Wordless Wednesday: A Sunset

Driving home from my parents' house, just after a storm, I had to stop and take a picture of the beautiful sunset. I love our sunsets here. They are so beautiful and a great reminder of the love my Father in Heaven has for me.

Weekend Getaway: Las Vegas

In the middle of the summer, in the midst of kids fighting and toys strewn about the house, I decided that it was time for a Kim and Eric Break. Eric's favorite band is Rush. The last time they came to the valley, Eric didn't go. With their tour this time around, they skipped us all together. However, they were stopping in Vegas. So, I quietly planned our Rush Vegas trip. It was so hard to keep it all a secret and to make all the trip decisions myself, but I did it. Friday morning I showed up at Eric's work, just under the premise that I was stopping by to say hi. I tried to talk Eric into leaving work early, but he couldn't because he had appointments. I then had to ask him what would he do if I told him the appointments weren't real, that I had some help scheduling those "appointments" from his assistant, to keep his schedule open for us to leave in the afternoon for our getaway.

Eric was able to wrap things up and leave the office in pretty good time. We hit the road. We made great time getting to Vegas. We had enough time, that we were actually able to catch a show Friday night. Do I dare admit that we saw Carrot Top at the Luxor? He was very funny (after I tuned out the not-so-nice things he said). After the show, we went to Aria, our hotel. This was one of those tricky decisions that I had to make by myself. I wanted to stay in a nice hotel, but I had to keep the price down. I ended up doing a you-pay-this-price-without-knowing-the-hotel-name deal. We ended up getting a suite at Vdara. REALLY COOL! It is the only hotel on the strip that does not have a casino and is non-smoking. It was a great place to stay. The room was awesome, and we had a lake view and could watch the Bellagio's fountain show with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

We found a yummy buffet for breakfast, at the hotel next door. We walked around the strip. Eric has always loved playing the games at Excalibur, so we headed there. Eric won some stuffed animals for the kids. We headed to CSI: The Experience at MGM. We used to watch CSI, and so I thought it would be fun to experience it. I liked it, even though it was kinda cheesy. Eric just thought it was cheesy. However, I do have a CSI diploma to show for my hard work (it's in Spanish though - I clicked on the wrong button).


After CSI, we headed over to ph to "Meet and Greet" Tori Spelling who was in town for HSN for her jewelry show. When we finally found her (after being misdirected by a dumb lady at the hotel), I stood in line, only to be told like 5 minutes later by a little man that I was too late and the line was closed. I tried for the next 15 minutes to convince little man (he wasn't an actual little person, he was just shorter than me and incredibly irritating) to let me join the line or at least wait in case Tori finished early. He wouldn't have any of it. I was so mad I wanted to kick him in the shins and pull out his stupid hi-tech "security" earpiece! So, I ended up being 10 feet away from Tori, and not able to meet her. I did, however, get to stand one foot away from Mehran (her jewelry co-designer), and didn't realize it until after I left. I felt so bummed about it all. I wasn't like some super-crazy obsessed fan, but I liked her. I grew up watching her on 90210, and have since followed her on her reality show. It would have been super cool to meet an actual movie star. Oh well.

We went to a Brazilian restaurant for dinner, which ended up being quite disappointing. Eric loves Brazilian restaurants and is always willing to eat at one. This one wasn't so good. Maybe we ticked off the server by using a coupon and not ordering drinks?! It was quite exciting, getting to the concert, zipping through Vegas in a taxi. It's been quite a while since I've been to a concert, that I actually enjoyed feeling the drums beat in my chest. At first. Then it got a little loud. The concert was good. I think Eric enjoyed it (he better have!) I still couldn't believe that the guys next to me and in front of me were smoking pot, though. Yuck!

Sunday morning, we ate at the best buffet ever (Rio), Eric decided. We started to head home. Just before we got to the dam, the traffic was backed up, so we decided to turn around and go a different way (through Laughlin). Shortly after venturing the other way, I got sick. We had to stop and take care of things. We continued driving along. A couple hours down the road, we were greeted by signs warning of an accident ahead. We ended up stuck in traffic that wasn't moving. We sat there, in the desert, for 1.5 hours. We watched people walk and play ball. We watched the sun set (it was gorgeous). We had found out from a trucker there had been a fatal head-on collision down the road and that the road was completely closed. When the road finally opened up, as we drove past the completely totalled cars, I couldn't believe it. The cars were mangled, and torn apart. There was absolutely no way that anyone walked away from that. I sat there, as we drove, for the next two hours in complete shock. I really feel that we were protected from being in that accident. I think we should have stayed on the road to go on the dam, and we would have totally avoided the accident. But we didn't. We went a way that would have gotten us to the accident area quicker. So, since that didn't slow us down, I got sick and we had to stop, which slowed us down enough so that we weren't in that mangled mess of metal. This just totally strengthened my testimony that Heavenly Father is completely and fully aware of each of us and will protect us and guide us.

A Knock at the Door

As I was preparing to leave for Women's Conference, there was a knock on the door. I opened it thinking it was the babysitter, but there stood two guys from a different church. I usually don't open the door when these people come around, mainly because I know they're well-versed in the Bible and I don't feel as though I am. I told the guy I only had a couple of minutes, but a 10 minute conversation was already in the making. The guy started talking about Jesus and, basically, the 2nd coming. Just as he asked me, "Do you think Jesus will come to the earth?" the 10th Article of Faith popped into my mind and I was able to answer him, "Yes, I believe that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory." This was another testimony builder for me. I believe that the Holy Ghost was there for me to help me with this uncomfortable situation.

A Stronger Testimony

When Colton was blessed, I bore my testimony in church. I really don't care for doing this, but I did it. The tears started during Colton's blessing, continued through my dad's testimony, and continued while I made my way up to the pulpit. My heart was so full because of all the blessings I have and because of my testimony of the Gospel. I bore a short testimony. I realized when I sat down how many more things I wanted to say, but that had left my mind once I was in front of everyone.

One of the things I could have said was that I know Heavenly Father is mindful and aware of our individual circumstances. When he feels like we need help, he gives it to us. I really feel that Heavenly Father was aware of how my grandma's death would affect me and sent baby Colton to me 2 weeks early to help me get through it.

On Monday we went hiking as a family. Halfway through the hike, Lindsey, Logan, and Kaylen didn't want to continue. I hiked back down the mountain with them (and Colton). I fed Colton in the car. Halfway through feeding him, a man drove into the parking area and parked. (We were the only ones in the remote area.) At first I told the kids to stay close to the car while I finished feeding Colton. Sometime I decided that they needed to get in the car. I locked the car and rolled up the windows most of the way. During this time, the man and his dog walked around the area. There were two trailheads near us. He started out on one of them then came back after 5 minutes. He then did this with the other trail. He just wandered around the area, taking pictures of his dog and car, and hiking back up the road he came in on. I thought his behavior was a little strange and tried not to think of all the Criminal Minds episodes I have watched.

After about 45 minutes of this man being in the area, Eric came running down the mountain. As soon as Eric showed up, the man took off. I thought it was a little odd. But then, when Eric told me why he had been running down the mountain, I realized more than ever how aware Heavenly Father is of each of our individual circumstances. Eric had felt prompted (more than once) that he needed to run to me. Who knows, besides Heavenly Father, what could have happened. I am so incredibly grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who protected me and the kids. I am very grateful for a husband who lives righteously so the Spirit can be with him and listened to those promptings, possibly saving our lives. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and will help me when I need it.