tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45519543434527166222024-03-12T22:57:32.781-06:00Simply Just MomMindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.comBlogger263125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-68190315986913218712020-03-25T23:11:00.001-06:002020-03-26T15:10:01.982-06:00Not just a Mother-in-Law....but the Best Mother-in-Law<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh man.....today has been a tough day. It has actually been a tough couple of weeks. The year 2020 started out with such promise....a couple of weddings......and then BAM things started to come apart. The Corona virus is not even the worst thing that has happened. Today Kendall's mom Shirley passed away. She suffered an injury a few weeks ago and she went downhill fast. I am so happy for her...she has been suffering with the affects of dementia for many years. It has been really hard on her and her family. I am so glad that she no longer has to suffer with it anymore....but man are we all going to miss her like crazy.<br />
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I met Shirley 29 years ago. She instantly loved me simply because I loved her son. We had a lot in common. I think that Shirley loved babies as much as I do.....I know that seems impossible because I love me some babies....but she felt the same way. We actually both had/have daycares in our homes. Kendall is so lucky because he has been around babies his whole life! Not only did she run a daycare, but she was also a foster mom and loved babies all day and night...those babies never went home and she always had the day shift, night shift and weekends care for them. I guess her love of babies might trump mine, but I suppose I come in a close second. We could talk about babies forever and she loved to look at the pictures of the Little's I watch and wanted to know all about them. <br />
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Shirley also loved to cook. Now she was a serious cook because she wore a apron. She was super classy like that. Like June Cleaver. She could make a mean Shepard's Pie, Chicken Salad sandwich's that my kids mouths salivate when they think about it. Corn Chowder that Kendall could eat the whole pot. She was a master at Jell-O Salads and had a arsenal that she could whip up . She was a master baker and made a delicious Butterfinger pie and an amazing better than you know what cake....but her claim to fame was her Apple pie. Did you know that she was a local celebrity? Before I met Kendall she was featured on the local PBS station and showed the eastern part of Idaho how to make apple pie. She made the crust and said that you just know its right by the feel. Is your Mother-in-Law famous??? Well mine was! She also gave me my sugar cookie recipe....we all know how amazing those babies are! She did have a few culinary flaws.....her corn beef and cabbage....EWW the corn beef was ok...but Kendall says that cabbage was slimy and gross. Now me and Kendall differ on this last one but her spam sandwich...boo...I don't ever need another of those but Kendall says they were awesome! Shirley loved salt. She would salt everything. Everything always needed more salt. My kids got a kick out of her salting her potato chips! <br />
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Shirley also loved to pose for pictures. I have seen a lot of pictures of her she would stand up straight, hands to her side and bring one foot out slightly in front of her. I am pretty sure she was Grandpa's favorite subject to shoot pictures of. I have seen pictures of her modeling outfits. Pictures of her show off a culinary confection. Pictures of Shirley and her flowers. Pictures of her and her babies and grandkids.<br />
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Shirley also cared about her appearance. She actually had the same hairstyle for the entire time I knew her. She had a appointment every week at the hairdresser and she would get her hair done up for the week. I was under the impression that she never colored her hair and was one of the lucky few who's hair never when gray or white.....I found out different in the last few weeks of her life...she had me fooled. Shirley was a lover of blue eye shadow. I left that color behind in the nineties, but it was her go to color and it looked great on her. She also never was without lipstick. She was lover of Avon and she also loved the Clinique and Este Lauder deals in department store. <br />
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Shirley loved to read. She actually introduced me to the LDS romance novels. She had a library full of them. I read a bunch of them during the last few weeks of my pregnancy with Dyllon. She also loved to read the Idaho State Journal. She read it every day. They are one if the few people I know on this earth that still have the paper delivered to their home daily.<br />
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She loved to watch baseball on TV. When I first met her she rooted for the Atlanta Braves....but a few years back she had to convert to the Colorado Rockies because the Braves games were no longer shown in Pocatello. I will also fill you in on a dirty little secret.....she loved soap operas. I mean what else was there to watch on regular TV during naptime? It wasn't her fault...it just happened.<br />
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I also loved the way that Grandma Shirley gave hugs lately. She would grab your face in her hands and press her forehead to hers. So sweet! During here last few years it was hard for her to remember things, her mind locked things away from her, but it seemed like she could always remember at least one thing about you. Take Aushlynn for example..... Shirley knew that she had served a mission and every time she saw here she asked her.. "how many did you get?" She was also genuinely surprised every time that she saw Kendall and realized that he was bald. He would have to go over to her so she could inspect his head. In her mind she pictured him as a little boy! She would also always ask me where I lived....I would tell her South Jordan and she would say...oh, I have a daughter-in-law that lives there. <br />
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Shirley was an amazing Wife, Mom and Grandma! It is so hard that this Corona virus scare has made the last few weeks of her life difficult to share with her. Because we can't gather in groups of more than 10 people... we can't have a funeral for her right now and that just plain stinks. We can't sit around as a family and tell stories and share memories and that just is not fair!<br />
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I am going to miss her so much! I love you Shirley!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-51099317028275704632019-12-17T14:32:00.001-07:002019-12-17T14:43:10.423-07:00GiftsSo how many of you have a Google home? I do, I got one for Christmas last year. Sometimes I like to ask Google random questions and usually within seconds it gives me an answer.....like today I asked Google how many days have past since February 27, 1972......because I am sure you all have the same question now the answer is 17460. Your welcome.....I also asked Google how many pennies were in a pound. So you know there are 145 pennies in a pound. Its nice to learn something new right? Also, don't you think in hearing a number like 17460 it sounds like a number worthy of celebration? Well I do...just so you know I am 17460 days old today.....I am really getting up there! <br />
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I have been thinking a lot about gifts and what I can give myself. Now, I can ask others for gifts, sometimes my wish is granted, especially around Christmas time and my birthday. Sometimes its nice to get yourself something that you really want. Sometimes the best gifts don't cost money. <br />
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Back to the pennies.....what if you were given a penny to carry around everyday? You would just most likely put it in your pocket and unless you put your hand in there you probably would forget about it. There are people who wear penny loafers and carry 2 pennies around daily and they probably don't even feel the weight of those 2 pennies. What I am getting at is a penny to carry around is no big deal....or is it? Lets say for the sake of numbers that we are all nearly perfect and only have one thing or do one thing per day that causes us or someone else pain. Ok now, lets say for that one thing we are asked to carry a penny around. So, me being 17460 days old.......145 pennies to a pound. This means that I am now carrying around 120.41 pounds of pennies....but in reality we all get way more than a penny a day. Sometimes we get several pennies a day....sometimes something weighs more than a penny and it feels more like a gold bar. How many of us are carrying around thousands of pounds of weight because we are not emptying our pockets everyday?<br />
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I am talking about forgiveness. How many of us are carrying around unneeded weight because we cannot seem to let go of the pennies in our pockets. How many of us are carrying a backpack that is hundreds of pounds because it is hard to hard to get rid of the pennies? How much weight is on your shoulders? Crushing you and leaving you with little else to do than feel the weight and have it constantly in your mind? I just thinking would it not be better to put those pennies and gold bars in a bank and have someone else take care of them. Lucky for us there is someone willing to carry our pennies for us. The Savior Jesus Christ is willing to carry all of our pennies....both yours and mine. Everyones! He is willing to carry around the heavy weight for us. What a gift!<br />
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Forgiveness is hard. To forgive someone does not mean that your are weak....it means that you are strong enough to know that people make mistakes. Forgiveness is for you! Lewis Smedes said, "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover the prisoner was you!" Forgiveness does not change the past but it does enlarge the future. Forgiving someone may cost you your pride....but not forgiving someone will cost you your freedom. <br />
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So for my 17460 day of birth I am giving myself the gift of forgiveness. I know I am human....I make mistakes....sometimes a lot. Most of the time I am hardest on myself. But honestly, if I have hurt you or made you feel bad I am so sorry...please forgive me. I probably don't even realize I have hurt you. But mostly I realize life is to short and none of us are promised tomorrow so today is the day!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-19117358828724926282019-01-30T14:38:00.001-07:002019-01-30T14:38:31.623-07:00Experienced....My sister Kari is old....in fact she's a Grandma 4 times....not even once for me......but my Grandma Peterson is not old....even though Jeremy called her that...she is just well experienced. She has been racking up experiences for over 91 years. <br />
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I am lucky....she has been living with my parents for the last few years so I get to rub shoulders with her whenever I visit. Like I said I'm lucky because not all of her grandkids get the same opportunity. My Grandma has 8 kids....yes EIGHT! She is pretty much a super woman. I had to stop at 4. Kids are expensive and they will drive you nuts. DeRoy, Reid, Rodney, Ramona, Randy, Renae, Rayona and Rela....expect everyone calls her Sue. I am not sure how all the R names started with the last 7 kids. I will have to ask her. Also, not sure why Sue is named Rela but never called that. Was it just for the sake of tradition? I know the next question that I will ask her. Anyways...to the best of my ability I can count 42 grandkids...give or take. <br />
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The last few visits I have had with her I have been asking about her life. Did you know that my Grandpa called her Mickey? She has told me about her life growing up and about her siblings. She told me about when her kids were young and working the farm. She has told me the story about Grandpa's new pickup truck and the oil about 50 times....If you don't know the story you should ask her. She never filled Grandpa in on that one! She went thru a painting phase in her life. She loves to quilt and crochet. It has been fun really getting to learn about her life experiences. She also told me that she loves to read my blog and wonders when I will post again. its been awhile.<br />
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We have been somewhat close. I lived next door to her when I was little....well not next door, but a field away. I remember the old farm house. It had lots or layers of wallpaper. It also had a stinky outhouse. I remember her old orange chairs in the living room and Grandpa telling Missy and Nicky to sic us and we ran around like ding dongs while the dogs chased us. I remember eating her chicken noodle soup, it was different then my moms. <br />
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When I was 10 or so they bought the ranch in Idaho. My parents moved up a few years later. I remember that someone killed a rattlesnake and skinned it. Grandma fried it up and tried to get me to eat it....ew....sometimes Grandma did not have my back...haha. I bet that rattlesnake skin is still somewhere stretched on a board at Randy's. <br />
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My Grandma has had the opportunity to attend most of the greatest events of my life. My wedding, when my kids went thru the temple for the first time. I am really glad that she was there for those experiences.<br />
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When Grandma went on her mission to Arkansas she used to call me a few times a month to see how I was. She told me that the best way to find investigators was to go to Garage/Yard sales. I shared this tip with my boys. I remember her car had a bumper sticker that said "This car stops at all garage sales" She loves a great deal that is for sure. <br />
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While I was in Idaho at Christmas Grandma took me downstairs to her room. She showed me special presents that she is making for her great grand kids when they get married. She is not sure how long she will be around but wanted them to have something from her...She also told me I could have one....or that I could have the quilt that she made when Grandpa had is open heart surgery in the 70's she told me she sewed every single stitch I on it. Sorry to disappointed all my cousins, but I chose the quilt. I will treasure it! Like I said earlier...I am lucky!<br />
