The Life of Liz Snow

The Gospel Blesses Families

2010-12-06T10:20:00.000-07:00

An excerpt from "Preach My Gospel" pg. 32

The restored gospel blesses and helps husbands and wives, parents and children as they strive to develop stronger relationships and spiritual strength in their families. These blessings are available now and in eternity. The gospel of Jesus Christ provides help with current concerns and challenges.

Because families are ordained of God, they are the most important social unit in time and in eternity. God has established families to bring happiness to His children, allow them to learn correct principles in a loving atmosphere, and prepare them for eternal life. The home is the best place to teach, learn, and apply principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ. A home established on gospel principles will be a place of refuge and safety. It will be a place where the Spirit of the Lord can abide, blessing family members with peace, joy and happiness. Through prophets in every age, including our own, God has revealed His plan of happiness for individuals and families.

Challenge: Everybody to buy a Preach My Gospel booklet and study the teachings therein, but also study the Attributes of Christ pg. 115- Chapter 6, so that we might all be more like him and create peace and kindness in the world.

More Symbolism

2010-12-06T09:41:00.001-07:00

These symbols are taken from the Book- The Lost Language of Symbolism by Alonzo Gaskill.

Body Parts Symbols Continued-

Hair symbolizes life.

Hand symbolizes actions.

The head symbolizes the entirety of a person, the life of a person, the source of governance or rulership.

The heart symbolizes the seat of knowledge, the recipient of revelation, inspiration and omniscience; the location of the true inner self.

Horns symbolize power and strength.

Knees symbolize one person before another in fear or submission.

Loins (reproductive organs) symbolize offspring and reproduction and secondly preparedness.

The neck represents attitude or subjection. The neck is an outward sign of the inward state of the heart.

The nose symbolizes anger or temperament and indignation. The symbol came from flared nostrils, meaning anger.

Shoulders symbolize labor, burdens and responsibilities.

The throat symbolizes priesthood power.

Wings symbolize power to move, act or protect.

The next part is about Clothing Symbols. Priestly clothing represents the garb of God and the angels. Temple clothing represents a change in role, from mortal to immortal, from ordinary human to priest or priestess, king or queen. Putting on sacred clothing symbolizes personal consecration and preparation for spiritual duties.

The apron anciently symbolized priesthood and work, but it also represents fertility and reproduction. The fig leaf is another symbol for fertility and reproduction.

Armor symbolizes protection against evil.

Bows symbolize a sacred symbol, also a marriage covenant between man and wife.

The cap symbolizes authority, victory, wisdom and power. The caps or bonnets worn by the priests that worked in the Mosaic tabernacle were made of white linen and according to one Jewish scholar, were flat on top.

Symbolism in scriptures, temples, etc....

2010-12-03T11:15:00.004-07:00

I have been reading the book by Alonzo Gaskill, a BYU professor titled, "The Lost Language of Symbolism". As I am a very literal person and have a hard time with symbolism, this has been a very helpful book for me. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned thus far. I will put the symbols and what they stand for. So far I have only read a portion of body parts symbols.

The arm stands for- power & strength. The outstretched arm of God symbolizes his power being exercised. Our outstretched arm symbolizes supplication and reaching up to heaven with a desire to call down blessings.

Blood- symbolizes life, humanity and mortality. Also the cycle of mortality, sins and redemption from sins by Christ.

Bosom- symbolizes favored status, a place of security and protection.

Bowels- symbolizes compassion, sympathy, love and pity. This is a place of emotion. The bowels and loins together symbolize reproduction, fertility or one's offspring.

Ears- symbolize receptivity and obedience. We should live our lives so that all we hear and hearken to are in accordance with the Holy Spirit.

Eyes- symbolize the receipt of light, knowledge, insight and revelation. The light of the body is the eyes. Therefore, if your eyes are single to the glory of God, then your whole body should be light. Multiple eyes represent the all-knowing God.

Feet symbolize how we live, the path we follow, our personal direction, mission or goals. The washing of feet, symbolizes meekness and servitude to God.

The forehead symbolizes thoughts, loves & desires, and memorial. What a person dwells on and therefore what he loves or desires. If in the end we are to be exalted, it will be based on how well we control our thoughts and on what we dwell on and truly desire.

This has been a great learning experience for me. Stayed tuned and I will share more symbolism in the days to follow. I have set a goal for personal scripture study for 1 hour every day. I hope I can keep this up.

Info about King Henry VIII and English Wills

2010-12-03T10:53:00.000-07:00

In my scripture study today, I was reading about Martin Luther and his starting of the Reformation. During this time period, King Henry VIII gave his support against Luther and to the Catholic Pope. The Pope then gave King Henry VIII, the title of Defender of the Faith. This is ironic, because shortly after, King Henry VIII became disasstisfied with the Catholic church because they wouldn't grant him a divorce from Queen Catherine so he could marry someone else. He broke from the Catholic Church and made himself the head of the church of England, so he could have a divorce. However, he still retained the title of Defender of the Faith. This phrase appears following the names of other English Royalty in English wills, when it is describing the regnal years. For example:

King James VI, By the grace of God, King of Scotland, England, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, etc.

Wedding of Jeff Snow and Melissa Alvarez- July 16, 2010

2010-11-17T09:50:00.000-07:00

Rachel and Kyle Olsen Family

Julie and Aaron Mangino Family

Rasty and Becky Snow Family

Bob and Liz grandkids

Emily and Mike Speed Family

Alvarez Family

Bridesmaids and Groomsmen

Parents of the groom

Bob and Liz Snow family

Tony and MaryEllen Snow kids

Bride and Groom and neices

Ruth Williams, Marie Taylor and Holly Barney- helping with refreshments.

LDS Manti Temple

Bob and Liz Snow family- except Sam

All guests

Siblings of the Bride and Groom

Grandparents of the Bride and Groom

Jeff and Melissa


The new Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Snow

Flunking Primary and Being Sent Back to Nursery

2010-10-31T22:19:00.000-06:00

Well last Sunday, I thought I was graduating from Nursery and going to play the piano in Primary. (Via permission of the Primary Pres. and the fact that the pianist was called into Relief Society). However, after today when the nursery had a few problems without me, the Primary Pres. informed me that I am back in Nursery. Oh well. I do love it, but was looking forward to a change after three years.

I would have missed talking to Ruth and the other ladies though, and the children are alot of fun. They are so close to our Heavenly Father. Afterall, it's almost January and we will lose 9 of our 17 kids. This year we grew from 5 kids in January to 17 kids in Oct. and most of them were new move ins.

