May Fun!!

Yes, believe it or not, I do work ;0) This is me heading out for another day of fun!!

I finally finished school!! At least until August. I was really excited on how my little SLCC experience went. I started out really apprehensive of getting good grades. Keep in mind that I took Anatomy and Physiology at ISU a few years ago....and got a C =0( So My goal was to improve my grades to increase my chances in getting into the Rad. Tech. program. Even though I was accepted into the program a few weeks ago, I hoped to be able to pull off my Physiology class, due to staying in the program was decided by keeping up my grades. I was able to get an A in all three classes, Biology, Anatomy, and Physiology!! I don't want anyone to think that I am bragging....Because remember, I got a C the first time!?! But through a lot of prayers, hard work, and encouragement from family and friends, I was completely blessed.

I wanted to include some pics of the two Temples that I have been able to attend while going to school this past year....

Jordan River Temple....This is the first temple that I have ever walked in....or maybe I should say spun wheels on ;0) My aunt Joann pushed me in a stroller when I was a baby and my family went to the openhouse. It was really neat to return. It's only a few miles away from school, which is so nice and convenient!!



Timpanogos Temple....is the temple that is only 10 minutes away from me. It is amazing to live so close!! It is absolutely beautiful inside.

A Disappointingly Small Envelope...

As all of you know, I have applied to the Radiology Tech. program for Weber State University via Utah Valley Hospital. I have been working really hard for a year now, taking Biology so that I could retake Anatomy and Physiology and get A's. I also volunteered with the Rad. department at the hospital where I work. I sent my application a month before it was due....everything seemed to be working out just like I had planned.....Or was it?

It was the beginning of March, and I had just taken my midterms....asked my professors to send in grades to the program. Just because I am, for a lack of a better term, anal, I called Weber up to let them know they were coming. I got a definite "It's too late" as a reply. I guess there was a deadline for the 1st of March....hmmm, I didn't remember there being a deadline for midterms!? So I was completely frustrated with myself, decided to investigate....there's nothing stating March 1st, let alone any deadline for anything. Long, traumatic story short, (one that my family knows all too well) after many phone calls and a little visit, they accepted my midterms. Phew, K, now all that was left was to receive a little paper saying that I had an interview....

Just about when I was going to accept the finality of not getting an interview, my roommate checks the mail....I had an interview!! YIKES!! So everything seems to be going just fine. The guy who was 2 interviews ahead of me had them laughing the whole time, and he gets walked out of the room.....K, no pressure, things are going to go great. The girl ahead of me....no real laughter, and no walking her out! What in the world....so now it's my turn, and I feel really good about everything that I said. I was ready, I was prepared.....I got them to laugh a little bit, that's a good sign, right? But I didn't get walked out of the room!! Crap!! Oh well, I did my best, and that was all I could ask for. Now I just had to wait for a letter...

I am checking the mail everyday, dying to see a letter from Weber....and then a manila envelope came this last Saturday. It was so incredibly thin, my heart just sank.....but I am ACCEPTED!! Wahoo! I immediately called up my family, bubbling over with excitement. So no more school for me until the end of August!!

Therefore, you are all witnesses that miracles happen. I would truly feel ungrateful if I didn't acknowledge that the whole time, through all of my doubts and fears, that my Heavenly Father has blessed me a hundred fold. I can't even imagine what I would do without Him, and the comfort and reassurance through it all. My family and friends.....they are way too good to me!! Many of them have fasted and prayed with me in my behalf. Even through all of the frustrations and chaos, I have seen blessings!! It has brought me closer to so many.

So, again, thank you all so incredibly much for your love, support, prayers, EVERYTHING!! And especially with the tears that have been shared. As my Dad always says, "I don't deserve ya, but I'll keep ya"!!

Easter

I was able to go up to Idaho with Stephanie and her family. It was fun to be home....I hadn't been home since Thanksgiving, so it was way over due!!

