Happy New Year

Well, it's once again time to write what is going on in our family. Neill and I are doing well. Neill is working hard at Lamb Weston through a Temp. Agency and I am still Substitute Teaching in Pocatello.

Jacob our youngest is singing in a Boy's Choir in the 7th Grade and loving it. He also has an intrest in airplanes and aviation.

Dustin is into sports, especially Football. Basketball is okay, but Football is the love of his life except for girls.

 Becky has been thinking about what she wants to do after high school. She will be a Senior in school this coming school year of 2012-2013. She has mentioned to me that she would like to have her own DayCare Center and maybe get her Early Childhood Education Degree.

Sydney in high school the last two years has been taking advanced cooking classes and working in a small restraunt. She graduates this year from High School and is looking forward to going to Cullinary School at ISU.

We have all grown in leaps and bounds. We hope you all have a Happy New Year!!!

Thanksgiving

The holdiays are almost here. It's exciting to think about. Thanksgiving is this week, and then Christmas. As Thanksgiving is approaching it makes me think of what I am grateful for. So many people in this world don't have anything yet I have a home to keep me warm, food to eat to nourish my body, vehicles that run and can take me places. On top of all of that, the thing I am most grateful for is the family I have to love, and that they can love me in return.

Family is so important. I have a wonderful husband that works hard and does the best he can to provide for our family, and we have the kids that come and see us as much as occasion permits. I have a lot to be thankful for. What wonderful gifts my Heavenly Father has given me and blessed me with. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

People I AmThankful For

DAD

Thinking about dad today. I don't know why. He is just on my mind.  I miss him so much. I remember him going to get wood out of the wood shed and starting a fire on days like today. It felt so nice to feel the heat from that fire, but more than that it was relaxing watching that fire dance around in that fire place as it burned and we would have to put more wood on the fire again. Dad would sit in his recliner right by the fireplace and read a Louis Lamour book.

I see my Dad's picture on the bookcase everyday. It just makes me feel as if he is their with me. The holidays are always rough, but I always want to feel my Dad around me. I am always going to have found memories of my Dad. I love my Dad. Even though he is not with me anymore in this life; I still love him.

I Love You Dad! :)

Me and My Dad

Now that Halloween is over it is time to start thinking about Thanksgiving and all the things we are Thankful for. I've discovered how thankful I am for my kids. When you don't get to see them that often it makes life that much more sweeter when you do get to see your kids. I am also very thankful for a wonderful husband who goes to a job that he doesn't like all that much, but he does it because it will help our family the most. I am thankful I have a degree in teaching so that when I substitute teach I can get paid a teachers salary and not a  non-certified salary. I am so thankful that our vehicles are running and we have a place to live. That is HUGE.

I guess if you sit back and think about your life you can find many things to be thankful for. I guess the ultimate thing to be thankful for is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Well, I guess thankfulness is just something to think about this time of year. I hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Halloween is over now, and Thanksgiving is right around the corner

Halloween

Hello every one. Hallowee is upon us. I can't believe we are almost  out of October. Noverber is coming on soon. Also we had a FALL this year. We had it kind of cold.

Neill is working for R Jay Welding. He is really liking it. He is making good mony their. I am substitute teaching, and that is going well. I would have to collaborate with the other tables. I know that the studets and supposed to goi hoe at 3:00 amd O have to stay until 3:19.
Overall thiings are going wonderful for us up here in Pocatalleo, ID.. Have a wonderful day. :)

Emily

Halloween Home Evening Activities

CHRISTMAS MUSIC!!!! :)

I have been listening to Christmas music for the last 10 days. Christmas has to be my all time favorite holiday. I just love the spirit of Christmas. I love listening to the Christmas music because of the Spirit the music brings into my home.

I put it on as I am doing house work, or doing scrapbooking, or crafts. It is so much more uplifting than T.V. The feeling you have in your home is so important. I know that as I have a peaceful feeling in my home that I feel calm, the stress lessens, and I am able to focus better.

So even though it is October. listening to Christmas music can have its theraputic qualities. So if you are stressed, get that Christmas music out and enjoy it. It doesn't matter that it is October.

Happy Listening!!!! :)

A NEW CHAPTER IN OUR LIVES

Neill has come home from North Dakota. Things there were very hard and stressful for him, and very stressful for me being here in Pocatello. We had to take a look at our life and decide if making a lot of money was worth being apartfrom each other.  As we had this decision to make the money wasn't worth it. Many times in my life as well I have similar decisions to make. Basically it comes down to "what will I get out of it in the end. Will it be worth it?"

I know that being a subsititute teacher has been a difficult thing for me to do. I'm used to having my own classroom, and not traveling to different classrooms every day. However, I am willing to do this because of the "Pay Off." The "Pay Off" is having my husband home with me. To me that is one of the things my Heavenly Father wants of Neill and I, and that is to be together and not apart from each other.

The Majestice Beauty of Our Heavenly Father

A New Chapter In Our Lives

It seems as we get comfortable in our lives something happens and all the apples you have been juggling coming crashing down. Which doesn't make everything all bad, but it still upsets the world you have been living in.

