Tagged By Heather

Tag!!

8 TV Shows I Like to watch:

Prision Break
CSI
Law and Order
Are there really eight shows on TV still?

8 Restaurants I like to eat at:

Olive Garden
Applebees
Johnny Carinos
Taco Time
Gringos
Coldstone
Papa Murphys
Texas Roadhouse

8 Things that happened today:

Work
Lunch with LJ
Phone call from family
Began awarding winter term
Read
Prayers with the kiddos
Made snarky remarks about someone (sorry, I know it wasn't nice)
Speculated about new stake in Hibbard

8 Things I am looking forward to:

Hawaii
Happy kids
Happy hubby
Traveling as a family
Reading more
Finishing my current "projects"
Reuniting with friends
Attend the temple

8 Things on my wish list:

Happy kids
Healthy family
Going back to Hawaii
Having my family back together
Finish the book I am currently reading
Good friends
Spending quality time with my hubby
Go on a cruise

8 People to tag:

Emily
Melissa
Lisa-Marie
LJ
Tiffany
Bracken
Laurie
Becki

We Are Done

It has been a good season, we have had a lot of fun.......

We scored some touchdowns, but now we are done!.......

We took a lot of hits and we even broke some bones.....

Now at the end of the season, we are glad we can stay home!......

Congratulations to all of the grid kids from the Sugar-Salem West team!!! They ended the season 3 and 4. They played tough and worked hard and learned a lot.

Just so you know Zack, you make me proud! Keep up the hard work buddy!

Conference Weekend October 2008

We spent this past Conference weekend doing some fun things. First of all, Mac and Laurie brought their kiddos and we got to play!! We first went to Zack's football game.

Here is Whitney. She got cold and was not too happy because she was also tired. Poor kiddo.

Jayden, on the other hand, took off with Sydney and they had lots of fun running around the track and eating treats.

Here is Zack during the middle of the game. He is number 99. You can see him towards the middle of the crowd. Tomorrow is our last game (I think). He has had a lot of fun and done really well. He has grown a lot.

Jayden and Whitney made a new friend. This was a really big treat because Jayden is deathly afraid of dogs. Before the weekend was over, both of Laurie's children were walking around with the dog on a leash. They were having the time of their lives and even wanted to take the dog home with them. Amy would NOT have been happy with a dog in her home so it was a definite no go. Plus I would have had one very sad five year old in my house.

When it came time to go there were hugs going around for everyone. Whitney even got over her reservations about Sharman's facial hair and gave him a hug and kiss too.

Zack was so very excited to have another boy in the house. These two were always going for walks and jumping on the trampoline together. They truly were buddies this weekend.

Weekend over. Kids back into their own beds. Cousins travel home. Mom misses the kiddos and her sister and brother-in-law terribly! Come back and visit us soon. You are always welcome here.

Honoring Aspyn With Service

October is officially service month in our family thanks to a very special little girl I never met. The following are blogs of my sister-in-law who lost her second daughter but has invited all to share in her memory by serving others.

Our countdown to October is almost officially over. You may remember several months ago I posted a blog saying that when October came around that our family would be focusing on giving more service to those around us as a way to honor our little Aspyn. I also challenged and invited those who read this blog to join us. As the time has gotten closer I sill feel that it is very important to do but have wondered if it was necessary to make one month out of the year seem more important than the rest to serve those around us. It may seem weird to some that October is the Ogden family service month.

Let me explain a little more about why we are doing this.

When Aspyn passed on we really didn't know what to do or what to expect. But before we had the time to figure this all out we immediately were given support from our family and strangers that we did not know. Even at the hospital I had nurses and hospital workers that came to give emotional support and offering to help with making arrangements for Aspyn. I was amazed at the generosity of Amy Engle and the time that she spent at the hospital taking care of things for us. Such as taking pictures and putting together a memory box for us to keep. She was there almost the whole day ready to give of her time. Not much later we began to have family come to the hospital as well. Randy's parents came and were a big help to us with furthering the arrangements of what needed to happen as well as took the other kids to eat and brought them to the hospital, and were just an all around comfort to us. My mom hopped on a plane and got here that evening and was a big help with the kids in making sure that things tried to stay as normal for them as possible. If it weren't for her they might not have been trick-or-treating last year. My sister was available for me on the phone every time I called her and was a great listener as we shed tears together, even at 5:00 am when I woke her up to talk! It didn't end there either. We continued to receive support from people all around us even from people we didn't expect. Meals were brought in for several days, arrangements were made for graveside services and burial, we received gifts of love from family, friends, and even people we hardly know. At that time we had not really ever had the need of service from others, besides the occasional helping us move kind of thing. The amount of love and kindness that we received at that time was very touching and as I look back now it was also inspiring. So now we want to be able to give back.

We are taught in church to love and serve others. The two really go hand in hand. How can you love somebody and not want to serve them as well. So we decided that October we would really focus on giving to service to others in hope that we will make it a part of our lives always. I know that we have our families that keep us pretty busy and I remember in a VT lesson a couple of years ago that it said our service should begin in our homes with our families. However, we need to make great efforts to serve those in need as much as possible and incorporate our families into that. For our children who are older they can learn so much from our example but also by being a part of it.

