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Lightning’s Baptism Day

04 Jun 2011 by

I’m so proud of Lightning for choosing to be baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints this beautiful morning. The Spirit was strong, and I loved every minute of it. I couldn’t have asked for a sweeter boy! Lightning was so happy and excited all morning long. He seemed extra attentive to the talks and what was going on while he waited for his turn to be baptized. It was a Stake baptism, and I have never seen so many children being baptized. There had to be around 15. Needless to say, the chapel was packed with people and they opened the gym to accommodate all of those in attendance. The counselor in the Stake Presidency joked that it looked like Stake Conference.

Our ward was last and had three boys being baptized including Lightning. I didn’t mind so much, but all of the children in the congregation seemed to. We sang so many songs that I almost lost my singing voice. David got up and bore his testimony during one of the breaks between songs. Finally the time came to go to the room for the baptismal font was so full of people, there was standing room only. I was so grateful to get to watch it. I’m sure no one would have argued if I stood in the middle just so I could watch the ordinance, but I didn’t need to. After all, I was his mom!

David baptized Lightning and later confirmed him a member of the church after they were all dried off. Lightning was so cute and happy when it was all over. He’s such an angel boy!

I’m so grateful for our many friends and family who came to support Lightning. We enjoyed a luncheon on his honor at the pavilion near our church building. I was sad that my dad couldn’t stay for the luncheon because it had taken so long (nearly two hours) and he needed to go back to work. Other than that everything else seemed perfect. We were so blessed to have everything go as smoothly as it did. I didn’t even feel stressed about it. I let the whole day just flow from one thing to the next. My planning had paid off, and with the help of the Spirit I remembered everything I needed to do.

Something we’ve missed in the past is doing a family photo before or after an event like a baptism. This time, I made sure to get one! One of the benefits of having a photographer as one of my best friends is that she can take a nice, quick family picture! Thanks, Tamra!



We tried getting Peter to let Ella hold him, but he wanted his Dad…and his Dad’s ears to hold!

We spent the rest of the day letting the kids play while we rested. I didn’t realize how much the excitement and planning took out of me. I ended up with a headache but even that didn’t dampen my joy.

Lightning, I pray you remember this day and keep it close to your heart, always! I know I will!

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Category: Media, Relationships, Spirituality
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Gratefuls

01 Jun 2011 by

I am amazed at how much my heart has changed since striving to have more gratitude in my life. Life isn’t as bad as it used to seem at times. I know that God can make good out of anything, and I’m grateful for that and for His help in my awareness of that fact. I would like to share some of the major influences in my life that I am grateful for.

  • I am so happy and grateful for a loving Father in Heaven who has given me everything I have, great and small.
  • I am grateful for my Savior, Jesus Christ, for His love, mercy, and example. I am thankful for His Atonement and that He loved us all so much that He suffered in Gethsemane and died on Calvary–that we might be forgiven when we repent and live again with Him and our Father in Heaven.
  • I am thankful for the Holy Ghost whose constant companionship grants me inspiration I never would have thought possible. He is my comforter and guide.
  • I am grateful for the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the wonderful organized church that gives so freely and welcomes all!
  • I am so grateful to be the daughter of a King and know that as a daughter of God I can do anything with Him on my side.
  • I am thankful for my amazing family, my husband, David, who is my dearest love and the joy of my heart.
  • I am grateful for my 5 sweet children. They bring me happiness and teach me so much. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without David and them in it!
  • I am grateful for my parents and all they have taught me. For their love and desire to do good.
  • I am thankful for my dear best friends who laugh, cry, and sing with me…who encourage, love, and help me…always.

What are you grateful for? I encourage you to share a few things that you are grateful for with someone you care about. Thank them for being in your life. It will not only make their day, but yours too!

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Category: Laws of Success, Relationships, Spirituality
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Marriage

31 May 2011 by


David and Brandi – 13th Anniversary Getaway

With so many people choosing to end their marriages, there is one thing I wish all people would understand and live…marriage takes work and diligence. If we choose not to work on our marriages, they eventually fail. As the adage goes, “The grass is greener where you water it.” Yellow and brown spots need watering, not abandonment.

One of the things we have always done as a couple to “water” our relationship is to make sure we are keeping communication lines open with each other. We talk every night, not just about the kids or what the next day’s activities were going to be, but we talk about our dreams and hopes for the future with each other. We always approach our challenging conversations with love and kindness. We don’t scream at each other or blame each other, though the adversary certainly tries to get us to. We own up to our part of the challenge we’re facing and are forgiving of each other.

Lifting our relationships to a higher plane and keeping a marriage alive and thriving, always starts with ourselves. We need to see our spouses as people with their own thoughts, feelings, trials, and choices. We need to see them as people and seek to understand them instead of treating them as objects. It’s easier said than done, but with practice and application, it works!

If you’d like more information there are many resources, and here are just a few that have worked for me and that I recommend:

  • The Anatomy of Peace – I really loved the book, and it helped me to see people as people instead of objects.
  • The Business of Marriage – Dino and Shannon put on an awesome event and have some helpful products as well. My husband and I had a fabulous time at The Business of Marriage seminar at the beginning of April. We came home after three days and felt like newlyweds again. I can’t say we haven’t had opposition, but we came home with more tools to help us make our good marriage into a fantastic one.  We always felt uplifted and inspired, never like we needed “fixing.”  They are excellent at helping people find the answers within themselves to help their relationship thrive.

If you find yourself struggling in any way in your marriage (large or small) or know that you need to add something to your tool belt, seek inspiration and resources to help you make your marriage better. As the wise Benjamin Franklin said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

So, what are you doing to help your marriage improve?

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Category: Education, Relationships, Spirituality
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Who Are You?

15 May 2011 by

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Our Deepest Fear Revisited

29 Sep 2010 by

We have been working on goal and affirmation statements of late and have had a fair amount of inspiration from this gem from Marianne Williamson’s poem:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,
talented and fabulous?
Actually who are we not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And when we let our own light shine,
we unconsciously give other people
permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.”

My husband had rewritten the above poem to make it in the first person with many “I” statements to personalize it. We read it for months. It was working for a while, but it seemed to have a sneaky undermining issue. As we repeated it over and over to ourselves, it reinforced that we were afraid of our own greatness and genius. Using this poem as a spring board, my husband and I rewrote it for our own purposes. Here is our new affirmation statement:

I am powerful beyond measure.
It is God’s light that empowers me.
I am a Child of God and a portion of that light is within me.
I am healthy, brilliant, gorgeous, talented, wealthy, generous, and fabulous.
My playing large is the best way to serve the world.
I shine, as children of God naturally and gracefully do.
I manifest the Glory of God that is within me and I see the Glory of God in everyone.
I let my own light shine and empower others to do the same.
Because I am liberated by knowing who I am, my presence automatically liberates others.

Brandi Palmer

Update 08.01.2011: I have included an audio file here if you would like to listen to it daily.  I’d love to hear your results in using it.

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Category: Finances, Laws of Success, Relationships, Spirituality
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