The Year 2014

I am actually pretty excited for this year! I have decided that this year is going to be my year... Yes, I know it is a little cliche and everyone at this time of year is saying about the same thing but my goal is to make this year mine! So, of course, I have some New Year's Resolution. But John and I also have some resolutions together!

John and I's Resolutions

~ Be better at Saving Money.... Considering I seem to be really bad with cars in the last four months, we need to be better at having a rainy day fund. So our goal is to at least have enough in savings to get new tires (which seems to happen a lot to me) or enough to cover the rent for a month.

~ Spend 2 hours three times a week with just each other.... With our crazy 40 hour work schedules, different work times and John commuting to Idaho Falls, we don't get to spend a whole lot of time with each other. Our goal is to make time for together time.

~ Make a better Habit of Scripture Study... We want to be better at this. Marion G. Romney stated "There is another reason why we should read the Book of Mormon: By doing so we will fill and refresh our minds with a constant flow of that “water” which Jesus said would be in us “a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). We must obtain a continuing supply of this water if we are to resist evil and retain the blessings of being born again."

~ To work on the Chores together. Partly because of our work schedule, we are not very organized on the chores around the house. We have tried a chore chart and assigning chores but they have never worked. So new method, we assigned chores to certain days and we are going to try our best to get them done together. 

My Self Resolutions

~ Lose at least forty pounds... Some of you may say that's an unreasonable goal but in my mind it's not. I am not saying it needs to be lost in three month or even six. It's my resolution for the year 2014 to lose at least 40 if not more during the course of the year.

~ To stress less... This is going to be harder to do. And it may affect some of you. I am going to have to say no to things asked of me more often. I need to be able to focus my attention on my husband and myself before others. This last week has made me finally decide this plus stress isn't healthy anyways.

My Motto for the year is:

Do you have any resolutions for 2014?

Utah Adventures

I have come to the conclusion that John and I enjoy getting into situations that I call "Adventures". I feel like it was just yesterday that I ran over a half a sheet of paper sized piece of metal in the ground and then yesterday..... Well, I am getting ahead of myself.

Friday, we traveled down to Utah so that we could witness Leisha's, John's sister, wedding. We arrived about ten o'clock at Kristie and Todd's house in Draper. We enjoyed some one-on-one time with them and our cute niece, Lilly. We ran through the mall looking for one more piece I needed for my dress to wear the next day and then off to the Eves to see everyone else. That afternoon we spent time with both families preparing the cultural hall for the reception.

Then we woke up Saturday at 7:00am to get ready to go to the temple for Leisha and Carson's sealing. We even enjoyed some of Kristie's awesome bacon!! The sealing was lovely with lots of family... There wasn't even enough chairs.... to be there for their selling for eternity.

The reception was a lot of fun too and everyone really enjoyed there time. 

After the reception is when John & I's "adventure" began.... I had begged and begged John to go to In&Out Burger all day. My parents grew up in California and love In&Out Burger so every time we were in California we went. So now that they are in Utah, I try to get John to let us eat there. Well I found one about five to ten minutes away from the reception.... And finally saying okay, we left kind of excited. Since we are not from Utah, neither of us knows where we are going. Thankfully, we have a gps....well since our gps is always in the car, we haven't updated it for about a year. But until last night we hadn't had any problems with the gps.... So we were leaving from the church and following the directions from are loud gps, I turned left. After that everything is a little fuzzy... There was no sign, and when I turned the traffic was clear. Well then the traffic got a green light and we were about a half block from the church.... We saw the lights and by then it was too late... We were hit head on by a car of about the same size as us. It wasn't until a witness of the accident came to see if we were okay that we found out that I had turned onto a one-way street going the wrong way. Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt definitely a few bruises and scrapes..... Very sore chest and shoulders from those darn air bags but altogether alright. But our car did not make it out very alive....

We were greatly blessed though that we were not injured beyond that... Of course this is another hardship for us but we can endure....

The Strength to Endure

By Elder Richard J. Maynes

Our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion.

Every morning when we wake up, we face a new day filled with the challenges of life. These challenges come in many forms: physical challenges, financial setbacks, difficulties with relationships, emotional trials, and even struggles with one’s faith.

Many of the challenges we face in life can be solved and overcome; however, others may be difficult to understand and impossible to overcome and will be with us until we pass on to the next life. As we temporarily endure the challenges we can solve and as we continue to endure the challenges we cannot solve, it is important to remember that the spiritual strength we develop will help us successfully endure all the challenges we face in life.

