Tuesday, January 29, 2008

The Girls are Back in Town!!!

Jacob and I were so excited last week because Jacob's sister Allison and her two little girls were coming to Arizona. Allison is just so much fun, and her little girls are so cute we just couldn't wait for them to get here. Allison lives in Milwaukee, and it has been 20 below there!!! Since it is just to cold to do anything she decided to come to Arizona to escape the Wisconsin weather. Also Allison and I have the same due date so it is nice to be with her, because we both are always so hungry or we are craving something! Well since Allison's arrival we have been having a blast. We heard that Disney on Ice was in town so we got tickets to that. I was excited for this because when I was little my mother took me to it, and I have this wonderful memory of the icees there. I don't actually like the icee I just like the cup it comes in. Well Linda was a sweetheart and bought Abagail and myself an icee. I was so happy!!! Since we don't know what we are having yet I decided that Flounder would be the way to go, I felt it works for a boy and a girl. The straw to this is so cute too, it has Sebastian on it! Abagail (the older one) has the cutest smile, but for some reason whenever you ask her to smile for a picture she does this....



I am sad I didn't get a picture of Linda, but trust me she was there. After the show we went shopping. Allison and Ben are going on a Cruise at the end of February and she needed to get some outfits for the cruise. While we were there Abagail found the cutest pair of shoes she just kept walking around the store in them. Of course she was more then happy for me to take a picture of her in them.


Unless you have been living under a rock you would know that Jacob and I are big Mitt Romney supporters. Well Jacob's father, and mother have been really involved in helping Romney. They have even been to a few Caucasus (sp?) Well Saturday we went on a walk for Romeny. I obviously did not know what this meant. I thought I was going to walk really far and however many miles I walked people would donate money to his campaign. Ummm no that is not what it is. It is where you walk up to peoples doors find out who they are voting for. If they are undecided give them some info about Romney. If they are already supporting Romney they you ask them if they would like to help in any way. Well this made me uncomfortable, but after a while I warmed up and I actually talked at one of the doors. Which ended up being the last door because there was a scary dog coming our way so we took of the other direction. Abagail was very helpful on the walk uncle Jacob taught her something very helpful to say...



There is more but I think that is good for now. Katie we miss you!!!

Sunday, January 27, 2008

Beloved Church President, Gordon B. Hinckley, Dies at 97


While having dinner with Jacob's family, Linda received a phone call informing us of President Hinckley's passing. We were all very shocked to hear this news. Even though he was 97 years old it just seemed like he was going to be around forever. We are so sad to hear of his passing, but we are deeply grateful for all the wonderful things he has done for this church. President Hinckley has significantly touched our lives. He will be greatly missed.
Here is an article just released by the church...it can be found on there website under current events.

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.
President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.
The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from cause’s incident to age. Member of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.


President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 95, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering nearly 13 million in 171 nations.
His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.
He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.
In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.
In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.
President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.
At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.
Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 54 languages.
Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.
President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.
President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.
Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by Heber J. Grant, then president of the Church, to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.
President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.
On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.
President Hinckley received a number of educational honors, including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.
President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2004, President Hinckley was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in the White House.
In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also addressed the Religion Newswriters Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.
President Hinckley wrote and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he championed the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testified of what he called the “guardians of virtue,” namely traditional marriage and family.
President Hinckley married Majorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They have five children, 25 grandchildren and 38 great-grandchildren. Sister Hinckley passed away 6 April 2004.

Friday, January 18, 2008

Update # 2 (sorry still no pictures)

Well Yesterday Jacob and I had our 2nd doctor's appointment. We were very excited for this appointment because last time we we could not hear the heartbeat, because the baby was too small. So we both couldn't wait to hear it. I mean other then being sick, tired, and all the other joys of pregnancy it still didn't feel fully real. Well we got to the doctor and the moment came where she was trying to find the heartbeat. I think we both we freaking out thinking "What if she can't find it again!?!" Well she did!!! It was really neat, and I think we both just kind of listened in shock. She had to leave to get something so Jacob looks up at me and says, "So that was the heartbeat?", and I said, "yes, did you hear it?" Jacob replied,"Yes but I didn't expect it to sound like that!" I then asked, "well what did you think it was going to sound like?" He then starts to make the noise of the heart beat from dirty dancing. I don't know why but that totally cracked me up and I thought it was so cute. I think you had to see his face too because I think he was worried that it sounded so different. Everything else with the appointment went smoothly, and everything is right on track.

***Side notes that have nothing to do with the baby. My family went at Matta's for the last time. They are closing their location on Main Street. The rumor is it is closing for good. I also heard they will move down by river view, but if that does happen it won't open for a very long time. Either way my family was so sad. We seriously used to eat there like every weekend so you can understand this is a major event. I would have taken pictures but or battery for our camera still isn't here. Trust me once we get it I will take a lot more pictures. ***

Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Hmmm where do I start???....



Well I am not really sure where I should start with this post so if it goes everywhere you will just have to forgive me!!! I guess I will start with Christmas. This Christmas was my very 1st Christmas away from my family...well I guess I should say the Kartchner family. Jacob's parents (also known as Linda and Cecil) flew ALL of their children to Florida so we could all be together this holiday season. They got us a wonderful rental home where we all got to stay together and have so much fun. We went to Disney World and had a wonderful time. Our camera stopped working for some reason so I tried to steal pictures from my sister in laws page but that didn't work. So you will just have to trust me that we had a wonderful time.
I personally had a good time even though I wasn't allowed to ride any of the Disney fun fast rides. As you all know I am thrill seeker and I have yet to find a ride that scares me or I won't go on it. So you are probably wondering why I didn't ride anything and that is because my doctor told me I could not or else it would hurt the baby. No that wasn't a typo Jacob and I are expecting our 1st baby August 2nd!!! We are very very very excited. I am so excited I have made myself sick....no just kidding the baby has made me sick. Haha which is sometimes hilarious and other times very sad. (Now the story about the bird poop making me sick might make more sense to some of you now.)
Upon our return from Florida we spent New Year's with my family. Which was a lot of fun! My cousin's the Porter's came over and we played games and had a great time. We also had little treats made the fabulous Debbie and the night turned out great. The only problem was this is where the plague began!!! A few days after New Year Jacob started feeling very sick and found out everyone at the Gilmore's with the exception of my sister Stephanie were down very sick. We also found out my mom, dad, and Debbie were all the same way. Well it spread to our house and I ended up catching it too!!! On Saturday I honestly thought I was dying, and I know Jacob felt the same way. Linda my mother in law come and tried to help us back to health....WHICH I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR!! Everyone is slowing starting to get back to normal with the exception of myself. For some reason I am having a very hard time shaking this!
I just know there is more I am forgetting, but I honestly can't think right now, and this is getting to long. I am sorry this blog has been boring and I promise I will try much harder to keep up on this page....starting next week...maybe?