Snow what a Beautiful Sight

A few weeks ago we had a decent snow fall. We got about 4+ inches, that wasn't slush. When I went to shovel the driveway the snow was so heavy because it was so slushy and wet. It was so wet the snow blower wouldn't work on it. I don't mind the snow if it stays off the roads and the sidewalks and driveways. I mean really am I asking for too much. This is the reason I love the snow.

On my drive into work the day after it snowed the trees still had a think layer of snow over them and it was such a pretty sight. I am very lucky where I live because there is a forest right behind my house. In order to get to work I have to drive through the forest about a mile or so and it was so calm and peaceful looking as I would glance off into the trees and see a perfect blanket of white over everything.

I just love this picture of the elderly couple walking together along the pond.

This is a partial view of the pond

Here is a full view of the pond but it is frozen over with a new coat of snow so it just looks like a field of snow. Once it gets warm this pond actually has two fountains that are lit up at night it is really pretty.

It ended up getting pretty warm this day so by the time I was driving home all of the snow had melted off of the trees. I am glad I got to enjoy it for a brief moment. At times like this it just amazes me of the beauty of the earth. What a kind and generous Heavenly Father we have to bless us with such beauty. I also think that we can find beauty in all creations. I think by seeing the snow it helps me appreciate the desert and the desert helps me appreciate the snowy winters.

From one clog to another!

My bathroom sink has not been draining very well lately. I thought I knew how to take the stopper out and clean it out but I didn’t want to damage anything so I called my dad to get a confirmation that I was right. For something so minor I hate to call my landlord and bug him about something like that so I wanted to try and fix it on my own. I got the stopper out and was starting to get some things out of the drain but I could tell there was stuff deeper I couldn’t get out with the screw driver. I found a hanger and made a hook on the end of it. I put it down the drain and I accidentally got it down further than I expected it to go and it got stuck. I tried and tried to pull to get it out and it just wouldn’t come out. I had to go get my oil changed and run a few errands so on my way back I called my dad and told him what happened and he said to try turning it and pull up and see if I could get it to come out if I could get it to turn and release while applying pressure in pulling up. I couldn’t get it to come out. I knelt down and I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to help me to get it out. I tried and tried more and it still wouldn’t come out. The goose neck on the piping has been glued so I can’t open that up and release it. I called my dad to see what else he thought I could do and he was at a loss as well. He told me well you might have to call your landlord after all and tell him what you did so he can come fix it. I said I was trying to fix such a simple problem and I have made a bigger one. As I was talking with him I had the impression to shove it down deeper and pull up in a repetitive motion like a plunger. As I was doing that it finally released and brought up a bunch of gunk with it. I was so thrilled I started to laugh in a high pitched voice speaking fast repeating It came out, it came out, as I did this little victory dance in my bathroom. You would have thought that I had just climb MT Kilimanjaro or accomplished some big feat in life. My dad laughed at me and said I have never heard anyone so excited about clearing a sink clog before. He told me I am a good fisher of clogs. When I got off the phone with dad I knelt down and prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for helping me get the wire out of the sink. I am so thankful for this small little miracle he performed in my life today. He does have a plan for me and a part of that plan is to let me know that he loves me and that he listens to me and that he is here and very much involved in my life.How amazing that miracles still exist and in such simple ways Heavenly Father reminds us they do.

Where did this Martha come from

As many of you know I do not like dogs in the least bit. I don't like to touch them and I don't like them to touch me. I am scared and terrified of them. I know most of them are harmless but that makes no difference to me. When I was younger I was riding my bike to school and a dog chased me and bit my ankle. Then a few years later I would ride my bike to my summer job at the golf course. I would have to ride my bike a few miles out of town and up a hill. Well once i would get to the hill a dog, a big dog, would come down the road and start chasing me up the hill and I hated it and it scared me to death every day. I have also been chased and pounced by other dogs over the year which hasn't helped with my fear of dogs. So Yesterday I spent the day with the Hutchins and we had dinner at the Son's house and they have a little dog not sure what kind but she is a super hyper dog and I was sitting on the couch by Sister Hutchins and the dog jumped up on my lap and all I could do was freeze and lean backwards so it would lick my face and say get down get down and Sister Hutchins came to my rescue and got the dog off of me. After dinner we went back to President and Sister Hutchins house. Prior to my visit Sister H told me they got a little puppy named Gracie. She said bring a change of clothes so she doesn't scratch up your Sunday ones and then you will need to be brave.  When we were getting ready to leave church she said it is time to go see the puppy I said ok let's go see the puppy and she said that didn't sound very brave. She made me say it again till I could sound brave in touching and holding her puppy. As we were sitting on the couch she was holding Gracie and she made me pet her ok it wasn't to bad but shortly after that I had to go wash my hands. Then she was on the phone and Gracie was bad and went potty on the floor so she got sent outside and I told her I could watch her while she was on the phone. It was time for Gracie to come back in and I tried to talk her into the house. Do you think she came no, The she started running under the porch step, I got her to come out from under there and then I tried to use the light from the flashlight to coax her into the house. I thought she might like chasing the light. That didn't work either. So finally I gave in and I had to pick her up and I hurriedly ran into the house and put her on the floor. As I came in I said oh boy you should be very proud of me. She laughed. Then I went and washed my hands again. I have been doing things that are totally out of the norm for me lately and I don't know where this daring and brave Martha has come from. We will see if she stays or the old one comes back.