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Anyways....my Grandma is not doing so good. She is in the hospital. She hates it there and just wants to go home. Who can blame her? I for one think that hospital beds are pure torture. Is it even possible to get comfortable on one? I went on Sunday and held her hand for awhile. It broke my heart to see her struggling. Tears just came to my eyes...Grandma would say it is because my bladder is to close to my tear ducts. My Dad says its because I am tenderhearted. My kids says it because I am a big baby. My Grandma did give me some pretty great smiles though. I wish she did not have to experience this. Not my sweet Grandma. I for one know how special grandma's are. I am running short on them. In fact she is the last one that I have. I love her!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-36747361447376111772018-03-22T21:51:00.000-06:002018-03-23T06:22:05.508-06:00I did it!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I did it!!! What did I do you ask? Well, I raised four kids to adulthood! I guess Kendall helped.... a little. Nobody even died.....I know....MIRACLE! There were times when I really questioned if they would live to see the next day. Raising kids is super hard! But, we did it.....we are officially not legally required to take anyone on vacation with us again! Yay! This has opened up a whole world of possibilities for us.<br />
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I was trusted with these four tiny humans ranging between five and six pounds each. Not all at once....well kinda all at once....but I started with one and then every so often for the next seven years another one showed up. So, after seven years....I had them all at once, but they were in various stages of driving me crazy. I am pretty sure that they had secret meetings....like: Okay, I am going to bug them from midnight to two. Who is going to take from two until four? Who wants the four to six? If your not taking a night shift then it is up to you to drive her crazy all during the day. We'll just keep rotating thru the shifts...Okay ready break! I am sure this is how their meetings went.<br />
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Being a Mom is really really really really hard! A lot of the time noboby evens listens to you! Rude!!! At times the only exercise that I got was rolling my eyes about 2000 times a day. My eyes are in excellent shape....but my body.....well your gonna have to cut me some slack because my baby is only 6574 days old...when she get to 10000 days old and I don't have an Olympians body...I will know that I have let myself go and to maybe worry a little.<br />
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It has been real...and it has been fun.....but it has not been real fun.......just kidding. Most of the time it was fun. I was not a huge fan of the fighting....or the helping them with homework....or waiting up late at night....or trying to decide what to feed them for dinner that they would all eat...or picking up all their stuff that they left out.....hum.....I guess that this is not sounding very fun at all.<br />
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It has been an awesome experience being their Mom. I would not trade it for the world......I just can't wait to see what these adults decide to do with their futures......hopefully it will include "Littles" of their own someday for me to mug on!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-48913155992458898712018-02-09T11:59:00.000-07:002018-02-09T12:17:29.280-07:00It's Hard To Say Good-bye......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There have been a lot of tears shed the last few days. It is so difficult to say good-bye to friend that you have had for the last 16 1/2 years. It is excruciating when you are the one that has to make the decision. It's impossible.....</div>
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We moved into our home 17 1/2 years ago. We knew that I would be staying at home and running a daycare so we wanted to give the dog thing ago. We had to wait until we had the yard in. The summer of 2002 came and the grass was finally growing. Time for us to find a new friend. Kendall scoured the shelter sites looking for the perfect dog. I did not want a puppy, I wanted a dog that 1) was potty trained 2) already nice and 3) did not shed. Kendall saw the perfect dog and went and checked him out. I guess that when a dog comes to the shelter they have a 7 day period before they are adoptable. They need to see if anyone comes to claim them. Kendall happened to see him right when he went up on the website and was the first to see him. He put his name on a waiting list and they told us they would call if he became available to adopt. We received a call a week later. Nobody had claimed this cute little guy and if we wanted to adopt him we had first dibs but we needed to decide fast because there we 10 other names on the waiting list. We took the family in to see him and we decided he was the one. They assured me that he would not shed and he already fit the other two criteria We paid the adoption fees and they would fix him that night and we could pick up our brown eyed baby boy the next afternoon.<br />
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That night we discussed names it was a family decision everyone throwing out what they thought was good. We decided on Beudrou Beauregard Wilson III aka Buddy for short. We were all excited! Dad brought him home the next day. Poor guy was wearing a cone of shame because of the surgery. Madi was not to sure about him as she was only 15 months or so old and just walking but everyone else was smitten. I soon learned that the shelter lied to me....this dog shed a ton....like a puppy size a week...ugh.....I guess 2 out of three was not bad.<br />
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We were told Buddy was about a year old when we adopted him. Since dogs at the shelter don't come in with birth certificates that had to guess his age and his pedigree. They told us best guess was a Jack Russell Terrier/Springer Spaniel mix. We learned that he had a lot of energy....and I mean a lot!!! You know that beautiful grass that we waited to grow in before we got him.....well he soon wore a path along the side of the fence because he loved to run up and down the fence and bark when ever he heard someone walking by. Soon after getting him we put a flower bed along the fence line. He just would run up and down and eventually he would move the dirt and it looked like he was making a ramp too escape. We thought that he would be able to launch over the fence. We had to shovel down the ramp several times a summer for many many years.<br />
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We also learned that Buddy had a particular taste for Aushlynn's black Sunday shoes. He must have torn up at least 30 pair.....always of course on a Saturday night. Aushlynn wore sneakers to church a lot....I am not sure if she was in on it with the dog or not. Buddy also loved to eat the eyes out of stuffed animals...I don't know why, never the stuffing....just the eyes....maybe he did not like things looking at him....what a weirdo! My kids and my daycare kids lost many good toys this way.<br />
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Five months after we got him I was starting to trust him alone in the house. We went to our traditional Christmas Eve movie and when we came home Kendall came running outside telling me not to kill the dog. Turn out he was not a fan of us leaving him for a few hours and he tour up our couch! Seriously what dog does this? I was pretty upset. The next time we went out we put him in Avery's room and he ripped up the door jam. Lovely! After about 5 years he did not tear so much stuff up....but it was a trial for me. I have forgiven him for his transgressions against the furniture and the woodwork.<br />
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Buddy especially loved to go for rides. He would be laying down an all you would need to say is "Buddy wanna go for a ride?" he would quick as a flash be at the front door jumping around wanting to be let out. He did not like when you just teased him and asked and did not take him. He did not really like to stick his head out the window...maybe a inch and sniff and quickly bring it back in. He loved to stand on the middle seat with his back paws and put his front paws on the arm rest up front and then lean on either me or Kendall....mostly me with his hot breathe and drool because of his excitement.<br />
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He also like to go for walks....same thing...all you needed to say was "Buddy wanna go for a walk?'" He was at the door and could not stand still long enough for you to put his leash on. Buddy walked you....he would never walk behind you and always went his pace. This would cause him to breathe heavy because the collar was always tight around his neck....He never learned. Me and buddy had a running phase. Don't worry everyone...those days are over. Buddy was more of a sprinter and not long distance....sometimes I had to drag him along.<br />
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Buddy loved people. I only met two people in all my life that he was not a fan of. Buddy thought that everyone came to the door to pet him. What other reason would people have to come over. Once you started he did not like you to stop. If you did he would take his nose and lift your hand up for more...he knew you would always go longer. He was not one of those dogs that did not like you to wipe your hands on him...he loved to be petted.<br />
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Buddy was not allowed on the furniture....due to the fact that he shed like crazy and always left a pile of his former self behind and the fact that he ate the couch that one time. Problem was....I was the only one to enforce the rule....in fact as soon as I left a room others would encourage him to get up. It was a losing battle for the longest time. A few years ago I got a new couch and it was to high for him to get on....or he listened this time to the lecture about not getting on my new furniture. I like to think that he was listening to me. Aushlynn was the only one who would let him sleep with her. The rest of us drew the line at dog hair in our beds. The two of them had a special bond. Aushlynn was the only one that allowed him to lick her face....the rest of us did not enjoy dog face kisses.<br />
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Buddy loved to lay in front of the fire. He would lay with his face 2 inches away from the fire. I don't know how he did it. If I stood 6 inches away for a minute I had to move because it was way to hot. He could lay there for hours soaking it in. If you ever turned on the fire to stand by it, he was soon next to you leaning on you slowly moving you away so he was front and center.<br />
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Each time the kids left on missions I thought that he would pass away while they were gone...I was wrong....he had a joyous reunion with all the three of then when they returned form serving. He was so excited to see them and remembered them after they had been gone for so long. He loved his kids!<br />
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Some things that Buddy did not like: Thunder....he would shake like a baby for hours at the sound of thunder. He paced and tried so hard to get away from the sound. His hearing was to good and no matter where he went he could not escape it. He would hide under the kids beds at night during thunderstorms turning their beds in 25 cent vibrating motel beds. He also was not a fan of the the smoke alarm...to bad we burn things often....the poor guy acted just like a thunderstorm. But, if our house was actually on fire me and Buddy would be the only ones to escape because everyone else just assumes its a false alarm. He did not like balloons...not sure why, but they just scared him. Also, the flash of a camera sent him scrambling. Not to many professional pictures of him. Buddy hated dog food. He would sigh in disgust when ever he saw it in his bowl. I don't think that he though he was a dog. I think he would have liked me to dish him a plate and have him sit at the table. He also would watch me eat....every bite with longing in his eyes. I had to turn my back to him to enjoy my dinner. He was a cracker stealer.....always stole the Little's cookies and crackers. I had to give him a snack when the kids got one and he still took theirs! Buddy loved people food. Like I said...he thought he was people! He loved spaghetti. in fact "Buddy loves spaghetti" was our family"s safe password! Buddy really disliked baths....if you gave him one it was a catch 22 because as soon as he could get outside he would roll around trying to get the bath off and just get filthy again.<br />
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Buddy loved to play fetch.......funny thing is he would never give you the ball back. You had to catch him he could change directions better than any professional football player out there. Once you caught him you then had to pry the ball from his mouth. I guess we played keep away more than fetch. Sometimes we would use two ball and he'd drop the one in his mouth to go for the other one. He loved for Kendall to mess around with him and push him around the carpet. He would act all tough with a growl....but they both knew they were playing. He would escape and run away and Kendall would hit the ground with this hand a few times and Buddy would come running back for more. He loved to play tug of war with socks. He would never let go. You could actually lift him up by the mouth holding the sock. He'd be danging a foot in the air with no worries or dental pain! Buddy was an impressive jumper. Who said white dogs can't jump? He jumped higher than any dog I know. I would stand on a chair and hold something he wanted above my head and he could jump and get it! He had quite the vertical leap! He also loved to play with rolled up socks. it was his goal to get them unrolled and then he beat the tar out of them by having it in this mouth and shaking his head and hitting the sock back and forth on the ground. He also like to throw the socks up in the air to himself and catch them.<br />
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Buddy used to be our alarm system. He would stay up at night and watch for movement in the neighborhood. He would bark if he saw anything. You knew if he kept barking somebody was probably messing on our property that should not be and you needed to check it out. He was our watch dog. He did excellent work. If the blinds were shut....no worries.... he would stick his nose through to see. It was so funny to see this.<br />
