DYLAN & TREY RYDER
... still light up my life everyday when I watch them.
I cant believe its already been 6 months that Ive lived there and taken care of them. They are like my little angels to keep me so happy every day. Adults in the daily world can not always be so nice to deal with but children love you no matter what. Trey's vocabulary is expanding to conversations at an adult level already and hes just almost three! He cracks me up! His new thing is, "ash, i wove you, wove makes jesus happy, hates bad and makes him sad huh" haha hes always telling big long stories and talking in random funny voices and Dylan is still just the awesome big brother as always! Trey copies Dylan all the time and Dylan takes pride in making the path to follow and does a great job and loving his younger brother. Its amazing. Talia is such an awesome example of what every woman could hope to be as a wife and mother. She shows so much compassion in all that she does for everyone around her. Its contagious how she is so sweet. I love her so much.
GREAT FAMILY
..I also watch Sheena and CJ Wades darling children now in their beautiful home. I love them to death. Jordan; 6 - is a fireball full of energy, London;4 - is such a pretty girl, Benshaw;2- is a beautiful baby adopted from Haiti, & Navie;16 mo - is just a tiny little sweetheart with huge blue eyes! The house is full of laughter every time I watch them.
I realize more and more how much children mean to me and what a joy they are. Sheena and CJ are great people. Im so excited for my own family one day. I will raise them with all my love.
MY FRIENDS
.. and I have been going on ten mile bike rides all the time and riding to the college to run the stadium and do track work outs. I love how we get together all the time to do activities. Kierst is obsessed with Zumba and love when I go with her haha. Its been such nice weather and great to get in shape and feel good mentally and physically. My friends are the best, i cant say it enough. They are like family. They are the ones that understand me best and are there all the time. We all are so different and unique so its always an interesting time. We have also met a lot of new friends that are pretty fun too.
THE MISSIONARY WORK
...has been good, its not as often that im able to go out with the sisters the last little while but they did end up teaching my little sister Jocelyn a lesson and she came to my friend Kelly's baptism which made her "feel really good inside" she said and she wanted to learn more about the Church so I gave her the option. Ofcourse it didnt take long for my mother to not support it and Joce missed the next one and i wasnt able to get ahold of her or my mom. Mom always says shes too busy. I will never be too busy for my own children but I will continue to pray for her heart to be softened so that she might come around and realize the love and concern i have for her and my little sister. I pray that she will one day see how much I care and am trying so hard to hold my head above water when times get difficult and shes not there for me. I pray that shes happy regardless. Robin Vaughn, is such an amazing woman. Im so blessed to have her close to me for the proper guidance and advice with things. She is the strongest woman ive ever met in my whole life and never judges anyone. Shes such a smart woman and I look up to her so much. Ive never seen her NOT helping someone every chance she gets and it never stops. She works so hard every single day and no matter WHAT, she makes time to come be there for everything the family has going on.
CAR WASH
...I had my car wash fundraiser this last friday!
Im so blessed and thankful to all those that worked so hard to help out! Amanda, Lisa, Michaela, Nolan, Alli, Kierst, Jeff, Lyn, Talia, Carlos, Brooke, Sam, Robin, and all of you that came through! I LOVE YOU GUYS! every little tiny bit of help made the biggest difference! Talia was so genius with helping me make the cutest flyers and I never even asked her to. She is so selfless and thoughtful of everyone. Brooke and Hailey came by and spent time with me and it meant a lot!
Lyn wasnt feeling well and came by anyway to help with whatever she could and it was so sweet of her! all my friends worked their butts off in the sun and I was so appreciative.
Robin hussled to the car wash at the last minute because she had trouble finding the place and got done working since like five a.m. She was exhausted yet STILL rushed all the way over to my fundraiser just to donate and give me a huge hug and tell me that shes so proud of me.
I couldnt help but cry at the end of it all. I was so overwhelmed by the service of others and all the sweet people I met that day that wanted to make a difference! it will be something ill never forget.
OLD FRIEND
...So I got in touch with my very first boyfriend EVER haha Travis Hamaker,
im so proud of him. He's actually on his mission but he will be coming home right as Im about to leave probably. I love getting messages from missionaries because the spirit is so inspiring in their words. He just said one line that I felt so good about "ASH, THIS CHURCH IS TRUE... IM TELLING YOU... I KNOW IT IS!" that right there was all it took and I got chills knowing that he TRULY KNOWS its true. He has that special missionary mantle on his shoulders of truth and knowledge that help him to see so clear and be an affective instrument in the Lords hands! Its incredible!
