This boy

 
Less than 24 hours after being crowned tournament champion, this darling boy and I were at the
temple participating in baptisms. I just adore him something fierce and loved that time with him in
my favorite place. He’s so amazing and has the best heart. And oh, the side-by-side below…I loveth.

 

Highly recommend

 

Still at it. Even if I haven’t shared a lot about it. I just started my third semester toward my criminal justice degree and this semester I’m focused on my child and family studies minor. I love it all so much. Even if it isn’t the easiest and I have plenty on my plate without it. I still am so grateful I get to do it.

Now if I can keep my grades where I’d like them. I’m pretty proud that my old lady self has a 4.0 so far, but this may be the semester that breaks me. Because this class I’m taking has a thirty page syllabus. (Bless my professor’s detailed/particular heart.) Oh well, I get to learn and grow and do something hard for me, so ideal grade or not, I’m a fan.

Ahhh, going back for a bonus degree in your forties. Highly recommend.

Tournament champions

Our darling Ben was invited to participate in a premier soccer tournament in
Mesquite, this last weekend, and the team ended up winning the entire thing.

It was pretty much the best!

So excited for our boy and so grateful for Jacob and his willingness
(can’t pretend he didn’t love it) to spend five days making this possible
for Ben. He’s such a tremendous dad and I love that he and Ben had
this time together and also that the final game turned out so fabulously.

One of our happiest memories of late for sure. We kind of love soccer
at our house, if you can’t tell. And our Benjamin a whole lot more.

These darlings of mine

Nothing better than these few minutes with my two oldest together. Oh I love them.
And their darling, hilarious selves. I’m just a huge fan of Monday.

This girl

My beautiful missionary girl had a chance to see the DC sites (yay for weekly preparation days)
before she leaves for Uruguay in just over three weeks. Oh she is something else. I’m so grateful for her.

So much joy

Just thinking about the excitement of our girl getting to go to her original
mission {call} and can’t stop smiling. I’m so thrilled for her. And the people
of Uruguay. Looks like I have a flag to switch out in the not so distant future.

The temple, special days and my hero

On a regular basis, my sweet dad sends me temple names to do. Because my mom can no longer
help him with the work of his female ancestors here on earth, I get to. And I’m so incredibly grateful.

Today I completed a few names he sent me, including this one from a woman born in 1595. For right
close to four hundred years, she has been waiting for her temple work for be done. It was such a sweet
experience to be a part of that today. And then to go on and do the work for two family members from
Scotland (land of my ancestors and my heart) that I brought myself. It was just a really wonderful day.

One of my favorite days of the entire year actually.

Happy Birthday Daddy! It’s such an honor to be your daughter. Thanks for teaching me to love
the temple. Next to having you as my dad, it’s one of the greatest blessings I’ve ever been given.

Yesterday

Benjamin Jay ~ This is fourteen

Happy, Happy Birthday my incredible boy! You are so outrageously loved.

Our Hermana Allen

Three things...

1. Our girl. While we were talking to her today. I'm just a huge fan of Mondays. 

2. Hermana Allen is officially going to Uruguay! She received notice yesterday and we are so thrilled for her, we could burst. Just the happiest news ever. She will definitely miss Maryland, but cannot wait to fly to Montevideo at the beginning of February. 

 3. And this thought from her email today, "Guys. Spanish is AWESOME. I'm literally not even in a Spanish area and I'm obsessed with the language. In reading the Book of Mormon in Spanish, you learn so many more concepts and the Lord teaches you so much. My favorite thing is that in Spanish, the words "to adore" and "to worship" are the exact same word. How incredible is that? What if we went to church to adore God? What if we prayed to adore Him more? What if we sang songs in adoration of Him? What if we read the scriptures and learned more about Him so we could adore Him even more? HOW COOL IS THAT?? Anyway, let's all adore God a little more this week."

I just love her so much. It is such an honor to be her mom.

They’re truly the best and I’m forever the luckiest

A new year

Happiest New Year dear friends. So grateful for the promise of new beginnings, continued friendship, time with those we love most and a God who is anxiously waiting to give us every good thing.

I’ve been emotional the last few days as this new year approached, knowing this would be the year when I wouldn’t see or hug my sweet Annie in person. I miss her fiercely. But I also know she is where she wants to be, where she is supposed to be, and I’m grateful for that knowledge.

Thank you for what you mean to our little family. We could never thank you enough for being a part of the greatest miracle our Father in Heaven has ever given us. For that reason alone, we will never forget 2021. But the unfathomable fear and grief we also experienced makes this new year an extremely welcome one.

I’m so thankful for my incredible husband, my darling chicklets, my testimony of my Savior and His beautiful gospel and my Heavenly Father’s love and protective care. And for miracles. So many miracles.

Oh mortality is something else.

But so is our God.

Always my favorite

 

It’s been a highly unusual reading year for me. I read 80 books in 2021. Far more than I have ever been able to read in any given year. (Mostly because I was competing with my young nephew to see who could read 55 books first and I wanted to win and was flying through each novel because I’m nothing if not competitive. But he forgot to mention that he toasted me within just a few weeks of the year beginning, so I just kept going like a crazy person, but I still lost and I’m definitely not bitter. Not even a little.)