Brothers and sisters, we have a loving Heavenly Father who has designed our earthly existence so that we can individually learn the lessons we need to learn to qualify for eternal life in His presence.

An episode in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith illustrates this principle. The Prophet and several companions had been prisoners in Liberty, Missouri, for months. While suffering in jail, the Prophet Joseph pled with the Lord in humble prayer that the Saints might be relieved from their current suffering. The Lord responded by teaching the Prophet Joseph, and all of us, that the challenges we face, if successfully endured, will be for our ultimate good. This is the Lord’s response to Joseph’s petition:

“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.”1

Heavenly Father has organized our journey through life to be a test of our character. We are exposed to both good and evil influences and then given the moral agency to choose for ourselves which path we will take. As the ancient Book of Mormon prophet Samuel taught, “Ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free.”2

Heavenly Father also understood that due to our mortality we would not always make the correct or righteous choice. Because we are not perfect and because we make mistakes, we need help in returning to His presence. The necessary help is provided through the teachings, example, and atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice makes possible our future salvation and exaltation through the principle of repentance. If we honestly and sincerely repent, the Atonement can help us become clean, change our nature, and successfully endure our challenges.

Endurance is an important principle found within the doctrine of Jesus Christ. It is important because the quality of our eternal future is proportional to our ability to endure in righteousness.

In 2 Nephi 31 the prophet Nephi teaches us that after we receive the same saving ordinance of baptism that Jesus Christ received and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we must “press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, [and then] behold, thus saith the Father: [We] shall have eternal life.”3

Therefore, in order to receive the greatest of all the blessings of our Heavenly Father, which is eternal life, we must complete the appropriate ordinance work and then continue to keep the associated covenants. In other words, we must successfully endure.

Our ability to endure to the end in righteousness will be in direct proportion to the strength of our testimony and the depth of our conversion. When our testimonies are strong and we are truly converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ, our choices will be inspired by the Holy Ghost, they will be Christ-centered, and they will support our desire to endure in righteousness. If our testimonies are weak and our conversion superficial, the risk is much greater that we will be enticed by the false traditions of the world to make poor choices.

I would like to share an experience that illustrates the effort required to endure physically and then compare it to the effort required to endure spiritually. Upon returning from my mission, I had the opportunity to play basketball for a well-respected coach and author at a college in California. This coach was very serious about his players being in shape before the start of the basketball season. One of his training prerequisites before any of us could touch a basketball on the practice court was to run a cross-country course in the hills near the school in a specific and very aggressive time. I remember my very first attempt at running this cross-country course immediately upon my return from the mission field: I thought I was going to die.

It took weeks of serious training in order to finally beat the time that the coach set as a goal. It was a great feeling to not only be able to run the course but also to accelerate down the stretch to the finish line.

To play basketball successfully, you need to get into good shape. Being in good physical condition comes at a price, and that price is dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline. Spiritual endurance also comes at a price. It is the same price: dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline.

A testimony, like your body, needs to be in shape if you want it to endure. So how do we keep our testimonies in shape? We cannot get our bodies into good basketball shape by simply watching basketball on television. Similarly, we won’t be able to get our testimonies in shape by simply watching general conference on television. We need to study and learn the fundamental principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and then we must do our very best to live them. That is how we become disciples of Jesus Christ, and that is how we build an enduring testimony.

When we face adversity in life and our desire is to emulate the attributes of Jesus Christ, it is essential to be spiritually prepared. Being spiritually prepared means we have developed spiritual stamina or strength--we will be in good shape spiritually. We will be in such good shape spiritually that we will consistently choose the right. We will become immovable in our desire and ability to live the gospel. As an anonymous author once said, “You must become the rock the river cannot wash away.”

Because we face challenges every day, it is important that we work on our spiritual stamina every day. When we develop spiritual stamina, the false traditions of the world, as well as our personal daily challenges, will have little negative impact on our ability to endure in righteousness.

Great examples of spiritual stamina come from our own family histories. Among the many stories from our ancestors, we will be able to find examples that demonstrate the positive characteristics of endurance.

A story from my own family history illustrates this principle. My great-grandfather Joseph Watson Maynes was born in 1856 in Hull, Yorkshire, England. His family joined the Church in England and then made their way to Salt Lake City. He married Emily Keep in 1883, and they became the parents of eight children. Joseph was called to serve a full-time mission in June of 1910, when he was 53 years old. With the support of his wife and eight children, he returned to his native England to serve his mission.

