2011 Stake Women's Conference

Last Saturday we had our annual Stake Women's Conference. We had a great turn out, over 180 sisters from the Fayetteville, North Carolina Stake. We had speakers from our temple presidency and classes on family history and teaching our children about the temple and a service project where the sisters made activity packets to give to young children in the temple while waiting to be sealed to their parents.

I got to take part in organizing a fashion show where we showcased different sisters from our stake who had been married in the temple. The young women from my home ward, Hope Mills 1st, wore thirteen different dresses of temple marriages spanning from 1961 to 2010. Temples included, Logan, Salt Lake, Los Angeles, St. George, Washington DC, Atlanta, and Raleigh.

Hope Mills 1st Ward Young Women

Dorey B., Paris T., Cheyenne D., Jordan T.,

Erika H., Ayla B., Jessica L., Sophia H.
So Cute ~ My dear Jessica!

One of the highlights of the fashion show was honoring Sister Marlene B., who celebrates her 50th wedding anniversary this year. This dear sister from Idaho after returning from a church mission, had the opportunity of working in the office for the prophet David O. McKay but felt impressed to take a different job at Utah State in Logan where she met her husband to be, Jim, who was from North Carolina. After their marriage they moved to Lumberton North Carolina and have been serving and loving the saints ever since.
I love the fact that these girls got to wear something that had been in the temple of the Lord. My hope is they felt the sacredness of that important event and make goals to do the same.

(Do you recognize the dress with the girl in the hat....yes it's mine. Thanks Erika. You were lovely).

How far is heaven?

it's not very far.

In temples of God,

It's right where you are.

Brace Yourself

Jessica got her braces this week and we're happy she's trying to smile about it.

"The world always looks brighter

from behind a smile."

~Anonymous

Dog Days of Summer

Dottie the Dog

Well I'm back to blogging. Just thought I'd start by posting some summer highlights. We had a full fun summer. Even had time to play with Dottie. Here she is waiting for me to hit her a tennis ball. What a dog!

Me, Kellee, Carson & Jessica

at Kellee's Graduation

We've had such a joy spending time with Cousin Kellee. We started off our summer by attending her graduation. We are really proud of her accomplishments. She's moved on and is attending Brigham Young University. If she does as well in college as she did in high school...She will Do great!

Angie, Jessica & Janna

Beach Fun!

You never know who might come visit if you just ask. Cousin Janna from California just graduated from high school and came to see us. It was so wonderful to have her. This picture is of them having fun at the Kure Beach.

Angie and Friends from Single's Ward

River Rafting

Angie came back in June and found a job here in Fayetteville at High Smith Rainey Hospital. She lives only ten minutes away and likes the single's ward. She shares teaching gospel doctrine class. One of their fun activities this summer was going river rafting. Do you think she might be having too much fun?

Jessica & Sophia
Stake Camp 2010

I'm so glad that my girls have had good experiences at YW Camp. Its good to know that they can have fun even in North Carolina where it's hot and muggy in the summer. Here's Jessica acting goofy with a friend from the ward. As my mother would say: "the fruit don't fall to far from the tree. "



Dave and some of the Youth and Adult Leaders

Stake Youth Conference

"A More Nobler Desire"

Dave and I got to be host parents for a group of young men at our youth conference. The theme was "A More Nobler Desire" A week before youth conference they were given a challenge to go on a digital fast: no tv, movies, texting, or computer except for absolute necesities like summer homework or keeping in contact with parents. Then the youth did service projects all weekend. Some of our activities included reading the newspaper to the blind over the radio, feeding the homeless in downtown Fayetteville and putting up a fence for a neighbor. It was great experience and helped us all to keep our priorites in order.

Jake the Graduate

Bachelors in Geography

with a minor in Spanish

Jake had a Summertime Graduation. Since BYU doesn't have a ceremony in December, Jake had his celebration in August. He still has a class he's finishing up with for Fall Semester and will be done in December. Then what? Well, we shall see.

*********************************

When I moved to North Carolina, one of my first friends was Hilda Brock and she was a wonderful primary music leader. At the end of the summer she would teach the primary children the song: "Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime" after they would learn it she then let the children make up their own verses. I thought it was so clever. I'm so glad I witnessed this wonderful woman sharing her talent and light to all.

Here's my feeble attempt to honor her love for music and show how our family spent the summer:

Oh, what do you do in the summertime

when all the world is green,

do you swim in a pool,

graduate from school,

or play with your dog all day long.

Is that what you do?

So do I.

Dance with me

Jessica & Kellee
Jessica's first church dance.
"Mormon Prom"

Round, Round, the Roller Coasters

Everyone that knows me knows I can't do roller coasters...I'm talking about those BIG ones. So when my husband's cousin Jeanette asked if we wanted to spend a day with them at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, I was hesitant. Somehow I had gotten out of taking Angie and Jake to any big roller coaster amusement parks when they were young. Usually they just went with their schoolmates or friends had invited them on their own. I've been feeling a little guilty with Jessica and Carson though because the only amusement park they've been to is Disneyland which isn't really considered a park with the mega roller coasters. So, to Williamsburg we went. Some how I thought that one of my kids would have inherited my genes and their stomachs would feel a little too uneasy, but no chance. They were literally running from roller coaster to roller coaster. It was really a blast to see how much fun they were having. They even caught me at a weak moment and I went on ride with them...never again. What was I thinking???

"We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body." ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Middle School Honor Chorus

Mrs. Campbell and Jessica

at

The Stevens Center

Winston-Salem, North Carolina

Jessica and 190 Middle School students sang at the Middle School Honor Chorus for the state of North Carolina. She was of 1 of 19 from Cumberland County and the only one from her school to participate. Their musical clinician was Jonathan Willcocks from England. It was a fun event and we're really proud of Jessica and grateful to her music director Mrs. Campbell.

