Go Mitt!

TODAY, MITT ROMNEY WON THE REPUBLICAN NOMINATION FOR UTAH!!! I am so happy for him to have found a way back into public service without having had to deal with all the awfulness that was the last presidential election. I believe he is a good man, and a smart man, and the world needs more men like him. That's all. Original Post from 11/6/12 Copied from Mitt Romney Central website I want to thank my Facebook friends for respectfully supporting (or quietly ignoring) my vocal support of Governor Romney during this election season. I appreciate the lack of severe and bitter words and have enjoyed the civil and enlightening conversations that have been spurred by this amazing thing we call democracy! I have had the opportunity to meet Mitt Romney on a couple of occasions. Years ago, he complimented me on my cute baby and his name (win), and once, not so long ago, I even ate dinner sitting immediately next to him. I watched him eat his salad, you guys. :) I know that Mitt Romney is only running for president because of a genuine, deep, and abiding love which he has for this country. He truly wants to serve the American people. He has been blessed in his life, his family is amazing, his business success speaks for itself, and he feels that he owes something big to this country where he was able to create such a wonderful life. That is what he told me (and others) that night. He sought the advice of the people in that room. He wanted to know what my concerns were as a stay-at-home mom. He is humble. He is aware of the down-trodden and the needy and wants to help them effectively. He supports mothers and working women. He prays and acknowledges that we are all children of God. He is the real deal, and I am so proud to support him with my vote. My family has supported Mitt since 2007 (see photo of my baby boys below)! We have been on Mitt’s team through thick and thin, we have taken hits with Mitt for our common beliefs, we have supported him and Ann, we have prayed for him and for our country, and it seems so surreal to me that tomorrow is the big day. I have voted for Mitt so many times, and I am so proud to have cast my vote for him again, here in Texas. Whatever the outcome is tomorrow (or next week or whenever this ends), I know that all will be well. I trust a loving Heavenly Father and I know that because of His love for me and because of the love of my Savior, Jesus Christ, my family will be blessed no matter who is President. I feel peace because of that knowledge. America is a blessed land; there is no doubt. My speech is almost over. Mitt’s words tonight. He is asking for my vote as he asks for yours! “Our children will graduate into exciting careers that are worthy of their qualifications. Our seniors will be confident that their retirement is secure. Americans will have good jobs, good pay, and good benefits. Our veterans will come home to a bright future. We will have confidence that our lives are safe and our livelihoods are secure. If you are ready for that kind of change — if you want this to be a turning point in America’s course — join us and vote Tuesday for the kind of leadership that these times demand. This is the most important election of our lifetime — and every vote counts. We are hours away from the better future America deserves.” Go MITT!

kids insights

I need to remember not to watch a tear jerker movie when it is a certain time of the month. Tonight, I decided to watch "Miss Potter", a movie I had borrowed from the collection at work a week ago. I needed to finally get it watched and take it back. The only problem is, there has not been much "me time" in the past week. 5 days ago, our family doubled in size as we picked up the four children of Jon and Belle Dutton to have in our home for 12 days as their parents travelled to Seattle by bus, then on to Alaska on a cruise. It is a "work trip" for them as they are performing on the boat, with the extra perk of all 12 of them going on the cruise free of charge. I hope they are getting paid also, because that is a really long trip! As fun as it may be, I know it was hard for Belle to say goodbye to the kids. They are a very tight knit family, and the youngest girl especially does not spend much time away from her parents. She is 4 now, and I think this trip came at a good time to help her gain more independence.

I have had some very sweet conversations with these kids, and really have enjoyed getting to know them better. Last summer I spent several weeks with them during Dutton Day Camp, and among all the Dutton kids I think these were the ones who stole my heart the most. That is why, when I heard the cruise was only for grown-ups, I offered to their parents that we could take them during the week they were gone. That 7 day offer turned into 12, but it is going quite well so far. One reason for writing this blog tonight is to relay a conversation I had with Natalia today. She mentioned something about me having more kids, and I replied, "for some reason God thinks two is enough for me, because this body is not able to make any more little people." I have more. Her insightful comment was, "Maybe Heavenly Father only sent you two so you could help a lot of other people out with their kids." I believe there may be a lot of truth to that statement. Her comment gives me more of a desire to magnify my calling, and offer service to others as often as possible. I do feel I was placed here on earth with talents specific to relating to children and teaching them. My commitment to spread happiness among children has really grown this week, as I have seen these kids so happy as they have stayed here and interacted with my fmaily. One of the best ways to benefit mankind is to lead the next generation by caring about them and spending time teaching them. I am thankful God has given me several opportunities to do this. And now, it is time for me to share my Helaman 5:12 song with the world of Primary. I was inspired by Beatrix Potter to pursue my dream, and share my talent to bless the lives of others. Before the end of Sept. I want to send it it! (Goal)

