Twilight Series

So this week I have read 4 books - I have finished the Twilight series and I read The Appeal by John Grisham- I read Twilight last week because a friend recommended the series to me- I will say that it took me 12 chapters to get into the book- It was an alright read for me, I must admit to those of you who do not know me that my favorite books to read are either history or crime, I love anything to do crime fiction or non so it is very difficult for me to wrap my little brain around things that are so far fetched in my opinion- I will say that I absolutely loved and hated New Moon, I hated how Edward broke Bellas heart but I loved how it was a great read, I actually got lost in the story and was excited to read Eclipse and was thrilled with that book but I have to say Breaking Dawn was a let down, I was bored with it, it was too predictable, I figured the ending out before I was even half way done with it- It had so much potential but it did absolutely nothing for me- I know those of you who are huge fans of the series must think I am crazy- Bella had such a dull personality, it drove me nuts,  Alice was by far my favorite character in the series, she had real spunk and made you believe everything, Jacob was my next favorite you could just feel the emotions he was having, Emmett he was just funny, still not to sure what to think of Jasper, Rosalie, I just felt sad for her- All and all it wasn't a bad series to read- 2 out of the 4 books were excellent ~ 

She did it!

Well today Sierra Nicole received her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do! I am so very proud of her - I know I have said it a million times but it is true! The girl is such an inspiration- There were a lot of people there to watch her receive her belt this afternoon and I promised I wouldn't cry "that much" and I was good I only cried when she actually tied her belt around her waist and when she raised her hand and took the black belt oath - I am bummed that my camera didn't work and that I don't have photos of the the actual event but I will take photos this week of her in her uniform with her new belt and post them so you all can see - I received a bouquet of flowers as a thank you for helping her achieve her goals - On a sad note she has decided not to continue on for her 2nd degree at this time, she wants to try other sports and Tae Kwon Do takes up a lot of her time and at least 6 months of every year is dedicated to strictly training for black belt so she is going to take some time off and go back to it later on - I really hope she does  go back because she has such a natural talent for it and is so beautiful to watch - I love watching her kick, so graceful! Anyway I just wanted to share with you all her accomplishment- I Love you Sierra, and am so so proud of you!

Talk on Baptism

So tonight I gave a talk on Baptism for Sister Sabatino- I had never given a talk in church before so once again I was a "bit" nervous-  I wanted to share with her my conversion story and let her know what an amazing step she is taking in her life- I shared with her Alma 7:14-16 and 2Nephi 31:10-13, those are two of my favorite scriptures, they remind me of the promises that are made to us if we keep the covenant's we make- I remember the day I was baptized, the feelings I had, I shared with her about how I was feeling lost and alone before I was immersed in the water and that the minute I came out of the water those feelings were gone, and a sense of peace came over me- I hope that she will remember today and the feelings she has had, I asked her to write them in a journal so that she can reflect on them- I am not sure if she will or not but I know that Heavenly Father is so very proud of her for taking this step and she will blessed as well as her family for the choice she has made- I am thankful for this week as I have overcome some of my fears- I am thankful that I was able to give the talk tonight, yes it has made it into my journal tonight, I will always remember this day and what it has meant to me- 

President Obama *sigh*

So today is a new chapter - I am very disappointed in the outcome of the elections-I spent many hours at Raleigh's Republican Headquarters making calls in McCain's behalf and really believe he was the right choice for America at this time- I believe he would have been elected if he had picked Mitt Romney as his Vice President but he didn't so we now have Obama- I will do what McCain has asked of each of us and support this new President elect- I hope that Obama is able to prove us Republicans that voted for McCain wrong, I hope he is able to take our country in a new direction- I hope he brings about the right kind of change - I look forward to November 6, 2012 when we will have the chance to elect a new President, until then Obama has 4 years to "prove" himself worthy of the title of President of the United States of America!