Halloween Activities

2010-10-30T15:03:00.000-06:00

Since Bob and I, (well mostly me) are boycotting sugar this year, we decided to have a date for Halloween night. We are going to a movie and dinner. Therefore, we miss the trick or treaters and buying candy or having any left at home as a temptation. We'll let you know how it goes.

Easiest fudge ever

2010-10-30T14:54:00.000-06:00

I decided to make Sam some fudge for Christmas, so I tried a new recipe. It is sooooooooooo easy and fast.

2 c. (12 oz. pkg)Semi-sweet chocolate chips or mini chips
1 1/3 c. (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk in can
1/2 c. nuts (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine sweetened condensed milk and chips in glass mixing bowl. Microwave on High (full power) about 1 to 1 1/2 min, until mixture is smooth when stirred. Add chopped nuts, if desired and vanilla. Spread in greased 8-inch square pan. Cover; chill until firm. Cut into squares.

Variations: Peanut Butter Fudge - substitute peanut butter chips instead of chocolate chips and follow the rest of the recipe.

Double decker fudge- Make Both the chocolate chip recipe and peanut butter chip recipe. Then put one layer on top of the other. It's delicious and so fast.

More Netherlands Friends

2010-10-24T21:18:00.000-06:00

Liz and Tatiana at my favorite place the Family History Library.

Bob, Liz and Tatiana at the Christus statue.

Tatiana and Liz touring the Conference center.

Liz and Tatiana at the conference center with SL Temple in background. This was Tatiana's first visit to the USA.

Tatiana Golyandrina and Liz at the Lion House Pantry by Temple Square.

Visits from Netherlands Friends

2010-10-24T21:12:00.000-06:00

At the airport to pick up Ans.

Ans and Liz at Temple Square Oct 2010

Bob, Liz, Bro. Crowther, Ans and Sis. Crowther. The Crowther's were ex- Netherlands missionaries who live in Provo.

Bob, Liz, Tatiana, Ans, Sis. Crowther

Liz getting her biography of Pres. Monsen signed by Sis. Swinton the author, sitting right to the side of my book.

Bob and Liz at GEN Conf Sunday AM with Ans.

Eating lunch on Temple Square between conference sessions.

Olive Garden in St. George with Mom and Dad Cook, Liz, Tatiana, and Ans.

Zions Canyon, with Liz, Tatiana and Emily Cook.

Liz and Ans, Zions canyon.

Ans at the Arizona state Border.

Same night at the Nevada border in Mesquite Nevada.

Mapleton Chorale Choir Tour

2010-06-07T11:15:00.000-06:00

Salt lake City Cemetery at Gordon B. Hinckley's grave

Bob and I went with the fabulous Mapleton Chorale June 3-5 to Salt Lake City for a short tour. It was a fun get a way and very entertaining. Because of my recent illness this is the first time I have heard them sing since their Christmas concert. They are very, very good. It was alot of fun for the both of us. Here are some pics.

Lessons learned from the Doctrine and Covenants

2010-04-17T16:17:00.000-06:00

Today I learned two lessons while reading the D&C for a religion class at BYU.

One- D&C 46:11-12
...for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is givven one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby.

along with a quote from Elder Robert L. Simpson, Speeches of the Year, 18 Oct 1966
...you have a gift. If you do not recognize it, I think it is well that you see it from your Heavenly Father, and let him manifest through you what that gift is, so that you might amplify it and prove a blessing for your fellow classmates and others as you associate with them. .......We each have many gifts- more than we ever dreamed possible--if we will but make our lives worthy and available for that purpose.

Heavenly Father wants to bless us with gifts, if we just make ourselves worthy and available and then use those gifts to bless others.

Two- Quote from Bruce R. McConkie in Doctrinal New Testament commentary, vol. 1, pg 674-677.
About the second coming of Jesus Christ- . The Lord comes in every watch of the night, on every occasion when men are called to face death and judgement. When we die therefore, it is like the 2nd coming for us.

A big week of Firsts

2010-01-10T21:11:00.000-07:00

A new computer, a new kitchen table, First Snow grandson, Daniel Snow born at 12:11 AM Jan 7, and Nicholas Mangino born at 2:15 PM Jan 7th. Life can't get much better.

A beautiful cello and piano duet

2009-08-28T16:53:00.000-06:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0v3d6SFcDys

This is a great video of Jon Schmidt- (Sam's idol who is an amazing piano player. Sorry but I don't know how to post the video in here. You have to copy and past the link into your address bar. You have to watch it, it is beautiful!!!!

Revelation to Emma Smith- also for all women

2009-08-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

While studying the Doctrine and Covenants I learned about section 25 to Emma Smith. President Hinckley tells us that this section was meant for all women. (Ensign Nov. 1984 pg. 90)Therefore, I went through this section and gleaned out the things that Emma was directed to do, so that I might start working on this list if I wish to be given a crown of righteousness as she was promised in D&C 25: 15. Here is the list-

murmur not
be a comfort to your husband
expound and exhort scriptures
write and learn much
don't fear
lay aside the things of this world and seek for better things
lift up your heart and rejoice
cleave unto covenants you've made
continue in meekness
beware of pride
delight in your husband
keep commandments continually

Love of the Scriptures

2009-07-30T12:40:00.001-06:00

I love studying the scriptures. I am studying the D&C currently for an independent study class at BYU. The Doctrine and Covenants is beautiful and plain and filled with marvelous truths and promises as are all scriptures.

I discovered a beautiful promise in D&C 3:7-8; 10.
"For behold, you should not have feared man more than God. Although men set at naught the counsels of God, and despise his words,
Yet you should have been faithful: and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble.
But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou has done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work."

God is always waiting at our side for us to be humble and ask for his help. He is always there to protect us against the fiery darts of the adversary. Those are beautiful words, which bring great comfort in this time when it seems like Satan is winning. It strengthens me to know that God is always there waiting to support me. Who else do you need on your side but him. I know it is true- With God all things are possible.

We are blessed to have so many scriptures!!!!!

Gadgets

2009-07-18T13:09:00.000-06:00

This past week, I have discovered 2 very essential and helpful gadgets. I don't know if it is the stress of school or the thought of sending my last son on a mission for two years, but it seems that cleaning makes me feel better.

First, I discovered a Swiffer Duster. They are amazing! I used to hate using dusters because all they did was take the dust off an object and spread it throughout the air. But the swiffer duster attracts the dust and it sticks to the disposable pad. Now this might seem that it gets expensive, but I would imagine that if you use it regularly, you could make them last longer. Anyway, I have been having a great time dusting!!!!!!!

