As I was doing a little Family History, I came across this amazing story of my Dad's, Dad's, Mother - Tessie Dalebout Harrop - whose life was saved by a Boy Scout. This made me proud to be a Boy Scout. While I haven't had that chance to save a life like this, I support the program that would teach boys how to save people's lives like this. If it weren't for this boy scout, I would not have the family heritage that I now have. How cool!!
http://timesandseasons.org/index.php/2007/07/my-love-letter-to-boy-scouts/
http://www.ldsliving.com/story/3209-from-the-archives-my-love-letter-to-boy-scouts
http://www.keepapitchinin.org/2010/07/22/from-the-archives-my-love-letter-to-boy-scouts/
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Cabinets and life lessons
So...Morgan did the cutest thing this past week.
As I was doing work on the computer, Morgan took all the cereal boxes out of our bottom cabinet, 10 boxes in all, and lined them up in a neat row, completely blocking the entrance into the kitchen.
It gets better though...she then climbed into the cabinet, and shut the two doors. I didn't know where she was, and when she's quiet...that's usually not a good thing. I call out her name, and she pops her head out, all smiles. She loved hiding in there!
I'm going to try to get a picture of that, or even record it and get it up online...she is the most adorable blond thing ever!
Also...today we had a great Stake Conference. (A meeting in our church where our local leaders give us counsel.) There, I learned an important lesson about a very important word: nevertheless. I gained a greater knowledge that yes, life is hard, yes, I feel this way or that way, yes, I struggle and get tired and get discouraged...but...nevertheless, I will follow and trust in the Lord, and know that all will work out for the best. I gained a greater appreciation for not denying how I feel, but allowing myself to feel sad, or happy, or whatever, but also to realize that the Lord is there, and I can do all things with his strength. I just have to truly turn to him, to kneel on my knees, and ask for His grace.
I've been learning a lot about enduring, but enjoying the journey as I go along. :) Morgan taught me that we all like to hide (in cabinets, or wherever), but it's good to come out afterward with a smile on our face. (I also learned today that it's easier to preach 10 sermons, than to live 1...so, I'm going to try to live this one...even though my little James just woke up. :(
So...until next time!
-McKenzi
As I was doing work on the computer, Morgan took all the cereal boxes out of our bottom cabinet, 10 boxes in all, and lined them up in a neat row, completely blocking the entrance into the kitchen.
It gets better though...she then climbed into the cabinet, and shut the two doors. I didn't know where she was, and when she's quiet...that's usually not a good thing. I call out her name, and she pops her head out, all smiles. She loved hiding in there!
I'm going to try to get a picture of that, or even record it and get it up online...she is the most adorable blond thing ever!
Also...today we had a great Stake Conference. (A meeting in our church where our local leaders give us counsel.) There, I learned an important lesson about a very important word: nevertheless. I gained a greater knowledge that yes, life is hard, yes, I feel this way or that way, yes, I struggle and get tired and get discouraged...but...nevertheless, I will follow and trust in the Lord, and know that all will work out for the best. I gained a greater appreciation for not denying how I feel, but allowing myself to feel sad, or happy, or whatever, but also to realize that the Lord is there, and I can do all things with his strength. I just have to truly turn to him, to kneel on my knees, and ask for His grace.
I've been learning a lot about enduring, but enjoying the journey as I go along. :) Morgan taught me that we all like to hide (in cabinets, or wherever), but it's good to come out afterward with a smile on our face. (I also learned today that it's easier to preach 10 sermons, than to live 1...so, I'm going to try to live this one...even though my little James just woke up. :(
So...until next time!
-McKenzi
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Goals, good news, and goofiness!
So...it seems that I add a post every 8 months, so I wouldn't want to break that track record. However, I do want to improve it...especially because I want my family and friends to be able to know what we're up to as a family. So, I have made a goal. And, the neat thing that I recently learned about goals is to make minimum and maximum goals, so you don't set yourself up for failure if the goal is too lofty, but also allow yourself little triumphs along the way until you can work up to your maximum.
That being said, here is my goal: minimally, I will post at least once a month some fun tidbit that has happened in our family, how the kids are growing and changing, etc. Maximally, I will post every Sunday or Wednesday something for each week.