PROVO
...Michaela, Kierst, & I drove up to Provo to see some old friends!
different things were going on and we spent most of our time with Dallas, Jarek and Bryce. We just love those guys. We always have a good time together. We all went to lunch, played games, went to dinner at a cafe/concert, played mafia all night, saw some different friends and we all spent time at temple square on Sunday.
It was so beautiful I could of spent the whole day just there. All the flowers were in bloom and pretty. The sunshine was perfect.
It was just a peaceful time where I had time to ponder a lot of things.
We ended up heading back to Dall's in Provo and left. I made the most comfy bed in MJ's backseat and conked out so fast!
The KNOX family...
Dallas has made a huge impact on my life the last four months. I Believe the Lord knows exactly who to have come along in your life when you aren't even looking for it and you have your free agency to decide what comes of it all. As im preparing for my mission day by day, its been a rush of new feelings, transitions & lessons learned. Its truly set in how very blessed I am to have so many 2nd families out there that encourage me along my journey. Ive also been so blessed to have hung out and dated some really great guys. Dallas in particular has affected my life greatly. I couldn't help falling for Dallas right away because he truly taught me so much about myself and this gospel. We met at the end of December 09 and he talked to me here and there but started hanging out in January. I was still just trying to wake up with a smile after the break up with Justin and it was so difficult sometimes. Dallas was more than patient with me. He was so caring about my feelings and so mature about every circumstance that came along. Our friendship grew quickly. From day one, we were always going out on adventures. While we were getting closer we grew spiritually so much and I was finally able to be happy again. Dallas Knox is the sweetest guy out there. Its no lie when I say that he treated me like a queen and went out of his way to help anyone. His family, Alan & Bev, Lauren, Alex & Elliot all were a joy to be around. It was so nice to get to know his dad and have conversations with him because I always found him to be such a great person. Dallas's Mother Bev is the sweetest lady in the world and always has the kitchen smelling like yummy things she bakes everyday.
Her red velvet cupcakes were to die for! As you can see Dallas loves them also!
Bev and Alan are so easy to look up to and learn from. They are seriously the greatest parents ive ever met and are so in love with each other. From Baseball games, to family activites, those two are the perfect match. I love seeing their happiness.
I saw a glimpse of things I pray that my future may hold one day. Lauren, Tai, Alex and Elliot are all so different in their own ways. We did everything together, from lazer tag, to volleyball, capture the flag, shooting guns, riding the rhino and dirt bikes, to little family get togethers, etc. they are the most fun people to hang out with & they genuinely care about everyone. Lauren & Tai are both competitive love birds so it makes for good entertainment in the middle of a game. They are both great for each other and I loved being around them. Alex and I shared the fact that we are both preparing for missions. Him and I would always get together and read scriptures and Preach My Gospel with Dallas because Dall would teach us some Spanish every now and then. Alex actually just left to serve his mission in Arizona, Spanish speaking! Before he left we made sure to have a lot of fun!
The entire family has a great bond. Right when you walk into their home, the spirit is so strong. It’s a very peaceful place to be. If you were to glance at how they live, you might see a family that’s incredibly blessed. The thing is they have worked so extremely hard for everything that they have right now & they are still one of the most giving families I have ever met in my whole life! One of the greatest things I’ve learned from them is their incredible focus on the Gospel in all aspects. They make sure that prayer, fasting, church meetings, family time, service, studies, and hard work are always of great importance. They are kind enough to open their home to all the neighbors and friends for games and food every day. I feel so blessed to have been able to have spent so much time with all of them. If any of you guys ever read this blog, I want you to know that Im so thankful for you. I grew to love each of you. I always appreciated the love and support you have always given me. I am sorry for ever hanging out too late sometimes :) I want you to know I would do anything for you guys. Thank you so much for helping out my Moms situation. Alan, I enjoyed shooting and cleaning the guns with you! That was a lot of fun! Each time spent with the family, I felt like I had a pretty cool dad to look up to, that cared about me for the first time in my life! I hope you have healed up from your injuries on the dirt bike! Next time just go big and go home, but don’t add hospital into that equation ha-ha Hope my poster makes you smile when you think of it. & Bev, you are a beautiful woman. Thank you for teaching me some yummy recipes and watching Biggest Loser with me :) You are an awesome wife and mother. You both raised such a respectful son. You were so sweet to always have me over. I felt so grateful for all you have done and I know you made a huge impact on my mom by doing that for her. Thanks for always making me feel so welcome. I’ve never seen such selfless service before.
