A 4 Generation Pedigree Chart

I'm so grateful to have my family history reorded, and to have the amazing ancestors that I have.

Family Photos

Our family enjoying Christmas in Costa Rica-2011.

The girls on Christmas in Costa Rica. My sister Lauren, my mom, myself, and Suzy.

My happily married parents. I love them!

My older brother Scott and I.

Some pictures of my sweet husband Tanner and me.

My sister Lauren & me.

Tanner & me.

My brother Taylor. He's about to leave on a mission to San Diego, CA!

Lauren, Scott, and Tay.

My mini me Suzy.

Our little surfer girl Suzy.

Taylor on graduation.

A Piece of Paxman/Walker Family History

A Piece of Paxman/Walker Family History Whenever I think of my family I can’t help but smile. I don’t think there is a family in this entire world that is as unique and full of individuals as mine, so many memories, so many happy times. Our family was officially established on May 29 when my parents were sealed for all time and eternity in the Idaho Falls, Idaho temple. Heaven must have smiled down kindly on that match which was truly made in heaven. The handsome groom, a Southern California boy was 26 when he wed the love of his life, the most beautiful bride, and a farmer’s daughter from Greybull, Wyoming. Rick and Amy Paxman were destined for a wonderful life journey together. My parents, Rick and Amy, were faced with their own set of trials soon after marrying. They were not able to have children. I don’t say unfortunately, because if they were able to, I would not be their daughter and nothing would be more heartbreaking than that. But the Lord knows what He is doing, and He knew that each and every one of us five children were meant to be a family with my parents as the head of the family. They went through the ups and downs of not being able to have children, staying by each other’s side, and full of faith the entire time. They were truly blessed because they were able to adopt five children through LDS Social Services. My mom tells me that is not very common. Usually people can only adopt two or so, because so many people want the opportunity to adopt. Heavenly Father knew they would be amazing parents and that they were probably the only ones who could handle the combination of us five and our crazy. Kelly Scott Paxman was their first addition. They were so happy to have him. What a bundle of joy he was! I came next, Lindsay Anne Paxman, around two-three months old. I was their only out of state baby; born in Maryland. Now they had a boy and a girl and they thought that this would be the end of the adoptions from everything they had heard and been told. Little did they know they had one of the cutest babies in the entire universe coming to them, my younger sister Lauren Claire Paxman. My mom had a dream a couple weeks before she got the call asking if they would take Lauren. She had the impression that they would have a baby coming, and so for those few weeks she prepared as if she was going to have a new baby come into her home. She truly had no warning and nothing to go off of, other than her dream, and guess what? She was very in tune with the Spirit, because she got the call a couple of weeks later saying they had a baby girl for her. This is only one of our family stories where my mom demonstrated amazing skills of listening to the Spirit. I still hope to be like her in this manner one day, the sooner the better. Taylor Mark Paxman came next. He didn’t have a name for a while, especially because we were unsure of how long we would have him in our home for. My family desired him more than anything, but his birth dad was a piece of work to say the least. He did not want to part with his son, even though the birth mother absolutely wanted him placed for adoption. The court gave Taylor’s dad a year to get his act together. He was an alcoholic and drug user, and unemployed as well. My parents had to deal with him in court and he was not a happy camper. Thankfully for us, he failed to meet the court’s standards on deeming to be a fit parent for Taylor, so after a year of prayers, fasting, and faith, we were blessed to have Taylor join our family. During this year, our little caboose as we call her joined our family. Susannah Lynn Paxman was a sweet brand new babe when she entered our home; literally just a couple of days old. It was such exciting news for us all. Lauren is actually her half blood sister, they share the same birth mother, and so they wanted to place Suzy with our family. Of course, my parents, and the rest of us, jumped on the opportunity. So with the five of us children all adopted and more importantly sealed in the temple to become a forever, eternal family, we were set for adventures and joy together through this journey we call life. Our home was constantly filled with laughter and good times. When the children were younger, the “three little kids” as well called the, we knew that they were up to something if the home was too quiet. Quiet meant mischief. There were many times it was too quite and we would hear giggling off in the distance. A favorite family story of mine, and probably all of ours, is about the three little kids getting in trouble with the family pantry. Taylor was always the ringleader though; let me make that clear. He admits it to this day. We have no idea where he got all of his crazy ideas. One day, it was particularly quiet; too quiet. So my mom, older brother Scott and I ventured downstairs to find the kids. There they were, in a room that was covered in white dust, an inch or so thick. They had taken every single flour bag out of food storage, and decided it would be quite the fun time to drop them off of high things and watch them explode in the air. I don’t think I have ever seen children squeal with so much delight! They were absolutely enthralled in what they were doing. Of course, my mom seemed overwhelmed, but eventually all we could do was vacuum it up and laugh about it. After all, moments like these are what make family history, literally. And to this day, this story makes all of us laugh, and puts a smile on all of our faces. Family games were also a favorite. We had so many fun birthday parties, family home evenings, and late summer nights playing games. Half of the games my dad invented and we thought he was the greatest for it. One of our personal favorites was what we like to call “Lions.” I hope my dad plays this with his grandkids. I know he, or will at least attempt to. The hard floor was hot lava and the carpet was where the lion, better known as my dad, was able to roam on. We would try and run past him through the living room, the carpeted area, to the kitchen, which was hard floors. My dad would pretend to be a Lion, constantly grabbing at us and trying to “eat us.” Even writing this makes me laugh out loud remembering these fun and unforgettable times. Dad also dressed up as “Inspector General,” for us each and every Saturday after we had “completed” our Saturday chores. He would line us all up like we were in the military, and then inspect the jobs we had done. Every week he would wear a silly hat that would make us all laugh. Our personal favorite was him wearing underwear on his head. What kid doesn’t want to see their dad with a pair of tighty whities on their head? It was simply the best. Our family grew up with a very Christ centered home. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was our focus, and we always worked to be an eternal family. Our parents always taught through both words, but more importantly their actions and examples, the importance of following our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is because of them our testimonies flourished. Closeness would be an understatement in our family. Our family was very open with each other and we shared things with each other all the time. There were no secrets in our family, and I loved it that way. Growing up, each of us knew that we could go to my parents at any time, any day of the week and tell them anything that was bothering us. We knew that we would be accepted nonetheless no matter what we had done. We knew that my parents were always there to help us with whatever we struggled with. But they were also there for our most happy and joyous times. Something special our parents did every Sunday was to spend time with each of us individually. They would take each of us at separate times into their bedroom and talk with us about everything going on in our lives. I always loved this because my parents talked to me about what I wanted to talk about at this time. Sundays were always an enjoyable talk time; it was never anything any of us dreaded, in fact the opposite. We always looked forward to it. These Sunday talks were some of my favorite talks ever and I will always cherish the memories. Family Home Evening was never missed in our house. Okay, maybe never is being a bit dramatic. Sometimes they were missed, but rarely ever. It was a huge priority in our home. We always took turns giving the scripture, prayer, lesson, choosing the activity, making the dessert, sharing a talent, etc. It was some of our most fun