Thank Goodness for Eternity

For now, I have abandoned my Anderson Afterthoughts blog and started a new one at Wordpress.com. I find Wordpress easier to use, and easier to put pictures on the site. So, If you would like to read more about my "afterthoughts" just head on over to www.thankgoodnessfor eternity.wordpress.com To all of you in the blogger.com world, keep up the good blogging, and I will keep on reading from time to time as my schedule will allow. I do admire you all for the great things you accomplish as mothers, wives and most importantly as daughters of God.

Favorite Christmas Tradition

Tonight we continued the tradition of going around town with Christmas light awards to present along with a few Christmas carols to selected homes. This is an idea we came up with in 2002 while living in Normal, IL and we have done it every year since then. (at least every year that we were at home for Christmas).

Two of my favorite people

Though I have not met Mitt Romney or Stephanie Nielsen in person, I feel like they are two of the people who have influenced my life the most in these past couple of years. Both are examples of determination and conviction that inspire me to be strong in the face of adversity. I am happy to find out that NieNie (Stephanie) is a Romney fan like I am. I look forward to hearing more from Mr. Romney soon as he prepares for a likely 2nd presidential campaign in 2012. Not sure if the country is ready to elect such a righteous man, but I am sure that I will be supporting him all the way! Two blogs to check out if you have not seen them before www.nieniedialogues.blogspot.com and www.evangelicalsformitt.com (this was one of my favorites during the 2008 campaign cycle, and they are active again now supporting Mitt)

Charity Never Faileth

Last night I had the privilege of attending the Women's broadcast with 50+ Relief Society Sisters from the Branson 1st and 2nd wards. There are so many great women in the church here and every chance I get to know them better is such a blessing to me. We have been here almost 1 1/2 years now, and I am so pleased with how connected we feel. People here are more busy than any place I have ever lived, so we learned early on to expect to be invited to many get-togethers or not to expect for others to reach out to get to know us much. But, I have also learned that there is always a need for friendship among sisters especially, even if they act like they are way too busy to have friends. I have enjoyed the challenge of finding ways to be connected with the ladies here and becoming a friend to them in spite of their time-consuming jobs and church involvement. At the meeting last night we were reminded of the importance of not wasting time judging others, because that prohibits us from having time to love them. I really like that idea of devoting my time to loving others, and preserving the time that I might otherwise spend judging them. As we seek to love all those we come in contact with, it makes all of our associations more meaningful. Not sure if all this is making sense, but it is late and the later the time the more philosophical I attempt to be. So, I am going to bed now. I just wanted to write this quick note to remember how much I felt the Spirit at the conference yesterday and then again at church today. It has been a Spirit filled weekend. I am so thankful!

End of Summer

One week ago today we had our last outing with the Dutton Day Camp. It was a very stressful ending to a very fun summer. We went to the Track family fun park, which proved to be quite a challenge with such a large group. We had all 17 of the Duttons plus my two boys that day. Though it was chaotic, the kids seemed to have fun and behaved themselves for the most part. The summer really did go by quickly, but it does feel like time to move on to school for the boys and a less busy schedule for me. I've started a blog called "Branson Kids on the Go" (www.bransonkidsonthego.blogspot.com) to display some of the pictures and details about the day camp. I am posting one here of our visit to the Branson fire station. I am still working at the Dutton Inn three days per week, and I will be babysitting the 4 pre-schoolers on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This time they will just come to my house rather than trying to run all over town with them. I am glad I will still have some regular contact with these little cuties. I am very thankful to have been able to spend so much time doing fun things with my boys this summer because of Dutton Day Camp. They had a blast being a part of such a fun group. Wonderful Memories! I hope we can make some more memories next summer.