Walking with Jesus

Today is blessed Sunday I don't have to teach primary today I'm able to go to Sunday school and relief society and sit with my hubby that will be nice, it's the first Sunday of the month and the teachers get a week off in primary, we are starting to make friends in our Bear Lake Ward, it's nice to be greeted and feel like we know A few of the ward Saints now.  "If we will only have enough courage and faith to walk in His path, it will lead us to peace of heart and mind, to lasting meaning in life, to happiness in this world, and to joy in the world to come. The Savior is “not far from every one of us. We have His promise that if we seek Him diligently, we will find Him." Dieter F. Uchtdorf  ~  Have a wonderful Sunday! 💜

Jacob's to do list

Shar sent me a copy of Jacob's to do list that he posted on the refrigerator it is so funny she said wish I had these things on my to do list

10 Months Our Ashtyn

Shannon sent me the most adorable pictures of our baby Ashton she is now 10 months old she looks so much like Shannon she has beautiful red hair

Winter is back

We woke up this morning to a couple inches of snow It looks like a winter wonderland again and the lake is coming up fast, it is warming up and starting to melt, we can see the grass on the yard now I'm getting ready for warmer weather hopefully this is the last snowstorm of the year.

Spring Winter Storm

We are getting a snowstorm tonight the snowflakes are huge I'm ready for winter to end

Trip To Salt Lake

Craig and I took a quick trip to Salt Lake, going and coming in about 24 hours. I can't keep my hubby in one place for very long.

The Science Behind “Feeling The Holy Ghost”

There might not be anything more absurd to an atheist, than when a Christian says, “I’m feeling the Holy Ghost”. Whaaaaaa! Are you kidding?!…screams the atheist. You’re telling me that there is some being somewhere called the Holy Ghost that is recording all of our thoughts, words, and actions while simultaneously influencing and dwelling within each and every one of us? This is an atheist’s go to pitch against those crazy religionists.

But maybe we’re not so crazy after all. Maybe “feeling the Holy Ghost” is scientific! Regardless of your religious affiliation or lack thereof, please just hear me out!

We believe that the Holy Ghost is a personage of Spirit and that his primary role is to communicate and testify of truth. He was and is called the “Comforter” by Jesus Christ. Because Christ cannot always be physically with us to inspire us, He assigned the Holy Ghost to teach and to testify and to comfort us.

So…how does the Holy Ghost comfort us? In order to understand this, we first need to understand who we are and who the Holy Ghost is.

We are spiritual beings and we’re filled with light. Light is something that can carry information. That is a scientific truth and it is used everyday through the use of fiber optics. Our spirits came from God and we were sent to this earth filled with light and intelligence. John 1:9 talks about the “light of Christ” that is given to every human being that comes to this earth. That light is either enlarged or diminished by the decisions we make. Joseph Fielding Smith’s favorite scripture was D&C 50:24 wherein it says that “he that receiveth light, and continueth in God receiveth more light.” Our spirits crave light because that is what they were used to in the presence of our Heavenly Father. We were cut off from the presence of our Father. That means no communication with Him…so how can we ever know and recognize truth with so much confusion around us? Jesus Christ’s role was to come and redeem us and to show us the way back to Heavenly Father. The role of the Holy Ghost was to communicate light and intelligence and to guide us in the direction that Christ pointed us.

The Holy Ghost is not an essence. He is a personage of Spirit.  He does not break himself into a billion little pieces and “dwell inside each of us.” That doesn’t even make sense to me when people say that… and that is why atheists have a field day with that claim. Like he’s  just hanging out with me inside of my body…but then in my neighbors body at the same time. C’mon. I can understand the atheistic confusion.  The Holy Ghost is in charge of dispensing knowledge and truth to us… but how is he doing that? How does it get to us? It seems incomprehensible…

But wait a minute! Do you realize that you witness that phenomenon take place each and every day. In fact, you’re experiencing it right now as you read this article. If you are reading this from a wireless laptop, you have something in your laptop called a wireless NIC (Network Interface Card). Some of you might be using your city’s or school’s wifi. You could be using whats called a Wireless MAN or a Wireless Metropolitan Area Network. Thousands of computers are being “influenced” by a central source called a router. You cannot see the information that is being passed with your natural eyes, but your computer can “feel” it…and interpret it. The router draws upon an almost infinite amount of information and disseminates that information according to each computer’s request. “Ask and ye shall receive”…right?

