I Love to See the Temple

My two weeks in Idaho with the kids was awesome. After my family reunion, Chris flew back home for work and I stayed for a couple weeks. It was so nice to just relax at my parents, see Chris's family, see awesome friends that I miss, and go to Education Week with my mom. Which I forgot to mention in the last post, that I am SO grateful for Chris's parents, Jamie, Tosha and my Dad for watching the kids so I could attend. One of the days, we went into the Visitor's Center by the temple and had a picnic. I was also able to go to my home ward's Ward Temple Night with my parents. Thanks again to Chris's parents for watching the kids :) It had been too long since I'd been to a session.

 These two have such a sweet bond - they are truly best friends.

Chris' Story

Hello.  I am Chris.  I have felt inspired to start blogging for a few months now and I am finally giving in to the prompting.  You see, some of the things that I have felt prompted to write about are quite personal.  I've wondered if sharing these things with people outside of my family and my close friends might be inappropriate or at least uncommon.  Nonetheless, because of the potential to do much good, I will write.  I am starting out as a guest writer on our family blog since Mindy has done 99% of the writing here.  My hope is that I will find that this is a good place to write or that I will be able to start a  separate blog and perhaps have a few people who are following this one check out a separate one as well.

 There are a couple of issues that I am going to address specifically here that are extremely prevalent and detrimental to our progress as children of God.  The first is mental illness.  I believe that mental illness is one of the greatest challenges facing people today.  If that is a surprise to you, it's probably because the people around you who are suffering from it are suffering in silence.  It has become a little bit more accepted in society and in general people understand that it's an issue.  In the olden days it was not discussed openly and those who had a mental illness were labeled as "crazy" or "a basket case."  There are many resources out there for people who wish to learn more on depression and anxiety.  Remember though, don't get too caught up in researching because it can be depressing. ( :

The second issue that I will write about is the attack on marriage and the family.  I'm not going to address the battle to protect the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.  Although,  that is a battle worth fighting and I believe that we should stand up for it and elect those who are willing to preserve it.  My focus on this blog however is going to be on Satan's attempt to tear apart marriages and families.  I believe that without a strong family that is united in their desire to serve God, it will be very difficult to withstand the evils that are around us in these last days.  I hope that some of the things that I write will uplift and inspire and I know that every righteous effort that we make will be worth it in this life and in the life to come. 

So with that, let me share with you my story.  One of my struggles is that I am a very analytical person and I have a tendency to ramble on.  I will try to keep these posts as concise as I can.  Please bare with me.  I grew up in Idaho Falls, ID and was born into a devout LDS family.  I have three older brothers and one older sister.  My family has always been most precious to me.  I looked up to all of them growing up and I wanted to be as good at sports as my brothers and I wanted to be a kind peace maker like my sister.  I was like most other kids until the age of twelve when everything changed.  That's when I started to have severe depression and anxiety.  My anxiety caused me to develop obsessive compulsive disorder.  I was very scared and confused.  My family has always been very caring and understanding of this and they have gotten me through many rough times.  My mother has spent countless hours listening to me talk about what goes on in my head.  I know that I was placed into this family because without them, I'd be an absolute mess. 

My condition waxed and waned throughout my adolescent years and I did everything I could to get by in junior high and high school.  I often rebelled in those years, searching for ways to escape what I was experiencing.  Many times, I looked in the wrong places.  I have had a testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ since I can remember and my rebellion was not for lack of belief in what I was taught as a child.  I also knew the importance of repentance and allowing the Savior's Atonement to work in my life and I repented often.  When I reached the age of nineteen because of repentance and the testimony that I had developed, I wanted to serve a mission.  I decided not to include my struggles with depression and O.C.D because I wanted to be sent wherever the Lord would have me go.  I thought if the Brethren knew that I had O.C.D that I may be limited on where I could go or may not be sent at all.  I have since learned that I was very naive in my thinking.  I was called to serve in Alabama. Despite my efforts and the prayers of many, I was honorably released after only four months.  Missions are hard enough for people who are stable but I learned that for someone who is unstable they are especially difficult.  I hadn't taken any medication or anything for my condition up until this point and this is when I was put on medication.  I have taken Fluvoxamine which is the generic form of Luvox for 11 years now.  I can honestly say that I have only felt chemically level for maybe 18 months to 2 years of that time.  I'm not saying that it hasn't helped at all, but I honestly wish that I would have never started taking it.  I am completely dependent on my pills and I feel like medication will never fix my condition.  The 18 months to 2 years that I felt level were followed by 7 years of hell.  There is really no other way to put it. 

The last 7 years of my life have been the most challenging and the most rewarding.  Just after I met Mindy and started to date her 7 years ago, I started to have severe O.C.D again except this time I also experienced panic attacks and the most severe anxiety I had ever had.  Mindy and I dated for 18 or so months before getting engaged and she spent most of that time taking care of me.  I was a complete wreck.  The fear and anxiety that I felt then are hard to describe in words.  Looking back on that time, I believe that she was an angel sent to help me get through the hardest time of my life.  I'm so thankful that she is my wife, but I'm also thankful that she is my angel too.  ( :  From the very beginning of our relationship, this trial threatened to prevent us from being together.  Mindy will tell you that the only way that she was able to get through those times is because she felt early on that we were supposed to be together.  I am thankful to Heavenly Father that He gave her that answer and that she stuck with me.  Our engagement was very difficult and I almost called it off.  I am so glad that the Savior gave me the strength and the faith to see this through and although my O.C.D and my anxiety have not gotten better, I have been given the strength to get through very rough times.  I better sum this up and I will share what I have learned because of this trial in future posts.  I hope that I can help someone who is struggling with any type of challenge because we are all given challenges.  I will end this post by saying that no matter what you struggle with, there is someone who understands your struggle perfectly.  Jesus Christ has felt everything that I have felt and that gives me hope.  I know that as I strive to develop a personal relationship with Him that He will show me how to become whole.  I also know that there are reasons that I have been given this challenge.  In due time, I will be shown those reasons.  I hope with all of my heart that I will find relief from this burden in this life, but if I don't I still have to move forward with faith in Him who knows me perfectly. 

Anderson Reunion

In no specific order, here's the massive load of pictures from our Anderson reunion. We had everyone together for the first time in 2 years, except for Travis's family, who were greatly missed! We went to Rigby Lake, then headed up to the extended Anderson family reunion on Friday. It was so fun to see the kids getting to know each other. We're spread all across the country, so we don't get to see each other anymore, which is why we're starting our own family reunion. Travis's family is in Oregon, Darik's in Virgina, Jake's in Arkansas, we're in Nevada, and my parents in Idaho! Hopefully after everyone gets settled, we'll all be a little closer:) It was so great to see everyone!

Rigby Lake

 these two were inseparable the whole time:) Addy 4, Ellie 7

 McKinley and Kiara are almost 2 months apart. Poor Kiara, Kinley is so aggressive:)

 This parachute was the highlight of the reunion..

 this is why!! I can't believe my kids got on!

 they loved it!

 Mason thought JD's suitcase was pretty cool to ride on

 Christmas in July! We got a tent from Jake and Alyssa! We used it in the cabin at the reunion- we love it

 she was ticked that the marshmallows were making her hands stick.

Addison's 4th Birthday

We had to post-pone Addy's birthday party, due to a last minute trip to Idaho. Addy was devastated, but we celebrated it up there, and I promised her I'd call all her friends and we'd do her party after we got back. So we did. Her invite said: "splish splash over, for Addy's 4th birthday bash!" We had a water party, with a slip n slide, water balloons, water guns, and a couple pools. It was a rough start..Addy gets anxious when there's a lot of people around. So the water part wasn't as fun as I thought it'd be. After we came inside, everyone had a blast. We had snacks, cupcakes, opened presents, played Just Dance for kids on the wii, and played duck duck goose:) We are so grateful that all her friends could make it and celebrate with her. We are lucky to have met such awesome little girls here. Addy adores her friends.

Education Week

I don't know where to start with this post. I have so much to blog about, but I wanted to get this post written before I forget all the things I felt and learned. I wish I cold have Education Week every weekend. It's my perfect getaway. Sure we'd all love to go lay on a beach somewhere, or hideaway in a cabin up in the mountains for an escape....but every now and then, especially as mothers, we need a spiritual boost. We need to have that quiet time where our Heavenly Father can talk to us. I struggle to get it at church, because I'm refereeing my 3 kids the first hour and walking the halls/trying to keep Kinley entertained the next 2 that I'm lucky to catch a few words out of the lesson. We all know it's hard to get a spiritual boost at home, because it's a life long process to make scripture study a habit everyday while you have young kids. So where do we get it? My answer is the temple, which I'm just now getting the ambition to make a habit each month...and hopefully Enrichment activities, and my main resource is MUSIC and Church talks on youtube. At least during this stage in my life, these two things at home help me feel the spirit. They calm me, and reassure me that I can do this. That I can find balance in my life and be getting everything I need to keep me sane and on the right track. I don't want to just survive these years. I want to be good at all the roles that demand every ounce of us and not lose who I am amidst them all. This seemed to be the common thread in most of the classes that I attended. Even if the topic didn't focus on that, something in the class would touch on it and stand out to me.
Becoming an Elect Lady (a woman as a person)
*They see as they are seen
*Cannot understand you're elect, until you truly believe you always have been and always will be
*Satan is attacking the self worth of women
*"..bind yourselves in all holiness to me"..in prayer each morning
* Pres. Kimball: ..our women need to be close to, and have a relationship with the scriptures.
*"..lay aside the things of the world, in preparation for a better world."
* ..lift up your hearts and rejoice - you're an elect woman! If you don't know it and believe it...pray until you do.
*CLEAVE to your covenants and the temple.
*your mind needs to be centered on God.

You Are Better Than You Think You Are
*We have a divine DNA, a star in all of us that the world needs to see. Help bring it out in others as well.
*Heavenly Father wants us to know we are better than we think we are. No one is foreordained to fail.
*While we need to recognize our weaknesses..we shouldn't magnify them, or use them as an excuse for doing less than our best.
*It takes courage and determination to see the bet in ourselves.
*This is our one and only chance - learn early on what's most important, so you can find joy in the journey.
*We came here to overcome our mortal identity crisis. :)
*The more clearly we come to understand our divine nature, the more immune we become to satan.

Finding Balance (physical balance)
* When you act, then the Holy Ghost will pour knowledge into your heart an mind.
* Your capacity is based upon your faith.
* Word of Wisdom - focus on the promise given at the end..literal promise.."given for a principle with promise" (principle: an enduring truth, a law.)
*God made and provided what we'd need to survive before we were born.
* "When diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is right, medicine is of no need" (love this ancient proverb/quote)

Devotional by Pres.Clark (Following Jesus Christ
*We follow Christ by living His doctrine. When we follow His doctrine, it invites Him into our hearts to change us and use the Atonement.
* He has overcome everything that stands in our way. When he says "Come Follow Me," He's saying.."I've been there, I know how to make it through. Let me help you. I won't remove the obstacles, but I'll help you make it through."
* It's an intimate, personal atonement.
* foresake all worldly lusts (anything we covet and struggle with), and follow Him in godliness.
*Sometimes our pride or desire for things that are easier gets in the way of His plan for us. (we can be told: "Your plan is not My plan.") - repent and embrace His plan.

Turning Challenges into Opportunities
* Sometimes God has something better for us in this situation
* God can take these challenges and turn them into a land of promise
* story of Brother of Jared
* Most common sin that happens, is when life is going good.
* Sometimes your challenge may be your challenge for life.
* Lord solves problems in many different ways, sometimes He makes us do the work, sometimes he answers with a questions to make us figure it out, sometimes He does it all.
* There's a measure of growth to recieve when we have to figure it out by ourselves and use our agency. He wants us to use all our resources He's given us to study and use our faith.
* He knows us, and wants us to see how strong we are. He has faith in us and a vision of what He wants us to become.
*Elder Scott .."if you don't get an answer, go forward doing the best you can. He trusts you.
* challenges are a refining process - and all about perspective
* The blessings given to brother of Jared.."you are redeemed from the fall...and are brought back into my presence"
* What do I feel the Lord wants me to do in regard to this problem? How can this problem bring me closer to the Lord?