times as a family. You could always count on Dad for making an Orange Julius as our treat if it was his week. They were delicious! One of our best family vacations was the last one we took in December of 2012 to Costa Rica. It was our second trip to Costa Rica and boy was it worth every penny. I guess that’s easier for me to say since we didn’t pay for it; my parents paid for all of us. Each of us was asked to contribute $200 a piece to the total trip. That was a dream vacation, a steal because of how generous my parents were. Costa Rica was magical. We all loved it even more this time around because we were that much older to appreciate it than when we had done the trip in 2006, and also because my husband, Tanner, who is definitely a loveable guy was with us this time around. It’s a trip that will not soon be forgotten. The trip was perfect. The first week we were there, we stayed in a condo right by the beach. It took about five minutes to talk to the prettiest beach I had ever seen in my life. We went multiple times every day, spending our days in the hot sand and cool water, playing Frisbee as a family, and relaxing under the shade of tropical trees sipping smoothies. Literally, we spent hundreds of dollars on smoothies. Okay, maybe not hundreds but combined, Tanner and I probably spent $100 in smoothies that week. They were made from fresh fruit; fruit you can’t always get here like guava, passion fruit, and star fruit. They couldn’t be beat! I was made fun fo because my favorite was the banana chocolate smoothie. My family teased me saying you could easily get this in the states, but not like these you can’t. They were heavenly; simply divine. It was neat on this family trip because we had a couple of really nice meals out but for the majority, we ate at the condo for the first week. We each took turns each cooking meals. It was fun to see what each of our siblings made. Also, grocery shopping over in Costa Rica was a whole other experience. It was so neat to see the culture and the beautiful people of Costa Rica and their simplified lifestyle; it was truly refreshing. In Costa Rica, they have a saying. Their saying is, “Pura Vida” which means “Pure Life.” They basically believe in being happy, seizing the moment and the day, and truly living life to the fullest. I could go on and on, but back to my family. Going to the beach this first week and watching the glorious heaven sent sunsets, were a must every day. The second week we were able to spend in little resorts up in the jungle. It was gorgeous there! We were in the wilderness in an all-inclusive resort. The second week, our meals were included so there wasn’t any cooking we did. It was great! Our family was able to go zip lining through the jungle, as well as waterfall propelling and rock climbing. We also were able to propel down bridges or bridge jump, repel through a waterfall, and also play in the waterfall. We went on a long horseback ride as a family, with a couple of guides, and it was marvelous. The guides and horses led us to hidden waterfalls where we were able to jump off of rocks into the cool and refreshing water. Taylor decided to make our waterfall trip extra special. He fell off the rocks, or as he said, he slipped. It wouldn’t be so funny, but Taylor can sometimes be a ham, or a show off. We encouraged him to jump first, and mind you there were other people there watching. Nobody was jumping in yet. He decided to be the big shot and jump first, but his foot slipped because the rock was wet, and the rest is history. He totally could have been hurt, but luckily he wasn’t! He just had a few scrapes, nothing he couldn’t handle like a man. Speaking of embarrassing though, I took probably 20 minutes at least maybe 30 to jump from a rock into a waterfall at a different time during that stay there the second week. Lots of people were watching me, and for some reason I was absolutely terrified. Eventually I jumped and it was worth it! Well actually, I am not sure. In that very water, there were fleas that we were unaware of. Some of us got fleabites; I probably got them the worst. They covered my legs and itched like crazy, not healing until the day we flew back; even then they were still itchy. But I’d say it actually was a small price to pay to be able to have the experiences I had. Leaving Costa Rica was heartbreaking to all of us. Of course we love our everyday lives, but this was truly an out this world experience for each and every one of us. Our family became closer that trip, as we all were able to experience in the opportunity of a lifetime together. Don’t get the impression that all of the vacations were tropical that we took. Growing up, our main vacations were out West to visit family. We always tried to travel to Utah, or Wyoming, and sometimes even California to see grandparents, cousins, and attend family reunions. The family we saw the most however, all of our lives, were my cousins the Johnsons. Richard Lynn and Jill Johnson (my dad’s younger sister), would come to our house frequently; Easters with them became tradition and we loved every moment of it. They have three boys; Philip, Christopher, and Timothy. I was especially close to Philip since he is just a year or two younger than me. I’ll never forget the Easter we were told that we were too old to Easter egg hunt; so we just hid the eggs and ate candy while doing so. It all worked out! Philip and I were always sneaking treats. It’s probably how we bonded so quickly. Birthdays in our family were always looked forward to. My parents didn’t necessarily buy us a lot of material gifts, but all eyes were on us for our birthday. Of course they gave us some nice things, but they didn’t go overboard like some families. My mom always treated us like royalty; our dad as well. They usually took us out to a lunch by ourselves with our parents to the restaurant of our choice. Then, my mom made whatever our little hearts desired for dinner. One of my favorites was her homemade chicken potpie so I probably asked for that a few times. I always remember Dad always wanted lamb. That was his favorite birthday meal. We each were then allowed to pick our own cake that our mom would make for us. Mine was always homemade Oreo ice cream cake; at least whenever I remembered. It was hands down the best cake I’ve ever had in this world! I hope my children love it as much as I do. Our family was and continues to be very musical. The Von Traps had nothing on us. There were nights where we would get carried away singing together as a family at the piano. Each of us children was very blessed because our parents encouraged us from the time we were young to take part in an instrument and we all did. My dad, Scott, and Lauren played guitar, while my mom, Taylor, Suzy, and myself played piano. We were given the best weekly lessons possible because my parents paid for the best of the best when it came to teachers. I believe my mom ended up paying $45 a week for a 45-minute piano lesson for me and the others who played piano as well. That is a dollar a minute! You could tell how much they wanted us to excel in our talents. We each had our own recitals in our home whenever we completed a book in the Suzuki music program, and those were highlights for us. They were truly our time to shine. My family also all enjoyed singing. While some of us were more public and open about it, each of us had wonderful voices and it was always fun to sing around the piano or guitar together to church hymns, primary songs, or just a song we all knew and loved. One of my favorite things to do was sing with my dad; while he accompanied me on the guitar. Christmas caroling was taken to an entirely new level in our family. You better believe my dad had folders, actual thick folders that were full of four-part harmony Christmas carols. He had us practice before we went out; there was no taking this lightly. This is where our inner Von Trapp family really shined through. We would actually get a scolding if we were off key or not as thrilled as my dad about singing in -20 degree weather. Yes, Michigan winters do get extremely cold. However serious we were of carolers, we all secretly loved Christmas caroling. We visited friends we saw all the time, and those we didn’t see often enough, leaving them with some Christmas spirit, and homemade holiday jellies. Helen Paxman, my dad’s mom, came to live with us in the fall/winter of 2006. She didn’t live with us, but she did move to live by us. She moved from California to Ann Arbor, Michigan to an assisted living home that was about fifteen minutes from our home in Saline, Michigan. The move was truly a blessing for both her and us as a family. We had never had relatives this close, so it was nice to have Grandma near by. My mom was a devoted daughter in law to her, visiting her numerous times a week and attending to her side. Grandma Paxman never had enough kind things to say about my angel of a mother. Dad could lose patience with her, but I think he was secretly very happy he was able to spend the last few years of her life close by her. She was so proud of her son, my dad Rick.

