The Best Advice . .

Due to the perfect storm or something in our ward, I got roped into teaching the adult Sunday School class once a month for the summer.  It's been terrifying on one hand, but a great learning experience on the other.  This week our lesson was "Give Ear To My Words" - Alma's advice to his sons Helaman, Shiblon and Corianton.  The fun part of this lesson was that I got to teach the Chiasmus in chapter 36 - and that I knew the Chiasmus in chapter 36 to teach it :)  But, this post is not about Chiasmus.  The question at the beginning of the lesson made me think of these two people pictured above.  "What was the best advice your parents ever gave you?"  Wow!!  Why does that question bring tears to my eyes?  When I asked it in our Sunday School class, we laughed at a lot of the advice these grown (and mostly pretty old) people were coming up with.  Joyce Adair told about babysitting for 25 cents per hour and her parents told her that when she babysat for 25 cents per hour, she also had to clean their house, fold any laundry that was out, do the dishes, and anything else she could see to do.  And then, when they paid her 1.25 for five hours of work, she was supposed to say, "Oh, no.  This is too much."  and offer to give part of it back.  We laughed pretty hard about that!!  But then she went on to tell all she had learned from that advice, about giving more than was expected, about giving a full day's work for a full day's pay.  Turned out it was good advice after all : )

Another younger married girl , her name is Jillaine - like our Jillayne, only spelled different - and she goes by Jill.  There's another one in the world!!! Her Dad was the Bishop of their ward when she was growing up.  She told us about playing Monopoly with her Dad, and how they hated when he played because the game went on FOREVER!!  Whenever he collected 200 dollars for passing go, he would pay tithing on it (LOL) and then whenever someone was short on cash and was going to have to drop out of the game, he would say, "Just come and see the Bishop and let's see what we can do"  And then he would give them his tithing money to keep them in the game.  WHAT A GREAT LESSON!!  Without saying a word, he taught his children to always pay tithing.  I still laugh when I think of that story.

I can't even tell you the best advice my Dad ever gave me because it was very personal and it came a few years ago when I was going through a pretty rough time, but it has saved me over and over again.  Just a simple sentence that has made all the difference in the world.  But that is just the most recent advice.  All I am and ever hope to be has come because of the example and advice of these two people.  Simple things like, "Look it up in the dictionary" when I wanted to know how to spell a word or what a word meant.  Now I GOOGLE everything!!  When Brother Jackman needs a certain quote for his lesson, I google it.  When I need to know how to substitute regular flour for cake flour, I google it.  When my computer savey kids ask me a question I don't know the answer to, I say "GOOGLE IT" The modern day answer to "look it up in the dictionary"

But the most important way my parents taught me was by example.  I watched my Dad put 110 percent of himself into everything he did, and no matter how busy he was, he never said no when asked to help.And I have followed that example to the point that Dave has threatened to put a message on our answering machine saying, "If you are calling to ask Carri to do something, the answer is NO"    I watched my Mom make her family her first priority, many times at the expense of  her own freedom and always giving up things she wanted to do for herself, and I have tried to follow that.  I have watched them as, in their marriage they struggled to learn and grow together, and then succeed in that struggle, and, through good times and bad, I have followed that example.  They are so wonderful and I marvel at what I did right in the preexistence to  warrant the blessing of being sent to them for my earthly experience and, because of their great righteousness, being sealed as part of them for the rest of eternity.  What a lucky, lucky girl I am : )  Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the Best Advice you ever gave - and still continue to give - me.

It's All In The Support

 For many years, especially while I served as the Young Women's President for our stake, Dave was my support crew.  I had him doing all kinds of things from hanging that twelve foot tall Ark to drilling holes in 150 wood pieces for Girl's Camp.  He rarely complained, and he has rarely needed my support back.  But Dave was recently called to be on the high council in our stake, and suddenly he needs ME!  I am his companion speaker when he has to speak on the third Sunday of the month, and this week, I was his companion speaker at a youth conference in the mountains.

The theme of the Youth Conference was "Getting rid of noxious weeds in our lives."  And of course, I had to make a handout.  When I showed up with my guitar, because I also taught them a little song :)  and these flowers, the girls were SO excited!!  The boys - not so much.

  

Until I showed them the backs.  "There's SUCKERS" I said in a sing songy voice that Chase taught me.  And then they were all over getting a handout!  Especially when I told them that Dave would get up when I was finished and man things back up again for them. 

The handout was a quote from Abraham Lincoln that said, "I want it said of me that I plucked a weed and planted a flower wherever I thought a flower would grow."  I like that thought. I think it's a good motto for everyone.  And I just have to say, at times like this, I really wish I had a cricut!!