I earned my degree in computer information systems and I was fascinated with networking. I loved the basic structure of the OSI model and how information was stripped down and rebuilt in order to be passed from computer to computer. I studied fiber and the principles of light. I studied wireless technologies and the implementation of huge wireless networks. I realized that what we take for granted on a daily basis, was something that was laughed at and considered unfathomable by atheists. Mankind has implemented the same technology that many of us laugh at God for claiming to use. Hundreds of millions of people around the globe today utilize wireless technologies to send information back and forth through the air on invisible channels to a central source (a router) that is regulating the flow of information from an almost unlimited source of information, (a server). We can ask Google’s servers for almost anything we want to know, and if we’re on the right channel, and we have the right “ports” open, we receive answers back. Most of the time, because of the advent and portability of wireless laptops, tablets, and smart phones… we receive this communication through an invisible medium. Many of us don’t even understand how it works…but yet we KNOW that it works! Even the hardcore physicists don’t understand what light is. They just know that it exists. Now light is being used as the fastest and most reliable means for transmitting information across networks.

I commonly and respectfully refer to the Holy Ghost as a “giant wifi router in the sky”. Think about it! It makes perfect sense…and if humans can create a small device that can record all of the “thoughts, words, and deeds” of a computer, then imagine what a God can do! Are we not all computers of sorts? Is not our brain an instrument used to process data and interpret information? Do you realize that even our thoughts emit measurable energy that can be recorded on sophisticated enough devices? We look at a satellite and the fact that it can send us a live streaming video of something that is happening on the other side of the planet in real time and don’t even bat an eye…but tell someone that there is a God in Heaven and a Holy Ghost that can influence, teach and comfort people around the globe and you’re looked at as a lunatic.

So God tells us that if you ask Him if something is right, He will cause your “bosom to burn within you”, and that you will “feel” that it is right. But… if it’s not right, you won’t have those feelings. In fact, you’ll have a “stupor of thought,” that will cause you to forget the thing which was wrong.Can this be explained scientifically? Sure it can.

You ask Heavenly Father for knowledge. He defer’s to the Holy Ghost because that is His role. The Holy Ghost ensures that you are “on the right channel” or…worthy to receive knowledge. If you are on the right channel, you’ll receive “pure intelligence flowing into you”. Because your spirit craves light and intelligence, it will begin to illuminate and you’ll begin to shine through your mortal skin. The bosom was anciently known as your inner most core. It is more closely related with your stomach. Our bodies are considered a temple, and temples were considered anciently to be the “Omphalos” or center of the earth. The hub, or the “navel” where nourishment was received from our earthly and heavenly parents. The bosom represents the part of you that is beneath your physical body, giving life and nourishment to your body. As intelligence and light begins to cleave unto your spirit, it naturally would create heat… which would justify the saying that your “bosom would burn within you”. That good feeling you have is your spirit thanking your physical body for making decisions that open up the flow of communication from the Holy Ghost to your spirit. The Holy Ghost then uses the “Ether” (formerly called) or  “Dark Matter”, or the physical essence that all scientists agree are “in all things and through all things and round about all things” in this universe as a medium to send intelligence/light/information/data, and to testify of truth. That light within you “groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day” if you are making decisions that keep an open static free channel to the Holy Ghost at all times. Remember how Moses was so bright that he was blinding people as he came down the mountain after having conversed with God “face to face”? He received so much light and intelligence from God that his soul was illuminated and his bosom was burning. Light cleaved unto light. He described God as a “consuming fire”. As we become more and more like God, that same fire within our bosom will burn brighter and brighter. We will feel it. We may not be able to describe it, but you will know it. Remember how Joseph Smith in the sacred grove recorded that he thought that the leaves of the trees were going to catch fire from the Father and the Son? Or the Angel Moroni filling the house with light? The Lord dwells in “everlasting burnings” which makes the phenomenon of the burning of the bosom even more understandable scientifically.

