Camp Songs C.D. - I'm at it again

Those of you coming to my blog in search of words to camp songs, look in my blog archives for July and June of 2009 and you will find them there. I was excited to have so many new people request a copy of the C.D. - mostly because I know many of these camp songs will be sung this summer at girls' camps all over this great country of ours. Please comment to me here or on Facebook to let me know you recieved your C.D. and that it worked okay when you tried to play it. Also feel free to browse around my blog and get to know us better. I'm definitley not a blog-a-holic, but I have added some meaningful posts over the years.

Your Camp Ritchie friend, Jeanie Anderson

p.s. in case you are wondering about the voices on the C.D., mine is the strong alto voice which sounds quite raspy in some of the songs because I had a very sore throat one of the days we recorded. Alexis is the soprano who sang the solos on "Walk Tall" and "God created Camp Ritchie". (she was only 14 at the time we recorded) Her older sister Camille switches between singing harmony and melody depending on the song, also she played the flute for us on Walk Tall (Camille is 17 years old) My husband Garrett is the one who sings the PBJ love song. He did great!

March 17th, 2001

I wanted to post this wedding picture to commemorate our 9th wedding anniversary which took place yesterday. The time has gone quickly, yet I can hardly remember life before Garrett. It seems he has always been there with me. He has worked hard to try and learn all about the 24 years before he knew me, so he can talk with me about my memories just as if he had been a part of them. He is such a caring person who does well at remembering details. That is a great quality, to remember things people have told you so that they know you were really listening. I could use some improvement in that area. I ask people a lot of questions about themselves, but sometimes I am so busy thinking up the next question that I don't always listen to the answer as closely as I should. This is only one of many areas that Garrett has been a good example to me. He is a very loving father and friend to our little boys. He plays with them tirelessly every chance he gets, which sometimes includes staying up way past bedtime. But, I don't fault him for this because I know he just can't get enough of them and often his time at home is limited due to his busy work schedule. Garrett is also very diligent in his church calling as Young Mens' president. He really cares about those boys too, and tries to plan activities that will help them grow into responsible young men. Of course their parents do most of that work at home, but the Priesthood programs of the church are there to supplement the parents' efforts and give the boys responsibility to which they can rise. I know his experiences now in this calling will help him be prepared to be a father of teenage boys in just a few years. I didn't really know where this blog was headed when I started it, I just knew I wanted to pay tribute to my eternal best friend and sweetheart, Garrett DuAne Anderson. So, on with the tribute:

Thanks for always loving me, even those days when I have not been easy to love. Thanks for encouraging me in my many pursuits, and helping me keep focused on my most important job of motherhood. Thanks for being a 21st century man who believes that household chores are a shared responsibility. Thanks for folding the laundry and doing the dishes so often without being asked. Thanks for never saying, "I wish you were more..." and always saying, "I am so thankful for who you are". Thank you for leading our family in Spiritual things from attending church, to having weekly Family Home Evenings, to paying tithing and saying our prayers together. Thanks for finishing my sentences when I can't come up with the words, and for being quick to forgive unkind words I say things should have been left unsaid. Thanks for doing CPR on my jokes when necessary and for always being willing to eat my leftovers. I love you sweetheart, and look forward to many more years of life and eternity with you and your two sons. Most importantly, thanks for helping me become a mommy!

Arizona Trip

We have really enjoyed reconnecting with family here in AZ. Today we went to the zoo, and it felt like July to me instead of March. I think we chose the right month to come, any later in the year would have been way too hot for me.

My kiddos are having a blast with their cousins. Maybe I will get ambitious and actually post some pictures on here. For some reason that task seems to take too many steps so I don't do it very often. Anyway, just wanted to write a short blog here and say how thankful I am to have married into such an awesome family.

The Andersons are a great bunch of people, and I wish I could spend more time with them all. I told Garrett, we may end up moving here if we ever need to move on from Branson. Not because I love Arizona, but because there are so many Andersons here. I would love for my boys to be close to cousins during their teenage years especially.

Tomorrow evening we get to go see the Duttons perform. It will be fun to introduce our family to our favorite family in Branson. Should be nice evening. Okay, I am tired now. Goodnight.

