Close your eyes...now listen

We have has our first HUGE snow for the year. If you know me well, you know I HATE SNOW!!! I have lived here for 15 years now and still I do not like the snow... so I thought. After school today Alex immediately offered to shovel the snow for me. I usually do it since David is usually at work so I just go out and get it down, but not today Alex wanted to help me out. I guess it was his way of saying, "Thanks Mom, for helping out at school, today."

Well, anyway Alex spent what I thought was forever just shoveling away. David called and told me he was going to be a little late with all of the roads so bad. So I thought I would help Alex out especially since we had the garage built, just seems to be a lot more work to do when it come to the snow. While we shoveled it was quiet. That quiet that makes you stop and listen. I closed my eyes and stood there feeling the peace that surrounded me and the crisp air against my face oddly enough brought comfort. It was wonderful.

I hope you have the chance to just stop, close your eyes and listen to the fall of the snow. I think I will do that again.....soon.

Starting Something.

I have finally bitten the bullet. I am going to give this a go. I am starting to do wedding invitation, Christmas cards and much more. I am hoping that you will allow me to do something for you and your family. You can click on this button and it will send you to my designs. I hope you like them and will be able to see what I can do for you. Thanks for your support and confidence. I will be adding more designs over time.

Click Here

Wishing You a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!!!

Wow, what a year!!! It has gone by so fast, yet it has been a WONDERFUL year. Rest assure, we are grateful for that. So let’s tell you what each of us has been doing throughout the year.

The beginning of the year started with a great wedding. David's brother, Stewart, married his sweetheart Tess, in the Logan Temple. It was a beautiful snowy day. They looked so happy and we had a great time.

Later on David's sister, Melissa and her husband Ryan, had a baby girl, They named her Mylee Jane. Nakia likes to call her "Miss Mylee Jane." She is such a pretty baby.

In April Nakia and David had decided that it was getting about that time for Nakia to be a full-time mom and wife. After losing our baby the previous June and seeing how much the boys needed and missed their mom, it was a no brainer. So to make sure that we really took advantage of our benefit with Delta before she left, we took one last free trip to Nakia's most favorite place, Carlsbad, California. We walked the beach, tooked the boys to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm and the best...we drove up and down the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway). It was great!!

After returning from Cali., we had a chance to spend some time with Aiden's birthfamily. Aiden had a chance to see his birthmother, cousins, and auntie for the first time. We were nervous. We didn't know how he would react or how the birthfamily would. Needless to say, we worried for no reason. It was a great reunion. Aiden talked with and hug his birthmother. I am so grateful for her and her family. They love him so much and we love them just the same.

In May, David had the opportunity to go to Pepperdine University to attend the Cambridge College of Banking or Business or something like that, for a week of certification. He of course was successful. He is CSOP certified now and this has been such a blessing for us.

When June came, we hada great treat. Nakia's nephew Ashanti, from North Carolina, came to visit for 3-weeks. It was full of excitement. David took a week off and we got to be tourist in our backyard. It was fun.


During that time, Nakia had the greatest experience ever. Nakia sang with the Genesis Choir and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This was for the celebration of the 30 year anniversary of the Proclamation of the Priesthood. It was awe inspiring.

Later in the summer, we held a little party at our home for David's youngest brother, Spencer. He was called to serve a mission in Guatemala. To see pics from that click here Stewart and Tess Riding.

This year Alex turned 12. Our young man. We can hardly believe it. So for his birthday David took him on a trip with his boss and bunch of other people to Colorado. They had a great time, roughin' it, four-wheeling and what not. We later celebrated in our home with David's family. Alex received the Priesthood. We have two worthy priesthood holders in our home. It is still hard to believe.


Two weeks later we celebrated Aiden's 4th day. Aiden wanted to make his own cake, so we did. The following weekend we had a tie-dye party with his friends. It was so fun to watch those little boys be so creative.

This year one of the things we focused on was family, so we created time for togetherness. We took one Sunday and spent it at Cascade Springs. It was beautiful and so peaceful. And the boys loved exploring nature and having a picnic dinner in the mountains.