There you have it. :) I'm excited to really keep better track of my own life, so I don't forget all the great lessons and feelings I have over the years...otherwise life seems to go by so fast and I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, and other important things. ;)
At any rate, some good news: Jonny and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day present for each other - we went and got an hour long couples massage! It was heaven! Seriously - I highly recommend it. I learned a few new tips on how to massage better, as well as learned that it's actually really nice to have your knees massaged. Wierd, right? I thought so at first, but I really liked it!
And, as for goofiness, Morgan and James are growing like crazy! James is 21 lbs, 6.5 oz, which puts Morgan only 2 pounds heavier than her "little" brother. They sure love to play. Morgan will grab James around the shoulders and pull him into a big hug, with James just smiling all the while. There's no one he smiles for faster than for his big sister.
Morgan can count all the way to 10 now, although this week the number 5 is getting left out from time to time. She is still so social, and loves to play out in the snow, and every puddle MUST be splashed in.
They are my joys.
Well, until next week (hopefully), I love you all!
-McKenzi
P.S. I had my manager ask me a profound question that got me thinking: What do you want to do before you die?
That being said, here is my goal: minimally, I will post at least once a month some fun tidbit that has happened in our family, how the kids are growing and changing, etc. Maximally, I will post every Sunday or Wednesday something for each week.
There you have it. :) I'm excited to really keep better track of my own life, so I don't forget all the great lessons and feelings I have over the years...otherwise life seems to go by so fast and I can't remember what I ate for lunch yesterday, and other important things. ;)
At any rate, some good news: Jonny and I had a wonderful Valentine's Day present for each other - we went and got an hour long couples massage! It was heaven! Seriously - I highly recommend it. I learned a few new tips on how to massage better, as well as learned that it's actually really nice to have your knees massaged. Wierd, right? I thought so at first, but I really liked it!
And, as for goofiness, Morgan and James are growing like crazy! James is 21 lbs, 6.5 oz, which puts Morgan only 2 pounds heavier than her "little" brother. They sure love to play. Morgan will grab James around the shoulders and pull him into a big hug, with James just smiling all the while. There's no one he smiles for faster than for his big sister.
Morgan can count all the way to 10 now, although this week the number 5 is getting left out from time to time. She is still so social, and loves to play out in the snow, and every puddle MUST be splashed in.
They are my joys.
Well, until next week (hopefully), I love you all!
-McKenzi
P.S. I had my manager ask me a profound question that got me thinking: What do you want to do before you die?
Sunday, August 24, 2008
Yeah for Class of 2008!
Well, we’ve graduated! It’s been an amazing four years for us here at Brigham Young University (only 3 for Jonny!), and now we’re off into the real world! Well, not quite yet… Jonny is going to be going on in school for his Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy at Argosy University in Draper, UT, not too far away, as well as getting another Master’s in Bible Study and Ministries at Lubbock University in Texas. (Thankfully it’s an online degree for the most part, and we’ll only be away from each other for three times out of the whole two-year period.) It sounds like a lot of schooling, but it’s all in preparation for him to enter the Military as a Chaplain (counselor/spiritual support for the soldiers). It’s going to be amazing, but we’re enjoying the journey, too. It’s so miraculous how things are really coming together. The Lord really does answer prayers.
As for McKenzi, she recently applied and got a job working for Brigham Young University in their On-Campus Housing Administration! We’ll be living in the dorms, kind of like “dorm parents” if you will, and McKenzi will be the Hall Advisor, helping out the freshmen, keeping them in line, and organizing fun, community building activities. ☺ Not only is it a great job, but it also pays well: free room, 20 meals a week at the high-end cafeteria (it’s really nice), plus a nice check as well. We’ll be well taken care of for the next few years. Truly a huge blessing, and worth all the interviews it took to get there (the application process was pretty intense).
Morgan, our precious little girl, is almost 7 months old now, and she is the most happy, expressive, inquisitive, and persistent little baby ever. Everyone who meets her adores her bright eyes, which are a brilliant blue. Her newest phrase is “Ada-da-da-da-da-da” and she loves it when Daddy nibbles on her feet (it sends her into peals of wonderful laughs and giggles!). Sitting up really well, she explores the small space around her that she can reach, and waves her arms up and down in excitement. We’ve started on rice cereal, and she loves to just suck on a big, orange carrot. We love watching her. No teeth yet (Mommy’s glad about that, as she’s still nursing), but she’s doing awesome.