Second, I found a pill slicer. As most of you know I have fibromayalgia and in order to cope with the effects of it, I take medicine. Well the manufacturer of one of the pills I take daily changed the dosage a little. Now I have to take 1 1/2 pills at night. That sounds easy right? Well, they quit putting a scoring mark down the middle. I have been experimenting with different cutting methods, none very successful. I even tried getting Bob to cut them. I found a pill slicer. All you do, is put your pill in the holder, close the lid which has a razor blade on it and wala------ your pill is cut into two equal halves. Amazing!!!!!

Thanks for reading my blog and I hope you are all having a fun summer.

Happenings in May & June

2009-06-27T08:43:00.000-06:00

I have been home for a month now and I have neglected to update my blog. These are some of the things I have done in the last month.

My parent's 50th Wedding Anniversary Party.

Funeral of my cousin Jim Cook, who fought a courage battle against cancer. Jim and his family taught us how to live life and accept God's will.

Maurine Cook (my Grandma) standing by her husband's tombstone that also includes her name. A preview of the resurrection?
Sam's High School Graduation.

I am trying to go to school with all this going on at my house, but I do love having family around. I hope my professors feel the same way when they grade my work.

Granada

2009-05-30T19:15:00.001-06:00

One of the last cities we visited was Granada. By now, my foot was so painful I could hardly walk. The only place I went was the archive where we had much success for the Trejo family genealogy. Then I went to the hotel room and put my ankle on ice, while Bob went with the other two students and saw the sights.

Panorama of Granada.

Alhambra a famous Moorish Palace stone carving

Bob with Kimberly and Debbie in the Palace gardens

The Royal Chapel in Granada, burial place of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel of Spain.

The view of an Olive Orchard out our hotel window. Believe it or not, we are three stories up. It looks like you could walk straight out our window to the Olive Grove. I was very grateful for the beautiful view. Thanks to Dr. Ryskamp, our professor, for thinking about me and giving me the best view.

People from Garganta la Olla

2009-05-30T18:11:00.000-06:00

The highlight of my trip was probably visiting Garganta la Olla, Spain. It is the small village where my great grandfather Meliton Gonzalez Trejo (first translator of the Book of Mormon in Spain and first LDS member from Spain) was born and raised.

My delightful cousin Isidro from Madrid, met us in Garganta la Olla. It was very fun to walk around the village with him. We had to get a picture at the home of Meliton. Isidro is a descendant of Meliton's brother Cipriano. Isidro and I are the same generation. We are both great-great grand-children of Gerardo Gonzalez Trejo, father of Meliton and Cipriano.

Left to right- Margarita (cousin), Liz and other women of Garganta at Margarita's house.

The Parish Church of Garganta- Left to right- Isidro Gonzalez Trejo, Cousin, Sagrario- cousin, Liz and Bob.

Women of Garganta, sit outside to sew and visit with the passersby.

Men of Garganta sitting outside. For those of you who are family with the Trejo family, notice how many have a resemblance to the children of Meliton and Emily Trejo. It's like going to a family reunion when you visit the town.

Misc. Pics from trip

2009-05-30T17:57:00.001-06:00

Liz and Trejo cousin- Teresa in Garganta la Olla. I actually talked to her this trip, instead of having a translater. It was great fun. I had sent her our family picture with our entire family wearing white shirts, and she wanted to know what the significance of the white shirts was. I told her no significance, I just like it. She teaches religion at the elementary school in Garganta.

Liz, Debbie and Kimberly standing by birthplace of Meliton Trejo in Garganta la Olla.

Standing outside the London Metropolitan City Archives in London. Left to Right- Kim Wilson, Bob, Liz and Kristin Jensen

A pub near our Bed and Breakfast where we ate twice. The food was delicious. They had a bacon and chicken sandwich that was to die for. Their bottled water was 3 english pounds a piece though.

Bob and I at the River Thames in Kew near London. Notice the people in the background skulling.

Archives we visited

2009-05-30T17:50:00.000-06:00

Shelves with boxed documents in the Gloucester County Record Office. The boxes have small holes in them to let the air circulate around the documents.

The microfilm shelves are in the parking garage of the Hyde Park LDS Chapel.

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

2009-05-28T21:28:00.000-06:00

We just went to our last graduation of public schools. Sam has finally graduated!!! We need to thank Rasty and Becky for helping it to happen. They helped Sam with a math class that he put off til the very last day to finish. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed our time in the public school system and the time I spent working in the PTA, but I am happy to move on with life to our next phase in life.

Bob and I are still trying to figure out what time zone we are in and where all the things are we left at home.

Until next time. Adios.

Home Sweet Home

2009-05-27T08:37:00.000-06:00

Hi to all. We are finally home after our 1 month whirlwind tour in London and Spain. This morning I am headed to the doctor to see about my ankle. It never felt so good to sleep in my own bed, which is big enough for both Bob and I and has real pillows!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I will write more and post pics as soon as possible. I have a feeling I am going to be spending alot of time in the near future off my foot.

See ya!

A whirlwind tour of Spain

2009-05-23T01:58:00.001-06:00

Last week we spent Monday and Tuesday in the north of Spain over the top of Portugal in the famous city of Santiago de Compostela. Since my ankle is still quite swollen and black and blue, we stayed in a very pricey hotel that was right next to the Cathedral. It was a very nice room with a very comfortable bed. Of course after going to church, an hour drive and then driving 5 more hours North, I was so exhausted that I could have probably slept anywhere.

At church, we doubled the attendance with the 6 of us. It was a very small branch. There were only 6 members, 4 missionaries and the 6 of us. Two of the people in our group actually gave talks in Sacrament meeting. Thankfully, I wasn't one of them.

Monday and Tuesday we spent in the town of Ourense where I have some ancestors. We looked at the parish records, but unfortunately most of the birth and marriage records we need were missing the years we needed. We didn't find much the first day, but the second day we found a few death records which led us to find a notarial record in the provincial archive. After searching in the provincial archive for two days with 4 archivists sitting at the desk watching our every move, they were as happy as we were to find a document.

Wed. we decided I should go to the doctor about my ankle. The small local town had a free clinic. (Socialized medicine does come in handy.) We went to the clinic, since I was an emergency or (urgencia) in spanish, I went ahead of the patients who had an appointment. The doctor took one look at it and said it needed to have a cast, but they couldn't because it was too swollen. He gave me some medicine and said I should go to another clinic on Friday to have it put in a cast. They wrapped my ankle with two cloth bandages and told me to keep it up above my waist when I didn't have to be walking. She told me to stay off it for several days, but that was pretty hard to do under the circumstances.

