Report on last years goals

We are now 17 days into January, and I am still working out what goals I want to set.  You see once I commit them to paper then they become binding...well at least I have to try to do it.  I always use to view goals as deeply discouraging because it seemed I never fully accomplished them.  I see goals differently now.  For example let's say your goal was to read the scriptures every day for the year.  Instead of reading 365 days, you read 280.  You failed right?  NO!! You read 280 days.  I believe discouragement is one of Satan's biggest tools for so many of us.  If he can just get us focusing on all of our shortcomings, instead of focusing on the improvement we have made we could easily give up.  Just recently two people I care about have expressed discouragement over this very sort of thing.  If only they could see the massive amount of good they do and have accomplished. I think it is good to be a little dissatisfied with ourselves because we always want to be striving to be better, but caution is needed.  I have often been one to be too hard on myself, I am learning though.  I love this quote that I found last year on pinterest.  I am putting it here again, because I for one need reminding.

 So with that thought in mind, I set some goals for myself last year.  Here is my progress report-
 WILL DO:

• Read the Book of Mormon all the way through.  (This one is always on my list, the day is just better when I read from it's pages.)
• Attend the temple 4 times a month 
• Read at least two volumes of the Mortal Messiah
• Finish Personal Progress and receive my second Young Women's medallion
• Scrapbook pictures from 2011

LIKE TO DO:

• Read at least 3 classics this year
• Read Pres. Monson's biography
• Finish Ashley's scrapbooks, Arches scrapbook, and another year of printed pictures
• Paint Jared's room
• Paint main floor bathroom/laundry room
• Paint the deck

The ones crossed out I did.  Let me tell you about my goal to attend the temple 4 times a month.  I didn't make it 4 times.  I only averaged 3 times a month.  Did I fail?  I don't think so.  I went to the temple more times in 2012, than I ever have before in a single year.  That is an accomplishment.  Did I learn some things about myself? Yes.  I see where I can improve.

I think life is always a strugglefest, but the trick is to keep fighting that natural man.  Most important though is to remember what it says in Phillipians 4:13, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." I think of when my kids were little and my days were spent chasing them.  My goals had to be simple.  Like-keep the kids from hurting each other, mostly.  Keep the kids from burning down or destroying the house, mostly. Shower every day.  My personal goals were pretty limited as my personal time was limited. I tried to always make time for scripture reading and prayer, FHE and the like, but it was always short and simple.  I promised myself that when the kids were older I would use more of my time for study and learning.  Now my kids are older.  No time like the present to keep those promises! So as I set my goals for this year, my desire is to continue to fulfill that promise I made to myself. (And to finish up those stupid painting projects, because by next year I am sure there will be something else that needs to be painted!)

What snow is good for...

So after all the snowing was done, at least for now, we had about 30 inches of snow.  That is a lot of snow for us here in this part of Farmington.  There are definitely some negatives to snow-like slick roads, icy parking lots where you almost fall multiple times, wet and dirty shoes coming in and out of your house all day, and snow clothes hanging everywhere.  But instead of dwelling on the possible negatives, let me share some positives that I saw.

• Families out shoveling snow, it was not a one person job.  Neighbors helping other neighbors shovel.
• Meetings and school cancelled allowing us to have a little extra, and sometimes unusual family time.
• Snow covered roads that were plowed slower than normal around here, allowed for a lot of children to be pulled in sleds and on skis around the neighborhood.  Jared was almost surprised when Tony sad he would pull him around behind the car.  (Yes it was probably dangerous, and it might have made me a bit nervous, but it's a memory he likely won't forget.)
• Sledding in the snow.  What fun to speed down a snow covered hill.  All three of my youngest enjoyed that yesterday.
• Must mention the importance for snow in Utah, to give this mostly desert state water for the summer.  Last winter was awful, so it was crucial for this winter to be a good one.  So far so good.
• The beauty of the snow.  I love it when the sun comes out and it looks like there are little diamonds sparkling everywhere.  It hurts your eyes, but you can't look away because the beauty is awe-inspiring. 

 

• A new positive we learned last night was that big snow banks give you a good place to hide.  Jared will be 16 in 10 days!!  Heaven help us!  The Valentine's dance is coming up in February and last night he asked a girl to go with him.  She happened to live on a long straight street with no place to hide after ringing the doorbell.  Then he realized he could lay down on the sidewalk between the snow banks and no one could see him.  Who knew huge snow banks could be so useful.  Lexie and I were laughing watching him lying there on the sidewalk waiting for them to come to the door.  It probably helps to understand the humor knowing that the thermometer in our car was measuring between below 0 temps and ICE.  We were getting ice on the inside of the windows it was so cold.  So there was my son lying on a frozen sidewalk in only a sweatshirt and jeans.  It was great!

 Time has a tendency to remove the bad that happened, so my memories of the past are for the most part very pleasant.  When I look back on the Winter Storm of Jan 2013, I am pretty sure these things are what I will remember.

