Early July Morning, Cocoa Beach, Florida
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Finished!
Friday, February 4, 2011
Goals
Many of us set goals. Most of us set goals or New Years Resolutions. By now those of us who set some New Years Resolutions have already failed. That's one reason this year, I really did not set specific goals.In our church, our youth have programs set up for them to accomplish some goals that will help them throughout life. For our young women, we have the Young Women Personal Progress. As one of their leaders, I have the opportunity and privilege to work with them on these goals, and work on the program too.
They first enter the program when they turn 12. They are presented with their own Personal Progress book, journal and torch necklace. This year, we (their leaders) decided to put together something they can hang their torch pendant on. Since I make jewelry, I came up with this seed bead chain (in the Young Women colors). I really thought it came out nice, and the girls really loved it. We had gone ahead and given these to our girls for Christmas.
I mentioned in the previous paragraph about Young Women colors. The Young Women (YW) have different values they work on in their program, and each has a color. Faith (white), Divine Nature (blue), Individual Worth (red), Knowledge (green), Choice and Accountability (orange), Good Works (yellow), Integrity (purple), and Virtue (gold). In their Personal Progress (PP) books, they have about 6 or 7 different goals, under each value, to work on. Anywhere from reading a scripture passage and talking to either their parent or leader or someone else about what it means, to maybe some sort of service project or memorizing a song and leading it in a meeting, or teaching someone a new skill. After most goals, or values as they call them, are complete they then write in their journals about what they learned or how they grew. They also have ten hour projects they work on in each value. By the time the turn 18 and graduate from high school, they should be done with the program. Some finish as early as age 15. Many have compared this program to the Eagle Scout. I have three son's, two are Eagles, and one is almost finished with his Eagle, and I will have to say I agree--the Personal Progress Program is much like a "spiritual" Eagle Scout.
As the girls work through their values, they earn ribbons for bookmarks in their scriptures. At the end, they are presented with the beautiful Young Womanhood Recognition Medallion.Over the years, the medallion has changed. Years ago when I was a YW leader, the medallion had a young woman with a flowing dress on it. Then it was changed to a temple. Now it not only has the temple but a red crystal representing a ruby. This is to remind them of the scripture in Proverbs 31:10-31 where it talks about a virtuous woman, and how important it is to be a virtuous woman.
As the YW grow to be adults, it is our hope as YW leaders, that they continue to work on their PP. As women, we all need to working on these goals. Goals, like reading our scriptures, service to our fellow man, learning homemaking skills that will keep ourselves and our future families safe, warm and secure, not to mention healthy and happy. I am happy to say that I have actually earned two of these medallions. I have the old one with the young woman in a flowing dress, and the newer one with the temple and "ruby" on it. I love these medallions, as it reminds me who I am...a child of God, and keeps me focused to always be worthy to enter the temple of God. It is my prayer, that these young women will always be focused, and stay worthy to enter His temple also.
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Kelsey Koch
When we lived in Indiana (Oct 2001-Aug 2007), we were privileged to meet and get to know many people. Many of these people were through homeschooling. One of the girls we got to know pretty well was Kelsey Koch. Ashley and Kelsey got to be good friends through our homeschool group, but mostly through dance. Both girls danced at Premiere Dance Center on the competition team. Both girls were awesome tap dancers (among other forms of dance).
Yesterday, Tuesday, February 2, 2011 at 5:17 pm, on her 90th day in the hospital, Kelsey left this world and went home to Jesus (http://kjkdancingthroughtherain.blogspot.com/). Kelsey touched many lives, people she knew, and others she never met. She had a very rare disease, Dock 8. There are only a handful (I believe about 11 in the world) who have this disease. Her and her younger sister are among the few with it. Kelsey and her sister Karly, have traveled to Maryland to undergo procedures in a study. I can remember the girls traveling with their family a few times a year. I believe Kelsey was the only person to have survived with Dock 8 for this long, usually Dock 8 patience die at a much younger age. At first look, these girls seemed to be just as healthy as any other girls their age. But once you got to talking to them, you soon would find, that that was not the case. They had many allergies, and other physical problems, but these girls did not let any of that get in the way of living a very joyous life.
