The Periodic Table of Elements & Divine Signatures

Three weeks ago I started another chapter of my life.  Its been 15 years since I’ve taken courses at Boise State University and its time to go back.  I never did plan on having a career; raising kids has been my paramount plan.  So, in 2011- for me, a year of service as the Relief Society president in my ward in Cleveland, as I did God's work, I couldn’t deny the strong feelings I had that I needed to prepare for a career.  Then we moved to Cincinnati for Jake to go to school and I felt so good about going back to work.  I did, and I loved my “job”.   Fast forward to living in Boise and working for a dentist, I realized it was just that…a job.  And the more I thought about my feelings in Cleveland, I recalled that the feeling I felt was of “preparing for a career.”  The job I had was not a career.

As these thoughts culminated my husband Jake, took on full time employment with Bronco Athletic association at Boise State.  With his new employee benefits, I had the opportunity to go to school for really low costs.  I quit my job this summer and started math online.  Then, with my kids, we started school.

I am choosing to get an education and the classes I’m taking are challenging.  And I have felt overwhelmed a lot.  And I also feel so happy and excited.  I have missed learning!  My anatomy and physiology class has so much information and I really work at it day by day, not knowing how its all going to work out.

My first anatomy & physiology test is this Friday.  Its going to be hard.  It covers a lot of stuff I’ve never learned before like Chemistry.  That stuff is beyond me!  So daily, as I study, I offer up many prayers for understanding and help and guidance.  

Some of my conversations with God have been that I know He’s guiding me to this, and that I believe that He's showing me that some of my life's work includes learning these things, so I have asked for His intervention to help me succeed.  Theres a saying “He didn’t bring you this far just to abandon you.”  So I choose faith.

Yesterday I was at church in Relief Society (womens class) and I went to sit down, and I immediately didn’t want to sit there, and then I looked around and didn’t see anywhere that I wanted to sit.  I was confused, because I don’t really ever have this problem.  Then I looked at Paula.  She invited me to sit by her.  So I moved.  She told me she had been thinking about me for 3 weeks or so and wondered how I was doing.  I told her I didn’t know why she was thinking about me-nothing really was going on in my life that she’d need to think of me.  So she asked about my job and how it was going and if I had made changes.

I told her all about the new changes in my life.  And about anatomy and physiology and that the chemistry was over my head.  Its really something I think I’ll love if I understand it.  I mentioned looking for someone in the ward who had experience who could tutor me.  She said she was sure someone at church had taught it before.  I asked if it was Brother Buhrley.  She said she didn’t think so.  But, at the end of the meeting when Sister Buhrley came walking my way I asked her what her husband taught when he was at BYU-I.  She replied “Anatomy & Physiology”.  To say the least, I was so excited!  When we moved to Boise 2 ½ years ago so did the Buhrley’s.  And when I met him I remembered him telling me that he loved teaching and that he wished he could tutor or help teach it still.  So when she answered my question-I really felt like I could burst with joy.  The Lord has answered my prayers continually and this day in a big way.  So, this afternoon we just finished our first study lesson.  He’s an educator.  He taught this same class!  He helped me understand so much today.  And he loved teaching and he misses it.  It was so nice to have questions answered.  He gave me handouts and everything! 

So to sum this up, this isn’t the path I ever intended to go down, but I’ve been building my life as much as I can with the Lord guiding me.  And its been a lot faith to let Him.  And as I feel the fire and joy of His hand helping along, my courage builds that maybe, just maybe I will do this. 

"Sometimes, the Lord sends His blessings in such a highly unusual, dramatic, or precisely timed manner, that it might be likened to a "divine signature." It is as though the Lord "signs" the blessings personally so that we will know with certainty that it comes from Him. In doing so, God not only gives us the blessing, but at the same time He strengthens our faith and deepens our testimony of Him."--Gerald Lund

All the Things They Do

One of my favorite things to watch my boys do is experiment: Like rubbing alcohol, paper and matches experiments:

Recipe experiments:

Jamesen wanted to go to the store and learn how to shop in a budget and buy the ingredients for a dessert. He chose The Lion House's No Bake Cherry Cheese Cake. My go to childhood favorite!

Speak Good of Others

Sometimes I have a good idea and try it out and it works, and thankfully I got to see it work out cause I might have missed it. What was my idea? Say something positive and see if it affects my kids. We were in the van driving somewhere and we stopped for gas and while Jake was pumping gas I said nonchalantly to no one particular that I was grateful for Jake and how he always cleans the windshields when we stop for gas. Also, I commented that he is always finding ways to get things done and not afraid of working hard. The very next time I stopped to get gas, I let Jabren pump my gas while I sat in the car cause he loves to feel all grown up and do big guy things. I looked in my drivers side mirror and didn't see him at the pump so I started to look around and there he was in my rear view mirror-CLEANING MY WINDOW! He heard me! And the kids do. Our kids hear us. So I'm glad that this day I witnessed it. And thanked him for his service. Love that boy!