Inspirational Quotes

I love this quote on page 180 of Chapter 17: “Accomplishing the Redemption of the Dead.” The reason I love it so much is it reminds me how the temples worldwide are great opportunities for missionary moments. I have never met anyone who is not a member, who isn’t intrigued when I share with them about being eternal families and temples. “Temples can have a powerful effect on missionary work, often prompting people to have an interest in gospel teachings. When they learn about the doctrines of eternal families and of the redemption of the dead, many people want to learn more about the restored gospel.” I absolutely love this quote by Elder Dallin H. Oaks on page 2 of “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and in Order.’” I love it because it reminds me not to compare what I am doing to help in the work to what others are doing or have done. Everyone has something different to contribute. “Our effort is not to compel everyone to do everything, but to encourage everyone to do something. There are many different things our members can do to help in the redeeming of the dead, in temple and family history work. Some involve callings. Others are personal. All are expressions of devotion and discipleship. All present opportunities for sacrifice and service.” -Elder Dallin H. Oaks I love this scripture that Elder Dallin H. Oaks shares on page 3 of “Family History: ‘In Wisdom and in Order.’” He says that it is what the Lord shared with Joseph when he was translating the plates. I believe it relates to each of us, making sure that we never give up on the work, but that we take it bit by bit so as not to be overwhelmed or take on more than we can individually handle at a certain time in our lives. “Do not run faster or labor more than you have strength and means provided to enable you to translate; but be diligent unto the end.” (D&C 10:4.) The last quote I will share is on page 4 of “Family history: ‘In Wisdom and in Order,’” shared by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. I absolutely loved this quote when I read it because sometimes, as members of the church, at least I know individually, I tend to feel I have to be perfect and do everything all at once. I have to contribute this much too family history; I need to do this and that, etc. However, our lives change and they go through different seasons. Opportunities will change too and priorities. I love this because it reminds me that it’s okay if we don’t have everything down solid right now as long as we are doing our best at whatever it is we can do today. “There is a time to every purpose under the heaven. There are many tasks to be performed in temple and family history work. We should encourage our members to make prayerful selection of the things they can do in their individual circumstances and in view of their current Church callings, being ‘diligent unto the end.’”

A List of Goals

For class, we were asked to list our goals and how we would reach these goals on a daily, and a weekly basis. We were also told we should make deadlines because a goal without a deadline is in reality not a goal, but a dream. I felt strongly about sharing these on my blog. Enjoy, and remember to dream big and to set goals for yourself along the way so you can make those dreams come true. My Dreams Goals ---Goal 1--- Exercise and stay fit and healthy as much as possible while pregnant. Daily: ---Walk at least 30 minutes a day either inside on the treadmill or outdoors. ---Cook home meals rather than eating out more often ---Only eat sweets a couple times a week. No more daily eating or drinking sweets. Weekly: ---Cook at least 5 dinners a week for my husband Tanner and I. ---Make sure I am getting in a Sunday walk every Sunday evening with Tanner. ---Go to the gym at least 3 times a week Get 7-8 hours of quality, uninterrupted sleep each night. Deadline: ---Be consistent with cooking 5 dinner meals a week by January, and continue this routine until our baby comes April 22. Then start a new exercise plan. ---Goal 2--- Deepen my relationship with my Heavenly Father by participating in regular scripture study, temple attendance, church callings, and family history work. Daily: ---Make sure that I read my scriptures personally for at least 10 minutes every morning. ---Do not watch any “TV shows” until my husband and I have joint scripture study for at least 10 minutes every evening/night. ---Don’t just be reading the scriptures; have a heart to heart about what each of us learned, and also record personal revelations, feelings, and insights into my journal. Make sure to say my personal morning prayers and night prayers every day, as well as joint prayers with Tanner every morning and evening. Weekly: ---The first week of every month, a temple date must be planned and scheduled; appointment set and all with the temple. ---Attend the temple together as a couple with a happy, cheerful attitude, and a specific purpose in mind at least once a month. ---Index names or write in my journal on Sunday evenings. ---Prepare my primary Sunday school lesson before Sunday of every week rather than doing so last minute. Deadlines: ---I want Tanner and I to start the steps and habits to reach this goal by the end of this month, December 2012. ---Goal 3--- Have one on one quality time with my husband regularly and let him know I love him. Daily: ---Spend time with each other after we are both home from work; always have a discussion about how our days went. ---Remind Tanner each and every day that I love him and why I love him. Always say “Please” and “Thank you” to Tanner for whatever he does for me so he knows he is appreciated. Also going along with this, every day I must let him know how much I appreciate his hard efforts at work and at home and all that he does for me and our baby girl on the way. Weekly: ---Have a one on one date with Tanner every week. ---Do at least one nice thing to surprise Tanner every week. ---Write Tanner a love note each week; just a sticky note telling him what I love and appreciate about him and put it somewhere he will see it. ---Help Tanner in his responsibilities; especially anything that may be stressing him out. Allow Tanner to relax on weekends rather than putting him to work. Deadline: ---I am going to make an effort to start these habits by the end of next week, so December 8, 2012.