Saturday, we went the the Arimo Easter Egg hunt. Each adult took a kid to gather up the eggs, they each got 17. Inside there is candy, and if you are superly lucky, you might find a number hidden inside. So, I was paired up with Aimee. As we were gathering eggs, I kept suggesting that maybe we should spread it out, but Aimee kept finding the eggs, and couldn't resist picking them all up. To be honest, I was worried that she wouldn't get anything.....and so we opened them one by one.....and we got FOUR numbers!! One of them happened to be a girl's bike!! I was the lucky charm ;0) LOL! She was such a sweet heart, and even gave her brother and sister a prize. And little Jenna won her own prize, sidewalk chalk!! You can just imagine how colorful my parent's sidewalk was before the weekend was over.



Later that night we went to an Easter Cantata. Sis. Janice Kapp Perry wrote it. Her husband was there with her. It was fun to meet the woman who wrote so many songs that helped my testimony to grow in primary. A funny side note: each kid fell asleep.....Mom had Aimee on her lap with Jared leaned up against her. I had Alyssa in my lap. But Jenna was wide awake the whole time. They were so cute.

Then we went home to color eggs, and leave out Trix for the Easter Bunny.





Sunday was absolutely fantastic!! My Mom taught the Relief Society lesson on "Valiant for the Cause of Christ". She does such a great job, and teaches by the Spirit. By the time it was over, I had tears streaming down my face, along with many others. I am so grateful for her testimony and for her strength that she has given to me. She is a rock, on which I have leaned on many times. Later that night, her and I went to a fireside by Janice Kapp Perry. We had decided the kids had enough, they were such troopers. I am grateful that I was able to go with her though. Once again, there was something that I was suppose to hear. Sis. Perry was so personable and gave such a great talk. She had me laughing while the next second, I was tearing up. She has served a couple of missions with her husband =0) Throughout the talk, she sang a few of the songs that she had composed. One was even her family theme song....her cute little husband even did a dance on the side....it shocked even her!! LOL!

The next day we went to the Hills Air Force Museum, where we were able to see some of the same models of jets that my Dad had worked on, the F4 phantom. It is hard for me to remember that he served there. One of these days I will have to go with him and hear about all of his experiences.

Thanks, Mom and Dad for a great time!! I love ya both so much =0) and thanks, Stephanie for letting me come with you. You have a great family!!

12 Days of Easter

I have procrastinated my Visiting Teaching this month (long story), however, I have been planning this activity for them since February!! My mom put this together for our family, and I absolutely loved doing it!! Yes, I know that the idea seems a little bit juvenile for the sister's that I teach, but who isn't a kid at heart!? Also, it seems like there is so much excitement for Christmas and Easter tends to get neglected. So this is a fun way to bring the Spirit of Easter into your home. I did this on my mission for a few families and last year for my girls I visited. So I decided to do it again this year, but I don't have a master copy and so I decided to put it here! Then I can use it again later and if you want to, you can do it too =0) I have changed a few of the scriptures from the originals that my mom gave us because I am trying to gear it towards adults and also focus on Christ's life and teachings. However, if you like this idea, you can switch it around and play with it a bit to fit your family =0)

Supplies: Easter Basket with grass
12 plastic eggs that can be opened
Label each egg with numbers 1-12
Each egg will have the following in it with a piece of paper with the matching scripture inside.
Note: when they open up the eggs, they need to start out with Day 12, then Day 11, and so forth.



Day 1: Empty ~ John 20:1-18
Day 2: Nail, Purple Cloth, Thorn ~ Mark 15: 15-47
Day 3: Hersey Kiss, 3 dimes ~ Matthew 26:14-16, 47-56
Day 4: Leafs ~ Mark 11
Day 5: Raisins ~ John 15: 1-9
Day 6: Bread and Sacrament Cup ~ Mark 14
Day 7: Mustard Seed, Candle (Birthday)~ Matthew 17:20; Mark 4:21-22
Day 8: Swedish Fish ~ Matthew 14:13-21
Day 9: Band-Aid ~ Luke 5:29-32
Day 10: Piece of White Linen ~ Matthew 9:20-22
Day 11: Lily ~ Luke 12:22-30
Day 12: Star ~ Matthew 2:1-11

Extra if you can’t find one of the above: Bell- Luke 15:4-7

My mom also included this story for Day 1:

The Empty Egg

Jeremy was born with a twisted body and a slow mind.