After serving faithfully for approximately two years, he was riding his bicycle along with his companion to Sunday School services in Gloucester, England, when his tire burst. He got off his bicycle to assess the damage. When he saw that it was serious and would take a while to fix, he told his companion to go ahead and begin the Sunday service and he would be there shortly. Just as he finished saying this, he collapsed to the ground. He had died suddenly of a heart attack.

Joseph Watson Maynes never saw his wife and eight children again in this life. They were able to transport his body back to Salt Lake City and have his funeral service at the old Waterloo Assembly Hall. A statement made at his funeral service by Elder Anthony W. Ivins of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles teaches us an important lesson about life, death, and endurance: “This is what the gospel gives us--not immunity from death, but victory over it through the hope we have in a glorious resurrection. … It applies to [Joseph Maynes]. … It is a pleasure, and it is a satisfaction and joy to know that men lay down their lives in righteousness, in the faith, true to the faith.”4

This family story inspires me to try my very best to follow the example of endurance and spiritual stamina illustrated by my great-grandfather. I am equally inspired by the faith of his wife, Emily, whose life after Joseph’s death was certainly a heavy burden to bear. Her testimony was strong and her conversion complete as she spent the rest of her life true to the faith while supporting her eight children on her own.

The Apostle Paul stated, “Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.”5 The race that is set before us on this earth is an endurance race filled with obstacles. The obstacles in this race are the challenges we wake up to each morning. We are here on earth to run the race, to exercise our moral agency, and to choose between right and wrong. In order to honorably and successfully finish the race and return to our Heavenly Father, we will need to pay the price of dedication, perseverance, and self-discipline. We need to get into spiritual shape. We need to develop spiritual stamina. We need strong testimonies that will lead to true conversion, and as a result we will find within ourselves the inner peace and strength needed to endure whatever challenges we may face.

So whatever challenges you wake up to each morning, remember--with the spiritual strength you develop, coupled with the Lord’s help, at the end of the race you will be able to enjoy the confidence that the Apostle Paul expressed when he said:

“For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

“Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day.”6

I bear you my testimony and my witness of the reality of a loving Heavenly Father and His great and eternal plan of happiness, which has brought us to this earth at this time. May the Spirit of the Lord inspire us all to develop within ourselves the strength to endure. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas Eve!!

Helaman 13:2-4

2 And it came to pass that in this year there was one Samuel, a Lamanite, came into the land of Zarahemla, and began to preach unto the people. And it came to pass that he did preach, many days, repentance unto the people, and they did cast him out, and he was about to return to his own land.

3 But behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, that he should return again, and prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.

4 And it came to pass that they would not suffer that he should enter into the city; therefore he went and got upon the wall thereof, and stretched forth his hand and cried with a loud voice, and prophesied unto the people whatsoever things the Lord put into his heart.

Helaman 14:2-4

2 And behold, he said unto them: Behold, I give unto you a sign; for five years more cometh, and behold, then cometh the Son of God to redeem all those who shall believe on his name.

3 And behold, this will I give unto you for a sign at the time of his coming; for behold, there shall be great lights in heaven, insomuch that in the night before he cometh there shall be no darkness, insomuch that it shall appear unto man as if it was day.

4 Therefore, there shall be one day and a night and a day, as if it were one day and there were no night; and this shall be unto you for a sign; for ye shall know of the rising of the sun and also of its setting; therefore they shall know of a surety that there shall be two days and a night; nevertheless the night shall not be darkened; and it shall be the night before he is born.

Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus

 Said Samuel, “Within five years

A night will be as day,

And Baby Jesus will be born

In a land far, far away.”

Hosanna! Hosanna!

Oh, let us gladly sing.

How blessed that our Lord was born;

Let earth receive her King!

Across the sea, in Bethlehem,

Lord Jesus came to earth

As Samuel had prophesied,

And angels sang His birth.

 (Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus)

Luke 2:1-11

1 And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cæsar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

2 (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

3 And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judæa, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

Once within a Lowly Stable

Once within a lowly stable,

Where the sheep and oxen lay,

A loving mother laid her baby

In a manger filled with hay.

Mary was the mother there,

And the Christ that baby fair.

