*TRUNK-OR-TREAT...JEN'S FAMILY*

Every year we wait to see what the family is going to come up with for Halloween Costumes. A few photos came early this year. Jen and Joe took their kids to the annual trunk-or-treat ward party. I have laughed so hard at these photos! I love them! A pirate, Peater Pan, John, and Tinkerbell. Jen was suppose to be "Wendy" but ran out of time.

*WHEN ALL ELSE FAILS...CREATE*

I took this photo on one of the worst days of my life. But now when I see the photo...I only remember how I felt when I made a heart out of leaves. :)
Creating brings peace.

2003 or 2004

*SQUATCH & ASHLIE'S BABY*

One of my best friends, Dave Haskin (Squatch) and his wife just had their first baby. Dave has wanted to be a dad since he was a little kid. They asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up and he said, "A Dad" :) At age 37 he finally got his little Lauren Kate. She is ADORABLE...and he is smitten! It was so cute to watch him and Ashlie with the baby and each other. I think this little sweetheart was well worth the wait. :)

*MAY CHRIST LIFT THEE UP* (continued)

Photo taken at the St. George Temple.

I have often asked myself the question, Which one is worse...to watch someone suffer or to be the one who suffers? I think if they were weighed in the balance, we might find that in SOME situations...they can be equal. Sometimes it depends on how a person acts and reacts to suffering.

I have written several times on my blog about my sensitive nature. (or perhaps you have guessed it...it's the Elephant in the room :) To people who know me this is not something that ever needed to be mentioned. It shows in everything I do and everything I am. It is both a blessing and a curse. It has been one of my greatest challenges in my life to watch anyone or anything suffer. It is a good thing to help others bare their burdens, but I somehow find myself taking the burden on my own shoulders. I can't seperate the two.

A couple months ago I found myself so weighed down with the sorrows and struggles of other people that it became paralyzing. I couldn't function AT ALL. I soon found out that the Lord was well aware of how I was feeling because I had several stories from the Book of Mormon come into my mind.

The first is the story of Enoch. Enoch, a great prophet, see's the Lord firsthand and Lord shows him "the world for many generations." Enoch is shown both the light and darkness of the people...the righteousness and the wickedness of the inhabitants of the earth. At one point we read Enochs reaction,

"As Enoch saw this, he had bitterness of soul, and wept over his bretheren, and said unto the heavens: I will refuse to be comforted; but the Lord said unto Enoch: Lift up your heart, and be glad; and look."
Moses 7:44 (Pearl of Great price)

At that moment the Lord then shows him the coming of the Savior and how he would save His people. This account comforted me- not only did I feel understood, but I felt the reassurance that the Savior came for us. He is at the healm and is in control of his little lambs. He knows each one and he knows how to succor his people at all times. He knows how to lift up their hearts. He knew how to lift mine, I just needed to rely on him and put the things that I couldn't handle in his hands.

The second story is of Mormon writing an epistle to his son, Moroni. He is giving an account of the destruction of his people and being an eye witness to the end of them, he tells of some of the things he has witnessed. At the end of this epistle he ends it with these words;

20- "And now, my son, I dwell no longer upon this horrible scene.

25- "My son, be faithful in Christ; and may not the things which I have written grieve thee, to weigh thee down unto death; but may Christ lift thee up, and may his sufferings and death, and the showing his body unto our fathers, and his mercy and long-suffering, and the hope of his glory and of eternal life, rest in your mind forever."

Moroni 9:20,25 (The Book of Mormon)

I realize that throughout eternity the Atonement of Christ is and will be the answer to everything. The Savior is mighty to save, he is the prince of PEACE, and we may rest in the thought of his life, teachings, and the joy of being with him again someday.

A great LDS Institute teacher once gave me this counsel;

"Kim, if there is something wrong in your life or the life of someone you love...then pray to the Lord. Ask him: Is there anything I can do about this situation? Then listen for a prompting. If you feel to do something, then do it. If not...know that the situation is in HIS HANDS."

That councel could have saved me a lot of grief over the years if I had applied it more. I'm trying to continue to teach myself this wise advice. It is the Lords will that we "Lift up our heads, and be glad." And trust that he never leaves us, that he will be with us in everytime of trouble, and that we never walk alone.

