FHE - For HEverybody

Monday night is a special time of the week. It is FHE. I will be the first to admit that many Monday nights come together randomly and have little focus or planning. It is probably because they keep popping up each week. Before I know it, I realize it is Monday again and we need another lesson. But sometimes we get our ducks in a row and have a really good experience. (And sometimes we even bring the camera.)

The following are three Family Home Evenings that made the grade:

LET IT GO!
When we were back in the rental, we had a lesson on forgiveness. We spoke about how grudges can weigh us down and how forgiveness is a commandment for our own benefit. I won't lie - this lesson was mainly for the adults. I felt like I was harboring some animosity. I needed to release it and move on. So, I took the kids to the store and let each choose a balloon that we filled with helium. (Party stores will sell them individually.)

We brought them home and wrote on our balloons things that we had been holding onto or letting them get us down. The funny thing is that kids are so forgiving. They really didn't have much to put on their balloons, but they tried. Robyn came up with a few ideas.

I was teasing June because it looked like she was mad that someone kissed her. It also says The time Robyn really made me mad about something I don't remember anymore.

Turns out she was drawing how she would feel if her boyfriend kissed someone else. (No, she does not have a boyfriend, thank goodness. At least...she'd better not.)

Ivory wrote Someone thinks I'm to old for blankets and trying to put it in to the garbage and I'm running after him saying I'm not to old for blankets.

Daisy and Pearl...well, Daisy popped her balloon early on. They both scribbled a few things on their balloons. (Daisy shared with me.) We went outside and naturally Daisy and Pearl let go of theirs a little early.

There one goes.

Okay, now everyone get ready.

Release.

Beautiful. There they go.

All our worries and grievances floating away.

This is to check and see how good your eyes are. If you look closely, you can see all SIX balloons. Although, I only saw two of them (the first released) when I zoomed in on the picture in photoshop, so don't hurt yourself trying to look for them.

I will admit, this lesson was highly therapeutic for me. I had some things that I was holding on to. And that day...I let it go.

IRON ROPE
Kami and Doug did a lesson for us not too long ago. It was very emotional for some and a learning experience for all. They didn't tell us much. We drove into the canyon and then donned blindfolds.

Kami then led our whole group along.

I had been to that area before, but it certainly feels different when you can't see anything.

Kami then brought us to a standstill and told us what we were going to do. Each of us in turn would follow her silently and hold a rope. Our task was to hold tightly and follow the rope while avoiding possible distractions. Tyler was taken first. The rest of us stood quietly.

Kami came and took us away one at a time. I thought she would leave me to be last, but I was second to last and she left Robyn by herself. (This ended up being a more poignant experience for Robyn as she felt that she was very alone as the last person.)

Tyler finished the course and was able to help others to the final destination.

Some people needed to see, but they still held to the rope.

The distractions came in small strings that led away from the original rope. There were many of them, but they were easily distinguished from the true rope.

Finally we were all together at the end. No one got lost.

We were able to talk about our experience and what the rope meant. We talked about the scriptures and the iron rod and how important it is to hold on and not be distracted by sources leading away. We talked about how by listening to parents and the prophet we are able to continually feel the guiding rope and not be deceived by other impostor ideas.

One of my favorite parts was when I reached the end of the rope, I reached out and felt comforting warm hands take mine and lead me to safety. I imagine there are warm hands waiting for me again some day.

STEPS TO HEAVEN
Recently we had an excellent lesson in Sunday School, and then I found a corresponding lesson for children on lds.org. It talks about the important steps that lead us from this earth life back to heaven. There are only six. The first four are talked about in the fourth article of faith. We had the children recite that and then help us add the steps.

The last two are a little trickier but they were able to come up with Temple Ordinances and Enduring to the End. (If not in those exact words.) I finished laying our steps to heaven.

Then we had to each try out the steps.

We talked about where each of us are on the path. Of the children, only Robyn and June have taken the steps of Baptism and the Holy Ghost.

 But Daisy and Pearl are on the path too.

Dad was a bit dramatic making his way along the path.

I guess we make a good match.

It was good to re-emphasize the straight and narrow path to heaven and the gate by which we enter. I also talked to the kids about how once you enter the gate, each week you get to pass under an archway resembling the gate and remember and recommit all over again to doing the right thing. This is why we take the sacrament and go to church. I'm hoping some good things connected in their heads.

