Royal Wedding-Today

 

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

Royal Wedding-Today

This morning was the ROYAL WEDDING of Prince William and Kate Middleton, I was up and getting ready for work when Eric came from downstairs and said he just watched the wedding. All of the TV's were tuned in. I remember watching as Prince William's mother and father were married in 1981, it seemed like a fairy tale, except they didn't live happily ever after. I've listened all week as the news announcers have talked about Kate "getting" her prince, and that this is every little girl's dream. It actually bothers me when I hear this because I believe Prince William is "getting" a princess. It goes both ways, every Prince has a Princess by his side right?  You don't have to be Royalty to find a Prince or Princess. The actual wedding ceremony I found to be pretty boring, I loved when Prince Williams mouthed to Kate "You look beautiful" every girl wants to hear that on her wedding day from the man she is about to marry, it was sweet.

and now for the most entertaining part for me...THE HATS.... the British are known for their hat wearing but seriously, it is a requirement? wearing one of those hats would be a deal breaker for me.

Easter 2011

 

MONDAY, APRIL 25, 2011

Easter 2011

One more Holiday has gone, closer to the day Blake returns from his mission. I mailed off an Easter Basket this week to him, along with a new pair of shoes and some Scotcheroos (his favorite and by his request). I'm pretty sure they were a pretty melted mess by the time those got to the Dominican Republic. It's tough to believe I will be speaking to him again in 2 weeks on Mother's Day, then in a few short months, he will be home.
I have always loved this time of year, Springtime in Arizona is beautiful, and I love the feeling of the family together and sharing in the knowledge we have of the Savior's love for us. I was blessed to have the opportunity to sing with the choir today in Sacrament. The song we sang was I Believe In Christ, the arrangement was gorgeous, and with Stephen Phelps at the organ, it moved me to tears along with so many others in attendance. 

The Bishop asked 2 of my favorite people in the world to stand up and bear testimony today. Cindy Packard, I adore her; she lights up a room when she walks in; not only is Cindy a spiritual giant with a testimony of Christ, she is down to earth and a woman who knows the importance of laughter and eternal families. Her testimony today touched my heart and soul; I love her. Stephen Phelps is another of my favorite people, quiet and reserved yet strong and poised. The testimony that came out of his heart today touched me, and again I was moved to tears. He talked about moving forward, knowing none of us are perfect. 

One of the things Stephen said is something I have always told my children "It does not matter how you start the race. It's how you finish that matters." We will all make mistakes, and we just need to keep moving forward and trying our hardest to be the best we can be. I left Church today feeling like my cup was filled; the sacred gifts shared today helped me understand just a little bit more of who I am and the person I want to be. I believe in Christ, and I know the greatest gift that has ever been given was the gift of the Atonement.

Now for the fun part of the Easter Holiday ... family, and when I say family, I mean Recker... we all enjoyed watching in his delight as he ate a whole sucker from his Easter basket. We wanted him so badly to hunt for those eggs; I think we still need another year for that to happen. Still, we all loved watching him pick up the plastic eggs off the grass and put them in his basket. I miss those days when my children were small and loved painting and hunting eggs. This is a new chapter for Eric and me. Grandchildren are the best.

Boys and Girls

MONDAY, APRIL 18, 2011

Boys and Girls

Recker is getting bigger every day. This week I observed him when I took him to the park and play areas or when we went to dinner the other night at Joe's Farm Grill for Jeremy's birthday. The rest of my family was waiting in line (over an hour), and I decided to take Recker out in the yard and play while they waited. I definitely got the better end of the deal... as I observed Recker and the other children playing, I could see such a difference between the boys and girls. Recker loves to pick up rocks and throw them; he loves digging his hands into the dirt, shuffling his feet through the dirt, and making dust clouds. He watched some older boys playing with a football and wanted to be a part of it. He tried to pick up a spider; I had to intercept that one. I took him to a grassy area where the other children were playing. This was when I took note of the differences between boys and girls, even at this young age. I loved watching the little girls playing together so nicely, sitting on the grass looking at each other's toys and quietly playing "pretend"  the girls were a bit older than Recker; however, the difference just in gender was so noticeable. These girls were all dressed in pink, hair curled, and some type of bow in their hair; I watched them hold hands and play a game together. When one of the girls fell and hit the grass, she immediately got up and brushed off any evidence of dirt or grass that may have been left behind. Clearly, the boys were rolling in the dirt; it was all I could do to keep Recker out of a mud hole.