Conversely, if something is wrong or you’ve made decisions that put you out of alignment with the Spirit, you’ll be on the wrong channel and you’ll only be able to hear static… or get a “page cannot be displayed” error. The “check your connection” error is something all of us have seen before! This is what causes the stupor of thought. Because light and intelligence cannot reach  your spirit, your spirit will begin to declare war on your body. That is why you feel so physically horrible when you make decisions contrary to what you know is right. Your spirit is grieved…and is trying to tell you “Wait! don’t do that! I want to stay on the same channel as the Holy Ghost so that I can continue to receive more light, but your decisions are prohibiting that from happening.” The stupor of thought begins to set in because your spirit’s light is dimming. The spirit and the body together make the soul, and when the spirit and body are not in harmony, darkness and confusion sets in on the soul and the result is a stupor of thought. The instrument of your mind has been hindered because the source of all truth is only static to you now. What good is a laptop that can receive no communication from it’s source of intelligence. “It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be trodden under the foot of men.”

And there you have it! The science behind “feeling the Holy Ghost”. It is an actual science…because true religion and true science never contradict. God is the great scientist and he works within the bounds of natural laws. The next time you see 35,000 people in Angel stadium on their cell phones talking, texting, and sending pictures to Instagram and Facebook, remember that those people are sending loads of “invisible” information back to a very sophisticated device and it is being recorded somewhere. The function of the Holy Ghost doesn’t seem so incomprehensible anymore does it… Don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t go to the source of all truth and get answers…because it is scientific and it works.

A New Diet

I started a new diet this weekend, I found it online eating more protein, fruits and vegetables and it seems to be is something I can manage, close to my Nutrisystem diet but I don't have to eat their food.  I've got to get some weight off I have got down a couple pounds I weigh 158 pounds- hallelujah finally below the 160 Mark I haven't seen that since last fall, I'm frustrated without a computer because I can't go online and check out the recipes and mark my daily progress- I feel like I've just been shot down-I have been trying to be really patient with the computer situation, my hubby has got to get me a new computer, I have been patient since Christmas time, trying to work with what we have.  It all is breaking down, we are going to have to update to a new computer soon for me.  I feel like screaming!!  I started this diet that i was making progress, but need to report my progress daily on my computer which just crashed!!  I feel like I'm dead in the water!!

Very Frustrating

I'm very frustrated with technology right now, my blog app on my phone does not work properly now, it keeps kicking me out when I try to type on it, I can only voice text now, I don't have a computer, the laptop I was using from Craig died on me yesterday, I just want my own computer !!!! So I can be up and running and doing what I like to do, I have so many projects, I want to work on my family histories, I need to get the things done that I started on my old computer off so that I can finish working on my book that I started and I love working on my family history, I want my own computer, I know we have the money, Craig is just being such a tightwad right now, got to convince him to be sensitive to my needs as well- there's no way in hell you would be putting up with this, he has his own laptop and his iPad, I need a computer or I would be bored to tears, it's been my only survival these winter months with my computer projects to work on and keep me busy.  Winter is getting really long now, the weather this week is still in the low 30's a cool spell again,  I'm so ready for some warmer weather.

Feeling Melancholy Today

I need to have a computer that I can work on, I'm feeling really sad today, I can't fight back the tears my emotions are all over the place, not really knowing why I'm so emotional today.  Change is hard I do miss our home in Draper a lot, it's hard to leave and I have all my beautiful things all packed away piled in the garage.   I've decorated as much as I can in the cabin, I don't want to overwhelm it with stuff,  I have to move things around and keep things tight and condense, going from a huge walk in closet to a small teeny one has been hard for me, I've had to pack up most of my winter clothes and put them in plastic clear bags under my bed, I think my biggest frustration is Craig's laptop that I've been working on since we moved here crashed yesterday, I just want my own computer, I don't like using his hand me down computer, we have not hooked up my computer since we moved here that does not have Internet connection so he's had me use his old laptop computer.  I have been trying to get use to it.  Frustrated that I don't have the stuff loaded on my old computer.  Making changes is hard.  I've got to work thru it.  Pray I can chipper up and find the sunshine in this day.  I have done really well since we moved.  This has been my first melt down since November when we were moving.  Change is very Challenging and keeping upwith the ever changing world of Technology is even more frustrating for me.

