Success!

Today I had a huge paper due for English.  As I was finishing up last night, I realized how little I had left till the night before and just how well I had done at pacing myself on this big project!  And it really didn't cause me much stress at all.  I had plenty of friends who saved the entire thing until the night before and plenty of people said it was hard and horrible, but I was grateful for the amount of ease I had in doing it.  I was so proud of myself that I paced myself and got it done with quality.  It really gave me a little boost and some confidence that I can manage my time well and be successful with other things, too :)

Happy (Late) Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a good holiday :)  I enjoyed it this year with cousins, grandparents, etc and LOTS of warm yummy food, including:
2 turkeys (one smoked, one not)
Cranberry Sauce
Ham
Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Oyster Stuffing (my Dad's creation...)
Sweet Potato Casserole (to die for!!)
Green Bean Casserole
Jello Marshmallow Stuff
Orange Rolls
Pumpkin Pie
Berry Pie
Pecan Pie

Needless to say, I had a food baby afterward.  But I would venture to say that the 10ish orange rolls I ate were totally worth it :)  I hope you all had a chance to reflect on the many things we each have to be grateful for; we are so fortunate to have so much comfort and so much love in our lives. 
"Gratitude is a mark of a noble soul and a refined character." -Joseph B. Wirthlin
Keep Smiling! Olivia

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”

Albert Einstein 

Classic

Dad: "I know, let's have a contest to see who can punch the softest."  A moment later I look into the kitchen to see Grant motionless on the floor and Neil standing close by laughing and saying "I lose!!" 

On the Sabbath

Just a word about faith and works.  One big difference between the LDS (Mormon) church and others is the emphasis we put not only on faith alone but also on works.  Some other Christian churches say that if you accept Christ, that is enough to be saved.  We believe that is not quite so.  As James says, "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."  He goes on to explain that the devil believes in God, too, but that's not enough to save him.  (James 2:17-19)  Paul also says, "Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid" (Romans 3:31).  So just because we have faith doesn't mean we are exempt from doing correct works.  And it doesn't mean that we don't have to repent of wrongdoings.  No unclean thing can dwell in heaven with God, so we must repent of all our sins and be pure.  Baptism is an example of an action that is essential to salvation.  In John, Christ says, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God."  (John 3:5)  We will all be judged according to our works and our hearts.
Olivia :)

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."
Albert Einstein

Last One Eating

I have this wonderful gift I've been given of being an incredibly slow eater.  Thanks Dad, that one came from you.  People mock him all the time about how slow he eats and I foresee that in my future.  Once we were eating out and my whole family had left the restaurant...there was literally nobody in there...and there I sat with my plate in front of me.  Just tonight everyone was gone from the table and I was still there, all alone, slowly chewing.  It's not like it's that surprising though; I'm slow at almost everything :)