You never know. . .

I so appreciated

President Uchtdorf's talk

at the Women's Broadcast

on Saturday night.

I liked how he talked about

the importance of service,

and how it helps us focus on others,

instead of ourselves.

So on Monday morning,

I prayed for an opportunity

to help someone.

Little did I know how that prayer

would be answered.

Doug got a phone call

around 8:30 last night

that a group of 4 people

had their car break down

and were stranded, with no place to stay.

All hotel rooms were booked for miles around.

They were on their way home,

to Salt Lake City,

so they had made some phone calls

to other church members,

and were led to us.

They stayed the night here

and we enjoyed getting to know

this sweet couple, their close friend and daughter.

They were so kind and gracious,

and invited us to stay with them

if we ever need a place in Salt Lake City.

It was quite an experience!

We felt blessed to have the opportunity

to meet them.

Good answer!

Tonight at FHE,

we were talking about Lehi's dream.

We talked about the tree, the mist of darkess,

the filthy water,

and what they represented.

Then I asked,

"And what about the iron rod,

what was it for?"

Happily, Jordan shouted out her answer,

"Fishing!"

Austin the Boy Scout

At the end of August,

Austin received the

Arrow of Light award.

So, he is no longer a Cub Scout,

but a Boy Scout now.

That night, they raced goldfish

in rain gutters.

What a perfect activity for boys!

They let some girls do it, too.

Friday night,

Austin got to go on his

first campout as a Boy Scout.

He had a great time.

I heard that the leaders survived,

but I haven't seen much of them since. :)

Addicting

Several months ago,

we had a contest

in our ward

for indexing names.

I haven't done much since then,

but recently decided

there is more that I can do.

It's actually fun

and hey, I'm doing something

good

in my spare time.
Try it, you'll become addicted, too.

Learning

Making bread was always

one of those things that

intimidated me.

I guess I just gave up because

I had failed at it once or twice.

Then grandma came to stay with us

and spent an afternoon

teaching me how to bake bread.

It turned out perfect the way she made it,

and the wonderful smell filled the house.

She gave me her recipes,

but she gave me much more than that.

She gave me the confidence

to keep trying,

knowing that eventually it will turn out right.

And she also gave me a wonderful memory.

Every time I bake bread now,

I think of her

and that time she spent

teaching me.

Morning

This is what I saw

on my morning jog today.

The deer across the street

just watched me go by. Amazing.

I love living where we do!

The wonders of nature are everywhere.

Playing house

Picking out the perfect dress

for each doll.

Time to wake up.

Moving each one over

where the "food" is

so she can be served breakfast.

Can't forget the dog and cat.

What are their names? Jordan asks.

Elvis (of course), Poncho ('cause London wore one

for the first time a couple of days ago),

Jessica, Tanner, Malory, and

Ponfontu, says London.

That last one is creative, don't you think? :)

All are moved back to the house

to be tucked in for bedtime.

Goodnight kisses.

And a hug.

And singing them to sleep.

Carrying on the tradition

My family

has a proud tradition

of being Broncos fans.

Ever since I can remember,

we would watch the games together

every Sunday afternoon

while we ate dinner.

I learned the rules of the game

and loved the excitement of winning.

Now, Doug and I are passing on that tradition

to our own kids.

Yesterday, as the game started,

they all went and found every

Broncos hat, jersey, helmet and football

in the house.

We started teaching them

the rules of the game,

and they cheered with us

when our team won.

Maybe someday they'll pass on the

tradition of football to their kids.

Notes

Jordan is our little

note-writer.

Sometimes they are

just random love notes

she colors

and gives to us.

Sometimes we find

them on our pillows

at night.

When I spent a night away not too long ago,

this is what I received when I returned home.

And Doug got one too.

I thought it was too cute that she

wants him to stop working and stay home.

Well, this week, it's not love

she's writing about.

Maybe she's just excited for Halloween.

We see these signs all over the walls:

In the downstairs hall --

in the stairwell --
and, lest we forget, there's one by the front door --
Jordan is the best.

You never know what you're going to find

with her around.