Blessed Sunday

We were just at Stacy's home last Sunday- Easter Sunday, in California, the past week has gone by so quickly.  Stacy posted a darling picture of Enzo.  Craig and I babysat him last Friday while they went on a date, he is crawling up the stairs and getting around really well and in everything, such a darling little baby boy.  I love his huge smile.  We enjoyed spending time with the Towner family.  I already miss them so much.  It is going to be hard having them so far away.  I miss having Stacy stopping by on Sunday evenings to visit with the kids.  They have a very nice home and in a great location.  Craig walked Jude school several days, the school is just up the street from their home and a beautiful park right down the down from their new home.  They live a short distant from the Beach too.  They have a really pretty yard and a beautiful home for the the area.  Pray things work out well for them while living there.  We are going to miss having them close,  It is fun to see the kids of Facebook and Facetime on our telephones the blessings of Technology. We had a very nice day at Church today.  Glad to be back in our Garden City Ward.  The saints have been very friendly to us.  I love being in a smaller ward.  We are starting to feel at home here.  Craig is enjoying teaching the adult gospel doctrine class, he does a great job.  I'm enjoying teaching the 10 yr old's in Primary.  We both were sustained for a new calling this Sunday.  Craig was called to be on the emergency preparedness committee.  I was called to be the Family History Chairman Committee member with 4 others in our Ward.  Excited for my new calling.  They need a lot of help getting the saints more involved in family history in our ward.  This is something I love to work on.  Pray I can be inspired in knowing how to get the saints more involved in family history.  Craig will do a great job working on the emergency committee too.  Our callings are a great blessing in our lives.  I'm so thankful for the gospel and our membership in the ward, Pray that we can make a difference as we serve in this vineyard of the Lords Kingdom on the earth, in building the faith of the saints.  We are very blessed to live in such a peaceful place.

Baby Enzo such a darling baby boy, Easter Sunday

Ashtyn -Happy Easter

 Love these pictures Shannon just sent to me today, baby Ashtyn in her blessing dress for Easter.  Shannon has gotten really good at taking pictures of her baby girl.  She is such a blessing in all our lives.  The little girl she has dreamed for, for many years, a blessing sent right from Heaven!!

We Are Home

Feels good to be home and sleep in her own bed, Stacy's and Shelly's bed's are really hard.  Feels good to be back to our Bear Lake home.  Craig and I have enjoyed the last few days listening to the frogs popping out on the lake, love their sounds at night they are so loud right now.   The weather is still cool between 45 and 50° up here, we are enjoying our time at Bear Lake. I spent the week organizing things in the house still, trying to find places after moving in and organizing things.  I sorted and packed up several of my winter clothes away to make room for my summer clothes hoping for summer soon.  They weather is still very cool.  We are suppose to get another snow storm this up coming week.  Spring is here and it feels really good to have it warm up.  Crazy how it feels warm when it is in the 40's.  Craig and I cleaned things out of the south side of our home.  We only have 8 feet from the neighbors boundary line.  It has been a sore eye for over 5 years.  Nice to have the time to tackle some of the projects we have not been able to get too.  We are planning on getting this side of our place looking better and get our driveway poured this year.  We are adding cabinets in our garage like we had in our Draper home.  This will be so nice to get done and will help greatly to organize our belongings.  My closet space is limited inside.  I have a very small closet in the master bed room so I have to pack up my clothes by season.  I have been able to put most of my winter clothes in clear plastic zip bags and store under our bed.  I do need to weed out more clothes, that will take some time.  Hard to get rid of my clothes.  I figure what I don't wear for a season, I need to get rid of.   This will help a lot in leaning out.  We are slowing getting things done around here.  It feels good to be back from our trip.  I have just wanted to stay home this week.  We have enjoyed our quite time. 

