What's New

I wasn't sure if I would even remember how to log into my blog since it's been so long since I've written anything...time goes by soooo fast sometimes! Since October, Dora has grown by leaps and bounds. She had emergency surgery at the beginning of November because her two front teeth refused to fall out and became a serious problem. Three weeks later she went in to be fixed and she has surprised us with her energy. She has decided she likes to dig and now that the snow has started to fall and the weather has turned cold she picked a new place to file her claws...our leather sofa. I don't know why she does it or when...but we're just praying she keeps it to the sofa and doesn't move along to the love seat or chair. For now, new throw pillows are on our shopping list for Christmas. Dora actually loves the snow. She plays in it for hours and its almost impossible to keep her inside. She takes after her father!

Before the leaves fell, we took a drive through the mountains on the West side of Salt Lake. We came across some cows and it reminded me of the Rood Farm in Coos Bay. I remember feeding baby calves with a bottle once at the Rood Farm. I really like cows, isn't this one cute?
The past few weeks I've been learning my lines and loving my time serving in the Temple. It's such a beautiful place. Our schedules change every three months and right now I have the opportunity to work in the laundry for one hour during my 6 hour shift. I never thought doing laundry would be fun...but it really is. There is exactness in everything we do at the Temple-even when it comes to the laundry. I've also received a new calling in my ward. I've moved from teaching in Relief Society to serving as the Assistant Nursery Leader. I was so worried the children wouldn't like me...after all, my practice with the little ones is limited. But one Sunday after Sacrament meeting one of the kids ran to me and pulled me from my seat by the hand so I could take her to Nursery...along the way one of the little boys grabbed on to my leg as we walked out of the Chapel. It was a very special moment for me. I love serving in the Nursery and my only disappointment is that I wasn't called sooner. Sister Thulin has great things planned and I am so glad I get to help her fulfill her vision of what nursery time should be.
This past weekend we celebrated our 12th Wedding Anniversary! I think I married a pretty cool guy...I really like him! We also had the opportunity to drive to Idaho Falls to attend graveside services for Richard's Uncle. Uncle Lynn arrived home less than 3 months ago from a Temple Mission in Chile with his wife, Marion. The first week home he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. From the stories we've heard from his children, this was an amazing and spiritual time for his family. He was a great man who accomplished great things while serving the Lord during his life. Richard and I hope to do more in our lives to be like him.
Love to everyone! The Ogden's

October 19, 1986

Okay, so I look a little nervous...but with the dashing young missionaries close by, who wouldn't be? I just can't let a year go by without my many friends and "family" members knowing just how much I love them for bringing me to the Gospel! My life is truly fulfilled because of all of you-please know that I am forever thankful for the Coos Bay Ward.

Are We Friends Now?

So Dora and Copper have been having a "ruff" few weeks as they've had to adjust to getting to know each other and learn to live together peacefully. They have been playing well but struggle in the mornings because Copper isn't used to playing at 5 in the morning like Dora is. He's 9 and she's going on 3 months...they obviously struggle with sleep schedules. On Saturday before we headed out for a family outing, Richard and I were sitting on the living room floor playing with Dora and watching a movie while Copper took a nap on the sofa. After a few minutes, Dora wanted on the sofa too. She was kind of tuckered so I thought it wouldn't be a big deal if I put her on the opposite end and made sure she stayed away from Copper. If Copper has one rule in the house its not to bother him when he is asleep. I put her on the sofa and went back to watching the movie. A few minutes later when I went to check on Dora I found her laying next to Copper curled up and ready to fall asleep. I proceeded to watch and captured the following pictures. After watching this, we know they are finally forever buddies. I love my dogs!

Dora, wondering if Copper will notice...

Ogden BBQ Contest...

What started out as a friendly family BBQ cook off ended up being just another fun loving family BBQ! Richard decided he wanted to have a BBQ cook off with his family. He planned a night at his sisters where everyone could gather and cook an item to share. There was a ton of amazing food. We had three BBQ grills, several dutch ovens and a smoker all busy cooking delicious food. We ate and savored the flavors of dutch oven baked bread, dutch oven potatoes, different choices of grilled chicken and steak, smoked sausage in three flavors, Mexican salsa, green salad, baked beans and even hot dogs for the kids with picky tastes or just happened to love hot dogs. The adults gathered around visiting and the children played on the slip and slide. We had a wonderful time! What started out as a competition of sorts ended with us just spending an amazing night together...the competition never took place. WE ALL WON!

