”It was only a sunny smile and little it cost in the giving but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living.”-Anonymous
I love it when I stumble across a quote that drives home the importance of a simple smile. Smiles make us feel better, and everyone around us, too. It doesn’t take any more time to smile sincerely than it does to remain expressionless.
Become a smile-scatterer. Seriously, if you have never done this, now is the time. Today, smile at least twenty times. (Try to smile at others for as many of those times as possible-but if you are not with others, just smile in the mirror.) Watch the dramatic shift in how you feel.

Today’s Affirmation:I scatter smiles throughout the day.

"Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." ~Mark Twain


I have been thinking about the power of kindness a lot lately with Rachel's Challenge coming to the High School tomorrow. Is there power in kindness? Can we really make a difference with this simple act. I really believe we can.
As a member of our High School PTA board I have set in on many meetings with our Principle as he has shared the happenings of the school with us the parents. One of the items that has repeatedly come up is the safety of our children while they are at school. We have spent many hours disscussing the potential disasters that can happen at the school. We have been filled in on the schools evacuation plans, how to best notify parents in case of an emergency and so forth. In these discussions the Principle brought up statistics that the most likely tragic event to be prepared for is a"School Shooting". In our discussion of being prepared for a tragic event such as this we have discussed the idea that maybe this is ONE tragedy that could be prevented. When you read about school shootings and the events that lead up to them, is causes you to think about the what if's........ What if the student who held the gun would have felt included, befriended, cared about?????? Would that have made a difference?

Two years ago our student counsel was asked to come up an idea to help create more unity in the school do away with clicks and stereo types and create some positive change in our school. The Challenge Day we had at the High School last March was a result of that challenge given to the student counsel. On Tuesday Rachel's Challenge will add to that Challenge and through all of these efforts we hope to promote a positive chain reaction to move the school into this direction.

They say a " High School" is a reflection of the community . Lets all step it up with our children and TAKE THE CHALLENGE!!
REMEMBER Tuesday night October 7th at 7:00pm in the High School Auditorium.

What this world needs is a new kind of army - the army of the kind. ~Cleveland Amory

1. October is here..... watch out for the things that go bump in the night!!
2. Spiders, snakes and moon boots scare me!
3. Leaves are falling all around, it's time to go for a ride up the canyon.
4. My favorite horror movie is the ghost and Mr. Chicken because it's Don Knotts need I say more??.
5.Raking leaves and Grandma's house = good memories.
6. It was a dark and stormy night when John took me dancing in the rain.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to a quiet evening at home, tomorrow my plans include getting our yard ready for winter and organizing my storage room again!! and Sunday, I want to sleep in, make cinnamon rolls and listen to LDS general conference with my family!

From This
To This!
In 18 years!

Alysa turned 18 on the 12th of September
and with all that happened around that time this is the first I am getting around to putting the news on my blog!! She has been asking when I was going to do it and I am sorry it has taken me sooooo long, my boys wouldn't care or at least they wouldn't admit it, but Alysa reads my blog regularly and was wondering why I haven't done this yet. Boys are wonderful and give you a great since of pride but a daughter holds a special place in your heart.
Alysa is a great daughter she is always asking how I am doing and concerned when I am having a bad day. She loves to spend time with me having our "girl talks". She keeps me posted on all the happenings and helps me keep tabs on her brothers!! It doesn't matter your age, gender, or what color shape or size you come in she is a friend to everyone. Happy Birthday Alysa I LOVE YOU!

I am not a happy camper when I don't have my computer up and running!!!!!

We switch networks over the past week and with it came some glitches Just in case my faithful readers were wondering!!!!!!!!!!

”We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.” -Thornton Wilder

When I started my Good Morning routine, my primary motive was to turn off the “autopilot” in my life. I am sure you are familiar with being on autopilot. You can see it actively in your life when one day fades into another and before you know it a week, a month or a year has gone by and you are left wondering: “Where did that time go?” I wanted to find a way to practice living moment-to-moment and treasuring each moment for the true gift that it is.
I stumbled across this Thornton Wilder quote while doing a search for “Thanksgiving.” It summarizes both the goals I have for my own life, and my goal to share with other women: how to turn off autopilot and make each day count. When we are conscious of all our treasures and we focus on those treasures, our lives become rich and valuable moment-to-moment. Today, Be fully present in each moment. Focus on the treasures you have moment to moment instead of what is missing in your life.

We may not be PERFECT but we're a FAMILY!!!

I have been thinking about family lately with all that has been effecting our family. The loss of my Dad has been very hard. He had such a strong testimony of family. I remember at a young age how important it was for him to have a family and a close family. We have many traditions as a family, summer traditions, fall traditions, and holiday traditions. My mom and dad taught us, had fun with us and loved us. As our family grew it has always been important to them for us to get together and continue our traditions.

This past year as it became evident that my dad's condition was not going to get better that once again our family came together to create more family memories. Last fall we came together and had a leaf raking party to help mom and dad out with their big yard. At Christmas time we were all together again and created many memories in the snow, playing cards and games and eating together. As dad's condition got worse we rallied together to help each in their own way, Greg took care of the yard care, Kevin brought in bark to put in the flower beds to cut down on weeding, Lindsey planted and took care of the garden, long distant weekly phone calls, taking turns taking care of dad and getting him lunch when mom was at work and many, many unseen kind acts. And in the final days and hours of dad's life we came together to help and give comfort, and support to each other. We came together in giving honor to our Dad in his funeral. And now in moving on with out him and in helping and supporting our Mother.

It has been amazing to me to see eight sibling loving each other, forgiving and working things out with each other, laughing and playing and caring for each other. If we can continue on this way and pass this on to the next generation we will leave a legacy that can help make this world better.

Thanks Dad and Mom and teaching us, loving us and playing with us!! I love you!!

No success can compensate for failure in the HOME!! ~ David O McKay

The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the walls of our own homes.-- Harold B. Lee

The first and most important step toward success is the feeling that we can succeed.-- Nelson Boswell

Family, isn't it about TIME??

We're working to reach EVERY STUDENT IN AMERICA with our message!
What is the Message? Students have the power to make PERMANENT, POSITIVE, CULTURAL CHANGE in their schools and communities by accepting the challenge of Rachel Scott to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion.
How do we do it? In 3 words we... MOTIVATE, EDUCATE and ACTIVATE.
Without any politics, religion or profit involved,We MOTIVATE by grabbing kids hearts in an assembly.We EDUCATE their heads with training and curriculum.We help ACTIVATE them to get involved with their hands through exercises and community service.
We accomplish this by using different combinations of programs and materials that are age-appropriate for the specific audience.Curious? If you work with kids and/or are concerned about future generations check us out - who knows, you may just start a chain reaction.

Rachel Scott was the first person killed at Columbine High School on April 20, 1999. Her acts of kindness and compassion coupled with the contents of her six diaries have become the foundation for one of the most life-changing school programs in America.
Come hear her story and be ready to take the Challenge!

Rachel’s Challenge is coming to Box Elder High School on October 7th! We would like to invite you to attend an assembly that evening at 7:00pm in the Auditorium.

If you would like to get involved just leave me a comment and I will let you know how you can help with this great event!!

Feel free to post links and or copy and paste this to your blog to spred the news!!

For more information of Rachel's Challenge go to rachelschallenge.com.