Thurs. we were in Sevilla at the Archive of the Indies. Again we stayed in a hotel right by the cathedral and archive because I can't walk very far without my ankle swelling. We decided to take a tour of the city by horse and buggy. It was an hour ride. Sevilla is a beautiful city with a port. They have a beautiful huge park which we rode through. The buildings were beautiful with much moorish architecture.

The archive of the Indies was a wonderfully fun archive, although the security was incredible. First our professor had to talk to the archive director to gain permission for all 6 of us to research in the archive. Then we each had to talk to a secretary and give our information. Then they issued us a card, we finally got to go into the research room. We were looking for information on James Wilkinson an Americann General in the early 1800s who was a double agent for Spain and the US. I was looking at and holding the original letters of James Wilkinson, James Madison, and a Spain official in Cuba. It was so much fun to actually hold and read these documents. A BYU professor is gathering info for this project.

Thursday we went to Malaga, a city on the southern coast of Spain. The Ryskamps were doing client research for someone. They only had permission for 2 people to research, so Bob and I sat in the car for two and a half hours. THen we drove to Granada. Again we had a hotel right by the Alhambra, a Moorish fortress built ton the hills of Granada.

Friday, we went to the archive in the morning, searching for Trejo family records. We searched through Hildagia records which are court records seeking or proving noble status. We found several family documents which gave us generations that we had not previously had. One of the documents was a 60 page record with family members. It was from 1690 something and was deterioating badly. THe staff did not want to let us take pictures of it, but Bro. Ryskamp convinced them to let us have it. Unfortunately, the 4 hours spent in the archive maxed out all the will power I had to walk on my foot, so I spent the rest of the day in the hotel room with ice on my ankle while everyone else toured granada. It is the burial place of Ferdinand andn Isabel, king and queen of Spain. Also they visited the Alhambra Palace which interestingly had a fountain on the back of 12 lions. We thought that was very significant and interesting.

Today the 2 other students are interviewing a relative of yet another BYU professor while I am in the hotel with my ankle on ice. I am dreading the 4.5 hour drive back to Madrid which will be our last stop in Madrid before we fly to London on Monday and then return home on Tuesday.

My thanks to all who read this and took part in the Trejo family fast. We made some incredible discoveries this trip despite the unwillingness of the Priest in Canamero to let us film the records.

Until next time. Hasta Luego.

Liz the Clutz rides again

2009-05-17T15:24:00.000-06:00

Well sorry that I haven't written for a week, but we had a little mishap on our trip this week which caused a nice little rest and diversion, but meant we didn't have internet all week.

Last Monday, May 11 we were staying at a house out in the country. It is a beautiful little three room house. We went there with the Professor and his wife so we could get a chance to do our wash in a real washer, not in the hotel sink. The washer is in the garage which is down about 12 stairs. When I was bringing the last load in, it was dark and I lost my footing on the last step and fell. I twisted my ankle in the process. It hurt for a min, but then I was able to walk on it so I thought it would be okay until I took my sock off to go to bed. My ankle was swollen about twice its size.

I walked on it the next day to get to the archive, then I sat in a chair the rest of the day.

The next day we walked around Garganta la Olla, the town my great grandfather Meliton Trejo was born in. We spent from 9 AM until 8 PM walking around. It was an incredible day, but needless to say that night I couldn't hardly walk and my foot was incredibly swollen and black and blue. After that day, I decided not to continue the trip with the group and I sat on the couch for three days in the beautiful country of Spain at this house in the mountains. Bob was a great maid, bringing me ice and a heated rag in an effort to give my ankle a chance to heal somewhat.

It was very fun being alone for 3 days. I caught up on projects from my classes. We watched every movie we brought, including 2 Pirates of the Carribean, Australia, Gettysburg and Enchanted, just to mention a few.

I'm not sure if it my ankle is broken or just sprained, but I didn't want to go to the doctor in Spain, so I am trying to hang on until we return home. Bob walked a mile into town to buy my a cane. I now look like a crippled old grandma. We took pictures of my foot and will post them when he gets back. He is out seeing the beautiful city of Santiago de Compostela with the rest of the group. I am banned to my room and can't walk anymore than absolutely necessary.

We actually talked to a doctor today at church, which is amazing considering that there were only about 12 members in the Branch. She gave Bob a written description of a special wrap to buy to give me more stability while walking. She was very sweet. We are just trying to get through the next 10 days and try to continue as best as I can. The least little bit of walking seems to make my foot swell and it is a beautiful array of colors now. By the way, the picture is my ankle after 4 days.

We love and miss you all. Our thoughts are especially with Sam tonight as he goes to Seminary Graduation without Mom and Dad. He is even playing a piano solo. Bob and I will be there in spirit though.I hope one of his siblings can fit it into their schedules to go.

Tonight we are staying in a very ritzy hotel because it is the professor's wife's birthday. Also, it is on the Plaza of the town by the Cathedral. It is the only way I could accompany them, because I can hardly walk on level ground let alone hills. This entire town is in the mountains and I don't think there is a level place in the town, except for the Main Plaza Square. Anyway we are enjoying the luxury for one night. We ate in the hotel restaurant. The food was delicious. I had squash soup and ginger flavored cod for dinner. Bob had a soup that was Galegan Soup which is leeks and then he had pork baked in an apple. For dessert he had a fruit milk shake which turned out to be a bowl of icecream with fruit. I had the most delicious warm chocolate cake with orange sauce. It was divine. Well good night for now. Tomorrow we are off to another archive to do more research on the Trejo family. This trip is definately a genealogists dream.
Bye for now. Until next time. Hasta Luego.

A lesson about the importance of the Sacrament

2009-05-10T15:41:00.000-06:00

Today we attended sacrament meeting in a small branch in the town of Caceres. There were 13 branch members, the mission president and his wife, and the six of us in our group, making a total of 23 in all.

We tried to be on time, but got lost finding the building and were late. We arrived right after they finished the sacrament. We were so disappointed to have missed the sacrament portion, but didn't say anything.

The branch president spoke and then the Mission President got up to speak. He began by saying that he was about to do something very strange, but something he felt prompted to do with the permission of the branch president. He asked the priesthood to please bless and pass the sacrament to the six of us who had come late. It was such a sweet gift to us. The members willingly complied and the sacrament was given to the six of us while the others sat and watched. It was a powerful lesson of charity and the importance of the sacrament.

