Baptism

Congratulation Nicole and Josh!

We are so happy for you.

Nicole and Josh right before the Baptism
Ben baptized Nicole. It was so special that he was able to do that for her. Sharing the gospel has meant so much to us and the Spirit was so strong at the service. It is beautiful not only to see a person accept the gospel but to have a family be baptized together is so special to witness. Ben and I were both grateful for the wonderful experience. The gang before the baptism. Josh had Giles baptize him. It was Giles first time and he was a little nervous but he did great.
The Sisters, Giles, and Ben and I have loved sharing our testimonies with Nicole and Josh. We are so excited they made this decision.
Giles and Charlie. Charlie is another investigator we hope will be baptized next month.
After the Baptism we had a BBQ at my house. Ben is always such a good sport and cooks for everyone. He is the BEST cook. Thanks honey for all you do. I just love you!
I hope my pose shows you just how good those hot dogs were.
Sister Wright will be leaving use on Tuesday. We love her so much. The Lord has got to be proud of the wonderful missionary she is. She has served diligently and well. Her and Sister Peterson have been the hardest working Sisters we have seen. They have lit up the Baltimore Mission with their hard work, diligence, love of the Lord and their teaching. We will miss you!
Nicole and I with the Sister, Sisters!
I love this picture of us with the missionaries. It shows you just how much fun we have. We love having them in our home, over for dinner and we love to teach with them. Again, we are so grateful that the Lord has given us the opportunity to be so involved in missionary work. One of my greatest memories as a child is being the home away from home for the missionaries. They were always around when I was growing up. I am so happy to carry on that legacy and love the Spirit they bring into our home. Ben and I can't wait till our later years when we can serve the Lord together on a full time mission. Until then, we will just keep doing what were doing. Teaching and Baptizing and thanking the Lord everyday for experience.

Sakura- Girls Night Out

So this was a special evening. My friend Melissa took me and the missionaries out to Sakura. It was such a fun evening. I don't know if any of you go out to Japanese often but below are some pictures of the fun experience it can be.

This was the start of our meal. They always heat up the grill and then start the fire to get things cooking! The poor little girl next to us kept saying, no fire please, no fire please.
I love this part. They make a little volcano out of onions and then have it erupt. It is fun to see them do it. I especially loved watching Sister Peterson. She has never gone anywhere like this before and she was very in to everything.
MMMMM. The food was so yummy. Thanks Melissa. You spoil me!!

This is Sister Peterson catching the food the chef threw at her. She wasn't bad. She actually caught it. If it was me...the food would have ended up on the floor.
Boy, what cute girls we are! It was such a fun evening.

Aren't Friends GREAT!!!

So this week has been a ruff one. Between getting my website finished (for my portrait studio), Computers Crashing and losing all my work, my husband going out of town and just plain life I have been a little stressed and feeling a little down. So Saturday night my friends were coming over to get me for dinner. As I went to get the door, to my surprise. This was what was delivered!!! Obviously it was for me since my name was across it.

That's one big box!!!

Look at how well I match my present! Totally not planned.

The sisters and Melissa didn't know that I am scared of balloons. The box was full of them!! As you can see from the look on my face I was excited but a little hesitant to just dig in and see what else I could find.
The box was full of all my favorite treats. Vitamin Water, Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups, Reese's, and candles. What more could a girl want? Besides the cute husband that I already have.

This put such a big smile on my face! It was so so thoughtful and it made me feel so loved. I have really great people in my life and am so lucky to call them friends. (cheesy I know but it is how I feel)
Thanks girls! I am still enjoying my goodies and the candles smell great! I've been spoiling myself a little.

Stephenie Meyer Tour

Nokia Theatre
times square

Presents...Stephenie Meyer

So I am way, way EXCITED!!! We just got our tickets today to see Stephenie Meyer (author of the Twilight series) and Blue October at the Nokia Theatre on August 1st in New York City. Like I said I am way, way excited. My girlfriends and I are taking a day trip to the "Big Apple" and we should arrive back home in Maryland just in time to go purchase her next book in the series , Breaking Dawn at the midnight party Barnes and Noble is throwing in our town.
So getting our tickets was a little adventure. More so for my friend Tracie than anyone else but I went on a little roller coaster ride myself. We had tried to get the tickets early on a sale privilege of American Express. We had a little miscommunication on the day they went on sale so we ended up being a day late and a dollar short. But no worries because we would just buy them today at noon with the rest of the pubic. Tracie, being as responsible as she is was right on her computer at noon to buy tickets. She had all four tickets ready to check out and unfortunately her computer was not in the mood to shop. It timed out and she had to restart her computer. 4 minutes later her computer was up and running and she was ready to get the tickets but they were no longer available. Sad. She tried and tried but with no success. She called to let me know the bad news. I was so disappointed but I could tell she was even more upset so I just tried to cheer her up (unsuccessfully) and let her go. I was so bummed that I tried to go online and see if I could maybe get them but I had the same problem. About 10 minutes later she called me back to let me know that her husband

