The Bible Miniseries...

So I wanted to really watch "The Bible Miniseries" on The History Channel, but was a bit uncertain due to mixed reviews.  Some of my friends said it completely deviated from the Bible and the Gospel so badly that it was horrible to watch while others watched and loved it and thought it was pretty accurate for the most part.  I gave in and recorded the series and was pretty okay with the turn out.  There were somethings that really drove me to the brink of being so mad that I almost wrote a letter to The History Channel about these things.  The first was how Abraham and Moses were almost played like they were nuts, complete lunatics.  This was especially bad with Abraham.  These are prophets of God, not some guy seeing hallucinations from bad shrooms people!  They were confident in the Lord, trusted to guide their people to do the right things.  They loved God and never acted like raving lunatics!  Then there is the whole situation with Moses and Aaron.  Yes, Moses was the prophet, but he had trouble with speaking, scripture says slow of speech.  I read the King James Version of the Bible and here is what is says: Exodus 4: 10 "And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since though hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow of tongue."  The solution to this is found in Exodus 4: 14 "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well.  And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart."  So Aaron becomes the mouth piece for the prophet Moses.  This is something that bothers me about one of my favorite movies, "The Ten Commandments".  Once again they portray this part incorrectly, and it is also portrayed wrong in the "Prince of Egypt", the cartoon movie of this passage.  This is not just a historical book, it is the history of a great people chosen by God, get it right already!  The next part that bothers me is that they did not get the Atonement and crucifixion of the Savior.  When Jesus Christ went into the Garden of Gethsemane, He not only prayed, but He suffered the sins of the world.  Ironically, Luke tells part of the Saviors ministry that the other three gospels do not (Matthew, Mark, and John).  What took place in the Garden is not to be overlooked.  It is an important aspect of the Gospel of Christ.  I know that other churches do not necessarily place as much emphasis on it like The Church of Jesus Christ does, but it is important.  Here is what happened and I am going to share the whole passage, it is important together.  Luke 22: 39-46 "And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. 40 And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.

41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. 44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. 45 And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, 46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation."  Christ bleed from every poor like someone who is working out really hard for a couple of hours would sweat.  This is significant because He paid for our sins with his blood so that we can repent.  He fulfilled the Law of Moses, which required a sacrifice of an unspotted (meaning the lamb had no blemishes, much like the Savior was the only perfect man to walk the earth, he never sinned) to seek forgiveness (and I double checked this to make sure it was right through a Judaism website, they do not currently practice this since the temple was destroyed by Rome around 70 C. E. (Christian Era).  His blood washes us all clean, opening the door for us to seek out God and ask for forgiveness through Him for our sins.  See why this is important.  But this also explains something about his crucifixion.  See, after this He was tortured (scourged, which means whipped, smote with a reed after placing a crown of thorns on his head).  They got this part right.  Next He is taken to Golgotha and placed on the cross and nailed to it through his feet and hands.  After He dies (in scripture He gives up the ghost, this is also significant, but that is another post), they do not break His legs like they do the other two because He is already dead.  Instead, they pierce His side with a spear.  See at this point He had bleed so much that there was very little of it left (I know this is a bit morbid, but to understand Gethsemane you need to know this).  This is what John 19: 34 "But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water."  These were not seen in the miniseries, but the Garden is so important to the gospel.  With today's technology they could have made this happen.  I realize that many people would have been disgusted by this much blood and gore, but you see this everyday in the movies, sometimes even more.  Think of "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson.  Men were shown losing their heads, "Blackhawk Down" they showed (for accuracy) surgery on a mans leg in great detail, to the point of a man reaching in and grabbing his artery to try to save him.  For accuracy sake, why not show the greatest sacrifice that was given to each of us, a wonderful gift.  I do not see why showing the Saviors sacrifice in true form would be less offensive than showing blood and gore in horror movies, historical movies or even what we see on T.V.  What comes after that is the response from the Savior dying.  Certain things happened and are explained in the Bible.  This is found in Matthew 27: 51 "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; 52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, 53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many."  In the temple there were was a room referred to as the Holy Of Holies.  Only one man could enter this room, the high priest.  When the Savior died, the veil of the temple was rent (torn).  This was the curtain that divided the Holy Of Holies from the rest of the temple.  I have been taught that this was a heavy curtain that could not be torn by a man, it would have to be cut.  The miniseries showed this scene as the curtains falling.  I do not know how the curtain was torn, but this to me mocks the Bible and what really took place.  They do just about anything now days with computer technology, why not do something more realistic.  Also left out was that the graves opened up.  Bodies of saints who has slept arose and went into the city, it even says they appeared unto many.  Again, Harry Potter can make ghosts, so can Lord of the Rings, why not a miniseries that shows the significance of the Saviors death and resurrection?  One last thing really bothered me.  They included Mary Magdalene in pretty much every aspect of the Saviors ministry.  While she is present in many parts of the scriptures and she was a disciple, she was not present all the time that we know of.  I was taught to not assume things when it came to the scriptures.  She has a major role, yes, what it is we do not know and can only speculate, which is I feel is dangerous.  The Savior appeared to her first, we know this from the gospels, and in fact, when she and Mary (mentioned in Matthew 28) come upon the tomb, the stone is rolled away, not broken in two.  We know from Mark 16 that He appeared to her first and that the Mary  that was with her was His mother..  Beyond that we cannot assume what that meant or if she was constantly with the Savior.  To add to it, when they receive the Holy Spirit as promised by the Savior, the apostles begin to speak in tongues.  They added her to this part.  Once again this really bothers me.  We do not know her role as completely as we would like, so lets not assume she was there with the apostles.  In fact, she is no longer mentioned after the Savior appeared to her at the tomb.  Acts 2: 1 "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. 2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. 5 And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven. 6 Now when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. 7 And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galilæans? 8 And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born? 9 Parthians, and Medes, and Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Judæa, and Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, 10 Phrygia, and Pamphylia, in Egypt, and in the parts of Libya about Cyrene, and strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, 11 Cretes and Arabians, we do hear them speak in our tongues the wonderful works of God."  Again, no where does it say she was with the apostles.  I feel that if something like this is going to be made, then it should be made according to what is written (in this case by men of God, who were ordained by the Savior to be Apostles, fishers of men).  Do not add things because in recent history people believe that Mary Magdalene was the "Holy Grail" and was married to Jesus Christ.  This is an assumption and while it would make sense that He would marry because there are so many years in between his being 12 and teaching in the temple to when he started his ministry, we should not assume more than what we are given.  Speculation is not always a good thing.  Another thing that bothered me, and this will be the last one, I promise.  Is the baptisms performed after they show John the Baptist.  In Matthew 3: 13 "Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."  It states He went straightway up out of the water.  No where does it say that John the Baptist sprinkled or dumped water on His head.  To come up out of the water, He would have to have been placed under by John the Baptist and brought back up.  Then they left out the full presence of the God Head.  God expressed His pleasure that Jesus Christ was following what He was supposed to be doing, keeping His commandments.  In this, the Holy Spirit was present as well.  This was not even done!  And for those that want to argue that the God Head is one being, you are wrong, Steven, who replaced Judas, confirmed that they are three separate beings before he was martyred in the name of Christ.  Steven became an apostle after Judas committed suicide.  So he was present when they received the Holy Spirit.  This is what is recorded in Acts 7: 55 "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God."  So explain to me how God and Jesus Christ are one being when in fact an apostle of the Lord, the Lord being the Son of God, saw Him, Jesus Christ, being full of the Holy Ghost (all three are present again), sitting on the right hand of God.  Three separate beings, people: one in purpose: that purpose: To Bring to Pass the Immortality and Eternal Life of Man.  Christ Himself taught that through Him we can have eternal life.  As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we have another book, the Book of Mormon.  We also have the Doctrine of Covenants and then the Pearl of Great Price.  These all teach the same thing.  The Saviors gospel.  If you would like to know more go to: http://mormon.org/me/6N3Y  Not only will you find my profile, but you will learn more of what we believe.  You can get in touch with missionaries on there and even have them come to your home to share more of our beliefs.  I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is His gospel, that it is true.  He loves us and wants us to return to Him and Heavenly Father.  I know this because I have received confirmation from the Holy Ghost that it is true.  I know we have a prophet today just like in ancient times.  This is true, I know it to the depths of my soul.

