A Memorable Wedding...and some!

Have you ever had an experience in your life that when it is happening, you say to yourself , "This is a memory I will never forget!"? I think we do have those occasionally and for me, it was tonight. Tonight, was the wedding of John and Ms. Valorie Carraway. If any of you have read my old posts, this is thee, Ms. Valorie---the "smilin for our troops" Ms. Valorie... Yes, Ms. Valorie was the homeless lady (well Desert Dweller as they call them here) who would would sell newspapers to drivers on the corner of Kolb and Valencia....and at the time, lived in a tent. Well, today she now lives in a trailer, with her now official and legal husband John and has been coming pretty regularly to church for the past four months. She looked beautiful with her blue dress and bouquet of flowers. Her smile was so bright and she couldn't help but giggle through out the whole wedding ceremony. We were all there in the bishop's office. Her friends---and even a puppy dog. (We said he was the ring bearer:)) It was so sweet to see her face. John was feeling good too and kept commenting that everyone was looking at him and taking pictures of him cuz he was wearing such a white shirt! It was a happy night. I am so thankful for Sheralin, who has the vision to help and be that instrument of God to lead and love. I am so thankful to be part of a church that understands that the true gospel of Jesus Christ is not about where we are but where we are headed. When the ceremony ended and we were walking out of the bishop's office, I held Ms. Valorie's hand and she looked at me and said, "Well, Ms. Marshall...I'm on my way to being better...." I quickly squeezed her hand and said, "You have been on your way for a long time...we are holding hands in this life together and striving together... to be better" That is really what it is all about. We are all beggars unto the Lord and with Him and only Him can we be lead to the source of true happiness in life---Eternal Life. I have no doubt that Ms. Valorie was put on this earth to teach all of us. I heard she is joining the ward choir! :) That will most definitely spice up the hymns. Life is good! Goodnight!

Change Sucks! (should I say "Just Kidding?")

Change. It is usually referred to as a good thing (at leas that is what we say to feel better about it) But there are good changes for sure, for example: “Change the diaper”….definately. Change your underwear….yes. Change the channel…okay. And if you are an LDS person who has loved and served your ward for many years, “Change your ward boundaries…..” You begin to hear the screeching violin playing like “psycho”! Very hard. Today was a good day in a new ward. Lots of “transition” themed testimonies and faith promoting stories. Clearly this is going to be another adventure in the annals (can I say that here…okay, not spelled the same.) of history. It is also a time to reflect on the amazing abilities of Enoch…where he served and loved the people of his ward for hundreds of years and didn’t tire of it, eventually sending them all to heaven together. I am guessing they did not have a ward boundary change. J Actually everything was put into perspective for me tonight on our way home from my parents. We were driving on Houghton and in the headlights we spotted a dog that had been hit. Being a very busy road, we had to drive on and make a U-Turn (illegally. My daughter asked us if this was legal…we ignored her) and had to find a way to pull over by the dying animal. I stepped out of the car and as I came close to her, I could see her shallow breathing and blood that had been spilt on the road and covering her mouth and paws. I put my hand to her head and spoke to it trying to sooth its pain. She was a beautiful dog and because I don’t know dog’s and breeds I couldn’t even tell you what type it was. I called the number on the collar but it was the wrong number so I had to call the animal control center. A Sherriff was on its way, the owners were being located….we had to go home. We dropped the kids off and drove to the owner’s home and left a note attached to their empty home. About 10 minutes ago, I got a call from the owner, asking me if I had their dog “Zha Zha” and if she was okay…. I had to break the news to him that she had been hit and was probably dead and needed to call the Pima Animal Control. His voice became quiet and there was a long pause. I apologized for his loss and I hung up the phone. Of course I am hugging CoCo right now (our chocolate lab) and feel like crying. That is change I don’t want. Change that comes from a loss of a loved one. I will take ward changes anytime…as long as my loved ones, yes…even CoCo is safe with me. Good bye “Zha Zha”.. all dogs go to Heaven, that is certain. I will let her lick me too when I see her someday. Sorry for the somber ending, but I don't feel that funny tonight....it will come back to me by tomorrow :) Goodnight. Ana.