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Buddy loved to lay in the sun. It was like his black spots soaked up the energy of the sun for him to run off. I think he was a beach dog at heart. I wish I could have taken him to live at the beach....its one of my life goals to. He loved to lay in our dining room when the sun show through the windows. A few years back he started getting ballsy and would climb on the dining room table and lay there, its where the best sun was. We caught him a few times and knew he was in trouble. We often came home from church and he was sunning on the dining room table. If we were not there to stop him I guess he could not resist. He also loved to lay in the sun outside. He had a few favorite spots to lay out in the backyard. On the deck by the stairs he would lay and watch people come down the sidewalk....this gave him maximum opportunity to jump down and go run up and down the fence as they came by. He loved to lay in the corner of the house on the grass by Madison's bedroom window. The last few years of his life this spot was his favorite. I guess cool grass, sun, the shade of the tree was a perfect combination for him. He also loved to lay in the corner of the backyard by the fence in the play area. This is where his ramp was he made while running down the fence line.<br />
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Buddy was a night owl. We would hear his nails clicking on the hardwood floors in the middle of the night. I think he just made circles around the rooms. He would scratch at the door if her wanted to either come in your room or be let outside to use the bathroom. Sometimes we would let him out at night and it seemed we were waiting forever for him to use the bathroom. We would look out on the deck and he would be in a deck chair just starring out into the night. This was our cue to go back to bed until we heard him scratching on the door to come back inside. Right after we got Buddy we realized that he ruined our back door because he kept scratching it. Discussion we had were if we should get a new door with a dog door in it. Since money was tight we decided that we would just get a new door one he was no longer with us. Oye....bad decision on our part we had no idea he would be with us for 16 1/2 years. We could have saved ourselves millions minutes of sleep if he could of just let himself in and out....our bad!<br />
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Buddy, I know you were patiently waiting for one of your kids to get married. You loved people and more family would have been more pets for you. I'm not sure if you made it 2 more years you would have seen it happen. I know you can work you Buddy magic from heaven and send so good potential mates their way. Thanks Buddy!<br />
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Oh Buddy, what more can I say about you? You have been my constant companion for 16 1/2 years. While everyone else went to school or work it was always me, you and the Little's here at home. You were a ninja dog and could sneak up and be under my feet without me realizing it. I tripped over you a million times. Sorry I got mad about that....I know you did it because you just wanted to be close to the coolest person ever or you were hoping I would get you something to eat! Buddy, in the words of Avery....You were a wicked cool dog! I am not sure that there is a better dog out there! We won the lottery when we found you to adopt! I've known for the past few weeks that you were dwindling. It was hard to accept....you are after all the energizer bunny...you just keep going and going and going. I know its been hard to eat and sleep and walk. I know that your bones have been hurting with your arthritis.....I feel you pain I am in the same boat, I walk the same way in the morning because of mine. I'm sorry that you have been in pain. The other day when you had a really bad night and I came and laid on the floor all night with you....in the morning my fit bit registered that I had 3200 steps, it was wrong, I had 3200 pets. I wish I would have meet my goal that night by giving you 10000 pets.<br />
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We buried you under the cedars at Grandma and Grandpa Peterson's house. Your next to your doggie cousin Falcor. You will be able to run free with no fences. You are gonna love it. Fresh mountain air and lots of sunshine and the shade of the cedar tree. Its a beautiful spot.<br />
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Buddy...I'm not gonna lie.....I am going to miss you....we all will. I'll miss the click clack of your claws when you walk on the hardwood floors. I'll miss seeing you sticking your nose through the blinds. I miss you trying to escape out the front door thru the tiniest crack. You would try to push the door open...you were so eager to get out the front door. I'll miss you barking and telling me that someone is at the front door....you were way better than a doorbell. I'll miss you setting off the doorbell with your bark. I will miss you poking your head under the deck looking in the basement window and barking at me telling me you are ready to come inside. I'll miss you watching me eating my food. I'll miss you greeting me each morning with a wagging tail. I'll miss you going with me to take the kids to preschool and stopping at the fast food drive thru's trying to find food you will eat. You loved those nuggets at Chick-fil-a. I'll miss you with me all day long with the Little's. I'll miss your little mustache that you grew the last few years, it looked like a little milk mustache. It made you look very distinguished. I miss the way you cocked your head to one side when I spoke to you. I'll miss the way your ears perked up when you hear any sounds. I'll miss you putting your paws on the high chair trying to steal food from the babies. I will miss not having to sweep the kitchen floor after lunch time because you cleaned under the table for me. I will miss seeing you drinking from the toilet...you were gross that way. You could not help it. If the door was open you would go it....it always looked like you were throwing up...haha! I'll miss you laying in your bed in the living room...that will always be your spot. I will miss watching you eating snow...you would run outside and scoop it up on your mouth and munch away. I'll miss petting you and when I stop you taking your head to my hand and making me pet you more. I'm pretty much gonna miss everything about you not being here....my days will be a little empty without you here. You have been a good boy! You have been a great friend and companion to the whole family! I know your not gone forever. I am pretty sure I will find your dog hair for the next 5 years. When I find some I will smile and remember you and not dread cleaning it up. I am sure you will be waiting there for me in heaven so you can trip me as I walk thru the gates. Good-bye my brown-eyed boy. Love you so so so much!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-37915346536554483082017-09-27T09:43:00.000-06:002017-09-27T09:56:45.738-06:00Not a fan of MRI....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
MRI'S are hard. I am definitely not a fan. I have been having numbness in my arms for over five years. Mostly when I lay down or use my hand for long periods of time. My Dr insists that I have carpal tunnel and has had me wearing wrist braces....which have done nothing by the way.....well, when the numbness moved to my left foot it has been driving me crazy. I just cannot live with it anymore. My brother Jeremy keeps telling me....get a MRI....he had some numbness problems that was fix with neck surgery and we seemed to have similar symptoms. I insisted to my Dr that I get a MRI and he ordered 3 of them on my spine. Yay! Finally gonna get some answers. </div>
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I set up the appointment and learned that I would be in the tube for 3 hours. No problem...right. They asked me if I had claustrophobia (boy was I wrong). I said no...but I told them I do have anxiety. They suggested I take a Valium and to come 1 hour early to the MRI and they would administer it to me before the procedure.</div>
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I show up to the appointment. I arrived an hour and a half early because I was getting somewhat anxious and wanted to give the Valium some time to work. I waited and waited. I asked the receptionist about the Valium and she said someone would get me to administer it. Fast forward an hour and 20 minutes later and someone finally came for me. She was running behind and she gave me the Valium and asked me to chew it so it would work faster. Yuck. Then....she wanted me just to come right back without waiting the hour for the medication to kick in. Ok...this was not good. </div>
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She had me sit on the table and she put a IV in for the contrast. She was ready to go. I was sweating. My heart rate was thru the roof. I had no saliva in my mouth. I could hardly swallow or breathe. She had me lay down on the table and put earphones on to cancel out the noise....and then she put my head in a vise and strapped a contraption over my neck and locked it down. This was not cool...not cool at all. I was freaking out! This was about 10 minutes after I took the valium. She told me not to worry because she could fit a 300 lb person in the tube and that I was gonna be fine. I was not so sure. I told her she needed to let me out and sit up for a minute because I was not ready. She reluctantly agreed and unstrapped me and let me sit up for a minute. She got me some water and I jumped off the table and walked around for a bit. Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that the music was not working so I did not have anything to listen to that might calm me down. After a few minutes of me freaking out she told me we had to get going because she was running behind. No worries about my problems I guess lets make this all about her. She strapped me down again and slid me in the tub. Man...it was tight in there. My shoulders were touching the sides of the tube and my face was about two inches from the top. I was freaking out. I could not move, swallow or hardly breathe. I was crying inside. She started the test. It was noisy even though my sense of hearing had been cut off with the earphones. I got about 2 minutes into the test before I started for reals crying and hyperventilating. There was no way on this earth I was going to last for 3 hours like this....NO WAY! I had to tell her to pull me out. I was not cool....I had gotten an F in MRI! The lady told me I would be an excellent candidate for a sedated MRI. I agreed with her....knock me out for it for sure!</div>
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I don't know....maybe if they had given me the valium an hour before the test things would have been different. Maybe if the music had been working it would have relaxed me. Maybe if I had some gum in the mouth it would have not been so dry. Maybe if I only had one test instead of 3 to do. All I know is that this was going to be one of the biggest challenges of my life to do. See the picture below...you can see the vise that they strapped my head in to....gives me the heebeejeebees just looking at it!</div>
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I called my Dr and left a message with his assistant. I told them I needed to be sedated for the MRI and to have them call me and set it up. Well....he did not agree with that and wanted me to try again. He wanted me to go to Ogden to a open MRI and try there. It's not exactly close for me to go there. I did some research. Alta hospital has a thirty percent bigger tube then Riverton. They can fit a 400 pound man in theirs. I set up an appointment there and only scheduled one test. Only one hour long. If I did not make it thru this test I would insist on a IV sedation.<br />
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I started to practice for a MRI....sounds silly right...but I did. Avery found me a refrigerator box and we made a MRI tube. I would lay in it in the basement with earphones on and a fan blowing in the bottom. I would lay in it for a hour and just cry. I asked Kendall what was wrong with me....he said....well for starters your a laying in a box in the basement.....haha....he is so funny! This is serious. I didn't know what else to do.<br />
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Well, I had really bad anxiety leading up to the test. I had to wait 2 weeks before I could even go and that just gave me a lot to stress to think about every night. I was not sleeping well and the thought of the MRI consumed me. Finally the day arrived. My Dr had told me to not take the valium but to instead take two of my anxiety medications two hours before the test. I did this. I went to my appointment pretty looped up. The MRI tech was very awesome. I told him I was claustrophobic and that I had anxiety. He set me up to go in feet first and with no head vise. He also set me up with Pandora tunes to listen too. He also said he would wait to give me the IV until the middle of the test and then he would put the contrast in and then take it right back out. He was an angel....maybe it was because I was doped up...but guess what....I did it!<br />
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In other news...only 2 MRI's left to go!!! Gonna try to bust them both out on Monday. Wish me luck!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-25691353759159166852017-09-25T14:24:00.001-06:002017-09-25T14:24:40.828-06:00Homecoming....it's about time!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
There are times in my life that I am a pretty big slacker.....Like today......I'm not proud of myself. You see Bingham's Homecoming dance was like 10 tens days ago and I am just now getting around to posting it. I have been pretty busy lately... doing pretty much nothing because my knee hurts. You can see why I could not find the time. </div>
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Anyways. Cam....you remember Superman from a few posts back right??? Well, he asked Madi to the homecoming dance. Now, let me see if I can remember how he asked her......Oh yes....I recall now. He put a poster on the door that said "I'd Wheely Like Homecoming With You"! and he left a giant tire with it on the doorstep. In other news that tire is still on the side of the house....so if any of you need a giant, bald tire for any purpose...you just let me know and I can hook you up! I don't remember how she answered him back...it was weeks ago....but the important part was that she said yes.</div>
