The Last Days

I have been watching our country spin out of control over the past several years. There are definitely evil and conspiring men among us, as prophesied in the last days.

In 1961, Elder Delbert L. Stapley said "The Savior gave warning that in these last days Satan will rage in the hearts of the children of men and will stir them up to anger against that which is good."

I have never seen more anger in the hearts of Americans as I have seen in the past few weeks. We have anarchy in some of our cities! Death and destruction is common. I can hardly watch the news, for the country I love is being destroyed by criminals. The anger is palpable.

This scripture is so true - words by the great American prophet, Nephi:

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well -- and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell." (2 Nephi 28:21.) 

Seeing so many members of the Church leave the church, and seeing the corruption within our government as well as other governments around the world has given me a desire to spend a lot of time recently in studying about the Last Days as prophesied in the scriptures. 

My whole life I have been warned by prophets and church leaders to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I have attempted to do that. I have tried to prepare spiritually as well as physically. Now that many signs of the times are being fulfilled, I find myself struggling with my feelings. My emotions are running high and they fluctuate between excitement and fear. 

On the one hand, I'm so very excited that the Lord will be here soon and the world will become a place of peace once again. That brings me more joy than can be expressed. I don't feel comfortable in this wicked world. 

On the other hand, I have fear - I'm fearful for my family members who aren't watching and waiting for the Savior to return, who have let go of the iron rod and are in the mist of darkness as spoken of in Lehi's dream. They previously partook of the fruit of the tree of life but have since wandered away. The covenants they have previously made have been broken. What will happen to them when the world as we know it comes to an end? 

We all have freedom to choose for ourselves what path we want to take in life. I have chosen to follow the Savior. I feel good about my choice, and I am so grateful that Alan is right there by my side.

Although the scriptures tell us that no one knows the day nor the hour that the Savior will come, my studies of the Last Days have led me to certain online videos made by faithful members of the Church where they have followed the "signs" as outlined in the scriptures and have an estimation of when that might be.

By next spring we should be entering into the period of time when for about 3 1/2 years trials and tribulations will abound on the earth. During that time, the most righteous of God's children will flee into the wilderness for safety while God preaches his own sermon to the inhabitants of the earth through earthquakes and other natural disasters, famines, pestilences, plagues, etc. This is a cleansing period where the wicked will be swept from the earth. Satan will be fully unleashed and will enjoy a short reign before Christ comes. At that time, Satan will be bound for a period of one thousand years - or what is known as the millennium. 

The next few years will truly be what the scriptures say - "the great and dreadful day of the Lord". It will be great for those who are righteous and prepared to meet the Lord, but dreadful for those who aren't. 

The thought of living during the millennium is, and always has been my dream. I hope I am allowed to remain on the earth so that I can witness the miracles that will be on display leading up to and during the millennium. They will be a wonder to watch and participate in. I can't wait!

After Nine Months Gestation, I Finally Delivered My "Baby"!

Last October, I decided to surprise all of my siblings by creating a memory book about our parents. I planned to gift the surprise book to them at the Burton Reunion next month, but the reunion had to be cancelled due to the Coronavirus. 

This book is a compilation of memories shared by all 40 of my parents grandchildren. I can tell you it was a difficult thing getting all 40 of my nieces and nephews to come on board and submit some memories and pictures to me, but with persistent reminders (labor pains), I finally got my last submission right before the deadline. I commissioned each niece & Nephew to keep this book a surprise from their parents. I think they were successful at that, for the most part. 

I decided to print their submissions in order of their birth, which was kind of fun. It wasn't easy to figure out the birth order by myself, so I asked my siblings for the birth dates of each of their children, without telling them why I needed that information. Very helpful! With that, the creation of the book began.

Finally, just this week, I received all 21 ordered copies of the book, making it nine months since I conceived the idea of making the book. (Note: I bought a copy for each of my siblings, each of my children, and some nieces & nephews wanted to purchase a copy.)

I think it turned out beautiful!

