Christmas in Utah

Merry Merry Merry Christmas! This was our winter pose and our summer pose for our Christmas card since our family is split between Utah and California. Kyle and I love this time of year when we get to spend so much time with family and friends. This is Ben's first Christmas home from his mission and the first time in 4 years our family has all been together for Christmas so we are spending it here in Utah with my family. We did Christmas on Monday night with Kyle's parents over the web cam. That was so much fun and we loved being able to share christmas with them still. We hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday and knows how much we love and appreciate each of you.

Moving In His Majesty and Power

SO I just finished reading this book called, "Moving in His Majesty & Power" by Neal A. Maxwell and it was wonderful. It was a very, very quick read. It's a really small book but the insight and knowledge that come from that man are anything but small. I wanted to share a few quotes from one of his chapters.

"We must not quite trying. If we do, then the natural man has won another battle, and we are, in effect acknowledging that the doctrine of hope does not amount to much... Refraining from giving up on others is, therfore, a special form of giving."

I hope during this season of giving and year around that we can give the gift of hope to our friends, family and to ourselves by not giving up on each other during times of struggle.

"Do we, therefore, really seek to assess the various forms of bondage that we have allowed to afflict us? These chains may not by visible, but they are there and are experienced, such as chronic grumpiness and untamed egos, etc. Drugs and pornography now enslave millions more than were physically enslaved in the American South before and during the Civil War. It is very difficult to leave the bondage of these "plantations."

I've never thought that we could be in bondage to a character trait like grumpiness but it's so true. Now that I think about it it's totally obvious. I also thought it interesting to process the fact that more people are enslaved to drugs and pornography now than were people in the Civil War!. This is truly a spiritual war we are fighting in the last days. So many people are so horrified by the enslavement of blacks (and rightfully so) but how many of us are just as horrified by the bonds satan has placed on all of mankind. How do we prevent and protect ourselves from being enslaved? The television has become increasingly worse. Are we offended or do we change the channel when a commercial, show or movie comes on that has sexual content or may cause us to not have pure thoughts? Slavery begins by being casual. I hope that we all can fight the War against Satan for our freedom just as we fought for it physically during the Civil War. And just as we won the Civil War we will win this spiritual battle as well.

This was an excellent book! Every chapter was on a different subject and like I said it was a quick read. You could get through it in 2 hours if you were to sit down and read straight through.

Sweden!

Maybe it's the cold weather returning but for some reason I have been thinking a lot about Sweden lately and how beautiful of a country it truly is. If you ever go to Europe on vacation it would be a tragedy to miss out on the beauty of Sweden and Norway. I hope I can make it back there someday and take my family, I miss it. Here are a few pictures that I took on my mission of the landscape and buildings. Hope you enjoy.

Those who know me know I love the sky so there will be a few of these. THere is something about the clouds and sky there that is amazing. Because your on top of the world literally, the sky felt so much bigger, almost as if you could see it moving around the world.

A view from my bike as we were riding up a hill. Probably biked 40 miles that day

Road from a bus stop

Field of flowers

Can you believe the colors in the sky. (Katrineholm) This picture was not enhanced.

Trail we walked daily in Västerås

Im blurry cuz I was running but wow it was beautiful

A typical sunset in Katrineholm in the winter

Fall in the kyrkogård (graveyard)

Stockholm is covered in water, Its made of small islands


Stockholm Temple


Stockholm, part of the Palace


Just to prove it was freezing. We were waiting for the bus

A little Slot (castle) in one of my areas.