the world is beautiful

you know the world is beautiful in so many ways. i woke up to this breathtaking scene this morning. crisp clear sky, pure clean snow and the world looked snug in this new thick blanket. i wanted to just drive around taking pictures....mainly with my eyes and heart because i knew my camera skills just couldn't do it justice.

spring storms are always so beautiful....plus they're gone so soon that you have to breathe in all that goodness quickly.

but the other wonderful picture that caught my heart in an even deeper way was my driveway. nope, i didn't take a picture, but the one in my heart will remain for a long long time. i was awake at 4:30 and actually reading...(about social security and retirement, but that's another story). anyway, i heard a noise and got up to look out my front window. it was 4:50 and the what i heard was the sound of a dear brother in my ward moving all the snow (9 inches deep) from my driveway with his truck. and not just my driveway, but many others....all while we slept or at least enjoyed the warmth of our beds.

it made my heart warm and fill me with the desire to find someone i could help. love does that. it expands. i've always believed that. because i always feel that.

so my friends....you may not want to get up at 4:45 to remove snow for your neighbors. but there is something that you and i can do. i'm going to try harder to do those things. to share my love, which ultimately comes from the Lord, with others.

make the world beautiful.

do something.

that's what girl's nights are for

so last weekend we had a girl's retreat here. it was the best. i've decided that when women get together there is just never enough time to talk. we were going to get up and exercise and do a bunch of things in the morning and what did we end up doing? yeah...more talking. we finally had breakfast at 1:00 - but we made banana stuffed french toast...(YUM) so no one minded waiting...not that we were even waiting...remember, we were talking! we came up with four sentences that we want to guide our year with. mary was in charge of designing something so i'll share that later. but most of all i came away with even more love for these amazing women than before....which i didn't think was possible. each has their own trials and hard things and yet each is going forward in their life with strength and ambition and courage and compassion. they truly inspire me. so the facials were fun, tying the baby quilt was productive,

but the talking.....well...

that was priceless.

oh....and i love posting pictures when i'm not in it! love you girls!