Family Fun Fourth!

This past weekend was the Hales Family Reunion. We were based at Mom and Dad's house and went on many great little excursions. I will say that this was one of my favorite family reunions. I felt so much love for my wonderful family. Thanks to everyone for being the BEST!!

Haley's Mini-Man Dance

Haley is running for Junior Class V.P. We worked hard all weekend putting this skit together. I don't know how it will come across on the video, but in real life it was HILARIOUS!! My camera kept shutting off so you will have to watch it in 3 segments. She'll find out this afternoon the outcome of the election. I'll let you all know. You'll have to scroll down to the bottom of the blog and pause my music first.

He Is My Joy and My Song

We were late. Again. A last minute decision sent us running to another chapel across town. As we stood waiting to enter, we were warned that there were no seats available. I didn't want to make a grand entrance and parade to the front row. The special guest has now arrived! Let the meeting begin! As the doors swung open, three people on the back row made their exit and we quickly squeezed four bodies into the three places. I greeted a familiar face next to me and took a moment to scan the room for more. It felt so familiar. The same families on the same benches; some bigger than before and some smaller. Families have a way of doing that. They grow and then they shrink. A wave of homesickness washed over me as I looked to the front left pew where my own family had always resided. How I miss the Milton Ward. I quickly spotted my special friends and exhaled in relief. Friends have a way of bringing comfort just in knowing that they are nearby.

The meeting proceeded. The first speaker began in a sing-song voice. She spoke with enthusiasm about friends as if we were all five years old. We all need friends. True. I listened with anticipation for the end to come. Not that I didn't enjoy what she was saying, but the purpose for my visit was next. I fidgeted in my seat. It was time. My heart jumped as I watched the two nervous 17-year-olds walk to the pulpit. My best friend followed them and sat at the piano. Her beautiful daughter sat with her. I knew her job would be turning the pages. She spotted me on the back row and gave me her warm, familiar smile. I was glad she knew I was there. The piano began the familiar notes that only weeks before had not existed until I carefully arranged them on the page. The inexperienced boy and girl stood nervously waiting for their entrance. They began. "The Lord is my light. Then why should I fear?" That first phrase brought peace. I relaxed and let the music float toward me and around me and finally into me. "The Lord is my Light! He is my joy and my song!" I thought my heart would literally burst as I felt the reality of those words. Tears streamed down my cheeks. "He is my Redeemer, my Savior and King. This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring." I was filled with that assurance. "By day and by night, He leads me along." It felt a little like giving birth but without the pain. Joy, joy, joy! That's the only way to describe it. My friend looked for me as she walked back from the piano. Our eyes met for a moment and I knew that it was good.

Whether I share it in word or in song, I must declare that Jesus Christ is my Light! He is my salvation from sorrow and sin. He is my strength. I know in His might I'll conquer at length. He leads me along and I willingly follow.

A Bit Of A Review

My thoughts are not focused in the least this morning, but I miss blogging so I will proceed unprepared. Let's see, I will start with this weekend and work my way backwards. General Conference...AMAZING! We enjoyed the family time and ate too much great food. I was excited to see that Haley and Collin had their favorite talks and are growing in their love for the Gospel. Did I have a favorite? So hard to choose. Elder Bednar's talk on the temple was one of my favorites. Elder Christopherson's talk on covenants was also very meaningful to me. I am so grateful to led by a prophet of God in these troubled times.

I was able to attend the General Auxillary Leadership Training last week with the General Young Women's Presidency. It was just what I needed to hear. I've been feeling a little trunky in my young women's calling, but it was clear to me within the first 5 minutes of Sister Dalton's message that I still have a purpose and a mission to fulfill as a young woman leader. I have found a renewed love for my calling and more specifically for "my" girls.


In connection with this, I decided to work on the Virtue value in personal progress. I have been learning some amazing things connected to virtue such as more about the kind of woman I want to be, the connection between virtue and the Holy Spirit, and where I personally stand on this path of virtue. I intend to complete this project and re-earn my Young Womenhood Recognition. A great project!


From my last post, you can see the fruits of my labors of the past 2 weeks: Haley's prom dress. We had a great time designing and making her dress together. It was a lot more work than I had imagined and made me appreciate my own Mom. She was also a great help with this project. I'm sure I called her at least 2 or 3 times a day. I don't know if we really saved money by making the dress if you include time. But Mom reminded me that as mother's, we don't count our time. It is truly a labor of love. I learned more about sacrifice and motherhood with this project than I have in a long time. What a wonderful blessing to be a mother!

Prior to the prom dress project, Sally asked me to speak at her Relief Society Birthday Pary. Sally is an amazing planner and the party was spectacular! There was a "Zen" theme with bamboo, rocks, sand, and gorgeous fresh flowers. The food was delicious. I spoke about the symbolism of bamboo: it is strong and resilient, it adapts to difficult environments and bends with the wind without breaking. Then I talked about my own life experiences that have required me to bend and adapt and most of all, trust in the Lord with all my heart. I wrote an arrangement of "The Lord Is My Light" for that night and Haley sang it with me. It was a tremendous growing experience for me. I learned so much and realized that I have a message to share. My life experiences have more meaning when they can be of help to someone else. Thank you, Sally, for a life-changing experience.

More Prom!!

Prom Pictures!!

I could write pages about the last two weeks, the dress, etc. Later...

Can you teach an old dog new tricks?