Back To The Future And Back Again

 This post begins with a story.  The story of how Dave and I met and quickly became engaged and then married.  All within the course of four months.  I know . . . .

 I had just returned to Moab after an exhausting year at BYU and had determined to just work my little heart out all summer because "there was no one left in Moab to date".  All my friends were serving missions and I was sure the summer was going to be LONG and BORING!  My mom said, "Well, Dave Cozzens is working just across the street.  Go over and flirt with him."  My response  . . "Sure Mom, he comes about to my knees."  Because my only memory of Dave Cozzens was that he was short.  And I was incredibly not.  So that ended that, until a few weeks later when Dave walked into the store where I was working.  My first thought was, "wow, he's not that short anymore."  His first thought was, "Wow, she has a GREAT suntan!"  He came back to the store after I was off to ask who I was, then he called and asked me out, and the rest is  . . . well, still going on :)  

But this is the story of how our names ended up on these trees.  Deep breath!  Well . . .when we met Dave was the Scoutmaster of his ward and he had planned a week long camp out at Warner Campground RIGHT during the middle of our engagement.  It was critical time considering we only had only dated for three weeks and only had three months to get to know each other before we were "welded together in holy matrimony".  But he had promised those boys!! So, during his week long camp out with the Boy Scouts, he took the boys on a hike WAY up above Warner Campground, and, without any of those boys seeing him, because Boy Scouts don't carve up trees in the forest!!  he carved our names into this tree with our upcoming wedding date - 8/3/79 - underneath.  So sweet :)  He also wrote me a cute little love note on the back of a flattened out granola box.  It was all he had. 

As each one of our children were added to our family, their names were added to our tree.  See "Jill, Kimbrey, Brennan, Drew", and Kyle's is down below.  I don't know why. 








I'm pretty bummed that there is a stick going right up the middle of me in our cute picture, but when you set the timer on your camera and run to get into the picture, you take what you get.  And for better or worse, we've got each other - we have had for the past 33 years come August 3rd, and we're holding out hope for 33 more. 

Pick Your Favorites!

 Jill and I did a photo shoot for Drew and Kara's engagement pictures this weekend.  These are my favorites.  I'm sure Jill has many, many better ones, but I was getting bumped quite often by a little boy who wanted to hunt for snakes :)

 I really love this one, the one above . . . . probably my favorite. 

 But this one looks so . . .them!

 Love both of these.  We found the prettiest grass!  I love all the pictures of these guys standing in the pretty grass.

What a cute couple :)

Musings Of A Mom Who's Been There

I was disturbed today to read the following article - an article that has gone viral on the internet.  I really don't have to post the link because you can find it anywhere, but here it is just in case you've been out of touch today.
Tooele-teen-gets-national-attention-over-dress-code-drama.html



My initial reaction was possibly like yours, "well, she really isn't dressed that immodestly,especially considering what I've seen girls wearing to school  Why are they picking on her?"  But I've had school dress code issues before, only mine were with our school being TOO lenient with a dress code, so that initial reaction left pretty quickly and I was left with the following thoughts.

First of all, they admit in the article that her dress was 1/2 inch shorter than the dress code allows.  BUT there were students who were dressed far worse than she was, why weren't they singling THEM out?  And leaving her alone?  And letting her wear her 1/2 too short dress?   Because, as she admits, "This was really embarrassing."  But, if her dress really was, or even if it wasn't, a half inch too short, then wouldn't it be a great teaching moment to say to school officials, "Thank you for having a dress code.  We will be more careful to make sure our daughter's clothing fits the dress code you have set because we appreciate high standards."  Nope, this dad compares his daughter's being held in the office for a dress code violation while he, the father, brought her more appropriate clothing, as the beginning of her life of crime.  Over reacting?  Just a little bit, I believe. 

Second, they state that this is the only type of dress available for purchase in today's stores.  And I am left wondering about the implication here.  Should we base our personal standards of dress on what the fashion world is selling us?  Because that is a scary thought!   No, in every age there have been standards issues with the clothing industry and girls have overcome those issues over and over again and lived to tell about it.  This young lady can, too, and she may even be better off in the end.       

And third, they are hoping by making this an issue "this will help it get corrected a little bit."  After all, this is 2012, not 1912.  So, in 2012 how short is too short?  Is three inches above the knee a safe limit to set?  Or is that too 1912?  Should they set it at four, or five?  Who decides?  Because we can't leave that decision to school personnel, they are probably the ones who set this inappropriate dress limit that is apparently much too strict.  The only option left is to have no dress code at all.  And that just depresses me all to pieces.      