They are not as innocent as they look, I promise!

First Night in Boston (Me Being Fearless)

This Year for New Years Eve I decided to take an adventure. There are two things that I don't like to do and I did them both in one night. I don't like to ride the T (take the subway/train) and I don't like to go into the city and wonder on my own. My co-worker had told me about the First Night events that take place in Boston. I checked it out online and it looked like it would be a lot of fun. I couldn't get anyone to go in to the city with me so I decided I was going to go in by myself. I felt so brave, I went in on the train and spent time wondering and looking at the ice sculptures. They were amazing I have never seen ice sculptures in real life and it was really neat to be able to see them. It is incredible the talent people have and it was great they shared their talents with so many people.

I made it in time to be able to see the Grand Procession and there were all kinds of fun floats and fun things people were carrying instead of floats. It has been a long time since I have been to a parade and I would have to say this was one of the best parades and most creative I have ever seen. It was a lot of fun. 

These were just a few of the fun things I saw. Then they had fireworks and they were really good. The weather ended up being pretty nice not to cold and it had snowed earlier in the day but it had stopped by the time I went into the city. Because it was cold it made a lot of the smoke more apparent. The fireworks really nice regardless. 

I also enjoyed walking around and seeing all of the lights. It has snowed earlier on in the day so there was a fresh blanket of white and it was so beautiful. There were so many lights of and one of my favorite sights was the round trees that had white lights on them and then the snow on top of it. I missed being able to talk with someone about all the things I saw but at the same time it was nice to be able to just take it all in and to enjoy the view.

Needless to say I was pretty stoked at my fearless adventure. Okay well it wasn't fearless to start with I really had to talk myself into leaving the house and going but in the end it was all worth it. It was a very refreshing evening and I really enjoyed the time out. 

Happy New Year Everyone!

The Reason for the Season!

Twelve Things of Christmas that bring Joy to me!

The First thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

the spirit of Love and Care in the air!

The Second thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is the memories attached to each ornament on the tree.

The Third thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is all the Christmas lights that remind me our Savior is the light of the world.

The Fourth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is the snow. A blanket of white to remind me of the importance of being clean and pure as the snow is white.

The Fifth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

the traditional Christmas songs which help spread

the feeling of Christmas.

The Sixth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

the scriptures so we can reread the story of Jesus Christ’s birth.

The Seventh thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

to see many people making an extra effort to be kind to

those around them.

The Eighth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

the knowledge that prophets foretold of Jesus Christ’s birth

so the people could be prepared; and knowing we have a

prophet today who is preparing us for Jesus Christ’s Second Coming

The Ninth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

all the thoughtful cards and letters from my family and friends.


The Tenth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is
the nativity to remind me of the humble life Jesus led.

The Eleventh thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

the star shining in the sky to lead the way to the Christ Child,

God has given the gift of the Holy Ghost to us to lead us to

his son’s presence.

The Twelfth thing of Christmas that brings Joy to me is

“the gift” of Christ and remembering the real reason

for celebrating the true meaning of Christmas.

                                                               Martha Paxton

I have never been one to write stories or poems but this Christmas Season was a little different. This Christmas I found myself thinking very early in the season of why I Love Christmas. Maybe it was because I knew this was going to be a different Christmas than ones in the past. I would not be spending it with my family. I wanted to make this a special Christmas and one night while I was laying in bed the tune for Twelve Days of Christmas was playing and then a few ideas starting flowing through my mind. I decided to write the Twelve things of Christmas that bring Joy to me. I am a little late in posting it here on my blog but I thought it would be appropriate since we should remember the real "Gift" of Christmas is Christ and we need to remember him all year not just in December.