I never saw Kelsey unhappy. Her attitude was something that we all need to have. Yes, she was suffering, but she was grateful for all she had in life, family, friends, and mostly Jesus. Her brother, Travis posted a beautiful picture and write-up of Kelsey on his facebook. For those of you on facebook here is the link. For all you others without facebook, I will post it below.(http://www.facebook.com/#!/note.php?note_id=461127351658&id=604863973)
I know Kelsey is in Heaven right now, enjoying her healthy body and dancing. She is happy, and we should all be happy for her. Yes, we will miss her cheeriness, but she needed to go. We all must not forget her example of not letting things get to you. We all have hard times on this earth. It is suppose to be that way. Trails make us stronger. We must all past the tests we are given, and the way to do that is to follow the example of Kelsey Koch.
One of the last conversations she had with her mom was about how scared she was. Here is an excerpt of her blog, "It was unique today in that when I told her she was going to the OR she usually asks to be drugged real well. This time she told me she was scared. I asked her, "Scared of what?" She said she didn't know. I told her there were only two outcomes...either she would come back to me or she would go home to Jesus. She said that she would like to go home to Jesus. This made her smile."
Kelsey is now with Him, and smiling...
The following is what her brother wrote:
Kelsey's Facebook About Me
Hi the names Jo, Kelsey Jo. Most ppl talk/brag about themselves in this section. Instead there is something much more important. Yes, my life story entails pain, tragedy, extreme dissapointment, terror, variable exhaustion w/ tests, and one of the rarest diseases known to man, etc, etc. But why put those negative, abysmal stories in here??? What people should take away from hearing about me is what the Lord had done in and through me. Instead I could tell you many stories of CONQUERING situations of Life VS Death through the power of Prayer and extreme Perseverence. And Enduring countless Hours of testing and waiting, by a Peace that surpasses all understanding.. Or Bearing (my)daily debilitating routine through patience and self control. Life with God has been ROUGH, He never promised it would be easy("my yolk is heavy but my burden is light"), YET He did say He would NEVER LEAVE me. But if I had to live this life WITHOUT Him, I would NOT have LIVED to see my 10th birthday! Indeed my God is an awesome God! He sees me in my need, and meets me in my need! Thank you Jesus for your blood that covers all my sins! I did not deserve this, but yet you love me, no matter what! Yahweh He is, alpha(the beginning) and omega(the end) He is! Omniscience(all knowing), omnipotent(all powerful) and omnipresent(all present) He is! He is my comfort, my shelter, tower of refuge and strength!Many pity me for my sufferable time here on this earth, but I say you should be pitied for you do not have eternity in heaven! -- "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow is the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Matthew 7:13,14... THIS IS THE WAY I LIVE ... Still don't understand why I am the way I am... "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2 I will say it again, this is my life verse!I refuse to get stuck in ANY generational ruts, or be identified by any label other than a Jesus lover. I WILL help change this world. "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:10,11.This is MY MISSION... To save the world! But lets not confuse, I will do it by His bidding... I am a mere mortal, a human being, I have no power. I am powerless. But through Him I can move mountains. I am Kelsey, truth chaser, blood bought, world changer, prayer warrior, devil stomper, sin killer, Jesus lover, daughter of God!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
More Dance
A little over two years ago, Ashley and I went down to New Orleans for one of their auditions. It was soooooo much fun. We found out about the auditions about a week before, and Ashley really wanted to go. I was not thrilled about driving down there. Among many things, Ashley's dance shoes were in storage in Provo, UT, and I figured it was going to cost some big bucks, plus I've always heard horror stories about going down there. One of my walking buddies use to live there, and told me that as long as you stay away from certain areas (just like any place you go), you would be fine. She wound up coming with me, and I was soooooo grateful!!!!
The three of us had so much fun. It was really hot, but that was fine. The first day my friend and I just hung around while Ashley went for auditions. We were there allllll daaaaay loooong. But it was fine. There were other mothers, finance's, boyfriends, sisters, friends, etc. waiting, and we just mingled and met some really nice people. We even got to talk a little with some of the production team, and everyone was so nice. It was a very pleasant experience. At the end of the day, Ashley came running down the stairs, with great excitement with the news that she made the first cut, and that she had to be back in two days. This gave us time to go and explore the city of New Orleans.