Richard setting up the table and Emmy wishing the food was ready
Sabrina and Abi playing with the camera

Karen, John and Suzanne preparing plates

smoked sausage...yummy

the SWEETEST steak in Utah

Grilled chicken in a Soy Sauce and Sprite marinade

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

Richard and I were able to spend some time this summer serving at the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple Open House. While Richard worked security and spent late nights cleaning the temple I had the opportunity to serve inside directing people to various places. One of my favorite locations was at the top of the double staircase just outside the Celestial Room. My favorite time was on a Monday night after the last guests had vacated the building. Our group was allowed to explore the temple and visit all the rooms on our own. It was the most amazing night of my life and I knew then that this was MY temple; a place I want to always make time for. On Thursday, August 6, 2009, I was set apart as an ordinance worker by the Oquirrh Mountain Utah Temple President. It was a beautiful blessing and I am thankful for the opportunity to serve. Today, August 21, 2009, Richard and I attended the first of nine dedicatory sessions. We sat in a room just down the hall from the Prophet. We laughed at his jokes and became teary eyed during the dedicatory prayer. It was another amazing moment in our lives and we will be forever grateful for the opportunity to be present as this wonderful building was dedicated. We truly are a blessed people...never forget that!

Dora's First Shots

We took Dora to Cottonwood Animal Hospital this week to start her series of shots. We decided it would be best to start them over, because the breeder couldn't give us any specific information and it seemed unlikely that they even had any completed. Dora now weighs 6 pounds 10 ounces! She's eating well, playing hard, getting along better with Copper and mastering the doggy door. Here are some pictures of our adventure...Here is Dora hanging out next to Richard in the exam room while waiting for Dr. CarpenterCopper came along for moral support!

Dora decided the wait was too long and took a nap. She's sooooo cute!

This is Dora getting a shot-they distracted her by giving her treats. She didn't feel a thing.

This is Dora with Dr. Carpenter...we love her and think she's the best Vet in the world!

We are hoping to have her completely potty trained soon. It started out great and then turned south this past week. Now that she understands she can get in and out of the house on her own-we hope to speed things up. I hope to have a video to post soon-she's fun to watch play!

It's A Girl!!!

Look, everyone jumps the gun at some point in their life. In our attempts to make things normal we sometimes just don't think things through, right? Or is it just me? Well, whatever it is you do or don't do in your life, jumping the gun was the case with me when only two weeks after the death of Macy, I went out to "look" at some beagle pups in an attempt to bring normalcy back to our home. I really only wanted to "look"-but looking can be hard when they're just so darn cute and cuddly. And what about our attempt at normalcy? It's anything but that! Our nights are now filled with potty training and our days our filled with potty training and avoiding this puppy's new teeth. Copper, now known as, "the other dog" doesn't like her much and never misses a chance to let her know. Richard spent the first few days telling me she was "my dog" which translates into: I'm not helping with any of the training! It's been a little overwhelming-but...I'm blessed with a wonderful ward family! More than one person has offered to come into our home twice a day to play and help potty train my little girl. She's not stressed, we're not stressed and the transition is starting to become easier for everyone. Although, the tension still exists with Copper, our Vet said it will be just a few more weeks before they're the best of friends. She says that, Dora (Richard named her) will make a great addition to our family! I think so too and hope to keep you updated on our progress. Little Dora was born June 2, 2009 and currently weighs only 5 pounds! I love her!

Dora likes to sleep on her back...
she also likes to snuggle with her blanket!

Gospel Friends

A few days after Macy died, I had the opportunity to fly to Oregon and visit with my "gospel friends" from High School. These are the people I speak about so often in my current ward. They brought me to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Their parents all took a place at the table and helped me become the woman I am today. The Parker family became my family-Judy and Giles became my parents. I often talk about how Giles' name is on every important piece of paper that I need in my life. From my High School Diploma to my Seminary Certificate. I have his signature on my first Temple Recommend and my Marriage Certificate...they will forever be my "mama and papa." The beautiful ladies and the one lone male in the photograph above are people I wish everyone could have in their lives. We honestly love each other and regardless of the time that goes by between visits, they all have an important place in my life. During lunch one day, a coworker said "we shouldn't worry about the people from our past because there's a reason they didn't make it to our future." I thought about that for a long time...as some of you know, I lost my memory in a car accident several years ago. I've often spoken on the importance of journal keeping because it was my journals that reconnected me to my past. It's true that there will always be something mentioned when visiting people that I knew before 1998 that I will never be able to recall-but for the first time in my life...I'm so grateful that my past finally caught up to me. I can't imagine what my future would be like without these wonderful people in my life. I love all of you and thank you for your examples of love, courage, strength and friendship. My time with you this month is everything my journals from high school promised it would be. I love you all very much! And for the record, a member of the ward came up to Richard and I before sacrament meeting and after introducing myself he told me that our group was "legendary in these parts. We've never seen a conversion explosion like that in this state since." Darn right...and we have a New Era documenting the whole thing!