I genuinely believe that all children come to earth with these special spirits, each with a unique personality. Heavenly Father created boys and girls obviously physically different for a reason. As I sat and watched the boys and girls play, I saw the difference in their spirits. It hit me that HIS plan is perfect; it's perfect in every way from the time we are conceived until the day we return home to HIM; there is a plan. It is definitely not by coincidence that the genders are so different.

 

Easter Pageant-I Know He Lives

 

THURSDAY, APRIL 14, 2011

Easter Pageant - I Know HE Lives

The Easter Pageant Set

Me and the beautiful Jenna Allen

Me, Jenna, Brett Lewis, and the amazing Emily Holicky

Emily, Brett, and Jenna

Emily and Jenna with one of the cast members

Taylor Brown (I love this girl) and Haleigh as Virgins

Taylor, Me, Hales, and Daddy-O Eric

Haleigh and Chad

Brett, Hales, and Chad (both great friends)

Taylor, Brett, Haleigh, Jenna, Chad, and Emily

Brett and Chad are being silly.

Haleigh in full Costume-she was a foolish Virgin.

Ernest, Haleigh, and Shane -more good friends

Eric is the love of my life-notice his bracelet? He loves me

Today was not only my baby's birthday, but she also performed in the Easter Pageant. I can't think of a better way to celebrate her birthday than to support her tonight.
The show started at 8 pm, Eric and I arrived at 5:15 and saved some seats for Haleigh's friends.
The time went by quickly as we listened to the beautiful gospel music playing. Haleigh was able to come out in costume and visit with us before the show, she looked beautiful, and I was so proud of her, knowing how much she gave up volunteering for this incredible show.
I was overwhelmed with the Spirit in a few different places during the show. The first was when Jesus was healing the sick and afflicted, a father brought his daughter to Him; as Jesus took her in His arms, I was so engrossed the moment I began to cry; I immediately felt His arms embrace me like He had done so many times, for some reason tonight I felt that He was talking directly to me through the Spirit,  I could feel it from my head to my toes and a burning in my heart.

I Know He Lives; I can never deny what I know. When Jesus was denied three times by one of his closest friends and apostles, it literally made my heart hurt. I can't imagine denying what I know to be true... Jesus is the Christ and died for each of us. He chose to feel the pain of each one of our sins so that we could repent and be with Him again. Mary Magdalene was such an inspiration to me; I felt her love for the Lord. Her devotion and pure heart penetrated my soul, and I wondered if I had that kind of faith. Of course, my favorite part was watching my daughter Haleigh dance, but not only dance, but she also shined as she bore testimony through it. She has been dancing since she was 4 years old, and I have never missed one of her performances, but tonight I was more proud of her than ever before. I left tonight wanting to be a better person and more Christlike.

MRI Results

 

MONDAY, APRIL 11, 2011

MRI Results

Still not exactly sure what is going on with my hip pain. I am now being referred to an orthopedic surgeon.
The "spot" on my hip is still there. It has something to do with my lumbar; they will try to inject it to help relieve the pain. I am still so thankful for the results of my bone scan. Mayo Clinic even sent me a written page of results; seeing it in writing, "no bone metastasis," made me smile. It has been an emotional couple of weeks for me, and now I finally feel like I'm beginning a new chapter. I wish I could articulate exactly how overwhelmed and grateful Eric and I are. I'm not sure why the Lord has chosen to bless us over and over again. Still, I continue to pray and tell HIM how thankful I am that he listens and answers.

My Friend Jayden Flake

 

SUNDAY, APRIL 10, 2011

My Friend Jayden Flake

I love Jayden Flake. He was in my Primary class a couple of years ago, and never has a child made such an impact and impression on my heart as he has. I was actually diagnosed with Breast Cancer while I was teaching him. He is a brilliant boy, and his heart is as big as Texas. When I was going through chemo, his mom would bring him to my house, and together they would deliver treats and cute notes of encouragement and Love. He was baptized last month, and guess who got invited? Yep, I felt so privileged and special. There was nothing that would have kept me from going to see him make this commitment to the Lord. I have no doubt in my mind that Jayden will serve a mission someday and that he will continue through his life to impact many people's hearts.
This is the note I received from Jayden.
 Dear Sister Williams

I am thankful that you stayed from your vacation to see my baptism. I am also glad that you don't have cancer. I fasted for you because I didn't want you to have cancer. I love you very much. You are one of the nicest people on earth.

love,

Jayden

p.s. Thanks for the birthday present.

