Since I last posted anything we have had much happen:
-Doug had his 36th birthday.
-Doug had knee surgery on his left knee to repair damage he incurred while playing his beloved football.
-My sister Amy and her family came to visit just around the holidays.
-We went through another Ice Storm and found how beautiful the world can look if it were made of crystal.
-We cleaned up broken branches (thanks to my Brother-in-Law) due to the Ice Storm
-We fed the missionaries, twice. Once on Christmas, and once again this last week.
-We drove to Lawton and explored some new-to-us parts of Oklahoma.
-Caleb has played in several basketball games.
-We went to see the lights in Chickasha.
-We visited with one of Doug's old mission friends as he was in town.
- We drove many institute students to the airport and picked them up from the airport.
-We went to the movies.
-Doug spent 3 days in Dallas at a training.
-I cooked for the Institute 3 times (cooking for 30 people)
-we Celebrated Christmas, and New Year's
-We did many, many chores and lots of homework.
The Ice Storm
This is a picture Caleb took with my iPad on the way home from church the week we had the Ice Storm. I wish that you could see it in a little better detail, it was simply breathtaking and as I would drive around I was amazed to see how the world had been transformed into something I had never seen.
I learned that an ice storm can cause a lot of damage, especially to trees. The ice weighs down the limbs so much that sometimes branches just snap off. These two pictures are of the large branch that broke off the tree that is in our front yard. The tree is actually between our house and our neighbor's, but the branch fell into our yard.
A few houses down there was a branch that landed on a car, it broke out the windows and it took a couple of days before our neighbors really knew what to do with it.
I don't know if you can tell how large that branch is. Doug heard it as it crashed down to the ground in the night. It had fallen in the street, and during the same night the city came and pulled the branch into our yard. We we now in charge of breaking it into manageable pieces so that the city could come haul it away. Thank goodness to my brother-in-law Rich who came and used a chainsaw to chop it all up. Caleb and Brody helped haul the pieces to the side of the road into a pile. I just couldn't have done it and Doug was still down with his knee surgery.
A Change of Subject
This week I have found this fun little machine on our street.
You know what this is right? The local police place these little guys around town to give you an acute awareness of what the speed limit is. This remarkable and annoying little machine reads your speed as you approach the sign and if you go over the speed limit you get a blinking number.
I have seen many of these in my life, and much more now that we live in a larger city. The funny thing is this week as I have seen it, it has angered me. Usually I would just try to shove it off, but this week as I see this little sign each time I come home I am annoyed. I think I figured out why.
This little sign/machine is very good at pointing out whenever I speed. When I speed (even just one MPH over) this little sign sure is good about letting me know about it. I don't like that.
I don't like when people or things point out everything that I am doing wrong. I also don't like it when I am made to feel like I am not perfect. I am going to go out on a limb here and guess that you don't either.
Now, I know that I am not perfect. I never declared that I was. I know I mess up, and I do mess up quite often. I just want to be willing to become better without someone pointing out all of my little tiny mistakes. When others point out what I am doing wrong I almost want to rebel. (I am sure you have no idea what that feels like. ;) )
There is someone I met when we were living in Idaho who whenever I was around her she made me feel loved. It was so easy for me to be around her. I was always accepted and understood. I could voice out certain frustrations and she would guide me with her years of experience. I never felt uncomfortable around her and would actually seek to find ways to be around her more. She was such a great example to me of Christ. I know that that is how He would make me feel. I think that when I meet Christ He will have so much compassion, love, and understanding for me.
Christ atoned for my sins. He created a way for me to be able to walk away from my wrong doings and become better. When I accept His Atonement I am aware of what my sins are, but I am also aware that I am forgiven. Each week I am reminded of His Atonement and I have the opportunity to recommit my life to Him, "To always remember Him". I know that He, as I commit myself to Him and to becoming better each and every day, will be my advocate; He will support me with His compassion, love, and understanding.
I am so thankful for my sweet friend and her example. She was the exact opposite that annoying little Speed Limit machine. She too had much compassion, love, and understanding toward me. I am excited to work each day to become closer to Christ, and for each week to recommit myself to Him, so that I can be an example to others like my dear friend was to me.