While we do attend church to fellowship with the Saints and hear the messages, the most important message is that of the Sacrament and the Saviour's atonement. It was an amazing experience and one that I will cherish all my life.

Madrid with Liz's cousin Isidro Gonzalez Trejo

2009-05-10T13:32:00.000-06:00

I am new at this blogger thing and not too techno savvy so I hope the pictures work. I am at my cousins house in Madrid. I am holding a bamboo walking stick with a sword inside that belonged to my great great grandfather Gerardo Gonzalez Trejo.

Notice the difference the way I hold it (a girl) and Isidro holds it (a boy). I guess something things just come more naturally to boys than girls.

The picture of the group is left to right- Isidro, his wife Luisa, his sister Jacinta, his son Gerardo and Bob and I.

We spent 5 hours talking family history. He has a wealth of knowledge about the family. He also went to the seminary with the priest that is currently in the Parish of Canamero. He is going to meet us this week in Garganta la Olla.

He wife was very sweet and his sister also. His son would like to come to the US. We are trying to persuade him to come visit Utah.

It was a great day. Isidro cleared up one point we were confused about. We had thought that Meliton had been disowned by his father, but it turns out not to be so. We have several letters from Gerardo, his father to the other son Cipriano, talking about Meliton. It seems that although Gerardo was very disappointed that Meliton chose to leave the Catholic church, the church of their heritage, he still loved and worried about his son.

Isidro also has the original certificate that Gerardo obtained to teach school. He gave me a copy.

My internet time is limited so I will end this for now.

Whirlwind Tour of London

2009-05-03T16:31:00.000-06:00

Well we finished at the National Archives. We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in London. We are becoming quite expert at using the Public Transportation system. Friday we went to the British Museum and saw a King Henry VIII museum exhibit. I learned a few things about Henry that I didn't know before. He wrote music, which we saw in the actual book. He and Ann wrote love letters to Ann Boleyn during mass in a bible. He had the Bible translated into English. His death inventory took 18 months to complete, it was 4" inches thick.

Next we went to the London Metropolitan Archives for the city of London. We were supposed to work on a database that was in place of a catalog, but it is now online. Bob looked at newspaper articles from the 1800s about the early LDS apostles in England and their not so favorable reception sometimes.

We had dinner with our friends Jan and Alan Travers. They took us to a wonderful meat place, but I ate too much and was sick all night. It was fun to spend time visiting with them and getting re-acquainted.

On Saturday, we spent the whole day at the Society of genealogists. They gave us a 2 hour tour of the facility. It was fabulous. Then we took a class on Wills and burials where we learned some things.

On Sunday, we went to church, which was an adventure, because we didn't bring the address. We didn't know that there was 5 different exits of the underground station. We walked around for 30 min. trying to find the building. We went to the Hyde Park Church. It was very nice. Quite a culturally diverse group of people. Sister Sheila Clappison gave us a tour of the Family History center, which is very nice. They store their microfilm in the parking garage. We met our friend from Mapleton, Richard Young and son Roman at church today. They do live in the other stake at Mapleton. That was funny.

After church we saw Big Ben, Parliament House, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Notting Hill, ate crepes for lunch, Kensington Palace from the back and walked down the street with all the embassies from all over the world, and the changing of the guards and returned home by 9:30.

Tomorrow we are going up to Gloucester where the girls will stay for a while. I think Bob is going to miss his little harem of followers.

I only had one bathroom emergency on Saturday, and Sunday night on the way home I lost my train ticket and had to buy another one on the return trip home. Other than that I think all has been a success. We have walked thousands of footsteps I am sure.

We will post pictures later as it is midnight and we have to leave by 9AM tomorrow to catch our train on time in London at noon. We are taking the girls luggage on the train tomorrow. That should be an adventure. Until later!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Good night.

Archive Heaven

2009-04-29T14:33:00.000-06:00

Today was our first official day in The National Archives of England. It is on the outskirts of England in the village of Kew. Our bed and breakfast is about a 15 min. walk from the archive. The village is very beautiful and right on the Thames River. We went on a walk along the Thames Monday and tonight. There are usually several groups practicing their rowing or sculling.

Here are a few pictures of us. One is in front of the B&B we are staying at and the other is the students and I at the archives.

We also made a visit to the museum at the archive. They have a display with the Magna Carta which is a document from the 1200s.

We are having a great time. The owner of the B&B has a great conversation with us each morning at breakfast. This morning he told us of his dislike for Margaret Thatcher which caused him to move to France with his family for 4 years. He is very chatty and quite friendly. We are enjoying the beautiful vegetation here in England that is so lovely and green because of the frequent rain.

We made it to London

2009-04-27T12:03:00.000-06:00

Well as usual, we had an interesting flight over to England. Don't they have normal flights and good weather any more? We arrived at the airport in SLC while it was slightly raining outside. Well they postponed our flight for two hours. This put us in a huge nasty storm between Salt Lake and Chicago which we had to fly around, via Enid Oklahoma. Enid, Oklahoma is definitely the scenic route to Chicago from SLC. Meanwhile we are running low on fuel because of the huge detour. That meant we had to make a stop in Springfield Missouri to get fuel. No one deplaned, they just put fuel in. I think it took about 20 min and we were off again.

All of these delays meant that we arrived in Chicago 3 hours late and 10 min. past our departure time. After waiting in a customer service line for 1 1/2 hours and moving about 10 feet, I called Rasty, (bless his heart) who gave us the telephone number to a real talking person. She advised us that we had automatically been rebooked and our luggage transferred to the 9:05 flight to London. It would have been nice if someone had told us before we waited so long in that line. She even told us the gate to go to. I was not impressed with the Chicago Airport at all. Many people had missed their flights because of weather. (An interesting side note, the airline isn't responsible for missed flights due to weather related issues)

The 9:05 flight to London was fully booked. There were 20+ people all from our previous flight that had been rebooked to this new flight. It is actually a nicer time for an international flight, because you eat dinner and then it is closer to our bedtime and should be easier to sleep. However, since you are squished like sardines, it is hard to sleep. We did make it through and surprisingly enough our luggage did too. I was very happy about that because I put some important genealogy that I had printed out for cousins in Spain in Bob's suitcase because my carry-on bag was full. We could have reprinted it, but it would have cost a pretty penny. I'd rather spend that money on souvenirs or books.

We arrived in London about 10:45 AM, I think. The customs was very quick and we found a taxi easily. After a 50 british pound taxi ride, we made it to our bed and breakfast. We are happy to be off the bouncy plane and plan to have a great adventure. Now I remember why I don't like roller coaster rides. Love to all and keep us in your prayers.

