Friend's new baby, a baptism and homecomings...

Some updates from the end of January and February. On Jan 31st at 2:25am, my dear friend Kim had a darling baby girl named Isabella. I would refer you to her blog but she doesn't have one...yet! So, here is a post I did recently on my cute friends.

Kim's cute family.

Then on Feb 7th our niece Lily was baptized by her dad. Isn't she darling!

I had the opportunity to be the chorister for the big event. I have lost that talent somewhere along the way. I guess the old adage is true... if you don't use it you loose it. I haven't lead music for a LONG time so I guess it is time to brush up on that skill!

Brad's sister Monica lives in the same ward as their parents and so the ward members have a lot of memories of Brad's family growing up. The current Bishop remarked about knowing Lily's mom and aunts growing up and how wonderful they were. He then said "Your uncle Brad on the other hand..." He was one of Brad's scout leaders and proceeded to tell some funny stories about Brad as a youth. By the time he finished, we were all laughing so hard we were in tears. We hear stories about Brad anytime we run into anyone from Brad's home ward and it is interesting to hear all the different perspectives of the same stories. All I can say is "Yep... that's my husband!".

We also attended 2 mission homecomings this month. Brad's cousin Sean came home from serving a mission in Los Angeles, California and my cousin Josh returned from the Indianapolis, Indiana mission. It was so great hearing each of their experiences and to see how much they had grown. They are both handsome boys so if there are any young ladies out there interested in meeting some great guys let me know! I can't believe I forgot to take pictures of them.

I also ran in to a long lost friend at Sean's homecoming that we knew when living in Memphis, TN. Kirstyn and I (along with 10-12 others) attended early morning seminary at 5:30am every morning before school. In order to get a parking spot at our high school, we had to be in the parking lot by 6:30am and school didn't start until 7:15am. I can't believe I did that for 2 YEARS! We would just hang out in the car/van for 45min before school listening to music and chatting. We even skipped school one time by staying in the van - in the parking lot. Really? Yea! Good times!

I also have 2 more good friends having babies within the week hopefully!

Upcoming post on our Jackson Hole snowmobiling trip... stay tuned!

Weekend with friends...

A couple weeks ago I went with some friends in our neighborhood to TOFW in Ogden. I realize I talked about this event when I attended in Long Beach, Las Vegas and San Antonio, but I have to say this was by far the BEST event I have attended! Seriously, the spirit present the entire weekend was incredible. Of course it helped that 3 good friends were participating, so supporting them made it even better! Thanks to Laurel and her team for all the time and prayers that went into this event! We had such a great time! Thanks ladies for a memorable weekend!!

Kris Belcher, Emily Freeman and Hilary Weeks during the event.

The event theme this year is "SWEET ASSURANCE...the certainty that comes from knowing life's truths." Our friend's Emily Freeman and Kris Belcher were presenting at TOFW for the first time and they both did a FABULOUS job! Emily spoke about the miracle of creating abundance in our lives. She gave us 3 principles from the parable of the loaves and fishes and taught us how we can all have abundance in our lives right now. Kris was born with a rare form of eye cancer and spent most of her life blind in one eye. Approximately 5 years ago, the cancer returned and she was forced to choose between loosing her sight to save her life or the possibility of dying. She spoke about the 4 principles of healing and how all of us no matter our circumstances can be healed through the grace of our Savior. Emily is the author of The Ten Virgins, 21 Days Closer to Christ, God Bless Your Way, and most recently Women at the Well. Kris has a new book coming out in March which tells her story - Hard Times in Holy Places. If you want to learn more details for each of these principles you will have to find an event where Emily or Kris are presenting - you will NOT be disappointed!

Hilary performed at the event Friday night and Saturday. I posted about Hilary when I did the CD giveaway back in November and this was by far the BEST performance I have witnessed so far... She continually amazes me with her talent and sense of humor. If you haven't had a chance to see her perform in person YOU MUST! She is traveling to several of the TOFW events this year. Find one in a city near you and go! There are a couple fairly close if you live in UT - there are events in Pocatello & Boise, ID as well as St. George, UT this year.

Here are some pictures from the events.

Kenneth Cope, Wendy Ulrich, Emily Watts and Emily Freeman.

Kim Nelson, Hilary Weeks, Kris Belcher, DeAnne Flynn and Brent Top.

Hilary and Kris

We also heard from S. Michael Wilcox, Ardeth Kapp, Mark Mabry, Jenny Frogley, Abe Mills, Michael McLean, Brad and Debi Wilcox, and Chris Stewart --all fantastic!

Jenny and Abe put on an amazing concert Friday night. You can check out Abe's "Boy band tribute" here. It was very entertaining.

Shelly, Emily, Kris, Josephine, Tasha and Me after the event!

A few memories from the weekend... in no particular order.

