I'm sick.

Like, really sick. So achey that even my hair follicles hurt. I bucked up and went to our ward talent show tonight with my new roomie, Alexis, and on the way, we picked up my neighbor, Dan. After the activity, he invited us over to his house for ice cream and since I have made it a point to never turn down an invitation to be social this semester, Alexis and I graciously accepted. Whilst there, the guys noticed I wasn't feeling the greatest and asked what I needed. I asked for a priesthood blessing and that is what I got. Ryjan anointed my head with consecrated oil, set apart for the blessing and healing of the sick, and Tom gave me a beautiful blessing in which I was told that as I had faith in my body and took the necessary steps to make myself healthy that I would be blessed with the ability and strength to do all the things I need to. How grateful I am for the priesthood of our god-- the ability of man on earth to act in God's name. I am grateful for worthy men who hold this authority and for the blessings of healing, comfort, and council I have received at their hands.

The other neat aspect of this experience is that Alexis, who was baptized last year, and Dan, who was baptized three years ago, who has not yet been ordained an elder in the melchizadek priesthood, were both there. They felt the spirit, and it opened up an opportunity for me to explain to Alexis the way blessings work. Previously she had only received blessings of comfort, so for her to learn that she could call on the power of the priesthood for blessings of healing when she was sick was really fantastic.

This whole experience reminded me of this talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. Watch it. It's superb.

So there you have it-- I'm thankful for the Priesthood, good neighbors, chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, new roommates, and teaching opportunities. Life is good-- even when you're sick.

A thankful Heart

I'm at this wonderful point in my life called young adulthood. I've fallen in love a time or two, traveled, studied abroad, served a mission, had my heart broken, discovered several things I'm good at-- and even more that I need to work on, been lucky enough to make a few really wonderful lifelong friends, and blessed with amazing testimony-building experiences which have made completely clear in my mind and my heart that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is 100% true. By every definition of the word I am blessed... Not to mention my fantastic forever family. Seriously, they're amazing.

In an effort to jump back into the blogging world and to continue documenting my young wonderful life, I will be posting at minimum one post a week expressing grattitude for the tender mercies the Lord bestows on me... After all, Izaak Walton said,

"God has two dwellings; one in heaven, and the other in a meek and thankful heart."

This week, I am thankful for:

Daily scripture study and the weekly opportunity to partake of the sacrament

The temple that is five minutes up the road from me

Sewing and creating beautiful things

Amazing friends like Jenn S., Bethany H., Rob B., and Aubin P. whom I get to see often

Good music on Pandora

My life experiences which give me wisdom, memories, and perspective.

What are you grateful for? Take thirty seconds and make a list... Try it, you'll like it!

"Do the Mormon Rap..."

J'adore Octobre!

This is why I love October...

It is the perfect weather to be outside in, so momma, Cam, Audrey, and me went to Canton where we people can go to buy the things they never knew they wanted...
This picture pretty much says it all... It's kindoa like one big garage sale on the one side, and on the other side, people sell the things they've made-- like a big craft fair! While I loved both sides, Mom and Cam only liked the craft side!

After walking and walking and walking, we sat down to take a quick rest... Audrey was completely worn out by this point!

This is the before picture of the stroller. It has a baby in it... and that's normal.

Here's the after picture of the stroller... No baby... Lots of stuff!

Ahh, there she is-- looking cute as can be! Sassy little thing in the Sassy baby 'store'

Group shot!

Orange Pumpkins are one of my favorite things of all time. I love orange, and pumpkins wear the color so well! We went to the farmer's market Saturday and we each picked out a pumpkin!
There were lots to choose from...

Jensen family picture!

Audrey was the cutest little witchey-poo, and loved the pumpkins!

Lance was even with us :) :) :)

Family picture! It was early in the morning so the sun was in a bad spot... but I love this photo!

Look at that bird... he was just perched on the wheel!