Politics...Religion...Government...

So the last couple of days on Facebook several of my friends have changed their profile pictures to the equality sign from the Human Rights Campaign in a effort to get people to change their view or show support for the LGBT movement of same-sex marriage.  I do not feel that my personal Facebook page should become a political forum for these types of issues so I do not post them.  I have even had one friend basically tell me and others who do not agree with her that not only are we wrong and bigots, but that we should qualify our friendship with her.  Diversity and tolerance no longer mean what they used to.  Diversity is defined in the Webster dictionary as: the condition of having or being composed of different elements: variety; especially: the inclusion of different types of people (as people of different races or cultures) in a group or organization. 
Tolerance is defined in the Webster dictionary as: sympathy or indulgence for beliefs or practices differing from or conflicting with one's own. (There are several listed under tolerance, but I chose the one that fits with the issue I am blogging about).  First of all, I do not qualify myself with my own family, or husband.  They either accept me as I am or that is their problem.  I am who I am and I am learning to love me for me, faults and all.  I strive to qualify (if you will) myself with my Heavenly Father and my Savior, Jesus Christ, their opinion of me is the one that counts the most.  With that said, I am NOT going to qualify myself with my friends.  We have commonalities in our beliefs and then we have our differences.  The last I checked this is what makes America part of the great nation that she is, our differences and the right to celebrate them.  While I do not agree with certain issues and would choose to vote the way that my conscience would have me, I do not expect them to walk my walk and I would expect them to respect my beliefs and choose to walk their own walk.
I have made it clear on here and my Facebook that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  One friend who is also a member actually stated that she feels that we just follow the prophet like sheep, basically going with the flow and not thinking or asking for ourselves on such issues.  In 1995 the church released the Family Proclamation to the World which outlines the divine providence that is marriage.  It has been ordained of God since Adam and Eve and that will never change.  I do not blindly follow the churches teachings.  I prayerfully consider everything that the prophet and apostles tell us and receive my own confirmation on what we are being taught.  I believe that they were truly inspired to issue the proclamation to define the institution of marriage.  For her to say that she has not received that and she believes that our church leadership is wrong is terrifying to me.  When we start picking and choosing the teachings that we will follow is a dangerous thing.  I followed that path when I was younger and it led me down a road that almost cost me my life.  While I agree with her that we must receive our own confirmation of revelation if we question it, I do not feel that just because we do not receive it when first asked that it is wrong, we must continue to seek out that to bring it to our own understanding.  She said that it was mired in confusion, this is not the Holy Ghost, this is something else.  The Holy Ghost gives us clear thought when we are on the right path of discovery.

I am posting here because I am not opening my Facebook up to a political debate, like I stated, that is not what I feel my Facebook is for.  My blog is my blog.  I respect my friends beliefs and would never tell them that they are a sinner, going to hell, that they are not true Christians in the name of faith because that is not what a true Christian would do.  I strive to follow the commandment given to us in the John Chapter 13: 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

In this, I do my best to love everyone (yes it is hard, but I really do try).  I want to mark myself as a follower of the Savior and this is how we must do that.  I know that some might read this (I do not know how many people read my blog and that doesn't really bother me, I do not write it for others, but for myself) but in the name of true tolerance, we must find an equal ground and agree to disagree.  We are not a country that was founded on agreeing with everything that everyone believed, if that was the case we would have never sought to separate from England.  We believe everyone has freedom to choose and should not face intolerance because of our morals and beliefs.

There Maybe A Move In The Near Future...

Gerry and I swore that the next move would be our last.  Boy how we eat those words.  With his back being messed up again, he is looking for work again.  He is still employed and receiving a paycheck but it is not enough because of the circumstances surrounding his injury (I will not explain our financials beyond that).  So he is looking in Minnesota and already has people anxious to talk to him and set up interviews.  We shall see.   I am kind of hoping for a move to get us away from here and his brother and sister-in-law, which is a long story.  We want to be close enough for the girls, but far enough to have our own life and not be under the microscope with them. 

Teenager!

So I have decided that my biggest challenge in life is to make it through my son's puberty with one or both of us alive.  Having a child with Bipolar, ODD and now minimal ADHD going through puberty is going to be the death of me (or him, take your pick).  I do not remember being so secretive, defiant or down right rude and obnoxious as a teenager (my parents might say differently and I long to be able to talk to them, something I could really use right now).  I miss my parents advice in my life.  When I have needed it most right now, I cannot pick up the phone and talk to them.  Especially my mom.  I know that he is changing, and I am waiting for that voice change to take place, one of the last things since we noticed dark facial hair lately on his face.  I know he will kill me for this post, but it is hard to vent when no one really knows the struggles that we face and it is hard to talk to family, none of them have a child like mine and my sisters all have no children.  What is especially hard is that the world, media and friends all say that it is okay to go against the morals we teach in our home, and it is apparent and obvious with the way he acts at times and pushes us away.  We try to talk to him, get through to him and reach him, but he turns more to his friends than he does his parents.  It does not help that my ex-husband has hurt him almost beyond repair, causing a lot of trust issues with the adults that should be closest to him (parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents).  His idea of being a parent is to manhandle, abusive and abrasive to force him to behave.  What is a parent to do when society says that we are wrong for the morals we teach and to encourage and be politically correct in our life (and I am only generalizing the politically correct part, since it is so adamant that Christians to bend to the ways of the world)?  What are we to do??  We are to pray, seek guidance from our Heavenly Father, who is loving and kind, that is what!  I am going to do what I know He wants, I am going to continue to raise my son with morals, and to believe that being politically correct is not important.  In fact, I refuse to be politically correct, if you don't like it then too bad!  I love everyone, but that doesn't mean that I have to accept everything to that society says is normal and right to be correct and turn my back on everything near and dear to me.  I want my son to be like my husband and brothers, a good man who loves their families and is strong in the gospel of Christ and loves his Heavenly Father!  Those are far more important than being politically correct!  So while we struggle with a teenager, I am going to do my best to seek guidance from my Father in Heaven than from the world, I am going to be more diligent in prayer to know how to teach my son to come to us and to be a gentle loving person that I know is still in there somewhere!  So my advice to the world and to those that push their beliefs contrary to mine: BEWARE, MY son is mine, not yours, he will not be OF the WORLD!  HE will be a good man in the gospel, a good priesthood holder and LOVE the Savior.  STAY OUT OF MY HOME!  Time to deep clean the garbage out of our home and hold on to the clean.

Gratitude For A Year...

