WHy I'm Mormon - Guest Post

Why I'm a Mormon

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

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I should not be Mormon. I was raised in a very troubled home where religion was twisted and distorted. I should have run away from the LDS church, screaming! Everything from my early life pointed me towards being non-religious. What happened? I picked up and read the Book of Mormon. The book spoke directly to my heart and soul, like no other book could. And I have read many wonderful, poignant books to compare it to. And even now, decades later, I cannot outgrow that book. It always stays a few paces ahead of me, opening my eyes, filling my heart with new concepts and light.

That book taught me that Jesus is the Christ, He is a personal Savior, who in every sense of the phrase, is the "true and living" God. "True and living" means "here and now". It means He is actively seeking us in our troubles right this very now. We can have as much conscious contact with Him as we strive for and allow.

I know the Savior loves me, loves all of me. My strengths, my weaknesses, my struggles, my yearnings, my strivings. These are things I have come to know through my membership in the Mormon Church. I am Mormon because it is a huge blessing to be one. My membership in the church brings peace, confidence and brightness of hope. Rare commodities in today's world!

I have heard a lot of people put down and contort the LDS faith. Mostly through false information, through quotes taken out of context and with the blinding emotions of hate and anger. Satan fights our church very hard. I would invite anyone who has been duped by such tactics to take a simpler, more peaceful path. Read the Book of Mormon and decide for yourself what it really is. I would plead with you to not absorb your opinion from someone else who has an agenda.

There is peace, there is hope and there is direction. Finding it and grabbing a hold of it has been the best journey of my life.

Why are you Mormon?

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guest post by Shawnie of Classic Moms Corner

Super Girls to the Rescue!

The Villa girlie's stole the show on Friday night at the Irvine Stake Trunk-or-Treat.  I had a gaggle of Super Girls in tow.  What a fun night for everyone.  I could not believe how HUGE this Trunk-or-Treat was this year.  Unbelievable.  Car after car after car after car off yummy treats.  The Supers were in trick-or-Treat heaven.

Just Keep Packing, Packing, Packing

It is hard to keep up with the blog when you are in the middle of another move.  YEP!  The Villas are moving........again.  This will mark our 11th move in 8 years of marriage.  It is not easy to move so much, but when opportunities present themselves, you know they are blessings you can't pass up on.  At least that is what I believe.  So today is the last day in the SOLANA Apartment.  Tomorrow we move to Eddie's new property, Park West.  It is not much of an upgrade.  I guess it is not an upgrade at all, it is more of a down grade really, but it is big and the property has lots of kids stuff to do. Best of all, Eddie works right on the property.  So our one car issues is really not an issue at all.  Anyway, Jossy will stay at Beckman and we will work the commute out somehow.  Madison will stay at Hicks Canyon until the end of October.  Maybe November until after her birthday.  After that I am hoping we can put her back into Culverdale.  That is the school she went to kindergarten  and part of 1st grade at.  I really hope they let us put her there.  It is not our zoned school, but it is super close.  

That is all for now.

Gotta get back to packing before I have to pick up the UHAUL Truck.

No more Dr. Visits PLEASE!!!!

I don't think I can take any more Urgent Care visits with Sutton.  My nerves are fried.  The latest diagnosis is Bronchitis.  So we begin antibiotics today.  I hope this is it.  Prayers for good health and many thanks to our Heavenly Father for the blessing of Bronchitis and not Pneumonia or Pertussis.

Picture #1 - Crazy contraption you have to use when x-raying an infant.  It keeps them from moving.

Picture #2 - X-ray picture of Suttons chest.  Apparently she is VERY gassy. 

Picture #3 - Mom comforting little Sutton.  Actually I was just comforting myself.  Sutton was a trooper.  Mom on the other hand is about to lose it.

And the Award for Best Dr. Visit Goes to........

JACQUELYNN!

Today Jacque had to go in for her 4 year old physical and well check.  Included in this visit were 5, count them, 1,2,3,4,5 vaccinations.  5 Shots!  FIVE.  Knowing this rather large number, I had to go in with a plan.  Jacquelynn is my most vocal child.  When she does not like something, SHE DOES NOT LIKE IT!!!  

So the plan was to prepare her for what was to come.  You can't surprise Jacque, she is too smart for that.  So I prepared her for the parade of shots.  She freaked out when I told her.  Yelling for more the 20 minutes.  Thankfully I told her a few days in advance and not the day of.  So today, the day of the visit, I was ready.  In the car, I told her that if she was a tough kid and did not yell of cry in her visit, then we would go directly to Target after and she could get her Puppy in a Purse.  She has been wanting this since Brooklyn got hers for her Birthday.  So.....when she heard she could get one if she was a "tough" kid, she was psyched.  