Feast Upon the Words of Christ
* Scriptures are our vaccine for the world today
* Not only should we study each day, but there should be a regular tme set aside when we can concentrate without interruption.
* In a moment of crisis, if you've been reading, you'll be empowered with the Power of God.
* Pres.Kimball: "...if I immerse myself in the scriptures, the distance narrows..."
* the world is only going to get worse - know/learn/love the scriptures, as children and adults. They will be our salvation and safety.
* The Lord wants to talk to us through them, teach us, and answer our questions.
* Pres. Lee: ...."if we don't read everyday, our testimonies will grow thinner.."

Companionship of the Holy Ghost
*..." It quickens all intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity..." Parley P Pratt
* When the HG is inside us, it burns and inspires a driv within us. Put your trust in that spirit that drives us to do good.
* Can change our petty, irritable, flaws..one step at a time.
* "temptations lose their power, when THOU are nigh"

Becoming an Elect Lady (as a wife)
* don't have to wait to have a celestial marriage until you die, it's a celestial marriag from the start.
* D&C 25 4-16 Section to every woman.
* women are subjective, men are objective
* Men can be taught by the spirit - give him consoling words with meekness. Comfort him when he needs it least. Men will rise when treated kindly. Mildness will calm the soul and soothe his feelings. Learn when to push him and when to let up.
* Ephesians 5:22 submit yourselves unto your husbands as unto the Lord
* Heavenly Father loves him more than you do, and wants to bless him.  You don't know the greatness that will come over him.
* we don't realize the power we have to help our husbands and make them better. Live the marriage triangle with God at the top and he'll help us.

Mission Possible
* We've all been called with a mission to fulfill, we need to find what that mission is. "I know that I can, for I know who I am."
* The Lord employs the "unlikely" Luke 1:37 "for with God, nothing shall be impossible"
* We're on a winning team, that will win, with unlimited resources
* God will make a way, where there seems to be no way
*Shine On, Your Future is as Bright as Your Faith
* We came with instructions, but we need to call on God to remember them, by the gift of the HG. Pray for instructions to become who we're meant to be. Look to Joseph Smith's example of prayer to find out what his mission was.
* We can be lighthouses in people's lives
* IMPOSSIBLE: the word itself says IM POSSIBLE
* chart your course, set your sail, and move forward
* through your devoted service and willing sacrifce, your mission will become holy ground to you.

Finding Balance (Spiritual Balance)
* ..."It is not enough to search the scriptures to know the mind of the Lord. It must be followed by an act of faith, accepting to do the will of the Lord by obeying His commandments, before we can enjoy the blessings of the Lord....spiritual preparation is a prerequisite to recieve a personal spiritual impression."
* spiritual balance will ultimately represent the Savior's life.
* Humility is not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less. (cs lewis)
* Alma 1:26-28 well-balanced: stopped their activities to hear the word of God, gave to the needy, afflicted, didn't dress espensively, established affairs of the church, labored according to their strengths, unified, served each other.
* scriptures can answer all of our doubts, concerns, excuses we may make for not doing what we should. examples:
"i'm too tired" - Matt 11: 18-20 "I will give you rest"
"it's impossible" - Luke 8"27 "All things are possible......I have a list of 14 more excuses we commonly use with scriptures to match. It was so cool!!

3 Pillars of Love (Live/Laugh/Love)
* We make the mistake of thinking that since we live with each other, our spouse always knows or should know what we're thinking.
* make life lists together! (bucket lists)
* Friendship with each other. Recognize that friendship takes work and time. Establish a time each week to spend quality time together. Choose to spend time together, rather than apart. This may mean sacrificing girls/guy nights.
* explore the interests of your spouse
* make lists of all the things you admire and appreciate about your spouse. When a negative thought about your spouse pops in, think of all the positive.
* Catch your spouse doing good and talk about it
* service, service, service
* Make an effort to do everyday activities together and make them fun like when you were dating.
* Flirt in the grocery store, like you don't know each other * have private jokes * keep memories of funny experiences to laugh about later * take trials/conflicts/disagreements and find humor in them * laugh at yourself
* Too many mediocre things in life, love shouldn't be one of them

