Exhausted

Travel is exhausting, isn't it?  Even though all I had to do was stay awake and steer the van, I'm as tired as if I was doing a lot more!  I feel like I could lie down and sleep for a week!

The children, Jessie, and I really enjoyed making the trip to Ft. Lauderdale to enjoy the Temple Open House there yesterday.  It was a pleasure to make it possible for my children and non-member husband to see more of the temple than just the waiting room and restrooms.

The girls seemed most impressed with the Bride's room and Sealing room.  They were really lovely.  I was most impressed that there are two instruction rooms, so those attending the endowment ceremony will move during the process of it.  I thought that was super cool.

We enjoyed an amazing meal when we stopped in Boca Raton.  I'll share more about that later.  We also went to Miami and got nicely lost.  I was grateful to have a map app then because we did not get lost in a nice part of town.

Life sure is amazing, isn't  it?  Whether we see it as positive or negative, life is amazing!

What a Wonderful Day!

Today was March on Monsanto.  What a GREAT day for it!!!

This day has been JUST such an amazing and wonderful day! It SURE does feel good to KNOW i'm not alone in this fight against the bondage of poisoned food!!

We were blessed with two local places to march.  I chose the bigger city because a Temple (otherwise also known The House of the Lord) is also there.  The MARCH started at 2pm, but we left home at 10am so that we could make it to the Temple FIRST.  God first, of course.  :)

Our first stop found us waiting along with a rather large wedding party... why?  Because my girls wanted to see a bride.  Unfortunately, we were only able to catch a glimpse as we drove away, but, thankfully, my three were satisfied.  :)  It was sweet and wonderful to hear their exclamations of pleasure in seeing her and their admiration of her beauty (and the dress's).  ^_^  My girls are SUCH girls!  i'm glad.  I sure wouldn't want them to be stuck like me.

While at the Temple i happened to see a woman from my previous Ward (church group).  She seemed genuinely happy to see me, which was very uplifting.  :)  It was very good to see her, too.

Our second stop: MARCH ON MONSANTO, lasted all of about three and a half hours.  Part of that time spent looking for the parking garage in which i'd left the van.  Yes, this misplacement was only realized at the end when i was trying to depart the downtown area.  See, here's the thing: i DO actually know how to walk away from places when traveling (always look back so the return trip is familiar and you'll recognize where you're going), but it did NOT help me this time!!!  *sigh*  Chalk it up to preggie brain and fatigue.  (Kat reminded me, a bit later, when i felt especially frustrated about my fatigue that i DID wake up really early today.  She's right, of course... 5:45am is pretty early, though, amazingly enough it is NOT earlier than i have awakened for my walks of late, but it is still early AND THEN to also be out in the hot sun.)

As a RARE treat for the wonderful behavior of my children during the hour of speeches and then the 2+ mile march, we went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner.  Thankfully, i really do NOT have to worry about their behavior in restaurants much!  I know, my choice of "treat" is pretty ironic given that many items on the menu there have GMOs as part of their composition... not on purpose, but because it's sorta just THERE (gmos, I mean) when you buy something already prepared.  And, if one should be so blessed as to find that there are NO GMOs... well, unless it's organic, you can bet your bottom dollar that it was treated with man-made fertilizers and/or pesticides.  BOTH of which are decidedly HORRIBLE for the human system.  *sigh*  We still had a LOT of fun!  We stayed extra long so the children could play in the playground.  It was SUCH a pleasure for me to watch Ria and Kat help Jmy get through the playground so he could slide and hide and peek through a window to wave.  I sure do LOVE my children!!!

The baby may have enjoyed the playground time, too....  When the girls were helping and playing so nicely with Jmy the baby was just bouncing around in my belly as if to say, it seemed to me: "Oh, please let me out to play, too!"  i couldn't help thinking a response to my baby, "Yes, you will love playing with these siblings of yours!  You sure are blessed to come into this family with THEM!"

I actually DID take some pictures.  But i'm WAY too tired to upload them at this time.  Sorry.  I'll try for it sooner than later.  Yes, i could be more ambiguous, but i'll refrain.  ;)

Have (or hope you HAD) a SUPER wonderful Memorial Day Weekend!  Stay safe and be GOOD.