BOISE STATE FOOTBALL FALL 2015

The weekend was coming and Jake came home from work with passes for Club seating and parking for the Stueckle Sky Center at BSU Stadium. Jabren chose to go to camping with the Scouts at Roystone Hot Springs in Sweet so I went with Josh, Jamesen and Jakes parents Mel and Lauren. We enjoyed the comfortable seats, bathrooms so close and concessions just feet away! We played Idaho State Bengels and Won, of course. :)

Barefootin' Boys!

My Men Walk on Water! It's been forever since I have blogged so here's a quick peak into our summer 2015 happenings. When Jake and I get off work we sometimes have a few hours of daylight to head to the ski lake and ski with his dad. When I was a kid we skied on water ski's. Jake and our boys have taken on the extreme sport of going naked footed aka Barefoot. Here is Grandpa teaching technique:

Josh practicing technique:

This is Joshua learning how to connect all the movements so he can get to his feet. It is such hard work and he stays with it even when he could get discouraged. I love watching him learn!

Reading a Good Book is Like Taking A Journey

So.  Sweet Dreams Jabren.
This my boy.  Asleep.  With a book.  Oh, how many pictures I have of him.  Just like this.

"Build a Rocket ship and Leave the Earth"

It's in our blood! Blasting rockets is a favorite weekend activity, that we find ways to squeeze it in. So here are a few photo's from our fun rocket launching days.

What? You've Never Heard of Kings Island?

Thats just wrong!  On so many levels.  Just wrong!

Somehow we happened to live in Cincinnati, Ohio for 2 years.  And somehow we lived within 6 minutes of Kings Island, a Roller Coaster Park.  We practically lived there when we weren't working.

Someday I'll write an ode to Summer of 2013.  The year of our roller coaster days.

So, here are a few pictures at Kings Island.  Seriously, some of the best roller coasters you'll ever ride are in Ohio.  Who knew?

A YEAR AGO....

A year ago our family lived in Avon, Ohio. A year ago Jake worked for URS in Cleveland. A year ago Josh and Jamesen started kindergarten. A year ago I was in the thick of Relief Society work at church. A year ago we had no idea where our lives were going. A year ago we knew URS wanted to move us to Chicago. A year ago we were praying hard for answers and direction. We were fasting, praying and acting in faith that we would receive answers. We had been looking for these answers for years. Answers for our future. We were done with URS. We were done with the constant moving and unknown with little financial compensation. So. It was time. Time for a fork in the road. Prayers were answered. Loooooong awaited prayers, answered. By October, Jake gave his notice, turned down a long term opportunity in Chicago and accepted the opportunity to go to graduate school at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Due south 4 hours from Cleveland. Once the decision to go back to school was made, it was like opening the flood gates. The plan was in motion and fell into place so rapidly, we found ourselves living in Maineville, Ohio without so much as a blink of an eye. It went so fast. Jake's enrolled in the Masters of Education, Athletic (Sports) Administration degree. His hopes are to work in a major university athletic department and eventually run a department as an Athletic Director (AD). Right now: Jake's working on an internship through the University of Cincinnati's Athletic Department. He takes classes at night. He loves what he's learning and the world he's in. He's happy... He's happy, people. Oh, what I would do for him to be happy. To make all this happen, we switched roles in our home. I had worked for a dentist in our ward in Avon, enough to build my confidence to go back full time into the work force. Once we arrived in Maineville, I went to work looking for a job and within 6 weeks I had a job with an endodontist (root canal specialist) doing dental assisting. (Thats a miracle story just in and of itself.) Jake has studied hard and has perfect grades and has been amazing at being Mr. Mom. I always knew he'd be great at it. He's modest, but he's a shining star in his program getting great grades and reviews from his professors on his presentations and projects. I love my job! Hours are perfect. I enjoy the ladies I work with a lot. My boss is great! So many miracles, its as if God signed His name to them personally. We're happy here. This reads so simply, and yet if you look between the lines we were at the end of our rope without answers. We were on the verge of great despair feeling like we would wander aimlessly for the rest of our lives. We felt like we couldn't make ANY decisions for our future. They were made for us. We had felt so discouraged for more than a few years. These decisions involved HUGE LEAPS OF FAITH! We didn't know how or if or when they'd work out and even if they will still work out. We were leaving a paying job in a poor economy to go to school. Neither of us had income when we arrived in Cinci. However. Through the years one thing I have learned; TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THINE HEART and lean not unto thine own Understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path. So thats where we are in our lives...In case you didn't know.