Day 3: Bike Ride on the Marina

Does anyone remember this post? Well, after church on Sunday, I got to take Tom there, to one of my favorite places I've ever been. And it was even better to be able to share it with my best friend.

They used to manufacture ships here during WWII.

me being a dork

 We thought it would be funny because the plant looked so much like hair, but it turned out to be a bad idea; I got little "plant hairs" all over my clothes and in my hair. It was a mess!

cool prehistoric-looking plant

boat house

  

In Brisbane, almost all of the fire hydrants are painted in some creative way. It's fun to spot them as you're going through town. On the way back from our bike ride, Tom and I stopped to take pictures of some of them.

Days 1 & 2: California, here we come!

Here is the first in a series of posts which will document our wonderful, amazing, fun-filled trip to California, the Golden State! Prepare yourselves for picture overloads.

Here are some pictures taken from the airplane:

The Golden Gate Bridge

The Oakland Bay Bridge - with Treasure Island down at the bottom

 We flew into the Oakland airport and were picked up by my aunt and uncle.

The view from their cute little home in Brisbane.

 That night, we went to a concert in the park where a 50's swing-like band (Stomping Jones) was playing. It was so fun to see the town get together for dancing and a good time. Unfortunately we didn't have our camera, because there were some very worthy picture moments that night!

I am afraid to report that many of the pictures in these posts will be of us eating. Is this an accurate depiction of what they spent their time doing in California? you  might ask yourself. 

My answer to you is - indeed it is.

It all started with a groupon for two-dozen Krispy Kreme donuts. . .

They were made fresh right before our eyes.

 

If you have never had a fresh Krispy Kreme, put it on your bucket list.

Day 2 (after the donuts) consisted of a trip to Six Flags: Discovery Kingdom! There were lots of fun roller coasters, but I think I enjoyed the animals even more.

 There is a story that goes along with this . . . Shortly after reading this sign, my uncle watched as one of the tigers approached some people who were standing a little too close. He quickly pulled out his phone and got a video of the tiger spraying urine all over these people! Haha! I wanted to post the video, but am having some technical problems.

 

 Later that evening, we went to dinner at my aunt's boss's beautiful home in Tiburon. We had a terrific dinner! Tom and I also got to play their black baby grand piano and meet their cats. They have 10 which are all orange and all named after different cheeses! They jokingly call their house "the cheese factory." 

In this picture, I am holding Monterey Jack in my lap. He is quite the lady's man. . . Later while we were eating dessert we heard a noise and realized that he had climbed up on the pool table and was pushing the balls into the pockets. It was so funny!

Stay tuned for more posts on our California Trip! Until next time . .

Articles of Faith:2

#2  We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam's transgression.

One of the greatest gifts we have been given in this life is agency, our ability to choose and make our own decisions. While our decisions can often affect the lives of others, we are ultimately accountable only for our own actions. We are not punished for our parent's sins, and they are not punished for ours.

With our agency also comes accountability. We must be accountable for the choices we make, and we will be punished for the sins we commit, unless we fully repent of them. (I will speak more on the subject of repentance in the following few posts.)

We believe in the fall of man, which took place when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. Because of the fall, all men and women experience physical death. And because of the fall, all men and women, when they come to this earth, are temporarily cut off from the presence of God, our Heavenly Father, and experience a "spiritual death."

But God did not want our connection with him to be permanently severed. Therefore, He created a plan that would provide a way for us to return to Him again. The central key to this plan would be our Savior, Jesus Christ. Through him, we can physically live again after death through the power of the resurrection, and through his atonement we can be cleansed of our sins through the process of repentance, in order to become worthy enough to again enter into the presence of God.
Our Bible Dictionary states:
"The fall was no surprise to the Lord. It was a necessary step in the progress of man, and provisions for a Savior had been made even before the fall had occurred. Jesus Christ came to atone for the fall of Adam and also for man's individual sins."

1/4 x 100

Well, I am now officially 25 years old! I am wondering if I have now reached the point where I will look forward to my birthdays less and less as the years go by . . . .

Nah, I don't think so; birthdays are too much fun!

Tom made me this Oatmeal Cake from scratch. It was his first cake-baking experience ever, and it turned out PERFECT! Yumm! I am really not a cake person, but this cake (a family favorite) is an exception to the rule, and if I'm going to have cake on my birthday, this is the one.

I walked outside our apartment to go to work in the morning and found this message waiting for me! It totally made my day! And I was quite impressed by Tom's artistic abilities.

Right before midnight, I decided we had better take a picture, 

just so I could remember how I looked on the day I turned 25.

Taking flattering pictures of ourselves is obviously still a work in progress . . .

Yay for birthdays! Cheers!

BEARD RUENION 2012

Never in my growing up years did I imagine that I would be traveling to Driggs for a family reunion on my husband's side of the family, let alone a Beard family reunion. It's just crazy to me. I love it though, because many of the historic places and people from the family's past are familiar to me from my childhood.