It did not take me long to understand why so many people love NOLA! It is a very quaint city, rich in history. We were in walking distance of everything. It was really nice to just park the car in a secure location close to our motel and be able to leave it there for the duration of our stay. We checked out a couple of good restaurants, and shopping. We were just across from the convention center and mall, and a small jaunt from the French Quarters. While at the French Quarters, we had to check out the Gumbo Shoppe and Cafe Du Monde for a Beignet. YUMMMOOO!!
The next day, Ashley had to be there early. We were allowed to go, but not til later on in the day. She would call me and let me know, so my friend and I headed back to the motel after taking Ashely to the audition. It was not long before we got the call, and headed back to the auditions. It was really fun and interesting to see how they put a TV show together. Ashley did great. She auditioned in tap, and was sent to choreography. Choreography was ballroom...something Ashley had never done before. She did OK, but not good enough. Actually, I was glad. We went home with a very happy and pleasant experience.
Today, I am about 1500 miles or so away, so I was not able to attend. My thoughts are constantly with her and her friends, wondering what is going on. I really won't be able to say much whether she goes on to choreography, Vegas, or beyond, til the end of the show. That is why I decided to blog about it today. I just knew that if I waited to blog later, it would be hard for me to not give anything away. So, until after the show is over (which will probably be in August), I will keep my mouth shut. I sure hope you all tune it, though and watch the show. Maybe, if nothing else, we will be able to catch a glimpse of her on the show. We saw her on the NOLA auditions last time...
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Neat Stuff
So, this weekend, I got my beads from my Bead Soup Party partner, Stacie at Park Avenue (http://parkavenue-stacie.blogspot.com/). She sent me all kinds of goodies that reminded her of beach sunset, and figured I would like them too.
She was so right. I love the beach and warm sun, and these were just perfect.
Our mail comes pretty late, so by the time I got them Saturday, I was pretty much headed out to chaperon my son's church dance, so Sunday after church is when I was able to actually sit down and inspect my new stash. This is what she sent me:
river coral,
some freshwater pearl,
some copper,
some yellow jade,
and a copper colored shell pendant. Now, ya'll stay tuned to see what I do with this stuff...
DANCE
One of my joys in life has been dance. Growing up, my sister's and I took dance lessons. I can sorta remember going to dance class when I was about 3 or 4. We lived in California at the time and my mom was pregnant with my sister. We only had one car, and so Mom could not take me to lessons, as so many other moms at the time who stayed home with the children. A van would come and pick me up for dance class. I remember one time, my mom was braiding my long blonde hair when the bus came. She did not have time to finish, so she just put the other side of my hair in a quick ponytail. Yes I went to dance class with one braid and one ponytail. It did not matter to me, I was going to dance!
I also took dance lessons when we lived in Texas, Alabama, and Florida. I clearly remember going to Mrs. Harris' class in downtown Cocoa. Her studio was up on the top floor of this big building. Actually, it was not that high. To me, though it was. We went up three stories worth of steep stairs. That was so memorable because there were not very many stairs in Florida at the time.
When I went to college, I was on several dance teams, and decided to major in dance. I really wanted to go into therapy, but at the time, it was very new. I never really got to do what I wanted to do. I have been able to use my dance a little. I've taught aerobics, and done some choreography of a few shows.
My daughter has pretty much fallen into my footsteps. She too is a dance major at BYU. She is getting ready to graduate this summer. Ashley was on one of the dance teams I was on (BYU International Folk Dancers). I loved being involved with Ashely when she was growing up and dancing. It was so exciting going to all the competitions.
Ashley is no longer on the Folk team. She loved it while she was a part of the team. She was able to be on their Spring Performing Arts Company (SPAC). Now, she is on Dancensamble. Ashley is going to be able to choreograph a piece for their performance in about a month...AND...the Martha Graham Dancers came and she was able to dance with them.WOW!!! Now, this week, Wednesday, Ashley is going to audition for So You Think You Can Dance. This will be her second time. She auditioned about two years ago in New Orleans. She did really well, but she was just not ready to go to Vegas. She has had so much experience the last two years, so it will be interesting to see what comes of it.