So I have decided that I need to continue to find something to be grateful for each day for a year.  So this blog will continue to expand for the next year and be bounced around as I add to it.  I am also doing this on my Facebook page. 

Day 31: Yep still going! I thankful for the real reason behind the season. I love my Savior!

Day 32: Today I am thankful for the deer that will be filling numerous freezers. Gerry and his hunting group did pretty good, he didn't get one, but there is enough to spread the wealth.

Day 33: I am thankful for my Uncle Gerald who called me today! Bonnie and Gerald are so wonderful and I love them so much! My uncle and his wife Bonnie were always in our lives growing up with frequent visits before retirement and even more so afterwards. Not only was he my moms brother but my dads best friend and my Aunt Bonnie was my moms best friend. That is so amazing family, and I truly hope Gerry and I have that one day when we are older with family! Love you both!! 

Day 34: I am thankful for the opportunity to have new people in my life. I have made wonderful friends here through the church and I know they were placed in my life for a reason.

Day 35: I am thankful that my washing machine will finally be fixed tomorrow!!

Day 36: I am so thankful that my washer is fixed and running! Thank you to all who helped with it!
   

Thirty Days of Gratitude....That Time of Year Again...

It is that time of year again.  The difference is, I am really going to set a goal to keep this going all year round from now on.  I really do find that I am much happier when I think of all the wonderful blessings I have in my life to be thankful for.  Starting yesterday, here is the beginning of the year and hopefully I do this well enough for the rest of my life!  I am sharing my whole post from day 1 that I put on Facebook:

Day 1: It's that time of year again....yep 30 Days Of Thankfulness posts, I love doing this, seriously need to keep doing it all year round, it reminds me to be more thankful of my daily blessings and gifts. Day 1: I am thankful for the Gospel Of Christ in my life, it gives me comfort and peace and knowledge that blesses me so abundantly in life.

Day 2: I am thankful for the home we are living in. When we were moving things were supposed to be in the process of being taken care of in Montana. We found out while visiting Gerry's brother and his family that the woman that was supposed to be taking care of our paperwork so we would have a place to live quit, walked out, and left a pile of paperwork on her desk. Because of this, there were

numerous things that she failed to tell us we needed, didn't send in our paperwork to the main office. We would have been homeless had we kept going. Heavenly Father put us here for a reason and because of the generosity of family, we have a roof over our heads and Gerry was able to find a job (it took awhile, but he did). We are so grateful for Carl King and Jan Gluth King.

Day 3: today I am grateful for the few months I got to spend with an amazing woman. She was a small little lady, but her love was huge. I will miss visiting her dearly and taking her to church, but I am glad I had the opportunity to serve her. It was easy to love her so swiftly. It is not goodbye, but see you someday, again.  This is not in my post on my Facebook page:  The sister I visited was an amazing lady.  She was diagnosed with a rare disease at the age of ten and her parents were told she was not going to live and if she did, she would not live long.  She did almost die at that tender age, but she lived to 72, fought the entire time.  She married, had a daughter and granddaughter.  Her granddaughter was the light of her world and so was her great grandson.  She loved being close to her and I could tell from the short time I got to spend with her that her family was the most important part of her life. 

Day 4: Today I am thankful for old memories and the things that my friends from high school remember. Band and choir were my favorite times of high school, I made lasting friendships, fantastic memories that I will always cherish. It is fun to look back and only see what really matter: no drama, no stupid stuff, just the good!

Day 5: I am thankful for the teachers at my sons school. They are fantastic, we communicate almost daily about his progress, his stumbling blocks and in what we all can do to help him be successful. I have always been very involved in his education, but never to this extent and it wasn't because I didn't want it. It was always me who sought them out, now I have teachers who seek me out as well as I do them. Couldn't ask for better!

Day 6: today I am grateful that we live in the country we live in. Today is the day that happens every four years where we voice who we want to lead this great nation. I do not care what the choice is, but make sure your voice gets heard!! Today is Election Day!!

Day 7: I am thankful for a husband who will take care of me when I am sick. I have been so bad that he is doing house work and cooking for me so I can rest and try to recover. Love that man!

Day 8: Today I am thankful for my sweet puppy. I love it when he cuddles with me when I'm sick, how smart he is and how funny he can be when he plays.

Day 9: I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have to teach the high school youth in our little branch more about the New Testament and the Savior and His teachings. What an opportunity I have been given to not only help their testimony, but mine as well!

Day 10: I am thankful for good hospitals, doctors, nurses and other health professionals. Since moving here, we have been blessed with all the above. And it is comforting to know they are there when we need or have needed them.

Day 11: Today I am thankful for those that serve our country, and those that have served! I am especially grateful for Gerald King, John C. Frakes, John Frakes, Deryl King, Carl King, Brenda LaFontaine King, Doug Lewis, Earl King, my father-in-law and the family that helped fight for this country going all the way back to the Revolutionary War. It makes me proud to know that the Frakes family helped shape this country through years of military service and that I married into another family and that helped shape it.

Day 12: I am thankful for my sisters, especially Amy Frakes and Kimi Frakes who are very supportive of Gerry and I with prayers and just as a sounding board. Through the past couple of months they always check to see how his back is doing, see if we have heard anything new and offer comfort as we get frustrated with doctors when we still do not have answers. But I have more than just those two sisters, I have my sister Tracy, who is amazing, then my sister-in-laws, how are equally amazing! I love them all and I am grateful for them all!

Day 13: I am thankful for my faith in my Heavenly Father and my Savior, it brings such comfort to know that I have a knowledge of His gospel and that my family will be reunited.

Day 14: I an thankful for very dark curtains today that help keep out the daylight so my migraine can go away.

Day 15: I am thankful for Lifetouch and the great work they do in taking school pictures! This years picture is awesome. We missed out on the ones from 4th to 7th because the base school did not do retakes, which bums me out, but I am so glad that we are in a great school and that there were retakes, I just love this years picture!    

Day 16: I am thankful today for my friends near and far. I made some who will always be a dear friend since becoming an Army Wife. I still have so many that are close from my childhood. The best part we get to stay more in touch because of phones, email and Facebook.  I tagged a few friends here they are, Missy Johannson, Jhona Oberholtzer, Emily Evans Morrill and Valerie Gordon.

Day 17: I am thankful for my brothers and brother-in-laws. My four brothers are amazing, two protect their communities, one defends our country and the other works very hard to take care of his family. All four are great fathers to their children and wonderful husbands. One of my brother-in-law is crazy talented and builds homes for people who need them and is very smart and got me addicted to Apple (like I said, smart), the other four have all defended this great nation at one point in their life. I am so thankful to call them family. Thank you all for being you, John C. Frakes, Ryan Kellogg, Carl King, Deryl King, Jared Frakes, Greg Frakes and Jeff Lanning!

Day 18: I forgot to post this, but I am thankful for my husband. I no longer have to be alone in my trials, I have a wonderful man there who supports me, anchors me and loves me.
 
Day 19: I am thankful for wonderful friends who know a thing or two about computers and washers. Both problems have been solved, hopefully they can be easy fixes now. Whew, nothing major on either part.

Day 20: I am thankful for the opportunity to hear a person's first conversation with Heavenly Father, the Spirit was amazing!

Day 21: Today I am thankful for those that came before me and gave all for our freedom so we could live in this great country, for new family and friends, for precious freedoms that we have and for blessings we receive!

Day 22: Today I am thankful for those that came before me and gave all for our freedom so we could live in this great country, for new family and friends, for precious freedoms that we have and for blessings we receive!