Oh, on a walk this afternoon, we passed a cemetery and of course we had to go in, as all good genealogists know. We found a grave for a christopher robin.

Finals are Over!!!

2009-04-22T14:52:00.000-06:00

Well I finally finished all my finals this semester. I was taking 6 classes and wondering why I got myself into that situation, but I did survive and hopefully my grade point average won't suffer too badly. It was definitely not my best semester with grades.

Now on to bigger and better things, like a trip to England/Spain, mission plans for Sam and hopefully a High School graduation when we return.

An Unexpected Surprise!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-01T16:50:00.000-06:00

For one of my history classes, I had to make a poster (see above) about a social history project I am working on. If you click on the picture, it should enlarge big enough to read if you are interested.

Today at the luncheon, they unexpectedly called my name for the 2nd prize in the entire History department entries.That may seem like a lot, but there were only 9 entries this year. At first I thought it was someone else, but my friend assured me that there aren't any other Elizabeth Snow's in the history department.

This is a project of Spanish records from the 1500s and early 1600s that we acquired when I went to Spain in 2007. They are membership lists from a Cofradia or Confraternity (we call them fraternities now) that was associated with the Catholic Church in the birthplace of my great grandfather Meliton Gonzalez-Trejo. Most of the the town were members. I have entered the names all into an excel database. (526 families) Now I am in the process of comparing the names with our PAF database to create families. This list pre-dates church records and will give us more families to add to our genealogy. The handwriting has been a challenge to read, but I am getting pretty good after two years of practice.

Anyway, that was a fun surprise today. The real bonus was that I got a nice cash prize. More spending money for our trip the end of April.

Lessons Learned

2009-03-24T14:33:00.000-06:00

Hi to all! This week has been a week of learning great lessons. I have learned that I am grateful beyond words for parents who raised us in a good LDS family where they taught us to love the Lord and all will work out.

In the New Era this month is a beautiful song about Tender Mercies. I am constantly being reminded that Heavenly Father knows and loves ME. He has a special plan just for ME. When life seems more than I can possibly do, something happens to remind me that he is there. Here are the words to the song-

1. Sometimes when I’m feeling scared,
I kneel down and say a prayer
and ask Him to help me through the day.
Sometimes when I’m feeling sad
for hard times that I have had,
I ask Him to help me find my way.

2. Sometimes when I’m all alone
and long for my heav’nly home,
I ask Him to help me feel at peace.
Sometimes when I’m feeling pain
or standing in pouring rain,
I ask Him to help me feel relief.

3. Sometimes when I just don’t know
the path I should choose to go,
I ask Him to help me make a choice.
I know He is always there
to guide me through simple prayer
And help me to hear His loving voice.

Chorus
Then a message will come from my Father up above
in a song or a dream or in beauty that surrounds me.
If I try to obey and remember to pray
I’ll see the tender mercies of the Lord.

Here is the link to the music if you would like to listen. You can cut and paste it into your browser, or go to newera.lds.org and click on the link about the song, tender mercies of the Lord.

Sam's Call To Serve

2009-03-19T19:54:00.000-06:00

Sam received his mission call today. He was too impatient to wait for any brothers and sisters, so we took a video. Hope you enjoy the experience of it all.

The comments from Mom and Dad are great.

Anyway, we are all excited to share in Sam's adventure to serve the Lord.

Sam's Mission Papers

2009-03-09T19:27:00.000-06:00

Sam visited with the Stake President yesterday and his mission papers are ready to be sent in. They will submit it via the internet on Thurs. March 12th and then the next Thurs. March 19th, a member of the Quorum of 12 will look at his application, and assign him a mission. Then they send the application to the missionary department, who then prints the papers and mails them back to Sam. This process takes about 10 days- 2 weeks. We'll let you know when they arrive.

A trip to the ER

2009-03-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

On Thurs. night, March 6, I was working on a take home Mid-Term for my British Research class. I came home early from school that day, because I just wasn't feeling good. I wasn't sure why, except that I had to go to the bathroom 3 times during one class. My stomach was queasy, so I came home at 11 AM, even though I was supposed to do Personal Family History that day with Sis. Ryskamp.

The more I worked that day, the yuckier I felt. My left arm started tingling, and I started throwing up. By the time Bob got home at 5:00 I felt terrible. I was trying to work on my take home Mid-Term so I could go to the Family History Library on Fri. if I needed some things. My arm was getting more and more tingly. Instead of just being tingly in my shoulder (as it had been for about a week), it went all down my arm. So we decided to go to the ER, as we weren't sure what was happening.

Sam (now an Elder), and Dad gave me a blessing. It was very sweet. Sam was so concerned about getting it right. He did the first part and Dad gave the blessing. I'm not sure that blessing was what Sam had in mind for his first blessing, but he was great to participate. It must have been scarey for him because we didn't know if it was my heart or just muscle (fibromayalgia) problems.

We left for the hospital about 6PM. It is nice (if you can call it that) going to the hospital for heart problems, because they take you right back, no checking in, if you are having possible heart problems. By the time I got there I had to go to the bathroom again!!!!! I would visit the bathroom every 15 min. our entire stay. Good thing we don't still use out houses. By the time we got there, I was feeling very nauseous and began throwing up. (Also not fun.) But when you start throwing up in the hospital, they can give you a shot. That was very nice!!! We were there for 3 hours. They did a total run of blood work, to test my sugar, enzymes for heart problems, my red and white blood count and a few other things. I also have a cough, so they did a chest x-ray. They also did an EKG and hooked me up to a machine for my blood pressure and heart rhythm. They checked to see if I had a urinary infection.

Then after I stopped throwing up, they gave me 3 baby aspirins. All the tests came out good. We were relieved to hear it was not anything with my heart. My muscles in my neck and shoulder are very tight though and that is probably the reason for the tingling in my arm.

After taking out the IV, which by the way, really hurt, but I don't have a bruise, we returned home. I was impressed by that. I was also impressed that I never felt them taking three tubes of blood out of my arm either.

Needless to say, I didn't finish my mid-term and I am not going to school today. The doctor told me to take it easy and drink lots of fluids.

It was quite an adventure which ended up costing us only $50.00. It is good to know, I am not having any serious problems, but I would have rather spent the $50.00 on something else. It may have been worth getting the nausea shot, however, because I didn't spend all night throwing up.

That was my first visit to the Payson Hospital as a patient and I was very happy with their service.

