Ginger's getting Hitched!

This post is a little late, but I thought I would post about Ginger getting married. They have been engaged for a while, and their date is next week September 5th, holy cow, I can't believe it is already here. She got her endownments done last weekend, which was so neat. I love going to the temple when your brothers and sisters and parents are there at the same time. It just makes it so much more special.

Anyway, Ginger is marrying a great guy named Steve Bell. We are so excited for them. I love weddings, I can't wait till next week, when I can chow down on wedding cake and interact with my family. Here's a picture of the cute couple. We are so happy for you Ginger! :)

A Name and a Blessing

This post is a little late, but oh well. So much has been going on, that I really haven't had time to post. We blessed our Lydia Gene on August 2nd, and it was such a beautiful day. I really felt the spirit, and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful family. It was so good to see everyone that came to share our joy with us. My dad always bears his testimony at his grandchildren's blessings. I look forward to those days, because I love to hear my dad's firm nonwavering testimony. We did lunch at Shawn's parents house again like we did with Keely's because our house is too small. Thanks again Jennifer for letting us do it at your house. It was wonderful.

I made Lydia's dress, and I have to say, I have more practice to do. I made a whole dress the dress before this one and it didn't work at all. So I had to get more fabric and start all over again. It took me forever to get the final result. I was happy with it, but there are still some things that I can learn and get better, which I intend to.

Here are some pictures of Lydia's day....

Four generation picture with Shawn's grandparents.

Lydia was done taking pictures.
My parents. I love my Dad's smile in this picture.

.Our Many Blessings.

When I look back on my life, all I can see is how much the Lord has blessed me and my family. I have been blessed with goodly parents, they are the most honest, wonderful people I know. All throughout my life I have been blessed. I think about people in these third world contries and pause to think "why has the Lord blessed me and continues to bless me when all these people suffer?"
Well the reason I bring this up, is because the Lord continues to bless me with abundance. About three weeks ago Shawn lost his job with Allstate. His boss couldn't afford him anymore. Shawn was the last salesman to go at that agency. It was kind of a suprise, and a bit of a trial, but we tried to stay optimistic, we knew that they Lord would help Shawn get a job.
We have some offers on some houses and are already approved for a loan, so you can imagine our heartache when we realized that a house wouldn't be coming soon (becuase you can't get approved for a loan without a job :) ) Well last Tuesday, Shawn put in an application for an Allstate in Scottsdale, and he got the job that same day!! I will be able to quit my job here soon becuase of his new job. I am so excited! Losing Shawn's job was definatly a blessing in disguise. I have to admit, I was getting discouraged there for a while, and I am sure Shawn was too. I love Shawn and am thankful that is he so willing to go to work to support our family, so I can stay home with the girls.
And now things are moving forward with a couple short sales that we put offers in. So hopefully things will start happening with a house soon. I am so thankful for my Heavenly Father for being mindful of us and in our time of need. Again, I look at all the people who have lost their jobs, and wonder why it was so easy for Shawn to get a job. I guess the best thing we can do is be mindful of others, and find ways to give service.