Until we meet again

Well today was one of the most emotional days in my life - I knew this day was coming but I wasn't prepared for it at all - Adam is now serving in New Bern, NC - It is about 120 miles south east from Cary - He arrived at my house this morning at 10:30 and we left shortly after 11:00 to head to the Raleigh Stake Center so he could meet his new companion and head off to his new area - I was good, I didn't cry while we were at the house or when we took photos and I didn't even cry when we were sitting next to one another in the chapel, but I totally lost it when we were standing outside in the rain saying our farewells to one another, neither one said "goodbye" we both said "until we meet again" but even that didn't make me cry, what made us both cry  was when he said " the heck with the rules, come here so I can give you a hug " - When he hugged me it all sank in that my friend and sense of security was leaving and I wouldn't be having breakfast, lunch or dinners with him any more, I wouldn't be sitting next to him at church again, he isn't going to be the one to reassure me when I start to second guess myself,  he wouldn't be the one answering my questions anymore, I won't see his smiling face again for a very long time and that makes me very sad - You see he isn't just a missionary to me, he is my friend, there is a connection between us that words can not possibly begin to explain- I will have to adjust to the new change and the void that is now there - I know that we will see one another again in the future, but I just wish it didn't have to be that way, I wish he was still here and that tomorrow when I see the missionaries for dinner he will be sitting across the table telling stories about back home - I know I should look at this in a more positive way and I will once I get over the sadness, I just need a day or two to reflect and then I will be back to my normal self trying to get to know the new missionary-  so Adam, until we meet again, I miss you and keep on keepin on ~

Black Belt

Sierra Nicole will be receiving her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do on November 15th at 12:30 - I am so proud of her! She worked so hard for 2 years straight- six months before testing she went 7 days a week sometimes several times a day so that she would be perfect for testing- the BB testing lasted almost 4 hours and she did awesome! her overall score was a 93% out of 100 so I would definitely say all her hard work paid off for her - While training for BB testing she was on the demo team and managed to go to practice, do school work and maintain her grades at school - I can't wait to see her tie her new belt around that teeny tiny waste of hers, on November 15th, I know I will shed many tears that day, I spent countless hours watching her perfect her kicks, punches and self defense - I saw the tears she shed when she tried over and over again to learn a new kick that was difficult for her, she has learned that she is a strong girl who can do anything once she sets her mind to it, I feel that through TKD that she has been given a few tools to accomplish great things in life, she has determination, self control, respect, and a positive attitude, those are just a few things that she can take with her in the future where ever the road may take her- I will always look back on the time we spent together and smile, not one second wasted- I learned more about her in the past two years than I did in the first 12 years of her life - 

Adam

Adam is a missionary from Utah- He has been in my area for 4 months now and is about to move onto a new area- In the short time he has been here he has taught me so much, he has helped me realize that I am worthy to enter the Temple, that I can live without caffeine in my life and that no matter what life is good- I knew from the first time I met him that we would be life long friends and that no matter where we go in life we will always be there for one another- I am so grateful that he was able to go with me to the Temple for my endowment, it was such a special day and I couldn't imagine going without him, because of him I over came my insecurities and really believed I was worthy- He taught me that just because I am a convert to the church and don't know every scripture that it was ok to enter the Temple because I was living my life the right way- I was always felt that because I didn't know the scriptures like the people raised in the church that I wasn't ready to enter the Temple, but he said it didn't matter because he was raised in the church and still didn't know everything about the scriptures, that it is a life long journey to learn them and understand them and not to let that get in the way of me entering the Temple and receiving the many blessings that would come to me by doing so- I will miss our long talks about life, his family, my family, just casual conversation that seemed to come so easily- For those who know me know that conversation isn't so easy for me, I am very guarded but with him no walls just a sense of peace and happiness- He has such an amazing spirit about him, I will miss hearing about his bow hunting experiences, the stories about home and the light in his eyes when he talks about his Mom-I will miss his laughter everyday, his analogies when he is trying to explain something to me that I just don't understand, but what I will miss most is the way he always made me feel like everything was going to be alright while he was around me- I will not say goodbye to him on Tuesday I don't believe in goodbyes I will say until we meet again~ I will always have a special place in my heart for him and he knows that, I will always be grateful to Heavenly Father for sending him here to us- I know that when he leaves on Tuesday his new area will be receiving a person who has a lot to offer, an amazing spirit and I hope that the people will have an open heart and see what a great missionary he is! I know we will send emails and stay in contact so that is why I will not say goodbye, it will be until next time my friend~    