Dallas you sure have shown me a lot in such a short time. Thank you for always sticking by my side and lifting me up to being a better person. I learned from how very Christ-like you are with all your patience and kindness to everyone. When I was sick you would be at my doorstep bringing me medicine. When I told you Valentines was my favorite holiday you went way overboard, showering me with the sweetest things. I have always loved your creativity and the fact that all the little things mattered so much to you. The hard part was living so distant but you up at BYU and me preparing for a mission, time apart has been alright. I know the Lord crossed our paths for a reason and it’s been a great experience sharing all that time with you. Thank you for your love and support! You're the best!
Dallas actually gave me a letter that really touched me and I thought I'd keep it by my scripture board on my wall til I leave on my mission.
It reads:
Theres so much I could say about you Ash & so little paper in the world to write it on. I want you to know that everything I have said up until now is absolutely true & I meant it all from the lowermost depths of my heart. You truly are an amazing woman. Sometime I wonder how it is possible that you become more beautiful and more amazing every time I see you, but then i stop to think of our Heavenly Fathers's plan for us, and it all makes sense again. you're doing exactly what he has asked of us, and that is to perfect ourselves. I feel so privleged that our Heavenly Father has deemed it prudent that our paths should cross. Whether our paths merge in the end or not I will never forget I will forever be thankful to Him for allowing me to get to know you and to share of your goodness and spirit.
Your mission will, without a doubt, be the greatest time of your life. Up until this very point, mine was for me ;) I can't wait for you to put on that badge and wear the name of our Lord and Savior as one of his courageous soldiers in these last days. I know he has much in store for you, both on your mission and after it! Keep your most important goals in mind at all times and he'll guide you to realize them. i look forward with such excitement to receive your first letter and to feel the warmth of the fire that I know you will catch as you set out to preach this "good news" You've already kindled that fire and it has affected many people around you even now. Seeing that makes me even more excited to see what you will do with an official calling of the Lord. You will work miracles by your faith and obedience. Dont ever doubt yourself. Times will get tough; they always do. Stay so strong. Know that when you need Him the Lord will always be there for you to run to. he will succor you in your times of greatest needs. I too will be there for you always. I hope you know that you can always count on me at anytime for anything. There is little, if anything, I wouldn't do for you.
I think the Lord had you in mind when he commended Nephi to write this: "and thus we see that by small means the Lord can bring about great things" 1nephi 16:29] Strive always to be the fulfillment of this scripture Ashley. I love & care about you so much and i wish you enough ;)
Love, Dallas Knox"
Tender! :) His letter truly meant a lot to me. Beyond the fun that we had, Im even more grateful for all of our conversations and time spent together. I know our friendship will continue on forever and I wish him all the happiness he deserves. We had so many good times together.
FINISHED READING
...I finished this book about women today that Dall gave me for Easter. It was way sweet of him. Its by DF.Uchtdorf. I just figure I should outline my favorite parts in this blog cause its pretty good stuff to hear.
Its by elder Uchtdorf
So here it goes:
"Females are treasured daughters of Heavenly Father with infinite worth... To me it appears that our splendid sisters sometimes undervalue their abilities
- they focus on what is lacking or imperfect rather than what has been accomplished and who they really are.
The good news is that, even though it eventually can lead to frustration, this also points to an admirable quality:
THE INNATE DESIRE TO PLEASE THE LORD TO THE BEST OF YOUR ABILITY!
In all of our lives we have real concerns, I know there are haerts that harbor deep sorrows. Others wrestle with fears that trouble the soul. For some, loneliness is their secret trial. All of these things are not insignificant.
I now want to address God's happiness and how each one of us can taste of it in spite of the burdens that beset us.
It may be impossible to answer because his ways are not OUR ways.
'for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are God's ways higher than our ways, and his thoughts higher than our thoughts.'
Though we cannot understand "the meaning of all things" we do "know that God loveth his children" because he has said, "Behold, this is my work and my glory - to bring to pass the immortatlity and eternal life of man"
TWO GREAT GOALS here are : Immortality & Eternal Life of man - because he is a God of creation and compassion. Creating and being compassionate are 2 objectives that contribute to out Heavenly Father's perfect happiness. Two activites we as his spirit children should emulate.
CREATION-
The desire to create is one of the deepest yearning of the human soul. We each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. Everyone can create. We don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. You are spirit children of the most creative being in the universe. Isn't it remarkable to think that your very spirit is fashioned by an endlessly creative and eternally compassionate God?