Right before the close of the year came harvest time. We had a garden for the first time in about 6 years. And it was a great success. Our food storage coffers are replenished. Nakia learned a lot with the help and advice of David's cousin, Margaret and her husband Sam. They are such master gardeners. Nakia was completely impressed by them. We traded jobs. David helped them with tiling and they help us with our garden.

We canned so much and it was fun, all of us in the kitchen with the radio BLASTED, just dancing, singing, stirring and sealing. Can hardly wait for next year!

Here's some of what we made and canned:
Peaches, Peach Preserve, Tomato Juice, Stewed Tomatoes, Marinara Sauce, Pizza Sauce, Zucchini Relish, Salsa and Zucchini Marmalade.










Now we come to the end of the year. We are a happy family. We are seeing the blessings of the Lord before us. We have our struggles, yet we know that in order for us to truly appreciate the joy we must have the bitter. We love all of our time together, whether it's working in the garden, riding horses, taking in nature, or just sitting together and watching a game. There is great peace and joy knowing we are a family forever, full of some "F" words that have allowed us to learn and grow. Family, Faith, and Fun.

Our wish for you this upcoming year is continued

good health, prosperity, and love.

What are Friends for Anyway??

I have a great friend who lives around the corner from me and we have known each other for a few years now. We first met at an adoption class I was teaching with my husband just about 4 years ago.

Anyway, she and I were talking late into the night as we usually do when ever I go to her house and visit and she was telling me how she was needing some more sessions.

You see, Kim, my friend is a BRILLIANT photographer and her work is just stunning. I love it and her. And I wanted as many people out there to see and experience her great eye.

So because she is my friend and I want to see her succeed, I want to invite each of you to take a look at her work and if you are so inclined drop her a line at kimsueellen@gmail.com and set up an appointment. I promise you, you won't be disappointed.


Click on this button to go to her blog.

Happy Thanksgiving

There are so many things and people I am thankful for:

Alex- He is such a blessing to me. As he gets older the more grateful I have him. He has a pure love that is so wonderful to be able to be recipient of if. I am so grateful for his gentle guidance.

David- This is Godsend. He is where Alex gets his gentleness and reservation. There is a song that I sing to him all the time, Let's Hear It For the Boy. It make me smile every time I hear it and it he comes to mind right away. I love him and thankful for all he does for me and our family.
Aiden- His show me and see me spirit keeps me alive and amazed.

My Faith- Has helped me stay focused on the purpose of my life and I accept the responsibility. I testify that through my faith, I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true and everlasting churh of God. I know that the prophets are true and are true servants of God. I have seen the light of Christ in my life because of the teachings I have received from them. This is my testimony, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My Home- So many people are homeless and house-less and I am a very lucky and blessed lady because I have both. I am so grateful that Heavenly Father has made a way for me to be at home with my children and husband.

My Friends: Brandi, Chevelle, Kim, Melinda, Sheri, My Ma, the list will get long, but you know who you are. Thank you for loving me and my family as we are. I love all y'all the same.

I am thankful for everything and I love it. I have learned from Elder Joseph B Wirthlin in his General Conference talk, "Come What May, and Love It". In it he concludes with this, "I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it.
As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, “Come what may, and love it.” Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

I am also so grateful for knowledge and experience... good or bad. It is where wisdom comes from and I hope that I am gaining a little bit more wisdom everyday.

Hope you all have a great Happy Thanksgiving.

The sweet potato pie was Nakia's contribution to the feast.

Just when I thought everything was calming down and other random thoughts

Last week I had the scare of my life. Alex fell ill and had to be hospitalized. Things in our life seemed to just be quieting and this hit us like a brick. Tests, reports, observations and all types of stuff. I was nervous and scared.

He's home now. He's fine and is doing well so far and we are happy about that, but what I want to say about all of it is this:

Hold your babies. Make sure they know that you love them everyday. Make sure you spend a minimum of 30 minutes just listening to them everyday and I mean truly listening to them. My advice is to just say NOTHING while they are talking. Trust me you will learn somethings.

