5-22-2011 Week in Review…

First thing this week, we’d like to introduce Swallow & Guppie!!  They are good fish and don’t cause any trouble or make much of a mess.  They’re even kind of cute…

Let’s see…all week: Corben had EOG’s (End of Grade testing) & the girls swam almost every day…

Tuesday Corben asked if he could make some soup he’d been dreaming about for a while.  He made a vegetable chicken broth.  He added veggies and spices and then strained the final product.  He loves working in the kitchen!

Wednesday I went to Target…so exciting!  Here’s pics of my cute kids…

 

Thursday I decided to surprise the kids with a very last minute fun field trip.  Here’s my view of the back seat… :)  (No, I wasn’t driving when I took these…lol)

  They didn’t know what to think when we drove up to Amococo!!  It’s a balloon like sculpture you can go inside of.  There is lots of ambient light and music.  Kind of like a relaxing space world. I had hoped to take awesome pics inside but quickly learned that the light changes so much from almost complete darkness to bright florescent colors that I couldn’t keep up since I was chasing kids so I gave up and finally settled for Program mode…even my camera couldn’t figure it out on it’s own!

I almost took out the picture below…Dade & Corben got into a fight right before this and I didn’t see the look on his face until after I opened the photo.  Poor Corben…  Despite this moment, they had a TON of fun inside…just ask them!

Friday we celebrated my SIL’s b-day with a night out with the Schneg Sisters!  This is Heather…she makes me smile…

Saturday is the day I’d been waiting for for over a year!  Artsplosure!  I love Artsplosure and look forward to perusing the artists’ booths each year.  I missed it last year and the last several years I’ve had children with me who refused to walk booth to booth.  So this year I planned in advance and went ALL ALONE!! (Well, not entirely…Dade invited a friend along and they spent their time at the Amococo…)  Anyway, despite my interest in 3D wall art, photography, and paintings I always seem to walk away with jewelry.  Go figure.

 

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{Okay, so I have something to say here about the End of the World…  For those of you who are unaware, a man by the name of Harold Camping has been predicting for years that the End of the World would start today with the Rapture and that over the next 5 months there would be terrible desolation with the world finally ending October 21, 2011.  Mr. Camping runs a radio station and has quite a following.  Those who have believed in his philosophies have raised and donated millions of dollars in an advertising campaign to warn the world.  They have spent their life savings to purchase RV’s with billboards on the side that they have driven up and down highways and through major cities, they have posted billboards all over the world.  They have quit their jobs, given away every last penny, gathered with loved ones and waited.  From the start the world was skeptical.  The Christian community began a campaign to inform the world that “No Man knoweth the Day…”.  People started laughing and mocking.  Jokes have been posted by every sort of person about hoping to be around for this and that next week or joking they’ll be glad not to have to do laundry anymore.  I heard it in the restaurant last night from a waiter, from a guy at the gas station, tons of folks at the festival today, and most of my friends on FB.  Around the world it was the same.  Little was noted of any of it in the news other than to mock.  Folks danced outside the radio station in costumes all day laughing and making fun.  There were those people who were concerned and gathered with signs to let Camping’s followers know that there was hope in Christ and that when they realized they’d be deceived they would be welcomed with open arms.  I did read of those who began to pray for them and were concerned about depressions and suicides.

My heart breaks for these people…the people who gave all to follow what they thought was the truth.  To have been SO deceived.  Even Camping himself.  They stood for something when so many stand for nothing.  They gave all to warn a world that laughed at them.  Yes, they were wrong.  No man knoweth the Day…  There was no scam…  There was no trick to get gain…  (At least none that have come out yet…)  Seemingly, they gave all to try to save us.  They were deceived.  I pray for them.  I live in a world where people often mock my values and beliefs.  I think every Christian can probably say the same though maybe not to the same extent as the Latter-day Saints.  Some day the time will be upon us and followers of Christ will be trying to get the word out…I guess technically we’re doing that right now…but are laughed at.  (Would I be willing to give all to travel and tell the world?  Is my faith that strong?  I ask myself these questions and then realized that that’s what all the young men of our faith do when they’re 19!  They pay out of pocket to travel the world and spread the gospel for 2 whole years!  I look forward to Dade’s opportunity to serve a mission and do just that!  AND, after our children are grown, Ryan and I plan on doing the same thing together!)  I think of the people dancing outside of the radio station in costumes, singing and laughing, and I think of the revelry that must have gone on around Noah’s boat in the days and nights before the rain.  I imagine the tweets and FB posts that would have been written by those same people, or even the ones who just laughed from a distance as they ate their meals, went about their work, or relaxed with friends.  I bet they would have sounded a lot like they did today.

As a Latter-day Saint, I know the world isn’t ending today.  But I do try to live my life as if it could.   Some days I’m more thankful than others that it wasn’t THE DAY because of the awful way the day went but on others I wish it would come all the faster.  I’m not afraid of what will happen.  I know Heavenly Father has a plan and that I am a part of that plan.  Where there is a world that will sink to their knees in fear at the return of our Savior, there are those who will rise up and give thanks!  Until then, we should all be preparing ourselves and telling others about God’s love for them!  I’ll continue to pray for Mr. Camping and his followers.  I know that they are loved by their Father in Heaven and that they can know the truth if they seek it.  I pray they find their way back.  We’ve all needed to have that prayer ourselves, haven’t we?  Alright…on with the week!}

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Sunday was hectic for me as I was asked to lead the music for the full time both hours of Primary.  I love Primary, just sometimes it can be kind of exhausting!  Luckily I was able to come home and REST!  Yeah for resting!