Ben likes...no LOVES pie!

Um...yeah, eating habits are still at an all-time high! This baby is so scrumptious...add pie, and you just might bite through the skin!

I'm Back...and I am Worse!

Drum roll please.......yes, I am back! For how long? I cannot tell. Sorry for the instability in my writing but after my follow through with body surgery, and my starting the new "church of Jewelry", life has been extremely crazy, weird and different. Daily there have been things to write about and I am constantly saying to myself that I will return back to my blog. I was planning on changing it's title "Confessions of a Non-drinker" for a little sick humor...but I may keep it where it is at. Cuz really this is my world, and I am....me. I cannot write long since I am still lasting through only about 3 hours of sleep last night. Guess who is retarded..(okay, mentally challenged) and decided to get rid of the crib and put Ben in a toddler bed. Poor kid is not even 1 1/2 years old and I am already telling him to "get a job". We even took his high chair away. Poor little guy, he has been doing a lot of sign gestures lately....wait a minute! I know what kind of sign gestures he has been doing!! (Not appropriate ones) ...but we deserve it really! I wanted more room in our little home....high chair! HUGE!! Crib GINORMOUS!!... why do kid things have to be so big? So alas, after an all nighter with my had on his back and him hitting his bed several times on the corner of the toddler bed and finding his way through the food storage in the hall (that was under the crib...now where do we put it? :) ) We have him now back in the crib....Doug is patient. So, goodnight and I keep you posted on my life once again, if you care and if you don't, then that is cool too.....because I hate you too! -----Ana. (Can you tell I am not RS pres anymore?...can everyone say "Digression"?)

Prayers work...Pagan Chants..not so much.

I have been such a slacker blogger lately, and for that I am sorry. It is not because I have had nothing interesting to write about...believe me with as much poop as I have experienced in the last week...I could give you a poop story a day. But, I want to be better than that. I feel I may be a little too juvenile with my poop stories, and some of you may be thinking, "Grow up". ? So today I will write about my oven. Yup, my oven went out a few weeks ago and since then, it has been a faith promoting experience everytime we want to bake anything. One day last week (I am sure it became one of my daughter's pivitol testimony builders on prayer.) I had been working on making French bread (from scratch) all day...(I know, obviously the gas line must have been leaking too, cuz whats the deal?) So, it was time to bake the bread (finally!) and the oven won't go on. I shook the range, I unplugged it, I turned on and off the gas...I opened the doors, everywhere. I danced around it, we chanted some Pagan song...I don't know, lots of stuff. In the meantime, I am praying too...but it is more like a prayer of ,"Okay, Heavenly Father, this stupid bread has taken so long to rise...and now if it doesn't hit the oven, it will rise TOO much and it will be ruined...please, give me a break and make my oven turn on!". So, not so reverent. Elizabeth says, (as she is watching me dance around)..."How about we all say a prayer out loud?" "Sure babe." So, we reverently bow our head, and pray that it will start so the bread will not rise any more and we can eat this bread. Of course, there is a God and He hears us. The oven started right away. Elizabeth and Sarah give me a big smile. I look up and smile and then Sarah suggests that we pray to say thanks. So we did...and we ate some yummy bread. I am almost sure that God touched the bread with his finger while we had our eyes closed so it can taste decent too. So now, we have a new oven. (Which is another miracle story, I will tell sometime.) I know that God is giving me so many pickles so I can see how He will get me out of them. I feel some real stretching. I just hope it stays to household appliances and finances. I will enjoy those trials while I have them. My prayers are with those who are beyond the appliance trials. Love you all.....Ana

Her Name is Miss Valorie....