• Waiting for our lunch at Wingers, paying for it, leaving to get back to the event and then returning 3 hours later to eat it. (we did get free dessert - can't complain about that)
• Jo yelling at our server to get her brother - I can't even remember what we needed!
• Angela falling - Tasha saying... "I saw you...then you were gone!"
• Umbrella basics - If 3 people are trying to walk under the same umbrella and one is blind then the one that is blind needs to hold on to both of the others' elbows instead of just one.
• Lots of RAIN!
• Listening to "I'll Sing" during each break both days.
• Chocolate covered cinnamon bears - Thanks Shelly!
• Sophie getting us lost and Emily talking to her like a person.
• Tasha trying to find the "correct" parking lot in the fog.
• Kris throwing a pillow at Tasha while she was trying to go to sleep.
• Angela almost running Kris into a pole and Shelly saving her. Sorry Kris!
• Tasha telling Kim Nelson he was svelte.
• Slurpee's and ice cream cookie sandwiches...yum!
• Tasha being our chauffeur - Thanks Tasha! She kept us from getting drenched!

Ladies feel free to correct me on any of the details or add a memory to the list!

Here is actual feedback on the event from a few that attended:

Your experiences~

This was the most amazing experience. I have been to a TOFW event previously, but this was far and away the best one! I have had many many struggles, and it was through this event that I finally feel like I am getting better. Thank you.—Jana


My friend and I went on the 23 and 24! It was so wonderful! I'm so glad I took the opportunity to try something new. Every speaker and music number touched me in some way. I had to hurry home and journal all my notes into complete thoughts. I won't ever forget it, and will make it a tradition. I don't want any of my friends to miss out on this again!—Rebekah


Wonderful time. So inspirational. Great time to listen to great uplifting music and presenters with friends and family. Thank you for coming to Ogden. Hope you come back again. I also helped volunteered and just have to say the TOFW team is awesome to work with. Thank you for the opportunity. —Nicci


Wonderful. There are so many words to describe my day(s) at Time Out for Women. It is an experience that everyone needs to attend. I was on such a spiritual high for the next day... and continue to be. I wish I could go every weekend! Thank you for creating the tour. Until next time!—Melissa


This was my fifth time to attend TOFW and they have all been awesome! Every woman in the church should take the time to attend your events. It is uplifting, fun and a great way to spend a day with your friends, sisters or just any female that you value. I bought my friend a ticket for Christmas and took her. She hugged me and thanked me many times for bringing her with me! THANKS SO MUCH FOR MAKING THIS AVAILABLE and keep them coming!!!! —Jan

Definitely something you should try to attend if you are able. It is great to get away from the worries in your life and just focus on YOU! And of course spend some quality time with a few close friends or family!

Little things...

I ran across this quote today...

"Each one of us can make a contribution. Too frequently we think we have to do spectacular things. Yet if we remember that the sea is actually made up of drops of water and each drop counts, each one of us can do our little bit where we are. Those little bits can come together and almost overwhelm the world. Each one of us can be an oasis of peace." - Desmond Tutu

I love the idea that we can all make a contribution whether it is within our families, our communities, our church, our work environment or just for ourselves. I learned from a dear friend this past weekend that we can all make a difference and create abundance in our lives while doing the normal everyday things we always do --just by thinking bigger.

A little over a year ago we heard from this same friend about a young man in our ward that was struggling. He was failing at school, didn't have a lot of friends and his life at home was not going well either, there was no regular homework schedule or dinner as a family. My friend decided to find a way to help. After discussing with many friends and our Bishop, she decided to have this young man come to 4 families homes for dinner and receive help with homework Monday through Thursday. She thought, if this young man had a regular environment of sitting down for dinner with another family and working on homework every night it would help him improve his grades and see how other families enjoy dinner together.

When we first moved into the ward Brad and I were Garett's Sunday school teachers. We just loved him immediately and he reminded me so much of my little brother Lance. He also reminded Brad of when he was younger and the struggles he faced as a youth. So when Emily told us about her plan, we jumped at the chance to help Garett and he started coming to our home every Thursday night. We would eat dinner together, discuss his day, family life, etc... then help him with his homework. We learned a great deal from Garett and have grown to love him even more. He has so much potential and by seeing that other people cared about him, he was able to do better in school, enjoy being with his family more, and gain some valuable friendships as well. Our ward split about 4 months ago and the new ward found a family to replace us on Thursday nights. We still keep in touch with him and Brad takes him fishing, which they both love!

It was such a blessing for us to take part in this. We found that by just adding another person to our regular routine of dinner, it was not as overwhelming. (Now helping with homework was a struggle at first... it has been a LONG time since either Brad or I were in school but we learned together!) There are many things we can all do as a part of our regular routines to help someone else. I am grateful we were available to help as long as we could.

Christmas Eve...

The Toyota jump!

Every other year we spend Christmas Eve with Brad's family. The traditional evening starts with dinner at Chili's where Grandma Mary pays the bill. "Thanks Grandma Mary!" This tradition has been going on over 20 years and the restaurant they used to go to was at the Cottonwood mall. During our first year of marriage we headed to the restaurant and to the family's surprise it was no longer there! In looking for a new restaurant that was open on Christmas Eve, we ended up at Chili's and now we have spent 6 years eating at the "new" restaurant.