Exciting Project Ahead

For my family history class, we were asked to create a family records retention project that would help us to better appreciate our family history, and that would help preserve it. Originally, I had the idea to collect some of my favorite family history stories. I do have some of those, but I have decided to take a new route. I have started recording my own family history; from my immediate family I am from and the home I grew up in. In it, I will include personal interviews with each of my immediate family members. To me, this project was inspirational. I thought of it out of the blue when working on other class work. Perhaps this means that I am meant to record our immediate family history. Whatever it means, I'm excited about this work and look forward to sharing it with those of you who read this. I'm also grateful for the chance I have to write and record our family history, so that others can learn more about our family and what we were like.

Helen Killpack Paxman

Helen Killpack Paxman 1924-2012 Helen Killpack Paxman was born on November 13, 1924 in Driggs, Idaho. Her parents were William Leslie Killpack and Anne Jane Latimer Killpack. She had an older sister Marjorie, and two older brothers Billy and Buddy. Helen had a wonderful upbringing, by two of the kindest, sweetest people she had ever known according to her. However, this does not mean that she was free from hardships and trials. Both of Helen’s brothers died while growing up. Buddy died when he was five and a half from a ruptured appendix, and she watched her brother Billy die, when he took her to enjoy a local baseball game that their father was umpiring for. Buddy was only twelve and a half when he passed away. A freak wind broke the bleachers he was sitting on top of, and he was crushed and died instantly in front of both his sister and his father. Helen never truly overcame that incident. Up until the day she left this earth, she was still scared of the wind, especially at nighttime. My mother, Amy Paxman, also said that she spent her entire life trying to fulfill expectations she felt because of her brothers passing away. She tried to live up to the potential of all of them, never feeling as though she was doing good enough. Because of this, she really wanted everyone to accept her. She was a woman who kept up on her appearances because she felt this would help. Helen graduated BYU with her bachelors and continued on to get her masters so she could be a high school counselor later on. Helen married Richard Greenwood Paxman on March 20, 1948. They had a long and happy life together. Losing Richard in this life was the hardest thing Helen ever had to do. Every night, after her husband and best friend passed, she would ask him when he was coming to get her. The two were picturesque together. Helen Paxman was a beautiful woman both inside and out. In her younger years she was a model. She also was a dance teacher, and was even an original Brigham Young University Cougarette. Music and dancing were some of her

Richard Greenwood Paxman

Richard Greenwood Paxman 1922-1997 Richard Greenwood Paxman was born in American Fork, Utah on January 10, 1922. His parents were Ernest Paxman and Juventa Greenwood Paxman. He came from a large family, and a close-knit family. He was married in the Salt Lake City, Utah temple to my grandmother Helen Paxman on March 20, 1948. This was the start of a long and happy marriage. As my grandfather recalled in his own personal journal, discovered after his passing away, he shared how him and his sweetheart loved to laugh together and to banter together. After marrying the love of his life, he moved them to Chicago to complete graduate school; it took him four years. He then took a job in Downey California, eventually moving to Tustin. Richard worked hard to provide for his family, and his three children; Richard Greenwood Paxman Junior, Jill Paxman Johnson, and Ann Paxman Davis. Thanks to his hard work, and dedication at every job he ever had, he was able to provide financial security for his family, and money was not an issue. Their home was one that stood out among others; beautiful with a tennis court and orange trees in the back yard. He resided as head of his house in Orange County, California. The city was Tustin, a beautiful place to raise a family. His children remember lots about him; there are a few things that stand out among others. All three children say that my grandfather had a superb sense of humor. Although subtle, it was definitely there and strong. My dad, Richard Greenwood Paxman Junior, says that he inherited his dad’s sense of humor. Often times, jokes that Grandfather Paxman made are still shared at any family get together. All three children share his sense of humor, as well as his looks. Even some of his grandchildren have inherited his humor. From what I understand, Grandfather was also a very respectable man. He was quiet yet very aware of what was going on around him, and very intellectual. He was a man of little words; but wise words. He also was very patient with those around him; from what I hear, especially patient my grandma. He was very financially smart while she loved to spend money as fast as it came in. Grandfather was not an emotional or physical man. Some fathers are very emotional and love hugging their children, but not my grandfather. My dad recollects when he would leave to college or return home from college, that his dad would shake his hand in a military fashion rather than give him hugs. My dad said this is just the way he was but all of his children knew that he loved them very much. He just showed it in different ways. After retirement, Grandfather decided to travel the world. He also knew that this is something his dear wife would love to do. He bought a travel agency, using all of his savings, and they went on literally dozens of cruises together, seeing the entire world. The adventures they had on these cruises was definitely worth the money they spent buying the travel agency. Unfortunately, they lost all their money because their employees stole it all. After the travel agency, my Grandfather loved spending his days at home, and watching Jeopardy in the evenings. He passed away of a stroke on February 18, 1997. Nobody had anything but positives to share at his funeral. I don’t believe there was a dry eye in the room. He lived a life full of accomplishments both in his career, but more importantly in his family.

