B+C+B+C+B+C: MY ward

Monday, February 23, 2009

MY ward

The saddest part of moving has been, for me, leaving my ward. It's the first time since good ol' Greenbluff ward in WA that I have been in the same ward for more than a few months. Lakeside 1st ward has been home for almost 3 years, and I've absolutely loved it. It's a ward with a great mix - newlyweds, singles, young families, old families, elderly...

This picture is from Valentine's Day night at the dance (I'm really proud of myself - I instigated this group photo. It was supposed to be for couples only. I got the MC to corral the 1st warders for the photo op).
Seriously, this photo makes me smile. Not just because Brian and I are barely poking our heads out from the back (tall people always get stuck in that row), but because I consider each and every person in this photo a friend. We've had a connection in some way - neighbors, visit teaching, home teaching, callings.... (gotta love how busy our church keeps us). Brother Hundley on the right is one of the sweetest elderly men you'll ever meet - he always shakes Brian's hand at church and tells him "you better be nice to your pretty little wife there." The Nakata's in the middle are our home and visiting teachers, as well as our neighbors. They've had us over for dinner, and fixed our thermostat. I've learned so much from Maria Nakata - she's been an unlikely friend. Catherine is sticking her head up from the back row next to Brian - she's an amazing lady - a master seamstress and an against-all-odds convert. She's single, and before the pic said, "I guess I'm the odd one here" meaning since she didn't have a date - and I told her, "Catherine, even if you were married, you'd be the odd one here!" The Smith's in the back row are having their FIFTH GIRL in a few months. Sam Smith found out my maiden name and said to me, "I could tell you were one of the chosen." Bishop and his wife (lady in red, front row) were unofficially voted Valentine King and Queen of the dance. They have 6 kids and are some of the most optimistic people I've met. The Hunters (green shirt in the middle) - well, I've posted about them before. We're about as tight as tight gets - ward friends, babysit swapping, blog friends... I'm hoping Brianna gets to marry one of their 3 cute sons. The Hadleys (front row, blue shirt) are runners too. 'Nuf said there. The Clarks (front row, blackandwhite) have a son that made every wolf scout den meeting so entertaining for us.
Ok, I'll stop now. I could go on, obviously. I really feel like this is my ward family. Vernal has big shoes to fill.
Here's our couple pic from the dance:

It's neck-up only cuz I've fallen off the wagon in the past few weeks...like ten lbs off... but I'm workin' on it. Kindof. Fine, I'm not. I'll start tomorrow.

6 comments:

DCRomney said...: You've beat me by 2 lbs!!! :) Its the cold hibernation weather, I tell ya :) I did run (with some struggle) 6.5 miles today, though! That's a start, right?! :); February 23, 2009 at 7:47 PM
Debbie said...: You look very pretty in red.; February 23, 2009 at 9:32 PM
Amy Hunter said...: Oh, I love you. That was so fun to read and I feel the same way about everyone in that picture too. By the way, we are jewish (Eric is from the tribe of Judah) and we believe in pre-arranged marriages, you know. Which one do you want? Thank goodness I can keep track of my future daughter-in-law through your fabulous, hilarious blog.; February 23, 2009 at 10:03 PM
Melese & Kyle said...: So I just have to say that I LOVE that picture you have at the top. The one of all of you looking in the mirror, and I hope you don't mind but I'm totally going to steal that idea for one of my next photo shoots :); February 24, 2009 at 1:55 PM
chelsea mckell said...: Chris - I agree. I've definitely been hibernating. Bring on SPRING!

Mom - thank you :) But you can leave sassy comments again. That was more interesting.

Amy - Brianna is happy to have any of them. She requests that whomever she gets comes with the dog.

