Wednesday, February 27, 2019

4 Peaks Photo Shoot

It snowed super close to the valley, so Danni wanted to do a photoshoot with the snow against the desert.  Unfortunately, the snow melted fast and was gone when we got there.  We shouldn't have waited the extra day, but we were really busy.  We drove up to four peaks and Danni took some really cute pictures of Angela and Emmy.  
Angela
Emmy

Josh took good care of Manny during the shoot and Jim drove us to and from Four Peaks.  The photoshoot was a little over just a couple of hours including the drive, but it was a lot of fun.  It was awesome to see the whole four peak mountainside covered in snow.  Danni's pics are awesome and the girls look so cute.  We have a lot of fun as a family and are so chill.  

Monday, February 18, 2019

Josh’s New Car

Josh bought his first car, a 2005 Toyota Camry.  His dad helped him look for it - that's why it is a Toyota Camry.  It's going to be so great for Josh to have a car and be more mobile.  I don't think that I'll be driving to ASU much more.  I think I'll miss that just a little. 


Josh's new car
Getting comfortable

Sunday, February 17, 2019

2nd Counselor

Emmy was called to be the second counselor in the Miamaids. I love that she gets to serve in Young Womens.  It's good to have a calling in the church and serve.  I'm so proud of the young woman that she is.

Miamaid President - Lily Johnson
1st Counselor - Kate Jensen
2nd Counselor - Emily Pace
Secretary - Natalie Gardner

Sunday, February 10, 2019

Follow the Prophet


President Nielsen came to AZ to speak to the members in the Phoenix area.  We received tickets from our Bishop and we were able to go.  President Oaks and his wife accompanied President Nielsen and his wife to the stadium.  There were a lot of members of our stake there, especially parents of teenage kids.  The youth and their families were encouraged to attend.  They broadcasted this meeting to the stake centers for those who wanted to hear the prophet but could not attend.  I was able to take pictures of the prophet, we were pretty close.  The comments were really good and I'm really glad that I was able to attend.  
President and Sister Nielsen
President and Sister Oaks
Sister Nelson recounted personal and shared experiences with her prophet-husband in the 13 months since the passing of his predecessor, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Nelson’s sustaining as the Church’s leader. She also acknowledged the personal confirmation she received—twice—of his mantle.

She also shared her witness of him receiving inspiration and revelation—often in the middle of the night, sometimes while she is in the room with him, and other times when she leaves him to be alone. “I am a witness of being present, and I am a witness by being absent, that the Lord indeed instructs His prophet. …

“Everything in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints belongs to Jesus Christ,” Sister Nelson said. “The doctrine is His, the covenants are His, the ordinances are His, the priesthood power is His power. The Apostles are His. And the prophet is His prophet, chosen and instructed by Him.”

President Neilsen - “I have an invitation for you as the Arizona battalion of the Lord’s army to help gather Israel on both sides of the veil,”

“My dear brothers and sisters, these promises—first given to Abraham and later reaffirmed with his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob, who became ‘Israel’—are known as the Abrahamic covenant and are available to all of God’s children,” President Nelson said. “Yes, these divine promises are available to you!”

President Nelson posed the question of what the gathering of Israel looks like, then listed four examples, punctuating each with a pointed phrase at the end of each.

“As you work together to remodel your home into a sanctuary of faith-filled with learning together from the home-centered, Church-supported curriculum—that is gathering Israel.
“As you parents create experiences where your children can learn to feel the Spirit of the Lord—that is gathering Israel.
“As you do family history, serve and worship in the temple, use your discretionary time to draw closer to Heavenly Father and to His Son and to help someone else do the same—that is gathering Israel.
“As you help to strengthen the testimonies of others, as you repent and help others to repent, as you reach out in your communities and participate in worthy efforts to alleviate suffering—that is gathering Israel.


Jim's 50th

 Danni decorated the yard to celebrate Jim's 50th birthday during church.  When Jim came home, he was pleasantly surprised and it gave him a good laugh. Jim is such a great guy and I love how he reacted to his 50th birthday surprise.  He has such a great humor and Danni knew that he would love it and it would be funny. He played the part and it turned our great.  We also went to dinner for Jim's birthday and the primary sang to him too.  He had a great 50th!!

Monday, February 4, 2019

Memorable Monday
CHOOSE KIND

There is a saying that goes "Be Kind - Everyone you meet is having a hard time".  This is a quote from Marjorie Hinckley.  This quote is such a powerful one and I think we need to remember it more often.  I've been watching over my parents for a while now and their health has been such a struggle.  My dad spent so much time in the hospital this year and is back in due to some infection that he picked up in the hospital.  I know that my parents are struggling and having a hard time, but so is everyone else.  They just might not be in the hospital.  As I go to church, am I mindful of their struggles.  We got these shirts a while back and I love the message - choose kind.  I hope that I can remember to do just that.

Saturday, February 2, 2019

ASU Open Door

We took the Clawsons to ASU Poly for their ASU Open Door.  We had a great time showing off the campus.  We spent most of the time doing airplane simulations.  There were a couple of simulations that were a hit, a Cessna and a Boeing.  The kids were able to take off and land the planes.  The Cessna would move and an ASU student was guiding them,  They found success taking off and landing.  The Boeing plane was a lot of fun to watch.  My kids would take off just fine but would land on the grass.  There were also drone simulations that the kids liked too.
Josh comes in for a landing
Angela takes off
Emily flying a simulator drone
Emmy flies a simulator small plane
Joey takes Angela for a simulator plane ride
Highlights

It was a lot of fun showing off the ASU Poly Campus.  We visited Josh's labs and get a chance to see what the ASU students were up to.  I had never been to that part of campus, so visiting the labs was a real treat.  We also visited the freshman dorm in the center of campus.  I missed the tour when Josh was looking into Poly, so I wanted to see the dorm.  We met Sparky and even got a picture with him.  We traveled to and from our car via the trolley.  It was a great adventure and it gave us a chance to do something away from home.