HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN to everyone!! We love you all so much and are so grateful to have each of you in our lives! Thank you for being who you are.................

Twilight

OK..........So I just watched the trailor for the Twilight movie coming out in a couple weeks and I CAN'T WAIT to see it!! I LOVE the books!

I'm thinking............girl's night? OH YEAH!!

Check out the countdown that I've posted below at the bottom of my blog...............

Presidential Debate

OK.........So I have to confess (and I'm a little bit embarrassed to admit it), but I've honestly never cared very much before in the past about the Presidential Elections. I have to confess that I don't ever think I've actually sat down and listened to a Presidential Debate before now...........and voting hasn't been a huge priority for me, either.

Last night, though, I actually sat down and watched the Presidential Debate between Senators John McCain and Barrack Obama................and I was really bothered for much of the campaign!! I really worry what this country is coming to these days when the people who are leading our country can't seem to get along and are actually quite vicious in their pursuits for the Presidential Seat!! I was really bugged listening to the 2 of them go back and forth, saying some pretty ugly things about each other a few times. And there were a few times that I was completely confused in what one or both of them stood for on certain issues that were brought up.

I know that the subject of politics can be quite a hot subject to bring up. But I'm really interested in hearing what all of you who are following my blog really think and feel about this subject! Please share your thoughts with me................

Like I said, I've paid more attention to this race between the candidates in the last few months, year, etc, than I've ever paid attention in my life. I don't know..............maybe it's my old age or something! :) Either way, I was really confused after I watched the debate last night. How do you choose between 2 men who want to lead our country when you're really not very sure about either one!? I guess you just have to pick the 'lesser of 2 evils', huh? And just pray that he'll do a decent job of leading our country..................Heaven help us!

Summer is gone..................

Well..............it's official. Summer is now gone here in Salt Lake City! We had our first snow flurries of the year today. I have some mixed emotions about it. I love the nip you can feel in the air and the excitement of this time of year. But there's also a part of me that dreads the snow, too. I just hope we don't get hit too hard this year!

Temples Website

A friend emailed me this really awesome Temples website. Check it out............

I realized I've been to quite a few of these temples around the world myself.

Enjoy!

http://www.ldschurchtemples.com/slideshow/

Invisible Mother.............

So I got this really great email from a good friend of mine (thanks, Shannon!). I absolutely loved it and it brought tears to my eyes as I was reading it. I wanted to share it with all of the mothers and the 'someday' mothers who read my blog. I love you all and you're wonderful inspirations for me!

Invisible Mother......

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, 'Can't you see I'm on the phone?' Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible. The invisible Mom. Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, 'What time is it?' I'm a satellite guide to answer, 'What number is the Disney Channel?' I'm a car to order, 'Right around 5:30, please.' I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated sum a cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She's going; she's going; she is gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, 'I brought you this.' It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription:
'To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.'

In the days ahead, I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, 'Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.' And the workman replied, 'Because God sees.'

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, 'I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become.' At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, 'My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.' That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, 'you're gonna love it there.'

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

Great Job, MOM!

General Conference

I love this time of year! Once again............another 6 months has positively FLOWN by and it's General Conference time this weekend! I can't wait to hear what the Prophet and his Counselors, etc, have to say this weekend. I love waking up in the morning, making a nice breakfast for Matt and I, and having the ability to be able to watch conference in my PJs from the comfort and convenience of my own home. I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful place where I can be so close to the many, many wonderful blessings the Church has to offer. I remember when I was growing up in Germany and we had to wait a few weeks AFTER Conference was already over in order for us to be able to see it over there. Our Stake Center was 2 hours away.................so it was an all day affair! We usually only got to see the Sunday Sessions because it was so far away. Again, I feel very blessed to have the opportunity to live here in this beautiful State of Utah!

I also love this time of year because of all the great Holidays we get to celebrate! Halloween.....BYU vs. U of U football game/rivalry.........Thanksgiving.........and Christmas!! I love all the great Holiday smells and sounds..................and especially how the people generally become nicer during this time of year. Can you tell I'm excited!?

Spiderman

So we, as a Relief Society Presidency, like to go out on visits every week to try and catch some of the sisters at home and visit with them to find out how they and their families are doing. It just helps us to stay in touch with the sisters in the Ward better. Tina, our R.S. President, goes out every week and then Dani, Michelle, and I all take turns going out with her each week. This week was my turn. I was enjoyable to get to visit with a couple of the sisters in the ward......

Anyway, after visits we went back to Tina's house for our R.S. Presidency Meeting. As the meeting was drawing to a close, Tina told us about some relatives of theirs who are really struggling right now and told us of a website they've created as a result. I thought I would post that website on my blog to help promote and get the word out. If anyone is looking for someone to help out this season as the Holidays get closer................maybe this family is someone we can keep in our prayers and find ways to help out. Here's the website:

www.spidermanfightscancer.com