Braydo's B-Day

Happy Birthday Rupert!

Happy Birthday to one of my favorite cousins
born on one of my favorite days...

Everything Speaks His Name...

(This was the view from my back deck tonight...)

There was so much to take in. The fresh smell in the air, of rain. The booming and rolling of the thunder. Bolts of lighting. The glimpses of bright light breaking through the darkening sky and clouds. The wonder of the rainbow. The majesty of the mountains.

All of these things are His creations. Incomprehensible. And to think that we too, are His creations. The God of this vast and wide universe, is our Father. We are His. We are His children. Loved and cared about more than we could ever begin to understand or fully appreciate. He knows us, He loves us, and He hears us. There are many things that we don't understand, like how He created the world, or why we must struggle or suffer, or why things don't always go the way we planned. But the one thing we must have faith in and know for sure is that He loves us. We might not understand the hows or the whys and many things may remain unanswered...in those times, knowing that He loves us must be enough. It must be enough for us to press on and press forward and follow Him and serve Him, come what may, no matter what.

And so I am thankful for nights like this, where the wonder of His creations sinks into my heart, and I am reminded of His greatness. Of His majesty. Of His endless power. But most of all I am thankful for the reminder that He is my Father and He loves me, no matter what.

Free Donut Day

You gotta love Krispy Kreme. It is a must. I believe that it is a rule, maybe even a law, written in the FGOA (Fat Girls Of America) Handbook, that you must attend any event in which donuts are a part. Friday was 'Free Donut Day' at the local Krispy Kreme. I attended being that I am a proud card-holding member of the FGOA, and I wouldn't want to break the law! And to stay in even better standing, I came home with an extra dozen...that's right, a dozen that made it home safely and un-eaten...shocking, I know. Anyway...

All I will say is that it was well worth the drive to Layton (don't judge me because I drove that far) to participate in the festivities. The deep-fat-fried-glazed-goodness was worth every mile.

(Please note the black theme...it was the wake for Rue.
I believe Krispy Kremes were a favorite of her's...)

**And as a heads up for all of you who love the Krispy Kreme, they are having a promotion that goes til Father's Day I believe, that if you bring in an ugly tie (any tie for that matter) you will receive a dozen glazed donuts for free!**

Farewell Rue...

Today the world is a little less golden...oh how it saddens me to have to say that yet another Golden Girl has passed. So sad and very unfortunately, true.

And so in her honor you can bet your Rusty-Anchor-lovin'-bottom-dollar that tomorrow we will be holding a wake. So shroud yourself in your finest black wake goin' apparel or your nicest lady of the night outfit, and come join us...

So I say to you Blanche Deveraux,
Thank you for being a friend. The world will surely notice and miss and be a bit less, having lost one of it's finest faux-floozies. I hope that the reunion with Estelle and Bea was wonderful. But don't you girls count on Betty joining you anytime soon. She is going to live forever. Facebook will make sure of it.
Love, Your biggest fan.

Arlington Ladies...

I came across a story that really, I mean really impacted me. It was about a group of women called The Arlington Ladies.Their mission...ensure that no soldier is buried alone. There is a representative from the group that attends every funeral. They are quietly escorted to the graveside and stand silently until it is time to present the flag to the family, if there is any present. They step forward, present the flag and two cards; one from the head of the military, and the other is a personal note they have written. They offer a few heartfelt words and condolences and then step back into their place.

This really made me stop and think about the promise I made when I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints...there is a scripture in the Book of Mormon, and it is a promise which is made when you decide to be baptized. It is found in Mosiah 18:8-9. It says "...and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
"Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort,..."











This story has changed the way I look at things. I am hereby committing to do more to offer support and love to those around me. It doesn't matter that I might not know just what to say, and more than likely there won't be anything I can do to miraculously change or fix their circumstance. But I can be there. I can stand by them, with them, and let them now that they are not alone. And that might be enough to make a difference.

Thank you Arlington Ladies, for your example...

Special Olympics

Yesterday I was lucky enough to spend the day at the Summer Games for the Special Olympics. I always thoroughly enjoy my time there, and consider myself so lucky to have the opportunity to spend time with, and learn from these incredible individuals. And so I thought I would share with you two of the many lessons I have learned from participating...

First Lesson: It's not about winning or losing. Give it your all, and that is all that matters. The final score is never remembered anyway...

"Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."

This is the motto of the Special Olympics. It is my belief that we could benefit greatly by making it part of the motto of our own lives... Too many times we forget that life isn't a competion between us and the world. We set out on the path God has given us. He has asked us to finish, to endure to the end, that is all. We must be brave and keep going even when the going gets tough. Life isn't easy. It isn't meant to be. And it all requires a lot of courage and faith on our part. But stick with it, for He has promised that the end result will be more than worth the struggle.

Lesson Two: There is always time for kindness and compassion...











I took this picture this Fall while playing basketball. An athlete's shoe came untied, and she was unable to re-tie it herself. One of her teammates saw the need, stopped in the middle of the game, and tied her shoe for her.
As I watched this unfold, tears came to my eyes and I was deeply moved by what I was witnessing. Here in the middle of a close scoring game, the game and winning, became secondary to the need of another.
We would do so well to remember this little lesson. Too often our concern is about getting ahead of another, or winning, or being better, or whatever. If that is our focus, we will surely miss out on what is really important in life.
Take the time to show compassion and love. Take time to serve those around you. It will bring a feeling that can't be beat. For it is that feeling that creates a feeling of fulfillment. I dare say that loving and serving and helping each other is the majority of what this life is about...

"The test then, of our soul's greatness is rather to be sought in our ability to comfort and console, our ability to help others, rather than our ability to help ourselves and crowd others down in the struggle of life." -Joseph F Smith

Hope

So I have been thinking a lot about hope lately... I heard a saying when I was quite young, that I have never forgotten: "Never take hope away from anyone, because it may be all they have."

There is some serious depth to those words.

We have all been in a time and place in our lives in which hope and faith is all we had to cling to. We felt abandoned, betrayed, alone, what ever the feeling may have been, it was the hope of our soul that it would pass. That the rain in our life would cease, and that the sun would return. It was the prayer of our soul that tomorrow would be better that the 'today' we found our self in.

We hope every single day. We hope that our day will go well. We hope that we will do better than we did the day before. We hope that a difficult person in our life might change. We hope that______... you fill in the blank. We are always hoping. To me, hope is an action word. You have to have faith behind that hope. You have to have faith that God is hearing those prayers and those pleas and that He will somehow, someway, answer them. Some days that faith and that hope is stronger than others, nevertheless, each day we go forward with that faith, with that hope.

And so I say to you, if you are in the midst of a dark or difficult or trying time, hold on. Keep hoping. Have faith that tomorrow will be better. Tomorrow might come and it might not be miraculously different and improved, but even if there is the slightest improvement, know that He is hearing you. Patiently hold on, and the light will return. I think little orphan Annie knew what she was talking about when she said, "The sun will come out tomorrow, bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow there'll be sun...so ya gotta hang on til tomorrow, come what may." That tomorrow might be a few days or weeks or unfortunately a few months, away, but it will come.

"Hope is the feeling we
have that the feeling we have
is not permanent."

-Mignon McLaughlin

Bump-It, Bump-It Good!

Nothing says Wow!...Nothing says Sexy!...Nothing says Come on boys, y'all wanna marry me...like a BUMP-IT. Case in point:

Sadly, you don't get the full effect, as my head is tilted backwards. But lets just say that when you were to face me head on in all my double-bump-it glory, BAM! you would be in awe and wonder.

Happy Birthday Lori!

Today is Lori's birthday...And so today I say, I am so thankful that you were born!

She is truly one of the most incredible people I have ever had the chance to meet. I am blessed beyond words to be able to call her my friend.

I don't know of many people who have as many desirable attributes as she does. She is eternally kind and compassionate. Everyone who comes in contact with her feels loved and uplifted. She inspires you to want to do good and be good. Her goodness is endless. She is true and faithful in every sense of the words.

I want to be like her when I grow up...

The Zoo

So I went to the zoo yesterday with my kids from work. What a hoot! What an exhausting hoot! It was so fun to watch them...watch as they were fascinated by the monkeys...or as the elephant began to make noise. Simple wonders! And it made me realize yet again what a sense of humor God has...to see the oddity of some of these animals! Like the rhinos or the baboons. It reminded me of a little poem...

Too bad we make Heavenly Father so stiff, so old, so stayed.