Happy Easter

We had a very nice Easter day with the Towner family, visiting California this year, we went to church with their family, we came back and had a yummy Easter dinner and an Easter egg hunt with the Towner grandkids.  Craig gave Stacy a Father's blessing.  Stacy has been having a hard time emotionally and physically,  She has been struggling with depression since she gave birth to baby Enzo.  Having 4 kids with the oldest 5 years old, she does have her hands full.  It is a full time job just caring for her little ones.  I worked hard while there trying to help her get catch up with her Laundry and unpacking a few things for her.  Our time came to a close.   We had to say our goodbyes later that evening, our week in California went by very quickly it was fun to spend time with the Towner grandkids, Happy Easter !

Our Farrah is so darling, a bundle of Joy.

HAPPY EASTER WITH THE TOWNER FAMILY IN LAGUNA NIGAL, CALIFORNIA APRIL 16TH, 2017

Our Yeal, being silly, we had a fun Easter Egg Hunt. 

Towner Family Easter Sunday,  We enjoyed attending church with them.

Farrah

I have enjoyed being around the grandkids so much this week they're all so darling

Our little Farrah is so darling, I got dressed today she had to watch me put my make up on, she loves pink she wanted pink lipstick and pink eye shadow on.  She was my little shadow this week.

Our Bike Ride To The Beach

The week is going by too fast, it's already Saturday, Craig and I got up early this morning and rode our bikes for about 10 miles down to the beach in Dana point and back, it was a beautiful bike ride. It is so pretty here this time of the year.  The mountains are filled with yellow wildflowers, my bike ride to the beach and back was very challenging, there were lots of ups and downs to go over and some very steep inclines to ride up.  Dana point is so beautiful at the ocean, it was a breathtaking ride, we got home and cleaned up for the day, then Craig and I went to Costco to buy food for our Easter dinner tomorrow, we got the kids one of those cute basket carts for Stacy to use when she takes the kids to the park and Jude's soft ball games.

Our Easter present to the grandkids this year, Stacy and Chad are going out tonight and we're going to watch the four kids.

Swimming and Dinner With The Burbidge Family

Friday afternoon we drove over to the Marriott resort where Trisha and Buck have been staying with their family for the week.  The kids loved playing at the swimming pool, it's beautiful here overlooking the ocean.   We stayed for dinner, fixed yummy salmon for dinner one of our family favorites, We had fun time, we didn't get home till about 10:30 that night, we all had a great time visiting with one another, it is beautiful here in this part of California.

Trip To The Beach in Newport

Wednesday we met the Burbidge family at Newport beach for the afternoon, they came down with their family for spring break and have been here the entire week, fun to hook up with the Burbidge family. Thursday Stacy had a birthday party for Jude with his little friends, I worked hard half the day finishing up her laundry, we were dead tired by Thursday evening it was a full day for us all.   Friday I'm playing with the kids, we read stories and played games, I watched them for about four hours so Stacy could clean her room and get a few things done, it's really hard with four little kids to get much of anything done around here, she's really struggling with number four it's been a huge challenge for her moving here in December and then trying to unpack and set up house, has not been an easy task, she needed her mother's Help and love. I have worked hard to get as much done as I can while visiting.

Our Trip To California

Craig and I slept over at Shannon's Sunday night after the baby blessing, Monday Craig had to go to the dentist to have his tooth checked,  He cracked it eating a sugar cookie on Sunday, he needed to have it filed down before we left town, so he could eat something.  We left about 1 PM on Monday and drove to St. George and had dinner with Chris, Terry and Lavon, afterward they took us to show us their new home that they are building.  From there we drove to Shelly's home in Mesquite Nevada nice to stop over there for the night.  We got up early Tuesday morning to finish our driving to California, we had about six hours to go.  It was a nice drive, it went by fast, we arrived in Laguna Niegal about noon, Stacy has a lovely home here, the weather is so nice about 75°.  Her yard is really pretty they have a beautiful home, they live right by a park and the school is just up the street she's able to take Jude to school every day walking, they are in a beautiful location,Stacy was feeling overwhelmed when we got there and you could tell that she's needed help.  I have spent the last three days helping her wash laundry and getting her laundry all caught up and just trying to help her sort and put things away,  things are feeling much better by Friday.  Chad said it was nice to see the Laundry room floor they had not seen since they moved in.  Stacy was having hard time catching up.  Hopefully I gave her a lift,  It won't last, laundry is a constant struggle with a young family, I remember all to well.  It is a lot of work.! 

