Dear Blog Friends ,How are you? I hope that you are having a lovely Sunday. I am not feeling too well today and stayed home from church. Even though I have been watching KBYU on TV all morning and have been able to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and see wonderful inspirational programs, I miss going to church. I miss the spirit I feel there. I miss seeing my friends. I miss the love I feel there. I miss taking the Sacrament and renewing the covenants I've made with the Lord.
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In Deut. 5:12 we are told to Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
In Mark 2:27 the scripture that says
"The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath."
I believe that.
Attending church on Sunday gives me a spiritual boost that carries me through the week.
When I don't attend church on Sunday I feel a void all through the coming week.
I am sure that those of you who attend church regularly know what I am talking about. For those of you who do not go to church regularly I invite you to do so. I think you will be amazed at what a day of rest and worship can do for you.
1. Attending church makes me smile.
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My last three Sunday Six smile maker posts have been about our joy of adopting precious little Calan. However, other things happened during that wonderful visit to Utah that also had me beaming. I would like to share some of those with you today.
2. Our 12 year old Johnny makes me smile.
A couple of days after we arrived in Utah, Johnny packed up his bags, waved goodbye to us and headed off to Colorado to compete in a regional gymnastic meet.
He earned the right to compete there because he had won first place on 4 events at the Utah State competition. In fact he won a scholarship at the Utah state level that provided the finances for him to compete at regionals.
At regionals Johnny got a gold medal on the rings and silver medals for the high bar and his floor exercise. He also won a scholarship to attend a gymnastics camp at the Olympic training center in Colorado this summer.
I just found this newspaper picture of Johnny on the rings on his Aunt Tricia's blog.
She says that it was on the first page of their local paper.
How cool is that!!!! Thanks Tricia... I didn't know about it...Lynell didn't tell me.
Way to go Johnny!!!
Your hours of hard work at the gym are surely paying off!! You make us smile.
Your hours of hard work at the gym are surely paying off!! You make us smile.
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3. Johnny's coach, Gabe, makes me smile.
We met Gabe several years ago when Johnny first started competing. He is a great coach and very supportive. However.... Gabe blew me away on this last trip to Utah.
I am used to seeing Gabe at the gym or at competitions dressed in tee-shirts and gym pants the way he looks standing below Johnny in the picture I posted right above the newspaper picture.
However on this trip I got to see Gabe in a Tuxedo.Gabe is a vocal music major at Heber State College.
While we were with Johnny at the gym he showed Grampy how to do a Giant on the high bar.
I was impressed at how quickly Grampy learned to do it with such style and form.
Until I got a better look at the picture.
Oh Grampy....you make me smile!!!
5. Lonica and Amanda make me smile
Lonica and my little blog friend, Amanda had a major dance competition in Logan the same weekend Johnny went to Colorado for the gymnastics regionals.
It was a 12 hour drive from Utah to Colorado and about an hour and a half drive to Logan.
Since we couldn't attend both competitions, we opted to go to Logan.
We got to watch Loni, Amanda and the rest of the girls from her dance studio compete.
Both Loni and Amanda won "Queen" in their divisions for their solo dances.
This was Lonica's first time to compete in the advanced category.
We were thrilled that she won Queen in the 9 to 12 year old division.
The next day all of the advanced Queens from every division had to compete against each other.
As I mentioned, this is Loni's first year to compete at the advanced level.
She did not want to compete against all the other advanced Queens.
She had just turned 10 the week before.
She did not want to compete against girls 7 and 8 years older.
She said she would be embarrassed going against 18 year old advanced dancers.
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Lynell told her it would be good experience for her.
She told her to not be a quitter...to do her best and not worry about it.
So Loni did....It was hard for her but she did as her mother told her to do.
And She Won!!!
She got high points and was named
Utah dancer of the year!!
Her picture will be on the cover of that competition's Dance Program next year.
We couldn't believe it and we are so proud of her.
I am amazed that my grandchildren can be so athletically talented when I am such a clutz!!Obviously they don't take after me.
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6. Marta's pictures make me smile
I love this picture of Calan
Marta is a photographer friend of my Erin.
She did darling pictures of our little Cal as a gift for Erin.
They turned out so cute.
Go over to her blog, More Than Memories Photography, to see the rest of the pictures and leave her a comment.
If you do leave a comment for Marta let me know and I will give you an extra chance to win my give-away.
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Don't forget to leave me a comment for my
I want to give you a Barnes and Noble and a Starbucks gift card.
(See my last post)
All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment before this Wed.
You can get extra chances to win by entering my citrus fruit contest.
(see my last post)
and by leaving Marta a comment.
I will pick the winner this coming Wednesday morning.
Have a great week. Love, Lura
He invited us and "his boys" from the gym to attend his senior recital.
I was blown away by his beautiful voice!
He thrilled us by singing a whole program of beautiful operatic arias...most of them in foreign languages. It was amazing. My mouth was gaping open.
Johnny had told me that Gabe often plays opera music at the gym while the boys are working out but...Who knew his gymnastics coach is an outstanding opera singer???
I am amazed and smiling every time I think about it.
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4. Grampy makes me smile
While we were with Johnny at the gym he showed Grampy how to do a Giant on the high bar.I was impressed at how quickly Grampy learned to do it with such style and form.
Until I got a better look at the picture.
Oh Grampy....you make me smile!!!5. Lonica and Amanda make me smile
Lonica and my little blog friend, Amanda had a major dance competition in Logan the same weekend Johnny went to Colorado for the gymnastics regionals.It was a 12 hour drive from Utah to Colorado and about an hour and a half drive to Logan.
Since we couldn't attend both competitions, we opted to go to Logan.
We got to watch Loni, Amanda and the rest of the girls from her dance studio compete.
Both Loni and Amanda won "Queen" in their divisions for their solo dances.This was Lonica's first time to compete in the advanced category.
We were thrilled that she won Queen in the 9 to 12 year old division.
The next day all of the advanced Queens from every division had to compete against each other.As I mentioned, this is Loni's first year to compete at the advanced level.
She did not want to compete against all the other advanced Queens.
She had just turned 10 the week before.
She did not want to compete against girls 7 and 8 years older.
She said she would be embarrassed going against 18 year old advanced dancers.
...
Lynell told her it would be good experience for her.
She told her to not be a quitter...to do her best and not worry about it.
So Loni did....It was hard for her but she did as her mother told her to do.
And She Won!!!
She got high points and was named
Utah dancer of the year!!
Her picture will be on the cover of that competition's Dance Program next year.We couldn't believe it and we are so proud of her.
I am amazed that my grandchildren can be so athletically talented when I am such a clutz!!Obviously they don't take after me.
...
6. Marta's pictures make me smile
I love this picture of Calan
Marta is a photographer friend of my Erin.
She did darling pictures of our little Cal as a gift for Erin.
They turned out so cute.
Go over to her blog, More Than Memories Photography, to see the rest of the pictures and leave her a comment.
If you do leave a comment for Marta let me know and I will give you an extra chance to win my give-away.
...
Don't forget to leave me a comment for my
I want to give you a Barnes and Noble and a Starbucks gift card.(See my last post)
All you have to do to enter is leave me a comment before this Wed.
You can get extra chances to win by entering my citrus fruit contest.(see my last post)
and by leaving Marta a comment.
I will pick the winner this coming Wednesday morning.
Have a great week. Love, Lura
