My first grandchild

Cora Belle Wagley....
Yep, this is Cora. One of the most precious things around. I know, I am kinda partial, but she is my first so I think I can be. I realized that I hadn't written on my blog in a long time so started thinking about what I could write about. Of course the first thing to pop into my mind was Cora. Sept. 8, 2010 was such a great day and yet I haven't written a word about it. How can that be? It's not that I don't have anything to say because those of you that know me know that I always have something to say. I think my problem is how do I put to words how I felt that day. I once heard someone say that once Cora was born Jodi wouldn't be as important and I just wanted to say "Not True".... I am so proud of Jodi. I watched her go through some pretty hard labor and pretty fast labor and she was such a trooper through it all. You see, pretty much all eyes (including mine at times) was pretty much on Cora, but mainly my eyes were on my little girl. All grown up doing what a good mom does. I remember Cora being born but mostly I remember the look on Jodi's face as it lit up when she saw Cora for the first time, how the tears flowed , and how I could just feel the love fill the room with her's and Aaron's love for each other and for Cora. Yes, Cora was born, and mom and daughter was doing well but to see all my dreams and wishes over the past 21 years come true for Jodi was a joy like no other. Happily married to someone that loves her as much as Jodi loves him and to share that love together and bring the most precious gift to live here on Earth with them. Yes, Cora is precious, but so is her mother. Now, I did title this My First Grandchild so i guess it is time to talk about Cora and the love that I have for her. It is like known that I have ever had. I just want to snuggle Cora non-stop. I can't wait to hear those sweet words mawmaw come from her sweet little lips. I am greatful that when this mawmaw can't be there I know grandma wagley will be there for her. I guess the only way to end this blog is by saying Thanks Jodi and Aaron for being you and for giving us all such a precious gift...MawMaw loves her some Cora Belle 8-)

Summer fun...Yes, this was suppose to be fun, well I guess it was because I laughed at Gerry so hard. She even threatened to ground David from I don't know what if he didn't slow the boat down...Of course at that point I was pretty happy that he slowed it down. You see, I can pretty much picture myself falling off of this thing in the middle of the lake and I can also imagine how much it would hurt to do so, but what I think the whole family would really get a kick out of is seeing me trying to get back on it...I just don't think it would happen. I do enjoy having Gerry around to get into trouble with though. I have never understood anyone that would want to have an only child. Now this is my personal opinion but I just can't imagine my life without family, siblings and all. I have 4 sisters and 1 brother and can't imagine my life without any of them. We are all sooooo different in many ways and alot alike in some ways (our looks mainly) of course i was always told my dad was the postman because i was the only one with brown hair..lol...this is not true for those of you that are not sure...we are all family, different religions, hair color, opinions, and the list can go on but the one thing for sure is that we love each other no matter what. We are all at the age of becoming grandparents now...I am still wondering how that happened. Wow, where did the years go? Really, It seems like just yesterday Dale was running around singing and never stopping, Jodi with her curly hair and beautiful smile, and Christina with all her snuggling and loving ways...oh, they still do all these things and have all these great attributes but they are busy with there own lifes trying to make their way in this great big ole' world, and David and I are about to be grandparents waiting for little Cora Belle to melt our hearts. (of course she pretty much already has, just watching her grow with Jodi) Yes, this has been a great summer so far and looking forward to much more fun with family and friends. When you get a chance, grab a sister, brother, mom, dad, are even a cousin and go have fun. Things are moving to fast to not enjoy this great place called Earth with the ones we love...8>)

Yes,,, I found the right picture....Boykin Springs is such a great place to take pictures...
So, I don't know why I always do this backwards but yes it is backwards...lol and I actually posted the wrong picture here but we had to take pictures of water setting the camera on TV mode and changing the shutter speed on it ....one picture should show the water running smooth and the other with you seeing every droplet of water even spattering out at you...i did capture that image but didn't post it...sorry you get the ideal...these pictures of the water was the best in the class...He looked at everyones pictures and brought mine to the front and passed it around to show what it was suppose to look like...woo hoo for me...8-) anyways, I am also learning about field of depth and that my camera has a bulb setting which means taking pictures of fireworks at night are a ferris wheel at night is suppose to look pretty neat...I am excited to try it out but haven't had the chance yet.

So, I have been busy lately doing what I love doing. I have been taking a Basic Digital Photography Class In Orange. I think that I am learning something but only time will tell if I actually remember what I have been taught. Our first project was to go from one extreme to another with the camera set on AV mode and changing the aperature...this is what I came up with.....

Notice how the background is blurring on one picture and clear on the other...I have often wondered how to do this, now I know...lol ...I did get registered for the advanced digital photography class and also a Photo Elements class...rumor has it that the photo elements is pretty hard but I am still excited to try it...I still have 3 classes left so I am hoping to at least learn all I can about how to use my camera which was my goal in the first place.

Don't know why, maybe because I have been teaching seminary all year but I feel like I need to end with a scripture..Just so you know I LOVE 3rd Nephi....in 9:14 is says...

Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Reading your scriptures every day is the best reading you will ever get....take the time and search them, ponder about what you are reading, and learn...

The Easter season is upon us now and all the talk is about dyeing eggs which ,by the way is very fun, I wanted to bear my testimony that I know Jesus Christ is our Savior, he died on the cross so that I can be forgiven of my sins and return to live with my Heavenly Father again..I am so greatful for all the many blessing that I have received.

I hope each and everyone that reads this blog will keep this in mind throughout the next couple of weeks and especially throughout their everyday doings... My love to you all.....and Happy Easter

Photography

Time for another post....and in the process of decideding what I wanted to talk about I came across some pictures. I love taking pictures!!! I am sooooo excited to take a digital camera class at Lamar starting in a couple of weeks. I will hopefully figure out all the neat features that are available on my camera. This first picture is one of my favorites. This is one of the many gorgeous Temples in Utah. The Manti Temple, it sits on top of a hill overlooking the town of Manti. The wood work in it is Beautiful. This is without a doubt my favorite Temple. Ok, now so back to my original thought, I love taking pictures. So I have decided to share a few of them that I have taken in the past.This picture was taken at the deer camp just a couple of weeks ago. David loves going to camp. It is one of his favorite places in the world. And when I sat and watched the sun set I realized why this is so. It really can't get any better than this. The Lord has created such beauty on this earth and we don't always take the time stop and look at all there is. On this particular afternoon I stopped. My heart was filled with the Love our Father in Heaven has for us. David and I watched as the sun went down together. What a peace it brings . To be able to get away from the Earthly ways of hussle and bussle of everyday life. Now when I get busy I can look at the picture that will soon fade from my mind and know that I am loved.

The next two pictures are of family. This is two of my sisters. Gerry and Tina. It was Tina's 50th Birthday so we put makeup on her, fixed her hair, and took pictures. She had sooo much fun posing for these pictures. It's hard to believe how old we are getting. Of course I'm sure Gerry would say that she isn't getting old...hahaha...This picture reminds me of the importance of Family. We are so different, yet so much alike. It amazes me no matter what we do the love is always there. I can always Depend on my family to be there for me no matter what and that in itself is the most amazing thing ever. I love my family no matter our differences because that is who we are. Thanks Gerry and Tina for spending this afternoon with me and letting me play with my camera....Love you two ever so much...A quote here, "Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age."
This is Karen and her Dog Hoover (aka Hoovie). She hates taking pictures as I well understand but she let me play with my camera this day and I used her as my subject. Hoover pretty much goes wherever she goes. I love the way Hoover looks at Karen with such love in his eyes. I know, he's a dog, but I'm telling you it's there. You can't see it in this picture but I thought this was a really good picture of the two together. Karen and I have so much in common, you would think that we were sisters sometimes...lol...we love to do crafts together, canning together, whatever comes our day in our daily doings. Karen is more like a friend than a cousin and once again, I am greatful for Family. A quote by an unknown author goes like this, " You don't stop laughing because you grow old; you grow old because you stop laughing." Thanks Karen for keeping me young...

Mama had a painting on her wall that I believe Gerry now has, it says.