What I didn't realize until about a month ago was that July 10th (just 8 days ago) was my parents 75th wedding anniversary! Once I figured that out, the book became even more special to me.

I'm glad the gestational period and all the labor pains finally came to an end. It has been such a relief to put all of that behind me. I'm a proud mom! I really feel like I created something worthwhile.

 The reviews are in and everyone has given me two thumbs up. Evidently, I birthed a beauty! It has brought me so much joy listening to how well received the book has been. Some call it a treasure, and I like that description.

This whole process was a labor of love. It was a gift from my heart to theirs. 

 

The Birthday Boy

We were privileged to be able to travel to Ladera Ranch last weekend to attend Kessler's first  birthday party. What a joy it was to help him celebrate that big event!

The party was held at a pool near Cheryl & Parker's home. The theme was all about pizza, pizza, pizza! The reason being that each month, starting with Kessler's first month, Cheryl would take a picture of him with a pizza and the number of pieces would correspond with how many months old he was.

Here are some of those pics:

Months 1-4

Seven months

Ten months

11 months

In each of those pics he was always wearing a white onesie...but not for his first birthday. He was decked out in his pizza shirt and pants, and along with regular pizza, he got pizza cake.

Someone I know in the Stake (Ramona Chronis) made the cake for me. She did a great job. It really did look like a pizza.

 Yum!!!

Besides eating pizza and opening gifts, we did get to cool off in the pool. It was a very hot, humid day, so it felt very good.

All of the Stronk's were at the party. Alan and I represented the Stott's. 

The next day we got to go relax at the beach with the Stronk's as well. 

Alan and I brought our beach cruisers and it was fun to take a little ride along the trail parallel to the beach. Riding bikes, fortunately, doesn't hurt my back as much as walking or standing does.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Kessler is such a fun little guy. He's a big one year old now. What will the next year bring?

Celebrating Independence Day 2020

We weren't really planning to do much on July 4th this year...until we decided to invite Jane and Ken to come celebrate it with us. That was a good decision on our part. I'm glad they were able to get permission from their brand new Mission President (of about one week) to leave the mission boundary and come to Lancaster. They arrived on the evening of July 3rd.

The next morning, we went to Apollo Park before it got too hot. The Airds had never been there before, so it was a new experience for them. We all enjoyed our time together there. We took our two bicycles and traded off using them. I, of course, took my scooter. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to make it around the whole lake.

After the park, we came back to our house, had a light lunch, and then went swimming. (I forgot to take pictures of us swimming. Oh well.) All four of us were underprotected from the sun and got sunburned. I think Jane & Ken got it the worst, but Alan looked pretty sore as well.

This was our all American dinner. Jane made some delicious bbq ribs (done in the Instant Pot and then broiled for a few minutes with the bbq sauce on them). They were delicious and tender. She also made some garlic mashed potatoes that complimented the ribs. I had it easy. I made the corn-on-the-cob and the dessert.

For dessert we had Red, White, and Blueberry Trifle. Boy, was it good! I had never made trifle before. It's a lot of work, but it was worth is.

We said goodbye to Jane & Ken shortly after dinner as they needed to get back to Riverside. They really made our holiday a lot more special than it would have been.

Our neighbors went all out with their fireworks this year. Maybe being shut inside our homes for so long and unable to really get our lives back to normal drove people to want to do something bigger this year to celebrate our country. Fireworks were going off until after Midnight!

Our country is pretty chaotic right now because of Covid-19 and several uprisings throughout the country, but I'm glad that we could use Independence Day to come together in celebration of our great country. Our country needs more unity. We need to heal from the many negative things that have been going on this year. No year has been quite like 2020 has.

I love my country and I'm grateful for all those (including my father) who fought in the military in order to protect our freedoms. I don't take our freedoms for granted, for they are not guaranteed. In fact, there are some leaders in our country right now who want to limit our freedoms and that doesn't set well with me. 