Last Saturday, I attended a Provident Living Fair in our area. The keynote speaker discussed financial conservatism. It was inspiring and eye-opening. Then we had the choice of two more classes out of 8 or 10. I chose the marriage and family relationship class and the time management class. I feel that we can never learn enough to help improve our relationships, but I normally avoid anything that has to do with management of any kind, especially time. Yuck!! You see, I am right-brained. I can't possibly be expected to plan. I like to live in the moment and take it as it comes. So, why did I choose that class? I don't know. It just seemed like the right thing to do at the time. And just as I expected, the class presented a "system" for organizing the household. It was a card system of jobs filed on 3x5 cards. Not excited. Now don't get me wrong. I've actually tried many organizational methods....with little success...including this one. The best system so far for our family was the job chart. But the kids sort of "out grew" it a couple of years ago and things have been going downhill ever since. I sat in the class thinking, "Wow. That's really amazing for you and everyone else, but it will never work for me." I did come away with a few ideas for cleaning the bathroom more effectively. That was that. Or so I thought. I couldn't get that class out of my mind. Those 3x5 cards would creep into my head and I would promptly push them out. But I knew I needed to do something to get order restored to our home and family. I needed a way to involve my children. They were becoming really lazy and I was becoming really exasperated.

Sunday morning, I was standing in the shower and a thought came to my mind. (My best inspiration often comes in the shower.) "This isn't about you. It's for your kids. It's the best way to get them involved again." I resolved to give it a try. Monday morning came and I headed to the Dollar Store to purchase 3x5 cards and a file box. By the time the kids returned from school, I had Monday's jobs all listed on separate cards. I said, "These are the Monday jobs that I didn't finish today. There are 8 cards and 4 of us so if we each do 2 jobs, we'll be done in no time." And we were done in no time. There was no complaining or whining. Everyone just got in and got it done. It was truly a thing of beauty. Each day, I would make more cards for the coming day of the week. After school, the same thing happened. Smooth.

Until Thursday. We weren't home. Nothing got done. Friday...same thing. Was it all going to fall apart? Not on my watch. So on Saturday, we pulled out all of the cards that didn't get completed during the week and divided and conquered. IT WORKED!!! To my relief and amazement, order is returning and it is happening fast.
Each day as I would sit down to write more cards, I would pray for guidance and then everything would fall into place. I feel very blessed and quite humbled. I just needed to look at the situation from a different perspective. Being a mother isn't so much about me keeping a perfect house, fixing delicious and healthy meals, and being SuperWoman. It's more about teaching my children responsibility, order, discipline, work ethic, respect and love. And as I'm teaching my children in this laboratory we call home, I might end up with a clean house, warm meals, and happiness. My children are happier when they know what is expected of them and they are held accountable for it. I am happier when it's not about me and what I want but it's about US, the family. I'm also happier when I find order, much to my right-brained resistance. So, maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks.

Who's Been Eating My Poridge?

Pictures by Bryce

Arrow of Light

Last week, Bryce was awarded the "Arrow of Light" award in cub scouts. This is the highest award in cub scouting. He has worked very hard to earn this award. He also has amazing scout leaders who have encouraged him and helped him learn and accomplish many new things. Thank you, Brother and Sister Hatch!


Bryce learned about fitness, being a good citizen, first-aid, enjoying the outdoors, woodworking, sports, mental skills, and more. He participated in activities that reinforced these skills. So far, he has earned 16 Webelos activity badges. Collin has been serving as his den chief. He enjoyed working with the webelos den and they really loved him, too. Brother and Sister Hatch have spoken very highly of him as a leader.



A good friend of our family, Brother Taggart, presented the Arrow of Light to Bryce. He talked about young heroes in history: Sacajawea, Joan of Arc, and Joseph Smith. He told Bryce that he was developing the same qualities as these individuals as he works in scouting.


We are so proud of you, Bryce!! We love you!!

Nature....Continued

Today while I was driving, the rays of the sun reached down and penetrated through the window. As I felt the warmth on my face, I had that same peaceful, full-of-love feeling as I did yesterday while watching the drip. Another gift.

Nature's Secret

While I sat eating my lunch this afternoon, I picked up a book and read:
Through primrose tufts, in that green bower,
The periwinkle trailed its wreaths;
And 'tis my faith that every flower
Enjoys the air it breathes.
This is one stanza of a poem by William Wordsworth. As I read it, I was struck by the power in nature to quiet our thoughts. I dreamily stared out my window and began watching a drip of water fall from the roof. As I watched this simple process, my mind became still and I felt immense peace and joy, even being brought to tears. I began to wonder if that tiny drip enjoyed falling so fast and so far. I wondered if it felt a thrill like dropping from the top of a roller coaster. I was sure that the water was happy. My favorite author, M. Catherine Thomas, wrote: "Throughout the history of the earth, Man comes and goes tending to his daily life in the midst of Nature and, though from time to time he is distracted by her beauty, he rarely sees into her secret." William Wordsworth saw that secret. I started to see into it today. I plan to spend more time this year understanding why all Creation was made. I hope to take more time watching the birds fly, the leaves dance, and the sun smile. Then I will smile and enjoy the air I breathe.

My Family Is Awesome!

Yes, they are. The term may be out of date, but it describes how I feel about my amazing husband and children. On Sunday, Nathan sat down and interviewed each child. They spent quite a bit of time and came up with goals in 4 areas: physical, spiritual, intellectual, and social. (I didn't get an interview. I'm not sure if I can make any resolutions. It's that word: resolute. It's so.....rigid.) Anyway,last night for Family Home Evening we just chatted about our goals. We each expressed our biggest challenge and how members of the family can be supportive. We all felt empowered when we knew that we weren't alone, but had the support of the collective group. And wouldn't you know, we were all able to get up early today and tackle those challenges. Speaking for myself, I don't think I would have gotten up early to study and exercise if it wasn't for last night's exchange. So, to my family: I LOVE YOU ALL!!! You are AWESOME!!!

Here are a few pics from the holidays: