Friday, June 25, 2010

Happy Michael Jackson Day!


Well, it's been one year today! If you know me, you know how much I love The King of Pop!! Our family has declared June 25th Michael Jackson Day for the rest of all time! :) Wherever Michael is right now, I hope he is happy and at peace. I think we all deserve that.

Thursday, June 17, 2010



Elder Blaine Risher Taylor, Called to Serve in the Portand Oregon Mission leaving on September 1, 2010. I am so proud of this boy, he is one of my other children and has been a honorary member of our family for quite a long time now. He joined the church last summer and I thought that was such a special day. Well, now I am even more proud of him as he takes the step of becoming a missionary. He is setting such a good example for everyone around him and he is going to be able to touch so many peoples lives as he serves the people in Portland! YAY! Today is a good day....We LOVE you Blaine!!!

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Blue Ridge Tournament Champs!!


Last weekend we had the chance to go to Blue Ridge to watch Koby and the Thatcher High School basketball team play in a tournament. My brother Camron has a cabin in ShowLow and so the girls and I were able to meet Cam and his girls Grace and Audrey up there and stay for a couple of days. We had a great time hanging out, watching a lot of basketball, eating out and just relaxing. To top of the end of a great weekend...the Thatcher boys WON the tournament. It was so cool, they beat a lot of really good teams and it was a wonderful weekend. This upcoming season is going to be special!!

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple


May 23, 2010, the dedication of the Gila Valley Arizona Temple. I feel so blessed to be able to witness this wonderful moment in the history of our valley and our church. As I sat in the audience and was touched by the messages and the dedication ceremony I was humbled and grateful for all of my blessings. I have experienced many things over the years. I have learned some very hard lessons, but what I definately know to be true is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only church that holds all of the keys to the restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am so grateful for the Atonement and for the sacrifice of my older brother Jesus Christ. Without the atonement available to all of us, we would never be able to earn eternal life. This I know is true. I'm grateful that we do not have to be perfect, but that we need to be doing all we can and trying to do better each and every day. That is all we can do. Do I want to be perfect, of course! Will I be in this life, probably not. I'm grateful for the knowledge that I have that my family is an eternal family. It may not look like everyone else's but we are strong, we may not be perfect but we are trying. I love my kids more than anything else in this world and promise I will do everything I can to help them along their way in life as they figure out what is important and what isn't. I'm so grateful that Heavenly Father has directed our Prophet that a temple should be built in The Gila Valley. We have waited a long time and now it is up to us to use it and bring blessings into our lives and into the lives of others.

This day is truly a day to REJOICE!!!

Saturday, June 12, 2010

The Day the Prophet Came to Town....















So, the day had finally arrived, May 22, 2010. The anticipation in the air was something I will never forget. All of the kids were so excited and the adults were feeling the same way too. The time finally came when they directed everyone to take their seats on the field. I will never forget the incredible reverence that was there when President Monson arrived. It was amazing that that many people could be so quiet, they didn't want to miss anything. He shook hands and talked to everyone before he even took the stand. Then when he addressed the kids, there was a feeling so strong it was undeniable that this man was the Prophet of God. WOW!

I myself was so excited, just knowing that the people that mean the most to me were there for that moment. The Prophet actually came to Thatcher and it only got better from there. The kids put on a show that was so polished, you would have thought they were all professionals. All of the many hours of work and sweat (literally it was hot during the practices) all paid off because they performed for their Prophet and it was really special. At the end when the Angel Moroni was lifted and the kids all put their white capes on, it was AMAZING!! Dr. Lunt, Patty and Ken Raines and everyone else involved really outdid themselves.

I will forever be grateful for this day and for the experiences that my family was able to have. Dr. Lunt kept saying that this would be a life changing experience. I know that it was for my family. To hear the excitment in Cassi's voice when she told me she had the opportunity to shake the Prophet's hand was something I will never forget. The light in her eyes and the smile on her face is forever etched in my memory and in my heart. Koby was also soooo close to President Monson and his life will also be forever changed because of this moment. Mandi and I were on the field right behind the stage helping the elite dancers with their quick costume changes. It was a great opportunity for all of us to be involved and together. Mom, Dad, and Camron were in the audience right in front of the podium where everthing was taking place. They too were touched by everything that happened that night.

President Monson was so funny, one of the pictures shows him waving a red flag, he actually took it from one of the kids down front. He was following along with the kids as they were waving the flags during the production. The kids were supposed to be following a director in the stands but I don't think one eye was watching Tia Palmer, she was getting upstaged by the Prophet and I doubt that she cared one bit. haha He was so playful and cute with the kids. You can tell he is just a big kid at heart. Also before he left the stand when everything was over, he paused for a moment, looked out over the crowd of kids and hugged himself, like he was giving each of them a great big hug! That was special, you could feel his love for all of us especially strong in that moment.

I'm sad it's over but so grateful to be living here at this time. We Thank Thee Oh Go For a Prophet and all of us from the Gila Valley are especially grateful for the reason we were all gathered to celebrate. The Gila Valley has a temple!!!

P.S. I really need to thank all of our friends at Hollady's Photo for taking so many wonderful pictures and for sharing them with all of us! Go check them out on facebook and you can see thousands of pictures they took over that weekend. They are awesome.

The Big Day is here...


For months the Youth of the Gila Valley Temple District have been practicing for the Gila Valley Temple Cultural Celebration. I told my kids from the very beginning, "I have waited my whole life to be in the same place as the Prophet of God, you are going to have that opportunity before your life even begins." I couldn't believe we were so lucky to live in Thatcher during this time. I hate to say I was right? haha But I was! It was a big sacrifice for the kids. After many hours of practice over a 3 month period, lots of sore muscles, and the neverending question, "Why are we doing this again?" It was finally time for the big day to arrive. Above is a picture of our family, plus my other daughter Kellie T, just before the celebration would begin. The stands are beginning to fill up, there is excitment in the air, everyone knows the Prophet is in town and soon he will be right there with us. WOW, what a moment!

Cassi's graduation!!!






Well, all I can say about the events that took place during the third week in May 2010 is.... WOW...AMAZING...WONDERFUL...JOYOUS...THANKFUL...LOVE...HONORED! It all started on Thursday May 20th when Cassi (18) graduated from Thatcher High School. I really thought I was going to be so sad on that day, but when it acutally arrived I was so excited and happy for her. It was great to be surrounded by friends and family who were with us to celebrate this big moment in Cassi's life. Braden (Mandi, Cassi and Koby's half brother) was able to come from Utah to see his brother Brenton and Cassi graduate. It was so awesome for the kids to get together because they don't see each other very often. It was a wonderful experience. Another great story from that day was Cassi meeting Justin Pike. He and Cassi used to be pen pals while she was in Elementary School. He was serving in the military during Desert Storm and they wrote back and forth for about a year or so (it started out as a class assignment but grew into a friendship). She has always had fond memories of him and was so surprised when she had the chance to meet him for the first time at her graduation. His brother was also in Cassi's graduation class..Wonderful Night!