One wonderful thing that has occured is that I have my husband home every night, and he has a job close to home which aleviates stress on him and me. However, because I gave up my teaching job; I am Substitute Teaching. Which could be good or bad depending on how you look at it.

I think it is a good thing. I can get my name known as a classroom teacher. I can say no to jobs if I don't want them. I can take days off. However, I do have a job everyday which is a great thing.

Neill has a relaxing job that he enjoys. He works in Bancroft which is an hour away. However, he works at the Mill in Brancroft and loves it. He says the atmosphere is a laid back atmosphere with very little stress which is totally opposite of his last job. He now looks forward going to work instead of not wanting to go at all.

Someting Neill and I were able to do were able to make some Halloween decorations together for Home Evening. It was a fun activity that was inexpensive and fun to do together.

FAMILY

I'm sitting here tonight listening to Christmas music. It is "The Forgotten Carols." It just helps me stay focused in this crazy world. There is so much always going on all around me such as things in the news, things on television, or errands that need to be taken care of. When I'm able to listen to something like The Forgotten Carols it reminds me of who I need to be focused on.

Neill comes home tomorrow and I am so excited. Everytime he comes home we go to the Temple together. That is one of the highlights for me is having him there with me. The kids will be up this weekend which is exciting. We havn't seen them for awhile and we've really missed them. They bring so much joy to our life.

I wish my dad could see me now. Neill and I are on the way to getting Sealed in the Temple, and I know he would be proud. The things that we do as a family should lead us to Christ. That is what is the most important. As the last song in "The Forgotton Carols" says "Arise and Shine Forth."



Neill and Emily



Dad and Emily

I joined a gym here in Pocatello. I have a Personal Trainer for 6 weeks. I think I can take over after that. I am excited though. I do Water Aerobics in the evening, and walk on the tread mill in the morning. That has been my routine so far. Granted I've only been a member for 4 days. This is my goal however. When I do this I feel really good. I like how it makes me feel

" FInding Comfort In Christ"

Everyday life brings a new set of challenges or trials. Be it happy, sad, trying, or maybe just hard to deal with that day type of challenge. I know that all my nieces/ friends are grown up and have children of their own now on the Thomson side of the the family, and that my nieces on the Gee side of the family vary from  College, High School,  Junior HIgh, doing Rodeo, playing soccer, ect. Everyone at their stage of life is going to have some kind of challenge.

Why do I bring this up? I've had challenges of my own, but one of my sisters gave me a book when times were very hard. It was called Where Can I Turn For PEACE? Finding Comfort in Christ. Something that I learned in that book is something I wanted to write about in my BLOG.

In the book the authors talk about having a SHIELD with you. The authors tell us about 6 things we need to do to keep our SHIELD strong.

1.  Pray. Our Ultimate shild is Jesus Christ.
2.  Keep a high opinion of oursleves. We are the offspring of God. He is our Father.
3.  Don't look back--look forward. We have come to Christ; we have repented of our 
     sins; and we have been forgiven.   
4.  Rememeber that God will give us experience for our good.
5.  Know that all good omes from the Lord--and all wickedness come form the devil.
6.  Forgive others and be forgiven. 

As I read those six things that would help me have a strong SHIELD the one item that kept coming back to me is Don't look back--look forward. That is something that I have started to do, and it helps me get  through challenges and trials as small as they may be. Keep looking forward not back. The other thing that has got me through tough times is Prayer.

I haven't written in awhile, but for some reason I just felt that I needed to write in my BLOG about this book and how  we just need to remember that our Ulitimate Shield is our Savior.

Emily

EBR-1, Craters of the Moon, and Bear World; ALL IN ONE DAY????

                                         Crawling on the rocks at Craters of

                                        the Moon.

                                                          King of the cave!

                                            Spending time at EBR-1 gave us time
                             to nuture that scientist in us.

                                          "On the Road Again. I can't wait to
                             get on the Road Again."

                                        
                                                           Neill & Sydney

                                   By the end of the day we were all a
                       "Bunch of Bears."

To say the least we had a great time. We were able to make it through a fun packed day with little disagreement. We were able to go see the majestic works of our Heavenly Father and our Savior. What better way to see these majestic sights then with your family.

The Blessings Will Come

 

Our Amazing Children

 I don't know if you read my blog or not, but these are my five amazing children.  I came into this family with two amazing teenage daugthers and  two amazing sons coming into their teenage years. I love my children here, but I also long for the day that I will have my own child and carry it to term, and have that experience of raising a child from birth to adulthood.

My neice was just able to adopt a baby. They had been going through the adoption process between six months and a year. Their baby was born two weeks early. Yesterday, was their baby's susposped to be birthday. Terra told me it was a bitter sweet day, because yesterday the mom gave up her rights to her baby so that Terra could have the baby she had been praying so much for.  Terra said, " You know it's hard to to see someone hurt so much in giving up their child, knowing that that decision will bring so much joy."

I have four wonderful childern that if I could take their pain away I would in a second. I wonder if  that kind of love ever really changes if you have your own baby, or if you marry into a family where children so desperately need a mother. I don't think it does.


Emily
May 18, 2011