Hello! I decided to post an email that I received from my sweet friend Michelle of Oregon. She has a friend named Theresa who did a wonderful thing. (posted below,,,please read!) It helped me remember my experience with “Miss Valorie”. There is a homeless friend on the corner by my house and her name is "Miss Valorie". Her front teeth are missing and she is such a friendly lady. She always has a big smile and a wave for everyone. For the past 4 years, I have seen Valerie on the corner and she has become my kid’s favorite. We always roll down our window and give her some groceries that we bought on our way home, or even a slice of Pizza from Little Cesears. One day we stopped traffic to give her a pop-tart cuz the light had turned green and we had to move. Last year "Miss Valorie" had earrings on and make-up with a fancy hat. Elizabeth got so excited pointing out her fanciness saying "Mom, maybe "Miss Valorie" has a boyfriend! " The next week we stopped and asked her if she has a boyfriend. She yells out "Heavens no! I just wanted to be fancy!" We all laughed. When I was pregnant with Ben...very big and pregnant, she spotted my belly as I was handing her a dollar and asked what was that? (pointing to my belly) I told her I am having another baby! She asked me if I know what causes pregnancy. I said, "no what?" She said, "lots of kissing". She laughed her toothless grin and told me to watch out with that. I laughed and told her I would be more careful.

I haven't seen "Miss Valorie" now for about 6 months. My kids miss her and every time we pass that corner one of my children will say out loud.."I wonder what happened to Miss Valorie.” I miss her too. I wish I had made more of an effort to find out her background and why she is where she is. I am thankful for the Spirit of Christ that inspires us to love everyone. I am thankful for the way "Miss Valorie" helped me and my children. I have prayed much for her too and I hope she is in a good place right now. So, this is a personal invite to say Hi to someone in need. I am sure today you will see a homeless person on a corner if you are out and about. Share a few words and you will see that they are struggling just like the rest of us. We are not so different, only that they might not have been trained and loved as much as you.
See I can be sober too…just not as fun. hah

Her Name is Betty....

This is an email that I recieved from a friend of mine. It is so good, I wanted to share it with all of you.
"Greetings! I went to talk to "the lady" that stands over by McDonalds/Costco (on Cornell > Rd. in Hillsboro). She stands there, with her sign asking for help, almost every day. I have often seen her and whispered a quiet prayer for her, but always looking away when I drove past her. I felt prompted by God,to go listen to her story and pray for her today. I did go listen and she did let me pray for her! At first she thought I had come to condemn or criticize her being there. I assured her that I came to minister to her and to hear her story. She shared with me a lot in a very short period of time. She has suffered many calamities and abuses, many from her own family. Betty used to have a job until a few years ago, until she had a mental breakdown. She was diagnosed with bipolar disease ( A generational curse from > her Mother's side) . She at first was given the wrong meds. and during "black outs" she did and said bad things. Betty got fired and as a result she has lost many things and now lives in a tent. The system has failed her in many areas or she "does not qualify". She is homeless in our community and needs our prayers at the very least! She is on the "waiting list" for different social services and "waiting" for disability insurance that never comes through. She does not gamble,drink, smoke or do drugs. She depends on the kindness of others to help pay for her mail box and other bills that she is trying to pay off because she believes she needs to be as responsible as she can with the money people give her. She accepts the money and the gift cards that people give her. She appreciates the kindness of a wave and a smile. She has hope that there is an answer for her, that her money will come, and believes that God takes good care of her "out here".She blesses those who are unkind with their words or their gestures. Some words are harsh and critical, and she still smiles. When I was leaving her she said to me."God blesses me that I can stand here and watch the eagles and hawks fly. I am not here so we can judge or criticize the value or correctness of the things she shared with me. I am here to share a piece of her story so that you would know "Betty". That you would be kind to her when you see her and wave or smile. That you would give her money or gift cards or ask her what she needs. But, most of all, would you pray for Betty. Pray for the healing of her mind and for God to meet her every need. That curses would be broken and blessings be poured out. I know she is but one of many homeless people "out there", but I know we can make a difference. Even if it is one person at a time, it makes a difference to them.> > Abiding in His mercy and grace,> > Teresa