SUPERMAN DAVE

Had got on line to see what he could do. He kept trying and finally it let him buy 4 tickets. We are so happy he didn't give up. He made 4 women VERY, VERY Happy. We are so excited for our New York Adventure and we are happy to get a chance to see one of our favorite authors.
The BEST part of the story was that when all was said and done, I called my best friend Sommer to tell her the story since she is coming too and has been very excited. The only thing was.... I told it to her in parts. I started off by telling her we had to go "easy" on Tracie since she was very upset she couldn't get the tickets. Sommer was so upset. (she isn't good at hiding her emotions). I proceeded to tell her the story of what happened and I left out the part that she called me back 10 minutes later to tell me she got them till the end. Good thing Sommer has a sense of humor. She did call me a jerk but did so while laughing so I took it as a good sign. Sorry Sommer for the trick. I just wanted you to join me on my roller coaster ride! I love you!!!
Also, a BIG BIG Thanks to you Dave! I owe you a Slurpee.

And the work goes forward....

WE LOVE MISSIONARY WORK!!!!!

Ben and I feel so blessed that the Lord has chosen to use us for missionary work since we have been in the Military. Ben was just called as the Ward Missionary which is perfect for him since that seems to be all we have done since we have been in Maryland.

Sunday, we took our Investigators Nicole, her son Josh, Melissa (another investigator from a member referral) and the Sister Missionaries to the DC temple. We had a great time watching the Joseph Smith Movie and taking pictures. It is always fun to see investigators experience the temple for the first time. I love the glow in the eyes as they stand in amazement of the Christus and the excitement at all the art work and beauty all around them. They are so full of questions and it is a wonderful time to teach. Not to mention the Spirit.

Nicole and Josh are going to be Baptized on June 28th and Melissa will be baptized on August 17th. We are so excited for them. We feel so blessed that we could share the gospel with them and have them become our dear friends and such an important part of our lives.

Josh and Nicole with the Clan.

Ben and I with Melissa.

I just love this picture of Ben and I. The temple is just beautiful behind the trees and Ben isn't bad either.

Happy Father's Day Dad!!!!!

Isn't my Papa Bear cute? I just love him. Since today is Father's Day, I had to take a minute and to talk about my Dad! Now that I live 2500 miles away I don't get to see him as often as I like but I make sure to call whenever I can.

Today, I was thinking back to my younger years when I had to sing Daddy's Homecoming to my father in sacrament meeting. I remember at the end I had to "pat his cheeks and give him a great big KISS" just as the song says. I thought I was going to DIE! I remember being horrified that I had to kiss him in front of everyone. As you can see, I didn't die but today I do wish that I could give him that "Great big Kiss".

One thing that I have always known for sure is that my father loves me! There was never any doubt. I just want my Dad to know how much I love him. He is kind, loving, giving and I am proud to call him father. I wish I could be with him today but I hope he knows that he has been in my thoughts. I love you Papa Bear (I wonder how I came up with that name for him??? kind of corny)

I hope it was a GREAT day DAD!!!

I also want to take a minute and tell my father-in-law how much I love him. When you marry into a family you always worry about your "Instant" family. (maybe that's just me, who knows). Anyways, I never needed to worry because they are wonderful. My father-in-law is good and kind and he makes me laugh. He NEVER wants to break the rules ( I try to tell him to give it a try, he might like it but he doesn't have time. he is too busy keeping rules) Despite that he wonderful and I appreciate him.

Happy Father's Day to both of my Dad's!

Glenn Beck!

I was so excited when I found out we had the opportunity to go and see Glenn Beck Live! Ben and I love him and it was so fun to go see his show.

It took about 1 1/2 hours to get to the show. The journey certainly was not boring and did not disappoint. First, there was quite a storm on our way through PA. Our surroundings were like a scene from the movie Twister. You know...the calm before the storm. The winds were high , blowing debris everywhere and we saw quite the Thunderstorm from the car. Good thing Ben is a cautious driver. Luckily the storm died down the more we drove through PA.

Second, as usual Map Quest was challenged in giving proper directions. If it was even a little bit close I might understand but we are talking 3 miles out of the way in the wrong direction. We were finally able to find it and ended up being 15 minutes late. Better late than never I guess.

Glenn did not disappoint! It was a great show. One thing he said is still making me laugh today. He posed the question, When was the last time you bought a ticket to see a show and it cost you less than the gas to get here. Sad thing....he was pretty close to right. Anyway, we all had a great time.

It made me so happy when in the middle of the show I looked over at my hubby and saw the biggest smile on his face. He was having the time of his life and that makes me smile.

Me and my friend Tracie.

One of the things I love about Tracie is that she and I share the love of a good debate, politics and a good book. Once at a all women event I asked Tracie if she saw Glenn Beck the previous night and we starting discussing some of the topics. I just laughed because the looks on the faces of the other women were really funny. They just looked at us like WHAT? Now I know, not everyone is like that but it is GREAT to have a friend to discuss world topics with and not have to always agree. Sometimes she really makes me think and I appreciate that. Thank goodness for great friends.