Jayden gives the best hugs EVER!

Jayden and his OLD primary teacher ME

Jayden and his Daddy

The Testimony of my Baptism

Judson Jayden Flake

I am an eight-year-old boy. I got baptized on March 12, 2011. When I was in the water, it felt like I was being burned by something in my insides. Not in the wrong way. It felt good. It was warm. I shook hands with the Bishop and all the boys who gave me the Holy Ghost. My Dad confirmed me. He said, Judson Jayden Flake, I lay my hands on your head and declare unto you receive the Holy Ghost. When he said that, I felt the Holy Ghost. It felt like I would have a good time with the Holy Ghost. My Grandma and Grandpa Jensen, Grandpa Jay and Grandma Audrey, and lots of my cousins and aunts and uncles came. My old primary teacher came; it was nice because she stayed home from her trip to see me get baptized. It was very nice that my cousins traveled 3 to 17 hours to come. It made me feel special that they all did that. I really wanted to get baptized. I had a good time with my cousins the week after the baptism. Right after we had a luncheon, I went to Amazing Jakes and played with them. I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet. I know that this Church is true. And that getting baptized was the right thing to do. I read the scriptures to prepare for my baptism and did Moroni's challenge to pray and ask about the scriptures. I knew that the scriptures were true. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.     

I wish I could say that I always had the faith of a child. When I read this testimony by Jayden, a remarkable spirit filled my heart, and many tears filled my eyes. I've learned so much from this little boy, and I am grateful the Lord brought him into my life.

Wigs on Boys

 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2011

Wigs on Boys

This is my sweet Recker boy... I found an excellent use for my chemo-days wig, and I never wore it. Kaitlyn brought Recker into my room yesterday with this one. I told Jeremy this is what his sweet little girl will look like..... haha, I THINK HE LOOKS BETTER AS A BOY!

Pain and Purple Tulips

SUNDAY, APRIL 3, 2011

Pain and Purple Tulips

Saturday, I watched conference, and the talk that stood out to me the most was Kent Richards of the Seventy. He spoke about pain. I loved when he said, "The Savior is not a silent observer. He knows personally and infinitely the pain that we face." Those words will stay in my heart and mind as I face this next week. I certainly feel peace and comfort; I know that whatever the Lord has in store for me, it is His plan, and with His help, I will follow God's plan for me.
Over the last few days, the pain in my hip has escalated. I finally called Dr. Northfelt's office Thursday, and Maryann called in a prescription for the pain. I'm sad when I think about going back on pain medicines; it feels like I'm going backward instead of forward. I refuse to take the pain medicine unless it gets to at least a 7 on a scale from 1-10, and I won't take it during the day when I watch Recker. The pain got so bad I could hardly walk, and I even cried yesterday when I was at Costco getting some last-minute things for dinner. Kayla begged me to take some medicine, but I wanted to spend some time with my family tonight. 

I realize I need to do as the doctors are telling me, at least until we have a diagnosis and can find out what the culprit of all this pain is; however, my family means the world to me, and if I have to be in a bit of discomfort just to have some fun time with them, then dang it I will. I am hoping for another miracle. Is it selfish to ask for one more? I believe the miracle we received after my last surgery was such an incredible modern-day blessing, and we needed it. I still thank Heavenly Father for that miracle.
I received a  bouquet of beautiful Purple Tulips; I love all the spring colors and flowers, and they smell like Heaven; thank you to whoever you are that had those sent to me; it really made my day. I also received a beautiful bouquet of flowers the day before, and someone dropped them off at my door. Still, I don't know who you are but thank you so much; those acts of kindness cheer up the sad and make me feel glad, glad I have people in my life who love my family so much and who don't care about getting recognized for it, you are true Angels on Errands, and I love You.