Day 23: I am thankful for the opportunity we had to enjoy not one but two Thanksgiving dinners. One was my sister-in-laws parents and the other a wonderful friend from church. Lots if yummy food, better company and rich blessings from both! It's always a wonderful gift to get to know more people!  We had one with Gerry's brothers in-laws and then went to a friends house and ate there with even more people all from church!  Great food and yummy desserts, but better company!

Day 24: I am thankful for little blessings and gifts.

Day 25: I am thankful for the opportunity I have to teach the gospel. It doesn't matter if it is my three year old Sunbeams or someone else, it is a blessing to share the Savior and my knowledge of Him!

Day 26: I am thankful for my son. We have settled into a routine and the last few days he is working hard and doing his chores to earn points in our new system. I would never change the kind of child he is, and love him more everyday!

Day 27: I am so thankful for Deans two teachers that work with him the most. I know I have posted this before, but they are excellent teachers and do such great work and always appreciate that we try very hard to support them as much as possible!

Day 28: I am thankful for books, I love to read and live to loose myself in the world my book gives me for that moment.

Day 29: I am thankful for a husband who knows me as well as he does and for not facing to cook dinner tonight, thank you, Ashley Nicole, it was yummy!!  

Day 30: I am thankful for my many blessings that I have in my life. My Heavenly Father knows what they are and that my heart is full. 

Over A Year....Seems Like Yesterday...

On September 9th shortly after midnight my sister called me, I knew what it was, I didn't want to answer, I hated answering.  My heart sunk in my chest and before she started talking I was fighting tears.  It seems like yesterday, I know exactly how I reacted, felt and thought in those few moments on the phone.  I didn't always get a long with my parents the way I or they wanted, it was hard being so different as a child and then continueing to be so different into adulthood.  I would say it was hard for them to get me (understand me and why I was so different that is to say), and I would say it is just as hard for my siblings.  They are all alike.  But I digress. 

One year ago and over a month she left this world and moved onto a better place where the cancer was gone and she was healthy and beautiful, not pain ridden or a body full of a horrible disease.  It is hard to believe that she is gone, still.  I still want to pick up the phone and ask for advice.  My son still misses his grandma.  It is easy to know she is better and that she is serving our Savior and Heavenly Father, her mission did not end, it had just begun.  But it is hard to not have her here.  I miss my mom.  I am thankful that I have a mother-in-law that is so much like her.  She listens when I call, gives motherly advice and loves me, better still, she accpets me completely.  I do not begrudge my family for not getting me or completely accepting me, I still love them, but I find comfort in her love and acceptance.  I think my parents now know why I am who I am and why I will never be like them.  I have gifts that are rare that allow me to love completely without holding back because of mistakes and hurt. 

I take comfort that she is once again in my fathers arms.  He loved her so, I miss them both, but they need to be together.  They are with my sister and the rest of our family that has moved on.  They are doing great things together.  But, I still miss them.  There is a void that never used to be there.  Shortly after my mom died, my dad returned a ring and earring set that Gerry picked out for my mom.  I am grateful for the husband that I have.  Even though I loved the set he bought me as a gift after his first deployment, it never felt like that was the one (I kind of feel like this is also like the wedding dress, you just know when it is one your finger that it is the one that is supposed to stay there for the rest of your life).  But when I put on my mom's ring after it was sized, I knew and he understood.  So when I asked to trade in my set and get a band to go with it, he let me.  About four weeks ago, the bottom of the ring broke on my ring that he bought her.  I was devistated, I knew it was coming because it was sized poorly when we got it.  I felt like she was missing in my life, like the ring gave me a piece of her again.  So having to mail it off to New York to get fixed was painful for me.  I needed it back on my finger.  Yesterday it finally came and I feel like she is back, that little piece of her.  I am so relieved to have it again.  This time it was done right, they fixed it perfectly and it is back where it belongs!  Here is the beautiful ring he bought her that I now have.  The earrings look just like it.  It is amazing what we find our comfort in when we loose a loved one.

Politics...

So the nature of politics and freedoms (this is my personal opinion here), have changed so much since I first became an adult and even more since I was a child.  I can honestly say that I am a pretty solid independent, really have no real conservative or liberal leanings.  But this last election, again my opinion, is forcing those that stand the middle ground, that can see the best of both political parties, to choose a side.  I am afraid my liberal friends really cannot see that they are so biased in their call for tolerance and my conservative friends are missing some good things from the liberal standing.  However that being said, I do lean more conservative than I do liberal.  It is the way I was raised, where I was raised and some of it my faith.  I feel I have been forced to take the conservative side of things as of late.  Democrats/Liberals are so intolerant of the Republican/Conservative morals, beliefs and views that they call them raciest, biased and other horrible things.  I can also see where the extreme right is really just as bad, but if I have to pick between my morals and personal beliefs, then I will stand with my Heavenly Father and Savior, which is where my morals come from.  I still believe I am an independent.  I can see good things from each side, but if I must choose between being called a raciest or that I am intolerant because of my conservative leanings, then I will choose being Republican and a Conservative rather than a Democrat or a Liberal.  One side should not have to sacrifice having religious freedom or morals because the other is not so religious and their morals are not the same.  This country was founded on religious freedom for a reason.  I have actually heard liberals and democrats (since each party has liberals and conservatives in them) say that there should be no religion in America, that way no one has to listen to or have religious beliefs forced on them.  Okay, here is my thought on that one:  If you do not want to listen, then don't, if someone is trying to force their religion on you, then walk away, no one is making you do either!  Do not stand there and whine about it, do something about it.  I do not force my religion on those that do not want it, but if they ask questions, I will answer them and I would rather them ask questions instead of assuming what they hear in the media or from former members or those that feel they are an expert on it, because why would you want information from someone who really isn't part of it, or was a former member.  I will tell you from that stand point, because I was there at one point, nothing good is said from this point of view, the one where the person used to be part of or quit attending or was burned for whatever reason.  I have nothing but good to share now and I love my faith, it gives me substance, a love for my neighbors, and a love for all mankind.  That is what the Savior wants of us.  So, I choose to be Republican for the time being and stick to my Conservative beliefs.  It is not what I want, I want to be an Independent with Conservative leanings, but if I must choose because I am called a traitor or ignorant or stupid because of those leanings, then I will choose the next best thing for me!  And for the record, I really am an Independent, and I love all people and beliefs and respect others morals.  I have friends from all walks of life and I love them all dearly.  Just because we have different points of views does not mean I will stop being their friend, I love them for their point of view, it is what makes them who they are.  I just wish some of them would be mindful and see what I see, good everywhere and not hate or be intolerant of others.  But then if that was the case, the world would be perfect and the Savior would have come again and life would be perfect!

So Proud of Our Boy....

These last two months have been a mix of feelings.  One is that we know that we are meant to be here, the other is the difficulty we are having finding work, which really surprises me with Gerry.  Most of the people tell him he is over qualified or never even bother to respond to his application or resume.  Just pure frustration.  We pray, fast, ask for more prayers from others and still we are waiting.  We know that all things happen in Heavenly Fathers time, but sometimes it is hard to be patient when we have bills creeping in.  Due to emergencies, our savings has been wiped out for a while now and we have yet to really start building it back up enough to really make a difference.