General Conference is the first weekend of October, and i love general conference! I love conference because it's a time to listen to the Lord's prophet and apostles' counsel for us. I love conference because it is a time to spend a good solid weekend with family. I love conference because it is the most uplifting weekend of the year!

Audrey playing with Grandpa's hat... So cute!

Rock-a-bying with Uncle Trev.

...And holding on for dear life with mama.

I love October!

A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief

Hath often crossed me on my way,

Who sued so humbly for relief

That I could never answer nay...

On Saturday, Bethany, Lance, and I drove twenty minutes to Carthage, IL. It was here Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were killed by a cowardly group of men with painted faces. The two leaders of 'The Mormons' were being held in the Carthage, IL jail under false and shady charges. When the mob stormed the jail, the four men, including John Taylor and Willard Richards, were sitting ducks for the angry men who had guns. Hyrum was shot in the face through the door and was immediately killed. Joseph, who was sitting on the window ledge, was shot and fell through the window. John Taylor was saved by the bullet that hit his pocket watch and stopped it from piercing his heart. He would go on to become the third president of the church. After the mob left the room John would save Willard Richard's life by dragging and hiding him under a pile of straw in the cell next to them. This was the most sobering part of our Nauvoo trip.

This is the window through which Joseph fell after he was shot.

This is the door to the room where the four men were 'imprisoned' at the time they were charged by the mob. You can see a hole if you look closely at the middle pannel on the right side of the door. It is this bullet-hole that is suspected to be the hole through which Hyrum was fatally shot.

And this is the cell where Willard Richards was dragged by John Taylor. People now speculate that the straw helped coagulate the bleeding from his bullet wounds, and probably saved his life.

Bethany volunteered to take a survey about her Carthage experience and as a 'thank you' received a Mo-Tab 'Priase to the Man' CD...
She was thrilled!

This couple couldn't do the tour because of their chairs, so a sister missionary gave them a verbal/picture tour. I thought that was really special :)

This stone was on the jail grounds... Kind of interesting-- It says, "From Nauvoo Temple"... I wish I knew the story behind this- Our missionary guide didn't really know anything about it.


Before we headed back to Nauvoo to see the senior missionary show, Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, we stopped for lunch at The Towne House Restaurant. An interesting experience... The food wasn't great, the service wasn't great, and then the thought occured to me-- we were supporting the town that killed Joseph Smith. So, anything that was good was spoiled by that thought... Lame, huh?

The menu cover

Lance's salad had GREEN ranch dressing on it. And it tasted funny. Needless to say, he didn't finish it...

We had our waitress take this picture of the three of us-- Pretty much, the look on Lance's face sums up our experience with this restaurant!

Praise to the man who communed with Jehovah!
Jesus annointed that Prophet and Seer.
Blessed to open the last dispensation,
Kings shall extol him, and nations revere.


Hail to the Prophet, ascended to heaven!
Traitors and tyrants now fight him in vain.
Mingling with Gods, he can plan for his brethren;
Death cannot conquer the hero again.

I Love to See the Temple...

I'm going there someday.
To feel the holy spirit,
to listen and to pray.
For the temple is a house of God,
a place of love and beauty.
I'll prepare myself while I am young.
This is my sacred duty.

I love to see the temple
I'll go inside someday.
I'll covenant with my father,
I'll promise to obey.
For the temple is a house of God,
Where we can be together.
As a child of God, I've learned this truth:
A family is forever!

Saturday morning, Lance, Bethany, and I went to the Nauvoo temple to do baptisms. It was such a wonderful and peaceful experience. Here are a few pictures...

The welcoming sign in front of the temple... And look at those beautiful flowers!


I really do love to see the temple!


The Nauvoo temple was rebuilt in 2002. I remember going to the open house with my mom and my sister... It was wonderful to go back inside again. The baptismal font is really beautiful, and there is a feeling there which is unsurpassed by any other place on earth. While sitting in the chapel before doing baptisms, I came across hymn #283, The Glorious Gospel Light Has Shone,

1. The glorious gospel light has shone
In this the latter day
With such intelligence that none
From truth need turn away.
The precious things which had been sealed
And from the world kept hid,
The Lord has to his Saints revealed
As anciently he did.