As part of this post I would like to share my testimony about my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he came to earth and lived a perfect life and was subjected to hurt and pain in his life time so he could clearly understand what life would be like for us. But he also lived this life so we would know that he understands what life is like for us as well. It brings me great comfort to know that I have someone I can go to that fully understands everything that I am going through. This is possible because of a selfless act that brought on great suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane. Everyday of my life I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ to know that it doesn't matter what type of a trial, heartache, struggle, physical pain, emotional hurt, Joy, Happiness, and Love that I feel in my life that Jesus understands exactly what I am feeling and there is great comfort in knowing this. I Love my Savior and I look forward to the day He will embrace me and tell me Welcome Home, and that He has missed me. I Love His gospel and know that through living my life in accordance to His teachings and my Father's Will, I will be blessed in so many ways in my life. I know that He has a plan for me here on this earth as He does for all of us. I know that through this plan I can return and live with Him and my family for all eternity. I am grateful for the Book of Mormon and the Bible that I have His teachings at my finger tips. I can read about His life and turn to His perfect example to know how I should live my life. I am grateful that He has called a prophet to the earth in our day who holds His Authority and who teaches us of those things that we need to do in our day to prepare to meet our Savior and Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for the Temple and the opportunities that I have to enter His Home on a regular basis. I feel of His Love and my relationship with Him has grown immensely through regular Temple attendance and service. I am so grateful that He has entrusted his Priesthood power to man on earth that we can call upon it in times of need through requesting a blessing. I Love that He knows me individually and He knows and understand my needs. He knows exactly what I need to hear through the voice of His servants. He sends comfort and peace to me to remind me that He is there and that He loves me and will never forsake me. I share this testimony in the sacred name of my Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, Amen.

Christmas came Early

Wednesday the 16th of December I woke up early and couldn't go back to sleep so I got up and did some organizing and put things away that I hadn't gotten around to. Put the clean dishes away and got a lot accomplished in the extra hour and a half that I had. I got my lunch and dinner prepared because I work in the Temple on the 3rd Wednesday to help with the Spanish session. I get to work and I talk to my manager about a college in Poplar Montana. They wanted the vendors to come and do a site survey of the campus and talk to them about our system we provide. It wasn't mandatory that we go but my manager thought it would be good to go (which I was hoping she would). I looked up tickets to see what days I could get the better deal on and in what airport I would have to fly in and out of. There is an airport in Willinston ND that is about 70 miles from the school. I looked at tickets there and it was going to cost $1500 way to much money. I found a ticket for leaving at 3:00pm on that same day flying into Billings and then I would drive 6 hours to Poplar. I asked my manager if I would be able to stay through Sunday and see my family while I am there and she said that was fine. So I flew into Billings about 11:00pm and I drove to my cousin Anna's house and I stayed the night there. My mom was already planning on going to Billings that day for a funeral and so I asked her if she would be willing to drive with me to and from Poplar. Anna and I stayed up till 1:30am talking and catching up on life. (Which is really 3:30am my time) We got up and got on the road by 9:00am. On our way there it was amazing to see all of the geese that were flying all over the area. I think there was hundred of thousands of geese. It looked like the sky was filled with millions of black spots. I don't think I have ever seen so many birds at one time. We had a nice drive and arrived around 3:00. We meet up with my Jack who is from the College and we did part of the site survey on Thursday. As he was driving us around the area he was telling us about all the scary parts of town and where to stay away from. He told us of a Navy Seal who was murdered at the Water Hole (which is a bar) a year or so ago. He said there is a lot of scary people and things that happen in the area. He was very kind and told us we could call him at any time if we felt we were in any kind of danger anywhere and needed some back up. The next morning Mom and I both woke up around 4:30 and couldn't go back to sleep. Around 5:30 I wispered over to mom to see if she had gone back to sleep yet and she said no. I told her well I am getting up and going to do something then. So I got up and started working on my computer and we were both ready way before the time we were even planning on getting up. We had a good walk through with Jack and then we headed back towards Billings. I was really grateful for my mom in meeting up with me and driving to and from Poplur with me. It was nice to have the company and to spend time with my mom. My Aunt Connie and Norma and Uncle Rex all come up to Billings to see me for a little bit. It was fun to see everyone. Saturday Dad, Elizabeth and Kaden came and picked mom and I up from Aunt Nan's and we headed to Aunt Eunices to visit with Grandma and Aunt Rose who showed up a few days ago to surprise Aunt Eunice who is 88 years old. We visited for a while at Aunt Eunices house and then we headed to lunch. After lunch we took Grandma Holloway and Aunt Rose to Walmart to pick up their eggs that they had left there the day before. I really enjoyed the time I had to spend with my Grandma and Aunt Rose who live in Alaska. Dad had to get back to work so they dropped Elizabeth, Kaden, and I off at Rebecca's house and then they headed home. Anna came over and picked up Elizabeth and Kaden and took them back to her house so they could ride home with Connie. I spent the evening with Rebecca and her husband Mark. I had a good time spending it with Rebecca and Mark. This was the first time to see their home. They have it decorated very nicely for Christmas and the house is very cute. I really like the way they have painted and decorated their home. I met their two dogs Porche and Mercadies. They are very gentle dogs and friendly. Sunday morning very early like 3:30am I woke up and couldn't go back to sleep so I finally decided to just get up. I got ready and at 4:30 Rebecca took me to the airport for me to get on my plane and head home. On the way to Denver the flight attendent said they have been cancelling all the flights that go north of Baltimore. I started praying hard that the flight wouldn't be cancelled due to the aggresive snow storm that has hit the northeast. I was glad when I got to Denver and looked at the flight board and my flight said it was on time I was so grateful. This has been the perfect weekend. I love the way Heavenly Father works out little miracles in our lifes. Things worked out perfectly with having a work trip to Montana and not being able to get a flight in closer to where my appointment would need to be so I had to stop in at Billings. That it happened to be a time that Grandma Holloway and Aunt Rose were visiting from Alaska, and that my Dad happen to be on a shift that would allow him time to come and visit me. I was glad that Rebecca and Mark were in town so I could see them this trip since I missed them on the last one. It was fun to see Elizabeth and Kaden again. That little Kaden is such a cute little man. He is starting to talk a little bit and has a very stong little personality. Thank you everyone for spending time with me and taking time out of your lives to come and visit me in Billings. Thank you for bringing me an early Christmas. I am so grateful for miracles! It was so nice to see everyone!