The other feeling, wow, it is amazing.  First, we know that people in our little branch prayed for us to be here.  Second, the school is AMAZING!  Our son Dean is doing so well.   He loves school again, but even more than he did before he hated it.  He loves all his teachers, they are fantastic.  Dean is on an IEP (Individualized Education Plan and soon to be Individualized Health Plan, which is new to me).  Due to the problems he has, he gets help so he can succeed.  The teachers are making such a difference.  Dean is capable of good grades and usually has great ones, with the exception of maybe a C or a D.  Right now, he is A/B and can make the honor roll if he can keep them up for the last four days of school, should be no hard feat, but we will see.  We don't want to tell him due to stress and anxiety, which makes it hard for him to do well.  We actually have to argue with him to keep him from going to school way too early, like an hour early!  The school system here is 4 in the state and around 700 out of 22,000.  Wow, that says something.  We could not have asked for better.  This just tells us, we needed to be here so that he could finally start succeeding.  He even helps out in class, reads aloud, and is participating by being a leader, something we have never seen him succeed at, usually there are problems.  I feel so blessed he is getting the help with his education more than Gerry and me pushing for more and better.  Now if the rest would just fall into place, life would be grand.

May 7...Really Do Not Like This Day....

So, I realize that very few people really hate their birthdays, but my twin sister and I really do not like today.  Yes, today is my 34th birthday.  34 years ago on a Sunday after church as my mom was walking to the house she told my dad it was time.  Around 6:35 I was born, exactly 32 minutes later, so was my twin sister Amy.  Yes, I hold those long 32 minutes over her head.  But I digress.  In 2008, our sister married her sweetheart and soon after was diagnosed with cancer.  She went through treatments with Amy and my brother-in-law by her side with his family, completely devoted to her.  She was hospitalized a couple of times and seemed to be doing good, and the doctors gave her a good outlook.  Then in April we found out that it was worse that it was thought to be.  We were in the hospital at the same time.  Me for surgery and her for a bad reaction to her treatment.  Shortly after her release, our mom went in and all seemed okay for a bit, then she went right back in the day before Amy's and my birthday, prognosis was not good.  We made all the arrangements necessary to get there after a few hiccups and headaches.  It was not an easy trip to make.  My mom was just out of the hospital, got really sick, I was recovering from surgery and I know Amy was taking it hard, being that her and Dawn had roomed together for a long time before she married her husband.  They were very close.  Well, we found out the day that the arrangements were finally set that she passed away, our birthday.  I did not make it in time (for which I hold Gerry's company in complete accountability for).  So needless to say for a person who loves birthday's and would insist on making her own dinner and birthday cake, I went to hating my own birthday.  I refuse to have birthday cake anymore (usually it would be Strawberry Shortcake with Angel Food Cake, my favorite).  Now it is a reminder of a sad day, a day when a sweet spirit and a sweet beloved sister, daughter, wife and aunt passed away from a hateful disease.  We all miss her terribly.  I am happy for my brother-in-law, he is finally seeing someone new.  She is a lucky woman.  I know it was hard for him to loose her so soon after getting married (not even a year later).  Her birthday is drawing close as well, the 11th.  So on a day like today, as people post on my Facebook wall, my husband wishes me happy birthday (knowing full and well I hate it), I put on a brave face, thank them and move on.  I do have one friend who knows my feelings and tells me to just have happy just another day.  I appreciate her remembering how I feel.  I would be remiss to tell everyone not to post, so I thank them.  They are being friends after all and most do not know that my sister died today three years ago. So, I will continue to thank them.

I Know Heavenly Father Works Are Not For Us To Understand

The longer we are here, the more I know that we are meant to be here.  We had a meeting at Dean's school today, wow, amazing!  The school that he went to in Texas was great, they worked on several things and were amazing.  Georgia, not so much.  They stopped his social skills services when we got there (halfway through second grade) and at my request they began to work on them again before we moved here.  That is six years without services and I feel he suffered so much in that time without them.  We do as much as we can at home to reinforce them at home as much as possible, but having them in the two areas he spends the most time does so much more.  We try to be very active parents, but as a child grows from childhood to teenager, that becomes difficult, they withdraw and become more focused on friends and not family relationships.  They automatically reinstated this when he started in his schedule as a class.....wow!  That left me speechless, I could not thank them enough!  Today's meeting went so well, they asked for pointers, a sort of rescue plan if he has a meltdown or becomes angry, what his triggers are, things that concerned him that they saw in his file from his old school.  Gerry and I (especially me) have never had this kind of proactive approach from a school before.  Something that really bothered me, Georgia was constantly retesting, it went something like this: moved to Georgia, retest for services; moved to new grade (I think forth), retest; moved on post to new school; retest again (yes that is twice in one year); moved to another grade level (I believe it was sixth this time and a new school), retest; and they just retested again right before we moved here, not to mention they retested in Texas when we moved there.  So in the last seven years he was tested six times, so on average almost once a year pretty much except one year that he was there, and I may have even missed one for when he was in third and fifth grade, hard to keep track of all the testing.  So when they said that he qualified without testing again, I was so relieved, I even volunteered whatever IEP's I had at their disposal.  They asked for his most recent one, relief, I have them all, just have to find the one they want!  They are also very concerned about his relationship with biological father and even offered to help us in whatever way they can.  Again, wow!  This is another first.  Dean has expressed, already, the abuse (not specifically what he went through, but that is has happened) at his hand.  This made them very uncomfortable and where other school districts where he has said something have wanted to wash their hands of this, they are willing to do what it takes to severe visitation.  Not sure what their involvement would be, but we were at a loss for words.  My understanding is that schools are obligated to report and be involved if needs be but we could not get help.  Needless to say, Heavenly Father placed us here.  We found that several members of the ward were praying for a priesthood holder to be placed here in our new hometown.  We were prayed here.  There is a need for a good man like Gerry, we needed a good school like Dean (although at this point I would say excellent), as for me, I am not sure what my need is, why I need to be here, or what my need is from this beautiful little town is, but I am willing to find out!

GoodBye Old Life, Hello New Life...

