’t have Mr. Chard. He has been gone for years, but this little girl will never forget his kindness and love.

Family History Friday (FHF): Bridges!

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“Genealogies, family stories, historical accounts, and traditions…form a bridge between past and future and bind generations together in ways that no other keepsake can.” –Dennis B. Neuenschwander

I recently read a talk by Dennis B. Neuenschwander. In it he states that we all have keepsakes. Some have furniture, books, porcelain and other valuable things that are passed down from generation to generation. These are important, because they remind us of our loved ones who have passed on and turn our minds to loved ones unborn. “They form a bridge between family past and family future.”
The more valuable keepsakes though are the genealogies, family stories, historical accounts and traditions. These are eternal keepsakes and bind our families together like no other keepsake can.
Each family member has a personal responsibility to be the architect of this bridge for their own family.
He says, “Not one of my children has any recollection of my grandparents. If I want my children and grandchildren to know those who still live in my memory, then I must build the bridge between them. I alone am the link to the generations that stand on either side of me. It is my responsibility to knit their hearts together through love and respect, even though they may never have known each other personally. My grandchildren will have no knowledge of their families history if I do nothing to preserve it for them. That which I do not in some way record will be lost at my death, and that which I do not pass on to my posterity, they will never have. The work of gathering and sharing eternal family keepsakes is a personal responsibility. It cannot be passed off or given to another.
A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory. What a tragedy this can be in the history of a family. Knowledge of our ancestors shapes us and instills within us values that give direction and meaning to our lives.”
Thankfully for me I have parents and grandparents who built this bridge for me. I have read stories and know some of the histories of my ancestors (those that were written, and saved). Let’s all build a bridge, we can do it. Do a little each week. Ask your parents if they have any stories of their parents and grandparents they can share. If they’re not written down, do it, write them down! Organize them, so that others can enjoy them. Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Family History Friday (FHF): London & Italy.

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Kelsey @ Six-Look at this darling girl!
(Sorry it is alittle out of focus)
Have I ever told you how much I love being a mom? Well, I do. In fact, some of the best entertainment in my life has come from either the things my children have said or the things they have done. I have tried to write down the cute things the kids have said for family to enjoy, as well as the child who said it, in later years. Once when Kelsey was about 6 years old we were planning a family reunion. It was going to be a special one because we were going to a town that was quite significant to my husband’s family. His grandfather was born and grew up there. We were going to travel for a long time to get to the place. We told the kids we were going to Lund through Ely. Now, you have to know this little town of Lund had only a few hundred people living in it. It is south of Ely.
They’re both in Nevada. My sweet little Kelsey told everyone that we were going to London and Italy. So people would come up to me and say “Wow, you have quite a trip planned!” Thinking they were being sarcastic I’d say “Yeah!!!”, and then mention something about the thrill we were going to have in Lund. One lady in particular then told me, “Oh, I thought you were going to London and Italy.” We laughed and laughed. The lady did actually know where Lund was, and had spent time there as a child. Let me just say that Lund and Ely couldn’t be more different than London and Italy. Although I have been to Lund and Ely, and I can’t say the same about London and Italy.
Keep a small notebook near the kitchen or some other area you spend time, and write down the cute things the children say and do. Believe me you’ll be glad you did. If you don’t, you will forget, of this I can attest.

Autumn Decor!

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My hubby made this beautiful shelf. It hangs near the entrance of our home
and it usually gets the seasonal decor. That way, if I don’t have time to decorate the house much for holidays, I can almost always find time for the shelf. I thought it turned out pretty cute. I love the colors of Fall. It is my favorite time of year!

The hutch in the kitchen is always fun to decorate.

My favorite decorations are the ones you just kind of throw together. I just covered the shelf with things that are the colors of Fall. I collect leaf plates (cause I totally dig them), so those definitely had to be displayed. Almost all the baskets in my home were made by me or my sister-in-laws. I will always love baskets, whether they’re in style or not. (Maybe it’s because of my Native American ancestry) I think they look beautiful.

I love Autumn!

Lessons from the Mountain!

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See this mountain…I have been on top of this mountain.
I love this mountain. It represents so much. From the time I was a small child till now, I have looked in awe at it’s majesty.
One lesson I learned from the mountain is this — you can do more than you think you can. We have untapped abilities that are only used when we really push ourselves. My sweetheart and I decided one year for our anniversary to climb the mountain. That was about ten years ago. It was going to be a testimony to our marriage and the work and effort that got us to that point in our marriage. We started at about 8:00 am. We had a great time talking and enjoying each others company. We talked about our kids, our life together so far, our goals and dreams, and of course we talked about how much we loved each other. As the time went on the trail became steeper. There were many switch backs. There were also beautiful views and flowers along the trail. We had not prepared at all for this hike. No walking or special training to build endurance. We just went for it. I remember saying to my darlin, “Do you think I can do it?” and he would say, “YES! you can”. After 7 hours of hiking we reached the top. I was exhausted, and Brett was tired. Remember, we have to get back down. Some where in the middle of the hike I remember thinking, this is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I had given birth to 4 children and had gall bladder surgery, I was still thinking this is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done. We hiked down for 5 more hours, using different muscles than we used going up. Toward the end of the hike we both really had to concentrate to put one foot in front of the other. It was more quiet than the hike up, because we were saving our energy for hiking down. Finally we made it. We were so sore, I mean soooo soorree!!! I couldn’t even look at the mountain for months without shedding a few tears. But I did it! I didn’t know I could. Now I know, I CAN do hard things. It takes alot of effort, but I can do what ever I need to or want to do in life. You can too!
(Oh, by the way the hike was 16.o5 miles)