And Dad was kind enough to pull out a makeshift iron rod for us. I know that I would be over the moon to spend eternity with all these characters.

I hope you enjoyed our FHE showcase, and if you are looking for a new idea, maybe one of these will help.

Time Off for Good Behavior

My extended family live just far enough away that it is not very convenient to visit. And even less convenient to take the whole family. If we want to fly, it takes a small fortune. If we want to drive, we need a good amount of time to kill to get out there and back. But Tyler is very kind to send just me out every once in a while to hang out with my fam.

Last month, it was my sister's birthday. She requested my presence and I was more than happy to come. Just us gals (Mom, Miranda, and I) went to Leavenworth the first day I was there. Leavenworth is a quaint Bavarian town tucked into the mountains. They have worked hard to give it the feel of European authenticity. I'm guessing every business there must have signed some contract saying they would stick with the theme. Even the Subway's and banks have fancy signs.

And the buildings were beautiful. The flowers and architecture are so fun. (Not to mention the shopping. Well, I probably will mention that a bit more in a minute.)

At one point there was a small street parade as people in native clothes and really long horns walked along the street. I only caught them from the back.

We stayed at the Bristelhoff? (I could be making up that name, but that sounds right.) There was a huge knight outside our window. Here is Miranda standing next to him.

We found out moments later that the knight is also home to a wasp's nest. Don't stand too close to him. (Don't worry, Miranda did NOT get stung.) Because of the flaps on the back of his feet armor, I think it looks like he is standing on tiptoe. I got one more picture of him from our window. Check out the beautiful mountains around the village.

Some of the things that make the town famous are the beer and the nutcrackers. We skipped the beer side of things, but we did go to the nutcracker museum. Naturally, I had never seen so many nutcrackers in one place before. I would be lying if I didn't say that I think most of them were pretty creepy looking, but there were some I thought were quite unique. If you can imagine someone famous, there is probably a nutcracker version of them. I saw everything from Jack Sparrow to Harry Potter. They even had Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and a missionary nutcracker. There were all different sizes as well. I think you are going to have to try coconuts in this one.

We spent the majority of our time trying delicious food and shopping. We never actually went to the Pizza und Brat place, but I liked their sign.

There was one awkward moment when I went into a hookah shop that I thought was a frozen yogurt place. It didn't take me too long to figure out that there was no yogurt and I was out of my comfort zone. Oddly, I still pretended to look around for a few seconds to not look foolish. I don't know why I was concerned with how I looked? After all, I was never going to see that guy again, and I clearly didn't belong in the shop. Why do we care so much what others think? Or think that we can fool them? I'm sure that guy was laughing to himself as I left the shop.

In the evening we played games in our hotel room. I really enjoy playing games with my family, even though Miranda is not too much of a game player. She managed to win over half the games though. Miranda and I ganged up on Mom and didn't let her win anything. Daughters are like that sometimes.

It was such a fun trip. I'm thinking we need to take a girls weekend more often. I'll just put that on my bucket list.

But my WA trip didn't end with Leavenworth. I also got the weekend to party with my peeps. And if you happen to be visiting in September, the fair is a given. Both Miranda and Mom entered stitchery and they each received an award.

Miranda got 3rd place for her Grandmother stitched with birds. She made it for our Grandma Pat a long time ago, but got it back when Grandma passed away. I have always thought it was really pretty. Good job.

Mom designed and stitched the patterns for three Star Wars characters many years ago. They were framed in their own separate small frames. But she had them reframed and put together just a short time ago. I think it looks amazing and I wasn't surprised at all when she got first place.

Actually, maybe it was a little surprising, since she has done very intricate pieces in the past that were phenomenal and not had them recognized. So, I was happy to see that this piece got the credit it was due.

We didn't do a lot at the fair this time around. We walked around and saw some of the hobby hall. We got some essential items like scones and strawberry ice cream. (I managed not to throw it on Miranda this year.) Some things had moved around and we couldn't even find the vendors.

We did take time to go view the Draft Horse show. They have the large Clydesdale horses and other breeds that I don't know, because I really don't know that much about horses. But it was cool to see them maneuver the coaches around. And I did like the ponies. They were the cutest of the group.

Everyone seemed to have a good time. Except maybe Tim.

