What a week!  It has been a busy one, with challenges here and there but that is how we learn and grow, right? 😊  I was just thinking the other day what life would be like if - you had the perfect family, the perfect husband, the perfect wife, perfect children, the perfect boyfriend, all the money you need in your checking and savings account, a car that never breaks down, the perfect job that comes with annual promotions, a house where all the laundry is done and neatly folded and put away, a swimming pool in the backyard, no dust to wipe away, or yardwork to do . . .  It sounds great but it is not how things really are.  I think Heavenly Father allows us to have those "terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days" because those are the times when we reach out to Him. Those are the days when we can rely on the Savior's Atonement and the power it can give us to endure the "messiness" of life.  A couple of quotes I really enjoyed from conference this weekend - 

Elder Tai - "Please know that your every effort matters, and as certain as the stars above us, that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ know, hear, and love you". 

Elder Cook - "In a world of great beauty, there are also enormous challenges.  As we turn to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, He rescues us from the storms of life through His Atonement in accordance with the Father's plan". 

  Angella had one of those days yesterday, as she was driving to work when her car suddenly quit - she was able to pull off to the side of the road near a service station, and someone helped her push it the rest of the way in.  She called for a tow truck, and then Eilis came to take her to work.  As they were making a U-turn to get back on the highway, the car hit a curb, and the tire went flat 😲.  So, back to the gas station where someone helped Eilis put on her spare tire then she drove on to work.

I don't remember if Angella ever made it to work, but her Roadside Assistance gave her a voucher for an Uber, so she was able to make it home.

When Angella called to tell me this story, she was actually laughing.  It would have been so easy to have felt angry, frustrated, depressed, and to just want to give up - but she was trying to look at the bright side of things.  This was a great reminder to me  - sometimes we just need to have faith that everything will work out - and it always does. 

  School is over for Kim and I this Wednesday - I'll be doing some studying tomorrow and Tuesday, and then I'll take my final either Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.   We will have a nice break until May 5th, and then it will be another 7-week class before I am through for the Summer. YAY!

I just want to tell you how much I love each and every one of you! And I am so thankful that we are a family.  I love that Josh, Angella, Emma, Eilis, Hollie, and Ben, and Adam and Cory, Sammi, Paul, Lily, and Jake all live close by so we get to see them often, go shopping together, eat dinner together, celebrate birthdays, cheer at soccer games, and have occasional lunches together. 

I love that Kim and Chris, Spencer, Grant, and Blythe, and Kate, Jonathan, and Sayre all live in places we love to come visit - and the adventures we have had at Target, Portillo's, the Chicage 1st Ward, The Jewel, Trader Joes, Aldi, the Amana Colonies, Clementine, and Gracie, and (now Ralphie), Pedicures, and fireflys. 

I love that Max is at BYU!  What a great place to be with good friends ❤

And I love that Kevin is here with me - always an adventure - Friday bagel dates, walking Sendai, the Temple, working on the house, and always sharing his Institute lessons with me, and lately, it has been visits with Shannon.  We continue to learn and try to be better.

You are all my greatest blessings!  I hope you have a wonderful week ❤