My Favorite Temple

My favorite temple is the Mount Timpanogos temple. Most LDS members know that this temple is in Utah. The reason this is my favorite temple is because it is the temple I was sealed to my sweetheart in for all time and eternity. It is also the temple where I took my endowments out. It has such significant meaning to me and is such a special place in my heart. My parents and other individuals have definitely instilled a love for the temple in me throughout my entire life. For as long as I can remember, my parents emphasized how important the temple was. Since my siblings and I were all sealed to them in different temples, because we were adopted, the temple gained a very special meaning for us at a very young age. I still remember going into the temple to be sealed to my youngest siblings, and all of us being dressed in white and everything seeming so calm, peaceful, and perfect. I remember looking into the mirrors all the way back with my family, and realizing how important in that moment these temples were and the work that was done in them. It was all very powerful. My parents definitely helped me love the temple more by being amazing examples of going regularly. Our temple, the Detroit temple was about 45 minutes to an hour away, but they always went together for a date night, and regularly. They also had pictures of the temple throughout our home, and they had a huge one hanging in my bedroom. We all had pictures of the temple in our bedrooms. I loved it! They also taught us about temples and all the wonderful work done in them. My church leaders also helped instill a love for temples in me, especially my young women leaders, by encouraging me to stay pure and clean and to be worthy to enter with a worthy young man one day. All of these things these wonderful examples, especially my parents, did to me helped instill a love for the temple in me from a very young age. I saw firsthand, especially from my parents worthiness and faithfulness the blessings that Joseph Smith talked about in the dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland Temple: “We ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them…” I saw my parents have the strength of angels within our own home. It was such a beautiful thing to experience knowing I had worthy parents, and I want that for my children. With my own children, I hope to instill a love of the temple in them from a young age. Also, within my own marriage I want to make sure my husband and I keep the temple centered in our marriage. I am one of the believers that often times the Spirit is felt very strongly through music and testimonies are strengthened through music. Since I am a huge musical person, I plan on singing songs about the temple to my children from the time they are young. I would also give them the advice of President Hunter because I think it’s easy for anyone to understand through this quote why temple attendance is so essential. “Let us be a temple-attending and a temple-loving people. Let us hasten to the temple as frequently as time and means and personal circumstances allow. Let us go not only for our kindred dead, but let us also go for the personal blessing of temple worship, for the sanctity and safety which is provided within those hallowed and consecrated walls. The temple is a place of beauty, it is a place of revelation, and it is a place of peace. It is the house of the Lord. It is holy unto the Lord. It should be holy unto us.” I will let them know how much the Prophet and Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want us to go to the temples. I’d let them know how much the work needs to be done! From age 12 I will take them to do baptisms for the dead. Just like my parents, for both my marriage and my children’s sake, I will have pictures of the temple hanging in our home and in each of their bedrooms. My husband and I do go at least once a month, and I plan on keeping up this pattern and hopefully adding in another set time each and every month. My favorite three ideas from all the ideas I have and that my parents have are to always have pictures of the temples in our homes, to always be an example to each other and to our children in going to the temple and doing so happily, and also to teaching my children of the blessings that come from doing temple work.