I have been lucky enough to hear all of the great accomplishments Alex has made. I have heard somethings that would make a mother going screaming with her ears on fire, but I sit there and let them burn. This time is so important to our children. At least I know it is really important to Alex. He came to me one day and said, "Ma, you said I could talk to you about anything, right?" (I was getting dinner ready at the time of this conversation and I could pick up that dinner was going to be a little late). He preceded to tell me about the lunch table talk earlier that day.

Condoms.

This topic came up with 10-12 year old boys in elementary. And I am nervous about Jr. High!!!
To make a long story short. We talked for about 45 minutes and he simply said, "OK." and went on with the day.

I appreciated that time because I know he feels that he can be himself. He is not embarrassed about talking to me and Dave about anything. THAT IS THE WAY IT SHOULD BE!!!

I am so thankful for Alex and Aiden. I know that they are here to teach me so much about myself.

Alex with his mildness and quiet strength. It so amazes me. He is our little missionary. He speaks his mind softly and tells what he believes and is not ashamed.

Aiden is not so mild. He tells it like he sees it. There is not arguing with him. If he says the sky is purple...you better believe the sky is purple whether you know or not.

The two of them remind me a little of Moses and Aaron. Aaron was Moses' younger brother and did a lot of the speaking because Moses did not have a way with words. That is so Alex and Aiden. It quite funny to watch.

All I know is I am glad I have two teachers here in our home to help me.

Doing it all over again

Thirteen years ago tomorrow, David and I will celebrate our anniversary. WOW!! WOW!! WOW!! Who would have thought that we would have made it that long (I guess having been married in the temple, does have a hint of forever to it). Well we have decided to do it up a bit this upcoming year.

When I was young and fabulous (now not so young, just as fabulous) I had my bridals done by a screwball of a photographer. I have only one picture from that man. And I can say for sure that our four year old could have done better. As for other wedding day pictures I have NONE!!!!!!!!!!!! (this picture was taken my my mother-in-law, I believe. And this is not my wedding dress, this was the wedding suit for the brunch at Gardner Village after the ceremony.)

So what David and I have decided to do, is re-take our pictures!! I am so very excited. I feel almost as gitty as when we first started this ride...okay I feel just like a school girl, all smiles and a little goofy. We are going to include our boys in the pics.

We've started with getting my rings sized. I have not worn my wedding ring in about 3 years. I have lost a lot of weight so I had to have them re-sized down 2 whole sizes! So now is the time to start the hunt for the dress. Yes I am getting a new dress. And yes it is going to be different. And yes it is not going to be as modest as the original.

As a matter of fact I went dress shopping last night and I tried on a dress that I thought I liked and one that I didn't even know existed and love it. Tell me what you think (you have to go to my profile and email me from there, it you don't already have our email address).

I'll probably make a a bolero jacket for it. I am not all that impressed with my arms so it just might work out being a bit more modest.

So now that a dress is getting ready to kick things off, I am starting to run more. It is nice to get back in the groove. I am signing up for a few 5k marathons around the city, so cheer for me and wish me good luck. WOW this is so exciting.

Click on the dress pic to enlarge.

Happy Birthday David!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today Dave celebrates the big 35. Thank goodness he doesn't make a big deal about this. I had the remind him what today was. I swear he's going to have alzhiemer sooner rather than later.

Lucky for him he is one of the people who does not age. AT ALL!! He still looks 18 even with the peppering of gray.

I guess you can say he is becoming handsomely distinguished. I'm a lucky girl. I love him sooooo much and am so very proud of him and what he has accomplished. Happy birthday sweetheart.

We all love you so much.

Our family changed with a little over 300 votes

This election was more than just a historic event for our great nation. This election was historic for our family. As I sat there and saw the votes change over to more than 270 votes for Sen. Obama. I just started to scream, "David, he's done it, Barack Obama got it. He got it."

It was overwhelming. I broke down in tears. Alex was sitting on the love seat just looking at me smiling, wondering what was going on. He knew. He saw that what Dave and I have been wanting for him and his little brother. I can say to them without reservation NOW, "You can be anything, you want to be."