Blizzards, books and birthdays

So in all my life living in Utah, I remember one snow day (a day they close school because of snow).  This doesn't mean that it doesn't ever snow in Utah, it just means that for the most part we handle it well with plows and such.  Well yesterday afternoon, just as I was leaving the doctors office, it started snowing. Not just cute little peaceful flakes, but blizzard like snow.  You know the kind where you can only see a few feet in front of you? That kind.  Well it continued to snow like that all evening and into the night.  By 5:30am we had 18 or so inches of snow with it still coming down.  At 5:45 we got a call that school had been cancelled for the entire district.  It is now Friday evening as it continues to snow, although gratefully at a slower rate.  I would say we easily have 2 feet of snow out there.  The snow plow finally made it down our street this afternoon, so since work and school were cancelled we went off to the gym at Tony's work. (Lexie talked us into going, she is determined to be physically fit by the time March rolls around so it doesn't slow her down when she arrives in Australia.) We have lived in our house for over 14 years, and we have never had a snow storm like this one.  I think it's kind of fun, and it also brings sparkling clean air to breath deeply into my lungs.  Last year we never had winter and I missed it.  One of the reasons I love Utah is the 4 distinct seasons.  It truly is a winter wonderland right now.

That would be our driveway, after opening the garage this morning.

This week we also celebrated Tony's birthday.  We went to the Salt Lake Temple with Lexie and then took the whole family (minus Ashley-yes we missed you!) to Crown Burger.  You know how when your kids are little and half the food you order is wasted.  Well that doesn't happen anymore.  Everyone didn't finish their food, but Jared took care of everyone's leftovers after polishing off his own.  It is nice to be able to go to a restaurant now, and have all the kids stay in their seats and even be mostly appropriate.  I guess that happens when your youngest is 11.  After dinner we had Tony's favorite cake, which the kids insisted on putting all 45 candle on.  By the time they got them all lit, the cake had wax all over it.  Tony is a great father and husband, couldn't have asked for better.

I am still trying to figure out my goals for this year.  I feel like I accomplished a lot last year by setting some specific goals.  One of my goals was to read three classics, and a few other books.  Which I did.  So although I haven't decided anything specific yet, I decided I might as well tackle the monstrous volume of Les Miserables.  It has been on my shelf for awhile, but I finally decided to pick it up.  I am about 400 pages into it so far (the unabridged version), and I love it.  Well most of it.  Victor Hugo does love to give detail.  Perhaps someday I will understand why we needed almost 60 pages to describe the battle of Waterloo which happened before the book took place.  It was interesting, but really don't we just want to know what happened after Jean ValJean escapes from Javert? Still trying to decide if I want to see the move...

Required Review of 2012

It seems like at the start of a new year you naturally spend time reminiscing about the year that has just ended.  2012 was a great one, but also an interesting one.  There were some definite highs, but also some tough spots too. At the beginning of last year I said, "Who knows what changes will come in 2012, but it is probably best that I don't know!  Change is inevitable and out of my control.  My attitude is within my control though, so I plan to make 2012 a great one!" It was a great one, even though the events of 2012 make 2013 more unpredictable than normal.  Some of the highlights of the past year for me (in no particular order)-

Love these people! The time I spend with them will always be my top highlight!

• Missionary age change, Lexie's mission call and taking her to the temple.  Wow!  It has been an incredible experience.  
• Going to the Brigham City Temple open house.  I still call Brigham City home, or at least my part home. Loved watching it be built right across the street from my "ice cream" tabernacle. (When I was a kid I thought all the spires on the tabernacle looked like ice cream-just in case you were wondering)
• Going to trek.  I don't really like camping, and I hate being dirty, but I love Trek.  What a spiritually uplifting experience it has been both times.  The youth are amazing! I also always come home with a renewed desire to be faithful just like my pioneer ancestors.
• Watching my children grow and develop their testimonies.  What a blessing to have them share these life changing experiences with me. 
• Girl's Camp-love the young woman and love the leaders that I have the privilege to work with.
• Summer trip Back East-It was a fantastic experience from start to finish.  We haven't ever done this kind of family trip before, but I just felt so strongly that we should.  Now with the events of the last few months it makes a lot more sense as to why the timing was so important.  I have always wanted to take my kids to the Sacred Grove- to actually be able to do it was a dream come true.  
• Celebrating my Mom's 80th Birthday-I feel blessed beyond measure to have my parents both still living and healthy to boot.  Their lives are not without challenges, but I am so grateful that all my kids have had the opportunity to form strong and memorable relationships with their grandparents, something I wasn't given the opportunity to do in this life.  (I look forward to making up for it later!)
• Tony losing his job.  How is this a highlight you might ask?  Well...it is because through these experiences I can so clearly see the hand of God in my life.  Trials usually come to us because there is something we need to learn, so we always joke that we will try to learn whatever it is as quickly as possible! 
• Jared finishing his Eagle Project.  Oh the weight that has been lifted to not have that constantly nagging at me.  Grateful for his effort and hard work to make it happen!