Monica, Chris and Lily

After dinner we then make the trek downtown to Temple Square to see the lights. Now, I didn't realize until this year... not surprising since it takes me several months to notice a new building on the side of the road that I drive by everyday. But I digress. Apparently, the family has a particular "route" they walk EVERY year and when you don't realize there is a route, it can be difficult to try and find everyone after taking pictures. :-) We decided this year to take FUN pictures of us doing silly things to shake it up a bit. So here are some of the results! We had a great time!

Megan and Dave...trying to make it look like they are jumping over the Temple... sorry guys!

Random... not sure what Brad is doing...he hates being in pictures..

This is everyone trying to help Brad enjoy the picture!

Brad loves to play like he is going to drop me.

Lily, Emma, me and Will

Nicole and Will

Dave, Megan and Lily floating above...

Close your eyes! Paul and Karen

Nicole and Will being silly

Me and Lily

Nicole and Lily (they sure are in a lot of pictures!)

Dave and Megan

Allison "accidentally" walked into the men's restroom OOPS!

Some interesting folks we saw on Temple Square. They had 3-D glasses on and they let us try them out. The glasses actually made the lights look very cool.

Another tradition on Christmas Eve is acting out the Nativity. A couple of year ago the Brad and his sisters made costumes and purchased props as a Christmas present for their mom and dad. They turned out great!

Isn't this picture precious?

An interesting coincidence, for the wise men costumes Natalie or Monica made the clothing and Brad and I picked out the hats and gifts. When we all got all the costumes together everything matched perfectly... amazing! The crown on Grandma's head has similar jewels as the collar around her neck.


Brad and Dave as shepherds and Allison as a cow and Megan as a sheep.

This was just funny... I was the Angel (I know cheesy) and the shepherds were "sore afraid"!

Paul and Karen reading the story and taking pictures.

We had a great time and look forward to spending Christmas Eve every other year with Brad's family. More to come.....

Cousin Dinner

I will try to post quickly about all the Christmas festivities and family fun. The first of which was the cousin dinner. We were so excited that Jill and her family made the trek out to Utah from Northern California to visit her husband Scott's family so we could all have an excuse to get together! Thanks Jill!

Me and Jill

Lisa (Jill's sister) and Jenny

Jill, Jenny and I were like the "3 Amigos" growing up! Jill and I are the same age and Jenny is a year older. We had so much fun together! There are so many memories from December trips to Bear Lake snowmobiling and skiing, to camping up Logan canyon or traveling to San Diego where Jill's family lived. Since Jill's family (my dad's brother Darwin) lived in San Diego, we looked forward to any trip when their family came out to visit or when we had the opportunity to travel out to see them during the summer. When our Grandpa Weeks passed away a few years ago it had been at least 5 yrs since we had all been together. We still didn't keep in touch as much as we should have until our Grandma Weeks passed away last year. We decided at that time to be better going forward. So when Jill emailed letting us all know she was going to be in town for Christmas we planned a dinner.

My dad grew up in a house of boys. His oldest brother Clair passed away over 10 yrs ago (Richard, Monica, Troy and Jeff's dad) his wife lives in UT, Darwin (Mark, Darren, Jill & Lisa's dad) and JoAnn still live in CA, Stan (Todd, Pam, Brian, Jenny, & Amy's dad) and Irene live in UT.

We don't get together as often as we should but when we do it is like no time has passed at all. We have a great time catching up and enjoy each others company.

Thanks for all the great memories - as well as those to come!

One end of the table... Chaselyn (Justin & Natalie's daughter)posed for the picture sooo cute!

The other end! :-) Left front - Scott (Jill's husband) Right front Charisse (Mark's ex-wife)

Jenny and husband Brad

Holly (Troy's daughter) & friend John





















Natalie, Justin (Troy's son) & my dad
















Kelsey and Brock (Troy's son)















Becky & Troy

Becky, Chaselyn (Justin's daughter) and Lisa's daughter Alex

Jamie and mom

Ryan (Jamie's boyfriend) and Jamie



Alex (Lisa's daughter), Ian (Jill's son), Shannon (Lisa's) and Madison (Jill's daughter).

Jason in front left (Mark's son), Torrey (Jill's son) back left, Jessica (Mark's daughter) back right, Kylie (Charisse's daughter)

Aunt Margie (dad's brother Clair's wife) & their son Jeff.

****Sorry for the big break between pictures and names... not sure what happened but I don't have the time to figure it out. Anyone know why this happens all the time? The spacing looks correct in the "entry" but on the blog they are all spaced out. Thanks!

New Background...

Blog is underconstruction... will post soon. Lot's to catch up on!

I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday season!

Winner review...

My friend Susie posted her review of the Hilary Weeks CD she won during the giveaway 2 months ago. Check out this link for her review. Here is her comment on my blog as well.

Barlow Family said...
"Now that things have died down I have a chance to thank you for that beautiful CD! Please pass on how much I love it to your sweet friend. I've posted a "review" on my blog, so hopefully it will send a few more her way. It truly is something that warms the soul and brings the spirit! THANK YOU!"

If you haven't had a chance to listen to her music clips... click here.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas Holiday and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

More posts to come... just need life to settle down a bit.