God sent us this loving baby

From his home in heav’n above,

And he came down to show all people

How to help and how to love.

This is why the angels bright

Sang for joy that Christmas night.

Luke 2:12-20

12 And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

16 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

17 And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

18 And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

19 But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart

20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Picture a Christmas

 Picture a stable in Judea.

Picture a sacred, silent night,

And can you hear

The angels near

And see the star so bright?

Picture the little baby Jesus.

Think of his life and words so dear.

Sing praise to him;

Remember him,

As you picture Christmas this year.

Picture the kind and gentle Joseph.

Picture the mother, Mary, fair.

And can you see

So rev’rently

The shepherds kneeling there?

Please as you lay your heads tonight remember the true meaning of this holiday... The Christ child was born and atoned for our sins.

Temple is a Family Affair

Sorry this is a little late...

Friday, we had the opportunity to have all the Michelsen's in Rexburg. We spent some time at The Spratling's talking and playing games. But the real reason to have everyone together on Friday was to all go through the temple with Leisha for her endowments. It was a great experience to be apart of and we are excited to see her sealed to her fiancé on Saturday

The Temple Is a Family Affair

J Ballard Washburn

      Dear brothers and sisters, it’s my honor and privilege to join with you in expressing our love and support for President Hinckley, President Monson, President Faust, President Packer, and the Twelve. I am happy to say that I love you. I am grateful to be one with you in the work of the kingdom.

Recently, after a stake conference, I was talking with a family with teenage children. I said to them, “You must live righteously so that someday you can go to the temple with your parents.” A sixteen-year-old daughter responded, “Oh, we go to the temple with our parents almost every week. We go and do baptisms for our family file names.” I thought, What a wonderful thing, for families to go to the temple together.

When Jesus was twelve years old, his parents took him to the temple. I think it is more than coincidental that our sons and daughters can go to the temple with us when they are twelve years old. Joseph and Mary did not say, “Bishop, will you take our son to the temple?” They took him.

Our efforts as parents, wards, and stakes should be to help our youth live worthily to go to the temple now. The goal is the same for young women as for young men--be temple worthy now. When the bishop interviews the youth each year, it will include a worthiness interview.

What a wonderful goal for priesthood leaders and young women leaders to help parents inspire every young woman and every young man to go to the temple every year. What a great blessing for parents to be in the temple with their children, age twelve and over, at least once a year where circumstances allow.

One thing that will help us more than anything else to want to be in the temple is to have the Holy Ghost with us.

Two important things are necessary to have the Holy Ghost: First, we must live worthy of it, and second, we must ask for it.

“Ask the Father in my name, in faith believing that you shall receive, and you shall have the Holy Ghost, which manifesteth all things which are expedient unto the children of men.”1

If we will ask in faith, we will receive the Holy Ghost, and it will lead us to the temple.

Let me give a word of caution here. We cannot go to His holy house unworthily without bringing upon ourselves the judgments of God. For God will not be mocked.

When couples who have not fully repented of past sins go to the temple to be married, they are starting their marriages on very shaky ground. I believe this is one of the main causes of divorce in temple marriages. If a man who is dishonest in his personal life, as it pertains to his wife and children or his business dealings, goes to the temple, he is heaping damnation upon his own soul and is in great need of repentance.

President Hunter said: “It is the deepest desire of my heart to have every member of the Church worthy to enter the temple.”2 If our young men or young women on their way to the mission field, go to the temple unworthily, it is a great mistake. We must prepare them for the temple first, and then they will be prepared for missions. President Hunter said, “Let us prepare every missionary to go to the temple worthily and to make that experience an even greater highlight than receiving the mission call.”3

The greatest blessings of eternity come to us through the temple. God’s greatest gift, eternal life, can only come to a man and woman together. And every worthy person will someday have this blessing. In Doctrine and Covenants 131 we read:

“In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees;

“And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into this order of the priesthood [meaning the new and everlasting covenant of marriage];

“And if he does not, he cannot obtain it.

“He may enter into the other, but that is the end of his kingdom; he cannot have an increase” (D&C 131:1–4).

Thus we see that in marriage, a husband and wife enter into an order of the priesthood called the new and everlasting covenant of marriage. This covenant includes a willingness to have children and to teach them the gospel. Many problems of the world today are brought about when parents do not accept the responsibilities of this covenant. It is contradictory to this covenant to prevent the birth of children if the parents are in good health.