Surviving Life!

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Everyday Life Survival Kit

Toothpick: Pick the good qualities in everyone including yourself.

Rubberband: Be flexible. Things might not always go the way you want.

Band-Aid: To heal hurt feelings, either yours or someone else’s.

Eraser: Everyone makes mistakes. That’s okay, we learn by our mistakes.

Candy Kiss: Everyone needs a hug or a compliment everyday.

Mint: You are worth a mint to your family and friends.

Bubble Gum: Stick with it and you can accomplish anything.

Pencil: List your blessings every day.

Cocoa: Relax daily and go over your list of blessings
I thought this was such a cute survival kit. I think I will make one for everyone!! OK, maybe not for everyone. But here it is and I know I will for sure make one for me. I had a challenging day at work and I needed a reminder of the right way to think. I am very positive and don’t often feel sad, but today I was struggling. I will keep this by me at work and think positive! I love me! (and you too!)

Family History Friday (FHF): Family Trees!

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Like branches on a tree,
our lives may grow in different
directions yet our roots remain as one.
If you are the type that when you see strong families together you feel a pang of jealousy, you need to know that strong families are made, they don’t just happen. I know it is a lot of hard work. Over Labor Day weekend, we were traveling as a family in Southern Utah. In the small town where we were staying with friends, we passed a cabin several times that must have been having a family reunion. There were tents set up all over the side yard, cars from heck to breakfast, and people everywhere. One time we passed the cabin they were all out behind the cabin having a big water fight. I mean everyone, young children, adults, even some folks with gray hair had buckets with water. Everyone was wearing the “red” shirt, I assumed was the uniform for this reunion. I looked on with a big smile on my face, wishing I could put together a shin dig like that. One thing I do know is that if you want to be a strong family, you find what works for your family. We don’t have a cabin. I’m not sure if we would still like each other if we spent 3 days together, but I do know that we can get together for about 2 hours every other Sunday. We have dinner together and celebrate birthdays. I have a great family and even if we can’t have the big reunion with the matching shirts, I wouldn’t trade them for anything. The roots are deep and the tree is strong in this family. Make an effort to get together or plan something that will make your family stronger than ever. Happy Family History Friday! Love, Joy

Judge Not!

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While serving my mission in Texas, my companion and I found ourselves at the front door of our ward mission leader. Before we had a chance to knock or ring the doorbell, we heard what we thought was yelling and screaming coming from inside. My companion and I stood there with our mouths open, not knowing what to do. Should we leave? We would obviously be interrupting something. Honestly, the first thought that crossed my mind was…“Is he hurting his children? If he is, he’s not the man I thought he was…Hmmmmm.“ I came to the realization that if I left now, without at least knocking, I may never know what was happening and I would definitely always judge him. I wouldn’t really want to judge him, I just know I would always wonder. So I decided to knock. After knocking, I heard him from inside say, “Don’t open the door. I don’t have my pants on!!” Wow, that’s not what I was thinking would happen. Then his little girl, about 3 years old, came to the window by the door, parted the curtains and just smiled and smiled at us throught the window. My companion and I became more confused as the moments ticked on. His wife finally opened the door with this look on her face like, you will never believe what just happened. We were very interested in knowing what just happened. She told us the story of how as they sat down to dinner her husband was holding the baby (about one year old). As they were eating she noticed something on his leg, and said “Honey, I think you have a piece of meat on your leg”. He looked down to see a scorpion crawling up his leg toward the baby! He handed the baby over to his wife and swiped the scorpion off with his hand. The scorpion then started crawling back up his leg. Of course everyone is screaming. That’s about the time that we, the sister missionaries, got to the front door. As the scorpion crawled back up his leg, he dropped his pants, and killed it with a knife. About that time is when we knocked. It all makes perfect sense when you hear both sides, but to me, the concern and shock I was feeling in the beginning was very real. Can you imagine if I had left and never found out the whole story? I was ready to make a judgement that was very wrong. This was a righteous man, there was no reason to think otherwise. I made a decision that day, that I would not judge a situation like that again until I had all the information. In fact, I make a real effort to judge not!

Texas Bluebonnets