reason to pause

A few days ago, I was visiting with friends, and had an interesting experience. They asked me if I might be interested in getting to know one of their friends. He apparently would have asked for my phone number, except for the fact that I am a Mormon. This turned the discussion to whether or not I would be happy or interested in dating someone not of my faith.

My friends commented that they thought I was the type who "could be happy marrying a Mormon boy and living the Mormon life" but could "also be happy marrying a nice christian boy, and let go of the Mormon cult." This statement made me stop and think. These friends have known me for a few years, and they have seen me go through many changes. However, it made me stop and reflect how I present myself and my beliefs to others.

I am an endowed member of the church. I have chosen to be actively involved in the church. I will not marry anyone who cannot do so in the temple. While I admit I am on the more liberal side of the "perceived Mormon beliefs," I am still a practicing Mormon.

So, I put it to you, readers of this blog... how do I convince these friends that I truly am committed to my faith? I have tried to share my testimony, but they try to tell me that I will change my mind. I do not know how to handle this. I love these friends, but they seem intent on basing my beliefs on past actions, not on my current and professed beliefs.

I want to share with anyone who may read this : I am so grateful for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. I love the Saviour, who is my elder brother and my friend. He gave His life for me, and for everyone. The Church is true. I KNOW this. My life has been incredibly blessed. While I have challenges and trials, I know that the Saviour is there to buoy me up and take my burdens. May I live my life in example of Him.

I'm going to be an Auntie!

Yep, that's right. I am going to be an Aunt! My older sister is having TWINS! We have known since day 1 that she is prego, cause they had a really hard time getting there. They finally did artificial insemination. They implanted two, and two are still there!!! Yay! They went in yesterday to find out what they were having, and...

Meet Cooper ( a most precious little boy ). My bet is that he will be a sports nut, and his parents will have a really hard time getting him to keep his clothes on.

and here is Lily ( a beautiful little girl ). She is quite active. I think she will be the first one out, and probably won't stop moving her entire life. They couldn't get too many pics of her, cause she was moving around so much.

If you can't tell, I am so excited for these babies! My sister is doing great. The babies are healthy, and mom is too.

They aren't due until May, but my guess is that they will grace the world with their presence early.

My sister senior pics...

Well, I had my surgery, and it came out well. I am back at work, in Portland now and so far liking it. I am working 12 hours days right now. Whew, it takes a lot out of me. I will be headed to bed shortly.

Anyhoo, I did my sister's senior pics this year. (I am definetly not a professional, but we all seemed to like them. Here are a few...

This is one of my favorites. We had a hard time getting a genuine smile out of her, so we had to make her laugh.

Isn't she beautiful? I can't believe she is already 17 & getting ready to graduate High School.

Those are just a few of my favorites. We got quite a few great shots. These were all shot at various locations in Oakridge.

An a different note, I have been staying with some friends this week in portland, while I am up here working. She had been burning some candles in here kitchen, and just a few minutes ago, we looked back to see big flames on the counter!! She had put the candles on a paper plate, and somehow the plate caught fire. NO worries though, we (they) got it put out before any damage occurred.

Alright, I had headed off to bed! G'night!