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Dress shopping was a little easier this time around! Hallelujah! She found a dress that she like at Roolee online. The only problem with the dress is that they did not have her size online but they did have it in the store....of course the store is in Logan Utah, but heck I was going to Preston kayaking anyways.....so I just picked it up....no biggie! I saved hours of my life not looking for a dress....it was a win, win for me, Yay!</div>
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SO, on the day of homecoming they went on the day date to the Aquarium. I think Madi has been there like 4 times. I have never.....I need to go check it out. I guess they saw some sea creatures....and turtles and stuff. I guess it was pretty fun......she is smiling in the picture.</div>
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I all sorts of lucked out when her friend Tallia came and braided her hair for the dance. (Phew, I usually have to attempt the braid about 20 times before I get....its fine....I guess its as good as you can do!)<br />
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They went to the Botanical Gardens for pictures.<br />
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What a bunch of cuties!<br />
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Hot boy right here....see that boutonniere....yeah....I made it!<br />
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Here's the whole gang.....<br />
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Nice selfie toilet shot!<br />
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To save my life, I cannot get this picture to rotate.....Ugh! Just turn your head side ways to look at it. <br />
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So the dance was at Bingham. After the dance they went to Simpson's house and watched the movie Split. Everybody had a good time. Next up Bingham Ball......Stay tuned!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-70107442259441804562017-09-03T22:41:00.000-06:002017-09-03T22:41:52.998-06:00just a little near death experience....no biggieYesterday I almost died....and I'm pretty sure that everyone that was with me was laughing. Rude huh. Let me back peddle a little bit and give you the full story.<br />
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So...I'll just go on and admit it....I can't swim. My momma is afraid of water so naturally I was not allowed near it. I get it... if you can't save your kid you want to keep that danger away from them. I have tried to learn to swim....I more panic and sink....I am pretty unteachable at this point I'm my 40's.<br />
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Now on to my kayaking experience. I tandemed kayaked in Oahu.....on the ocean out to two different islands. We sailed that baby amazingly and paddled up to the island and road the waves in like pros. I lived and did not crash. I kayaked around a lake...well maybe not all the way around... in northern Idaho at a family reunion.....I lived again and did not wreck. I canoed down the bear river in Idaho with Kendall a few weeks ago...no crashes and pretty calm water. So I guess you can say I'm pretty much a pro when it comes to being a rider and not have to steer the boat.<br />
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So yesterday we went kayaking on the bear river. It's 350 miles long and my dad wanted us to experience the whole river. I am pretty sure that we kayaked that many miles yesterday. Let's just say I know I have arms....but I feel that I have arms today...and not in a good way....my arms are like....hey....what did you do to me yesterday!!!<br />
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Anyway, Aushlynn and her friend...that's a boy (who rates her in his top 5 bester kissers) took the only tandem kayak...you know where this leaves me right? All by myself....don't wanna be all by my self....anymore....sing it with me! So Shawn picked me a kayak...a orange sundolphin that you ride on top. No motor just Mindy power. I zipped up my life jacket half way....big mistake.<br />
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So they put my boat in the water....backwards.....and I get in. I get the instructions....just paddle up river....turn around and hang out and wait for the whole group to get in the water......right! So the reality was I was floating down the river backwards sidewayish to what I am pretty sure were class 5 rapids. The kayak wobbling back and forth ready to dump me at any moment. I'll just let you take a minute to picture this. Ok...I said picture not laugh. Through a miracle I was able to turn around. I don't know how....I just did. It was a Jesus take the wheel moment except I was holding on to my paddle. Now this was not the nice glassy water from a few weeks ago....this was a churning river and I was very much alone....even though Kendall and my dad promised to be right by me....I learned they are liars whilst on the river.<br />
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A kayak is so hard to keep straight. I am super inefficient when it comes to paddleing. I could probably take a gold medal for being the worst at it. It is so hard. Everybody made it look so easy but I was crying behind my Denver Broncos sunnies. I somehow managed to make it through the rapids while I was mostly pointed straight. It was 100 percent terrifying and awful...but kinda fun in a delusional twisted sort of way. Not lots of fun...but a terrifying rush. Maybe 2 percent fun 98 percent I'm never doing that again.<br />
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Well we get to a calm part of the water....thank the Lord and for some reason my dad wants us to wait for the rest of the group. He's like...kayak over her and hang out and wait for everybody. We all know that I don't kayak the boat....it kayaks me. Easy peasy just turn the boat around and kayak up the river and wait with everybody. I had a bad feeling...I'm not gonna lie...I had a bad feeling the whole time I'd been out there. I did get turned around but while trying to go up the river with every yelling paddle harder my boat flipped. I learned a few things. My dad lied about the river only being 4 feet deep. The water was over my head. I wished I would have zipped my life jacket up all the way and cinched the suckered tight. Kendall lied about saving me. My kayak was trying to drown me. Avery loves his mom. <br />
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So I went over. I drank a few gallons. The kayak was on my head. I have bionic woman strength when drowning and threw the boat 15 feet off me. Avery jumped in to rescue me and my life jacket had to hold us both up. It was fine. Kendall got my boat for me a half mile down the river that is impossible to walk in on the side. Way to many elevation changes. <br />
I was salty Kendall didn't save me and Aushlynn started singing "He Sent His Son". Avery also saved my floppy hat and water bottle but my Candy Cane Chapstick fell victim to the bear river. I gonna miss that cool slick stick for sure...it was a good chapstick.<br />
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Everybody thinks it's funny and wishes it was recorded. I do not think it's funny. I also learned that I do not swear right before I'm going to die...this is good.<br />
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I was super brave and got back in my boat. I even kayaked down a waterfall. My choices limited me on what I could do. I guess I could have had them send a life flight but I was gonna pull through.<br />
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-9480630116847413422017-06-23T14:23:00.000-06:002017-06-23T14:23:37.645-06:00Superman and Bart Simpson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
So.....Madi and Sadey have some new friends. They invited Superman...aka...Cam Reeves and Bart Simpson...aka Parker Simpson...Over to watch a scary movie. Ok...first off...who even does that...invites people over to watch scary stuff....don't they know that scares some people. It's not even really the scary stuff that you watch in a movie....during the night you can dream up way scarier stuff than any movie shows....Scary is not my thing! It's just mean of them to do this...what if those boys peed there pants or screamed like little girls? They would have been so embarassed. Ok....anyway.....Madi told me that they would just be downstairs and to send them down...they didn't want to have to open the door...now that would of been scary! I had my instructions. I meet those boys by the mail box. I said SUP...Superman....I then let them know that those girls were gonna try and scare them with a scary movie. RUDE! I gave them a rubber mouse to use to get even....I am super nice like that....Madi hates mice. She scared of them......all is fair in love.and war right??? Also...we sent Madi a snapchat so she knew they were there.....I thought it was super helpful for her....so she knew to be prepared for them to walk down...right?</div>
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So...they watched a movie called "Ouija" I am happy to report to you that Superman does not have Swands.....you know...sweaty hands.....this is good news...two thumbs up.......I have not heard if Bart Simpson does....I will keep you posted if I ever find out...Sadey doesn't tell me nothin! The kids survived the movie with only a few jumps...so I guess this is good news....I have no idea what they dreamed up last night though...hopefully they all had sweet dreams and no scary nonsense. Anyway....it was time for me to go to bed. I told everyone nighty night.... then received this snapchat......so nice to have two new friends....streak anyone? I sent them a cool snap back....it did not keep a copy thought.<br />
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Madi got a good night hug.....sigh...maybe next time Chicka...Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-9620164473338945032017-04-03T20:43:00.000-06:002017-04-03T20:55:52.488-06:00and just like that...doneAnd just like that....my years of being a missionary momma are coming to an end. I am not gonna lie......when I realized today that I won't have a missionary to write on Sunday I broke down and cried. What??? Seriously I have issues! I know! How did the last five years go by so quickly?<br />
When Dyllon received his mission call and left I thought that my heart would shatter into a million pieces. I was reduced to a puddle of tears just thinking about him being gone. Time slowed down to a meer crawl and every day felt like a week. Some how I survived.<br />
Then Avery received his mission call and left 6 months before Dyllon returned home. I did not know how my heart could handle two precious sons serving. It was not quite as hard the second time...but it still broke my heart...the recovery was a little easier. Time seemed to resume at a normal pace.<br />
Then Aushlynn received her mission call before Avery came home. Thru some miracle...Avery hurt his elbow again and had to return from his mission a few weeks early. We had 10 days together before Aushlynn left on her mission. Wow...how the last year and a half has flown by.<br />
When I look back it seemed like it happened in a heartbeat. It seems like five weeks not five years. Oh my heart. I am not sure who I am if I'm not a missionary momma. It's just what I do, or I guess what I did. If you see me and I'm completely irrational please understand...I'm gonna need an adjustment period it seems.Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-78853109233158644532017-03-30T06:54:00.000-06:002017-03-30T06:54:17.283-06:00I'm lying to myself....I did not sleep well last night....surprise!! Well its not really a surprise it happens quite often to me. When I don't sleep my mind is racing a mile a minute....it goes places that I don't want it to go. In fact I learned that I am lying to myself....I really am freaking out a little. Let me air my momma concerns that are on my mind.<br />
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I am stressed out about Peru...seriously someone needs to take the Internet away from me. Have you seen the pictures? 1) It's still raining...the rainy season last for 2 more weeks...does that mean the rain will stop then...no...nobody knows when it will stop. 2) Flooding.....the rain water has to go somewhere...it's pooling everywhere. 3) Nasty stuff in the flood waters...sewage.....poisonous reptiles that have been displaced. 4) Mosquitoes.....standing stagnate water...a breeding ground for the little suckers....Zika...Dengue.....5) Disease...none of this is healthy 6) Food and Clean water are hard to find...very expensive...people are going to start suffering. 7) she has a little food and water right now...how long will it last? 8) I worry she will be a target because she has some...desperate people do stupid things. 9) she is going to see suffering...breaks my heart....she will give away what she has and not have her needs met....how can you see suffering and not share what you have? 10) greedy government...the church relief effort brought in food to ease suffering...I have seen pictures of it for sale. The donated supplies are not getting to those who need it because of greed...this make me sad and angry. 11) not knowing...augh!!<br />
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My concerns go on and on.....someone please stop me because I am going to have an anxiety attack.<br />
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It's going to be fine...she has special protection...the armor of God with her...she is a missionary and wears a special tag bearing his name. She is hope for many people.<br />
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33 more days......Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-53352695335241880882017-03-29T09:52:00.000-06:002017-03-29T10:09:34.576-06:00What a rideWhat a ride our Peruvian princess is having out in Peru. Boring..not in the least. One thing for sure is her mission experience has been completely opposite of both of her brothers. Oh the stories and experiences that she will have to tell.<br />
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She is currently residing in Angamos...she has served here before. She is with a trio companionship with Hermana Pay and her companion. I am not sure of her name. She has now come full circle. Hermana Pay was her companion in the CCM during her missionary training. Looks like they may finish the mission together.....seems fitting. Aushlynn's cute little companion is headed home. She has been so sick and I guess the flooding is the straw that broke the camels back. I hope that she can heal up at home and come back and finish her mission later. What a trooper she has been.<br />