Thirty-five years ago when I first started practicing medicine, it was a rare thing for a married woman to seek advice about how she could keep from having babies. When I finished practicing medicine, it was a rare thing, except for some faithful Latter-day Saint women, for a married woman to want to have more than one or two children, and some did not want any children. We in the Church must not be caught up in the false doctrines of the world that would cause us to break sacred temple covenants.

We go to the temple to make covenants, but we go home to keep the covenants that we have made. The home is the testing ground. The home is the place where we learn to be more Christlike. The home is the place where we learn to overcome selfishness and give ourselves in service to others.

I hope you will not think it simplistic to suggest that it is the “little things” like family prayer and family home evening that are important. Little things like a father helping his children say their nightly prayers and telling them a bedtime story instead of watching TV. Little things like making time in the family schedule for reading the scriptures. Little things like a husband being big enough to say, “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. I should not have said that. I’m going to do better.” Or a mother saying to a child, “I’m sorry I became angry. Please forgive me.” Yes, it is the little things that we do each day and each week that make the difference.

By keeping the temple covenants, all of God’s children may be exalted. I say again that we go to the temple to make the covenants, but we go home to keep those covenants.

The story is told of Elder Boyd K. Packer: After traveling all over the world and seeing many exotic places, he was asked that if he could go anywhere in the world he wanted, where would he go. He replied, “I would go home.” I feel the same way. If I were asked that same question, I would say, “I would go home and sit in a big rocking chair and take a couple of grandbabies in my arms and hope that a little of the heavenly dust they still have on them would rub off on me.” I’m grateful for homes where we can go to learn how to love, how to share, how to be Christlike.

I am grateful for temples where we can go to be sealed together as families for eternity. I am grateful for temples, where we can go to pray and to worship, where we can call down the blessings of heaven upon our families. I am grateful for temples where we can go as families to strengthen the eternal bonds that will make us forever families, where we can go to do the great redemptive work for our forefathers who cannot do it for themselves … even as Jesus did for us what we cannot do for ourselves. I am grateful that God in his eternal wisdom has made these blessings available to all his children. Some, however, have to wait until the hereafter to enjoy these blessings. But all who live worthily will have every blessing. I testify that Jesus loved to go to the temple. Part of becoming more Christlike is to learn to love to go to the temple. I pray that we may become eternal families that we may have eternal life. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

The Stress of Life

Oh life can be super stressful sometimes. There are times where I just can not shake the stress off either. Normal day stress I seem to strive in like never being late to work, can I get five dogs done in four hours, getting the dishes done before someone stops by the house,etc. Normal stuff I can do and deal with every day.... It's when it all piles up and I really start stressing out that my body just breaks down. This week I got to that breaking point. When I break, I don't want to do anything and my attitude is (pardon my language) "to hell with that". It's causes me to not get anything done!! 

Tuesday that was me! And that was not the best timing in the world.... So instead I have left everything for today and tomorrow to get done. Want to see my list?

To Do List Before Friday & Saturday

*Clean the House (thankfully not too bad)

   - the Bathroom...with three kittens in there, they make a ridiculous mess

   - Finish the Laundry.... Three more loads to go

   - Clean out the Fridge... So things don't go bad while we are gone for a week

   - Clean Back Room.... So Kristie, Todd and baby Lilly can sleep there

   - Vacuum entire house... Four pets = endless chore

   - Clean our Bedroom... So I can like being in there ;)

* Finish altering my dress for Sister-in-law's wedding three days after Christmas

* Wrap all our presents... Turned out to be a lot!!

* Finish Work's Secret Santa present (which should have been done a week ago)

* For Heaven's sake, I still need to pack for the next week

To top that list off... Tuesday, I somehow ran over a piece of metal that was about half a sheet of paper size and completely destroyed the passenger tire. So yesterday, I took my van in to get a new tire. Come to find out, which I had a sneaky suspicion about, the van needed new brakes. Of course not just new brake pads but the new rooters and calipers too! Making our total come to 700 dollars! Prefect timing for the Holidays right! Thankfully we have an account with them so it's all good. Just of course not what we were wanting to have happen considering we are leaving for Great Falls in a couple of days and then to Utah all within a week and family in town tomorrow!

So my body has broken down... I don't want to be at work, my face has broken out, I have a huge cold sore, and oh so much to get done tonight.

Hopefully everyone else's weeks are going better than mine! 