God, grant me the serenity

To accept the things I cannot change;

The courage to change the things I can, and

Wisdom to know the difference.

I love this saying. It tells me that God is in control and if I ask for his help He will be there for me. He will send people into my life to help me through whatever I might be going thru....He will give me photo oppertunities to keep in rememberance of his great love. So please, pull out your cameras and enjoy all of Gods creations, the land, family, friends, pets whatever comes your way.

My Conversion Story....

My kids are always wanting me to update my blog but I have this major block as to what to write on it. As I was laying in bed this morning thinking about it the thought came to me to share this story. Many of you have already heard it, so I hope it doesn't bore you, but here goes...While Dale was on his mission he wrote me a letter saying that he had never heard my conversion story. How I had decided to become a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. It kind of suprised me but decided that i needed to sit down and tell it to him. It's not great are exciting, just a story of a couple of teenage kids trying to do what was right in their lives. I am so greatful for the day your dad came into my life. My hopes and prayers are that one day your prince are princess will come along and you will know in your heart that this is the right person to build your kingdom with...

Once upon a time...A long, long time ago your mother was Baptist. She was a good Baptist. She knew, even as a young lady that she needed Heavenly Father in her life. But being a teenager she also knew that she liked boys. Well, one day this prince came into her life. It wasn't the best of days since she ended up on the floor because this prince had pulled a chair out from underneath her, but it was a beginning. And so, this is where the story begins. Your teenage mother and then your teanage father began to date. They dated for many years. They went to eat Pizza at a place called Pizza Hut, they went to see movies like Jaws. They even went to a place called a Drive in Movie a few times. Dating was very exciting back then. The Prince loved Country and Western music and your mom liked everything else, so the battle was on as to which radio station we would listen to on these exciting dates. As your mother fell more and more in love with this Prince she wanted to spend more and more time with him. He had invited her to attend church with him on Sunday. He told her it was a church of Goodness and Love. He told her there was no other. Even though she had never heard of this religion before, she decided it was worth trying just to spend more time with this handsome Prince. As your mom and this prince dated over the years she often went with him to this foreign religion. They would say a prayer over the bread and water and she wasn't sure that she understood all of this but she new that she liked how she felt while she was there. Once, as the bread was being passed around your mother dropped the whole tray of bread. The people in this strange place still talked to her and welcomed her there each time she was there. Her baptist preacher was really worried about your mom, Aunt's, Uncle's ....They all tried to tell here what a terrible place this was, but your mother being of very strong will knew she liked what was going on in her life. She knew this strange religion was what made this Prince the person that he was. Never had a Prince been around your mom before and she knew that she would never find another as good and great as this Prince. Many missionaries had talked to your mom about this strange religion but in reality she was still just a teenager and it really didn't click just how important this religion was. After your mom and her Prince dated for abou 5 years the Prince finally went down on his knees and asked her to be his wife. So in the spring of 1982 they were united by the Bishop of this great church. She continued to go faithfully every Sunday with her prince to church. Then came this Elderly couple named the Wixoms and your mom grew close to them. They taught her the discussions and she listen. She prayed, read the scriptures just like they asked her to do. When they asked her would she commit to baptism she agreed. She knew that this was the wish of her Prince and that was what she wanted most, to make her Prince happy. So your mother was Baptized into The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. A year later The Prince wanted to take your mom to Utah to be Sealed to him forever in the Provo Temple. Once again she knew that was what her Prince wanted and nothing would make her happier than to please her Prince. But on that day as scary as it was for her, and still not sure of everthing, your mother became a Princess. She felt the spirit so strong in this wonderful place. She new without a doubt that this Prince was hers forever and that now they could start building their kingdom in a most righteous way. And so the story goes, The Prince and his Princess had 3 wonderful children. The life that they have lived together has all been because of the strength and testimony of this one single prince and the testimony in my Heart is because of this. It has grown stronger each day that I live. It didn't happen over night, I wasn't sure that my conversion was real. I did know that my Prince was real and that this fairy tale would have the perfect ending if I did what was in my heart because I knew that my Heavenly Father loved me very much and would not lead me astray. I can't hardly tell this story without my heart busting because of the Love I feel. I know without a doubt that I am in the right place and that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of God and that we have a prophet that stands at the head of our church today. Heavenly Father loves this family just as much as he loved any family back in the days of Noah, Moses, are Abraham. He would not put us here on this earth without help. And we have that help and guidance thru our Prophet today and everday. So, with the help of our Savior and King, this Prince and Princess and their kingdom will be together forever.