Lastly, I am so saddened that this girl is receiving all of this attention for standing down instead of up.  Let's take a stand for lower standards, not higher.  This girl and her family are hoping by making a big deal out of this that the school will lower their standards.  What a sad thing to stand for, lower standards.  As I read this I was reminded of many times I stood with my children on many difficult school issues, but this one in particular seemed to fit the bill for this example.  My son had an English teacher that he and all of his friends thought was much too hard a teacher for eighth grade students.  After all, one of his friends had a Dad who was in a college English class and HIS class wasn't as hard as their eighth grade English class.  I remember talking to him about it, and then saying, "I just can't go in to a teacher and say 'I think you expect too much'.  I can never fault a teacher for having high expectations for his students.  You're just going to have to work harder."  And he did.  And that teacher is still teaching.  And, ironically, he no longer is the hardest English teacher in the school district.  He has been replaced by a teacher with even higher expectations.  per aspera ad astra  ("through hardship to the stars")

In the last General Conference a talk by Quinton L. Cook called "In Tune With the Music of Faith"  states, "We also recognize that many individuals are not in tune with sacred things. Chief Rabbi Lord Sacks of England, speaking to Roman Catholic leaders last December at the Pontifical Gregorian University, noted how secular some parts of the world have become. He stated that one culprit is “an aggressive scientific atheism tone deaf to the music of faith.”  That secularism is only going to get worse and at a more accelerated pace.  At some point people of faith are going to have to take a stand.  My hope for myself, as well as for my friends and family is that they stand up - not down.

Just Flippin' Through Pictures . . .

We had a great Stake Conference today.  Which made me think of my kiddos and all the things I should have done better when they were little and utterly under my control.  Our Stake Conference got out early!  But that meant the really good roast I was cooking for dinner wasn't finished cooking yet, so I started flipping through pictures on my hard drive and they brought back so many happy memory's - which is why I take pictures - for the memory's.  So here are a few I found . . ..

This picture always makes me laugh.  Aiden is in his "king of the world" stance, that I taught him, incidentally, and Porter is trying to push Bridger off the chair!  Bridger is the only little guy cooperating, and he's the baby of the group.  "And a little child shall lead them."

Ha Ha!!  I forgot about this picture in the quest to get good family pictures for Jill and Kenny's adoption profile.  Jill, look at this picture whenever Kenny needs to be taken down a notch, as all men do occasionally, and know you are queen of the snowballs :)

You had to be there for this one - it was October and the water was so cold, but we were taking Landen's senior pictures and we made her get out in the middle of the creek and sit on a rock and Kimbrey got into the water to get the best angle for taking her pictures.  And they were SO cute!!  Totally worth freezing Kimbrey's feet for :)

These two are a series of shots that prove boys will always be boys.  See Chase watching intently as those two boys pick  up the biggest rock they can find so their splash will be epic?  And see the total glee on Brennan's face when he realizes he and Daniel did, indeed, make an epic splash?  Yup, boys.

And this one makes me giggle.  All throughout our France trip Brennan kept referring to the "touchdown statue", so when we finally saw the touchdown statue, I made them go stand by her and raise their hands in the touchdown signal themselves.  They did it, but you can tell they didn't want to, and they have classic, "I feel so stupid" stances.  But I didn't care.  I have a picture of two of my boys making a touchdown signal with the "touchdown statue".  That's all that matters.

We were in France.  IN FRANCE!  And this is what Dave wanted to see. . .

The best picture we took of ME in France.  Brennan is on his way in  . . .or out . . .and I'm . . . not sure.  Licking my lips maybe?  Attractive!

And Aiden, trying to get rid of hiccups.  Note the crossed legs, drinking water with one finger in his ear.  And it worked!!

Totally random pictures, but they made me smile.  Ah, the memory's . . .
 

YIKES!! My Baby Is Getting Married.

 Let me introduce Drew and Kara.  They are ENGAGED!  Holy cow!  Drew has tried to prepare me for months, but I've been in denial, because . . .well, he's the baby, and babies just shouldn't get married!





This weekend we met Kara's family.  Kara and her five siblings live here in Moab.  She is the oldest girl, she has an older brother, a sister just graduating from high school, and three younger brothers.  They live together and take care of each other without help from their parents.  The way they deal with the situation that has been dealt them is admirable.  Especially the way they all take care of their youngest brother who is autistic. 

 Kara is soft spoken and quiet like Drew.  They probably would never have met but Kara accidentally texted Drew one day.  The rest is history. 

 They are a cute family.  They have a lot of fun together and enjoy each other.  And Drew fits right in :)  Kara makes him happy, and that's uber important to a Mom, that her children are happy.  And they look pretty happy, don't you think?