If you don't know about GMOs, March on Monsanto, or the dangers to our Food Supply, please take time to learn.  March on Monsanto is also on Facebook and in the beginning stages of planning ANOTHER march for October 12.  It's such a great opportunity to become politically active about something that REALLY matters!  If you care about your family and/or children and their future (especially their ability to be healthy and choose their own food), you really MUST learn about this issue)!!!

I Heard About a Couple Marches A Couple of Times Today...

I heard about them from a friend and then via a blog I sometimes read.  And I just feel compelled to write about it.  Mostly in answer to those Mormons who would support the D.C. March.  I mean, I could see supporting the one in SLC, but NOT the one in D.C.

So... here's what I have to say for anyone interested.  :)

Gay people certainly deserve to be loved by any and every one, just as all of us do.  This is not our reality because we live in a fallen world, of course.  But I believe they (as all of us) DO deserve love, acceptance, and agency.

As Christians, we Mormons and other Christians, we are commanded to love everyone.  Even those who practice a homosexual lifestyle!

I love them.  I accept that their life choice to practice homosexuality IS their choice and an expression of their agency.  I will not support (and we have been directed, I believe, of the Lord and our Leadership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that we should not support) their efforts to have their union legally qualified, declared, and made marriage.  It is not.  It is a union that is NOT sanctioned by God.  There is no way to argue that it is if you believe in God, His Word, and modern-day revelation.

Whether anyone believes it or not, homosexuals ARE either born desiring those of their own gender OR come to know it during the period of sexual awakening in the tween or teen years.  This happens without any thought on the matter whatsoever by those individuals.  However, they use their agency to choose the Lord's Way or the way of the flesh.  This is the same struggle (though more intense, surely) that most humans have in various forms.  It is (surely among many difficulties they are here to overcome), a part of or the primary source of their "cross" to bear and their "natural man" to overcome.

If gay marriage is legalized across the board in our nation, one day the right of every worthy Mormon to worship in the Temple will be discontinued, at worst, and, at best, interrupted because it will be put in jeapardy by court proceedings originating within the homosexual community.  Someone will desire to be sealed to their same-sex partner and push their marriage on the LDS Church and try to push it in to the Temple for the Sealing Ordinance.

This would interrupt every Mormon's ability and legally protected right to worship as we desire and have been commanded of the Lord to do.  Thus, the reason we are directed that we must love our neighbor, but not necessarily encourage all his legal efforts toward having his or her union called the same (marriage) when it simply is not the same.

March for love, tolerance and agency (which, as I understand it was the purpose of the SLC March).  NOT for equal marriage “rights”  (as was the purpose of the D.C. march).  Oh, DANGEROUS Doctrine!

Kat's Birthday

Kathryn Star is now TWO years old! Her birthday was yesterday. We had a VERY busy day, but we made sure to talk to her a LOT about the fact that it was her birthday and how much she means to us.

It was really cute to me that after I wished her a happy birthday she responded, "Wonk you!" That's how she says, "Thank you." Each time throughout the day that I wished her a happy birthday she would respond with her sweet "Wonk you." She was really pleased that it was her birthday, but turning two didn't go to her head, as in making her a big girl, for sure! In fact, she's been determined to be "the baby" even more!

Somehow Kat managed to find a cool cloth diaper in my room. It's black with orange flames and really neat looking. She brought it to me and firmly said, "On!" pointing to her area. I asked if she wanted me to put the diaper on her. She nodded vigorously and said, "Ya!" I said something about her being a big girl and not needing diapers. She said, "Me, baby. ON!" I asked her if she was going to keep it dry and put her pee pees in the potty. She nodded her head, so I figured it couldn't hurt to let her wear the cool diaper. I put it on her and she was just tickled pink! She trotted around the house and made sure to get her Daddy's attention on the diaper and some positive feedback from him about its appearance. She was very pleased with herself in the diaper. While it was on, she would occasionally say, "Baby, me!" It was really funny! She DID keep it dry, too!

Kat is saying "temple" as "hemoo" now. She's still refering to herself as "Kat," though she doesn't correct us when we call her whatever version of her name we happen to call her. She always calls herself "Kat!"