Back in the Swing

Its been hard to get back in the swing of things. Especially since my laptop hasn't been working. I spent almost 3 hours with "Dell" getting it cleaned up from some viruses obtained on our road trip. Anyway, all is well now so I thought I ought to recap some of the past few events.

Dave & Jake "Gone Fishin'"

Dave hasn't gone fishing in a long time. Jake was home for a week in between semesters at BYU- Provo so they went out like old times.

Hope Mills 1st Ward
Primary Temple Trip

We all had a good time going to the Raleigh North Carolina Temple and hearing Sister Draughon and Bishop Lockhart tell the importance of the temple.

Lauren, Erika, Carson
Cousins--Together at the Temple

Carson
"As we touch the temple
the temple will touch us."
~Thomas S. Monson

Angie, Carson & Jessica
at Carthage Jail, Illinois

We had a great time with Angie. She took us up in the Arch at St. Louis and then we all went and stayed a couple of days in Nauvoo and also went and saw Carthage Jail. It was a great way to end our road trip out to California.

Beauty & The Beast, Middle School Style

"Be Our Guest" Jessica & Jodi

Last night we went and saw Jessica's Middle School perform "Beauty and The Beast" Jessica got to be a narrator and villager in the play. She also got to be a spatula in the scene and song "Be Our Guest" which I personally thought was the best part of the play. Five youth from our church participated in the event which included our cousin Kyle B. He was great as "Lefou." Our friend Brigham played a lead role as "Gaston". All sang so well. We feel really impressed with our Middle School here to be able to do such a great job in performing arts. We're just a small, country school at the edge of the county. Last night the Assistant Principal said that our school is one of the best kept secrets in our county and I would totally agree. We feel really blessed to have such wonderful teachers at the middle school level who want to have great things for our kids.

Jodi, Brigham, Kyle, Jemma & Jessica

Our youth from the church

had a fun time performing

Cousin Kyle with his sister Kellee
I think he has acting in his future

Music is the soul of the world
embedded in sound
~Unknown

Happy 13th Birthday Jessica!

THE CIRCLE OF LIFE

ASHLEY G., JESSICA, & BETH

AT "YOUNG WOMEN'S IN EXCELLENCE"

Sunday we had our annual "Young Women's in Excellence" program. The theme was "Going the Distance" and the girls did a dramatization of young women in past eras up to today that had struggles spiritually into making the choices of being valiant young women in keeping the commandments. It was very powerful and I enjoyed it a lot. What struck me though is the fact that my daughter, Jessica, is now a young woman and her young women's president is Ashley G., who I taught when I was young women's president. I guess "what goes around comes around."

"We are daughters of our Heavenly Father,
Who loves us and we love him,
We will stand as witnesses of God,
at all times and in all things, and in all places,
as we strive to live the Young Women's values. . ."

GHOUL DAYS!

(from left) Jessica, Eric, Carson, Cassidy & Lil' Carson

We had fun "trick or treating"

in the neighborhood with friends.

Ghoul days, ghoul days, goody, goody, ghoul days.

Ringing the bell of your neighbor's place,

Hearing him yell at your funny face.

You were the greatest ghost I've seen;

I was the witch whose hair was green.

And we haunted the house on Halloween,

When we were a couple of ghouls.

"Jessisca" THE GHOUL

Isn't she a beauty

"Carson" He's a NEWSIE

He's obsessed with this movie

"Dottie" THE DEVIL

How true it is

"Abby B." & "Kellee B."
They dressed up as HYMN BOOKS

So clever!

FUN, FUN, HALLOWEEN!

HALLOWEEN GREETINGS!

Friday, we had our annual

"trunk or treat" ward activity.

The kids dressed up and had lots of fun.

CARSON is "Link" from the video game "Zelda"

with his friend ERIC

JESSICA is a cat burglar with a unabrow

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

LEARN TO LAUGH

I loved general conference this weekend. I always look forward to listening to the leaders of the church. One thing I like to do is pick my favorite talks out of all who spoke and its always so hard because I love them all. Anyway, here's my top three. First, I liked Elder Wirthlin because he was so funny. He talked about adversity. He told some funny personal stories and gave good advice from his mother. She always told him, "Come what may and love it." My favorite quote:

"Learn to laugh...

next time you're tempted to groan,

you might try to laugh instead.

It will extend your life

and make the lives of all those around you enjoyable."

Joseph B. Wirthlin

Second, I enjoyed Elder Ballard. He gave a history of the great and marvelous work of the restored gospel on the earth and the challenges of those people who brought forth the gospel in thses latter-days. He encouraged us to keep our faith and I especially was inspired by these words:

"The Lord isn't asking us

to load up a handcart;

He's asking us to foritify our faith.

He isn't asking us

to walk across a continent;

He's asking us to walk across the street

to visit our neighbors.

He isn't asking us

to give all our worldly possesions to build a temple;

He's asking us

to give of our means and our time

to continue to build temples and then

to attend regularly the temples already built.

He isn't asking us to die a martyr's death;

He's asking us to live a disciple's life. . .

We can't afford to be superficially righteous.

Our testimonies must run deep with spiritual roots."

M. Russell Ballard

Last but not least, I loved President Monson. He is always so upbeat and positive. Here were some of my favorite quotes:

"Don't let important things pass you by. . .

have joy in the journey. . .

There is no tomorrow to remember

if we don't do something today. . .

Rather than dwelling on the past,

we should make the most of today--

of the here and now,

doing all we can to provide pleasant memories for the future."

Thomas S. Monson