garden days

Despite the fact that the dog ate 90% of our garden about 12 tomato plants survived and we have grapes a plenty! so here are some pictures of the kids enjoying it! I makes me SO happy to see the few things we have been able to grow and the Kids eating them like they are the best thing ever!

American Idol

SO today I finally allowed myself to think about it....I have not been able to in the past because its a mixture of...well lets face it, I have to fight all my insecure demons, to possibly(?) (working on being positive here) get shot down and told that I should listen to them after all.....

you are probably wondering what I am talking about, let me tell you! My cute family started a face book page called " we think Brigette should try out for American Idol" and yes it has about 50 people family and friends on it. The thing is, they have all been so sweet and supportive that it made me wonder if my demons were real or fake, I suppose one way to find out its to try...

SO knowing that if anything came about, This blog would all the sudden be read by more the two or three people, lol, I want it to be know that I love to sing, when I am happy, sad or angry or confused, I sit down at that piano and sing my heart out. My poor neighbors get a concert every day because I love to sing! It is one of the things that makes me happy in those moments when nothing else can.

I am not young, I don't have a Mariah Carey like voice, but maybe I can let me self think that the world would enjoy hearing a Mom of three, wife of ten years, PTA loving, Relief Society goin' girl sing her heart out, and maybe they would even enjoy it. Maybe not...I mean the insecure demons say no one wants to hear it. BUT If I can get a my voice back, I am going to drive myself those two hours and try to remember how cute girls dress and do their makeup and sing my heart out...and MAYBE some one will enjoy it!

So, if you few friends and family who read this blog and love me, just because you do and you want to help, I need song suggestions. I love jazz and I need three songs with about 18 seconds of awesomeness....any suggestions?

suppose I should keep posting!

I have had issues with my blog lately its taking FOREVER to load, but today its working so I suppose I should post! The summer is almost over ( which I can not believe) but that makes me reflect on what we have done with our summer and what we still want to do with the few weeks left, here are a few- very few- pictures of our summer. Looking at our pictures I realized it been an awesome summer because we have done basically two things...Hang out with the family constantly ( which is incredible since we live over 7 hours apart) and SWIM since this is our very first summer with a pool of our own...its pretty much been awesome!! Can any one remember if I blogged about joey and the 18 eggs? I just found those very sweet pictures. SO, with the few more weeks left, I think we will " just keep swimming" and get our house organized and ready for the new crazy school year!

sleepin on a rock...

This last weekend my husband and I had the privilege to go on the Stake pioneer trek with the youth. it was incredible! It effected me in ways I can not even begin to describe..so I won't try. =) but It truly was a blessing and honor to be there and be part of it.



We only got to stay one night up there, but our one night taught me a lesson, Which I already shared with a few people, so, sorry to you guys! Mike put up our tents for us, originally I was going to sleep in the tent with with the girls and mike was going to take the one man by himself, but as the night came close I didn't want him to be alone, so I skipped the girl party to be with my man-the only problem was this- he reserved the best spot of ground for the ladies, and put himself in what I thought for sure must be the worst spot of ground possible! there were rocks in my shoulder, hips and knees, it was a really rough night! The next morning as we were taking down the tent I mentioned to my friend how horrible it was, the worst part was that I knew from experience that once we removed the tarp from the ground it would probably be revealed to me that they were tiny rocks..nothing even worth noticing. I have had this happen quite a few times before! we laughed about it and then talked about how this could be a good analogy for life.



sometimes when we look at others we can see their life and we see the pain they are going through, often times while they are in the process of whining about their pain we might think " but your rocks are so tiny...are you really going to whine about this??" Makes sense right, how many trials have felt so huge to you? so painful? yet when we look back in life we can see that they were mere stepping stones to becoming better and stronger, and perhaps we even see that our rocks weren't so big after all. Of course there are those cases when the rocks weren't mere pebbles but boulders...but that's not what I want to focus on. Think about how you perceive others? are you looking at them and questioning their trials? Have you not had your own rocks to deal with? I am sure you have been questioned in those "rocky" moments and you want to scream at the person questiong you "HELLO?? DON"T YOU SEE THIS ROCK I AM DEALING WITH??" the answer is yes, they see it....just they see it differently and are not feeling it like you.



So we lift the tarp and guess what, I didn't even have rocks! It was just bumpy dirt! I felt so dumb...but it really was painful and uncomfortable! It made me evaluate our analogy a bit more to realize that no matter how big or small or maybe even NOT EXISTENT others rocks may look, its hard for them, whatever the trial and I can help by loving them and being their friend, until the day they lift their own tarp up to realize where they have come from and what they learned. Have a wonderful week every body!

weapons of rebellion

Today I was outside reading my scriptures when a certain verse struck me hard. Its in Alma where Aaron and his brothers are teaching the Lamanites the Gospel and its says this of the Lamanites conversion:

Alma 23:7
For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren.

I wonder what kind of weapons they were laying down, I don't know about you but if I am "fighting against God" its not with a sword or gun, its with weapons named: selfish, stubborn, prideful, hard hearted.....these are my weapons, and after some time I usually am humbled By my my own mistakes and issues at those moments I realize I have be clutching with all my strength these useless weapons.

I can not think of an instance when being selfish is going to bring me or my family closer to God. SO I just was thinking. WHAT ARE my weapons of rebellion? I mean what am I clutching on to that is putting distance between me and God, me and my family and friends? What walls am I building, I know in my mind these things are some how protecting me, but only when I put them down and start to have trust, faith and love fill my heart, is when I will be happy and have peace and grow closer to those I love and God.

I think one of my weapons of rebellion is Fear, I am scared of being hurt, rejected, made fun of...maybe its insecurity- I don't know, BUT fear seems to stop me from being ME! it stops me from opening my mouth or reaching out...fear is a weapon. so now I have been honest with you..be honest with yourself...what are your weapons of rebellion, maybe its time to put them down.

hmmm....

Today I was driving in my car ( I have been doing that a lot this week!) and It struck me that If I was in advertising I for sure would have a bleak out look on the general population.....I heard ad after ad appealing to those of us who would like to "sit on our butts all the time", who never get enough "me time" those of us who just don't feel good about ourselves so we need to go out and buy things because...well didn't you know.... if you buy things for yourself you will instantly feel better? I just had to stop and think..when did it become o.k to be selfish and lazy and be willing to pay any amount of money to do so? its and interesting experiment to start listening to an ad and think about what they are really saying, the message they are encouraging...listen this week. see what you think. because I think all the messages that are being sent out are really hurting our image of ourselves. they are demoralizing and provocative...its sad really.

if we are being honest....

If I am going to be honest with myself then I would have to admit that I have not blogged in so long that I was not totally sure if I had the blog address right when I was typing it into my mothers computer........

If I HAVE to be honest with myself, I would admit that its be so long since I blogged that I dont even know what to write anymore.....

And if I am going to keep up with this honesty thing...... I would say that while I am excited to start sending the thoughts in my head and the happenings of our family out into the wonderful world of the internet, I can not promise I will be 100% committed to consistent blogging....I mean, right now I had to stop typing this little thought so I could pick soggy rice krispie cereal out of joeys hair and ears and eye brows......that pretty much sums it up. So I'm back blogging world...watch out!