Fundamental Premises of Our Faith - Talk Given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks at Harvard Law School - LDS Newsroom

I thought this was very interesting so I decided to post it here. Enjoy.

Fundamental Premises of Our Faith - Talk Given by Elder Dallin H. Oaks at Harvard Law School - LDS Newsroom

Back to Normal

We spent the weekend visiting the Anderson Grandparents which was a lot of fun. I have not been back to Normal for almost a year, so it was good to get back. Garrett's parents really live in Bloomington, IL which is the neighboring city to Normal, but I still usually refer it it as Normal since that is the town we used to live in and the place where Garrett grew up before his parents moved to the house they now live in.

It was great to spend time in familiar places with family and friends. We got to visit with the Reeds, Wheelers and Escobars. Also we saw many other old friends when we attended church on Sunday. When I see the teenagers now, who used to be primary kids when we lived there, I realize how much time has passed. We moved away (for good) just after Jerry was born five years ago. Though it has been a while since we lived there, we still feel very connected to the community and to our friends there.

The boys love going back there, mostly because they love to be at Grandma Susie and Gramps' house. Also, they love visiting their friends who are like cousins to them. It is funny how they remember people's houses by what toys they have, even if they have not been there for several years. I think kids memories are more geared towards remembering toys than people. After seeing the people again they usually remember quickly enough, but when talking about going to see certain friends, they often mention the toys they remember playing with there.

It is sad to live so far away now. When we were in Centralia, the drive was only three hours. Now that we are 8 hours away, a weekend trip is very exhausting. Though we are worn out, it was still worth it to make the trip, especially since we all got to visit the dentist while we were there. Thanks Gramps for taking care of our teeth.

10 things I am thankful for right now

1. Being warm inside my house even though outside the world is frozen.
2. My sweet husband who is sitting in the boys room playing legos with them right now.
3. Garrett's job which provides a very comfortable living for our family.
4. An upcoming trip to AZ to visit lots of cousins, looking forward to it is exciting
5. Our cars and readily available gasoline
6. Heavenly Father's Plan
7. Music, especially when sung by my two little boys
8. My boxes of papers (I love looking back through old letters and school papers, somehow it brings me joy...though I am trying to minimize the amount of boxes I have)
9. Missionaries - when ever I am around missionaries it makes me feel hopeful about the future of the church and of the world. They are all such good kids!
10. My Parents -they were here over Christmas, and it was great to be with them again!

(Thanks Alena for giving me the idea to do a gratitude list)

Stephanie Nielson - an inspiration to all mothers everywhere

Stephanie Nielson: Plane crash survivor regains hope

(this article has ten chapters to it, I reccomend reading them all in sequence to get the full impact of the story.)

This woman is absolutely amazing to me! Whenever I start feeling sorry for myself, or discouraged about anything, I go back to her blog and feel humbled. If she can do it (life I mean), so can I. She survived the fiery flames of a plane crash, and has to deal with the pain of the burns every day. Yet she goes on, thank you Stephanie for being an inspiration to us all!

Sending my love to Africa

This picture is of some friends who I met in Africa back in 1999 when was living in Zimbabwe teaching at Camelot School. Ian, the dad in the picture, became a very good friend to all of us American students. We got to know him through church, and he soon became our protector and our taxi cab. He was such a good friend and we really enjoyed spending time with him and his family.

At the end of my stay in Africa, he was the one who accompanied me on the bus trip down to Johannesburg, South Africa on my way home. His trip was mainly for the purpose of attending the temple for the first time. Garrett, who was on an internship in Mozambique, Africa at the time met up with us at the temple and served as Ian's escort in the temple. It was a very special day.

When Ian met Patience (his wife) a few years later and decided to get married, we were very happy to hear the news. We assisted him in getting a wedding ring for her from here in the States because inflation had skyrocketed so badly over there. We stayed in contact with them and enjoyed getting updates and sending gifts when they had their children. I never officially met Patience, but felt like I knew her from seeing pictures and reading Ian's updates.

The purpose of me telling you about them is to ask for your prayers on behalf of this family. Yesterday I got the news that Patience died a few days ago. She leaves behind an adoring family and three young children. I am very sad for Ian at this time, but I am also extremely thankful for the knowledge of eternal families

They have been sealed in the temple, and I know that they will see each other again and will be together as a family eternally. It may be many years of separation until that time, but knowing of the eternal plan God has for families gives us hope, and motivation to go on during times of sadness. We love you Ian and will be praying for you and your children.

With Love, Jeanie and Garrett Anderson

Thankful Hearts

We are so thankful this Thanksgiving for answered prayers. Our sister-in-law Teresa is recovering well from the awful infection than ravaged her body about a month ago now. For a few days there we were all afraid we might lose her. But, many prayers were offered on her behalf, a family fast occurred and the good Lord intervened. She is back home again now, working to regain her strength. We are happy that Garrett's mom was able to go to Arizona to help be a support to the family as Teresa continues to recover.

As we approach the holidays, we reflect back on all that our own little family has been through the past year. I have come to appreciate my health and strength, after going through so many months of sickness in 2008. Also, the miracle of the two healthy boys we have in our lives has become the focus of our gratitude. After not successfully bringing their two little brothers here to earth, we know how blessed we are to have realized the miracle of parenthood with Solomon and Jeremiah. We still feel a void in our lives, as our family still feels incomplete without Abraham and Elias (those are the names we intended for them). But, we know that the Lord is the great Completer, and he will bless us with the gift of a complete eternal family in Heaven if we will put our trust in Him and follow His teachings.

As for the present, we will enjoy each day of this life with Solomon and Jeremiah and will look forward with hope and anticipation to all the God has in store for us. We are thankful to be living in a place now where enjoyment is so very easy to find. It would be great to live closer to family, but since that is not possible for us at this time, we are happy to be in a city surrounded by good people. Last night, we were invited to the Dutton's Christmas party and talent show that they have each year for all their employees. Though we don't know them too well yet, it still felt like for an evening we were a part of an extended family here. It was very fun. I even got up on stage and played my trombone for old times' sake.

Table Rock Dam

Here we are with Stanley at the Table Rock Fish Hatchery right by the dam. This was taken back in September when the weather was still warm.

The Power of Words

Written by DeAnn Flynn - a "Time Out for Women" presenter

(This is a great message for all of us parents to remember, so I decided to share it)

Before I got married, no one ever sat me down and had "the talk." You know, the talk about...laundry. Remarkably, even without previous counsel, I've developed some pretty sweet laundry skills and learned a great deal over the years. Perhaps my greatest realization is how much I've come to respect bleach.
With seven active children, bleach has become my trusted companion – often saving a seemingly hopeless article of clothing. It has disinfected things I would only touch with rubber gloves and a gas mask. But my careless use of this powerful aid has also ruined many more things than I'd care to admit.

Once, in haste, some drops of bleach landed on my favorite laundry room rug. I noticed these drops right away and tried to rinse them out quickly, but the power of that bleach proved to be immediate and irreversible. The next day, I carefully colored the spots in with a mustard colored marker. (I challenge you to find one of those!) It helped, but I'm still reminded of that mistake every time I do my wash. Those bleach spots have taught me a priceless lesson.

You see, bleach is a lot like words.The words we choose can lift and mend, restore and renew. They can also permanently damage and deface. Words are quick and powerful. Once uttered, they cannot be retracted. Whether we use them with care and respect, or thoughtlessness and haste, words can (and do) change lives forever.

I'll never forget the time I overheard some friends joking about some of my weaknesses to one another in a mean-spirited way. When they realized I had heard them, they quickly came and asked to be forgiven. I did forgive, but the experience has been difficult to forget. Like bleach, the cruel stain was immediate and irreversible. Their repentance helped to fill in the painful spot (like my rare and wonderful mustard-colored marker), but the memory of those harsh words has been hard to completely erase.

The Apostle Paul delivered these wise words to the ancient Ephesians, "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers....Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice. And be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you." (Ephesians 4:29-32)

It's so easy to speak before we think. But most of us don't use intentionally hurtful words, we just get lazy and careless. We let our words fly like little drops of bleach here and there without measuring the effect they may have upon the hearer. The problem is, little children (and big adults) believe what we say to them. “Something's wrong with you," or "You just don't get it," or "If you could just see yourself."