Ensign Article- Sermon on the Mount

2009-03-04T15:29:00.000-07:00

HINT: Just click on the title of this blog (ENSIGN ARTICLE_ SERMON ON THE MOUNT) and you will go there.

Here is a link to a great article written by my Book of Mormon Teacher about the Sermon on the Mount.

More Ideas from School

2009-03-03T17:10:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I left a message. You are all probably wondering if I am going to keep ahead of this blog thing. I know it's disappointing to keep checking peoples blogs which they haven't updated.

Well here are my new insights.........
From my Book of Mormon Class-

Quote from President Harold B. Lee- "The sermon on the mount is a constitution for celestial living."

That means if you want to live in the Celestial Kingdom, you better start seriously studying the Sermon on the Mount.

I am having a unique experience this semester because I am studying the 2nd half of the Book of Mormon and The Gospels in the New Testament. That means, I am studying the sermon on the mount in both books. It has been a real treat. It has been a real time of reflection for me. Am I really living a celestial life? Am I doing the things I have been taught all of my life in the scriptures?

For example-
Love your enemies, ........... Wow. If I want to have a pure heart then I can't get mad or impatient at my fellow human beings. That's a hard one for me, each and every day.

In New Testament-
I learn so many things, it is hard to keep up, but here are a few...

1- We are discussing the Feasts during the life of Christ. This one is for the girls and it is straight out of my class packet or textbook.

Passover is determined by a Lunar Calendar. (phases of the moon). Passover is celebrated on the first full moon after the Spring Equinox. (14 days after). It is celebrated in the spring during the month of Abib. Abib in Hebrew means green. (March or April). The Hebrew New Year started in the spring when things became green and new again- not in January like our calendars. Each month begins on the new day. 14 days later the moon is full. That is when Passover begins.

Symbolism: At Passover the moon reflects the full light of the sun reflecting the full weight of the atonement. Israel escaped from bondage during a full moon (Passover). We escape bondage from sin through the full light of the atonement.

OK girls, here's the part for you, if you aren't totally confused yet.......
It takes a 28 day cycle for each full moon. A female's cycle takes 28 days (normally) to prepare her body for a new life to begin. In Rev. 12:7 JST -the woman is the Church of God. The Lord uses symbols to remind us of things. Going to bed is a symbol of death. Awaking each morning is a symbol of resurrection. The sun comes from the east. The Son of God will come from the east.

A woman's 28 day cycle is a symbol of the lunar cycle which depicts the Atonement. A full moon reflects the full light of the sun. A woman's cycle reminds her she has the power of life which reflects the power of Godhood. (Wow- what an awesome stewardship we as women have!)

I have a truly blessed life. I have great children, exceptional grandkids, a kind, loving husband and amazing parents. What more could a girl ask for.

Until next time, have a great day and keep smiling! I am!!

English Grade/ Valentines Day / Missionary Papers

2009-02-18T15:17:00.000-07:00

Today deserves a special Hurray because after 18 months of working on my English class, I finally got a grade. I received an A, which is not that easy to get in some classes at BYU. I am really excited because I thought that was an impossible goal to reach. It is so nice to be on the done side of something. Hopefully, sometime in the near future, I will be able to say that I am done with all classes and will be receiving a diploma.

Also, my sweet husband got me a dozen roses and chocolates for Valentines Day.
What more can a girl ask for! Life is great!

We are about to finish the process of Sam's missionary papers. He went to the Dr. this afternoon and that will be the end of what we can do. Now he just needs an appt. with the Bishop and then with the Stake Pres. Hopefully we can get all this finished by March 12th. Hard to believe that it is 3 months before his 19th birthday.

Wow!

Come Unto Christ

2009-02-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

Today in my New Testament class, we talked about Coming Unto Christ. Bro. B taught us that we shouldn't wait to come to Christ until we are ready, worthy or doing our best. Its not about anything we are doing, i.e. keeping the commandments or not, it is about our relationship with Christ.

That is a very eye opening concept to me, because I always thought that the only way to measure your love for the Savior is by focusing on your obedience and I wrongly focused on that fact. Bro. B. said that Christ isn't concerned about how well or not well you are keeping the commandments. He loves you so much that he wants to have a relationship with you in whatever state you are in.

I'm not explaining this very well, but the spirit in our class was so strong, that I realized I had been focusing too much on what I'm doing, not on how much I love the Savior and want to be close to him. Then this love will carry over and give me strength and renewal to go on and live the commandments and help lead others to Christ.

This concept was a real eye opener. I have been praying to have a closer relationship with the Savior. Through my religion classes, I am learning how to go about this better.

I hope you will all think about this and try to assess how you are doing in your own life.

I am trying to do better and be better in my life, that I might at all times reflect the teachings of the Savior.

Finished my English Class!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-01-30T18:41:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I took my English 115 AKA- College Writing final exam. It took 2 hours and was writing for two hours. It took all the brain power I had left. I developed a cough this week and so I didn't sleep well last night. I hope I did well on my final. It would be nice to get an A in the class, but right now I have 89.47%. I guess we'll see.

Also, Bob and I purchased our tickets for our Spain/England trip today, so it is official. We leave Sunday April 26 and come home Tues. May 26 just two days before Sam's graduation. I hope it's fun. We have one flight that is 10 hours, but it takes us from London to Denver. Then a short 1 hour flight to SLC. That shouldn't be too bad.

this weeks happenings

2009-01-29T15:13:00.000-07:00

This week has been pretty intense as far as school goes. I have to take 3 tests. Right now I have taken two with one to go tomorrow.

On Tues, I had a three hour meeting planning our trip to London/Spain. It looks as though we are also going to Lisbon, although I tried to talk them out of it. You know how I am about driving. Hopefully I will be blessed again and we will all be able to endure the trip along with my ailments. I am very blessed to have this opportunity. I'm sure it will be amazing.

Also, I got another virus. This time it is a sore throat and cough instead of runny nose. I'm not sure which is worse. Neither have been fun.

In my Book of Mormon class we talked about the treasures found in the war chapters of Alma. Well I have to admit that I never thought there were any jewels in the war chapters. I can hardly get past all the killing and deceitfulness. But thanks to a great teacher, he showed us some things. I will share those at a later time as I need to be studying for an English final for tomorrow afternoon, but I will include some tips on parenting from Alma that we talked about last week.