Life With Macy 2000-2009

In the fall of 2000, Richard took me to a farm in Draper, Utah because he was trying to convince me that we needed a dog. I didn't want a dog...but this little "runt" was the last to come crawling out of her box with all of her brothers and sisters, and... well, she stole my heart. I knew I had to have her, even though the breeder insisted she wasn't cute enough to take. We visited her at the farm every week until finally the breeder got sick of us and just let us take her home. When leaving he made it a point to tell us that he would fully refund our money if she died within the next 2 weeks. I thought he was a jerk and I was glad she was coming home to our house. She loved kisses and hugs and everyone fell in love with her when they met her. She filled our void of not having children of our own-and that probably showed to a lot of people. But we didn't care. We loved her and would do anything for her. She loved to go on walks and visit the neighbor dogs along the way-we were even in the process of planning a big summer B-Day Party for Macy and her brother, Copper, with all the other pups in the neighborhood. She didn't like my singing and would always stand on my chest and lick my face until I stopped. She had fun when we took her to Yellowstone...she would stand in the back window of the car and bark at the Bison and growl like she was going to attack them-it was the funniest thing to see! She was the most beautiful dog in the world and we know she knew it. Macy was one of a kind and we'll miss her always! Below are a few pictures that reflect our short time with Macy.

The first time we painted our walls, Macy contributed by pulling the painters tape off the baseboards for us. She was always a good little helper!
She even assisted us with yard work after the summer storms would pass by.

She loved pillows and didn't think it was a big deal if she messed up the bed just to find that perfect spot to sleep!
She never cared much for Santa! This was her first Christmas and Santa was never invited back to our house again!
This is a picture of Macy with her brother Copper. Richard found Copper while working in Jackson Hole and couldn't wait to bring him home to be a part of the family. He's missing his sister a lot these days but we're so glad Copper is with us and we hope to see him happy again sometime soon. We miss you, Macy!

Happy Birthday America

I took this picture of the flag flying over Fort McHenry facing Baltimore Harbor-how many of us know the history behind our National Anthem?

Francis Scott Key was a poet and a PATRIOT. During the war with England in 1812, he boarded a British ship in Baltimore Harbor under a flag of truce with the hope of securing the release of his good friend, Dr. William Beanes. Dr. Beanes had been captured by the British. They had expected to return to shore quickly but the British fleet was preparing to attack Fort McHenry and they both were detained on the the ship for the night. "In the darkness of the night, the two men had no way of knowing whether the enemy attack had been successful. But at the first light of dawn, they could see the American flag still waving from Fort McHenry. Their relief and gratitude were overwhelming, and Francis Scott Key immediately began to write, "The Star-Spangled Banner." This poet and PATRIOT "transformed one suspenseful night into words that symbolize for all Americans not only the sacrifices that have been made for freedom but also the vigilance with which this blessing must be guarded." (Karen Lynn Davidson)
With that I say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!" And to the many men and women serving our country within or outside the walls of the USA-I say "THANK YOU!" Please know that your diligent service and sacrifice for all of us does not go unnoticed.
We miss you, Jacob Bowden, and you will be in our prayers always as you serve us proudly in Afghanistan!!! Today when asked who in our family was serving overseas...Richard proudly said, "my brother." He loves you so much-Aunt Sabrina and Uncle Richard!!!

Baseball Temple Trip 2009

Richard and I fell in love with Baseball a couple of years ago, when we decided to catch a game at Camden Yards-Home of the Baltimore Orioles! Ever since then, we've wanted to see a game in every stadium...and add a temple in the area to the trip. While visiting with our friends down the street last year-we found that they had the same interest-which led to our first Baseball Temple Trip last month. The trip took us to the cities of San Diego-Home to the Padres, Anaheim-Home to the Angels, and Los Angeles-Home of the Dodgers. We visited LDS Temples in San Diego, Newport and Los Angeles. In between these attractions, we visited a place in San Diego with the best seafood around~stopped and grave yard hunted for my mother's grave in El Cajon Cemetery, a place I haven't been to since I was 4 years old~we had a blast at Universal Studios~dropped by West Coast Choppers in Long Beach~walked the stores at Coronodo Island~Watched the firworks from Disneyland every night from our Hotel and still never had the desire to go inside the gate~shopped the stores at the Garden Walk~and finally, walked the Hollywood Walk of Fame! We brought luck to the home teams and a curse upon the stars! We watched a fireworks tribute to the late great Michael Jackson at Dodger Stadium and grew silent at the magnificent size of the inside of the Los Angeles Temple! We ate Hot Dogs and Garlic Fries and sang at the seventh-inning stretch~and we stood in silence with 51,000 fans for Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson. It was amazing and memorable.