Our flag represents freedom. God gave us this free land. To me, the flag also symbolizes hard work, patriotism, perseverance, and unity. 

May "Old Glory" continue to fly over our country for many years to come!

What I Love About You, Part 4

Last, but not least, Kyle's Family!

Kyle

What I love about Kyle is how calm, patient, and loving he is. I especially see this as I watch him parent his two children. Nothing seems to get him angry or upset. He always remains calm and is able to lovingly correct and direct his children while disciplining them. 

Kyle, as a child, was very obedient. He was probably my most obedient child. Whenever I asked him to do something, he would jump up and go do it without argument. I always admired that about him.

He likes to do adventurous things, like my other children, but he's the one who has a dirt bike and likes to go riding in the hills of AZ. He's always liked cliff jumping and all kinds of water sports like swimming and water skiing. He's just an all-around good guy!

Emily

What I love about Emily is how willing she is to step in and help out. Right from the very start, after joining our family, we were at a family reunion at Bear River Lodge and she didn't hesitate at all to jump in and help out. I remember her manning the bbq for our first dinner together, and our burgers were cooked to perfection. She loves to cook and try new recipes. Her family is definitely the beneficiaries of her good cooking.

Emily likes to keep her body in good shape and spends a lot of time and energy in becoming physically fit. I applaud her for that, for it's not easy to do. 

Emily likes to sing and has performed in Coeur d'Alene's Christmas programs. She also plays the piano, and a little guitar as well. She came from a musical family, so they taught her well. 

Milo

What I love about Milo is how he loves to build things and put things together. He is so good at doing Legos! 

Milo is great at beat-boxing. Probably not many kids his age even know what that is. It's not a talent he was taught. He just started doing it on his own. He's also tried his hand at magic.

Milo also aspires to be an astronaut. That's a pretty "lofty" goal, but we know that whenever someone wants something bad enough, it could happen. Good luck with that goal, Milo!

Clara

What I love about Clara is that she likes to sing. I remember hearing her sing songs when she was only about two years old. She must get that talent from her mom.

Clara loves hanging out in their backyard in Arizona. Back there she can swim, jump on the trampoline, and play with Huck (their dog). 

Clara is supposed to start kindergarten next month and is definitely ready for that new big step in her life. She's just a little ray of sunshine and we can all use a little more sunshine in our lives!

What I Love About You, Part 3

I will be highlighting Cheryl's family in this post.

Parker

One thing I love about Parker is his patriotism. He recently installed the flag pictured above on a wall of their staircase. You can see how much effort it took to place it there. He also has a flag he regularly flies on their patio.  I love my country, too, and appreciate all those who have fought, including my father, to preserve our freedoms.

Parker loves to do Jujitsu and is excellent at it. He has participated in tournaments and from what I recall, he is undefeated. Not bad!

Parker is also a lover of guns. I don't know how many he has, but he knows how to use them. He also likes to hunt...not just with guns, but also with the compound bow. He recently got this wild pig on his last bow hunt:

Cheryl

What I love about Cheryl is that she is so adventurous. She has traveled Europe with a friend, skydived, jumped off a cliff into the ocean with Parker while dressed in wedding attire for an engagement picture, & was proposed to underwater while scuba diving. I have never done any of those things...except traveling through parts of Europe with Alan!

What brings me joy is seeing how well Cheryl has adapted to becoming a mother. I can tell that she loves it and she is such a great mother to Kessler! 

Cheryl is my friend and confidant. She has always been there for me when I've needed her. I thank my Heavenly Father often for blessing me with a daughter like her!

Kessler

What I love about Kessler is that he's so lovable and kissable. He is such a cute little guy. He is turning one year old in just four more days! Where has the time gone?

I love that he is so active and loves to explore his world. He started walking a couple of months ago and there's no stopping him now. He is full of personality and is such a pleasant child. I'm so glad he is part of our family.

What I Love About You, Part 2

This post will be about Eric's family!