Think about it - your spirit body is a masterpiece, created with a beauty, function, and capacity beyond imagination. You were created with express perpose and potential of experiencing a fulness of joy.
The purpose of your great voyage here is to - seek eternal happiness. One of the ways you find this is by creating things.
We ALL have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or sheet of paper and dont require a brush or keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before - colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter. etc.
Dont let fear of failure discourage you, dont let the voice of critics paralyze you - whether that voice comes from the inside or outside.
B. Young said to saints, "There is a great work for you to do, always progress and improve upon and make beautiful everything around you. Cultivate the earth and your minds and everything so that when you look upon your labors you may do so with pleasure, and that angels may delight to come and visit your beautiful locations. In the meantime continually seek to adorn your minds with all the graces of the Spirit of Christ."
The more you trust/rely on the spirit, the greater your ability to create!Improve the world around and the world within you.
BEING COMPASSIONATE
We are COMMANDED to "succor the weak, lift up hands that hang down" Those who truly follow the savior "mourn with those that mourn, comfort those that need comfort" When you reach out to bless others lives, your life is blessed as well.
SERVICE AND SACRAFICE, open the very windows of heaven allowing choice blessings to descend upon you. As you lift others, you rise a little higher yourself.
Spence Kimball taught. "The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our very souls"
Gordon B. Hinckley believed in the power of service. After his wife passed away, he provided a great example to the Church in the way immersed himself in the work and in serving others. He remarked to one woman who recently lost her husband, "Work will cure your grief. Serve others"
Lorenzo Snow expressed a simliar thought: "When you find yourselves a little gloomy, look around you, find someone that is in a worse condition, to to him and find out what the touble is, then try to remove it with the wisdom the Lord bestows upon you; and the first thing you know, YOUR gloom is gone, you feel light, the Spirit of the Lord is upon you, & everything seems illuminated."
Sadly, in todays world of self help magazines, this advice isnt given this way, but instead they encourage you to spend first and pay later, or satisfy your own desires even at the expense of those around. THATS WHATS SO WRONG WITH THE WORLD!
While there are times when it is prudent to look first to our own needs, in the long run it doesnt lead to LASTING HAPPINESS!
BE AN INSTRUMENT IN THE LORDS HANDS
The women of the Church, regardless of age or family status, understand that those who bring sunshine cannot keep it from themselves. often small acts of service are all that is required to lift and bless another.
True words of encouragement require ONLY a loving/caring heart but may have an ETERNAL impact on the lives of those around!
As a sister in the gospel, you render compassionate service to others for reasons aside from your personal desires. In these selfless acts you emulate the Savior, who, though a King, did not seek position, nor was he concerned about whether others noticed Him. He did not bother to compete with other. He taught, healed, conversed, and listened to others.He knew that GREATNESS had little to do with outward signs or prosperity or position.
CHRIST LIVED AND TAUGHT THIS DOCTRINE:
"HE THAT IS GREATEST AMONG YOU SHALL BE YOUR SERVANT."
In the end, THE NUMBER OF PRAYERS WE SAY MAY CONTRIBUTE TO OUR HAPPINESS, BUT THE NUMBER OF PRAYERS WE HELP ANSWER MAY BE OF EVEN GREATER IMPORTANCE. SO LET US OPEN OUR EYES AND SEE THE HEAVENY HEARTS, NOTICE THE LONELINESS AND DESPAIR; LET US FEEL THE SILENT PRAYERS OF OTHERS AROUND US; AND LET US BE AN INSTRUMENT IN THE HANDS OF THE LORD TO ANSWER THOSE PRAYERS.
CONCLUSION OVERALL-
... as you are faithful in keeping the commandments of God, as you draw closer to Him in faith, hope, and charity, things will work together for your good. As you immerse yourself in the work of our Father - as you create beauty and as you are compassionate to others- God will encircle you in the arms of His love. Dont doubt, for discouragement will give way to a life of meaning, grace, and fulfillment.
Through everything you create by compassion, you are a great power for good and will make the world a better place. Walk tall, God loves you."
SEARCH DILIGENTLY, PRAY ALWAYS, AND BE BELIEVING, AND ALL THINGS SHALL WORK TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD, IF YE WALK UPRIGHTLY AND REMEMBER THE COVENANT YE HAVE CONVENANTED ONE WITH ANOTHER - D&C 90:24
THEREFORE TREASURE UP THESE WORDS IN THY HEART. - D&C 6:20
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