Well, we’re just finishing up moving into our little one-room apartment in the dorms (a bit smaller than we’re used to, but we’ll get creative about saving space). Life is wonderful, and we just wanted to thank each and every one of you for your love, support, counsel, and caring that has helped us get to this milestone of graduating with our Bachelor’s Degrees. We couldn’t have done it without you.
As for McKenzi, she recently applied and got a job working for Brigham Young University in their On-Campus Housing Administration! We’ll be living in the dorms, kind of like “dorm parents” if you will, and McKenzi will be the Hall Advisor, helping out the freshmen, keeping them in line, and organizing fun, community building activities. ☺ Not only is it a great job, but it also pays well: free room, 20 meals a week at the high-end cafeteria (it’s really nice), plus a nice check as well. We’ll be well taken care of for the next few years. Truly a huge blessing, and worth all the interviews it took to get there (the application process was pretty intense).
Morgan, our precious little girl, is almost 7 months old now, and she is the most happy, expressive, inquisitive, and persistent little baby ever. Everyone who meets her adores her bright eyes, which are a brilliant blue. Her newest phrase is “Ada-da-da-da-da-da” and she loves it when Daddy nibbles on her feet (it sends her into peals of wonderful laughs and giggles!). Sitting up really well, she explores the small space around her that she can reach, and waves her arms up and down in excitement. We’ve started on rice cereal, and she loves to just suck on a big, orange carrot. We love watching her. No teeth yet (Mommy’s glad about that, as she’s still nursing), but she’s doing awesome.
Well, we’re just finishing up moving into our little one-room apartment in the dorms (a bit smaller than we’re used to, but we’ll get creative about saving space). Life is wonderful, and we just wanted to thank each and every one of you for your love, support, counsel, and caring that has helped us get to this milestone of graduating with our Bachelor’s Degrees. We couldn’t have done it without you.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Jonny's Schooling
Well, it's amazing how the Lord's hand plays out in our lives. Jonny ended up not being accepted into ASU's Marriage and Family Therapy program (not enough previous experience). So we are off to figuring out what to do next.
One thing that has been really neat is to see how the Lord's hand has been leading us as we go. It started out last October, praying about, and feeling very strongly that the Lord wanted Jonny to become a LDS Chaplain in the military. After that, we discovered that Jonny could graduate sooner than he had planned in order to apply to a new program starting at BYU for Chaplain Candidates. It was hectic applying for it, and we didn't have much time, but we figured it was worth a shot. We didn't think it was coincidence that we prayed about this Chaplain thing in order to find out that Jonny could graduate just in time enough to apply for the Chaplain Candidate program just starting at BYU. However, because his score wasn't high enough on the GRE (Graduate School entrance exam), he wasn't accepted. But still, we moved forward with faith, realizing that the Lord had led us this far, but not knowing what lies ahead.
After this, Jonny was talking to his best friend, Michael Spencer, about the situation and they began to talk about how this situation was like Moses and the house of Israel getting to the Red Sea and having the Egyptians behind them. They moved forward with faith up to this point, and continued trusting in the Lord, but how was He going to free them from the pressing Egyptians with a large sea in their way? As the conversation moved forward, Michael began talking about ASU and how a Marriage and Family Therapy program was just accredited there, and how their application deadline wasn't for another month. For the longest time, I thought that McKenzi and I would not be living in Arizona ever again, but this idea of ASU opened up the possibility of moving to Arizona again. After hearing Michael talk about this, Jonny felt like this was inspired and really felt good about it. So he told Michael, "Thank you, Moses." It was as though the Red Sea had been divided and there was a path again.
So as I said in the beginning, Jonny was not accepted into ASU's program either because he didn't have as much clinical experience as did the other applicants. Up to this point, it has been a push to get into a program so Jonny could continue his schooling. With all the application deadlines having passed, this is not possible for the next year. So the question is what do we do until then. Up untill now our future has been clear and easy, but now we have to figure something else out.
