Trials & Blessings

I've been thinking about trials a lot this week, in fact our lesson in Relief Society this past Sunday was about trials. We all go through different trials at different times in our lives. Some of them are enough to knock the stuffing out of us and others are just little bumps in the road. There are many people in my life that are enduring really hard trials at the moment. My heart goes out to them. I wish there was something I could do to make the pain go away and to fix their problems. It was a trial for us losing our home and there are times that I feel so haunted by the mistakes we have made, it's such a suffocating feeling. When I am feeling sorry for myself, I try to look at the people around me who have a much heavier cross to bear. I also try to remember that trials make us stronger and we really do learn so much from them, after all is said and done. One of the ladies in Relief Society compared trials to riding your bike up a hill. You have to push yourself up the hill in order to get down the other side. It might be the toughest thing you have ever done but you must experience the hill and conquer it in order to come down the other side, wind blowing in your hair, feeling the thrill of speed. I never really thought of it that way. The saying "This too shall pass" also comes to mind. I am grateful for my blessings and some days I can even admit I am grateful for my trials. They have made me the person I am today.

On a lighter note, we got our tax return last week. We paid off some debts, started a savings account and decided to buy a camera. We have gone through about 4 digital cameras in the past 2 years and they have broken or we were just not happy with them. We decided it was time we invested in a good camera. So, I did some research online and went to my favorite store....(where they have everything).....Walmart! We bought the Canon EOS Rebel XSi. Here is a picture of it.

We are very excited to start taking tons of pictures of everything. We have a lot to learn about how to use it but we're having lots of fun.
In other news, we took Niamh to the doctor this morning. She has had a double ear infection for about 3 weeks. She just started her 3rd dose of antibiotics. It's hard for me to understand how she can get sicker while on an antibiotic, but it's possible. She has a terrible cough and a sore throat. She is miserable. It's so hard to see your babies in pain and not see them getting any better. Hopefully this last antibiotic will work, if not the doc mentioned some shot they give three days in a row and if that doesn't work, we may be headed to an ear, nose and throat specialist. Fingers crossed that this medicine works.
We are headed to San Diego for my little sister Beverley's wedding this weekend. We are so excited to be heading to California. I'm also so happy that my sister has found the one for her. Her fiance Lewis is a great guy and makes her so happy. It will be a special day. Here's a pic of them. Aren't they the cutest couple?

Here are some pics taken with our new camera. Enjoy!

Our dog Duke after a shave (he's normally very hairy)

(Tyrone, being The Hulk)