*MY FRIEND HOLLY*

This morning I learned the tragic news, that a friend of mine from High School, Holly Henrie Lowe, her brother, Hutch Henrie, was killed in a car accident last night. In the last few years Holly also lost her little sister to a car wreck and her mother to cancer. This special and truly sacred family have been through more than what most people face in a lifetime. As I thought upon these things today, my heart was truly broken. I felt frozen and helpless in knowing how to help. I was quickly given the insight that the Savior is with them and that they WILL feel Him and HIS peace that surpasses all understanding. They will REST in Him...even as their brother/son/friend is at this time.

I love you, Holly.

ps. I found this video tonight that reminded me that the Lord will RESCUE their family in this great time of need. I'm also attaching an adorable photo of Holly.

*STOPPING BY THE WOODS ON A SNOWY EVENING*

My mom taught me to love stories, poetry, and sayings growing up. She always had a saying or song for everything. When you are young...it's mostly annoying. But then you find that you've grown up and your saying the exact same things! :) I learned to love the pome *Stopping by the woods on a snowy evening* by Robert Frost and it has become one of my all time favorites. I decided to try to take a photo I had previously taken and make it into how the poem made me feel...and how I pictured it in my mind. It's far from perfect but I think with time I can improve it and make it even better. :)


*Stopping by the woods on snowy evening*

"Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.
My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.
He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep."

~Robert Frost

ps. It's suppose to appear dreamlike...I need to have the feeling of it being darker outside and yet still be able to see the woods. I haven't learned how to do that yet. :)

*A MESSAGE FROM SOUTH AFRICA*

My sister just gave me a picture and a note from my nephew, Chaz, who is serving his mission in South Africa. There's not a preface I can really write about it, because his note about the photo is self explanatory. BUT...as always, I am wiping back the tears missing my nephew and never being so proud of him as I am now. Heaven knows that he has become one of the brightest diamonds Africa has ever seen.

*NOVEMBER 21st CAN'T COME SOON ENOUGH*

Ahhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhh! Twilightttttt!!!!


Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

*EAT DIRT!*

*My niece, Henley*

If only we could all be this happy eating dirt. :D

*Kim'z Warm Asylum*: *DEPRESSION*

(A REMINDER)

I've had to defend myself alot over the last few months. It's very difficult for people who know me or don't know me to get lost in their own view point of depression and offer their own advice without really knowing what they are talking about. If you have never walked in the shoes of those who suffer from depression, the only thing you should do is offer love. I'm reattaching a blog I wrote on depression two years ago. It might give a glimpse of understanding that I am not always "All smiles Kim." I am able to still pull out the joy from life and most my posts are very upbeat despite what I might be going through at that moment. This is just a reminder of a daily battle I face.

Everyone battles something in this life...or will. I was just reading about one of the greatest men I know who battled horrific pain in his life. The Lords servant, Job, from The Old Testament. His friends and associates were CONSTANTLY trying to give him advice as to why he suffers and usually blame it all on him. If you will go back and read that account, you will understand that he endured constant rebuke and was falsely accused for something he did not bring on himself. Throughout his ordeal Job maintained his innocence and ultimately & dramatically the Lord affirms him! After much senseless debate on his "situation" we find that Job was right all along. He was innocent...and this was a test he was given.

Depression is a real illness and I stand by that. I have endured it for at least 15 years. I know the Lord has allowed me to suffer it all this time for a reason. I have learned much about life, people, myself and God. I do my VERY best to still be a light to others, but I need to always remind people that I'm not "all smiles Kim." I offer up every drop of strength I have to fight this and am grateful with how I have and do handle it. I shouldn't have to defend myself just like a cancer patient shouldn't have to defend that their illness is real. I remind myself often that we all need to think before we dispence advice, and certainly we all need to withold any form of judgement.

I just wanted to write this post for the purpose of bringing a little more clarity to others about my situation and remind people that I don't have the "Ideal Life." I am blessed, but I have suffered and struggled through a heavy battle.

Here is the link to the post I have spoken of...I hope it will open some eyes.

*Kim'z Warm Asylum*: *DEPRESSION*

If that doesn't open, you can click on the title of the post and that will work.

*SUNDANCE, SUCKERS, AND A SPIDER*

Waynga and I went up to Sundance tonight. We were going to take photos of the leaves but it was getting dark and I was starving. So we grabbed a sandwich and suckers (those good old fashioned kind) from the Grill Room and kicked it around that area. I made Wayne stand in front of the Sundance sign for a photo and couldn't get it to show up on my camera. I have no understanding of cameras and Wayne had to walk back and try to fix it. Then I went to stand in front of the sign and kind of leaned against it. (see photo) By this time, the photos were showing up and I made Wayne go back in front of it to get a shot that actually showed up. When he went to LEAN on it he jumped back and had this creeped out look on his face. This is how our conversation went.

