Article of Faith:4

#4 - We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

"Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; there fore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." - Alma 32:21

The older I get the more I have realized how vitally important faith is to us. No wonder it is the first principle of the gospel. Without a faith that God exists, or faith in Jesus Christ and his saving atonement, what would be the purpose of anything and everything else we do in the church? Without faith there would be no need for repentance or baptism.

Repentance, the second principle of the gospel, is explained in the Bible Dictionary as "a turning of the heart and will to God, and a renunciation of sin to which we are naturally inclined. Without this there can be no progress in the things of the soul's salvation, for all accountable persons are stained by sin, and must be cleansed in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. Repentance is not optional for salvation; it is a commandment of God."

I love how repentance is explained in those words. And I like that it mentions that all accountable persons require repentance. Which brings me to the first ordinance of the gospel: baptism.

The ordinance of Baptism is found in many religions throughout the world, but in different forms and practices. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes in baptism by immersion, meaning that the body is completed submerged in the water and then brought back up again. This is after the pattern in which Jesus Christ himself was baptized as found in the New Testament. It is also in similitude of Christ's death and resurrection.

"Baptism also includes a sacred covenant, a promise, between Heavenly Father and the individual who is baptized. We covenant to keep His commandments, serve Him and His children, and take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ. He promises to forgive our sins, "pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon [us]" and offer us eternal life."-Feb. 2013 Ensign

We also believe that people should not be baptized until they reach the age of accountability. The Church has declared that the age of accountability begins when children reach the age of eight. Infants and children who die before they reach the age of eight automatically receive salvation.

"[. . .] wherefore, little children are whole, for they are not capable of committing sin; [. . .] teach repentance and baptism unto those who are accountable and capable of committing sin' yea, teach parents that they mus repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be save with their little children. And their little children need no repentance, neither baptism." - Moroni 8: 8, 10

We believe that a person must be baptized by the proper authority, or by one who hold the priesthood of God, or the power to act in the name of God. We believe that ours is the only church on the earth today which has the restored priesthood, or the same priesthood which existed when Christ established his gospel on the earth.

Baptism would not be complete without the confirmation ordinance which follows, in which the gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed upon the individual recently baptized. This ordinance must also be performed by a worthy priesthood holder.

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead who is there to be a comforter, to bring peace, to give warnings, and to testify of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

People who are not yet baptized or members or the church can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost in their lives. But until they are baptized and confirmed members of the church, they cannot receive a constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Even then, the Holy Ghost, often referred to as the Spirit, can only dwell with individuals whose lives are in line with God's will and who are keeping His commandments.

A Wedding!

Back in November of last year, Tom's little brother, Bobby, got married to his sweetheart, Shaini. They are such a fun couple and some of our best friends. We couldn't be more happy for them!

Here is the good-looking couple . . .

 

The whole day was so awesome. Being in the temple with them for their sealing was one of the most special experiences I have ever had. Sure do love those guys!

Although the whole day was great, I must say the reception absolutely rocked. Tom and I had an amazing reception if I do say so myself, but even we were a little jealous of what Bob and Shaini had come up with for theirs. Aside from the dancing at the end, my absolute favorite part of the reception was the "photo booth" area, complete with excellent photographer and countless, amazing props to choose from. I think Tom and I had a little too much fun with this. And since we were there all night with nothing to do but eat muddy-buddies. We went back again and again. :)

With our good friends, David and Lauren.

And we were lucky enough to have the bride and groom come join us!

 

 P.S. Those mustaches smelled like somebody's chocolate breath. It made Tom gag.

Thanks Bob and Shaini for getting married and throwing an awesome party!

Dear 2013. . .

I have recently been reading blog posts by friends/family that include their goals/resolutions for the new year. And let me tell you, they were some pretty intense and lofty goals, if not just for the goals themselves but for the sheer number of them. It made me feel guilty for not setting any goals/new year's resolutions for myself. Zip. Zero. Zilch. I guess I'm tired of setting generic goals that I never accomplish. It can be depressing. So this year I wasn't even going to bother.

I have to do something though. How else will I know if I've grown throughout the year or become a better person? Am I really progressing? Do you ever ask yourself that question? 2012 was great. Tom and I did a lot of fun things together, and our relationship grew. But am I really that much different than I was a year ago?

So, in an effort to make good use of my time this year and become better, here are a few of my goals for 2013:

1. Read 24 books. I think that one-upping last year is attainable.
2. Go visiting teaching every month.
3. Go to Hawaii.
4. Blog at least 3 times every month.
5. Finish my Articles of Faith blogs.
6. Take more pictures.
7. Successfully plan and execute the Beard Family Reunion.
8. Finish reading the Book of Mormon (again).

I'll have to add more later as I think of them. But I think that list is good for starters.

So here's to a good 2013! It's gonna be big.