Overcoming a fear

So today while at church I had to overcome a HUGE fear of mine, I had to say the closing prayer! I am terrified to get up in front of people and speak- When I received a call last week from the Stake Center I felt that I could not turn down the request so I said "yes sure I would be more than happy to do that", but deep down I was terrified I wanted to hang up the phone and pretend the conversation never took place - So when I arrived at church this afternoon I instantly started to cry because I saw how many people were really there and the fear just overwhelmed me - Sierra, my daughter was so sweet, she just kept telling me "Mom it will be fine, no worries you have so many friends here to support you and plus Bigelow and Regnier are here so all is good" - We sat down towards the back of the church, as we waited for services to begin the other missionaries started sitting by us so I began to feel more at ease, that is until every 15 minutes they would tell me how much time I had left - While President Maxwell was giving a talk Elder Bigelow passed me a note with scriptures to look up, so I used his scriptures and began to read what he had suggested and I felt such a sense of peace come over me - He then told me I would be fine and not to worry about anything because if I listen to the spirit and not focus on my fear then everything will be perfect- So I asked Elder Regnier to walk with me in the halls towards the front of the chapel and while walking I just kept wondering what I was going to say because the minute I left Bigelow my sense of peace vanished, he has become kind of like my security blanket the past few months, always there for me even when I didn't think I needed him- anyway so I as Regnier and I were walking he kept telling me not to worry - so when we got to the door that led to the front of the chapel the choir was still singing so we continued to talk and he just kept reassuring me that all would be fine, the choir stopped and I froze, I couldn't move, he held the door open for me and I saw President Maxwell and he gave me a nod and wink so I walked in, didn't look at anyone in the congregation looked down, closed my eyes and said the prayer, I couldn't tell you what I said because I can't remember it but from what everyone said after church it was perfect- All I can say is that I hope they never ask me to do that again! Sierra said after I gave the prayer Bigelow smiled and said perfect- 

Just venting...

So tonight I went to see Sarah Palin in Raleigh, it was awesome!! I will admit when I first heard McCain announcer her as his Vice President nomination I was not at all happy about it- I really wanted Mitt Romney to be the the VP because of his background in economics but such as it was I gave Palin a chance and I really think that she would do a fine job as next in line to the President! 

I will be honest with you, Obama scares the heck out of me, I mean if you want a real smooth talker than he is your man but me personally  I don't want a man like that in the White House - I don't want a socialist! I think that this is the land of opportunity and I am tired of people being lazy and expecting a free handout because they are too damn lazy to get off their butts to get a job and be active citizens in their community - Now don't get me wrong I have nothing against those who are just down and out and are struggling and need the assistance because I believe we should help those who are at least trying to help themselves - I do not like the idea of "spreading the wealth" Nope not at all, I work hard for what I earn and I don't want to give more to the government so that they can give it to those who don't! I don't mind working hard to give my children opportunities in life but I do mind working hard just to give it to Obama so he can give it to those who chose not to - 

Another thing that I am annoyed with is all the negative ads on both sides - I see no need for them! I don't think it helps either party when it comes down to it and for those who believe the ads I am sorry - Neither side tells the whole truth - I am looking forward to November 5th when I will no longer have to hear or see another negative ad! 

Finally I am very thankful that I live in a country where I can say what I want to say and vote for who I want to vote for, it is because of  all the wonderful service men and women who fought for this country, our freedom ~ I have nothing but respect for them,I will always be grateful to them, Thank you!!