Me: Wayne, please tell me there isn't a spider there! PLEASE tell me I didn't just lean against a spider!!! Do NOT tell me you saw a spider!!!

Wayne: Um.... (he's shaking himself off!)

Me: WAS there a spider?!? There WAS a spider wasn't there!? HOW BIG WAS IT!!?

Wayne: About like this (shows me with his fingers in a circle...basically half the size of his hand!)

EWW! EWW! I start jumping all over the place! I make Wayne check my hair and the back of my sweater to make sure nothing was on me!!! As you can see, I hate spiders! But it WAS funny simply because I went from begging him to tell me there wasn't a spider...to making him tell me how big it was! hahahha
On our way out we saw the web and it was huge! We are talking like "Charlottes Web" big! Sick!

Anyhow, besides the spider incident it was fun and we enjoyed good company, beautiful landscape, and a good old fashioned sucker. You can't beat that. :)

*A WALK IN THE WOODS*

"All things bright and beautiful, the Lord God made them all."

I went on a little jaunt up to Park City yesterday and captured some really pretty shots before the sun went down. (I forget that it goes down faster on that side of the mountain. :) I think they turned out really beautiful.

I will be adding a few more to my other photo website later tonight...er...tomorrow. :)

*AND WINTER CAME*

I just found out that my favorite Enya has a new album out in November! I'm so excited...she is beloved to me. :) If you want to hear the first single...then go here. :D
http://www.enya.com/

*SMELL OCTOBER*

My little sister sent me a text that said, "Happy October...go smell the air outside for me!" Jen is still living with her family in Vegas so she is missing Utahs Autumn and all the things that come with it.

Because of that text, I decided to make a list of my top favorite things about October/Fall.

1~The changing colors of leaves. I once had a teacher that asked us the question, "Why do the leaves change color? Why don't they just dry up and fall to the ground? Why change color? What does it change?" and then he paused and said, "The only thing it changes is YOU."

"18 Yea, all things which come of the earth, in the season thereof, are made for the benefit and the use of man, both to please the eye and to gladden the heart"

~Doctrine & Covenants 59:17-18

2~ Scarves, sweaters and jackets! There is nothing better then getting out the scarves, sweaters and pea coats! Yay!

3~ My best friends "Sweet potatoe pie"...usually a thanksgiving favorite. But I'm craving it NOW, so when she moves back to 'tah (on the 16th) She WILL make it for me. ahhah

4~ Hot Chocolate...need I say more?

5~ Candles! I heart candles. The one I have right now is *pumpkin spice* It deceives the mind into thinking that something yummy is baking. ha!

6~ Fruits of the season! PEACHES! On friday night, my friend gave me a huge box of hand picked peaches from her peach tree! YUM! The whole way home, my car smelled like them. I have been eating them non-stop and have just found a recipe for peach bread pudding! I'll let you know how it turns out...:)

7~ Fall music. I make a new Autumn playlist every year. It's great for a drive up the canyon on your way to take pictures of leaves and such. :)

8~ Thinking about my halloween costume and how it's going to kick everyones butt in the family halloween contest. Pam and I always rock halloween. (Our family is hardcore when it comes to costumes and everyone is VERY clever.) One of my favorites was my nephew, Chaz, who was dressed or rather undressed to play Tom Cruise in "Risky buisness." He came sliding in the room in a white button up long sleeve shirt that barely covered his undies, WHITE LEGS, his socks, a pair of sunglasses, and a microphone! HYSTERICAL!

~9 Wrapping up in a warm blanket and pulling out a good book to read or a movie. Harry Potter always fits the season to me, so that's what I've done the last couple of days. (read them) I need to find a few more movies and books that "fit" this time of year.

~10 Watching my nieces & nephews eyes light up when they show me all the candy they obtained on Halloween night. Then watching their faces when I ask if I can have one of their "Double Bubbles" and have then HESITANTlY say...okay. :) Gotta love 'em! (I can suddenly see my nephew, Bleu, handing me the wrapper instead like he'd just made a major sacrifice! :) haha

OH...and might I add...smelling the air outside! For me and my sister! :)

*DON'T MESS WITH LEWIE & CRAY*

Rarrr!