I once called my daughter a "turtle" because she often moves like cold tar. One month later, while in a piano lesson, her teacher asked her to play more quickly. She replied, "I can't. I'm a turtle." My careless words had stained her self-perception. If only I could take those damaging words back...

Each day we have the opportunity to mend hearts and empower lives with our words. When we use them to build and inspire – people grow. We we degrade and criticize – people shrink. Our simple words of encouragement and praise can be life-changing.

As a matter of fact, they are.

General Conference makes me happy

"When we sin, we turn away from God. When we repent, we return toward God. We each need to feel the Saviors arms of mercy through the forgiveness of our sins. I testify that the Savior is eager and able to forgive our sins. Forgiveness is a divine gift of the gospel, removing guilt and pain from our hearts and replacing it with joy." Elder Neil Andersen

This is just a small sample of the inspiring words we were given this past weekend at General Conference. It is so fun to be able to go onto LDS.org and listen to these messages over and over again. I am thankful for the spiritual feast we are given every six months. Now, with modern technology, we can partake of that feast every day if we want. I always feel the desire to improve when I listen to the prophet and apostles, yet it is not in a guilt feeling of not doing well enough, but a motivated feeling of "Yes, I can do this, I can improve with the help of my Savior." Okay, time for me to go to bed. I just wanted to share a little something on here from Conference before too many days have passed. This has been a great week because it started off right. It is so true that our attitude is affected by what we put in our minds. I can't think of anything better than revelation from God.

Flat Stanley comes to town

I have to admit, I have never actually read the story of Flat Stanley...but it is time for me to check it out from the library since we have him staying in our house right now. He is a very quiet visitor, no trouble at all. He is very photogenic and seems to enjoy seeing the sights of Branson. We wanted to introduce him to Branson's many great restaurants, but he never seems to have much of an appetite. We are glad our nephew Clayton sent him to us. We have many fun plans for the next couple weeks. I was proud of the slide show I made on Photobucket.com from our trip to the Wax Museum tonight. That is my first time successfully making a slide show. Now that I know how there will be more to come in the future. But, for now I need to get to bed, Goodnight.

Summer Days coming to an end

We have had such a blast this summer acting like tourists here in Branson. My friends here keep correcting me when I say we are acting like tourists, because they assure me that it is okay to have this much fun even when we are all settled. There is so much to love about this place: the people, the scenery, the entertainment, and a great job for Garrett that brought us here. Thanks to the city of Branson for allowing us to get a fresh start on life. It has been a refreshing summer. We look forward to the change of seasons to see the Ozarks with new colors on in the Fall and covered in frost in the Winter. Time has been going by so quickly these past few months, I actually want it to slow down so we can have time soak it all in. My boys are learning and growing so much each day. We are enjoying the stages they are at in life. Solomon is always eager to teach Jeremiah new things. They are a great pair of boys who have so much fun together. Jerry and I will miss Solomon during the day when he goes to school. But, it will be a good thing too for them to have some time to themselves. I hope to get a Joy School co-op going for pre-school with Jerry to avoid having to pay lots of $$$ for preschool. I am only working two days per week, so I will have lots of time to enjoy my last year with Jerry at home. I better get back to bed to catch a few more ZZZs before my boys wake up. Bye for now.

99 Things

99 Things
Here are the rules: Bold the things you’ve done and post it.
(I like this one because it requires very little effort)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea.
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you are not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person (not Niagra, but Victoria Falls)
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold girl scout cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

NOT TOO BAD OF RESULTS FOR ONLY 33 YEARS OLD. I HAVE PLENTY OF TIME TO DO THE REST!

Ripley's Believe it or Not

This is just outside the museum at 10:30 pm when we completed our tour. In the background you can see a bunch of cars driving past. That gives you a little idea of how live our little town is. There is constant activity in the tourist areas from 7 am until late into the night. My favorite part of driving down the strip at night is passing 5 miniature golf courses that are all filled with families having fun together. Very different experience driving down the strip in Branson vs. driving down the strip in Vegas. I'll take the good wholesome family fun any day over sin city! This is such a great place to live. I hope we get to stay a long time.