Blessing Day

            Grandma and Winston, he is a funny little boy loved wearing these glasses to church

Doctrine and Covenants 20:70   - Every member of the church of Jesus Christ having children is to bring them unto the elders before the church, who are to lay their hands upon them in the name of Jesus Christ, and bless them in his name.  I felt I should share this scripture with you to encourage you to bless Baby Ashtyn,  it is very important it is done,  the beneficial results to babe & parent , by bringing their child before the church for a blessing , manifest their faith in God's word and in his promises of eternal life to each of us as we are obedient to the commandments of God,  blessing baby Ashtyn shows to God your thankfulness to him for increasing your posterity and for the safe delivery of both mother and child, the child is also benefited by the united faith and prayers of the assembled saints.  Pray we can get Baby Ashtyn blessed soon,  we are so thankful for her and her life and the safe delivery for you Shannon,   We know she is an answered prayer for your family and has brought such love and joy to all, let us know what we can do to help. Love Mom & Dad💕
We fianaly made it happen!!

Craig gave Ashton a beautiful baby blessing today in Sacrament we were able to gather as a family for the special occasion, she cried the entire time, tears of joy for grandpa and grandma we have been praying to get our baby Ashtyn blessed the day finally arrived.  Craig and I drove down yesterday and slept over last night to help them get ready for the special event.  We worked hard helping Shannon get her house in order so she felt she could host the very special event at her home.  It all turned out so lovely, a very special day to gather as family.

Mother & Daughter, love this picture of Shannon & Ashtyn,  she a a blessing from Heaven,  Her middle name is heaven spelled backwards,  Ashtyn Nevaeh, such an adorable picture

Spring Break

The Thomas family went to St. George for their spring break this week and the three Chaudhry boys Alec, Landon and Jaxon came to Bear Lake to spend the week with us, don't know what we'll do all week long, it's still on the cool side, too cold to get on the lake right now. Jaxon and Landon are not feeling very well with a sore throat.  Craig started feeling the same symptom today, he has a bad sore throat again, he has had a rough time with illness lately, seems to catch everything that is going around with the grandkids, we've got to build his immune system.

Our adorable Annie Girl 2 years old, love her swim suit

Our Ashtyn Nine Months

Our little Ashton is nine months old now, Shannon took the most adorable pictures while I was visiting, fun to see our little Ashton and spend some time with her for a few days while I was in town

Helping

A sweet note from Shannon we worked hard last week we went down last Tuesday and moved in the bedroom set and two beds for the boys in the basement. I slept over Tuesday night and stay till Friday afternoon Craig came back down Thursday evening and slept over, we worked hard all day Friday trying to finish things up, we were beat, we put a hard working day in and didn't get done till about 9 o'clock Friday night, Shannon sent us a cute note:  A Huge Thank you !! to the Best Mom and Dad Ever !! Debbie & Craig Symes 😘

Thank you for all your help this last week  couldn't have done it without you !! 

With getting the basement where we could move Michael & Alec  downstairs and Ashtyn Nevaeh into her room it was a ton of moving everything around!!  7 beds Total 2 couches, dressers, clothes bedding, you name it, we did it .. with their help, managed to put it all back together ..  And got some home Decor done too !! 

For the first time I actually feel like this is my home Now !! even though I've lived here for over a year now lol lol moved in found out I was pregnant, never really got unpacked, I went though the hardest pregnancy ever !!

Here's to making Progress !! With a lot of Help 😘😘😘

We got things looking really nice for the Chaudhry Family