So after twenty years in the Army, Gerry is done!  That is right, he retired with honors!  I am proud of my man.  Life has new adventures in store for us.  We initially thought we were moving to Arizona, but things changed, then it was Montana, but here we are, Decorah, Iowa!  The last year has literally been a hectic one.  Gerry kept trying to submit his retirement paperwork for approval to no avail, it kept getting kicked back to him.  UGH!  sometimes the military makes me so angry about things.  To retire, papers have to be done and turned in a year before the retirement date, so he was following protocol, they were not, we dealt with it and tried to roll with the punches.  He had to redo his medal, his NCOER (which he should not have been doing himself, duh, it is an evaluation, why would he evaluate himself??, just don't get it, but Kelly Hill had been having him do his own since he got there).  After nine months of this, things got tiring, we got concerned and started coming up with a backup plan after Retirement told him that he needed to have his paperwork in at seven months to retire on time, and that he needed permission to retire on time!  Crazy and stupid!  He continued to have more troubles with this same issue and after January still no papers to start his Retirement Briefings.  Backup plan became more and more of a "Do we do this?"  What was the backup plan??  To contact news agencies, Mitt Romney and some other people to highlight the problems we were having, specifically that Gerry was having.  Twenty years in the military deserved better than this treatment.  To top it all off, he found out that if the papers were not done and they continued to do this, we would lose all benefits: housing, MWR, commissary, Tricare, and pay.  So we would be homeless with no pay, no grocery shopping, could really careless about the MWR, rarely used it anyway, it was the rest of it that mattered!  So after some serious worries, he got his papers, FINALLY!  So we started making plans to move to Montana, we looked into places to live, found an apartment complex to apply for and got the application and filled it and started supplying paperwork they needed.  We started packing, preparing for the Retirement Ceremony (whole different ball of wax!), and sorting through the things to keep and not to keep.  Life was hectic and the man that was home for almost two months, was no longer there to help out so much again.  He was hectically trying to get all of his briefings in that he should have had already.   So the big day starts to come, Gerry goes to his Retirement Ceremony practice just to find that they do not have his medal!  WHAT??  The Brigade "took" his medal paperwork to NTC in California and it was downrange.  So Gerry did not (once again) get the honor he deserved from stinking Kelly Hill!  Long story.  He did not get to walk and if they did not find his paperwork, he would not get to clear base and we would not be able to leave on time.  I took it upon myself to vent my angry and upset emotions on four different Facebook accounts that were associated with 3rd ID.  Needless to say, that got the ball rolling and some higher officers were even scrambling to make things right and find his medal paperwork, not that it would matter for him to walk the next day.  So we got to leave on time.  We left and headed north to visit Gerry's brother in Minnesota.  After two days, we decided we needed more time after a very emotional day with Carl for Gerry (they took Carl's daughter Molly back to school and had a very long talk on the way back and things that he did not know were found out, it was very hard for him).  Long story shorter, we decided that Montana was out, Heavenly Father wanted us here in Iowa and so we moved into their house in Decorah and have been searching for a job ever since.  We love it here, Dean loves the school and his teachers and the school counselor.  Gerry's brother and sister-in-law are fantastic and we are so grateful!

Small Home Decorating...

So I have no real room for a big Christmas Tree this year, haven't really for the last three years, and my old artificial tree broke.  So instead of going out and replacing a tree for our little home this week, I used my little fiber optics tree to decorate a table with some small ornaments, hung my lights in my windows and the rest of the ornaments from the light bar and arch ways in my home, with my white garland.  I found a way to make my home festive and celebrate my favorite holiday with my favorite thing, putting up my ornaments and pretty decorations.  Here are a few tips through my pictures, sorry if they are not so great.

Crying.....and a ball

Next month, my husband and I are going to my first and last military ball.  I get to dress up in a beautiful dress, with beautiful jewelry, pretty shoes, have my hair done, nails done, with pretty hair doodads and all.  Well, we decided on a dress that would match his pants (well kind of, I thought we were going for the darker dress, which would have matched perfect, but I have a lighter dress, but it is just a beautiful).  As I was considering accessories, a must for these types of things for women, I was considering purses, shoes, jewelry and nails.  I found the perfect shoes, a great little silver clutch, wonderful hair doodads and nail polish with a nail polish pen to actually draw on my nails (wonders will never cease) and in silver even.  I was just having troubles with deciding on my jewelry.  I knew the bracelet that I wanted to wear, it was the one my sister picked out for all of her sisters, we were her bridal party and since I was not there for the actual wedding, I got it the day I showed up for her viewing after she passed away from her battle with cancer.  When my husband decided to join the church, he knew there were things he had to do and was getting ready to deploy, so we had to wait for fifteen months for him to come home and get himself squared away for his baptism.  He decided to buy me a wedding ring set after he got home because all I had was my engagement ring.  So as we were picking it out, he decided to get a set, but his kept loosing the diamonds, so we bought him a different one that would match as best as possible to the one that I had.  While there, he bought my mother a beautiful sapphire and diamond ring and earring set in white gold, and I had previously picked out a large (I would say foot and a half) teddy bear in an army green uniform and gave him general stars with dog tags with my dad's name on them saying he is the general of the Frakes Family.  He is the oldest of his siblings and the patriarch of our family.  We presented these to my parents at my husband's baptism when they brought Dean to us in 2008 that August.  It hit me one night that the jewelry would be perfect and would make my night that much more special.  So, I called my sister and talked to her about looking for them, and then tried to get a hold of my dad.  I knew it might be a long shot, I have to have the ring re-sized and I didn't know if he would let me have them for that because of that main reason.  Instead, he said that since we bought them, I should have them back.  Amy mailed them to me last Friday from Missouri and I received them in the mail today.  I knew that opening the box would be hard  to see the ring and earrings, I knew I would cry.  It was so emotional doing so.  I know that my night dressing up beautiful for my husband will have that extra special something because she will be with me now.  I asked my husband something a while back, I want to make her ring my wedding ring, I really hope he does allow it, I want to have her with me at all times, or if he doesn't let me do that, to wear it on my finger where I wear my engagement ring.  I miss my mom, there are many times I want to call her and give her news or ask for advice, or share something exciting.  Especially lately with Dean and how wonderful he is doing, or to talk about the ball, and how fun it is to be getting all dressed up again.  You never know how much you miss someone or appreciate them until they are gone.  Hold on to your dear loved ones tight, you'll miss them dearly when they are no longer there.

So Many Emotions Right Now....

I have been wanting to sit down for sometime and store some thoughts about my feelings recently but there just has been an overload of emotions that I felt I could not handle it all.  I have even more now.  When I was pregnant with my son, my beautiful mother was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphatic Leukemia.  This is very different from Acute as that the person suffering from it will live a longer life, only need treatments as needed and mostly likely die of other natural causes.  So for thirteen years she battled this cancer, while I battled my own, which was a much easier battle, her granddaughter battled hers, and her daughter lost her life to her own in 2009.  Mine was the easier of the bunch.  I had mine removed and even though it was stage four, there were no treatments and it did not spread, I count myself very lucky and blessed by this fact, it could have been so much worse.  My niece lost one of her kidneys and had to do chemotherapy, she is a healthy, happy 11 year old that you would never know from looking at her that she battled cancer at six months.  My sister was diagnosed shortly after marrying her sweet husband.  She fought a long hard battle for eight months and passed away on May 7th, 2009, four days before her birthday, and a full ten days before her first anniversary.  My mom lost her sister to cancer and my dad lost his brother and his beloved wife.  Needless to say, we really do not like cancer, in fact we hate the disease in our family.  It has caused treasures to suffer, taken treasures and taken them much too early.  So yes, my mom died, Sept. 9th, 2011, twenty days before her birthday, and at almost 48 years of marriage, what a feat for my parents.  Most assuredly soul mates, I promise you, I have never doubted my parents love for each other.  My son discovered something on the way home from scouts last night.  We were discussing the meaning of first and middle names with two of the scouts we give rides to.  After dropping them off I told him to look up my parents names.  Charles and Carolyn.  Both are Germanic, Charles means manly farmer, while Carolyn means Joy feminine but is a variant of Charles meaning manly.  Grandpa told him that means they were looking for tough names because Grandma was a strong woman, which she really was, but I told my dad, it really just goes to show how much they were meant to be together, they had the same names, just the male/female version of them.  While she was battled the Leukemia, she also battled breast cancer, and survived.  You see, my mother was a nurse and remained in nursing until the day she passed from this earth into the hands of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ.  What does this have to do with everything and her cancer, it helped her survive if you ask me.  Taking care of others kept my mother going.  She was extraordinary nurse, and as some people put it, an example of what nurses should be.  She had nine children, two of them twins (which was unexpected).  At the time she was expecting myself and my twin sister, she had six children at home and was going to college, working and taking care of all her children.  She wound up having to quit her dream for a time period because twins were just a bit harder than she thought, but that did not stop her.  When we were in fourth and fifth grade, after taking classes through night school to get her prerequisites, she went to school full time two hours away to graduate with her RN.  With this RN she became a Nurse Manager, later a Director of Nursing, then went back to Nurse Manager because of her cancer due to the treatments and stress, the first time I have ever seen my mother say something was too much for her.  What an amazing woman, and not just because she was my mom.  She helped me be a better mother, I learned from her what to do when I became a single mother after my divorce, it saved me a lot of heartache in watching my son be torn between two mean and hateful parents, because I reserved judgement and never spoke and still do not speak about his dad unkindly.  My parents babysat for me (all while she was working full time, taking care of a husband who had serious health issues off and on), he loves his grandpa and grandma and is extremely close to them.  He misses grandma so much.

