Some thoughts from this last week

This week has been a very peaceful week. I have truly felt all the prayers that have been given in my families behalf. I have felt such a peace this last week. I am so grateful for the comfort the holy ghost brings.
It seems that most of my thoughts of the last week have been centered on my dad. It still seems not quite real to me. I only talked to my dad about once a month and saw him a few times a year. It truly is amazing to me how the Lord is so merciful to his children. We can only be given what we can handle. I believe that is true also in dealing with the death of a loved one.
My Dad's wishes were to be cremated. At first this was very hard for me to accept. When my brother passed away, I was able to see him. This brought a good amount of closure for me. But, as the week has gone on, I know that the ashes are not my father.. He lives on. He has gone home. I am sad for myself but not for him.
He lives on in many ways. One of these ways are through his paintings. He loved to paint. We all have something he has painted. I have 4 paintings and they all have a personal note attached to the back.
The following are all the paintings that we were able to get together for the service. The first 4 are mine. These pictures do not do them justice. They truly are amazing works of Art.

Some wise words

I know this is a very long post, but it is amazing... I got chills when I read this. It comes from a friend of mine. I really hope you will take the time to read it..

Some wise words, not my own but an excerpt from "The Sanctity of Life" (an essay by Rousas John Rushdoony). This was written some 40 years ago and yet so applicable today.

Godly wisdom, which means faith and obedience, is, according to Scripture "a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her" (Prov. 3:18; cf. 11:30). Instead of being a form of bondage, God's law is for us the condition of life.

Let us analyze the meaning of this, God's law as the condition of life. The condition of a fish's life, its environment, is water; take a fish out of water and it dies. The condition of a tree's life, its health and its environment, is the soil; uproot a tree, and you kill it. It is no act of liberation to take a fish out of water, or a tree out of the ground. Similarly, the condition of a man's life, the ground of man's moral, spiritual, and physical health, is the law of God. To take men and societies out of the world of God's law is to sentence them to a decline, fall, and death. Instead of liberation, it is execution. Man's liberty is under God's law, and God's law is the life-giving air of man and society, the basic condition of their existence.

Law is therefore the condition of man's life because God is the creator of life and the sole ground of its continuation. God's law is the essence of life and the terms of life. Those who tamper with God's law, or who espouse any departure from it, instead of seeking freedom to live, as they claim, are in actuality seeking death. For a fish, "escape" from water is an escape from life; it is a will to death. Jesus Christ, speaking as Wisdom ages ago, declared, "But he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death" (Prov. 8:36). The hatred of God's law is the hatred of life: it is the love of death.

True government is government according to God's word, in terms of His law, as a ministry of justice. Those who despise government are, according to Moses (Num. 15:29-31) and St. Peter (II Peter 2:10), guilty of the sin of presumption. Presumption means taking for oneself authority and power for which one has no warrant or right. Whenever we set aside God's laws concerning life and death, we are guilty of presumption. Presumption is the mark of an unbeliever. Presumption means that we have set ourselves in the place of God and have demanded that life and death be on our terms only.

The presumptuous humanists talk about reverence for life, but, instead of having any regard for the sanctity of life, their view of life is secular and profane. Life for them has no connection with God; it is simply a natural resource to exploit and to re-shape to their own tastes. They are presumptuous, that is, self-willed; their universe is essentially their own ego and their own intellectual pride, their confidence that they represent the elite ruling class of the ages. Their presumption makes them not only contemptuous of God but of other men. We live in a day when the love of all men is insistently proclaimed in theory, and the massive hatred of all men is practiced in fact. We hear much about equality from men who tell us they are our superiors and therefore know what is best for us. We hear calls for unity from men whose every action divides us. Presumptuous men, because they are self-willed, can only bring anarchy. Faith and obedience bring unity because they unite men in Christ, not in man's will. "Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it" (Ps. 127:1).

Comfort in music

I receive so much comfort in different types of music. I always have. I remember when I was about 8, running away because of something that happened at home and going to the park and digging a hole under the slide. I hid in that hole and sang "I am a Child of God" over and over again while crying. When my dad finally found me, I was still singing it. He picked me up and was not angry.

The song "Consider the Lilies" has been a great comfort to me in these past days. I love the words of this song.

Consider the lilies of the field--how they grow, how they grow.
Consider the birds of the sky--how they fly, how they fly.
He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds in the sky
and He will feed those who trust Him and Guide them with His eye.

Consider the sheep of his fold--how they follow where he leads.
Though the path may wind across the mountains,
He knows the meadows where they feed.
He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds in the sky
and He will feed those who trust Him and Guide them with His eye.

Consider the sweet tender children who must suffer on this earth.
The pains of all of them he carried from the day of his birth.
He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the lambs of his fold
and He will heal those who trust Him and make their hearts as gold.

He clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the lambs of his fold
and He will heal those who trust Him and make their hearts as gold.

Dad's Obituary

October 18, 1947-October 21, 2008
Vic Dean, of Mesa, AZ, was born to Bob and Ada Dean in Durango, Colorado. He was the oldest of six Dean children. He grew up as a great brother and mentor to his siblings and to all of those that he came into contact with.

Vic leaves behind an awesome legacy, full of love, fun and hard work. Vic served proudly in the US Army from 1968 - 1970. While in the military in 1970, at a Base Dance, he met Sandy Snider-Bawden. They were married until 1999, and during that time they raised eight children together.

He loved each of his children, his two stepchildren and his 33 grandchildren with all of his heart. There was not a day that went by that those who knew him didn't hear of how proud he was of his children and his posterity. He was sure to instill in each of them good morals, good work ethic, the ability to have fun, and of course, the great game of BASKETBALL. Victor also instilled and taught of his fond love for his Savior, Jesus Christ.

After his military service, Victor attended BYU and Dixie College; And after most of his children were grown, he attended and received a degree from the College of Eastern Utah, as an RN.

Vic loved helping people and did so as often as possible. He was able to do so in his job, and he and his wife, Adrienne, made a daily effort to reach out to those in need whenever, wherever and however they could.

Victor and his bride, Adrienne, have built a wonderful, fun-loving life together that Vic was very happy and proud of. They resided in Mesa, AZ, where they have lived life to the fullest and participate in all of the outdoor adventures they can handle. Together, they have become avid bicyclists, kayakers, motorcycle enthusiasts, hikers, and love to travel together to spend time with family, as often as their schedules allowed.

Family was very important to Victor and we are excited for his union with his loved ones on the other side.

He is preceded in death by: his siblings, Dennis Dean and Roberta Shirley; his son (and his pride &joy), Joel Dean; and his father, Robert Dean.

He is survived by his wife, Adrienne Shaver-Dean, and her two children, Erin and Andrew Shaver; his children: Monica Riedel; Misty Thompson (Jay); Jared Dean (Christa); Melanie Bond (Jonathan); Amber Dean-Hobdy (Lanard); Joel's wife, Kristy; Lindsey Dean; and Summer Smith (Jesse); His siblings Ronald Dean (Diana); Rick Dean(Dorothy);Lori Buhr(Terry);his mother Ada Dean and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial service is scheduled for Sunday, October 26 at 6:30 pm at the Grandview LDS Chapel; 900 West 2150 North, Provo, Utah.

My Dad October 18, 1947 to October 21, 2008

Can this be real? Am I writing that my father is no longer with us?
Last night at 9:00 I got a call from my sister Lindsey who had been contacted by the highway patrol to tell her that my dad had been in a bad motorcycle accident. That he was unconscious and taken to a hospital in Scottsdale. They found her number on his cell phone and so they called her first. She than called me and with Amber's help we tried to find out exactly what hospital he was at. We were able to find him and talk to his Doctor. He told us that he had severe head trauma and that he was very critical and it did not look good. At 11:00, they called Amber back and told her that they could not stop the bleeding in his head and that they were stopping all blood transfusions. We got the call at 11:57 that he had passed away.

I am very blessed in that I was able to talk to him the day before. We had a really great conversation in that he told me how very proud of me he was and how much he loved me and I was able to do the same. After going over that conversation in my head, if I knew it was the last conversation that I ever had with my dad, I would not of changed a thing. When I got off the phone with him, I said I love you and have a great week!

We know that he wanted to be buried in Mancos, Colorado, where he grew up. I will post more information when I know.