Lessons about Parenthood
from Alma’s counsel to his sons
W. J. Marsh

1. In kindness, with caring and love, parents should reprove their children when necessary
a. Alma 39:2-4

2. Parents can show children the consequences of their actions and choices
a. Alma 39:7-9, 11-12

3. Parents can show children how to avoid making the same mistakes in the future
a. Alma 39:9-11, 13-14

4. Parents should bear testimony to their children
a. Alma 36:1, 3-5; 26, 28, 30

5. Parents should teach by example
a. Alma 36:2-3, 29-30; 37:2

6. Parents should praise their children for their righteousness
a. Alma 38:2-9

7. Parents should teach their children the importance of the scriptures
a. Alma 37:6, 8-10; 37:35

8. Parents should charge their children to continue in righteousness
a. Alma 38:10-15

9. Parents should express love and offer hope of forgiveness through the Atonement of Jesus Christ
a. Alma 39:15, 17

More Stuff

2009-01-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

hi all-

Hope that you heard, John and Erin Swenson had a baby girl, Lydia Snow Swenson. You can see pics at their blog.

It seems that life is getting to be alot to bear these day for many people. I am posting an article by Elder Holland titled- "Lessons I have learned in Liberty Jail". He gave the talk in September 2008.

http://deseretnews.com/pdf/Holland2008.pdf

Have a great day!

Another Day in New Testament Class

2009-01-22T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today I had New Testament again. Our teacher is fantastic, he is Bro. Bartholomew. Today we discussed Christ at the wedding in Cana, the cleansing of the temple and John the Baptist.

Bro. B. explained that John wrote his gospel by putting events in that had been left out by others. Matthew wrote to the Jews, Luke wrote to the Gentiles, Mark wrote from studying the teachings of Peter and John wrote the things that were left out by the others. As he was a disciple of John the Baptist and then Jesus, he was an eye witness to these events.

First we talked about the wedding in Cana, where Jesus' mother told him that they were out of wine and would he help her. Then Jesus answered, Mother, what will you have me do, that will I do. Bro. B. explained that Jesus loved his mother so much and had so much respect for her that he was willing to do anything she asked him to. What a great example of love!!!! Mary wasn't begging her children to do things for her every whim, or be her little slaves, etc....... (All the excuses I've heard as a mother), she just needed his help. He willingly said, what will you have me do, that will I do. We should all treat our mothers/wives with such respect. What a better world we would have. Bro. B. reflected on the idea that Jesus treated his Father with utmost respect and also his mother.

Then we talked about the cleansing of the temple. The Sadducees, (the men selling things at the temple), were taking a service that needed to be done and making money off their fellow Jews who were trying to worship at the temple as they were taught. They were taking this money to pay the Romans, so that they (Sadducees) could keep their power in Jerusalem. Bro. B. said it was actually an amazing feat that one person, alone, could have done the momentous task of cleansing the temple. It was actually as big as 40 football fields. The part he cleaned was the front, but it was probably still a very large area. The reason he was cleansing the temple was out of love for his father. He loved and respected his father and did all that he asked in defending sacred things. Bro. B. compared the temple to our bodies who are a temple. He said that we must keep our bodies clean and everywhere they go because it houses the Holy Ghost. He told us that the body is more sacred than any buildings because it has the potential to become a God/Goddess.

We also talked about John the Baptist when he was questioned about Jesus. He said that Jesus was the Son of God and this made him great. John was honored to be able to help and serve Jesus. Even though John could have said, yes I have done great things, he gave all the glory to Jesus. Now John's testimony stands as a witness to all, about the sacredness of the calling and example of Jesus and his mission. John rejoiced just to be able to hear the voice of Jesus- John 3:29 "but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled." I hope one day I can say the same thing, that I rejoice just to hear the voice of Jesus.

You can read D&C 3: 8 that tells no matter what, have courage and stand up for truth "You should have been faithful; and he would have extended his arm and supported you against all the fiery darts of the adversary; and he would have been with you in every time of trouble."

What a marvelous promise, that when we stand up for truth, he will be with us.

Remember the song, Do what is right and let the consequences follow.

There is always an overpowering spirit in our class. It really helps me and I don't want to leave. He is an amazing teacher and I am enjoying studying the scriptures about Jesus in this time of turmoil, trouble and ugliness.

Hope you all have a great day. Prepare for the times of temptation through constant study of the scriptures, praying many times daily and fasting when appropriate- as demonstrated by the Savior. May you all be blessed in your journey to become more like the Savior

Snow grandbabies

2009-01-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

2009-01-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

BYU Student

2009-01-20T19:51:00.001-07:00

I am currently going to BYU as a full time student. This is something I thought I would never get a chance to do again. I was a freshman, 30 years ago. (That sounds really scary.) Anyway, this semester I am taking 17 credit hours. I have 2 religion classes, The 4 Gospels in in the New Testament, the 2nd half of the Book of Mormon, Family History Research in England, Family History Research in Spain, Span 205- 3 year University Spanish (although it is really 3rd semester) and a International Studies class in preparation for going to London/Spain in spring term.

I officially have enough credits to be a Junior and after this semester I will be a senior, but I still have 6 general ed classes and a couple of really hard classes for my major. I am not sure how long it will be until I graduate. I told my father I hoped it would be before my 50th birthday, but I'll have to get back to you on that one.

Since I have two religion classes, I have the tremendous opportunity to have religion Mon- Thurs. It is fantastic!!!! I love studying the scriptures and I am learning a lot about myself and my testimony. My teachers are amazing. Today in NewTest. class we talked about the baptism of Jesus Christ and his temptations. The teacher stressed that the reason for Jesus' baptism was that he loved Heavenly Father and wants to be one with him, therefore he went through the step of baptism because it was a step towards heaven. His higher reason was because of his love for his father. It made me wonder, if I am keeping the commandments and living the way I do out of love for my Heavenly Father? Do all my actions reflect that desire? In the scriptures we read about Jesus' temptation, the teacher related that Jesus prayed, read the scriptures and fasted to prepare for his life's test. If we do these three things daily, we will be prepared for life. It's great to have a class where the spirit is so strong each day for one hour. It has made a huge difference in my classes.

Well I have 100 pages to read before my Research in Spain class. So.......... I better get reading.

Oh, by the way, I finished all the assignments for my English class and will take the final this week. I wrote a paper on the Honor Code for this class. Maybe I'll share it with you sometime.

Have a great day, and remember to ask yourself..................... do my actions reflect my desire to be like Christ?

Blog Beginnings

2009-01-20T17:23:00.001-07:00

This blog thing seems to be the rage, and my children keep suggesting I need to get with the times and start my own blog. So here I am and hopefully I will have something that is worth reading.