It is my hope that by focusing on service this next month that we will become more in tune to the needs of others and be able to bless their lives as ours was blessed last fall. When I think of the Savior I think of how much he loves each of us, and how his mortal life was filled with service and charity. He gave all he had to everyone around him. And now he still serves and love us and we get to know of his love through the service of others. I knew that he hadn't forgot our family because he sent others to us in our time of sorrow and they brought his love with them. We need to always be willing to share his love with others, which means serving others, even if by small and simple means! Let us all follow his example and be better givers of service!

We found out that we were pregnant with Aspyn last March. That meant just a short 6 weeks after Ciara was born Aspyn was already on her way. She was due November 15th and Ciara's 1st b-day was to be on Dec. 27th. They were going to be less than a year apart. I was nervous and excited thinking about two babies that close. Everyone I talked to said they would be the best of friends! And I believe they still will be. I knew that something was different about her but had no idea that it was that she is a perfect angel who would not get to be with us here on earth. She was born when we were 38 weeks along. And at that time it was way too short. It is one of those times when I think being pregnant for longer than 40 weeks would not be too long just to have that extra time with her. I am so grateful for her though. Sometimes it is very difficult to know that she is gone; and I still have days where I think at anytime now I am going to wake up and she will be here. When mother's are asked what is your greatest fear I think it is always something to do with our kids. We never want to think of losing our children, whether it be death, drugs, disabilities, or other adversities. It is hard to think of something happening to our kids that we have no control over.

I received comfort from the teachings of the prophet Joseph F. Smith when he said that he mourned the passing of 9 of his children and that he had never felt such sadness. But what a blessing it is when we will still get to raise these perfect children in perfect circumstances in the Celestial Kingdom. I can't think of a greater blessing in her passing. Although I can honestly say that this isn't the way I wanted my faith to be tested! Besides this however, my testimony has been strengthened in that I know that my Heavenly Father and Jesus our Saviour love me and all of us. He showed me this in the days and months that have followed through everybody who came to our side. My deepest gratitude go to our families who made every effort to be here with us and came with such speed and hearts filled with love and compassion. Also our ward members who were here at our door almost immediately after we arrived home and have given words of comfort since that time. The staff at the Payson Hospital who shared tears with us, Amy Engle the SHARE volunteer who was a huge help in making sure we had pics and so many other mementos to remember her by; for Tammy & Liz and their thoughtfulness from so far away, and Dr. Nance who shared his compassion and concern with us.

So, Asypn as a tribute to you I will do my best to serve others, most especially my own family with additional love and concern that I likely would have overlooked were it not for your influence here on earth. We love you.

15 Years!

15 years ago we were here.......

We had five years together before we had these....

(no not the raccoons.....).

Since being married we have built this.....

And we have started this ........

(our own business)

and traveled to fun places like ..........

(Oregon Coast) and ..........

(Hawaii).

Yep, it has been a great and hard 15 years and yet after all of this time we are still just like this....

Looking forward to 15+ eternity more!

Gearing Up for......ME!!

My reserves are not refilled and it is time to gear up for another semester of school. Man am I tired. Each year I vow that I will be better prepared for the next semester and each year I am not.

Well recently I decided to take some time for me. So my house looks like a tornado has hit and my laundry is as high as a mountain, but I loved the time I put into my little projects.

As some of you know, one of my favorite places to shop is Deseret Industries (DI). It is a thrift store and I always find good deals. I recently found an old wooden chair, some wooden shelves, some outdoor type knick knacks and some old wooden weaved apple barrels. What am I doing with all of these golden finds? I am decorating my bathroom. I have done some sanding, painting, hammering, nailing and love my new finds.

Mini Jensen Family Reunion

Last weekend we went to Island Park for a Fred and Margie Jensen Family Reunion. It was so much fun!! Well, at least I thought it was fun. I spent some time doing some of my favorite things....playing games with the family, scrapbooking, and sleeping.

Sunday before we left we took lots of pictures of our family. It was wonderful.

During this entire experience I was amazed at the talent in our family. I have a sister-in-law (Heidi) who is a FANTASTIC photographer. At the end of our reunion we all got together again and shared our photos. Thanks to Kendon for burning a CD for each of us of all of the photos taken. It was wonderful. Some of the photos I am going to have developed and have framed and hang in my home. They are beautiful.

My sister-in-law Kaya has such a love for our children and it is apparent in the photos taken. The children also love her.

I loved spending time scrapbooking and talking with my sister-in-law Lisa-Marie and my brother-in-law Buck. Occassionally my mother-in-law Margie and my sister-in-law Kaya would stop in my room and visit while I was scrapbooking. There was a constant flow of children in and out of the room checking in and stopping by for some love. No one had to worry about their children as there was always someone taking them for rides on 4 wheelers or playing games with them or holding them. It was a great experience.

I was especially glad that my brother-in-law Delbert and his family came up on Saturday to spend the remainder of the reunion with us.

Best of all, the cooking was wonderful and I got to sleep in a bed and not on the dirt floor anymore. Clean cabin, beds for the adults, food galore, treats that couldn't be beat and much laughter and joking. Yep, this was a wonderful mini Jensen Reunion.