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Aushlynn was given the option of coming home or staying and finishing the last 35 days. She has chosen to stay. Wow....what a true disciple of Christ she has become. I am not sure I would have made the same decision. She just feels that she needs to be there to help the people of Peru...she still has more to give. She has learned the meaning of Charity and she lives it. I am super proud of her decision and support her 100%. They are currently looking for a mini missionary to serve as her companion. If and when the waters recede she will head back to Miraflores....it not to far away from where she is at.<br />
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Good news. They were able to go in yesterday and retrieve their belonging. I am grateful that she will have some clean clothes to wear. I am also grateful that she has her memory cards and mission momentos that she has picked up on her journey. I guess that was what I was most sad about her losing...but it is just stuff and we could have dealt with it...but so happy we don't have to.<br />
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People have asked how I'm doing. Well... surprisingly I have been pretty calm. I am generally a person who has anxiety but the Lord has blessed me for sure. Not to say I have not worried about her...but I have just not let it consume me. I know...it's a big surprise. I am coping quite well.<br />
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Peru is not out of the woods yet. The water has been receding...but there is more rain in the forcast. Thing could get worse before they get better. There is a shortage of clean water and food throughout the mission. There is still a chance they will pull the missionaries out and put them in different missions...if that is the case I am sure she will be headed home.<br />
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She is ready to roll up her sleeves and get dirty. I love her. I miss her. I pray always for her.<br />
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-80964883849440111442017-03-27T21:41:00.000-06:002017-03-28T12:50:10.772-06:00My heart is heavy...This post is hard to write....Aush has been having a rough time out in the mission. Training was not the best experience she has had on the mission. It was difficult....we are grateful it is done. She was transfered last week to Miraflores to serve the last transfer of her mission with cute little Hermana Pinckard. Her poor companion has been sick...bless her heart, because of this missionary work has been hard. To top it all off the rains in Peru have been devastating.<br />
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Aushlynn is right in the center of the flooding. In fact today the river overflowed it's banks and flooded the city. This in turn caused Aush and her companion to abandon their apartment with the clothes on their backs. This breaks my heart. I have no idea if they can return for their belongings or if they will even be there if they are ever able to. The poor girl is not even wearing her favorite dress.<br />
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They are currently staying with the Hermanas in Angamos..one of them is Hermana Pay that she was companions with in the CCM. They are watching the waters and praying that it won't reach this apartment. Food and fresh water are difficult to come by. Power is out everywhere. I guess you don't want the power with the lines so close to the flood waters...that would be tragic.<br />
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The missionaries spent some time today swimming in the flood waters and helping rescue people and children from their homes. It is so sad they have lost everything.<br />
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There has been talk of sending the missionaries affected to serve in Lima or sending some home. With only 36 days left to serve it might be an early homecoming for her. It's just talk...we will have to wait and see.<br />
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Really there is not much that we can do. We can pray for her. Done...every minute. I called and put her name in the temple and Elder Hills... and all the missionaries serving in the Piura Peru mission. I just got a voice mail because it is a Monday and a mommas gotta do what a mommas gotta do. We are holding a special fast for her tomorrow. Not just for her but for the missionaries and the people of Piura. This has been catastrophic for them. Aushlynns stuff is so easy for us to replace once she gets home, but for those who live there it is a different story. Please join us if you would like. It is something that we can do. I am praying that the ground will somehow turn thirsty and absorb the water. I am praying that the rains will cease so no more water is brought to the area. I am praying for safety.<br />
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-41904091241860820202017-02-15T10:24:00.000-07:002017-02-15T10:24:11.039-07:00Training in Progress.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Time is blazin' by....this girl only has 77 days left in the mission field. That's only 6652800 seconds left....who wants to count with me?? 1 Mississippi....2 Mississippi....just kidding....that would take me 77 days to count! Here is what Hermana Brown had to say this week...</div>
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Wow this week has been all sorts of emotions! On Monday night I was still with Hermana Ramos and we were pretty much freaking out. We didn’t sleep a wink lol. When we got to the mission home the next day I was pondering on how I felt the first day of my mission..... crazy to think that was so long ago. I feel like I just got here! Well I guess you have all seen pictures from President Rasmussen so yes I am with Hermana Araya! She is from Chile! I am content! I’m still a little nervous to have such a big responsibility but I am so ready for the challenge and most of all to work hard until the end!</div>
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Well I know you are all dying to know. My leg is getting a little better but with the heat and rain we are having here its having a hard time drying. It’s not keeping me from working which is good but it still hurts pretty bad. Okay so with the rain and the heat it is bringing out so many flies and mosquitos! ITS TERRIBLE!!! I woke up one morning with like 50 bites all over my back... I’m still trying to recover from that! I’m really nervous that I’m going to get dengue right before I leave!! I literally bathe in repellent daily but it doesn’t really help... it’s awful.</div>
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The heat here lately has been off the charts.... I’m so glad that for p-day today we went to Paita and to the beach! It was so nice to relax by the beach! I remembered sunscreen so I’m not completely burnt ha ha! We played soccer on the beach and also some volleyball. Then we ate at a restaurant right off the beach. THERE WAS A TON OF FLIES THOUGH. Eww. </div>
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A Miracle that we saw this week is that my convert Jose that got baptized in January got his temple recommend and is attending the Trujillo temple on the 25th! I am super excited for him! He is progressing so fast in the gospel and I know he will be a great leader some day! </div>
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Well a little about my daughter/comp! She is from Chile, Vina De Mar. She loves to sing and loves everything girly! She takes a lot of time to get ready ha ha. I just roll out of bed throw a dress on brush my hair and call it good lol. It’s too hot here to do stuff with my hair or my face! She is 21 years old. She HATES all bugs... she will suffer a little here lol. All and all she is super sweet and loves to learn new things! Also she knows english and wants to perfect it with me.... That will be cool. Although I have kind of forgotten a little bit ha ha. </div>
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Well I love you all! Hope you all are safe back home! I miss you guys! </div>
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Hermana Brown</div>
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-87751972564022380892017-02-09T13:49:00.000-07:002017-02-09T13:51:44.573-07:00Thru your faith.....you will be healed....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Not to many people know about my health problems...it's not something that I share with everyone. My issues that I have are more of a private Gethsemane for me. I am going to share some of them with you today because this last week I had a real ahh.....I finally get it moment. But in order for you to understand....I have to start from the beginning.<br />
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Rewind back to the spring of 2012. I started experiencing numbness is my hands. The numbness was something that would come and go. It was pretty annoying...so naturally I took to the Internet to diagnose myself. I determined that I probably had the starting of Carpal Tunnels syndrome and vowed that I was going to lay off playing words with friends...I was a little addicted as my kids had introduced me to it the prior Christmas. Coinsidently, it was around the same time that Dyllon received his mission call to serve in the Knoxville Tennessee Mission and was to leave August 1, 2012.<br />
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As the months went by the numbness was getting a little more frequent and would last a little bit longer each time. I really tried to lay off the game. I really only played with my Auntie Karol but we had many...ok....a lot of games open at a time. It seemed that she had the same addiction to the game as me...but really it is basically playing scrabble and making words... so really what was it hurting?<br />
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In the first part of July 2012 I started having numbness in my arms whenever I laid down to go to sleep. This was quite alarming for me as I have difficultly sleeping and the numbness compounded that issue. Every single time I laid down to sleep the numbness would come and so would the sleepless nights......as you can imagine I was becoming a cranky person from lack of sleep because I still needed to be up at the same time M-F when my littles came to daycare. I think that the only thing that held me together was the ability to sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays so I could get some rest.<br />
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About 10 days before Dyllon was to leave on his mission we went up to Preston to stay the weekend at my parents. We were going to the Preston Rodeo and also to Bear Lake because we had rented a boat to do a little tubing per Dyllon's request before he entered the MTC. We went to the Rodeo....I was fine....we had a great time. I tried to sleep that night but since I had numbness in my arms....insomnia and to top it off I was sleeping on a bed my parents got at a yard sale from Fred Flintstone....I guess it was all a little much for me. I woke up in the morning very upset. My arms, neck and face were completely numb....something was very wrong with me! I started crying. We were supposed to go boating today and I was ruining it. I went upstairs and we determined that I better go to the instacare in Logan. Before I left I was given a blessing by Kendall, my Dad and Dyllon. It was the first time the words...."thru your faith you will be healed" were heard by my ears.<br />
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At the instacare they evaluated me. I was told that I probably had a pinched nerve from the bed that I attempted sleep on. He gave me a muscle relaxer, suggested that I see a chiropractor or maybe get a massage. He also recommend that I follow up with my primary care doctor. I called and made an appointment for the next day to get a massage and we headed back to Preston to get the boys to go to the lake (the girls were at girls camp and we were sneaking around behind their backs). I was only able to ride in the boat as my arms were weak and achy from the numbness. I was going to get through this...I did not want to ruin any fun for Dyllon as he was leaving in just a few days. We returned back home and I got my massage...heaven.....I was feeling a little bit better.<br />
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On the day of Dyllon's mission farewell I was doing ok...in fact...in thought I rocked it! I did not cry once during his talk or during the entire meeting. This was a surprise for me as I over the last few months would just cry whenever I thought about my boy leaving for 2 years. I had cried a lot...there is a song about birds leaving the nest....I could not even think about...let alone hear the song without being reduced to a puddle of tears. So yeah holding it together during the meeting was a huge deal. We had a little get together with friends and family. It was a great time to see everyone.<br />
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The night of Dyllon's mission farewell I took a turn for the worst. Everyone was sleeping....I was not. In fact I was having the same issues I did at my parents a week ago....numbness in my arm, neck and face and to top it off I could not breathe well and my blood pressure was thru the roof. I thought I was having a stroke. I woke up Kendall and he was really worried about me. We called the nurse line and they told me I need to get to the emergency room ASAP. Kendall woke up Dyllon and had him come assist him in giving me a blessing before we left for the ER. During the blessing it was the second time I heard...."thru your faith you will be healed", I was not a fan of this and simply wanted to hear you are healed...but that did not happen. At the ER they did a bunch of tests...an EKG, a CT scan...I'm not sure what else....but everything was negative. They determined I was having a panic attack and was suffering from anxiety. Five hours later......they gave me a Lorazpan to calm me down and sent me home. The kids stayed home from school and watched my daycare for me the next day and I got some much needed rest.<br />
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Funny thing is I did not feel like I had anxiety. I thought that I was coping with my life quite well. It seemed weird to me that I would only have anxiety when I laid down to sleep....so I was not quite convinced I had a correct diagnosis. One thing for sure was I needed more sleep and needed to get my sleep patterns under control.<br />
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Right before Dyllon left on his mission I told him I wanted him to give me a blessing. In his Patriarchal blessing years prior... he was told that he had the gift of healing. Before he left I wanted to tap into that gift and have a little healing done for me. I did not tell him this...I just asked for a blessing. In my blessing by my missionary son....I was told for a third time...."thru your faith you will be healed". Oh my goodness....what was I missing. I had faith that I could be healed. I believed I could be healed right at that moment...so why was it not happening.....oh girl....I had so much more to learn.<br />
