A New Year....

For something different I thought I would share some stuff (8 things to be exact...since it was 2008) I have learned about myself in 2008, 9 hopes I have for 2009, and whatever else comes to mind I suppose. Can you tell I am sleep deprived??? Ha ha ha!

8 Things I learned about myself in 2008:

* I can handle a lot more disappointment than I ever thought I could.

* The Lord knows best....there is no denying it, don't bother trying to convince yourself otherwise, it is a complete waste of time and energy....TRUST ME!!!

* My family ROCKS. I have the greatest kiddos in the entire universe and the most amazing hubby the Lord ever created. I am more richly blessed than I ever realized. What a shame I didn't realize it more before. Lesson learned!

* Many things in life we simply cannot do alone and we need to allow others to help us, to support us, and allow them into our innermost moments of struggle. Letting others give service to me isn't a sign of weakness, it's a sign of humility (a lesson I am still learning every day....I pray it is an easier lesson in 2009).

* The Lord can often be a "Fourth Watch" God because he knows the toiling will be for our good and will teach us far more than we could ever imagine. Watch the video or listen to the talk when you click on the fourth watch link. It will deeply touch your spirit and further manifest the love the Lord has for you.

* I can't avoid squeezing and smooching my kiddos. I know for Jakob this can be really embarrassing in public at times but I adore these wonderful little people in my life and squeezing them and telling them I love them all the time is good for them. Mother knows best right, no wait, I already said the Lord knows best, so we know second best as mothers then, right?

* I truly dislike: touching dryer sheets (they feel strange before and after they have been through the dryer...yuck), inconsiderateness, when people swear and take the Lord's name in vain (especially when adults do it in front of their kids, then they act surprised when their kids say the same things), when I feel judged by someone that doesn't even know me, intolerance, and having to be patient and wait for something I really want (like a complete family) when it is a righteous and good thing to want (a lesson I don't know if I will ever learn fully).

* Give everyone the benefit of the doubt, I never really know what their life has been like or where they are in life at that moment, maybe they are really struggling and my impatience or quickness to judge or become frustrated is not going to help the situation. Sometimes loving someone or offering them help is the hardest thing to do when you feel you've been wronged or slighted, but it almost always is the best road to take. I know I have been on both ends of this before and I am sure I will again and again. So if I have ever wronged you, offended you, hurt you unintentionally, etc. I hope you have and will give me the benefit of the doubt.


9 Hopes for 2009 (in random order):

* That our family is once and for all COMPLETE!!!

* That I can read my scriptures all 365 days of this year. I have tried before and failed, this is my year though...I will do it!

* To be a better mother, wife, daughter, sister, sister-in-law, aunt, granddaughter, niece, cousin, and friend.

* To share the love of the Lord and His gospel with more people.

* Good health for all, safety from harm, and a better and cleaner world. That we all go a little greener.

* To give up Sprite...soda is so bad for me! I am really going to give it up this year!

* To live more like this quote from Spencer W. Kimball suggests: "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities."

* To help more people, to give more service than I receive, to show a greater degree of love to everyone, and to be a better listener to what others are not saying but really want to be saying.

* That I can live worthy of the Lord's many blessings in my life. Without Him I am nothing and I hope that throughout 2009 my relationship with Him grows stronger and deeper

There is so much more I have learned and so much more I hope for that I simply cannot include it all here. BUT...here are some of the highlights and I suppose the ones that most stuck out in my mind as I sat here.

Happy New Year to all, may 2009 be a great year for you all. I pray the Lord pours out His blessings upon you and your families.

I forgot to mention: WE FINISHED READING THE BOOK OF MORMON LAST NIGHT, after just over 4 years of reading it with the kids (almost) every night we finished reading it. The kids can now say they have read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. It was our goal to finish on December 31st and we accomplished this goal! Yippee!