The History of Me

I was born into this world on November 29, 1988 to a mother I do not remember, a father who was in jail at the time, and a grandmother who’s heart got the best of her and wanted to keep me for her own along with my other two blood siblings my birth mother had already had not too long before myself. But my real parents stepped into the picture, the parents others sometimes call “adoptive parents.” In my mind, these are my real parents since birth. After all, they are the ones who raised me and who I love very much. My parents adopted me at two months old, after my grandmother tried to raise me with the other two blood siblings. I’m grateful that her and my birth mother was brave enough and selfless enough to give me up to a family who could give me so much more than they were capable of at the time. Because of their actions, and because of my sweet parents Rick and Amy, who took me into their home and had longed for me, I am now part of a forever family. I was sealed to my parents and my older brother Scott in the Los Angeles, California temple. What a special day that was! My parents adopted five of us, myself being the second oldest and first girl, so we were all sealed in different temples to our family for all time and eternity. All five of us children, along with my parents, make up a unique family that is for sure! There is Scott who’s 27, me who is turning 24 in a couple weeks, my sister Lauren who’s 19, Taylor who’s 18, and Susannah or Susy as we call her who is 18 as well. The last 3 are only 14 months apart; Taylor and Susy, only 4 months apart. Growing up, I was very blessed. I have always lived a blessed life thanks to the efforts, dedication, and hard work of those who love and support me and my family; especially my parents. Looking back, I realize how amazing it is that my dad was able to work with his PhD at the same company his entire life after earning his degree. We never had to worry about money which was a huge blessing. He gave our family stability. He was always a worthy patriarch and head of our home, and always provided for us not only physically but emotionally as well. My mom was able to stay at home full time with us, and never once worked outside of the home. But I guess with five kids, she also really didn’t have a choice. :) I’m sure there are days she would have loved to work outside of the home, believe me! There was never a dull moment in my home. And that’s the way I loved it. Each of us had very different personalities, so there was always some sort of chaos going on because we loved to tease each other, and to let our sparkling personalities shine through. For as long as I can remember, I was a social butterfly. When we moved from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Saline, Michigan, right before my eighth birthday, I remember I was so excited that there were girls my age next door to me, and two doors down. These girls; Eileen and Meagan Creutz and Allison Cody, who were all my age, became my best friends from the time we moved into that beautiful suburb. We are still friends today. I remember countless hours playing outdoors with them, swimming in our lake, jumping on our trampoline, taking bike rides, playing “spy,” switching from swing set to swing set between our yards, causing mischief, having sleepovers, shooting hoops, and most of all, being kids together. It’s so nice that I was able to actually be a kid and didn’t have to grow up too fast. I was pretty worry free. My childhood years are ones I will always look back with on fondness; especially the summers. Summers were the best! We girls always had sleepovers on my trampoline in our backyard, and we were allowed to stay out late catching fireflies, playing old school games such as “No Bears out Tonight,” and “Kick the Can,” and the warm summer air was always delightful in Michigan. School was always fun for me. I looked forward to it every year. I know that sounds insane because most people dread school, but since I was Miss. Social, I really loved making new friends and being around other children for the majority of the day. Classes came easy for me, until I hit high school. That’s when I started putting my social life above my academic life, something I wish I never would have done, but that taught me many life lessons along the way. This isn’t to say I did terrible in all my classes; quite the opposite actually. I just could have put forth a lot more effort into studying, and especially into my math classes. Being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, high school was an entirely new experience to me. I wasn’t one of those kids who didn’t know anything that was going on in the world, but I was a bit sheltered which I find a positive thing. So meeting so many new types of people, who said and did so many things I would never want to do myself, was interesting for me. I stuck to my testimony and my faith though, and am proud to say I made it through high school without ever taking a sip of alcohol, a drug, a cigarette, etc. Peer pressure was never an issue for me because I had a conscience that would never let me forget I was a daughter of God who had made promises to Him, and it also never let me forget where I wanted to end up; in the temple marrying a worthy young man. We will get to that part later. In high school, I participated in sports; soccer which I quit after my freshman year, and volleyball which I played throughout high school, but only for my school team, Saline High School, my freshman year. Lacking confidence compared to the other players, mostly based off my towering height of 5’3 compared to midgets who were 5’9, etc. I didn’t want to try out any longer because I was scared to be cut. If you’re reading this, don’t let your insecurities get the best of you. Go for the gold, go for what you want to do and what makes you happy! Tuesday late night volleyball was so fun for me and a favorite experience I shared with my dad. My dad organized a group of experienced players mostly from his work, his volleyball friends (he played volleyball at U of A during his college years so he took this quite seriously), and a few from the ward. We would all play together on Tuesday nights and it was the best volleyball I have ever been able to play; so much fun! I still miss Tuesday nights at home with my dad and those volleyball players, even though I’m about to turn 24. They’re memories I’ll cherish forever. We always played after youth activity night. I loved being a part of my youth group. My absolute best friends were in my youth group at the time; Laura Miller who is now Laura Doria, Danielle Magleby who is now Danielle Green, and Kelsey Crowley who is now Kelsey Bednarski. Since we had such amazing leaders all the time, and since my best friends were with me, youth night was one of the highlights of my week. I loved being in Young Women’s especially through my high school years. It gave me that extra strength I needed to make it through those years. Music is a part of who I am. Music makes me feel alive. It’s always been this way. I started piano lessons at the mature age of two. Yes, you read that correctly; two years old. My teacher who I switched to probably at age five, Mrs. Gail Barnes, was phenomenal. She was truly an inspiration to me. It’s thanks to her that my musical abilities are where they are at today. Piano was literally a part of my everyday life. My mom was a dedicated piano mom who would have me practice 30 minutes a day when I was younger, and moved it to 45 minutes or an hour a day. It was a pain at the time when I wanted to be out with the “other kids” who didn’t have to take or practice piano, but it was one of the greatest blessings my parents have ever given me; the opportunity to develop my musical talents. Singing is probably my favorite pastime. I was enrolled in private voice lessons starting in seventh grade and going through high school, and I started choir in fifth grade and kept going through high school. Singing is what set me free. I was able to express myself in ways that I wasn’t able to otherwise. It allowed me to make connections with music and with those around me. It opened an entire new world to me. Choir was always an adventure. My best friend Laura was in it with me and it was my favorite class every year of high school. We were blessed to be under the direction of Norma Freeman, a phenomenal choir director. Singing with the choir gave me a sense of unity and creativeness that I could not have obtained elsewhere. To this day I am constantly singing. I wish I did more of it though, especially performances. I miss performing solos and group singings. Because of my love for music and vocals I am a musical lover. Les Miserable is my favorite ever since my parents took me to see it when I was twelve. My entire life, I have always been cautious and a bit unsettled I guess is what you would say. It’s something my parents noticed in me since I was a baby; literally. I always like to know I am safe, and I also tend to play it safe. I don’t like the unknown, and I love to be reassured that things will always turn out fine. This has been both a huge blessing and a curse. Yes, it has kept me from doing things I would have regretted, and probably from breaking bones along the way and some physical pain, but it has also limited to me. So I have made an effort to try and live a little bit more without fear that I so often hold. For example, you will think this is silly, but I am scared to go in the ocean. Living in California for over three years now, that’s just weird in my mind. But I make up these fears in my head; I am terrified of a sting ray, jelly fish, or shark, attacking me! So this summer, whenever my husband Tanner and I would go to the beach, I would always go in with him for a few minutes, as long as I could handle it. Eventually I would get scared, and come back in, but the point is I’m taking baby steps to overcome a habit; of living on the “safe side” that I have practiced my entire life. 2009 was the best year of my life up to date. January of 2009, after being off track from Brigham Young University of Idaho, I went back to school. The decision was one that I felt strongly about, even though it had been tempting to stay home because I wasn’t really feeling going back to school at the time. I soon found out why I had needed to go back. Only a few days after returning to school, my friend Daniel VanDeventer at the time, introduced me to his roommate Tanner Walker. Let me just say at first sight, I was already interested in Tanner. He was well built, clean cut, and had a million dollar smile. I told Dan immediately, and he always teased us. For example, one day, a group of us were over at Dan’s apartment and he said we were going to watch a movie but it had to go boy girl boy girl on the couch. He took it a step further and made sure Tanner and I were sitting next to each other. Dan just loved playing match maker and made it so fun and not awkward at all! Note my sarcasm? I remember Tanner put his arm around me to make it more cozy, and Dan later told me Tanner thought I was beautiful and had wanted to get to know me better as well. I remember after he had put his arm around me, and the group had finished the movie, in front of everyone when we my girlfriend and I were leaving, I faced Tanner directly and said in a bold voice, “So are you going to get my number or what?” Tanner said that this was one of his favorite things about me and the things that most attracted him to me so quickly was my confidence and the fact that I went for what I wanted. He said he loved that I wasn’t nervous or scared and was so bold to make that move! I also remember the girlfriend I was with after we left their apartment telling me she also thought Tanner was cute. I thought to myself, “Not a chance. Find your own man!” I had already made up my mind that I was going to date Tanner Walker. I loved that I had just turned 20 and he had just turned 25. It was comforting to know I was interested in a boy that would hopefully be more mature than me for a change. Soon, Tanner and I were hanging out every evening after classes and homework. It was so much fun! We had fun doing the simplest things and I knew he was who I wanted to marry. I remember probably after two weeks or three of hanging out with Tanner, I came home and said to my roommates, “I’m going to marry that boy one day!” All of my roommates said don’t they all wish they could? They also weren’t sure if I was serious or not but I told them I definitely was. They thought he was perfect, and they always had crushes on him and his brother Scott who also lived with him and would visit our apartment often, even dating one of my roommates for a bit that semester. The girls all said they wanted a “Tanner” or a “Walker” boy. And I don’t blame them! I had never met anyone like Tanner. I noticed from the beginning he was very pure. He never talked badly of anyone and nobody ever had anything negative to say about him. I honestly can say I never saw him in a bad mood at all. We never fought because he’s so easy going and happy. I often say his happiness reminds me of a child’s because the littlest things make his day. I love it! He was a perfect gentleman; which is rare these days and something I had never before experienced. I knew I was falling fast for Tanner. And to be quite honest it terrified me to no end! With every other boy I ever dated or even hung out with, I was over him in a week even if he wasn’t over me. It was a serious problem. But then with Tanner, I couldn’t get enough. The day we said, “I love you,” was one that I will never forget. My roommates knew I loved Tanner. They could sense it. One of them started bugging me and the rest joined in. They said they would lock me out of the apartment if I went the whole night without letting Tanner know that I loved him. They helped me see the urgency in doing this because the semester was ending in a couple of weeks, and Tanner would be staying at home while I would be going back to Michigan. I knew what I had to do. My heart has never beat so hard as it has when we were spending the evening at the duck pond, our favorite place to feed the ducks and hang out at. I was so giggly because I was so nervous. Tanner kept asking me what was so funny. I told him, “Nothing, there’s just something I need to talk to you about.” He said he already knew what it was. After some bantering he said, “You want to tell me you love me.” I was shocked! He said, “I love you too!” It was amazing! I said it and he said it! I had never felt so happy in my life and such a sense of relief! He said he had loved me for a while but didn’t want to put pressure on me or have things feel rushed because he knew I wasn’t used to commitment. That same night, general conference weekend in April, we decided where and when we wanted our wedding. We were “engaged” in May after he talked to my dad and flew out to spend a week with my family, but he actually proposed on one knee to me at Mt. Timpanogos temple grounds after a fancy dinner, in June in Utah, because that’s when my ring was ready. Being in love with Tanner is still my favorite thing. He makes loving him easy. Tanner and I were married August 14, 2009 in the Mt. Timpanogos temple. To date, it has been the best and happiest day of my entire life. Being sealed to him forever is what my heart had always wanted and I knew I had started on the journey to a forever family with him. Adding to our family will also be a very happy day in our lives. Our little girl is on her way and will be here April 22, 2013. She will be our first bundle of joy sent from heaven and we cannot wait!

