I Need HELP!

I'm working on a school project. The topic is simple. What do you do if you have a deaf child, and your a hearing parent? What would you do when it came time for them to go to school? Would you send them to a deaf school or a public school? What if you were deaf and you had hearing kids? How would you teach them to speak? Where would you send them for school? I need to know your opinions please! If you have children in your kids classes at school that are deaf, or you know anyone who is deaf or has a deaf child, let me know of their story. I need to figure out how to present information without slaughtering the topic! Thanks!!

I Never Knew...

Daniel is an army man. I didn't know much about the army except that it was a really scary thing, that young men join for lots of reasons... Dan went to boot camp right after high school.. well all I can say is that I see the effects of what they did to him. Just a few nights ago, I woke up to hear Dan coughing next to me. I wondered if he was ok, without thinking, I reached out putting my hand gently on his back. To my great surprise, the blankets flew back, Dan seemed to roll off the bed with so much speed, he almost hit the wall. I blinked. He was crouched at the bottom of the bed, staring at me. I stared back, I'm sure my 'stare' showed much more shock than his. When Dan started to breath, he was laughing. My tense muscles melted, and Dan crawled back into bed chuckling to himself. "What?" I asked him. He continued to chuckle as he told me his dream. Spiders everywhere, giant taranchulas climbing toward him and his brother Joel. Joel tried to spray one with insect Zapper, hoping to kill it. The spider started to fume, and die, but more came. Lots of them, then all of the sudden Dan felt one on his back! Woah... Thanks to me, I made his dream more real, and thus he leaped out of bed. I was beginning to think it was because of all of that boot camp training! Good times.

Family night out..

I spent a night over at Daniel's family party in Brigham City. The family party is focused on writing a story for the year.. then reading your story to the family. This year Dan's family secretly told everyone to write about Dan's Aunt De Ann. De Ann had just gone through cancer and chemotherapy over the past year and is finally growing her hair back, and has energy enough to enjoy life. I don't know you guys remember her, but she was the fantastic cook at our wedding breakfast and reception.

The party was a blast! Full of laughter (as always) and to my surprise, tears. Everyone told about De Ann when she was little and how she was a huge influence... then some spoke of how they were proud of her for her optimism through the cancer. As the stories unfolded.. I had a harder time sitting there, listening. I kept thinking about when I found out about De Ann's cancer. I cried. I cried and prayed that her family wouldn't lose her. I was selfish that day... I didn't want anything to do with the family and the pain they would go through. I didn't want to see them, or talk to them. I didn't want to see De Ann lose her hair, or feel loss at the life she was missing while lying in bed. I selfishly wanted to stop dating Dan so I didn't have to see it.

You can imagine how hard it was for me to sit and listen to her daughters stories, how they got through the nightmare of their mother's cancer.. how they all stuck it out hoping for the best. I hated that I had to stop myself from thinking, "how is it that I can't have my mom, but you get to keep yours?" But then I knew inside, that De Ann has blessed all of us, even me.. the newest member of their family. I knew that I would have hated losing her too... even if I couldn't have my mom. I cried along with everyone else as they read. I cried because they cried.. I felt out of place. I wanted to tell everyone about my family and how lucky they were... but I think they knew it. They knew they were blessed. They knew it deeper that I knew it.

It was a hard night, and wonderful night. I don't know if it's possible for me to mourn for someone I don't remember, but I think I'm still going through the stages. Sure makes me feel strong to be able to get through it.

Eternity seems forever away... but it's Almost here

I've been reading my emails, and read one or two missionary emails... yes. I still have missionaries. Weird. One was from Elder Chun. He wrote about how much the Lord is working... how it's not HIS work, but the LORDS work. I thought about that. I thought about how the missionaries work so hard to get new members involved in the ward. I thought about when I was a ward missionary (when I started dating Daniel) and how hard it was to get people to come to church.. and when they did come, how much we focused on sitting with them, making meaningful conversation and introducing them to people. I have forgotten how hard it is to help people feel involved until it was my time to move into a new ward. I've been in this ward for 2 months, and have never been so welcomed in my life. Though everyone seems to notice you and introduce themselves, I have a hard time feeling like a fit in. If this is the case, I don't know how anyone "NEW" can do it. Then I thought of it... It's not the members that cause people to stay... it's the gospel. The Love of God when you listen to the hymns, or sing. It's the spirit that dwells in the sacrament room as we search our scriptures for what the Lord wants us to learn, or do.

I'm not a convert... I was born into the gospel. I know some of our family members aren't quite converts either. Daniel's family is half and half as well. I see families, beautiful little boys, girls, with their parents and I think about the love that seems to bind them with thick invisible threads... then my heart fills with warmth.. until I remember that some of those threads will be easily broken, no bindings to go on after this life. I think of my own family.. so small just the two of us. Looking at Daniel, I feel immense hope and joy. I love that I'm sealed to him forever. I love that I will have children with him that we will always be able to keep.

I know that you may be reading this, and think that it may be false, that if God loves us he will keep us together. I know without a doubt... I can feel the truth behind God's promises. He promises that we can be together, if we follow the road to get there. He gives us these commandments for our good. I wish I had the power (motivation) whatever it must be called to follow the rules that I must so I can return home. Home, that sweet place, someday.

Thanks for listening to my soap box. They say a story (thought in my case) isn't a good one unless it gets wet in the writing.

Reunion Fun!

This last reunion that we attended was wild.

It was the first one that hit us hard with a windy rain storm. All of our tents got out of control and started to blow away. I'm sure most of you remember it! (not easy to forget.) I thought it would be fun to post some pictures from the event! I caught some cute ones of the family... and well.. Of my sweet husband playing hide and seek with the kids. Enjoy!!