What's your wallpaper?

I love all things cutesie.  Daniel laughs because I have to have cute this and cute that.  I don't have all the things I would like to do to my house, partly because I've run out of paint and need to get some more, but my computer is the next best thing.  I haven't gone so far as to try and make a desktop wallpaper as good as these, but I think that I will be attempting it soon.  Of course, one is never enough!  Mine changes every time I log in!  I can't remember who to credit for the first one, but the second one is from Shabby Princess.  I love the backgrounds.  I did get some blogwear from the shoppe there, but I will do that update some other time.  I really like the backgrounds I'm using now.

What do you have?  Are you cutesie, or does simple make you smile when you log in?

Have a good one!  Love to all!

New look...

I have had so much fun with the backgrounds I found at Allie Brown's layouts.  I have a link to her site in the links section on the right.  She gives you all of the code you need to use it!

We had a ton of fun at the annual Camp Tracy BBQ with Dan's family.  Every year they go up to the Scout camp and do dinner with some shooting on the range for desert!  It was fun, especially the time in the stream with the kids.  I'm putting up some photos on my photo site for those interested.

Here is a layout I did:

I will post more later....Love to all!

Happy Birthday to my "big" little brother.  I hadn't thought about posting birthday wishes here before, but thought I would do it today.  Hope you have a good one!

We are heading to Salt Lake today to Camp Tracy for a BBQ and some shooting.  Dan's dad is manages the shooting range and the Boy Scout camp there, and so every year on a Saturday towards the end of summer, the family gets together for a party and they get to shoot the scout rifles.  

Luckily we are going to spend the day up the canyon.  It has been so hot here, that the house has been intolerable as well as outside.  It was over 80+ degrees inside last night, with the AC cranked all the way up!  It didn't cool down until well into the wee hours.  We were all pretty miserable.  We don't get much shade in the afternoon because the trees aren't quite big enough to provide that much shade to the front of the house.  That doesn't help either!  Oh well, at least the pumpkins and tomatoes are doing well!

Have a great day Pete, and everyone else!!!

A couple pics...

Here are a couple of layouts that I did tonight. I've been so busy and there has been so much running around that I haven't had too much time to work on pictures. I really need to get better at keeping track of what products I'm using. I need to give credit, but never can remember. I generally mix and match so much that I just don't keep track of what I've used.

I think that Abbie is so cute here.  I laugh that she has lost about 7 inches of length in her hair because of the curls.  I also like it that she isn't "cheesing" for the camera.

Still waters run deep...just something that came to mind as I looked at this layout.  I had fun playing around with grungy techniques.

Love to all!!!!

My parents' story....

Almost 37 years ago, my parents got married. I had heard their story from them a number of times, but on Thursday, I had a new perspective, one that made my testimony grow.

A few months ago, I had been having some issues with the Department Chair of the Psychology department on campus. He didn't want to get information back to me as the dean of his college had agreed to. We traded a number of heated e-mails and I carbon copied the dean on a number of them. The chair was quite abusive and I felt that I had been given a terrible blow to my psyche and self-esteem. After the Associate Provost got involved and talked with the dean, it seemed to calm down and I didn't have any more issues with the Psychology department.

Fast forward to last week. I had gone to my parents house to pick up my kids and sat and talked about work a bit. My mom made a comment that I am sure was meant to be off the cuff, with no response needed. She said, "I am sure that Richard Sadler isn't still there...." I was absolutley shocked. This was the dean that I had been working with in regards to the issues I had been having with Psychology. My experience with him had not been positive or negative, just neutral. It turns out that Richard Sadler had been my parents' bishop when they were in the singles ward. They talked for a while about how much they loved and admired him and spent a bit of time going down "amnesia" lane.

I sent Dean Sadler an e-mail, sending my parents greetings and love, never expecting it to go any further than that. I went out of town for a meeting, and when I got back, I had a voicemail on my phone from him, asking to get together. I returned e-mails, voice mails, and did quite a bit of work before I was able to call him back. When I did, he was on the other line, but I left a message with his secretary that I was returning his call. About ten minutes later I hear someone ask for me in the front office. Low and behold, in walks Dean Sadler. He gave me the biggest hug and said that we had a very interesting relationship. This is the story that he told me:

Bishop Sadler and his counselors had felt for some time that there were some men in the ward that needed to attend the temple. Some had not had the opportunity to go on a mission for one reason or another, and so were older than the "normal" age of going through the temple. There were some in particular they decided to work with, my dad being one of them. There were others in the ward that they wanted to go back to the temple and so my mom was in that group. Bishop Sadler remembered them, and the exact events that took place. He told me that as an observer, the day they went to the temple was not for anyone but my parents. He couldn't remember who entered the Celestial Room first, but he said that when they did, it was as if no one else was there...they were the only two people in the world. Just a mere six weeks later, they were married.

Of course, this small synopsis doesn't do the story justice, no does it convey the feeling of gratitude I felt that a young bishop was in tune with the Spirit and acted on the promptings. I am grateful that my parents were prepared in that moment for the pure spiritual connection, so that I am able to be here. I had never heard this perspective of how my parents ended up together. It really is strange that knowing each other for almost 5 years beforehand, that nothing happened. Of course the Lord works in mysterious ways.

I am really grateful that I had the chance to meet with Dean/Bishop Sadler and get to know him and know my a little bit more about my parents and their amazing story.

A way cool site!

I came across this site today as I was doing my digi scrapbooking search. I absolutely love it! I will be playing around with a kit or two in the next couple of days and may update this blog. I did my photo blog. If you feel like searching for some great blogwear, check out: Allie Brown's Layouts

I had a great day today, and will share the amazing experience I had with the Dean of the College of Social & Behavioral Sciences. I a bit too tired tonight.

Love to all!!!

Curly Girlies

So we had Quiera at our house last night. She and Abbie have the same birthday, just two years apart. I know that it's a lot more than a birthday that makes them such good friends. They begged for curlers in their hair. Quiera had never done curlers, and Abbie's curlers are from when she was younger, and had less hair. Well, we did it anyway, and here they are, in all their glory:

I think we need bigger curlers!  Perhaps for next time!!!!