There's a new theme in my life. It's very interesting. Let me start with a story:

The past few months have been escalating at the house. Tempers are flaring and the stress is taking a toll. You might even say it's been the past year. I don't know. But in any event, it has gotten worse lately. I think it's due to us not being where we expected to be this far into the project. Maybe because the hvac guy still hasn't shown up. Yeah... it's all his fault!!

So this one day was really bad, and I was crying and so sad because we just weren't getting along. I went next door to the little house on Oregon, and prayed and cried and asked for help. Then I went back to work. About 20 minutes later, a knock at the door. It opened and in popped a friend. She came to return Logan's wallet which had been dropped accidentally in her van when Logan went on a temple trip a few weeks ago. They had just found it and she had a prompting that she needed to return it to us NOW. She came in and started talking and crying all about how awesome we are and how we need to be thankful for surviving this rough trial in our lives and that we are still married. And to remember to give each other a break because it is so stressful. And yes, she understands because her husband and she just renovated the hotel in town, doing alot of the work themselves. She said more, but I can't remember all the words, just the feelings that I had as she said them.

I was so grateful! Instantly the tone in the house changed, and there was harmony again.

So back to the original intent of this post. I've been re-examining the past few months, and wow! I can see that in every hardship and trial, He sent angels to comfort and carry us through. It has been through friends and family that we have been served and administered to. I've really been thinking about how I need to be a vessel to administer to others in need. And I know this topic could go on and on, because if you want to be a vessel with which Heavenly Father can use you to serve and help His children in need, then you need to be in the right mindset to listen; a quiet place. I want to be the person who listens and answers someone's prayers! I guess, maybe I already have. I hope so.

I'm so very grateful to everyone who has answered my prayers the past few years. There have been a lot. And recently, even more. If you are reading this, then I'm sure you too have blessed our lives and helped us in some way. So, THANK YOU!!!

So, the new theme: Be the person who answers someone else's prayers.

Oh man, where is the time going? It's whizzing by me, for sure.

Phoebe had surgery to remove her tonsils and adenoids last week. It's been a rough week since, and today is the first day she has seemed perky and not crying every hour. I think she is finally out of the woods. My poor little Phoebs!

We've been continuing on with drywalling the house. It's slow moving when you really only work one full day a week. We have the interior bathroom walls, the stairwell, and one laundry room wall left to drywall upstairs. Trevor has most of the switches and lights all wired up and most importantly the lights outside work now!!!!

The day after Phoebe's surgery, the guy came and replaced the window in the girls' room. That made Sami happy, because she was paranoid that another cow was going to come through the cardboard.

I'm editing up a storm and trying to stay sane keeping everyone and everything on track around here.

For Christmas this year, my mom typed up some letters from when my dad was serving his mission. They were not just letters from him, but letters from my grandparents and aunt and uncles as well.

We've been reading through this book; me to my kids, and my kids to me. Whenever we sit down, one of us picks it up and starts reading out loud where we left off.

As everyone knows, we sure have a lot of seemingly dramatic things happen to us on a regular basis. This week, having Trevor's tire shred on the way to work and having to buy new tires ($800+ dollars later), the next morning the cows escaping the corrals and shattering the bedroom window, and truly the list goes on and on.

I'm feeling tired of the question "I wonder what Heavenly Father is trying to teach you?" every time a trial hits. Maybe it's just that Heavenly Father needs us to be strong to prepare for what is coming, or that he is using us to be an example to others. Maybe it's not that we need to learn a lesson because we have been bad. I don't feel bad. I feel like I'm doing everything I can to keep my head above water, and to teach my family about Heavenly Father's plan; to teach them to love and serve and live righteously.

Things may not come easily for us the way they seem to for other people, but that doesn't mean we are bad, or deserve trials.

So anyway, back to the book we've been reading. We were reading a story my grandma wrote to my dad about my uncle and his friend driving a truck in the mountains and it caught fire and they tried to put it out, but couldn't. So they grabbed their guns out of the cab (because back then, you never left home without a gun?) and ran away from the pickup because they were afraid it was going to explode. But they forgot to grab the ammo for the guns, and pretty soon the bullets started going off all around them.

Okay, so why is this so awesome? Because this is SO something that would happen to me. Trials happen to everyone, and maybe trials like these crazy things run in my family. Maybe it's because we signed up for these trials in Heaven before we came to earth. I think that happened. I used to love MacGyver and want to be like him. I love to think of myself as someone who is creative enough to get out of any predicament. With the Lord's help, we can be brave enough to face anything. My uncle was a good example of facing a trial. My grandma wasn't mad about the truck being on fire. Wait, maybe she was, but she didn't seem mad in the letter. I mean, they shoveled SAND in the cab and on the engine to put out the fire. SAND!!!! That would have ruined the engine!! I'm not sure on the details of how they ended up fixing this truck, but I'm sure it was a huge trial to come up with the money to have it fixed.... and they did! Wow!

I come from this amazing heritage of fighters! I'm a fighter too! Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking for trials or bragging that I'm so good at them, but facing these things headlong and with a fighting spirit, they can be conquered. Pray for help and guidance! Angels will be sent to you to help you through whatever it is you are facing!

Wow!

I am really rambling here! This was supposed to be a house update...

Heh. Heh.

Bye for now.

This has been an installment of Deep and Rambling Thoughts with Alyson

20 Second Update

This is going to be fast, because I'm behind and if I don't get this up, I may never do it.

It's been a messy, busy, crazy holiday for me.

1. Managed to pull off Christmas. The kids and I sang in church for the program on Christmas Eve. All the pj's came in time for Christmas. Thank you Zulily for being so cheap!

2. Went to Spokane to photograph my nephew's wedding between Christmas and New Years.

3. Made a rice crispies house the night before I left for Spokane with my kids. We meant to do it before Christmas, but I'm just grateful we got it done at all.

3. Pulled the new bathroom vanity apart and built a pull out stool into it.

4. The cows got out in the middle of the night and a long-horn steer broke the girls' window. Still working on fixing this one.