Talk about a day to go down in history! I really felt strongly that I should record this in my family history, or my Book of Remembrance. So that is what I am doing. Today, we had General Conference. For those of you who are not members of our church, that is when we gather as a church worldwide and have the blessing to listen to the living Prophets today. It is one of my favorite times of the year! One of the best weekends ever. We get this blessed, sacred opportunity twice a year. Today, President Thomas S. Monson announced the change in age to serve missions. Young men can now go on their missions at age 18 rather than 19. And young women can now go on their missions at age 19 instead of 21! It was SUCH a surprise but it gets me choked up even talking about it because I know how true this church is and how inspired each and every thing the living Prophet tells us to do is. What a beautiful opportunity! How exciting! What a memorable time for the church! I also feel extra happy and emotional about this because two of my siblings will be going on missions. My younger brother already has his mission papers in, and will get his call in 2-3 weeks. My younger sister is only 19, but she has wanted to serve a mission for as long as I can remember. So she was overjoyed by the news today! She will be starting her papers asap and leaving as soon as she can as well. I am SO excited for the both of them and know they will make some of the finest missionaries ever. I can't believe how wonderful our missionaries are in the church and how much they grow on their missions. I never served a mission because I was married by age 20, but I hope and we plan on serving a couples mission later on in life; my husband and I. Both of my parents served, and my older brother, and I see the amazing good it has done in their life. I hear about it too from their experiences. Today I am feeling extra blessed to be a part of this wonderful work and gospel. So grateful for living Prophets who speak to us through God on earth today! :)

"I Heard Him Come" - Jeff Goodrich (LDS)

If there is one thing that I can leave behind in this world, and that I want my husband, my family, and my future children to know, it is how much I love and know the Savior is alive. I know He loves me with a perfect love and He is the reason I am here. I cannot wait to return to Him when it is my time. There is no greater friend than the Savior.

Sometimes music says it better than we can ever say in our own words. So here is my testimony in a song. There are so many to choose from, but this one has always spoke to me and really touched my soul, so I decided this is the one to choose to share with my future generations.

"TO THOSE WHO CAME BEFORE ME" A tribute to the pioneers

I found this when looking at some music for my blog & I want to make a tribute to my own personal ancestors using this song. Such a beautiful song. Really pay attention to the words & I am sure you will agree. :)

A Scenario

So for Family History class, we watched this short animated video. It had two people talking, and one asked what the other did for a living; they replied saying they were a genealogist. The other person said, “Oh good for you. I could never do something like that. Genealogy never interested me, but I am glad there are people like you who like it. My Aunt Bertha does genealogy. She has done all of mine for me.” We were then asked to think about this video when we responded to these questions below. 1. If you were to trade the words "scripture study," "temple work," "missionary work," or "good works" for the word "genealogy" in this video's conversation, how would the conversation feel differently to you? (or would it?) This conversation would feel differently to me. It would be a huge slap in the face. It would be saying that by ignoring our genealogy, and not working at it, or trying to find our ancestors, we are missing out on so many blessings. We are missing out on the same blessings we get from scripture study, temple work, missionary work, and performing good works. That is quite a scary thought. I would not want to miss out on any of these blessings. 2. Why do you think people are so comfortable admitting this about their family's history in public, when doubtless few would dare say the same about temple work, missionary work, or personal spiritual progress? I believe it’s because people do not fully understand the importance of family history work. In my experience, the majority of people are waiting for others to do their family history work for them, or they just assume someone will. People don’t understand that everyone has a part and that in order to be saved; we are required to do family history work, and to help give the blessing of the gospel to our ancestors who have gone before us. Everyone in the church realizes the importance of temple work, missionary work, and personal spiritual progress, but what they don’t always recognize is that family history work is JUST as important. 3. How can we respond to comments such as this in a way that will help others feel the Spirit of Elijah and want to participate, rather than feel uninterested in the Work or satisfied that "someone else is doing my work for me"? I believe that we tell them we gain so many individual blessings for doing family history work, and our ancestors are blessed as well. We tell them that we owe our ancestors for all that they did before us, and this is the way we can do that. I also believe we let them know it’s a commandment from our Heavenly Father. I would tell them we each have our own individual work to do for family history, that no one else, not even our grandma’s who may be family history fanatics, could do for us. Also, I would let them know not to feel overwhelmed. That it’s exciting to be connected to our ancestors and learn their stories and about their lives! I would let them know they can start their own family history by getting everything organized and records of their immediate family, themselves included. Also keeping a journal is a small but successful step on the right path.