Liebster Award

Since Tom has been gone,  I thought I would have all this time to blog, practice the piano and the organ, workout, etc. Now ask me how many times I have done those things since he has been gone. . . I fail. 

Anyways, a little while ago I was nominated by my friend, Lauren Dominguez, for the liebster award, and I didn't want to let too much time go by before I responded and let her down. So here we go . . . 

How it works:

The liebster blog award is given by bloggers to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. (Although I wouldn't categorize myself as an "up and coming" blogger, I definitely meet the criteria of having less than 200 followers.)

 

Rules of thumb:

1. Each person much post 11 things about themselves.

2. Answer the question the nominator made for you and also create 11 more questions for the blogs you nominate.

3. Choose 11 people and link them to your post.

4. Go to their page and tell them.

5. No tag backs!

11 things about me:

1. I read 23 books in the year 2012.

2. I have never traveled outside the continental United States. I hope to change that, preferably sooner than later.

3. I know more about sports than my husband does.

4. I have to pee (a) every time I go to the kitchen at work and heat up my lunch, (b) any time I am nervous, and (c) every time I get home from work and get out the keys to unlock the door to our apartment. Why is that?

5.When I was little, I wanted to grow up and be a kindergarten teacher who drove a forest green mini van. 

6. I am opposed to having a smart phone. I even resisted getting a touch screen for a long time.

7. I choreograph dances in my head all the time.

8. I sneeze several times each day.

9. My ACT score was 28.

10. I really really wish I could speak Spanish.

11. I love sweet pickles.

Lauren's questions for me:

1. What is your dream vacation? Oh, so many places to choose from. I know it's nothing exotic or romantic, but I really want to go back to D.C. I love it.

2. What is the first CD you purchased? I am honestly not sure I have ever purchased a CD for myself, they have all been gifts. My first CD ever was Celine Dion's Falling Into You.

3. What was the first concert you attended? Like real, real concert? I went to Clay Walker in West Jordan, Utah last year. And Diamond Rio up on campus for Tom's birthday. Does that count?

4. Who was your first crush (celebrities don't count)? Zachary Taylor, kindergarten

5. What is your least favorite food? bacon and olives tie. I hate how they seem to sneak into every sandwich and pizza slice.

6. If your family got asked to be on TLC what would your show be called and what would you be on for? Rodrigues Family Circus: typical family drama.

7. How many pets have you had in your whole life? Way too many to count. We went through several litters of kittens when I was younger, and a few dogs, and goldfish.

8. What is the name of your 5th grade teacher? Mrs. Kay - she is pretty much amazing and now teaches education classes up on campus.

9. What do you want to be when you grow up? I want to teach aerobics or dance lessons, or maybe piano. Something part-time that would allow me to be home and raise the kids.

10. Would you rather have horrible breath or acne? I would have to say horrible breath, assuming it could be fixed with daily brushing and mouthwash. There's only so much makeup can do to cover up your acne. And since I'm suffering from a bad case of it right now, I am not inclined to pick it. (no pun intended)

11. If you could have lunch with one celebrity who would it be? First person that comes to mind is Adam Levine since he is my current celebrity crush. I would be so intimidated I wouldn't say a word; just stare at him the whole time and hope I don't have food stuck between my teeth. Since I told Tom about my crush, he now refers to him as Adam Levinee Weenie.

11 questions for YOU: 

1. What is the most important goal you have set for yourself this year?

2. What is your favorite dessert?

3. If you had one day left to live, how would you spend it?

4. Who was your first date and what did you do?

5. Would you rather lose your sight or your hearing?

6. Last book you read?

7. If you could teleport, where would you go right now?

8. Favorite chick flick?

9. Who is someone you find inspiring?

10. What are you most looking forward to for the year 2013?

11. What food are you craving right now?

I nominate:

Jenni Muench

Bekah Hintze

Mandy Torgrimson

Julie Millard

Hannah Hintze

Nicole Norton

Elle McCall

Rad Rachel

Marinda Morgan

Ashley Millett

Lori Shirley

P.S. I won't be offended if you don't want to do this, or if you never see this post and don't do this by default. Ok. That's all.

I hope you all learned something fun and new about me. I really put myself out there with the Adam Levine thing. Don't judge.

Christmas Silliness - Part 2

Christmas Silliness - Part 1

Halloween 2012

Yes, I am a few holidays behind, but I am determined to catch up at some point. I just need to get motivated! Here are some fun pictures of our 2012 costumes (and it didn't take me a whole year to get the photos this time!) My Nana is a member of a dance and poetry society in California. She used to make costumes for them, and these are the only ones that she still has left. I decided that Tom and I should put them to good use, so we became "Romeo and Juliet" (the live version) . . .

. . . .then on the following night when we attended another Halloween party, we decided to switch it up a little and be "Romeo and Juliet" (the dead version).

  

 very upset these photos would not flip, by the way

Pumpkin carving . . .