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Dropping Dyllon off at the MTC was one of the hardest things I've had to do. Basically I was liquid for the next few days...I would cry at just about anything. We had prepared Dyllon to leave...at least we did the best we could......but you know what....nobody ever told me that I needed to prepare myself....but as a note to future missionary moms....you need to prepare yourself...it is hard to have them go....it feels like a little part of you.....strike that....a big part of you is gone. I just don't even know how to tell you to prepare for it....there is no way to....at least not that I have found....I've been thru it three times. I guess all I can say is be prepared to be unprepared for it.<br />
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So I went to my Dr to get something to help me sleep. I had convinced myself that if I could just get some sleep that most of my issues would go away. It was not so easy to convince my Dr that. He wanted me to see a therapist. Oh boy was I ticked at him.....so he thought that I was crazy huh! I told him that was not going to happen.....he told me if I did not go he would not prescribe me my medications. I need my blood pressure medication...he was blackmailing me. I hated him and told him I would just find a new Dr. I really did not want to find a new Dr so I made another appointment with him....he did not waiver and told me the same thing the second appointment. Therapist or no medications. I left again very angry...but I made an appointment with a therapist. I had exactly one visit with the therapist. He agreed with me that I was just really tired and a missionary momma on top of that. I was having anxiety...but nothing that I really needed to be seen for.....take that Dr meanie!<br />
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So I saw my Dr again. He was glad I went but we explored other options for my numbness. I had ultrasounds on my heart, stress tests....I have worn braces on my arms for Carpal Tunnels.....nothing has really helped and I have never found out a reason for it. I have had massage therapy and also many sessions of chiropractic work done. Still I continue to have the numbness however it is not as often or as painful as it was.<br />
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Fast forward 5 years later. I have sent three kids missions. With the exception of 10 days.....I have had one or two missionaries serving for nearly 5 years. Each time one would leave I would have my anxiety ramp up and numbness would get worse. I have learned how to soothe myself but it still happening. I have had many blessings....each time hearing the same thing...."thru your faith you will be healed" I have yet to be "healed". I guess I am not to good with the faith part. I deal with numbness all the time.<br />
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So to my ahh...moment. Last week in Relief Society we had a lesson on facing our fears. The RS teacher had heard the same words in a blessing of hers. She responded I guess so...faith with out works is dead. I thought to myself...well I've done works. I have seen Dr's. I have tried to find out what was wrong with me. I have prayed everyday to be healed.....but right there at that moment I finally got it.....it has only taken me five years. I was not even listing to the words that have been spoken to me so many times....never changing...always the same....THRU YOUR FAITH....YOU WILL BE HEALED. I think what it means is I don't need to worry about all the things that cause me anxiety. If I have faith that things will be okay...thy will be done.....their is absolutely no reason for me to have anxiety. No reason for me to worry. It's not something I need to be doing. I just need faith....not worry. Worrying does nothing but cause me anxiety....it does absolutely nothing to help the situation I worry about....it only affects me. This numbness and anxiety will go away if I have faith that what Heavenly Father has in store for me and my family is best...his will not my will.<br />
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Sometimes I am slow....it's so simple......<br />
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-64573635154659605822017-02-08T10:24:00.000-07:002017-02-08T10:27:34.760-07:00and so it goes......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well....Sunday before sacrament meeting was pretty awesome for me. I checked my phone and I had a message. I pulled it up and.....BAZINGA!!! I hit the jackpot....someone in Peru had sent me pictures of Aushlynn....I seriously love it when that happens. </div>
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So we heard from Aushlynn on Monday......some good....some not so good....I think that she may be in some type of competition with her brother to see who can have more injuries. Turns out a pot of boiling water accidently got knocked over onto her thigh.....OWIES!! She had to go to the hospital to have her injury treated. Because of rainy weather it is not healing very well.....poor girl. We have sent her some supplies and she is being taken care of by the mission office. Hopefully it heals up quickly and causes her little pain. </div>
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Also...it seems that they have been in singing "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man" in Peru because the rains have been tumblin' down over there. They are having really bad flooding but at least it's not blazing hot while it rains. Here is what she had to day for the week!</div>
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I dropped my mini missionary off in the morning at her house! It was super bittersweet to meet her family and to see where she lives! She lives in very humble circumstances! It was a good six weeks with her. I hope that she has a desire to serve a full-time mission when she turns 18. We have had ALOT of rain this past week and she has been worried about her house and family but everything was okay! The area is so bad right now with all of the rain we have been having. We really don’t have roads it’s all just dirt and well when dirt mixes with water it just makes a lot of mud. Woooo. We come back to our room soaked everyday... even though we had an umbrella! </div>
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So don’t be alarmed but I had a little accident on Monday night and I got burned by boiling hot water. It burned my whole thigh. We went to the hospital Sunday afternoon because it was looking infected and hurting really bad. They gave me cream and pills and cleaned it out but its sooooo hot and humid here that it’s just not drying so I have no clue how it’s going to heal. I’ll keep you updated.</div>
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So today is transfers and well for my last two transfers of the mission I am training! I’m nervous to train but excited to for the opportunity. There are three Hermanas coming in. One from Chile and two from the US. Not sure who my companion will be because we don’t pick them up until Wednesday.</div>
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Also it sounds like Elder hill is also training. I found this out this morning! That will be cool to see him! I will also see him at 5 weeks! When we do follow up training with our companions.</div>
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Hermana Ramos is also training so she is staying the day/night with me until tomorrow when we get our companions! It’s so fun to be with her again! She was definitely one of my favorite companions! </div>
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Bad news though.... my new district leader is a Patriots fan.... I think we are going to have a lot of disagreements! Ha ha I think my whole mission I’ve been learning patience for this moment ha ha no.</div>
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If I had to pick a favorite moment from this week it would be on Sunday, during a lesson with our investigator Brittney. She began telling us about very severe things she has gone through in her life, and after she really opened up, we asked "How have you found peace after going through all of these things?" And she said, </div>
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"I found peace when I found forgiveness for myself, and others. When I knew that God loved me, I knew that I could love who I was becoming."</div>
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I'm telling you, these investigators that the Lord is working with are incredible. It always becomes a fun game when you are in the middle of a lesson trying to keep yourself together -- but keeping yourself together is just not a Aushlynn thing, so I just act casual that tears are pouring out of my eyes, and move on. :-)</div>
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What Brittney said, really struck a chord with me, that true peace comes from forgiveness, of ourselves and of others. I think that's why the Atonement is so essential, because without it, there is no forgiveness, there is no peace. There really is no need to hang on to anything because all it really does is hurt us in the end. True peace comes when we know that God loves us, and because he loves us we can love, and we can forgive, too. Maybe, we can all be a little more like Brittney this week.</div>
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Well that’s pretty much it for the week! Wish me luck in training!</div>
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Love</div>
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Hermana Brown</div>
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w5hrpN_yvSY/WJtL2F4kYnI/AAAAAAAACYM/-CSLbuUG9jwCcLRt5hMAuQ6jsSLL1Je7ACLcB/s1600/received_1242271585864656.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-w5hrpN_yvSY/WJtL2F4kYnI/AAAAAAAACYM/-CSLbuUG9jwCcLRt5hMAuQ6jsSLL1Je7ACLcB/s320/received_1242271585864656.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
Aush and her mini missionary and members in her ward.<br />
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Isn't she the cutest?<br />
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My Sunday pictures...yay!<br />
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Nice...<br />
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The flooding in her area.<br />
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Ok....you know how we hate road construction? Well we need to be super grateful for it. Our roads have drainage systems built in so we do not have these issues.<br />
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Aush is a Missionary Momma now.....here is her daughter Herman Donoso....can't wait to here about her.<br />
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New missionaries and the trainers.Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-28211845994525662422017-02-06T11:30:00.001-07:002017-02-06T17:30:24.316-07:00yes...yes....a thousand times yes!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
You remember a few posts back when I told you that I was asked to the big Valentines day dance. Well to refresh you memories I was asked by the hottest guy in the tri-stake area! Don't be jealous...I am sure a hot guy would ask you to if you made them...haha! </div>
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Anyways...I got around to answering him. It was kinda hard as I am always at home and if I ever leave the house he wants to come with me. I had a few ideas of how to deliver it. I thought of putting it in his clerks office...but he did not have meetings this week. I thought about having the bishop call him up in sacrament....this would be funny but I am sure if I did this he would never ask me again. I decided on help from the neighbors. I was able to get the stuff together and ran it across the street while he was getting gas for Madi at Costco. Jeff and Kim agreed to run it back across the street and doorbell ditch for me when he got back. Jeff also made sure Kim knew he still had until Payton was in high school before he needed to do something like this....haha! </div>
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So when Kendall got home I texted her and told her he was ready.....she came a few minutes later and dropped it on the doorstep.....rang the bell 10 or so times and ran away....she told me that it was fun and she felt like she was in high school..:0)! Well to bad Kendall had just ran down stairs to put the Ritz away even though I told him to leave them on the counter. Sigh.....when he came upstairs he asked who was here....me and Dyllon both played dumb....I don't know go check........this is what he found!</div>
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I just wonder what he has planned for our day date!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-75183648712246194112017-02-04T15:58:00.000-07:002017-02-04T16:04:14.916-07:00the Mike and Ike....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Folks....I think we have been scammed by the following individual.....not that I am complaining or anything. But think about it....should we really bring relying on rodents to predict our weather? I went outside today and it was beautiful! My phone thermometer says that it is 56 degrees. Almost time for us Utahans to break out our shorts and flip flops!<br />
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Here is a picture of my front yard. Nearly all the snow is melted. I am predicting and early spring. You are welcome everybody. It was so nice that me and Kendall took a walk on the Mike and Ike. What is the Mike and Ike you might ask? The Mike and Ike is the two roads that are to the side of our house on 3210 west. Our kids named them the Mike and Ike when they were little because of their shape.. They would ask if they could ride their bike's around the Mike and Ike....this was way back when they would actually ask if they could do something. Anyway this part of the neighborhood will always be the Mike and Ike to Me!</div>
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-91450669228010288822017-02-02T21:36:00.000-07:002017-02-02T21:42:20.814-07:00Something to talk about....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So I got a call last Tuesday. It was Jeff Bullock calling....I thought it was about Cub Scouts.....boy was I wrong. He asked if I could speak in Sacrament meeting the next Sunday. I was in a pickle...he knew it...I knew it. I had just had him fill in for the Cub Master the week before...I owed him and I am sure he knew it. I agreed to talk. Now I can't trust calls from across the street or to the left side of me...haha...I am almost surrounded. I sulked about for a few days. You see talking in church is one of my top least favorite things on this earth. 1st: Haunted Houses 2nd: Root Canals 3rd: Talking in Church 4th: Onions and 5th: Doing Dishes.<br />