Peace (pressing for peace instead of the panic button)
* NO CHRIST = NO PEACE  :  KNOW CHRIST = KNOW PEACE
* We get so caught up in things that don't matter, wasting time thinking about things we want, instead of things we need.
* Try thinking about one thing, for one minute. Crazy how our mind wanders. Learn to contol our minds, so we can focus on what matters. Worrying is such a waste of energy and 90% of what we worry about never happens! Our mind is a TV set, and we need to learn to change the channel.
* make your goals achievable
* we have 2 eyes, 2 ears and 1 mouth. Start listening and looking more than we talk
* Doubt/Discouragement are Satan's 2 greatest tools. They rob us of peace. Christ=Peace, keep Him close. Life is all about Christ. He makes it possible to get through. Peace can only be found in Him.
* Sometimes the HG just gives us peace, it's just there. Other times we have to dig deep for it. No matter what illness, thoughts, trials we have to face in this life and are going through..He's our Prince of Peace, our Personal Peace. Our Father has a divine plan, and one way it will all make sense. We our truly purged, purified, and perfected through our trials/hardships. Trust and have faith in our Savior.

Juggling Womanhood/Motherhood/Wifehood
* A good woman knows she will never fulfill all that demands her. Especially in this world, where we're constantly being lured away from where we're needed most.
* Know Your Absolutes!! These are things that have to be taken card of each day. Each woman is different..these are hers:
*something for God *something to serve -*something for husband *something for kids *something for me....focus your time and attention on these things. Every other aspect in your life will fall into place after we serve our Heavenly Father and family.
* Know that we don't have to do everything constantly and perfectly.
* Try to make things into Memory Makers. Kids remember the good stuff. Turn an outdoor dinner into a late night marshmallow roast or popcorn night just hanging out as a family.
* Take 10 minutes a day for each kid and have eye contact and talk time.
* Find out what matters most to your kids, instead of assuming and guessing you know what they're into.
* BE HAPPY IN THE PHASE OF YOUR LIFE YOU"RE IN
* Find Mama fun time. It's all about you finding the fun in mothering. Have a "me basket"  at the end of each day. (bubble bath, chick flick, treat, etc)  Make a list of things that make you feel good and try to do one each day.
* Find your own personal purpose: if you could do something for you, what would it be? We start to lose ourselves when we don't get that me time for something that enriches us. We'll lose the joy in our roles that demand us if we don't take that time for us. Find something you love, and do it. Our kids and spouses want to see us happy.
* Wifehood: we HAVE to find time for our husbands. Our relationship with them is ETERNAL. We have to nurture it now, in preparation for eternity. Learn to love as God loves. No pettiness, no nagging, etc.
* have facetime: find a daily time to debrief the day together. If he doesn't ask, invite him into your life..no need to storm off, mad that he didn't ask you about your day. Ask him for you debrief.
* each couple weeks, ask him what would be the most important thing he'd like to have done and do it for 2 weeks.
* we're tired, exhausted and done being needed all day that we cut our husbands out. Not intentionally. Our marriages get in ruts - take care of yourselves like you did when you were dating.
* DATE NIGHTS - Don't have high expectations and don't be grumpy. Just be happy when you're on a date. Surrender for the night and just be a wife, sweet and date like. Don't control everything, let him make the decisions like you did when you were dating. Be goofy, have fun, hold hands.
* Come to the middle and compromise on all things.
*Give your children responsibilities in the home to teach them work/independence. Teach them gospel principles in all things. Teach agency. Ask your children their opinions. Teach life skills, and give them opportunities to use them.
* Help your children find their niche. Something they're good at, and can build their confidence.

I pray I'll never forget the things I learned and felt. I hope something in my notes will help someone reading this change something in their life. I know as we strive to find ourselves and what our mission is, that so many of the other things will fall into place. There's a confidence and strength in realizing who we are and what we can become..that our roles can become simpler and we can find a way to manage it all.