I love leaving shows like his because I always feel inspired. It was a great reminder of how lucky we are to be AMERICANS and only in America can we dream anything we chose and have the ability to do it if we just try. It truly is up to us.

THANKS GLENN for a great show!!!!

Adios, Maryland! Hola Texas!

Fort Bliss, El Paso Texas

As many of you may know. It is official. We are moving to Texas. It has taken some time for it to sink in that we are moving from the beautiful GREEN state of Maryland that I have come to love to the very BROWN state of Texas. I almost died when we where looking at houses online and I found that none of them have grass in their yards. Only dirt. Sad.

The upside to moving to Texas is that we will only be 14 hours away from our family in Utah. Plus the housing situation is way, way better. We will only pay about $149,000 for a house in Texas that would run about $500,000 here in Maryland. Not bad I know.

Ben and I have started taking private Spanish Lessons. We are taking them from a guy in our ward that is from Mexico City. We had our first lesson last week. I think the hardest part is getting the accent down. Ben and I have been speaking (or at least trying to) speak to each other in Spanish a little everyday. I have gotten pretty good at asking for a glass a water, asking if he wants one and asking if he has fed our little kitties. Other than that we have a lot of work to do. I think the next one I need to learn is where is the bathroom( since anyone who really knows me I always have to pee). Hopefully by the time we go in February we will have a good foundation since we are in the Mexico Temple District. Yep, I think we will be the one with the translator headsets.

Well I am excited and nervous to start our new journey. Mostly I am excited to be a little closer to family and of course wherever Ben is, I will be happy.

Benjamin's Bassoon Solo

THE AMC ARMY BAND PRESENTS........
Benjamin J. Lawyer

So I have to take a minute and brag about my husband. He worked so hard on this piece and the video will show you just how hard he worked. He did an AMAZING job. Listen to the finger work at the end of this piece. It was awesome.

Also, I went to a BBQ at the band hall with all of Ben's co-workers. His commander and several others pulled me aside and said that he did such a great job. They told me if it would have been appropriate that they all would have stood and given him a standing ovation themselves. They told me how determined and hard working he is and what an asset he is to the band.

I hope you all enjoy this mini concert as much as I did!

A Good Laugh!

I just love children. They always make me laugh and they make me happy. My little buddy Noah was visiting the other day and he LOVES the animals. Mostly he loves the dog food in the kitchen. All of the sudden it went from joyful laughing to complete silence in the kitchen.........

Of course I had to see what was going on and this is what I found. Noah was obviously very thirsty and his sippy cup just wasn't going to cut it. Our dog Lucky was anxiously standing by him crying. Probably upset because Noah decided to drink his water and he wasn't willing to share.

As you can see by Noah's proud expression. No remorse on his part. Just some soaking wet pants which was fine by him. Who knew water could be so tastey.

Procrastination and The Brakes!

So the other night I got a good laugh at Ben. We have needed brakes on the car for a few weeks. It was sooo embarrassing that every time we drove around and we would use the brakes they would make the worst noise and everyone would stare.

Anyway, one evening I got home late to find Ben putting the brakes on the car at 9:00 pm. Talk about procrastination!!!!!

Ben must have been tired because he had grease all over his hands.....
which ended up all over his face. See the droopy eyes? It was around midnight when they finished.


Our friend Giles helped but he was more comic relief than anything! Plus he was pretty good at holding the car up for Ben when he needed some help. Thanks Giles!

Happy Birthday Relief Society!

It may be a little late but last week we just celebrated the birthday of the Relief Society! It was such a great evening. We had a great taco salad dinner followed up by banana splits. Our Stake President gave a wonderful talk that was so inspiring. He gave some great advice on how to have a better attitude in the midst of trials. That through prayer we may ask the lord to help us have the attitude and strength needed to endure. He reminded us how the Lord will not always take our trials aways but he will give us the strength needed to carry on and it is up to us to have a good attitude. All I can say is I wish you could have all been there. You too would have been inspired.
Me and my friends from the ward. Aren't we cute?

Memorial Weekend

Happy Memorial Day!

Since I now have a husband serving in the Military, holidays such as today mean so much more. I really try to take time out to think about all of our service men who have fought for our freedom and for those that are currently serving. I also hold a special place in my heart for their families and all the sacrifice that they make so that their loved ones may serve. I hope we will all take a moment to remember those that have died serving and pray for those that currently are in service.
Ben preformed today at a special service held at Aberdeen Proving Ground. I am always so proud to stand next to him when he is in uniform. (who am I kidding...I am always proud to stand next to him)
After his performance he met me at our ward picnic that just happened to be held on the Army Base. It is right on Chesapeake Bay. Isn't it beautiful?
Me and my dear friend Kara.
Some of our friends preparing for the 3 legged race. Everyone was having a great time at the picnic.

The kids especially loved the egg tossed.
And the men loved the basketball.
Later that day Ben and I played some softball at the park with some friends from the ward.
Ben loved to hit the ball low and fast!
Here are the kids at the ballpark striking a pose for everyone. All in all we had a wonderful day and I love it when Ben has the day off and we are able to spend time together.