A Prophet of God.

Gordon B. Hinckley was born on June 23, 1910, in Salt Lake City. He spent 46 years in service as a leader in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 12 of which as the 15th President. He traveled to 60 countries, dedicated 95 of the 124 temples, some on sites that he himself had surveyed and selected. President Hinckley was definately a modern Prophet for the people, making Mormonism more familiar to the public and more accepted in the Christian fold. On March 12, 1995 he was ordained as the 15th President and Prophet of the Church, the same year he issued a proclomation on the family. Of all his accomplishments in this life, and the spiritual giant that he was, I feel that one of his greatest traits was the love in his heart. He loved the people of the church, he loved the people not in the church, he loved the youth. He taught patience, love, and charity. He taught the importance of family, and the sacredness of motherhood, and he loved the Savior. Around 7pm on Sunday January 27, 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away in his home surrounded by family. His death is a loss to the world, as he was an amazing man and leader. One of his greatest messages was that our lives should be the symbol of our faith, just as his very life was a symbol of faith to us. Personally, I never got to shake his hand like I always wanted to but I did see him many times while I served my mission on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. It made me sad when I had heard that he passed away but then a smile came to my face as I realized that he was reunited with his beloved sweetheart who passed away in April of 2004 and had been waiting patiently to see him again. What a wonderful gift it is to have a living Prophet on the earth, and even though President Hinckley will be greatly missed, instead of being sad, we should celebrate his life. So, here's to the reunion that just took place in heaven just a few days ago!

Who told you, you were having a girl???

It was way back in October, we were all at the table for our Thanksgiving dinner (Canadian duh!) and my brother asked my Dad if he had quit smoking yet and then said he needed to quit so he could be here when his grandchild was born. We were all like, "what!!!". I guess that was his cool way of letting us know that he and my sister in law were finally gonna have a baby. The week before Christmas they had an ultra sound done and found out they were having a girl! Yay! They picked out a name, painted the nursery, and Laura even bought a Juicy Couture diaper bag. Last Saturday they took both sets of parents to their 3D ultra sound. The technician asked if they knew what they were having and they of course replied, "it's a girl" (cause that's what they were told) a few minutes later she replied, "who told you you were having a girl?? Cause...it's a boy!!" Laura, who was quite happy she was infact having a girl and not a boy said, "SHUT UP! OH MY GOSH! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! OH MY GOSH! OH MY GOSH! PROVE IT! PROVE IT CAUSE I DON'T BELIEVE YOU! She then proceeded to show them that it was infact a boy with all his boy parts. So, baby Annabelle Ava Brown is no more, and for now we just call him baby Joe cause they haven't picked out a boy name yet (they've thought about Davis or Brody so far but I hope they keep brainstorming). Moral of the story...unless they're 100% positive, they should just not tell you! Good thing they painted the room a neutral colour! Can't wait to meet ya baby Joe!

PS. this is the coolest baby 3D picture ever! He totally looks like his Dad! LOL!

Don't Let it Snow!

I really do love the white stuff, I'm not a hater. Everything looks all pretty when it's covered in snow, especially early in the morning when it has just fallen and kids haven't played in it yet so it's all perfect. But enough is enough! If people could actually drive in it then that would be another story but with one inch of snow people all of a sudden forget how to drive and there's accidents everywhere. I mean, the tow companies probably love it cause it's good for business! At least I'm at home right now where people actually believe in salting the roads unlike the city of Rexburg which has a firm belief in red rock (which is a waste of time and money). My solution to this madness is heated roads. The snow wouldn't stick to the roads, they would just be a little slick from the water which is a lot better then being icy! Seing as how that's not likely to happen any time soon, just gotta suck it up! It could be worse, like the rest of Canada where it's usually

minus 30 degrees celsius. I guess I should be happy that I live in the Province of perpetual rain. I do love the rain! and it's a lot easier to drive in! Here's a view of the freshly fallen snow from my front door looking down the street. Hope it doesn't fall again!