Family Night Pumpkin Carving

Tonight for family night we carved our annual pumpkins. It was so much fun. The smell of pumpkin guts reminds me so much of Fall.

I think Jonathan likes it a little to much.

What is he doing to Devin?

Haylee wasn't real happy about having to clean her pumpkin out.

Haylee's Spider Jack-O-Lantern.

Jerin's Jack-O-Lantern.

Devin's Dracula

Aubrey's pumpkin wasn't scary so she decided to be.

And Jonathan did one too.

We had a really great time. I love holiday traditions and look forward to trick or treating with the kids. We have a great neighborhood for that. So come by, we would love to see you.

My First facial

Yesterday I went and got my very first facial. You see I have a really hard time spending money on myself. I have never gotten a pedicure. I did get a manicure once when my sister paid for it and the only time I have gotten a full body massage is when it has been given to me as a gift. 

My lovely cousin Rachel gave it to me because of a contest I won on her blog. Can I tell you how absolutely amazing it was? WOW!! It was so nice to just relax and let my mind do nothing. I loved it. She comes highly recommended by me. 

Help support the effort

There are many things that I believe to be true. Some of the things that I hold most dear to my heart have been challenged. Most people that read this blog share my beliefs, but some do not. So, I want to share something that I believe in...

I solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

These are things I know to be true.. We have been asked to help in whatever way we can to help support proposition 8. We need to help support the effort to defend traditional marriage.
Please if you pray, add this to your prayers.

Follow up story

Haylee came home on Saturday and said that she figured out who she was going to marry. She said " Me, Tate, Jacob and Chase were all playing at the park. Well, they all said they wanted to marry me and I told them that they  would have to do eanie meanie miney moe to decide. Well, Tate won and he was so excited that he said "YES!"  like this. (while pumping his arm up and down) "So, I am going to marry Tate. Is it ok to marry your friend?"

HA HA!! Problem solved.

Funny conversations with my 5 year old.

Haylee has been talking a lot about marriage lately. Why in the world would marriage be on the mind of a 5 year old is beyond me. This was a conversation we had the other day.

"Mom, is it against the law to marry your brother?"

"Yes, Haylee it is."

"Is it against God's law?"

" Yes, it is also against Gods law." ( who knew that my 5 year old knew there was a difference.)

" Than how am I supposed to get married? Is it hard to find a husband?"

" No, it is not hard to find a husband."

" Well, than how do you do it? I don't know if I can find a husband. I don't think I want to get married. It will be to hard."

At this point Jerin interjects and proceeds to tell her how to find a husband.

" Well first you find a boy that you like and than you start talking. If he likes you than you can go out with each other. Than you fall in love and get married."

Haylee than says-

" I am never getting married. It sounds too hard."

Family Pictures

We have been trying to get family pictures done while the fall colors are still here. We had it scheduled for Saturday with some family but, it rained all day Saturday and most of Sunday. So, we rescheduled it for yesterday but nobody could make it. So, this is our attempt at taking family photos by ourselves. It did not turn out as good as I would have liked. Plus, I think the rainstorm knocked off most of the beautiful Fall leaves. I love the Fall foliage and was sad that most of it was gone. Here are a few...

Fall Weather

I have really enjoyed the last week of weather. It has been in the mid 80's and gets down in the 50's at night. That is by far my favorite kind of weather. But, all this is starting to change. I think I saw the last days of the 80's for the rest of the year. That really brings on the blues. I love warm or even hot weather. Sometimes I wonder if I truly am warm blooded. I am always cold unless I am sitting in the sun. I have to bring a jacket with me everywhere. When someone in the room is hot, you better believe that it feels perfect to me. I have to take a coat with me into a restaurant because I get so cold after I have finished a meal. It doesn't matter how warm it is in the restaurant you will still find me shivering away.

Now the question is why do I live in Utah when it gets so flippin cold here? IT has nothing to do with the weather, that's for sure... There are some great things about living here. I love the mountains and being so close to temples and family.

I am not looking forward to the cold weather or snow. I hate bundling up and putting on layers. Give me sunshine and flip flop weather anytime... Good bye warm weather. I will miss you.