At the age of 12 he was still in second grade, seemingly unable to learn. His teacher, Doris Miller, often became exasperated with him. He would squirm in his seat, drool, and make grunting noises.

At other times, he spoke clearly and distinctly, as if a spot of light had penetrated the darkness of his brain.

Most of the time, however, Jeremy just irritated his teacher.

One day she called his parents and asked them to come in for a consultation. As the Forresters entered the empty classroom, Doris said to them, "Jeremy really belongs in a special school. It isn't fair to him to be with younger children who don't have learning problems. Why, there is a five year gap between his age and that of the other students."

Mrs. Forrester cried softly into a tissue, while her husband spoke. "Miss Miller," he said, "there is no school of that kind nearby. It would be a terrible shock for Jeremy if we had to take him out of this school. We know he really likes it here." Doris sat for a long time after they had left, staring at the snow outside the window. Its coldness seemed to seep into her soul. She wanted to sympathize with the Forresters. After all, their only child had a terminal illness. But it wasn't fair to keep him in her class. She had 18 other youngsters to teach, and Jeremy was a distraction. Furthermore, he would never learn to read and write. Why waste any more time trying?

As she pondered the situation, guilt washed over her. Here I am complaining when my problems are nothing compared to that poor family, she thought. Lord, please help me to be more patient with Jeremy.

From that day on, she tried hard to ignore Jeremy's noises and his blank stares. Then one day, he limped to her desk, dragging his bad leg behind him.

"I love you, Miss Miller," he exclaimed, loud enough for the whole class to hear. The other students snickered, and Doris' face turned red. She stammered ... "Wh-why that's very nice, Jeremy. N-now please take your seat."

Spring came, and the children talked excitedly about the coming of Easter. Doris told them the story of Jesus, and then to emphasize the idea of new life springing forth, she gave each of the children a large plastic egg. "Now," she said to them, "I want you to take this home and bring it back tomorrow with something inside that shows new life. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Miss Miller," the children responded enthusiastically ... all except for Jeremy. He listened intently; his eyes never left her face. He did not even make his usual noises. Had he understood what she had said about Jesus' death and resurrection? Did he understand the assignment? Perhaps she should call his parents and explain the project to them.

That evening, Doris' kitchen sink stopped up. She called the landlord and waited an hour for him to come by and unclog it. After that, she still had to shop for groceries, iron a blouse, and prepare a vocabulary test for the next day. She completely forgot about phoning Jeremy's parents.

The next morning, 19 children came to school, laughing and talking as they placed their eggs in the large wicker basket on Miss Miller's desk. After they completed their math lesson, it was time to open the eggs.

In the first egg, Doris found a flower. "Oh yes, a flower is certainly a sign of new life," she said. "When plants peek through the ground, we know that spring is here." A small girl in the first row waved her arm. "That's my egg, Miss Miller," she called out.

The next egg contained a plastic butterfly which looked very real. Doris held it up. "We all know that a caterpillar changes and grows into a beautiful butterfly. Yes, that's new life, too." Little Judy smiled proudly and said, "Miss Miller, that one is mine."

Next, Doris found a rock with moss on it. She explained that moss, too, showed life. Billy spoke up from the back of the classroom "My daddy helped me," he beamed.

Then Doris opened the fourth egg. She gasped. The egg was empty.Surely it must be Jeremy's she thought, and of course, he did not understand her instructions. If only she had not forgotten to phone his parents. Because she did not want to embarrass him, she quietly set the egg aside and reached for another.

Suddenly, Jeremy spoke up. "Miss Miller, aren't you going to talk about my egg?" Flustered, Doris replied, "But Jeremy, your egg is empty. "He looked into her eyes and said softly ... "Yes, but Jesus' tomb was empty, too."