No, wait, he is happy too.

A nice shot of the blurry us.

Besides the fair, we played games, watched movies, laughed and enjoyed each other's company. I really like visiting and I am very excited for my family to come out and spend Christmas with us.

Love my parents:

Mom, especially thank you for cooking me yummy meals that I don't get at home.

And we can't forget April. Although she is this weird half-dog who can't jump off furniture or climb stairs, she is still pretty darn cute.

 Dad, we'll train her to be a normal dog when you come visit.

Favorites

A few nights ago, my two oldest (with Ivory thrown in every once in a while for good measure) had a quote-off.

They had to say a quote from Princess Bride and the first person who couldn't think of one, lost.

Priceless.

I'm not sure who won. I was just so happy listening to them quote back and forth as they got ready for bed.

Fourteen Years of Bliss (But who's counting?)

Anyone remember when we said we were going to move our anniversary to October? Well, we did. It was great. (Especially if you don't count the part where I was sick.) On October 12th, fourteen years ago, Tyler asked me if I would spend my forever with him. It sounded like a pretty good idea and we haven't looked back. (Well, this whole blog is about looking back, but you know what I mean.)

It was my year to plan the festivities. I had some great ideas that basically all fell through when I couldn't kick my cold. So instead I chatted with Tyler to see what we should do instead. (Tyler doesn't like surprises anyway, so he was happy to have a say in the matter.)

We chose book shopping, a couple's massage, dinner and a stay at a bed and breakfast. (I already had the bed and breakfast booked. The good news is that you can sleep anywhere, even with a cold.)

Kami and Doug were so nice to watch the kids. June is quite a good babysitter, but I'm not sure I would have slept well if they were alone at the house. And as luck should have it, Pearl came down with croup the night before we left. She had a terrible time breathing and was up all night with Tyler taking her outside each time so she could breathe the cool air. Friday saw me in the doctor's picking up some medicine for her. (That medicine is so great though. She slept through the night while we were gone and didn't have any problems.)

Kami took a picture of us on the way out for our anniversary evening. Still looking good.

First we went to Barnes and Noble. We both enjoy a good book store and we browsed for almost an hour. Naturally we left with a few purchases, my favorite of which is a cookbook, but the most interesting of which is a couples book where you insert information about your relationship. It is like a journal, but not quite. But some of the questions are very thought provoking.

Next up...a massage. I am not a huge fan of massages. Just not. I know I hold tension in my muscles. But this one was really nice.  Tyler was a few feet away getting a hot rock massage. (I will definitely try that next time.) It was so relaxing and we both felt fabulous after.

We went to Macaroni Grill for dinner. Oddly, we went there a dozen years ago. I didn't like it. At the time I thought dipping bread in oil was strange and kind of yucky. My tastes have certainly changed over the last decade and a gift card lured us back. It was delicious. Can't think why I ever disliked it. We drew little pictures on our table.

And took a picture of ourselves. Happy us.

Tyler ordered a salad. An entree salad. I have never seen a salad so HUGE. It came out in what could have been a mixing bowl. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of it? I think we could have shared it and still had leftovers. Good to know for the future.

After dinner we went to our B&B. I found a nice place in Provo called the Hines Mansion. I thought it was wonderful. We stayed in the Library. The room was very fun. It had a spiral staircase that led up to a jacuzzi tub.

We also loved the secret wall that led into the bathroom.

Other great things: Lots of fun old movies in the parlor to chose from. We grabbed The Saint and ejoyed sparkling Pear cider.

The breakfast was really tasty. Everyone eats in the dining room, so we met some fun people traveling through the area.

Strange things: We never got a key to our room. They mixed up keys and didn't put ours out. Also, someone opened our door at one point looking for someone else. (Maybe I should have asked him for a key...clearly he had one.)

By the tub there was a skylight with a perfect view of the moon. Tyler and I made up code names (Tennison and Natasha) to give to strangers. Our code phrase was, "Can you see the moon?" "Yes, just out the window." Man...we should have used it on the guy who opened our door. He clearly would have failed the test.

It might be all too clear that Tyler and I still have a lot of fun together. He is my best friend and I love spending time with him. I think the feeling is still very mutual.

Fourteen years have gone by in a blink. They aren't nearly enough. Good thing I have him for eternity.