The next thing that has come across our path is (which could be a huge blessing) taking a break for a few years from pursuing the chaplain course, and getting involved with Real Estate. There is a Real Estate school in Arizona that helps people learn good principles of Real Estate investing and helps them get on their own feet. This has the potential to do our family a lot of good, and get us in a position that so that we can do more good for others. As we have been researching out this idea, it has been making more and more sense to do it. We are continuing to pray about it, to see if this would really be best, and would be the next step that would be right for our family. We know the Lord will be with us in this decision and look forward to what lays ahead.
The Lord is truly blessing our little family. Things are not turning out as we have imagined, but as we are striving to do what the Lord would have us do and are striving to come closer to Christ, we are being blessed and led in all aspects of our lives.
One thing that has been really neat is to see how the Lord's hand has been leading us as we go. It started out last October, praying about, and feeling very strongly that the Lord wanted Jonny to become a LDS Chaplain in the military. After that, we discovered that Jonny could graduate sooner than he had planned in order to apply to a new program starting at BYU for Chaplain Candidates. It was hectic applying for it, and we didn't have much time, but we figured it was worth a shot. We didn't think it was coincidence that we prayed about this Chaplain thing in order to find out that Jonny could graduate just in time enough to apply for the Chaplain Candidate program just starting at BYU. However, because his score wasn't high enough on the GRE (Graduate School entrance exam), he wasn't accepted. But still, we moved forward with faith, realizing that the Lord had led us this far, but not knowing what lies ahead.
After this, Jonny was talking to his best friend, Michael Spencer, about the situation and they began to talk about how this situation was like Moses and the house of Israel getting to the Red Sea and having the Egyptians behind them. They moved forward with faith up to this point, and continued trusting in the Lord, but how was He going to free them from the pressing Egyptians with a large sea in their way? As the conversation moved forward, Michael began talking about ASU and how a Marriage and Family Therapy program was just accredited there, and how their application deadline wasn't for another month. For the longest time, I thought that McKenzi and I would not be living in Arizona ever again, but this idea of ASU opened up the possibility of moving to Arizona again. After hearing Michael talk about this, Jonny felt like this was inspired and really felt good about it. So he told Michael, "Thank you, Moses." It was as though the Red Sea had been divided and there was a path again.
So as I said in the beginning, Jonny was not accepted into ASU's program either because he didn't have as much clinical experience as did the other applicants. Up to this point, it has been a push to get into a program so Jonny could continue his schooling. With all the application deadlines having passed, this is not possible for the next year. So the question is what do we do until then. Up untill now our future has been clear and easy, but now we have to figure something else out.
The next thing that has come across our path is (which could be a huge blessing) taking a break for a few years from pursuing the chaplain course, and getting involved with Real Estate. There is a Real Estate school in Arizona that helps people learn good principles of Real Estate investing and helps them get on their own feet. This has the potential to do our family a lot of good, and get us in a position that so that we can do more good for others. As we have been researching out this idea, it has been making more and more sense to do it. We are continuing to pray about it, to see if this would really be best, and would be the next step that would be right for our family. We know the Lord will be with us in this decision and look forward to what lays ahead.
The Lord is truly blessing our little family. Things are not turning out as we have imagined, but as we are striving to do what the Lord would have us do and are striving to come closer to Christ, we are being blessed and led in all aspects of our lives.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Spring is here!
So....to all of you who are anxiously awaiting our blog-posts....I have one word for you: finals. Lol.
Just kidding. However, I do promise that I will finally get more on top of pictures, and updates, etc. School has been keeping me quite busy.
Jonny just got an interview with ASU for the Marriage and Family Therapy program, so we're just waiting to hear back from them whether or not we're moving home in fall or not!
I'll keep you updated!
Just kidding. However, I do promise that I will finally get more on top of pictures, and updates, etc. School has been keeping me quite busy.
Jonny just got an interview with ASU for the Marriage and Family Therapy program, so we're just waiting to hear back from them whether or not we're moving home in fall or not!
I'll keep you updated!
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Here we are
We have been wanting to set up a blog to keep family and friends posted on our life (for those that are interested), and so we have finally done it. Hope you enjoy.
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