This now puts so much responsibility on the African American community, in my view. We no longer can lean on the excuses that have held so many of us back. I for one will stand up and make my voice heard even more so.

This election is the beginning of great things. I will support the issues I know to be right for my family, that President Obama will put forth. I will also challenge views and ideals I do not agree with.

I am very thankful for this day.

It is truly amazing how one vote does make a difference. I love this country and what it stand for. I am blessed to have been born in it... I love this country.

YOU CAN VOTE HOWEVER YOU LIKE!!! (click here for non-partisan video)

It is finally here! Two years of back and forth, finger pointing and non-stop rhetoric.

You can probably guess who we are supporting. No arguing. No hating the other person. None of that. This is the best candidate for our family.

We are proud to be supporting this great American. If he wins, obviously we believe that is would be a a win for this great nation. If he does not win, we want John McCain to work as hard as we expect Sen. Barack Obama will. This has been a very passionate and polarizing two years. And I for one am very glad that this chapter is closing.

As this election ends, we pray that whomever of the two is President of these United States will have the support and respect from the opposite party. As we have been discussing in our home...it really does not matter who the President is, the problems we face as a nation still stand and we need to be supportive of who is holding that great office.

We are such a lucky and wonderful nation and people. We have our flaws, but it does not take away from the fact that we have a job to do and we are ready to do it. It is time that we stop talking and let's get down and dirty and get all of us back on our feet.

We're ready to work. Are you?

No matter your view. No matter your party. We encourage you to VOTE!! Just vote!!

Yesterday as we were driving to David's parents we were listening to Glen Rossen (I believe that is his name) and he said something that has lingered in my mind ever since, this is what he said:

"...less than 50% of the country voted in the 2004 election. By not voting those people allowed for themselves to be forced upon. Isn't that what Satan wanted in the beginning."

I may not have gotten it all right, but that was the gist of it. So VOTE!!

Click on the title of this post "YOU CAN VOTE HOWEVER YOU LIKE!!! above Barack Obama and see a non-partisan video by kids, that we think is so very appropriate. Enjoy!!

Happy Birthday to ME!

My goodness I am another year older and I am probably one of the few who actually likes it. I am 34 years old today. It sounds great to me.


I look at my life and think... "Nakia, 34 years and you have learned a lot. You are blessed with so much. You have an extremely handsome, loving, forgiving, and supportive husband. Two sons whom wake up every morning and the first thing they do is hug you and tell you how much they love you (nevermind the fact that they are usually screaming at one another about whose going to be first, all the way to your bedroom). A home that may be small, but it is full of all things that are important and is full of love. After all, many people do not have even half of what you have, so be continent with it."


I am so grateful for all of it. I am full with happiness and joy. So I will say, "Today is my birthday. I'm 34 years old and I am so happy about that."

Happy Birthday Aiden!

He made it!!! I tell you this has been a long time coming. Our baby boy is getting bigger, wiser and definitely sneakier (is that even a word). He told me yesterday, "Mommy, when I am four I be able to drive you around." I just smiled and said, "Yes you will, Aiden." He is such a helpful little one. We are a blessed group of people because of him. He brings so much to our home. I know that if it were not for him our home would be a very very very quiet place. He is always singing, screaming, running, dancing, telling a joke, laughing, conducting a song, or something. It's nearly impossible to keep up with him. We would not have it any other way. We love that kid and we are so thankful for the love of him and those who made it possible for him to be a part of our family. Happy Birthday to our littlest man!! We love you.

Happy Birthday to Our Boy!!

Happy Birthday to Alex!! He's 12 today. We can hardly believe it. We now have a young man and a deacon amongst us. We are so proud of him. He's growing like a weed. He is just as tall as Nakia and can already where David's clothes. HE'S ONLY IN THE 6TH GRADE FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!! My how time just flies by. We remember when he was born... this little preemie who is now not so little at all. Who will soon tower over his mother before the school year is over and will see eye to eye with his father. Gosh we love that boy!!!