Eric

What I love about Eric is that he is such an outdoorsman. He loves to hike, fish, and hunt, among other things. He recently purchased a camping trailer which the family has used a few times. He also rents it out to others to make a little extra money.

Eric is a great husband and father. He likes to do fun things with his children. 

Since he was little, I have called Eric my "happy-go-lucky" child because he was always happy and nothing seemed to bother him.

Unlike a lot of men, Eric likes cooking. I really admire that! He took home economics in High School and actually won the department award for being the best student in that department. Eric works hard to provide for his family, and I love that about him.

Nicole

What I love about Nicole is how creative she is. She makes the best costumes, whether they are for the family for Halloween, or the costumes she and Eric wore when they had parts in their local production of "The Nutcracker" the last two years. She always does an amazing job.

Nicole is also a lover of dogs. At the present time, they have two dogs - Tonks and Guster (aka Gus Gus). She loves and pampers her little four legged friends. 

Of course, I need to mention what a great mother she is to her three children. They love and adore her. She is also an excellent school teacher.

Ethan

What I love about Ethan is his desire to do well at whatever he puts his mind to. I can't believe that he is 17 years old. Only one more year of High School left. 

Ethan is highly involved with music and has learned to play several instruments - piano, oboe, saxophone, English horn, trombone, and guitar. That's quite remarkable. 

Ethan is very bright. He did remarkably well on his ACT (college entrance exam) test. He scored better than 99% of the students in Utah who took the test.  Well done, Ethan!

Ella

What I love about Ella is that she always greets me with a smile and a hug. She is very talented in many areas. One of those is dance. She has been dancing since she was about 3 years old. That means she has been dancing for 12 years! No wonder she is so good at it.

One special connection I have with Ella is that I introduced her to the ukulele and taught her the basics of how to play it. She also plays the piano, and she does it very well. Ella is a great student. She has never gotten lower than a 4.0 GPA on any report card!

Olivia

What I love about Livi is how personable and friendly she is. She is like sunshine on a cloudy day. She brightens a room. She loves younger children and loves playing with her younger cousins. She is very patient and helpful with them. 

One different thing about Livi is that she has been involved in the Chinese immersion program at her school for several years. By the time she graduates from High School, she will be fluent in Chinese. 

Livi has followed Ella's lead with regard to dance and piano. She is excellent at both. It's fun to watch her perform.

What I Love About You, Pt. 1

For a while now, I've been wanting to highlight something that I love about each member of my family. It is going to take several posts to complete this project, but we will eventually get there. For this post, I will write about Alan, Ryan, and Jared.

Alan

One thing I love about Alan is how patient he is. We have been married for 44 years and he hasn't kicked me out of the house, or his life, yet in spite of all of my shortcomings. He keeps me calm when I tend to overreact to certain circumstances in my life (especially lately). He is my calming balm on those bad days. 

He is so patient with me and my back problems. I can't do everything I used to be able to do and Alan has helped pick up the slack...especially with after meal clean-up. 

He is my handyman who can fix practically anything around the house that needs fixing and he does it without complaint. He's just an all-around good guy. I couldn't be happier with the man I picked to spend eternity with.

Ryan

I love that Ryan is an adventurer! He loves to go & do! I think he lives for adventure. His main pursuits as an adult have been fishing, rock climbing, snowboarding, & becoming healthy and fit, and he doesn't do them half-heartedly either. He puts his whole heart and soul into everything he pursues. 

He loves to vacation in various parts of the world and he also loves to travel where he can see total solar eclipses. I wish I had half the energy he has! Good job Ryan!

Jared

I love that Jared is a very easy-going man. It doesn't seem like anything can ruffle his feathers. He is a people person who can easily talk to just about anyone. Of my four sons, Jared calls me most often just to see how I'm doing and I love that about him.

I have a new nickname for Jared. I call him "Switzerland" because he is a peacemaker who sees things from both sides. He doesn't want to take a side or voice his opinion on most things (like politics or religion). I'm very opinionated about those things, but he is neutral, just like Switzerland!