THE END

I'm gonna be a Grandma...actually a Nana.....

Ok so I never really know what I am going to write about when I decide to post so i grab a few pictures and go from there....First and most importand "I'M GONNA BE A GRANDMA" hope this is with the right picture of course, but yeah, we celebrated Jodi and Aaron's 1 year anniversary Sunday..Had left over cake and a new cake,,,and we also had left over gumbo from their wedding...I was smart enough to can some of the leftovers and there was just enough for all to enjoy...Thanks to David Caillier...mmmm mmmm Good....David didn't get home until about 6:30pm from work and as we all set around the table Kyle comes running in with a home pregnance test...my first thought was where in the world did he get this...then on to where is my glasses so that I can see what it said...I know, it finally clicked that Jodi and Aaron were the only two to get pregnant at my house that night and that she wouldnt have had Kyler bring it to us if it wasn't positive...so needless to say I still don't know where my glasses are...Thought it was kinda funny, we were all around Jodi getting hugs and such, cause that's how we roll, but Aaron says "Hey, I had something to do with this" I almost hugged you for that Aaron...but did a high five instead...just so you know it was worth a hug...i did notice that grandma Mary got one from you...haha...anyway, what more can i say,,,just imagine a little Jodi are a little Aaron next Christmas....makes me smile...
on to the other two pictures in my post...what a great Christmas we all had...It was sooooo good having everyone here for Christmas...With Dale and Chrissy so far away and Jodi and Aaron having 2 families now I think it all worked out great....We did eventually have to wind the Holidays down and Dale and Chrissy headed back to the books and looking for a job...David loves to travel in the winter so he invites me to a get away in Arkansas....we had 4 whole days to ourselves....we watched movies, read..snuggled by the fireplace and tried to stay warm...it was -2 degrees the morning that we actually headed home...David did some hiking..not for me when it is that cold..are for the most part at all...There was lots of beautiful sunsets and sunrises,,snow and ice to be seen...I had my moments when i was not a happy camper so think I will share one of those moments....to start I don't like traveling in the winter,,,hate it as a matter of fact...but went along for the fun..so we travel 9 hours to get to our cabin at the top of a mountain and it was great but as we hit the last two hills my truck is having much trouble getting up there...at one point we are at a standstill with David reving the engine, a sign to my left that says 7 people have died here and my fingernails in the door handle...we did make it to the top, i wondered for a bit why am i here, then enjoy the rest of the week ...until thurs. night got there and I started wondering how was i going to get back down those hills....I fussed a little to David..ok..maybe more than I should have...ended up very Sick in my stomach...crying, sick, can't stop shaking...i know having a breakdown is how i should put it..and David ask "Don't you trust me?" I said 'NO"...cried some more..not funny...then once again David looks me in the eyes and says "Don't you trust me?"I had to stop... how crazy am I? Here I am with a Man that has always taken care of me...more importantly holds the Priesthood, me praying saying help the ice to melt before we leave, and I realize that I needed to really excersice my Faith much more than I was...I was not doing a good Job at it at all..I realized that it is easy to say we have Faith in our Lord but sometimes much harder to actually lean on it...So I said yes...I do trust you, and I then I prayed for peace in my mind...David said he thought that I was snoring before I even hit the pillow, and I think that I was because I slept so good that night...not a worry in the world...I woke up with such peace and gratitude for my Heavenly Father and the Priesthood that my husband holds so that he will know what he should do...Needless to say, we made it down those hills and curves without a single problem...What a great week it was and such a learning experience and reminder of Having faith and really letting go and using that faith...so for now this is the end of my blog except to say Thanks Jodi for getting rid of the fall foliage and making me a pretty blog page...Love you all....mom