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I was asked to speak about: How Does Serving Others Bring Us Joy....at least that is what I ran with. Kendall was giving me tons of unsolicited advice. I am sure he was super jealous it was me speaking and not him. I listened to his advice and then did my own thing. I am super unteachable when it comes to things like this. I did a little bit of research each day and on Friday during nap time I sat down to write my talk. Of course Kendall came home early to work from home.....for some reason Dyllon came home early and then two of my Littles were dropped off late and I need to get them a late lunch and get them to nap time. Kendall and Dyllon wanted to talk sports and such....so much for a quiet time to work on my talk! Such is my luck....<br />
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Anyway...I was able to come up with a little something to talk about in church. I was super nervous and I am sure I dropped 5 lbs during my talk from shaking up there. I started out with....I was cool until Kai said Amen.... I started out with some laughs. I adlibed here and there and well.....I think it turned out okay. Well anyway...I though I would post it here because bishop promised me I dont have to speak for five years and I though my posterity would appreciate it. I am currently dreading the year 2022. Here is what I came up with to talk about, hope you like it!<br />
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Good Morning Brothers and Sisters. My name is Mindy Brown for those of you that do not know me. My family has lived in the ward for about 16 years. In my Patriarchal blessing it tells me that I will live in many stakes and branches, that statement has come true just by living in our home. We have been a part of 3 stakes just by the area growing and the stakes splitting…..not too sure about the whole branches thing though….but I guess it could happen. Look at Marty White.<br />
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I currently serve as the Cub Committee Chair. I am married to Kendall Brown…you see him roaming during sacrament meeting counting all of you. We have 4 kids….Dyllon….who was kicked out of this ward and now attends the singles ward. He is a student at UofU. Avery is studying Diesel Technology down at USU eastern. Aushlynn is currently serving a mission in the Piura Peru Mission. She will be home on May 3rd in 93 days, 22hours and 23 minutes I don’t keep track of the seconds….I mean I’m not some crazy missionary mom. We’ll probably go and pick her up at the airport…or she could take an Uber or Tracks….well decide in May…it’s not a big deal. Just kidding…I will probably camp out at the airport on the 2nd of May! Madison is our caboose…she is also our boss. She is a Jr at Bingham and is running track.<br />
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Today I was asked to speak on how does serving others bring us joy? Love one another; as I have loved you. These words were spoken by Jesus just hours before his great atoning sacrifice. Jesus not only taught us to love, but he also lived what he taught. Throughout his ministry, Jesus “went about doing good” and “entreated all to follow His example.”4 He taught, “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.”<br />
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President Thomas S. Monson, who has understood and lived the admonition to love, said: “I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and … lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish—and in effect save their lives.”<br />
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True Christ like service is selfless and focuses on others. One woman who took care of her invalid husband explained, “Don’t think of your task as a burden; think of it as an opportunity to learn what love really is.”7 I can see this statement is true by watching my father in law care for his sweet wife. Kendall’s parents are advancing in age and are in there mid 80’s. Kendall Mother has developed early onset of Alzheimer’s. His dad patiently takes care of her every need. No matter how many times she asks the same thing or tells the same story he responds as if it is the first time that he is hearing it. What an amazing example of patience, love and service.<br />
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Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.<br />
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Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”<br />
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The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”<br />
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Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.<br />
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Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.”<br />
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The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.<br />
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The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”<br />
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This story illustrates the spiritual truth that Alma taught his son Helaman:<br />
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“By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. …<br />
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“… And by very small means the Lord … bringeth about the salvation of many souls” (Alma 37:6–7).<br />
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I liken this story unto service. When I was asked to give this talk I sat down and tried to think of the service that I render. I could not come up with any great big and wonderful acts of service that I have performed and that I could tell you about. I could only find little flecks of service that I have performed. But, I am slowly filling up my pouch and by the time my life is through here on the earth I hope to have it bulging.<br />
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So, I got to thinking, what are the types of service that you can render. The first that came to mind is service in your family. I think that when a couple decides to get married that in essence they are agreeing to serve one another and family that they create. In my family, I feel that I do very little for myself throughout the day….but the majority of what I do is to make my family happy and their lives easier. Cooking, cleaning, laundry, homework…the list goes on and on. I guess being a mom, the number one job qualification is being able and willing to serve. It goes back to what President Monson said; unless we lose ourselves in the service of others there is little purpose to our own lives. If I did not serve my family, I can’t even begin to imagine the person that I would be. I remember that when Kendall blessed Dyllon as an infant he blessed him with a life of service. As soon as he said that in the blessing he started crying. Service is a lot of work…but it is worth all the time that you put into it. I guess Dyllon was just realizing what he was getting into as his dad blessed him. One recent service that I am doing for my family is reading the book of Mormon with Madison. We got an email a few days ago showing what she needed to do to finish up her medallion. One of the last things she needed to do is finish the book of Mormon. Last Sunday I asked her if she would like to read it with me and finish before Aushlynn gets home from her mission. She quickly agreed and we found a 90 day reading chart and are currently reading each night. I am not only serving her, but spending quality time with her. I find great joy in serving my family…by serving my family I am putting gold flecks in my pouch every day.<br />
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Another type of service that we can render is service in our callings. I have found great joy in the callings that I have had throughout my life. Today, I would like to share with you some of the blessings that come through our service in the church. Specifically, our church service brings us joy. In my years of church service I have found that my callings have given me new talents. Who knew that I would enjoy being the primary Chorister? Now when I get the call to substitute I jump at the chance. I enjoy working with the kids and seeing their enthusiasm for singing. Be warry of them though…sometimes they like to sing do as I’m doing and when they do.. they will want to hop on one foot and you can be for certain your knee will get swollen because you sprained it. Serving in callings builds friendships. I have gained numerous friends by serving with others. You can’t help but become friends with those you serve with. That is a gift of service. Service in church blesses us with knowledge. Without my service in the church I would not have the understanding of the cub scout program, I would not know how to lead the music, I would not know how to throw a party for over 400 people, I would not know nearly as many scripture stories or primary songs. One of the great joys of church service is also missionary service. I am coming to an end of 5 years of missionary service from my children. It has been a joy to see them learn and grow through there service as a missionary. Sometimes I think that all the stuff I messed up as a parent on is fixed thru missionary service. I also find joy in serving the missionaries that serve in our area. The missionaries know that they can call us and we are willing and able to support them in any way that we can. I have gained life long friends in serving the missionaries in our area. By serving in my callings and in church I am able to fill my pouch with gold flecks.<br />
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The last area that we can serve in is in the community. Serving in the community does not have to take a lot of time. But on the other hand if you are looking for opportunities to serve you can find service projects that could fill emptiness in your life. You could mentor refugee families. You could serve on a city council. Since I don’t have a lot of time, I look for opportunities that are simple and easy to accomplish. The other day I was walking in the Walmart parking lot. I noticed an elderly gentleman struggling to load his groceries in the back of his car. I stopped and asked him if I could help him put his groceries in his car and take his cart into the store. It turned out that he recently had knee surgery and it was a struggle to walk and stand for him. Loading the groceries was easy for me to do…I am pro…and it was fun to chat with him for a minute and put a smile on his face. It took a minute of my life and it made me feel good. I was filling my pouch with a fleck of gold.<br />
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The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple, no matter how much we try to make it complicated. We should strive to keep our lives similarly simple, unencumbered by extraneous influences, focused on those things that matter most.<br />
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What are the precious, simple things of the gospel that bring clarity and purpose to our lives? What are the flecks of gospel gold whose patient accumulation over the course of our lifetime will reward us with the ultimate treasure—the precious gift of eternal life?<br />
<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-81147123034733792432017-02-02T09:01:00.000-07:002017-02-02T09:46:41.346-07:00It's more than just Honeycomb......<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well...today it happened.....a knock at 7:03 am. I thought it was one of my daycare kids arriving....I opened the door and was greeted with a package. I looked around and saw movement by the window. I ran to the bathroom...opened the window and watched the culprit jump in his car and make his getaway. He was super stealth and sneaky!</div>
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I opened the present and look what I found inside....an invitation to the Valentine's day dance. I have been waiting for someone to ask me...now my favorite person in the whole wide world asked me..</div>
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I mean why should we let all the high school kids have all the fun? This has been a tradition for about 7 or 8 years....I did not get asked last year on account they did not have a valentine's dance...bummer....I was super stoked for it this year!<br />
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Kendall is such a good sport....I know this is not his favorite thing to do....but he does it because I love it....and he loves to make me happy! Isn't that how you keep a marrige strong? How many of you have been asked to the big dance this year? Now...how am I going to answer him back??? I'll keep you posted!Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-55315932174640507762017-01-31T14:53:00.000-07:002017-01-31T14:57:11.549-07:00and then I totally redeem myself......I know.....I have been absolutely terrible at posting Aushlynn's letter and pictures.....and then I totally redeem myself by posting one yesterday and today! Go me! I still need to catch up...I will....don't expect to many miracles at once. In other news....we are down to 91 days...can I get a woot woot!<br />
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Here is what the Peruvian princess had to say:<br />
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Hey everyone…I am doing great today. You would never guess this…but it is super-hot here today! Ugh! We got a little bit of rain the first part of the week but now it’s just hot. I promise you people you don’t want to live in a hot climate all the time. I am covered in sweat 85 percent of the day. Air conditioning is not optional here…..but it is almost nonexistent…. Be very grateful for 4 seasons. Because the roads here are not made correctly the water from the rain ruins them. There are huge holes everywhere.<br />
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My mini missionary does not want to leave, but she will be leaving next Monday on transfers. I also hooked her up with some clothes, she was very thankful. I brought way too many…but I have been sharing them everywhere I serve. I am not planning on bringing many clothes home, only the things I have bought here…and Mitch Barnes shorts of course…. Today we went and shopped around a bit for pday. We also rode a few amusement rides at the mall. We rode the swings and a ride called the fireball……yes it went in a complete circle…..it was the first time my mini had ridden one….she freaked out…lol.<br />