This year, the reunion had a potato theme to it. First off, we decorated potato people, or in Tom's case, potato spiders. Technically this was an activity for the little kids, but it looked like so much fun that Tom and I joined in also.

Potato creatures

 

 

 

 

 Tom and I even won awards for our potatoes: Mine was "the cutest potato" and Tom's was "the most accurate depiction of a spider" haha.

We also played "hot potato" and some of the guys had a potato launching contest. It was pretty sweet. Bob even let me shoot off his potato gun a few times.

Setting up camp

One of the big activities of the reunion involved splitting up into groups and learning about some of the family's ancestors. Our group learned all about James Thomas Beard (who actually went by "Tom" and who my Tom is named after). We visited his old home and barn, and then to complete a service project, decided to visit the cemetery where he and his wife, along with other Beard relatives, are buried. We pulled weeds and cleared dirt away from the headstones. I loved hearing Tom's grandpa talk about his family and tell stories. We had some extra time there at the cemetery, so Tom and I decided to visit my Aunt Janie's grave and clean up that area too.

We had such a great time!

Tom and I are in charge of reunion next year, and I am really excited about it! 

It's going to be awesome!

Articles of Faith:1

Recently I have felt the need to do this, but have not got around to it until now. Over the past few years, there has a lot of hype in the media on the subject of Mormonism. With Latter-day Saints (commonly called "Mormons") appearing on television, competing in the Olympics, and even running for President of the United States, it seems that more and more of us are coming out of the wood-work. 

I would hope that those questioning what Mormons truly believe in go to a true source - an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - and not to hearsay and opinions found across the web.

To clear things up for anyone who happens to come across my blog, I thought I would share a sketch of our basic beliefs in hopes of educating people on what we truly believe.This will be the first in a series of posts which will outline what is called the Articles of Faith. These Articles outline the core beliefs of our religion.

Children in the church  are encouraged between the ages of 8 and11 to memorize all thirteen Articles of Faith. This provides them with a sound base to build upon as they grow and mature. I remember memorizing them at a young age, and although I did not understand all the language and meaning of them until much later, they were by then solidified in my mind.

A Brief History
"The Prophet [Joseph Smith] was often asked to explain the teachings and practices of Mormonism. “John Wentworth, editor of the Chicago Democrat, asked Joseph Smith to provide him with a sketch of ‘the rise, progress, persecution, and faith of the Latter-Day Saints.’” Mr. Wentworth, originally from New Hampshire, desired this information to help a friend compile a history of his native state. “Joseph complied with this request and sent Wentworth a multi-page document containing an account of many of the early events in the history of the Restoration, including the First Vision and the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. The document also contained thirteen statements outlining Latter-day Saint beliefs, which have come to be known as the Articles of Faith.” The information sent to Wentworth was not published in the Chicago Democrat, but in the Church newspaper, Times and Seasons, published in March of 1842. “In 1851 the Articles of Faith were included in the first edition of the Pearl of Great Price published in the British Mission. After the Pearl of Great Price was revised in 1878 and canonized in 1880, the Articles of Faith became official doctrine of the Church.”" - - L. Tom Perry

Article of Faith #1
We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

First and foremost, we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints declare that we believe in God, whom we often refer to as our Heavenly Father, for he is the Father of our spirits. We also declare that we believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ, our Savior, who came to this earth, atoned for our sins, gave up his life, and rose again on the third day that we might all live again eternally.

Many have said that Mormons are not Christians, and this is something I simply do not understand. While some of our beliefs may differ from other Christian faiths, we most definitely believe in Christ. He is at the core of our faith.

Members of the Church also declare through this statement that we believe the Godhead to be comprised of three separate Beings. To put it best, I will quote one of the General Authorities of the Church, Jeffrey R. Holland:

"We believe these three divine persons constituting a single Godhead are united in purpose, in manner, in testimony, in mission. We believe Them to be filled with the same godly sense of mercy and love, justice and grace, patience, forgiveness, and redemption. I think it is accurate to say we believe They are one in every significant and eternal aspect imaginable except believing Them to be three persons combined in one substance."


Watch for more posts to come on the Articles of Faith.
Questions and comments are welcome, I only ask that they are respectful.

One-Year Anniversary

July 16, 2012 marked our one-year anniversary. I cannot believe it has already been one year! Time sure flies. It has been a wonderful year though; Tom and I are so happy.





Here is the rose Tom surprised me with at work.

After a delicious dinner at Olive Garden, we decided to take a walk around the temple where we were married. It was kind of bittersweet to be there and see the beautiful grounds and landscaping. Sadly the landscape remodel was not completed in time for our wedding last year, so our pictures were less than ideal. But our amazing photographer did a great job considering what she had to work with!

This year . . .

 

Last year.



We decided to embrace the situation and took this picture just for fun.
With reluctance, our photographer agreed.









In commemoration, I decided to add in a few favorite pics from the wedding day.
Did I ever even post wedding photos on my blog? I'm a slacker.

This is our  cheesy "we actually did it!" look.

Cutting the cake . . .

And now we're living happily ever after. :)