Thankful for the gift of SIGHT!

Wednesday afternoon I got on a plane to head to Montana to conduct a site survey for a college campus in northeastern Montana in a town called Poplar and Wolf Point. Not long into my trip and it was dark. As we were flying I was looking out the window and I was amazed at how clear of a night it was. There wasn't a cloud in site. I could so clearly see the starts and the beautifully lighted cities below. I have flown a lot in the last few months and it seemed like every time I fly there is a lot of clouds. It was such a wonderful sight to see the towns so brightly lit up. I know it was just the street lights and all but looking down on the entire city all at once was a breath taking site. I wish I would have had my camera readily accessible so I could have taken a picture of the site to share. Maybe on my way home I in a few day the sky will be clear and I can try and take a picture and if I do I will add it for you to see. As I was looking down at the lighted world below me I was thankful for the gift of sight. I feel so lucky that I know the difference between light and dark, to be able to see colors. There were many things that day that made me very grateful for my vision. While I was sitting in the airport waiting for my next connecting flight I was watching a sweet old couple across from me. The wife went and got them ice creams to each while they waited. I watched as they talked about their ice cream and the flavors and how yummy it was. I could see the gratitude in her husband’s eyes for such a sweet treat. They tenderly talked to each other about past experiences and about the time they will be sharing with their grandchildren over the Christmas holiday. They are looking forward the fun activities of making ginger bread houses with the little ones and reading stories and sharing quality time. I watched a mother who was traveling with two young children her son of 4 and daughter who was almost two. Her little girl had braided pig tails and looked so adorable. The little girl was a little nervous about this whole flying thing. Her big brother so tender to her in comforting her and taking her hand to let her know she would be fine. He let her watch his DVD with him and they colored together. Again I was grateful for my sight to be able to see. What is sight is it just the ability to be able to open our eyes and to see what is in front of us. I think Heavenly Father gave us the gift of sight so we could see all the beauties of the earth but also to see when someone is struggling and can use our help. How often so we see someone with arms full and wrestling with a child or someone who is in need of a little assistance and when we see this to we utilize our sight and offer the help they need or do we pass by. What a glorious gift we have to be able to see different shapes, to be able to see the rippling waters or the snow covered ground. How amazing to see all the different creations that Jesus Christ made, so many animals and to so the uniqueness in face and body characteristics of each individual person. So many beauties of the world do we take the time to enjoy them or do we rush past them. We have been given so much to see in this life and I hope we take the time to see them. I think looking deep into the scene and really seeing what is there is why we were given the gift of sight. We need to look deeper than just passing by and glancing. Enjoy life and it's beauties and amazements for we never know when it will be our last for life is so short to rush through it. This experience brought my mind to our Savior's life. He spent his life really looking deep into what was around him, as others would walk past he would find someone trying to reach him and he would extend his hand and heal them. He was taking the time to see what was there rather than just passing by to get to the final destination. I pray that we all may take the time to see what is really there and to use the Sight we have been given.