 My beautiful mom and my dad

Recently in my old ward, we just moved to another part of post and changed wards, a little three year old girl was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  She just passed away yesterday.  While I am still grieving myself, it has been hard to separate the two.  I had the opportunity to help her parents out while they were getting ready to leave church my last Sunday in the ward.  They needed someone to sit with her as they were loading up the rest of their family.  So I offered to help out since I was hunting mom down anyway to giver her something.  I cannot describe how frustrating it was to not know how to help this sweet little angel.  The tumor had affected her speech and only mom and dad could really understand her wants and needs.  I was showing her pictures on my iPad.  Come to find out when dad got there, she wanted to shop for earrings and nail polish.  Even in her most frustrating moments, she was still happy and wanted to be normal.  Although I could not comply, my iPad does not have data usage, I thought how wonder it was that she still was a little girl.  While I only got a glimpse of their day, if it can even be called that, it was an eye opener for me for sure.  I had a sick child when my son was born, but nothing to that extent.  I was always grateful that my son survived the things he went through as a baby, surgery, viral meningitis, high fevers, flu, scarlet fever, and another rash with high fever.  It was not easy, and certainly very scary to say the least, but having a child with cancer and seeing how helpless they are, watching them suffer through treatments, being sick, that is something no child should have to go through, and then there is the fact that some of them die.  I cannot imagine the pain of the loss of a child.  My parents had to experience, my grandmother had to experience it.  Each handled it differently, I can tell you that, but I saw the sadness in their eyes knowing they lost a child, even if it was an adult child.  Being a parent does not change that.  How do you cope with that?  I hope and pray I never find out.  This sweet little girl was vibrant, beautiful and touched many hearts.  I will share her CaringBridge and encourage anyone who reads this to please read her story.  The tumor she had is rare, and this makes the second child I know that has died from it.  How truly sad to lose so small and so innocent children to such a horrible disease.  I am also going to share another thing.  Here is the CaringBridge: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/miraclemadidouglas
and here is the other site it is called The Cure Starts Now: http://www.thecurestartsnow.org/
It was started by parents who also lost their child to the same type of tumor.  Please keep these families that have children suffer from these tumors in your thoughts and prayers.  I know this is not the most happiest of post on my blog, but I felt a need to get the words out.

30 Days of Thankfulness

First of all, YES!  My I Am A Mormon Profile is done, all you have to do is now follow the two links on my page and you can see it, soooo excited!  