2. And thru the priesthood now restored
Again prepared the way
Thru which the dead may hear his word
And all his laws obey.
As Christ to spirits went to preach
Who were to prison led,
So many Saints have gone to teach
The gospel to the dead.

3. And we for them can be baptized,
Yes, for our friends most dear,
That they can with the just be raised
When Gabriel’s trump they hear;
That they may come with Christ again
When he to earth descends,
A thousand years with him to reign,
And with their earthly friends.

4. Now, O ye Saints, rejoice today
That you can saviors be
Of all your dead who will obey
The gospel and be free.
Then let us rise without restraint
And act for those we love,
For they are giving their consent
And wait for us to move.

This song brought tears to my eyes and helped me remember what everything is all about. It made me so thankful for the plan of salvation. I am so thankful for my eternal family, and the chance I have to do work for my ancestors. I am so thankful I will one day know all those who have come before me... I can't wait to meet those who have made sacrifices on my behalf without even knowing me. This song reminded me of how thankful I am for my heritage.

The beautiful flowers were present all throughout the temple grounds... I am so thankful for the flowers and the beauty they bring to the earth!


This was Lance's first time to go into the temple. I think he had a wonderful spiritual experience! Right before this picture was taken, bethany was stung by a bee who was flying around the flowers, polinating... ouch!


We have been best friends since third grade... that's twelve years! I am so thankful for her... She's been such a wonderful part of my life, always a good influence, and we have made a lot of really wonderful memories together :)

Life in Old Nauvoo...

One of the neatest things about Nauvoo is being able to see what life was like in the mid 1800's for the Saints... Here are a few of the highlights:

Browning's Gunshop:

"Browning influenced nearly all categories of firearms design. He invented or made significant improvements to single-shot rifles, lever action rifles, and slide action firearms. His most significant contributions were in the area of autoloading firearms. He developed the autoloading pistol by inventing the slide design found on nearly every modern automatic handgun.

...Browning belonged to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and served a two-year mission in Georgia beginning on March 28, 1887. His father Jonathan Browning, who was among the thousands of pioneers in the mass exodus from Nauvoo to Utah."

-Wikipedia

The Print Shop:

It was amazing to see all the work involved in printing the weekly newspaper The Expositor and the monthly or bi-monthly paper The Times and Seasons. What really impressed me about this place was learning about how threatened the mobs were by the press in Nauvoo. When they came and raided the thriving town, the first thing they did was burn the 'furniture' (the wood blocks used to space and set the letters that comprised the paper, without which, the press could not print anything.) Truely a testament of the importance of the written word. It kindoa makes you wonder: If the mormons were just kooks in the first place, why were they so threatend by the saints' ability to communicate?


Riser Boot Shop:
At Nauvoo's peak, there were thirteen shoeshops. Thats my kind of town! ...and all of them managed to stay quite busy! Did you know there were no "right shoes" and "left shoes"? There were only sizes- that way if one wore out, you only had to replace one shoe. Also, they rotated the shoes- one day shoe one on the right foot, shoe two on the left. The next day, shoe two on the right foot, shoe one on the left foot. They did this to slow down the wearing out process... Pretty ingeneous, huh?! The whole time we were learning about the Saints, I was constantly amazed at their ingenuity and knack for innovation. They definately had provident living down!


The Blacksmith's Shop:

Home of the "Prarie Diamonds", Webb Brother's Blacksmith Shop is where horse and oxen shoes were made, along with a lot of other important tools of the day. This is also where wagons were made and constructed. Did you know that the wagons the Saints used to cross the plains to Utah were only 3' X 11'? They could cary about 2,000 pounds, 1,000 of which was supposed to be food. The other 1,000 pounds was divided abong sewing, tools, a few personal effects, plows, etc. It was here that the missionary who was explaining the process of making wagon wheels said,

"We are a lot like wagon wheels- we have a lot going on, but if we remain anchored in the Savior, we will be able to keep it all together."