Time stopped. When she could speak again, Doris asked him, "Do you know why the tomb was empty?"

"Oh, yes," Jeremy said, "Jesus was killed and put in there. Then His Father raised Him up."

The recess bell rang. While the children excitedly ran out to the school yard ...Doris cried. The cold inside her melted completely away.

Three months later, Jeremy died. Those who paid their respects at the mortuary were surprised to see 19 eggs on top of his casket ... all of them empty

~Random~

Due to my procrastination of studying, I have decided to do Ashley's tag...I thought it was kind of fun!!

Copy and paste this to your blog and bold the ones that you HAVE done. Have fun! :)
(K, now, no surprise to you, but for some reason the Control B won't work =0( therefore, I will put a star instead)

1. *Start you own blog
2. *Slept under the stars
3. *Played in a band [the high school band ;0)]
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. *Been to Disneyland
8. *Climbed a mountain
9. *Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. *Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. *Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (it was closed when I went. Urgh!)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. *Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. *Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. *Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. *Seen a total eclipse
30. *Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. *Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. *Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. *Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. *Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. *Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. *Sung karaoke
42. *Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. *Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. *Played in the mud
54. *Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie / commerical
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. *Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma(I know how pathetic that is!! But every time I go, there is a huge line up, and I never have time to wait!)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. *Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. *Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. *Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. *Pieced a quilt
73. *Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. *Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. *Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. *Had your picture in the newspaper
85. *Read the entire Bible [The New Testament and The Old Testament separately - never all the way through from cover to cover.]
86. *Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. *Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. *Met someone famous
92. *Joined a book club
93. *Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
98. *Owned a cell phone
97. Been involved in a law suit
99. *Been stung by a bee

I just realized how boring my life has been thus far. I have only done 40!! Just over a third....yeah for new goals!?! However, I must say that I never want 97, 75, 46, and 10 NEVER happen to me ;0)

Draper Temple Open House

The week of Jan. 27th, Stephanie and Jeff went on vacation to Orlando, and mom came down to babysit. My poor dad had to be alone....bless him forever for his sacrifices!! But it was fun to have her with us. On the 29th, Jenna, mom and I went to the Draper Temple Open House while the other kids were in school...




The architecture reminds me of the Mayan Temples, how they are square, the steps were very steep...It was beautiful. A friend from school, Missie, her mother was asked to crochet a tablecloth for one of the sealing rooms....Missie got to help out. Unfortunately they weren't out for the open house, but will be in place for the dedication...



And they served us refreshments afterwards, which Jenna was excited to have a tea party with her bunny and blanket...

Week in Idaho....The Twin Falls and Rexburg Temples

My mom and I were able to see the Twin Falls Temple during the open house on the 13th of August. It is beautiful! They used the Syringa flower, Idaho's state flower, throughout the wall paper, carpet, stain glass, chandeliers, EVERYWHERE!! They had the Shoshoni Falls painted in the ordinance rooms....once again, it was just beautiful! Afterwards, we went to see the Shoshoni Falls....Who would have guessed in an area so desolate, flat, and dry there would be a little oasis...


My dad and mom have worked really hard one their home in Arimo, ID. It is a beautiful home, plenty of room, and of course, it has to have a lot of space for gardens and a work shop....


They planted watermelon....


And of course we had to try some....


The Rexburg Temple....


We also went to a session at the Rexburg Temple on the 19th. Crazy to see all of the construction going up, and how different everything looks. It actually makes me a little sad. It is also beautiful, with wheat in the stain glass, carpet, and walls.....



It is fun to see, even though they may look alike, the differences of each temple is fun to pick out. Then we went to the Idaho Falls Temple Visitor's Center, and watched the Joseph Smith Video. I absolutely love that video! I always am amazed at how humble and good the Prophet was. I always tear up during the scenes with Alvin....to see their relationship together, and how joyous Joseph must have been to hear about baptisms for the dead. We are truly blessed...