Superstitions

So I walked into work on Friday and was asked "how are you?" Fine, of course, for the day just started. How could it be anything already..... Pretty quickly I was then reminded that it was Friday the Thirteenth....woooooohhoooooo (all scary like ;) ). Am I suppose to be nervous? Seems just like any other day for me so why do others make such a big deal about it? I really think that some people get so nervous about these crazy superstitions that they create bad events. Or you have others that blame things on superstition so that they don't have to take responsibility for the event. Crazy... Anyways I looked up some sups tuitions and thought that I may share them with you!

Common Superstitions

 

Friday the thirteenth is an unlucky day

A rabbit's foot brings good luck

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

To find a four-leaf clover is to find good luck

If you walk under a ladder, you will have bad luck

If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck

To break a mirror will bring you seven years bad luck

To open an umbrella in the house is to bring bad luck

To find a horseshoe brings good luck

Step on a crack, break your mother's back

You can break a bad luck spell by turning seven times in a clockwise circle

Garlic protects from evil spirits and vampires

Our fate is written in the stars

At the end of a rainbow is a pot of gold

Clothes worn inside out will bring good luck

Wearing your birthstone will bring you good luck

If you blow out all of the candles on your birthday cake with the first breath you will get whatever you wish for

To have a wish come true using a wishbone, two people make a wish, then take hold of each end of the bone and pull it until it separates. The person with the longer end gets his or her wish

An itchy palm means money will come your way

A beginner will always have good luck: beginner's luck

A cat has nine lives

Eating fish makes you smart

Toads cause warts

A cricket in the house brings good luck

Crossing your fingers helps to avoid bad luck and helps a wish come true

It is bad luck to sing at the table

It is bad luck to sleep on a table

After receiving a container of food, the container should never be returned empty

A lock of hair from a baby's first haircut should be kept for good luck

A bird that comes in your window brings bad luck

To refuse a kiss under mistletoe causes bad luck

Goldfish in the pond bring good luck

Goldfish in the house bring bad luck

For good luck, wear new clothes on Easter

An acorn at the window can keep lightning out of the house

If the bottom of your feet itch, you will make a trip

When a dog howls, death is near

It is bad luck to chase someone with a broom

A sailor wearing an earring cannot drown

To find a penny heads up, brings good luck

To cure a sty, rub it with a gold wedding band

Animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve

A drowned woman floats face up, a drowned man floats face down

A person cannot drown before going under three times

To drop a fork means a woman will visit

To drop a knife means a man will visit

To drop a spoon means a child will visit

To drop a dishcloth means bad luck is coming

If you shiver, someone is casting a shadow on your grave

To make a happy marriage, the bride must wear: something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue

The wedding veil protects the bride from the evil eye

Washing a car will bring rain

You must get out of bed on the same side you got in on or you will have bad luck

Evil spirits cannot harm you when you are standing in a circle

A cat will try to take the breath from a baby

Warm hands, cold heart

Cold hands, warm heart

It is unlucky to rock an empty rocking chairq

To kill an albatross is to cause bad luck to the ship and all upon it

Wearing an opal when it is not your birthstone is bad luck

Smell dandelions, wet the bed

To give someone a purse or wallet without money in it will bring that person bad luck

A forked branch, held with a fork in each hand, will dip and point when it passes over water

Laziness

Alright I have been super lazy... With everything!! Even the laundry, the dishes and most certainly my blog. Oh laziness, you cunning devil! It's so much more relaxing to be on Pinterest and Netflix than to do the chores. 

But I am trying to get better and organize my life so much better! So I started today with some laundry and this blog post!!

Let's see, where to start.... Oh Thanksgiving! Our Thanksgiving this year was pretty awesome and special. It was my first year having my family at my apartment for the holiday! I was pretty nervous like the entire week up to it but everything went great. Thankfully my mom was there to help though. There is no way I would have been able to get it all done without her. Our dinner was almost perfect too! We had one little bump in the road: My oven did not enjoy having a nineteen pound turkey in it... So it tok little longer than we figured. Other than that, I feel like it was a very successful Thanksgiving with my family all around. I am so grateful that my family could be here for the holiday, for the nice drive down that they had, for ALL of my mom's help and for the wonderful time we had together!!

Don't ever regret your family!!

By the way, I have started a new additional blog... Just beginning it.... But check it out at picturemyheartphotography.blogspot.com!