What he was talking about was this:
If you'll notice, the spokes are all interlocked with the middle part. The middle part is Christ- if we can keep all our spokes (errands, problems, friends, families, church callings, work, etc.) connected to Christ and our personal testimony of Jesus Christ, our savior, we will be able to be a part of something larger an, we'll be able to keep it all together. I thought that was a really wonderful annalogy :)


The Ox and Wagon Ride:
So, I found out here, that oxen are just cows. They aren't a specific breed of cows, they're just cows. There are certain requirements a cow has to meet to be considered an ox- they are as follows:

*An adult male, castrated*
*Four years old (they grow 'till they're six)*
*Oxen must be broken into walking in a pair with a yoke *
*They must know the oxen commands*

How interesting! An ox anywhere in the world knows the same commands... Love it!

The Brickyard:

Never have I realized the time and effort that goes into making a single brick. I have a whole new appreciation for all those old "run down" brick buildings that I used to cringe at the sight of. A brick is made of one part sand and three parts clay. First, a brick is molded, after that they are placed on the side to keep the moisture from settling. They are turned from side to side every day until the brick air dries to a lovely salmon color. This is called "hacking" the brick- You may know someone who "just couldn't hack it" at something they did, well this is where that term comes from... cool! The good people of Nauvoo give out these souvenier bricks to each family... They said they make 40,000 at the begining of this summer. That's a lot of hacking!

I am so thankful for the early saints and all the faith they had in The Lord. I am thankful for their diligence and hard work- I am especially thankful for the trials they endured for their faith, because hearing their stories has strengthened my testimony. These people were and truely are amazing...

"On the Road, Late at Night... The Highway is so Inviting"

On Thursday 23 July, Team BAnSea departed Dallas after getting oil changed, picking Bethany up, and jam-packing Jony. We headed up I-75 and began our journey through Oklahoma, Missouri, into Iowa, and on to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here is what the trip up there looked like--

I started off driving, drove for a few hours, then Lance got behind the wheel and took us the rest of the way to Festus, Mo. He sure does love driving!


Whilst on I-75, we passed Bethany Drive... So, naturally, we got a picture!


This is what we looked at for about an hour before we finally got into Oklahoma. There was lots of construction throughout the drive!


Bethany's sister, Jo Anna, lives in Festus, Missouri, and she was nice enough to let us stay there for the night... We pulled into her cute little neighborhood at about 2:30 in the morning and crashed on the floor pretty much immediately. 7:30 came much too quickly Friday morning- but we eventually got up and moving and this is us in front of her house just before we were "on the road again"!

Thanks, Jo Anna, for opening your home to us!!

The drive from Festus was only about three and a half hours, and Bethany got us there quickly and safely! We arrived in quaint little Nauvoo right at about noon... Our first stop was the Visitor's center for a quick (very much needed) potty break. We also picked up our tickets for High Hopes and River Boats, a show performed in the daytime by the young performing missionaries serving in Nauvoo for the Summer. We were hoping to get on the stand-by ticket list for Rendezvous in Old Nauvoo, the show performed by the senior missionaries in the evening- because all the shows we were going to be in town for were full. As we picked up our tickets for High Hopes, we asked the Sister behind the desk if we could get on the stand-by list for tomorrow's show, and guess what?! She JUST BARELY had two tickets for Saturday's show freed up, and she offered them to us! Well, since there were three of us, she said,

"I'm going to just go ahead and give you the third ticket. Enjoy the show, you're going to love it."

How wonderful was that?! It was such a blessing--

What a great welcome to Nauvoo... Happy Pioneer Day!!!

According to this van, there has never been "A Better Time To See Nauvoo"! and it was definately true!!

Lance and I, in front of the Visitor's Center... We were SO HAPPY to be there!!


This is Bethany and I with one of the original sunstones from the first Nauvoo temple. How neat to be so close! :)