Yes she was psyched then, but would it carry over into the appointment?  

IT SURE DID!  Jacquelynn braced herself, and the shots went in.  She did not wince, budge, cry or even frown.  She was a ROCKSTAR!  This kid was AMAZING!  I was so thrilled and amazed at what she did.  Even the nurses were amazed.  When this little girls wants something, she will go the distance.  LOVE YOU JACK-JACK!!!

Counting My Blessings.......

My beautiful baby girl Sutton joined our family 5 months ago today.  I love this doll more today then I did the day I met her and my love just continues to grow.  She is the most happy baby I have ever met.  Oh how she longs to keep up with her big sisters.  I know, you are probably thinking.....shes only 5 months, how could she want to keep up with her sisters?  Let me give you an example.  Today, the girls were jumping on my bed and Sutton was in her sleep and rocker watching them play.  All of the sudden she literally grabs the sides of her rocker and pulls herself into a sitting position!  Yeah....shes only 5 months and here she is trying to get up and go jump with the girls.  I LOVE THIS KID!!!

She has recently given me a little bit of a scare.  Now I am always on top of my girls and their immunizations.  I am always up to date and very scheduled about Dr. visits.  One could say I am a bit OCD about it.  Well, with the birth of Sutton, my darling husband forgot that you have 30 days after the birth of a new child to enroll them in the company Insurance.  So imagine my surprise when I was in the Dr. office and the nurse told me that Sutton was not on our family plan!  WHAT!!!  Yep, Eddie missed the 30 day window so Sutton was uninsured.  

Now if you don't have insurance, Dr. Visits can cost up to $300 a visit.  $300 is not something extra we have in our budget.  So like a penny pincher that I am, I passed on the visit....until we could get insured.  So I went the independent route.....yeah....never doing that again.  Blue Cross is still dragging their feet.  Even though I signed up for private insurance over a month ago, they still have not made a decision to insure her or not.  

Anyway, Sutton got sick.  I thought nothing of it until I began reading all the chaos that the Whooping Cough is causing here in California.  Apparently it has become an epidemic here in California.  Oh that's just great.  So for the last 4 days I have been freaking out that my little girl has Pertussis (Whooping Cough).  This so called cough is taking the lives of little ones.  The way to prevent it is to get vaccinated.  Well, we had no insurance, so we were not vaccinated, so we were flipping out while waiting for her test results to come in.  

Did you know the best time to treat Pertussis is in its early stages.  It is.  But, the symptoms of Pertussis are the same as a common cold.  You just have to wait and see if those symptoms progress.  But the longer you wait to treat, the more difficult it is to treat.  So what do you do?  Well, you can get tested.  But guess how long that takes?  One full week to get results back.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!  

So with no insurance and no sleep from constant worry, I drove Sutton to the CHOC Clinic.  This place offers Dr. visits to children without insurance.  Thank the Lord above for CHOC.  The Dr. who saw Sutton did not think she needed to be tested, but like the worrier that I am I wanted it done anyway.  So we did.  

Today on her 5 month birthday, I went back to the CHOC Clinic for a physical and to begin her immunizations.  Her 1st preliminary test results came back negative.  HURRAY!  So now with a little less worry, we are awaiting her culture test.  

I feel so much better today and hopefully I can sleep now knowing that Sutton most likely does not have Pertussis.  Counting my blessings today.  

I guess I want to thank my Father in Heaven for his blessings a comfort in this time of worry.  I am thankful that my husband is a worthy priesthood holder and was able to give Sutton a Priesthood blessing.  I am thankful for the power of prayer and the comfort and strength it can bring.  I am also very thankful for the nurses and Dr. at the CHOC Clinic in Costa Mesa.  

I love my little girl and I will continue to keep praying for a speedy recovery of this cold that is making her uncomfortable.  Trust me, I would take this cold any day over the insane Pertussis that has become an epidemic in California.

http://www.chocwalk.net/mommyvilla

Joshlyn is Senior.......WTH! (What The Heck)

Yep....Senior year for my 17 year old.  This is so weird.  I just took her today for her Senior Portraits!  That just blew me away.  Especially since I still think I am in High School. 

Last night was Beckman High Schools 1st football game of the year.....Joshlyn's last year of High School.  It was a BIG day for Jossy since she is a big time Varsity Cheerleader.  (Can I get a wut wut) 

Eddie and I would have attended the game, but Sutton is very sick and I needed to be here with her.  So I will add that I am very excited to go to her next game.  hopefully they team will win that one.  But we are so proud of Joshlyn, JoJo to her teammates, that I just had to give her a shout out.