Two President Monson Quotes

From last conference's Sunday Morning Session:

"My brothers and sisters, temples are more than stone and mortar. They are filled with faith and fasting. They are built of trials and testimonies. They are sanctified by sacrifice and service."

"Each of our temples is an expression of our testimony that life beyond the grave is as real and as certain as is our life here on earth. I so testify."

So powerful to read and ponder.

Miss You

Love you and miss you on your birthday

10 Years--a Different View

As most people today, I am reflecting on the events of September 11, 2001. I remember details of that day, but not too much about the days following.  Just a few short weeks after 9/11, the country's tragedy was completely eclipsed by my own personal tragedy. My mom had been living with multiple myloma for 8 years and finally succumbed to that disease on October 3, 2001. My life would never be the same, not just because of the horrific events of September 11, but because my mom was gone.  I am still moved to tears by the thoughts and images of 9/11. My travels have been affected because of the choices of others. Our country is at war because of that day. I don't diminish the pain and suffering of those who were directly affected from the attacks, but my own suffering was, and still is, for a different loss. I honor those whose lives were taken and given that fateful day and those who heroically served in so many ways.

And I honor the life and memory of my mother
Karen Kay Wright Henrichsen

January 3, 1943 - October 3, 2001

Visit to Oregon

This is a much belated post about our quick visit to the Oregon coast. My dad and his wife have recently returned from their mission in South Africa. I was looking forward to them coming to Utah to visit, but when their plans changed and it was going to be a while longer before we could see them, I was really sad. I had an overwhelming feeling that I just needed to see my dad. So I figured out a few days that we could go visit them. It wasn't ideal, too short of a trip for that (they live 3 hours from the Portland airport--lots of driving as well as flying), on top of the fact that we would be coming home the night before school started. I was just hoping there weren't any problems with our flight. But it all turned out wonderful! It was great to see them, hear stories from their experiences in the mission, see some of the cool African stuff they brought back, and just be around them again. Since school was about to start I asked Dad to give us blessings and that was a great experience as well.

So our trip was short and sweet and I'm so glad we went. Here are some of our pictures (okay, lots of our pictures)

We stopped at Burgerville between the airport and Waldport. The sandwiches were pretty good, but the shakes were not-to-be missed! We started off with one marionberry and then went back for a raspberry and strawberry one too!

We went to the bike shop to pick up Georgia's bike--Maren found one she wanted to buy

Carson really wanted to eat at ORIGINAL Mo's...so we did. Yum!

Yaquina Bay Bridge

Carson's thoughtful pose

Cute kids with their grandparents

We took a morning walk to the beach--it was a beautiful day!

These are Carson's footprints--I don't know how he made them look 3-D, but it's pretty cool!

Yaquina Head Lighthouse

Yaquina Head

Carson snuck a picture of my dad & me while we weren't looking, he's so sneaky...

The only picture of all five of us that weekend

We'd gone to look at the tidepools, but misjudged the time a bit, so the tide was coming in pretty fast while we were there. Even though we didn't get to see too much of the tidepools, it was still a nice place to visit (though I could have done without the flies)

My dad and me

Dad & Georgia

Yaquina Head--there are seals on the rock in the foreground

Gotta eat at Izzy's!

Devil's Churn

Having some fun on the way down to Devil's Churn

It was so cool to sit and watch the waves crash over the rocks

To cap off our day of fun, we went back to Patterson Beach and built a fire to roast marshmallows

Getting the marshmallows ready for roasting

Sunset over Patterson Beach

Heading back to the parking lot

Sunset view from the parking lot above Patterson Beach

It was a great weekend with family!

Put it on Your Calendar

December 18, 2011 is going to be a great day at my house. At 1:00 Aubrey will be speaking in church as a returning missionary and then later that day we will be having Carson's Eagle Court of Honor. All are welcome to both activities--hope to see you there!

Friendship Quote

Read this in a newspaper column (Joseph Walker's "Making Ethel Smile," Deseret News, 7-29-11) the other day and just loved it:

I've heard that phrase before — "just friends" — and I'm not exactly sure what it means. It seems to infer a relationship that somehow lacks something. But my experience has been that a good and trusted friend is more than just … well … "just." Friendship is an extraordinary thing. It can bring depth to your life, comfort to your soul, joy to your heart and a smile to your face.

Thanks to all my friends who do those very things--bring depth to my life, comfort to my soul, joy to my heart, and a smile to my face. I love you guys!

Angels and Miracles

There are angels all around us and miracles happen all the time. I was reminded of this while reading an column in the Deseret News this morning. It was written by Jason Wright (author of Christmas Jars, The Wednesday Letters, and other popular books). I've never read any of his books, but I often read his column in the newspaper. Today's struck a chord with me. He wrote about an experience his mother had while traveling on a train to meet her sister. She was very nervous but sat next to a young man from Puerto Rico who was very kind to her. If you want to read the entire article, it's called "Trains, Angels, and Miracles" and you can find it here. I've copied the conclusion here:

My sweet mother doesn’t remember his name. She only remembers how he well he cared for her. She has no other way to thank him, nowhere to send a plate of cookies or a card; she only has the memory of a young man from Puerto Rico who treated her as if she were his own mother.

Recalling the experience to me, mom knows her nameless friend wasn’t some light and pixie-dust angel. He didn’t have wings and he didn’t cure her arthritis. He was nothing more than a good man living his life with his eyes open and his soul tuned in to the needs and circumstances of people around him.

Her friend from Puerto Rico may never discover this column. But if he does, I hope he knows how grateful that funny little lady on the train was for his gentle kindness. Her children are grateful, too.

Perhaps he doesn't believe in miracles or angels, but he should know a woman in Charlottesville, Va., sure does.

And so do I.

When I read this I was reminded of so many angels and miracles that I've seen. I thought of so many kind people (many of whom I don't even know) that donated money for my kids when Gary passed away last year. I thought of tender-hearted teenagers who anonymously brought my son uplifting thoughts about his talents and what they like about him. I thought of kind people who offered my dad and stepmom places to sleep out of the elements while on their cross-country bike rides. I thought of a kind woman in a restroom who helped my mother clean up her feet and clothes after a bout of vomiting due to her chemotherapy. So many angels and miracles that I can't even recount them all.

I only hope that I can be an angel to others and bless their lives.