Something I Thought I'd Never Have to be Grateful For...

Truthfully I don't know where to begin.

Thanks to all of you who have kept my Daddy and our family in your prayers and thoughts, for those who participated in the fast, some even fasting for the very first time.  Thank you for the calls, the messages, the visits, the yummy comfort food at the hospital, the help with my kids-even when they've been cranky and/or sick.  Thank you.

Last night we gathered in my Daddy's hospital room as the doctor told us the news.  The pathologists and the doctor are still in disagreement as to the exact disease which my father has, but all agree that it is some type of lymphoma...cancer...that horrible word I can barely bring myself to say.  There are 50 types of lymphoma and they are still running tests on his bone marrow to distinguish exactly which type he has.  The doctor however is very sure that he knows which type it is and has reassured us that is treatable and generally curable and feels like the pathologists-who are even disagreeing amongst themselves- will be in agreement today.

After seeing my father in the worst state I have ever seen and then imagining all these possible reasons why and having them marinate in my mind for over a week, it was amazing how comforted I felt when the doctor said that it was treatable and curable.  I didn't ever think that I would have to been grateful that my Daddy has a treatable and curable cancer.

It has been a roller coaster of emotions and I know we have really only just started this battle.  Many months of treatment and tests are to come.  I am already physically and emotionally exhausted.  I can't even imagine what my mother must feel, what my father feels.  What I do know, I know for a surety.  Heavenly Father loves my father.  He is one of His most valiant servants.  I know He is watching over him and my family.  I know my family is eternal through the ordinances of His Holy Temple.  I know my Savior has felt my father's pain and has taken it upon himself through His Atonement.  We must have faith and hope.  Please remind me of this testimony as time goes on.  I will need to rely on it.

Please continue to pray for us, continue to offer service, continue to lift our spirits.  Thank you all so so very much!

Thank you for Prayers

Yesterday we witnessed a miracle in my daddy as he exhibited a dramatic improvement from his condition on Sunday.  Thank you so very very much for all of those who participated in the fast and who kept him and our family in their thoughts and prayers.  Your continued prayers are very needed as this may be a long road ahead.  My mother is carrying such heavy burdens and my heart aches for her.  We still have not received the results of the ominous tests, but we hope to receive word soon.

I was able to spend most of the day at the hospital with my daddy and most of my immediate family.  It was a comforting feeling being able to be there together.  We felt of your strength, faith, and love.  We know that 100s if not 1000s of people participated in the fast, and that is simply a tender mercy of our Heavenly Father.  It is truly a manifestation of the goodness of mankind, God's children.  To turn your hearts, thoughts, and actions toward someone else and their well-being is such a testimony of man's inner desire to be good, to do good, and to be surrounded by goodness.

This morning in our family devotional we sang the hymn, "Did you think to pray?"  We felt the truthfulness of the words "prayer can change the night to day" and the reminder "So when life gets dark and dreary, don't forget to pray"  I am thankful for the comfort we receive in song.  For me, music draws the comforting arms of my Savior closer.  My dear friend shared song with me that helped her during some scary times, and I'd love to share it with you.

When my world is shaking, heaven stands   

When my heart is breaking, I never leave your hands  

Your hands that shape the world  

Are holding me   

They hold me still. 

I ask for your continued prayers for my sweet Daddy, for my loving mother, for strength and optimism for me, for Felicity who feels my tension and has been so cranky, for my little sister on her mission in France, for all of my family, for the doctors.  Thank you!

Fast for my Daddy

Dear family and friends,

It is with an aching heart that I ask for your help this evening.  My extraordinary father, my sweet daddy has been in the hospital for about a week and has been suffering much for a lot longer.  We are still not sure what is wrong with him.  He has undergone many, many tests from which we hope to receive answers in a few days.  Tonight I ask you if you would join my family in a special fast tomorrow on behalf of my father, Russell.  For us, fasting is an added power to prayer alone.  Fasting is not to just go without food for a certain period of time, it intensifies prayers and invites the Holy Ghost into our life for the purpose of bringing ourselves and our prayers closer to God.  Thank you all so much.

With love,

Briana

August 2010: Snips and Shoes

Well I did it!  I snipped it off.  Wow did it feel great.  I have to say that as much as I love long hair, I love having short hair so much more.  It allows me to feel put together in a short amount of time, and for a mom of 4, that is fabulous!  Thanks for all your words of encouragement.  For the most part I have received great compliments on my new do.  There have been a couple of exceptions, my favorite being, "you didn't mean to cut your hair that short did you?"  Brilliant!

I love this photo!!  Felicity and I are outside the Mt. Timpanogos Temple where my brother Jesse and his gorgeous bride Jani were married.  {I'll post more of their wedding in upcoming posts}  Felicity is of course only wearing one shoe and I am fiddling with the other adorably stubborn gold sandal.  Mike often inquires as to why Felicity 'wears' shoes.  I use that term lightly, which makes Mike's point exactly, due to the fact that one or both of them are usually missing.  She likes to shuffle her feet quickly back and forth causing her shoes to come off.  She is hilarious.  She has such a distinct personality already.  Does she realize the importance of a carefully selected shoe to any ensemble?  I am guessing not yet, but I'm going to try my best to make sure she learns that one early!

September 2010: My Bathing Beauty

Here's my little bathing beauty, Little Miss Felicity.  I realize that you all have been deprived of seeing photos of our baby girl, so I was determined to share a few recent ones with you.  These are two of my favorites.  

Felicity love love loves the pool.  Not just because she has such stylin' sunglasses or a darling bathing suit, but because she can splash splash splash in the water.  She is a riot to watch as her little legs pump up and down and her arms become wings flapping in the water.  She doesn't even flinch when her brothers splash water right into her face from jumping into the pool.  Of course since I am in the pool with her and am diligently watching my boys like a hawk since they are still not great at swimming, I have yet to capture her joy of being in the water on camera.  Thank you Mom and Dad for getting a pool.  Such a great thing it has been for us to enjoy in these hot hot days of late summer.

August 2010: Learn 2 Love 2 Sew

Sewing machine photo pendant by lemonroom

Yes, I am on to yet another project, a new sewing and wearable craft group, that my friend Heather and I will be teaching out of my home.  It is just the right amount of push I need to get a few of the sewing projects I have been wanting to do, done.  Check us out and join us if you'd like at www.learn2love2sew.blogspot.com  The group will compromise of a lot of beginning sewers is my guess, so come on over, no need to be shy or intimidated; just a "supportive sewing sisterhood".

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

Love this little video. It was such a sweet reminder for me to try a little harder to listen and really try to connect with my children. Thought I would share!

Parenting: Touching the Hearts of Our Youth

July 2010: To Chop or Not to Chop, That is the Question

photocard from staceywinters

So I'm guessing it was about 9 months ago at least that Mike suggested I grow my hair out.Normally when he makes a suggestion like that, I just take it at that, a suggestion, but this time I had become bored with my hair and thought I would give it a whirl. Wow, growing out your hair is tedious. Now that its almost past the awkward stage of growing out from a super short cut, I am wavering on whether to chop it or not. What makes the matter pressing is that I have a chance to get my hair styled by my most favorite hair stylist, Janae of Lunatic Fringe in Salt Lake. Yes, I chose the salon by its name: Lunatic Fringe, doesn't that just sound like me:-) and then just lucked out to find Janae. She is AMAZING, a real artist and perfectionist in hair styling. I can just tell her what I want and voile! Love her. And she recently married a Mike Johnson, so there you go.

So here's my dilemna:

PROS for CHOPPING:

*Felicity's new favorite thing is to pull on my hair

*I can look put together with 30 seconds of styling

*It is soooo hot here

*The one time I was asked if I was a model, was when I had short hair:-)

*I love this haircut on Sierra Miller- have wanted to try this

PROS for LETTING it GROW:

*Long hair is sooo pretty and feminine

*I can put it in a pony tail when I work out

*So many styling options

*I've made it this far with growing it out, why stop now

*I love this look by Jennifer Gardner-don't you just love her-of course my hair can't look like this exactly, but you get the idea

CONS for CHOPPING:

*I don't want to be the lady that always has that same hairdo

*My mom has short hair right now and I'm not so hip on twinsies-sorry mom, you're gorgeous, nothing personal

*Costs a lot to keep up a cut

*I look at those with pretty long hair and am envious

CONS for LETTING it GROW:

*Felicity's new past-time

*It takes time to do, something I don't have a lot extra of

*My hair texture has changed to be a little more frizzy and not so silky straight as it once was, hence more time to de-frizz and straighten

*I still have to wait quite a while longer for it to be as long as I'd like it

So there you have it, my dilemna: TO CHOP OR NOT TO CHOP

Would love your feedback and please take my little polls

July 2010: In Need of Some Calgon and Some Cleaning Solutions

I'm not sure how old I was when I saw this commercial or maybe the memory of the words, "Calgon, take me away!", came from my mother's lips, understandably so. So funny how the mind works. I found myself thinking these words just the other day, after how many years I'm not sure. You can imagine what my day must have been like to have jogged the memory of this frantic exclamation; I'm sure you know all too well.



I haven't posted in forever but I needed to enlist your help in coming up with a household cleaning routine that will work for me. I would love love love to here how all you super moms out there get it all done. I'm in drowning in a sea of things to do. I know you'll say, but you just had a baby. Yes, this is true. But I'm still going crazy. Well the baby is finally asleep so I must go, but I'm looking forward to your tried and true cleaning solutions!!!

May 2010: My Morning Walk/Jog: Exercising More Patience Than Muscle

the other morning as i heard "i'm tired. can i have a drink?" for the millionth time from my scooter dragging 5 year old, and as i pushed my double jogging stroller one-handed, trying to hold a pacifier in the mouth of my screaming baby while my toddler whined that i wasn't going fast enough, this little thought popped into my head... "i'm exercising more patience than muscle. is this worth it?"*

well there have graciously been those morning in which the stars align for me: when I have just my younger two who can both fit in my champion jogger (I love love love my stroller), when Felicity manages to look like this (which she rarely does while at home): Tate is happy with his Veggie Straws and I can have a great work-out listening to my new Stroll-A-Tunes busting out Smashmouth's All-Star, such a happy, "you can do it" song. **

Other mornings I realize how desperate I am to get in a good workout and try to maintain patience, when I listen to my words as I tell my 5 year old child who has given up on our walk, to hurry because a dog is coming behind him (which in truth it was) and then throwing out the "you don't want to have to live here do you?" rationale.

Back to the question, "is it worth it?". I have decided "Yes!" Despite my days of very little muscle exhiliration and the fact that some days it takes an hour or so just to be able to get out the door with sippies, snacks, water bottles, helmets, sun screen, sun glasses, blankets, etc.... I have decided that I am helping my children develop a pattern of being active. Really they love our walks/bike rides/jogs (in the beginning of course:-) ). I have stopped trying to make it something it can never consistently be, a serious workout, and have shifted my mind into realizing that I need to expect a little less from it and turn it into a fun experience with the kids. We have developed somewhat of a pattern which includes stretching and push-ups in the beginning. We all do our stretches. I love watching Tate, who is thrilled to be allowed out of the stroller for a short time, attempt a one legged quad stretch. So cute! The older two love doing push-ups, which of course is done along a rock wall they love to climb after. We have also done squats together holding hands in a circle.

Hopefully one day I will realize that my patience and my muscles have both become much stronger, as well as my children's love for being outside and active.

*note: photos were not taken on this day, although i am getting better at taking photos one-handed

**Can you tell when I transitioned from typing from one hand whilest holding Felicity to two hands (which lasted about 5 minutes)? I started using capital letters again.