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I have an interview with Presidente on Wednesday. I am going to hopefully get my transfer information out of him. Haha I am not sure how many Hermana’s are coming in on this transfer, but I think it is four.<br />
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Are investigators are doing well. We are still waiting on a marriage…and let’s just say it is complicated. I sent you a video of us singing for a zone conference. I have the real thing…but it is just too big to send. Zone conferences used to be every 3 months, but it changes to every transfer so I still have 2 of them.<br />
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I gotta go, be well be in contact next week. Love you all so much….also tell my brothers and sisters hi for me!<br />
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Hermana brown<br />
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This is the fireball....it goes in a complete circle....my mini freaked out...lol...it was awkward in a dress!<br />
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Me and my mini missionary<br />
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Swings...the breeze was heavenly!<br />
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Me and Prezzy Razzy at the Puira Vida cup<br />
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Elder Hill....she will see him at his homecoming in September. The guy in the back though...haha<br />
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Zone conference.....<br />
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The Zone<br />
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Singing with the Elder's<br />
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-65797208850080904262017-01-30T09:24:00.000-07:002017-01-30T09:24:29.089-07:0099 days....well it was a week ago...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Aushlynn hit her 99 days left in the mission......well she did last week. I seriously don't know what is wrong with me and why I have not posted. I have just been super busy and blogger has been being difficult. Here is what she had to say.</div>
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Hey everyone!</div>
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This week has been super hot and also rainy! On wednesday the people say was the hottest day we have had in awhile here in piura..... awesome! I had a huge headache and now i know why. Despite that we had a awesome week! </div>
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This week we found a man who has a friend in the church, so he already knows a lot about it. We had an awesome lesson with him, and he asked us for a Book of Mormon. So YEAH we brought one to him the next day. And he came to church all 3 hours. Participated in the lessons and all. So awesome. His name is Geraldo, we are super excited about him.</div>
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We also found a lady this week named Angela. She had the missionaries about2 years ago. She gained a strong testimony, was going to be baptized, but couldn´t because she isnt married. And the man she lives with was baptized years ago, but doesnt want to return to the church. But we know there is a reason we found her, and we can find a way for them to get married and her to get baptized. We can see her testimony.</div>
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We had the soccer tourament again today! I loved seeing all the people from the mission! We didnt win but its whatever! I got to see a lot of my friends including elder hill! That is the last time i will probably see elder hill until his homecoming... weird. </div>
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All is well here in capullanas... as my time is winding down its starting to hit me how much i really do love this place and these people and how much i will miss it! </div>
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Herman brown</div>
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<br />Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-12430996670830098872017-01-05T08:08:00.002-07:002017-01-05T08:39:42.921-07:00I am a slackerI have been terrible at putting up Aushlynn's letters lately. I am going to get the last few weeks up soon. I am sorry...I have been lazy....had time off and...well it was just a snow ball effect.<br />
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In Missionary news...our girl did not feel so well....she is worried she has Dengue.....she has been getting eaten alive by mosquitos lately no matter how much repellent her slathers on...:( she cut her email time short so she could go lay down and rest. Please keep her in your prayers.<br />
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Hey guys!! <br />
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Well lets just say Satan has really started attacking the missionaries here in Piura...... WITH THIS HEAT WEVE BEEN HAVIN! Holy cow.. my laundry lady is getting all mad that I got so many clothes but its not even my fault. Literally sweat from every pour. No big deal. </div>
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Okay..... so first week with my mini missionary was good. Rumor is true she is very shy and well has yet to speak in a lesson. I literally have no voice. Little by little though. She has never even been out with the sister missionaries before so that's cool. She told me the first day that she didn't really have a desire to serve a mission but after this week she is now thinking she wants to serve one! She is super sweet. </div>
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HAPPY NEW YEAR OR FELIZ AÑO NUVEO! Wow so this was my 2nd New Year's here and let me just tell you that I don't even want to be in Peru again over this holiday..... haha but for real. We were invited to dinner with a member family that I love!!! This family is the BEST!! Then we got to our room and waited up till 12 to see all the fireworks. It was cool for 5 minutes until all the smoke from all the junk they burn here started getting in our room and there was a party outside our room and it was like Justin Beiber had a concert out there. The music was soooooo loud and they didn't stop the party until 6:30 in the morning! I didn't sleep a wink. Long story short I totally was out in sacrament meeting. </div>
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So rumor has it that we have a new schedule as missionaries.... well SPOILER ALERT RUMORS TRUE! </div>
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We wake up at 7:30 instead of :630 now. </div>
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from 7:30-10 we have to study personally and eat breakfast and shower. </div>
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from 10am-10:30pm we are to be outside our rooms preaching! Our old schedule we could only be out until 9:30.</div>
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We need to study our language and comp study outside in parks. We have 30 minutes for lunch and an hour for dinner. </div>
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That's the gist of it. </div>
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Its kind of weird studying in parks but I know we will see miracles! This week we were able to find 7 people to teach and had lots of help from the members! It was a good week! We have a baptism coming up on the 14th! :)</div>
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Well I hope all is well and that everyone had a great new years! This is 2017! New year, New me! Love you all!</div>
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Hermana Brown</div>
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Hermana Brown and her mini Missionary Hermana Chiroque<br />
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Pedicures on P-day</div>
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Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-51976543206160672932016-12-14T19:17:00.000-07:002016-12-14T19:17:53.054-07:00another week bites the dust....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Wow where do I even start this week? First things first the heat has been cranking up like 10 notches... I don’t know if I’ll be able to survive one last Piura summer... blehh. Also, yes it was Hermana Glunts last week! It was good but really sad. She loves it here and has mixed feelings about going home but I know she will do so great! I haven’t said my last goodbye because I am seeing my 3 companions that I have had here (Thomas, Sandi and Glunt ) off. That probably will be hard.. I don’t know we will see. </span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">This week we had our Christmas party at the Presidente’s house! Ha ha man that guy always knows how to deliver! It was super fun and chill day. I ate pizza... took pictures.. played some games and watched movies and got to hang out with people I have served with! We got new holders for our temple recommends and they are sweeeeet. Man I love those mission presidents of mine!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Well as you know I had transfers this week! I am staying in Capullanas but here’s that curve ball President always seem to throw... I also have an area called Enace that we are over! What.... oh also my companion is Hermana Tinini from Bolivia and she will be going home the day after Christmas..... hahaha so that’s my awkward mission life right now. I’m nervous but I know I will see miracles!! It will be an interesting 2 weeks to say the least but I am SOOOO excited to see you guys on skype on Christmas day. It has been too long!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Missionary work is incredible ... hard, but incredible. It is incredible the things you learn about yourself in such a short time. Definitely I am my first convert.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Love you all!!! Trust in your Heavenly Father … He loves you all so much!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Stay true and be good!!!</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: normal;">Xoxo Hermana Brown</span></div>
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Hermana Brown and Hermana Glunt...it's hard to say goodbye.<br />
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Aushlynn's new companion is Hermana Tinini. She is in the red shirt and the black and white skirt.<br />
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Aushlynn's and her companion with the mission president.<br />
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Puppy...can I keep him mama????<br />
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This is our laundry lady.<br />
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Recreating a picture at the Christmas party.<br />
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Christmas with the Rasmussen's.Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4551954343452716622.post-26759330037764195182016-12-11T20:40:00.000-07:002016-12-11T20:59:35.516-07:00it's just my luck....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I am not going to lie to you......I am coming off one of the worst nights of my life. I have a very difficult time sleeping. It is not uncommon for me to take 2 or 3 hours to fall asleep. I do get a lot of thinking done....and a lot of planning for things that just don't matter. I have decorated other siblings house and many other ridclious things in my brain during those hours. I listen to countless hours of snoring and pratice patience of not hitting someone and making them turn over. I usually knock out some time in the 1 am hour.</div>
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So...last night I was so rudely awaken at 2:17 am by this jerk pictured. It is not the first time that he has cried wolf in the middle of the night either....this is probably the 7th or so time since living here....always in the wee hours of the morning.....I am sure it is evil and plans it. I was woken from a deep sleep to the alarms in the whole house going off...could there be a worse feeling? Oh my gosh...the house is on fire and we are all going to die! It is comforting to me to know that my kids will just sleep thru the smoke alarms going off.....if there really was a fire they are going to die...but I guess since this system has cried wolf so many time they simply do not believe it and try to ignore it. It went off for about 20 minutes before stopping. What the heck....we could not figure out which alarm was causing the problem...deep in my heart I knew which one it was...the one that is on the 18 foot vaulted ceiling!<br />
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We had a 10 minute break from the alarms before they started again. I stood under the culprit that was now flashing red continuously....yep I was right...the one that we can NEVER reach. To make matters worse I did not have any batteries to replace it with. Why in the world would the builder of the house put the alarm there anyway...it was a mean and cruel joke. They probably put it in and stood back and had a good chuckle over it...hey...look where I put the alarm....haha....how are they gonna reach that??? I wish I could be a fly on the wall when it goes off!!! I am pretty sure that was the conversation. A few years back I put 10 year batteries in all the alarms...what a joke they are....haha on us!<br />
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So......This is how we reached the alarm to disarm it. Kitchen table...ladder and Kendall on the second highest rung...a picture of safely for sure...but whatyagonnado? I was pretty sure the Bullocks would frown on us borrowing their ladder at 3 am. Why do I have to be so cheap? I just need to suck it up and buy a ladder. Kendall disconnected the alarm from the wire and it shut the house one's off...but this little sucker kept squawking until we ripped his little battery out!<br />
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I was pretty sure the dog was going to have a heart attack...he is a old man at 16 and he can't take such stress. I am confidant he shed half his fur last night from anxiety. It took him a good 3 hours after the incident to calm down.<br />
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Let this be a lesson to you all and change your alarm batteries to avoid a similar situation.<br />
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Anyway.....I am hoping for a better nights sleep tonight.Mindy Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104396462368962575noreply@blogger.com2