Hello again!

I feel like it has been forever since I last wrote - and I will have to go back and fill in some details from this year. Like, Lindsey's 8th birthday and Tanner's 6th birthday, Lindsey's baptism and summer activities... then back to school!  We have a 5th grader, 3rd grader and 1st grader - Julie is my at home companion and has become a great Visiting Teaching assistant!  I went to Girls Camp this year as my ward's Young Women's President, and then was released after only serving one year.  Now I serve as the compassionate service leader and on the RS Meeting Committee.

We are still struggling to make ends meet after Jared's business partnership ended at the beginning of 2009.  I have been struggling to endure with a faithful heart - I have been feeling tired lately.  I am beginning to tire of the struggle - but I know we can do hard things.  I always wake each day and seek to conquer just this day - breathe in and out, pray, count my blessings - and then do it again the next day.  I have sought inspiration as to what I am to learn through these trying days.  I am thankful for these trials, for it has made each member of my little family more appreciative of each other and to see that spending time with one another here at home is more precious than gold.  We are investing time in each other and our relationships and ensuring that we enjoy spending eternity with one another! ;-)  We are learning to appreciate every little thing that we have - to make do, or do without.  We have also learned that the Lord truly extends tender mercies to those who love and honor Him.  We are doing our best to live true to our covenants and the commandments.  We have been humbled by the goodness of our Heavenly Father.  We have been cared for and been the recipients of so much service in the past few years - we hope that we can one day be in a position to take care of ourselves completely again and be able to give to others.

I must write down so as to not forget and to acknowledge an experience where not only have the windows of heaven have been opened to us, but I feel a door as well.  I was asked to participate in our monthly Relief Society Meeting held each 2nd Tuesday of the month, by sharing how I have tried to fulfill the counsel from our prophets to be prepared in food storage.  I agreed to stand and share my testimony of following the prophet and how I do food storage.  I shared my family's experience.  About 2 years before Jared's business partnership ended in Feb. of 2009, I got "bit" by the food storage bug.  I felt inspired that I needed to take advantage of this time of plenty and to aquire my long-term food storage.  I bought buckets and the wheat and rice and beans, etc. and we had a 1-year supply in store.  We also were able to have at least 6 months of short-term food in store.  We have lived on that storage for the last 2 and a half years.  I know that I was inspired to prepare - and that these times have taught us to be humble and share and to listen to our leaders.  I also shared that times continue to be tough for us and that currently my husband has needed to look for work again.  After our meeting, a sister in my ward approached me and shared that the accounting position at her husband's company had opened up just yesterday.  She told me to have Jared give her husband a call.  Jared connected with her husband the next day, emailed his resume on Thursday morning, had an interview with the President of the company Thursday evening and had a job offer the following Monday.  We accepted the offer Tuesday and by Thursday he was on site receiving orientation!  It is wonderful how quick the Lord is to bless us when we will listen to His Spirit.  I am grateful that we were attuned to hear and listen to His will for us.  How thankful I am!