Melese - I'm not surprised you liked it. I welcome you to use it, and improve on it - I bet you'd do fun stuff with mirrors. Next time we need family pics - can I hire you?; February 25, 2009 at 5:18 PM
Tia Langston said...: I agree with you about it being sad leaving your ward. We are going through the same thing right now. We've been here two years (the longest we've been anywhere since being married)....so we're kinda attached to a ton of friends here.; February 26, 2009 at 9:46 AM

Quotes I want to remember

"The Lord knows our bearing capacity, both as to coping and to comprehending, and He will not give us more to bear than we can manage at the moment, though to us it may seem otherwise. Just as no temptations will come to us from which we cannot escape or which we cannot bear, we will not be given more trials than we can sustain."
- Neal A. Maxwell

"It is a fundamental truth that the responsibilities of motherhood cannot be successfully delegated. No, not to day-care centers, not to schools, not to nurseries, not to babysitters. We become enamored with men's theories such as the idea of preschool training outside the home for young children. Not only does this put added pressure on the budget, but it places young children in an environment away from mother's influence."
-Ezra Taft Benson

“Perhaps there has never been a time when we had greater need to pray and to teach our family members to pray. Prayer is a defense against temptation. It is through earnest and heartfelt prayer that we can receive the needed blessings and the support required to make our way in this sometimes difficult and challenging journey we call mortality.”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Live the gospel as conspicuously as you can. Keep the covenants your children know you have made. And bear your testimony! Don’t just assume your children will somehow get the drift of your beliefs on their own.
-Jeffrey R. Holland

"We hold in our arms the rising generation. They come to this earth with important responsibilities and great spiritual capacities. We cannot be casual in how we prepare them. Our challenge as parents and teachers is not to create a spiritual core in their souls but rather to fan the flame of their spiritual core already aglow with the fire of their premortal faith."
-Neil L. Andersen

"Certainly there are times when getting the family together to read the scriptures does not stack up as a spiritual experience worthy of a journal entry. But we must not be deterred. There are special times when the spirit of a son or daughter is just right and the power of these great scriptures goes down into their heart like fire. As we honor our Heavenly Father in our homes, He will honor our efforts."
-Neil L. Andersen

President Hinckley admonished both men and women to be nurturers. He said, ‘How much more beautiful would be the society in which we live if every father . . . and . . . mother regarded [their] children . . . as gifts from the God of heaven . . . and brought them up with true affection in the wisdom and admonition of the Lord.’ ”
-Susan W. Tanner

"Children are like trees. When they are young, their lives can be shaped and directed, usually with ever so little effort. Said the writer of Proverbs, 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it' (22:6). That training finds its roots in the home. There will be little of help from other sources. Do not depend on government to help in this darkening situation. Barbara Bush, wife of former U.S. president George Bush, spoke wisely: 'Your success as a family, our success as society, depends not on what happens at the White House, but on what happens inside your house.' "
-Gordon B. Hinckley

“I give counsel to husbands and wives. Pray for the love which allows you to see the good in your companion. Pray for the love that makes weaknesses and mistakes seem small. Pray for the love to make your companion’s joy your own. Pray for the love to want to lessen the load and soften the sorrows of your companion.”
-Henry B. Eyring

“Reverent behavior is not a natural tendency for most children. It is a quality that is taught by parents and leaders through example and training. But remember, if reverence is rooted in love, so is the teaching of it. Harshness in our training begets resentment, not reverence.”
-Margaret S. Lifferth

"There is no one perfect way to be a good mother. Each situation is unique. Each mother has different challenges, different skills and abilities, and certainly different children. What matters is that a mother loves her children deeply and, in keeping with the devotion she has for God and her husband, prioritizes them above all else."
- M. Russell Ballard

“As parents, we should remember that our lives may be the book from the family library which the children most treasure. Are our examples worthy of emulation? Do we live in such a way that a son or a daughter may say, ‘I want to follow my dad,’ or ‘I want to be like my mother’?”
-Thomas S. Monson

“Security for our families comes from learning self-control, avoiding the excesses of this world, and being temperate in all things.”
-Kent D. Watson

Monday, February 23, 2009

MY ward

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