Okay, now on to the reason for the title.  Some wonderful friends of mine started a 30 Days of Thankfulness so I was inspired by their example and have decided to join in the movement!  So far we are all up to day nine and I would like to document them on here so that I have them to reflect on when times get rough for me instead of having to search for them on Facebook every time I want to contemplate them.  As the month goes on I will add each day as I add it to Facebook.  It is surprisingly hard to find something each day to be thankful for, really makes you think about what you dwell on in your life and that you can improve on that and be a better person.  I always thought that I was a positive person, but I am realizing that I need to do better about being upbeat, so if I becoming annoyingly so I will not apologize for being that person, which to me would be chipper and all the other things that drive most people nuts, hehe.  So here they are:
Day 1: I am thankful my husband and his service to our country.
Day 2: I am thankful for my friends who have been posting their thankfulness.
Day 3: I am thankful for my family.
Day 4: I am thankful for old friends and new friends, especially Missy Johansson-old friend, Jhona Oberholter- new friend (she is just amazing), Lisa Sherman- who is equally amazing and really without my mother I really would not know, Valerie Gordon- new friend and Caci Harmon- new friend.  Each one of these ladies are inspiring to me and have become a valued friend to me, I should tell them more that they are.  I can talk to each one when I need to, share my problems, but they can also count on me if need be.  I value each and everyone of them, something I failed to mention on Facebook and I wish I had at the time.  They each are unique and have strong testimonies that have in turn strengthened mine.  Missy is my oldest and dearest friend and we have many fond and those why did we do that memories, lol.  I love her like a sister.
Day 5: I am thankful for my son.  He maybe a pain in the booty teenager, but he is mine and I love him more than anything in the world.  He can be thoughtful, loving, generous and kind.  It is these moments when I know I am doing my job as a mother right and I am so proud of him.
Day 6: I know this one is silly....but I am thankful for my beast of a puppy who cuddles with me when I sleep (even if he is a bed hog), does awesome tricks because he is so smart, has a sixth sense when I have a migraine coming on and doesn't leave my side, especially when they are really going to be bad ones and for the family who gave him to us that has become family to us in return (Vicky and Richard Powell), thank you for my favorite puppy (who by the way loves tootsie roll pops and popcorn)!
Day 7: I am thankful for my mom and dad raising me in the gospel and for the knowledge it has given me.  It brings me much comfort, lots of friends, which I know I have already said, but it is so true, that have the same faith as I do.  I am grateful for a husband who found that faith also, also through my mom, what a wonderful woman she is!
Day 8: I am thankful for my brothers, two who serve as police officers, one in the navy and the other who, as my nephew John Anthony put it when he got his new job (which is dangerous), gets to blow things up all day where he works at the mines.  They are good husbands, fathers and brothers and I love each and everyone of them.  They each work hard for their families, two for their communities, one for his country.  Our parents really did a great job with raising good men, because that is what parents do with little boys, they raise men.
Day 9: Sorry this one is a little long, but I am thankful that my son is right where he belongs, with myself and my husband.  That I am trustworthy enough that I can do what I am doing right now for other children, even if it is for a short while.  Mostly, I am thankful I had a great example of what a mother is supposed to be, that I had a great sounding board when I had questions, needed advice when things started to get hard with Dean and that my mom was there for me when I was a single mother.  It was hard, but I never had the troubles that could have been there because of the help that my parents gave me with Dean.  Because of them, and the advice my mom gave me, I am a good mom and I know I am, I might make mistakes, but I know that I try hard and I love my son, that I would do anything for him, and he knows this.
Day 10: I am thankful that as of today, my life will be less interesting for less time than I thought. I can go back to my normal boring life (well not really boring because is life really boring with a teenager at home), and our normal schedule. There will be collective sighs of relief in the King home today. *sigh*
Day 11: Thankfullness: This one is easy! Today, I am thankful for all of our servicemen and women, each and everyone of them! For the willingness that have put on their uniform and fight for our country and our freedom. That I can salute the flag, sing the national anthem, to worship as I choose, carry a gun and be free. Thank you to all of you! A special thanks to Gerald King, John C. Frakes, John Frakes, Doug Lewis, Deryl King, Carl King, Earl King, Richard Powell, Michael Johnson. Thank you everything you have done, and to your wives for standing by you (yes even me) for supporting you, loving you, for long deployments, brief separations, long lonely nights, they serve, too, thank you!
Day 12: Today I am thankful for the gospel. I am thankful for eternal families and temple work.
Day 13: I am thankful for modern medicine that helped me find a doctor that is helping me with my migraines, for the medicine he prescribed me that I can take to get rid of them when I do get them and for the preventatives that I take that stops them in their tracks before they even start.  My life is getting more like normal because of these medicines.  There was a time when Gerry was deployed in 2009-2010 when I was getting them and they were hard to shake.  I would suffer for months at a time, barely functioning most days, just doing enough to get by.  Having dinner ready, the house just clean enough, enough clothes for my son and I clean to suffice.  I felt half zombie.  I struggled to get someone to listen to how severe they really were.  I had a doctor who listened, but they moved him from the hospital and then made me wait for several months to get a new one.  I went through that same thing a few more times before I finally got a referral from a great doctor and saw my neurologist.  He is wonderful and listens to me.
Day 14: I am thankful for my sisters.  They are each amazing.  Especially for Tracy and Amy for their sacrifices in helping my parents, and for Kimi for making frequent visits to their home.  I missed out on so much because we live so far away and cannot visit as much.  I am also thankful for Dawn.  She had an amazing spirit about her and I am grateful she found an amazing husband in Ryan.  Couldn't ask for a better family.
Day 15: I am thankful for a husband who helps me at home, even after putting in a hard days work.  He knows when I have had a rough day, or have a migraine, or might be having other problems that prevent me from keeping up or getting everything done after working hard all day and helps me get it done.  I couldn't ask for a better man and husband, he is a good day and a good example and a hard worker.  How blessed I am to have him in my life.
I have reached my halfway point.  It gets hard to think of something to be thankful for each day.  It really makes you ponder what you dwell on in your life, the positive or the negative.  I have always considered myself a glass half full person, even get after my husband about being a glass half empty person.  I need to make some changes, but I think this will help, maybe I need to make this a habit each day to keep me more positive.
Day 16: I am thankful for my mother-in-law (or as I call her, my mommy-in-law, lol).  She accepted me with open arms, loves my son and I unconditionally.  I am grateful she raised a wonderful son who knows how to be a man and a provider.  I can call her for advice, know she will pray when they are needed and helped me give a surprise of a lifetime when Gerry came home last year.  It was wonderful having her here.  I love her so much, and couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law, thank you so much Virginia Rotering for being so amazing and wonderful, I love you!
Day 17: Today, I am thankful for books...my favorite thing is to read and to get away from reality for a few hours (because I loose myself and all track of time).  Books can inspire, teach, tell a person's story, and share imagination.  I love my books and I am thankful for the author's that write them and transport me to another world.  Some of my favorite authors are: Tolkin, Rowling, Alcott (I have read Little Women over 600 time, my absolute favorite book), and Anne Frank.  Some of my favorite books are: Little Women, The Diary of Anne Frank, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, The Bible and Book of Mormon, Harry Potter Series, and Inheritance Series.
Day 18: I am thankful for the Scouting program that helps teach my son values and morals, the same values and morals we are teaching him at home.  The scouting program and through the our church's young men's program, which works hand in hand in parenting and the Boy Scouts program really does well in helping raise well rounded men.  I am so grateful for this program.
Day 19: I am thankful for the military and the sacrifices that they make for me.  My husband is my hero.  I am especially thankful for all they provide for my family and myself.  We have insurance, and housing, heat/air conditioning, water, a grocery store to shop at on post and so much more.  We are well taken care of.
Day 20: I am thankful for the police, the highway patrol, the marshals, sheriff department and other peace keeping professionals that do their jobs for us.  This weekend, especially, they are helping in keeping like on post a little more peaceful by doing what they do best and I am so grateful for them.  They do their jobs, much like the military, volunteering to put their lives out there when others will not.  They receive very little recognition for this and are criticized for it daily by those that do not understand that one stop or one call could be the one that changes lives for them and their family.  This includes the fire department personal. Now the reason behind this specific post.  Each year there is a protest outside of one of the gates here at the base we are currently stationed at.  It is frustrating to the citizens of both the base and the community.  They (the protesters) believe they are doing a great thing and are not protesting the military personal that are stationed here, but they really are.  Without going into great detail, what they are protesting happened a long time ago, things were changed, standards were changed to do the best that could be done to prevent the same thing from happening again.  What they do not realize they are doing is hurting those that live here.  Fences get put up at the businesses on the street they occupy for the time they are here, around the homes they protest in front of.  They are protesting the military personal that are stationed here, because it is their job, they have to follow orders, not doing so could mean serious consequences if they do not, and most of these men and women love their jobs anyway and love to follow orders because they love their job, otherwise, they would not freely enlist in the USArmy.  It is disrespectful.  It took us on one specific day twenty minutes to pick up our son for what should have been a short five to ten minute drive depending on traffic because of all the rerouting that the police, sheriff and marshals had to do.  I refer to it as the monkey show, as most of them no longer realize or know what they are even here for.
Day 21:  Today I am thankful for not having to get up at five-thirty in the morning for the week.  Dean has the entire week of for Thanksgiving  Getting him up that early in the morning is plain crazy.  Neither of us are morning people, but I get up without fail, with no complaints (not so much in this department on his part, lol) to get him up and get him moving in the morning to catch his bus for school, so getting to sleep in has been wonderful.
Day 22: I am thankful that my ancestors came to this country providing me with the freedoms that I have to worship as I do, and all the many of freedoms that they fought for as they served in the military from the Revolutionary War and on up to the members that I have that now serve.
Day 23: I am thankful that Dean met his older sister Tashena and her family, two brothers and a little sister, and her parents.  They welcomed us both with open arms.  He has an amazing new family on top of this one.  what more could a mother ask for??
Day 24: I am thankful that I am blessed to have the food I am getting to eat today on my table, that my Heavenly Father takes care of my family and loves us all.
Day 25: I am thankful I am not out shopping in the stores, that I am home enjoying the day with my husband and son and not out in the madness.
Day 26: I am thankful my parents taught my siblings and I the true meaning of this time of year; to always be grateful for what we have and that Christmas is about Christ, which means it's not about how much or what you receive, but what you give and the love you give it with.
Day 27: I am thankful for heating pads, it has made my back feel a little better.  I hurt it a week ago and was unable to move, bend or do anything, with the help of some meds and the heating pad, I am back to normal in less than a week.
Day 28: I am thankful for Dean and how well he has been doing the last five days, he seems like a shiny new penny.  He and Gerry were wrestling in therapy today, he has been all smiles and wonders will never cease, he is sitting on the floor and doing his homework (even with a slight distraction from Legend).  He actually did most of it.
Day 29: Today I am thankful for heat.  It is down right cold outside (and for me to say that means it is down right cold here in Georgia, not chilly, which is my usual phrase).  I really do think that we might get snow today.
Day 30: I am thankful that my sister Amy found the jewelry for the ball to go with my dress, the sentimental value is irreplaceable.  It was my mother's that Gerry picked out for her, in her birth stone, and gave to her as a present in a way of thanking her for helping bring him to the truthfulness of the gospel.  He presented it to her when her and my dad came down for his baptism.  For my dad to return it to me means more than words and I am so full of emotions right now. (I posted this a day early, I knew that this would be my post tomorrow and needed to do it while I was able to, I have been full of emotions off and on most of the night).