My Butterfly
So, it is official. She got the ring last night. He is such a romantic! He made her lunch, presented her with a rose, and they danced, then he got on his knee and asked her to marry him. awwww!Anyway, we knew this was coming for quite some time. He has been talking to me about the ring. He had it made. He really did a good job on the design. It has a blue topaz stone in the middle (Ashley's birthstone), and diamonds down the side of the band. At either side of the shank are butterflies. Butterflies are a significant feature because of a poem she wrote in the summer of 2009 while Jeremy was on his mission in Chile.
So, the poem. Well, let me give you a little background. Ashley and Jeremy have know each other since she was almost 12. We moved to Indiana just a couple months before her 12th birthday, and he and his family went to our church. It was not til she was about 16 and he was 17 that they started noticing each other in a different way. Finally they became an item.
About a year or so after they started dating, we found out that we were moving to Louisiana. Jeremy came to visit one time just before he left on his mission. He told her he wanted her to date other guys while he was gone for two years. She did, but just was not all that impressed. There were a lot of really nice guys, but not like Jeremy. So, the butterfly in the poem she has written is Jeremy. At the end of this post, I will post it.
Now, let me get back to the wedding. Since I have been making jewelry for quite some time now, I figured I should be the one to make the wedding jewelry. I found some really pretty Swarovski crystal butterflies in yellow and blue. I had some freshwater pearls and mother of pearls that I have been hanging on to for the right thing. I also had some really pretty crystals on hand. I ordered a Swarovski pearl drop. This is what I came up with--a necklace for the bride, and earrings. I also made me a pair of the earrings. I just thought they were really pretty.
My Butterfly
I caught a butterfly one summer day
He was not ordinary in any way
The wings were colorful, dark and strong
The unique design was everything but wrong.
This butterfly stayed by 
my side
He would find me, if I tried to hide
The connection we had was quite majestic
The feeling grew, you could not ignore it.
We both fell into each others trap
A tender affection caught us during a nap
It seemed to happen very fast
Oh but this love was great, and would last.
Then one stormy summer evening came
The wind blew in and nothing would ever be the same
It was a memorable and vivid day
That quickly took my butterfly away.
As I watched him being swept gone by the wind
In my heart I knew this could not be the end
My eyes became wet as I started to cry
Longing for and missing my butterfly.
I knew he would be safe but with his scent in the air
I turned around and cried “Bring him back here!”
I did not want to go on my next journey alone
But I knew I must if I ever wanted him home.
I traveled many days and many nights
Without my butterfly as my guiding light
In my dreams he frequently appeared.
But I always woke up to face what I feared.
Then one summer afternoon with the sun high in the sky
I found in my hand my sweet butterfly
He came back for me and kissed me so dear
He brushed away every ounce of my fear.
We walked together in the meadow again
Grateful for every moment we had to spend
Then he turned to me and said
What we both so dearly dread.
“I must leave you one last time
Hear me out and you’ll be fine
I’m going on a most important errand
I’ve been called of God, as His holy servant.
But if you stay strong and pure
Continue your journey and listen to the Lord
And if there are no other butterflies in your hand
I will come back to you again.”
And with that sweet and tender verse
That was beautifully written and carefully rehearsed
He looked me longingly in the eye
Hoping he would always be my butterfly.
And now as I sit and think of the past
The great times we had while it last
I imagine the day of his return
Being free of worry and concern.
And as other butterflies flutter near
The voices sing to me so dear
I talk with them but always find
None of them as beautiful as my butterfly.
So I continue to wait for the day
When my butterfly will be here to stay
He’ll fly into my hands and sing to me words so true
With passion bursting through his wings, a gentle “I love you.”
And in that moment we’ll be assured
That us being together is the will of the Lord
And we’ll never have another ‘goodbye’
Together forever with my butterfly.
--Ashley Jeanette Carter
22 August 2009