Father's Day 2009

I LOVE YOU, DAD!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

THINKING ABOUT THE MONTH OF MAY...

As I was finishing packing for a trip to Southern Cal, I couldn't help but think of how much fun the month of May was. We actually did quite a bit but I didn't bother to blog about any of it. For the sake of remembrance and just in case anyone is interested-I'll give the short version!

I made a great Honey Citrus Glazed Baked Salmon! Yummy

We went to Nevada to watch a very good friend be sworn in as a Family Court Judge and even ate at one our favorite places: Memphis BBQ! Really Yummy!!!

We (meaning Richard and my father-in-law) made a pine wood derby car so I could participate in our ward's Annual Pine Wood Derby Night! My (our) car was named "The Gangsta" because of the AWESOME style I chose. Isn't she pretty?

The car that everyone said would be too slow to win because of its boxy look ended up taking Second Place! Not bad for my first Derby, eh? At the end, I went head to head with another to see who had the fastest car. Guess who took First Place? You guessed it-Richard! We totally surprised ourselves!!! But at least I have one picture showing that I had a faster time for one of the races! Can you tell I'm proud?
And that's the month of May for us! I'll be back sometime soon with pictures from our trip to the California Coast!!!!

Family Pictures 2009

We've never really had a "family" picture before. Mostly because we don't have children and I think it would look totally silly if Richard and I took pictures of ourselves frequently to hang on the wall. So what prompted us to do it this year? One of the Gifford boys was selling a session for the lovely price of 12 BUCKS! That's right, 12 BIG ONES! We couldn't pass it up-mostly because the dogs are getting up there in age and a picture with them is worth any price- especially 12 BUCKS! The session went very quickly-as you can see from the picture above. Poor Richard didn't even get a chance to take off his coat and the dogs never made it out of their leash restraints. Two weeks later we showed up to look at our pictures and I was shocked when they nailed an 11x14 photo into a really ugly picture frame WITHOUT me even getting the chance to approve it! Worse, they only had the larger photo-the one not worth looking at- and the one above to buy copies of! It made me a little concerned-actually it made me REALLY concerned because the photographer took about a dozen shots and could only find 2 for me to look at! I think its time to call a professional because you know its a sad day when the only photos worth buying has a shadow covering half of your face! I still think it's kinda cute-Enjoy!

Happy May Day

These Pictures are from our day @ Thanksgiving Point

in Lehi, Utah. Richard and I decided to spend

the day at the Tulip Festival. We had never been

but we had aways seen the signs-

so we decided to go this year!

It was our date night and after walking

through the 55 acre gardens with over 4 miles of

beautiful winding paths we went to our

favorite Steak House for dinner-because after that much

walking, who doesn't need some hearty good food?

TRIVIA: Did you know that during the Middle Ages,

a single tulip bulb sold for the equivalent

of $5.5 million dollars?

I remember when I was in Girl Scouts, we used to get

together with our group and make baskets

of flowers and then run through the neighborhood

delivering our May Day Wishes by ringing

doorbells and running to hide. If I remember correctly,

I considered it to be super fun!

Consider this my May Day gift to you!

"For the Love of Chocolate" A Tribute to Gail Hoppie Pack

I've debated with myself for a couple of weeks now on whether or not I should blog about this...its not everyday I talk about funerals or funeral luncheons...but this one was so touching and sincere and full of love I had to share it with others. These are pictures of just some of the table decorations found at Aunt Gail's funeral luncheon. They were made with love by her best friend and put on display with the help of many other friends and sisters in her ward. Richard and I had to leave after the burial but my heart really filled with joy when I saw these pictures...its been in my mind non stop since then and all I've done is tell my friends about what her friend did for her. This was an incredible tribute of love for Gail. I can only imagine how her family felt when they entered this room. What a great gift to them. They knew at that moment that their mother, grandmother, sister, aunt and wife was not only loved; they knew that she was known. This friend and this ward FAMILY turned a day of sadness into a day of laughter and fun filled memories. This was inspiring...It makes me want to KNOW my friends and family better-everyone attending the luncheon recieved a candy bar wrapped with an image of Gail next to her favorite quote and all of her children and brothers and sisters were able to take home a tile sign to remember her by. Every time I go to Richard's parents home, I will read the tile sign displayed and smile remembering Aunt Gail. I wish we could all love and share it with others the way this BEST FRIEND did.