And of those dozens of books, my very favorite was and always will be the Book of Mormon. I loved it so much, I read it three times. Finishing it for the third time, just a couple of weeks ago.

I love the Book of Mormon with a fierceness that is hard to describe. I’m a better person and a better disciple of my Savior, Jesus Christ, because it exists. Because our Father in Heaven made sure it was a part of our lives, so that we could be happier and kinder and more loving and confident if we choose to read from it regularly.

The Book of Mormon is true. No matter if we believe it or not, it just is. And no amount of doubt or work on any person’s part to disprove it changes that fact. I will forever trust God in my knowledge of this because He is the One that told me so. He earned my love and trust long ago and that includes His assurance that the Book of Mormon comes from Him to each of us, because of His eternal love for all of His children.

It is another testament of Jesus Christ and if there is even the smallest part of you that wants to know and love your Redeemer more, the Book of Mormon will make that happen. I promise it will. And you will be happier and more peaceful in the meantime.

I’m so touched by a God who has given us such a beautiful, pure, incredible gift. It just humbles me to the core and I’m forever grateful to Him. And for the Book of Mormon. My favorite book I read this year to be sure.

Five stars. Plus an additional five hundred.

Highly recommend.

Healing and love

 

When I need healing, for myself or for those I love most, I go to the temple. As often as I possibly can.

Which is why I feel so privileged to have been within its walls three times since yesterday afternoon.
God is so generous with His goodness, power and love. And never is that more real and beautiful than
in His temple. I know that to the deepest part of my heart. And I need it to the deepest part of my soul.

I just cannot get over how much our Father in Heaven loves each one of us.

This I know

 
Never have I felt a deeper or more overwhelming gratitude on Christmas Day.
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep.” Of that I testify with all of my heart and soul.

This is happiness

 
This is joy.

Christ is born

“Stepping down from Heaven's throne
To show us that we're not alone
The truest love and single light
The Son of God on Christmas night

Someday He'll give His life for me
But now He sleeps so peacefully
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
They all sing ‘praise the King’
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Come adore, Christ is born today”

Twenty-three

For the last twenty-three years (this very day in fact) I've known what a privilege it is to be married to this
tremendous man. But never have I felt it more strongly or emotionally than I have this last week. He’s all
that is good and light and handsome and kind and calm and brave and loving. And being his wife for this
life and the next has surpassed every incredible dream I could ever wish for or want. Oh I love Jacob Allen.

Our sweet Maddie

  

As many of you know, our beautiful niece, Maddie went missing nine days ago. And through the incredible work of law enforcement, the prayers of more people than we could ever count and mostly our Father in Heaven’s miraculous power and overwhelming kindness, was found five days later. We will never stop praising God for the miracle we received. Never.

Of course there is still healing and recovery ahead, but our sweet Maddie is with us to go through that journey and we are eternally grateful. In addition, watching her parents go through this living nightmare has been the most humbling, beautiful, horrific, painful, inspiring experience of my life. There are no words.

Please know two things dear friends.

First, your support and kindness has meant everything to us. You think you have a small idea of how good people are and then you watch as humanity blows that perception out of the water (that especially applies to the law enforcement and what they were willing to do to find Maddie). I’m just so grateful, humbled, honored and blessed to know and interact with each of you. Thank you for caring about our Maddie. It has meant everything to a family numb with pain and grief. And it means everything to God who sees how we treat each other—how we, His children, treat one another—and weeps with gratitude. I believe that to the deepest part of my heart. Thank you for being a part of that and for doing what you have done so incredibly well.

And second, our God is a God of miracles. And YES that miracle includes finding our beautiful girl, but that is not all I am referring to. We have seen intimately and in ways that I could never describe, miracle after miracle after miracle. And I will never forget it. I will never stop trusting my Father in Heaven and my Savior. Far before this experience, but in every second of what our family has been through this last week, They have earned my trust. And my love for Them is for ever and for always. As is Their love for each one of us.

I’m so overwhelmingly grateful.

Another year, another annoying brag

 
You know, just looking at our holiday card from President and Mrs. Bush. As one does.

Holy squirrels, I am SO obnoxious. But it’s my favorite yearly brag (as opposed to
my favorite daily brag about Jacob and/or my chicklets). Especially considering how
incredibly kind President Bush was to and about me when we met a few years back.
So sorry, you’re going to have to just be annoyed with me sharing each year until it ends.

Because pretty much he’s like a grandfather to me. And I’m sure he would tell
you the same. Because of course he remembers me and wouldn’t at all look terrified
when I ran to give him a granddaughterly hug. Nor would the secret service take me
down before I could do so, because did you hear President Bush and I are close?

Yes indeed. It would be as lovely and chummy as you are imagining.

Someone make a Hallmark movie about it. Stat.

Privilege

Another week, another morning spent in my very favorite place. It is such a privilege
to help God, in my very small way, with His work for His children.