Throw us a bone here...

Well let's see here I am going to vent right now, sorry if it is kinda depressing, or sounds too diary/journal- ish. But hey, this is my Blog I'll do with it what I want right? Sure.

Well Kip has lost his job for the second time this month. (lay-offs) With this housing catastrophe, and economic slump, we are just being thrown in and out of that tornado. He is depressed and feels like he has failed, and I am having a hard time keeping my chin up, and trying to be there for him. Money is obviously tight, stress is at an all-time high, and options are slim. We live in a small town and with every "house" related business being pulled under, we feel as if we are hanging on by our fingernails. We feel we have exhausted every effort possible, and still... nothing. I am doing my best to help out, watching 6 kids at the house throughout the week to bring in a little something. But going to school at nights from 5- 10:00, preparing for Nationals, and getting up early to be ready, I am quickly getting exhausted. We have been searching down in Phoenix to find something, but haven't found anything. Our goal is to get down there so Kip can go to school eventually, once I have finished, and so I can get a better job. We feel stuck here in our little town-

• with NO jobs,




• a house we can't afford nor sell,




• and a huge amount of un-lucky-ness. (if that is a word?)

But it feels good to get my feelings out, and I know what we need to do; Scriptures, family prayer, and being strong is going to get us through this right now. "Prayer unlocks the powers of heaven in our behalf. Prayer is the great gift which our Eternal Father has given us by which we may approach Him and speak with Him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Be prayerful. You cannot make it alone. You cannot reach your potential alone. You need the help of the Lord." - Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley. We need to pull our heads up, stand up, and dust off once again. I know we can do it, we just need to buckle down and like my friend Jenilyn says, "focus on all the positives

*all healthy

* roof over our heads

* we're together

*great callings

*reliable transportation

*food on the table (sometimes:)

*wonderful friends & family

*& so much more...

And the longer and harder our struggles, the greater, and more rewarding the blessings will be in the end." Thanks Jen!! I guess one day we'll look back at this just to see how far we have come, and how much stronger we will be.

"In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, for I have overcome the world."

John 16:33

(One of my favorite scriptures. It teaches me: humility, faith, simplicity, love, & HOPE!)

P.S. If anyone has any ideas (job wise) Please let us know- Pass the word around for me... Thank You!! We are open to advice from those who have been there and done that too. Loves!

Success...

"SUCCESS DOESN'T COME TO YOU, YOU GO TO IT.''

All about me...

Hey I wanted to post this essay I had to write for school. We had to write an essay about ourselves and why we were in Beauty School. I started it and it just flowed, easiest essay I hae ever written. It gives you all a little glimpse into my "brain" and what I have discovered since starting Beauty School. J you will like this!

Everything I need to know,

I learned in Beauty School...

What about me? Why am I here going to Beauty School? I guess that is an easy question, This is something I have waited my whole life to do. Now that I am doing it, it feels great. When I was in High School I was your average Jane. I did okay in my classes, played sports, participated in Student Council. Everything mediocre nothing exceptional, well that was until I began school at Artistic Beauty College.

It turns out I am good, more than mediocre at something. It feels great to be able to ace tests with just the knowledge you learned in class that just clicks in your brain. Way different from studying Calculus for hours on end just to end up bombing the test. To be confident in anything I can do. Which came very hard for me in school. To have peers asking me for help. Instead of having to ask a thousand questions, still not understand and have my younger sister help me with my homework (she was always smarter than me.) It feels good to help someone too. I have never felt so important or well rounded, and this great about myself and my talents. A long time coming but so very worth every second I have waited. I anxiously anticipate everyday and what new challenges will come my way.

Although I did learn alot about myself in High School which has made me understand my abilities and push myself to the limits now. I have "heart" a big one, I may not be the best at something, but you better believe I will throw everything I have into it. I am very creative, that has always been apparent through silly posters, assignments and projects. I can do anything I put my mind to, which is great and will push me up over the limits at times, and I love that feeling. I have integrity and it shows in more than my appearance. I am a leader, and a good one at that, which has made me confident. I work well with all kinds of people, I love being around people. I learned these traits in my athletic teams as Captain and being a team player.

And now here I am halfway through Beauty School or slowly conquering the world it feels like sometimes. I can now see these attributes coming through my work. Whether it be doing a double color weave, peek a boo, cut, and style within our three hours of work time, helping a friend better understand how to do a fade, or help her pass her gradeout, or in preparing my greatest feat yet, my nail art (mural) for a National Competition. I am so proud I have accomplished something I thought I could never have done. The traits I had worked so hard on in school, are finally proving to be more than I could have ever imagined.

Back to my question of... "What about me? Why I am I here in Beauty School?" I am aspiring to be the best person I can be, preparing my life for a rewarding career in a fulfilling enviroment. I am perfecting such great talents, characteristics, skills, and abilities for an exciting chapter in my life. Achieving great things, and being a very un- mediocre, exceptional person is my goal. That's me and I am proud to be.

The Hinckley Challenge

I wanted to post about this challenge I found on a friends blog. The Gordon B. Hinckley Challenge to read the Book of Mormon in 97 days (the age of our beloved Prophet at his passing) it started on Feb. 4th and will end on May 10th!! If you start right now it is only about 6 pages a day to honor our wonderful Prophet. I started my first journey through the B of M when Pres. Hinckley challenged us about a 2 years ago, and in the mix of a move, and having a baby I never finished. I have recently picked up reading again and can't put it down. I guess shutting the cable off was a blessing in disquise??. So I signed on to do the challenge as an extra incentive to finish the whole book for the first time. And can't find a better reason to finish. I thought this was an incredible way to honor our beloved Gordon B. Hinckley who had such a passion for the Book of Mormon. You can sign up at http://www.hinckleychallenge.com/ There are currently 30,581 members accepting the "Warrior Challenge." So go sign up, it costs nothing it is a pretty cool website. So let's get the numbers up and all join in to honor him. I think he would be very pleased about this challenge and would feel very honored to see so many members do thid for him.

Simple Realization

It has been a while since I have felt such a calming peace in my life. Life has thrown us one too many curve balls lately. One thing than the next, with a feeling we needed to move someplace to start over, trying to get to that point and being shoved down. We felt we were in a whirlwind. Not being able to touch the ground we decided to buckle down, and read our scriptures and say family prayer. Amidst the chaos of life these days in our home, it worked- the winds churned slower and slower, and slowly our feet began to graze the ground again. We have finally stood up and dusted off, and things seems to be looking up, little glimmers of light and hope. And that's all I needed to help me see what I have already known. While it felt the world was crashing to the ground around me... here was my foundation, my glimmer if you may...

THANKS BOYS!!

XOXOX

"my glimmer, my hope"