Michael R. Otterson

I just listened to an AMAZING video, which was a talk by Michael R. Otterson. Here are some feelings I had while watching this video. One of my favorite quotes from this entire video/talk by Michael R. Otterson was the following: “The term we most commonly use for God is Heavenly Father. That is no casual term. God is a loving father, who cares about every one of His children, and who will not leave them to chance.” I don’t think it gets much better than that. How beautiful that each and every one of us has our own story to tell. And how wonderful that we are able as he said to help learn these stories and do the work for those who have gone on before us. I love that not one of us is left to chance. I love that Michael R. Otterson tells us shares with us how much more real and significant temple work is when we know something about the ancestor we are doing work for; even a small story or the place of birth or who they married, etc. I also love how he said the work is never done, no matter how much our relatives have already done. We all have work to do! Let us go on and do it. So grateful to be a part of this work!

Already Growing

My testimony of Family History has grown so much since the beginning of this semester. To be direct and quite honest, I never felt I had one. I have always been grateful to my ancestors for all that they did, but it never really hit me how much I truly owe them. I literally would not be here if it were not for them. The amount of work I have to do is small compared to what those who have gone before me have done. Already, I feel so much love from the other side. More connected than I have ever felt before, all thanks to family history. It excites me to realize how much I will learn from compiling stories and testimonies throughout generations on both sides of my family. What I do know of my ancestors already, is astounding to me. Their great examples and sacrifices are selfless. The past few days I have thought about my grandparents a lot on both sides. Probably from all the pictures I have gathered of them. It sometimes makes me sad that I only have my maternal Grandma left on this earth, but then I am reminded I will be reunited again one day with all of my grandparents, and will get to know them better than I ever knew them here. I wish I would've taken the time more to listen to my Grandma when I had the chance, and to go over and listen to the stories she had to share. But no regrets, just learning and moving forward with the work! So grateful to be a part of it.

Life Goals

We all have them. Those little things we like to call life goals. Some bigger than others. Some of us just want to survive this life and that's good for those days that seem huge and overbearing. Some of us want to be billionaires and have all the money we could ever want. I am happy with my realistic goals and with some goals that include a bit of dreaming and also some hard work involved as well. I think the easiest way to do this is for me to just list my life goals. Some of them I have already started on and will continue to work on them throughout my life. Others I need to get going on. :) LifE GoaLS 1. Make a difference in the lives of others for positive. 2. Be HAPPY and spread my smiles whenever possible. 3. Have a forever, eternal family. 4. Be a wonderful wife and a loving mother. 5. Share my musical talents more. 6. Build up more confidence when applying for positions, performing for others, etc. 7. Go back to Costa Rica. 8. Travel the world including Brazil and Europe. 9. Always be there for my family; my future family and my family I already have. 10.Graduate with my Bachelor's degree (I will finish this in December). 11. Attend General Conference live and meet the Prophet. 12. Become more involved in politics, but in a healthy way. 13. Read good literature and many classics. 14. Become better acquainted with and informed on world issues taking place. 15. Forgive everyone when and where forgiveness is required. 16. Learn to forgive myself more easily...and at all. 17. Become an excellent cook! 18. Never stop learning and expanding my mind. 19. Be very involved in the church. 20. Be generous with my love. So there you have it, my life goals. Some bigger than others, and I still have many I need to think of and ponder on. But for now, this list will keep me busy.

My Testimony & View of Life

I should start off by letting everyone know that I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Have you ever heard the saying, “He never said it would be easy, He only said it would be worth it?” That basically sums up my view of life. I am very optimistic and I am a glass-half full kind of girl. I try my hardest each and every day to see the positive in myself and in everyone around me. I look for the goodness in individuals and love to learn their stories and why they are the way that they are. Everyone has a story. Everyone is important. And everyone has a very unique, individual, life to live and purposes to fulfill. I believe that hard trials make us stronger, but only if we let them. I believe that God never gives us more than we can handle. Not too get into too much, but I have had my fair share of trials; but I can honestly say that I am such a better person because of them. Still far from the person I would love to be and aspire to be, but on my way because of the trials that were sent my way. A little motto that I have been trying to implement into my life more recently wisely says, “Be generous with your love.” Tying into my personal testimony of the love Christ has for me, I know that I must show love to all of those around me. We are all God’s children and if I truly have that planted within my heart and remember it every day of my life, it makes it easier to love everyone; even those individuals I would not necessarily feel a connection with otherwise. Now to share my testimony with the world; something I should do more often. I know that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live and love me. I know that Jesus Christ died for every single individual and suffered for his or her sins that they could be forgiven and be able to return and live with Him again. I know that no matter how alone I may feel, Jesus Christ is always with me. He will never leave my side. I have a testimony of the power of prayer. I know that prayer works and that He can hear you when it may seem no one else can. I know that repentance and forgiveness is real and so incredibly powerful. I know that no matter what happens, I can ask for His forgiveness and find it. I know that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God. I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today who receives revelation from God and will never lead us astray. I know that keeping the commandments brings nothing but peace and happiness. I know that our trials make us stronger. I know that families are forever and that the bonds they have cannot even be broken by earthly death. I am so grateful for my Savior who knows me like nobody else will ever know me. I am so grateful for the knowledge that He lives and loves me. I say these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.