I am sure there were many other highlights, but that is what comes to mind right now.  I wrote my first check of the new year, and I remembered to write 2013.  I think it's a sign that it will be a great year, even with the changes!

Merry Christmas!

What a perfect day we had yesterday.  All of my family around me, snow lightly falling, Christmas music playing...as I was taking pictures of my kids last night, and watching them interact, I was suddenly overcome with emotion.  I feel truly blessed to not only have a wonderful family, but to have children who love each other and actually like to be together. Then I looked at my beautiful 19 year old daughter and thought about her being in Australia next Christmas, and I lost it (just for a minute, don't worry). Life is definitely changing, children keep leaving home.  I plan to cherish every single moment today!

    Seeing the lights at 9pm on Friday night.  The only time we could all get there together.

 

 

 

Read these scriptures in 3rd Nephi 9 on Sunday.  Seems appropriate for the day today. "...will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you? Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me."

We all need the healing power of the Savior today and always.

Merry Christmas from Kyle Van Noy

I have not written many football posts this season, but anyone who knows me, knows that BYU football is a big part of our life in the Benjamin household.  We painted our basement with BYU colors, and BYU banners, pictures etc. adorn the walls.  We are season ticket holders, and life stops for game day.  Our children are pretty passionate about it too. So this season has been painful for us.  Yes we have a winning record, but we came so close to having an amazing season and couldn't do it.  We were within three points of the team that is playing in the National Championship.  That game and others could cause me endless frustration if I chose to dwell on it (4 of 5 losses were 6 points or less-ahh the agony!). All that being said I was nervous about our bowl game against SDSU last night. First half did nothing to restore my confidence.  Same old story of the whole season...defense came to play, and the offense...what offense?  Then the fourth quarter happened, and Kyle Van Noy decided he was not going to let us lose another game.  He scored two touchdowns, and was SDSU's worst nightmare play after play.  (Of course he had some help from his defensive friends, and from our punter-his punts were a thing of beauty.)  So I give my heartfelt thanks to KVN and the rest of the team for at making my Christmas a little merrier. 

Brain on Overload

There are so many thoughts running through my head that I am afraid that any attempt to put anything in word form could be dangerous.  I will attempt it anyway.
First off some updates-
-Took Lexie to the temple.  Words cannot express how amazing this was.  To hear her desire to attend the temple, to see her willing and anxious to do all that is required of her.  Tears still stream down my cheeks when I think of it.  I love the gospel, I love the temple, and I love that my family is mine forever.
-Finished an Eagle Project.  My son has been one project away from his eagle for almost two years...he collected over 400 books for the prison branch. So grateful for the young men who helped him and for all the generous donations.  It was cool to see, and they are finally out of my family room! (I had visions of Christmas morning surrounded by eagle project books.)

-When you feel change is imminent in your life..buckle up! Silly me for thinking that the change was Lexie going on a mission. More change is coming as Tony was informed that he will be losing his job next year as they continue to downsize and eliminate jobs in his office.  We were kind of expecting this at some point, but...anyway try as I might to work myself up about this, I feel calm. I have no idea what the future holds for us, but I do know that the Lord will provide.  He always does, maybe not always in the way I want, but always in the way I need.  So we will go forward with faith.  Last time this happened it proved to be a great blessing in our life.  We are hoping this time works out the same.
-Have attended two of my children's Christmas concerts.  First was Ashley's in Logan, and then the high school one last night.  I love music, especially Christmas music. It brightens my spirit, and fills my heart.

-Spent hours reading and learning about the new curriculum for the youth.  I get to teach the first lesson of the year! It could be interesting, but I am really excited about this new program. It will stretch me as a parent and a leader, and I hope will stretch my children as they work to strengthen their own testimonies and become converted.  
-Participated in wonderful family traditions that never fail to strengthen my testimony, and remind me of the blessings in my life.

I have done a lot of thinking over the past week about the church, my role in it, and my responsibilities, and if it is appropriate to wear pants to church. I have also thought a lot about all the families affected by the shooting in Conneticut.  I originally wrote about both of these things, but it just didn't feel right.  I have an opinion, yes, but there is too much hatred in the world,  too much judging inside and out of the church, and too much focus on things that don't heal hearts, and don't bring peace to troubled people everywhere. I feel deep gratitude for my Savior, and have felt His peace in my own troubled times.   I have lots of favorite scriptures, but there are two that always bring me comfort.  I have shared them with my children when they have been scared or worried.  One is found in John 14:27 "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."  The other is found in the Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 "And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up." I love Christmas time, with it's daily reminders of what life is all about.  I pray for those who have lost loved ones, and I might just hold my own a little tighter this holiday season.