mosiah 2:17

  17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn ^awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the ^bservice of your ^cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

the realization that my care-free, responsibility free, avid blogging days are coming to an end is beginning to set in. i have entirely enjoyed being able to spend my time at home doing many of the things that i love including; keeping up with friends, crafting, shopping, swimming and sleeping in. but those days are coming to a close. it is back to real life and i couldnt be more excited. getting home means spending time with family, missed friends, and spending more time with my husband (hopefully). i understand that going home entails much more than that though. it will also encompass school, work and church callings, but for some reason im finding myself giddy thinking about those things.

i am still nervous though. i have never been someone that was good at balancing my time. ask my family. i have no sense of urgency. i think i will have to look at life a little differently this semester. and ive been praying for help with this. i think Heavenly Father is hearing my prayers and i look forward to them being answered. 

ive been a little more emotional than usual the past few days. i think its because i do love my summer adventures, and i have been very blessed to grow much closer to sam. its a very bitter-sweet experience moving across the country for the summer. its bitter, because you are missing out on everything your family is doing: camping, boating, family dinners, etc. but its sweet because of that one on one time you get to spend with your spouse. i have had nothing more to worry about than if sam was happy. it has been a short experience but one i will long remember. 

i have also been thinking alot about service. this is a topic that is constantly in my thoughts. i think it is because of who my mom is. j-own is the prime example of service in my life. since i can remember she was taking care of everyone. she would clean, cook, babysit, talk to and love everyone and anyone that needed it. i am really thankful for her and how much of an influence that aspect of her personality has really affected me.

the reason i put a picture of my dad at the top of this post is simple. its been almost three years since he has been diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer. my dad has had to endure an incredible amount of pain and discomfort since this time. he and our family have received NUMEROUS blessings from the experience of this disease. i wish that he was healthy and never had to deal with this disease, but we have been blessed beyond measure because of it. 

we always joke that when Heavenly Father was asking who would take what trials in the pre-existence my mom stood up with her hands in the air and said "you-who, we'll take that one" than sat down and because she was chatting with everyone around her said"now what did i just volunteer for." :) i sure love my mom and dad.

i understand that many of my posts have been very light and have talked about nothing more than what ive been crafting. but because i know my posts wont be as frequent as they have been, i want to give thanks to my Heavenly Father and all of you that have continually supported my family in these past few years.

since the news that my dad was sick became public, so many people have stepped in and showed an incredible amount of love and support to my family. we have had people fix cars without charge, pay for groceries, make dinners, bring treats, clean, do laundry, buy christmas for our entire family, clear remaining balances on bills, and most of all prayed for us. at one point a dear friend of mines father had my dads name on prayer roles in more than 15 temples. blessings have poured in from everywhere and everyone.

one of my favorite memories is from an anonymous letter someone sent the first year with the words "because i have been given much i too must give" written and $100. it may have been something small for someone, but it has made an incredible impact on me. little things can and do mean so much.

please always remember that. even if you cant do something big, sometimes a note or a phone call is all it takes to make a difference. 

my dad has stayed stable throughout the past three years with only small growth. this is a miracle and we know that only through Heavenly Father its possible. 

my dad gets his results from his most recent kat-scan tomorrow. this will let us know how his body is doing and if anything has changed. please pray for him. 

 i want you all to know how thankful me and my family are for you and your generous love and service to us. service is so important-i will always stand by that idea. use any chance you get to serve. your lives will be blessed 100 fold, especially when you need it. 

i love you all. thank you again.

(writing has never been one of my strong points, so i apologize that my thoughts are usually a jumbled mess turned into a blog post, but they are sincere.)

x0x0