Day 7

I am very grateful for hot baths. Sigh.

Day 6

I am especially grateful for this dude.

Day 5

I have a great love for holy places and I have been blessed to have many of them throughout my life.

Girls Camp was a holy place for me as a teenager. I get that that sounds quite strange, but it was a place where I felt a profound sense of acceptance.

Hooray for Pocatello 6th Ward

Talk about going grungy. I'm not sure some of us used the showers at camp that week. There was a lake, who needed the shower, right?

Oakcrest was a holy place for me. I consider it my non-official church mission. I spent 2 summers in the sun making up skits, eating ashcakes, playing pranks and teaching the gospel of Christ. My understanding of how God loves and works with His children reached depths previously unknown to me. The holiness of those experiences have remained with me through the years.

The beloved Oakcrest sign at the 50 year reunion.

And, this, my friends, is what happens when you let campers do your hair.

Some of the counselors in '94. Why would any teenager take anything we said seriously? Just look at us?

Ah, my favorite activity at camp, Survival. Also affectionately referred to as Suicide. We always did this with another unit so there would be 2 counselors present. One at the top, strapping the girls in and one at the bottom, catching them before they slammed into the mattress. I always felt a little sorry for the poor little 12 year old at the bottom that volunteered to help catch. They, inevitably, got picked up and dragged along with the person on the harness. So, so funny to watch from up top.

One day I stepped out of the bathroom stall and was surprised by a group of my girls.

Don't cha just love that hair???

Duckie and M&M, the BEST FLOATERS EVER!!! I had such a great time with M&M during the week we didn't have girls. We were responsible for the weeks theme and party and skits. We were such goofballs. Also, check out those shoes, they were AWESOME!!!.

The holiest of places I love to visit is the temple. I received my endowments in Logan, UT, was married in Jordan River, UT and O was sealed to us in San Antonio, TX. Now I attend the Washington D.C. temple. I don't really mind which one I attend because the spirit is the same in all of them.

Yes, here we have the cheesy, breezy couple looking longingly at each other. The fuzzy around the edges filter makes me groan. Blech.

Wow, we were had no idea what we were getting in to and 10 years later we are convinced it was the greatest decision for the both of us.

I will remember this day forever. We waited over 2 years to have O sealed to us. It was a miracle of miracles how the timing of our schedules all worked out. LT was preparing for his deployment to Djibouti and was living back east. He was able to come home for Thanksgiving and we went to the temple the Wednesday before.

I think everyone needs a space where they can just be. And I think in the being, we can reflect and then become.

Day 4

I am grateful for signs.

Day 3

I have a profound love for my family, the family I came from, and the family I am creating. And I can not forget the family of friends that have filled in the gaps over the years.

My husband is my best friend, and I know this phrase is trite, but it is true. We fit together. We work well together, we are equally stubborn and strong so we can't really push each other around. We have the same core beliefs and values, we have similar desires. We really truly enjoy being with each other.

My daughter is the center of my universe. I am up to my ears in the world of "pre school" and "pretend". Secretly, well not so secretly now, I've always felt really anxious about being around little kids because I just don't understand how to communicate with them. Give me a teenager and I'm fine, but under 10, whoa, uncharted territory for me. O is teaching me more and more about the wonder of being a child. I love being in her world at times, it's a fun place. I am gaining a more meaningful understanding of what is it to be a mother and how my role affects the family. O, in many ways, is my mini-me. I honestly didn't think it was possible, but we are similar in more ways that I imagined. That's SO SCARY!!! The last time I was home I read through my baby book and some of my moms memoirs. Wow, it felt like I was reading the very things I would say I about O. The Lord really knows..... Do I dare say "the curse"?

I am grateful for the family I was raised in. My parents and brother have many great qualities I admire and aspire to develop. My experiences as a youth have shaped who I am today.

I am also grateful for the family in which LT was raised. His experiences growing up shaped his desires for the family we are working to create now.

I truly believe the family unit is the strongest unit of a society. It is a huge responsibility and privilege to raise the next generation. Many of the social ills of a society stem from the break down of families. I hope and work to create a family that is filled with peace and love.

My family at Christmas 2010 in ID

The Murphy family around 1993

The Hills, missing T and F

The Hills, T,F and L

The sweet angel that made me a mother.

My BFF from High School

Wow, what an incredible woman.

My YW leader S. I adored this woman.

Food!!

I really, really like food. I'm grateful it helps to nourish and strengthen my body.

A month of Gratitude

I am grateful for my faith in Christ and His teachings that direct my life. Over the years I have followed His teachings and I have disregarded them. And I have found that when I choose to do the simple things like, looking for the good in others, looking for opportunities for service, praying, reading the scriptures and seeking guidance from the Holy Spirit, I have a greater measure of peace. And, oh how sweet that peace is, especially in tumultuous times.

I'll be the first and loudest to admit that I am far from a perfect person and definitely not a saint . And I'll be the first to admit, that I am happy with who I am and I feel peace with who I am trying to become. In this world, I may be one voice drowned out in billions, but with God, I am heard. I am loved and I am encouraged.