How can we be so silly when we look at the things he’s made?
Have you missed the twinkle that must have been in his eye,

When he created the hippo or the rhinoceri?
Have you watched the ostrich swallow, then doubt God loves to play,

Or question his sense of humor when you hear a donkey bray?
Could the God who made the monkey have forgotten how to laugh,

the same who striped the zebra or stretched out the giraffe?
How could an austere person fashion a pelican,

or stiff and sober creator, ever imagine man?

I think it is a funny little poem that does remind us that our Father in Heaven really does have a sense of humor...

Speaking of humor...Here is a little pic of me at the zoo. You might ask yourself what I am doing?!...Well, I will tell you...I am 'two finger ready.' What is 'two finger ready' might be your second question, I will promptly answer you and say that 'two finger ready' is the proper approach to petting any animal at the zoo (any authorized animal I should say). How might I know this? Because I attended "Boo At The Zoo." This was a little gathering in which the ParaNormal Society was there and we thought we were going to get a haunted tour of the zoo. Needless to say it was a bit of a bust. No ghosts. No Shasta the Liger sightings.But what we did get was plenty of laughs. Many of those laughs came as we got our hands on experience at the end. For example, as we were two finger petting the big turtle, it took a leak on Moe's purse...Good times.

So when you go to the zoo there are three important things to remember...

1. Don't drink out of the big lion drinking fountain...there are LOTS of germs in it, on it, all around it. BLAH!

2. Be two finger ready at ALL times.

3. When a big turtle pees, they pee A LOT, so make sure you grab your belongings and run for cover.

Biggest Losers Big Win

Last night was a big night for my team in the local rec softball league...We actually won a game! Yeah, for those of you who know this team, or have ever watched us play, I know the shock that you are experiencing as you read this right now. It is a shock that is probably pretty comparable to that which we felt when they told us that we had won.

It was a delightful game full of our fans in the audience that had occasion to finally not be embarrassed to say that they were our fans. There were a lot of laughs, posters of support, and did I mention that there was a win?...

So let it be written that we are securely in Fifth Place. That's right F-I-F-T-H Place. (Okay, fine! Yes there are only six teams, but hey, at least we are no longer tied for last!)

(Here is one of our best fans, as he came
fully equipped with posters, whistles,
and a whole lot of enthusiasm!)
What a stud!

Patrick's Hope Concert

I came across this story today on ksl.com ...

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10778146

It is a story about a sweet little boy named Patrick, that is in need of an intestine transplant. He was born with what they call 'short-gut syndrome', meaning that he is missing about 95% of his intestines.


Transplants are unbelievably expensive. And so to help out with costs, Paul Cardall and Friends are putting on a benefit concert to raise money for this life-saving operation for this little boy.

So everyone check out this website! It's got all the details and the link to buy tickets. Tickets are only $9.75! The show is Saturday May 22nd, 2010 @ Eisenhower Jr High @ 7pm. There is an auction that begins at 6pm. Seating is general admission, so get there early.

http://www.showclix.com/event/9223/

Tell everyone you know about this wonderful cause!

Happy Mothers Day

With it being Mother's Day I thought I would write this and say...

Dear Ma,

Thank you for having the patience to raise me. I know that there were multiple times, dare I say even in any given day, that you had thoughts of wanting to ship me off to boarding school, fat camp, China, the insane asylum...anywhere so that your sanity might be saved. But you didn't. You kept me. And I am thankful for that.
I know you would often times look at me and wonder where in the world I came from. Like the time I got my head stuck in the rungs of the banister. Or like when I would refuse to leave the house without my Tina Turner cardboard cut-out. Or maybe the time when I got hit in the head when I walked under a crossing arm (okay, yes that was only a few years ago, and I do realize that most 'normal' folks don't have this happen to them.) But all these times. All I can say is that I have it from multiple good sources that yes, I am yours. Genetically connected, we are. And the fact that we look and sound so much alike, makes it even harder to deny this fact!
But I do want to thank you. Thank you for believing in me when I wasn't sure of myself. Thank you for showing me what strength looks like. I have no idea how you've done what you've done raising me and the boys on your own. Most of all, thank you for loving me, always.
I love you more than I can say.

Love~
PussyCat

And yes, though I have shared these nice words and love, you still need to be on your best behavior to avoid a future at Shady Pines...