We saw Stephanie and Jeff's baby girl, Kaitlyn. She is in the Rexburg Cemetary. Her little spot is green, she has a cute basket Stephanie made for her, and the trees are growing. It is so peaceful, and a beautiful view of the Temple on the hill. It was a personal reminder of the promises for Eternal Families...While we were in the area, we went to Sugar City, so we saw a tribute to Thomas Neibaur, a soldier in WWI and served in France. It was neat to read about his experiences, of heroism. He was only 19 years old!! It made me wonder what I would do in his situation.....

Temple Square with the Bares

The Bares invited me to go with them at the 6th of Dec. to see the Joseph Smith movie and the lights at Temple Square! Some of the favorite highlights were walking up the circular stairs to gaze at the Christist, the reflection pond with a nativity scene surrounded by lit up bubbles, hearing the narration next to the tabernacle....

Stephanie and Jeff's family...


The kids and me...

Christmas at the Bares 2008

After we came back from Cincinnati, we spent the holidays with the Bares. Stephanie picked us up at the airport and we came home to a winter wonderland!! Luckily, I was put on call at the hospital until 10 pm, so I was able to spend the evening with the family. We started out with Christmas dinner, followed by the Nativity reading. Here is the cast!!

Jared was Joseph and Alyssa was Mary...


Aimee and Jenna were the angels...


Stephanie was the Pianist and Dad was the Narrator...


Jeff was the shephard, Mom and Me were the Wise Men...


Afterwards, Jenna was found holding baby Jesus...



To keep up the Hebdon family tradition, we opened up a Christmas Eve gift....pajamas!! So that we could all sleep warm while "visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads"....

Cincinnati at Christmas Time 2008

So, Jeff was great and added my pics to a cd....so yeah!! I get to finally post what has been going on in the past few months....

My mom, dad, and I left Utah on Dec. 18th! We were so incredibly excited to see Kevin's family!?! It had been over a year, and a trip long over due. When we finally got in, due to bad weather, it was really late, so we snuck in the house, and waited til the kids came home from school for the grand surprise!?

We always love going there, and visiting all of the sites...the kids were troopers!! We went to the Cincinnati Conservatory. It is so incredibly beautiful there. You could even smell the oranges....I miss oranges from Cali!! They had a miniature town replica of the city...


This is Adam...


This is their family...

My favorite part was at the tropical forest...


This is mom and dad...

We also went to a building that displayed an up to scale train replica with the city in the background...



While we were walking down the street, Rachel and I had to grab this cute pic with the kids...



One of the "must do's" in Cincinnati is to visit Jungle Jims!? K, if you are ever in the area, you have to go!? We absolutely love it. They have foods from all over the world....meats of every kind (some that make you cringe just to look at them, including heads), and fruits of all variety. I had to take home a pomelo and a persimmon to try. The pomelo was heavenly, just like grapefruit, but the persimmon left a few puckered lips!?! We found out later that it wasn't ripe enough...too funny!! Anyways, my pics didn't turn out there :0( So sad!! But the kids did visit Santa there...



We went to a private farm that is known for their display of Christmas lights and story settings from the scriptures all the way to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the second time that we have been there, and it always touches me to know how much this family wants to share their love for their Savior...



Also, Beth was asked to accompany the ward choir with the family for the Christmas Program. She did so incredibly well! She even brought me to tears. It was one of the best I have been too, the music really brought the Spirit in. Beth has an amazing talent, one that she can always use throughout her life. I wanted to get a pic, but we always ran out of time...

This is Beth and I with Santa at Cabellas...


We returned back to Utah on the 24th, I had to work at the ICU. It was absolutely crazy!? We ended up waking up at 3:00 am to leave for Louisville just to make sure that we would make a flight (we were on standby). Of course, we had to go through the security checks, yeah, the one were they frisk and wand ya....guess who had to be checked TWICE!? Yeah, me!! I guess it's that sweet look, ya can't trust it!?

Thank you, Kevin and Rachel for letting us spend those days with you!! It was so much fun to see you again, to experience the Christmas Spirit, and to make more memories!!