Time for a Haircut

Marshall's hair was getting too shaggy so this weekend we suffered through another haircut. I have to say he did better this time than the other times I've cut his hair but it is still quit a process. Here he is before:And a few tears later, here he is after (not very happy):So we gave him a sucker and all was well in the world again.And then, I finally convinced Jesse to let me cut his hair. I told him I only know how to cut it one way so he would have to have the same haircut as Marshall. He was fine with that but was also prepared to shave his head if need be.

Before:

After:And we didn't even have to resort to shaving any heads. The key will be if Jesse lets me do it a second time. I must say that I feel pretty accomplished right now. For some weird reason, I've always wanted to be able to cut my husband's hair. It's one of those things that I felt should be one of my wifely duties. Don't ask me to explain. Anyway, thanks Jess, for helping me feel like a good wife!

Team Jacob

My mother-in-law convinced me that I had to read the Twilight series. I wasn't quit sure about it. Vampires? Not really my thing but I finally gave in. I have just finished the third book in the series, Eclipse, and started reading the fourth and final book, Breaking Dawn. I will say it has been enjoyable to read, not the best books I've ever read, but enjoyable none the less. They are definitely geared for teenage girls so as I read them I try to pretend that I'm not going to be 27 next month. It's fun to have some easy reading every now and then.

**For any of you who don't want me to give away things about the book, stop reading now. I don't want to spoil it for you.**

I just have to say that I am on Team Jacob. He sounds so much more appealing to me than Edward. For one thing, who wants a boyfriend that is cold all the time? Isn't that one of the benefits to having a guy; they can wrap their arms around you and keep you warm? Jacob is muscular and tan and Edward is thin and pale. And Jacob is really big and sounds so good looking to me. Although she constantly talks about how handsome Edward is, I just can't help but picture him as a pale, skinny, pretty boy. Jacob is so much more manly. And Jacob makes her laugh. With Edward everything is always so serious. Lighten up! And he is way too controlling. I couldn't stand the way he wouldn't allow her to see Jacob. I'm glad he finally gave up on that. And Jacob fought so hard for her. I would want a man that would fight for me, not someone who could walk away from me. Edward does have his good qualities and he is growing on me more and more everyday. He is a gentleman, totally loves Bella, will take good care of her and all that wonderful stuff but I can't help but lean toward Jacob.

But now, Edward and Bella have made their commitment through marriage and I have to get behind it because what therefore God hath joined together, let not man (nor werewolf) put asunder. All along I knew she would end up with Edward, but there was still a little hope that she might possibly choose Jacob. I have been assured by those I've discussed this with that everyone turns out happy in the end though.

So give me your thoughts on this. I've discussed this with a few friends and so far I'm the lone member of Team Jacob. Is anyone else out there on Team Jacob?

Post Theist

I had a brief conversation the other day with a coworker, and in turn, this post will not be brief. Bear with me. The gist of our conversation was that he asked me what church I went to. I told him, and asked if he was anything and he replied that he was Post Theist. I was curious so, at the risk of looking really stupid, I asked what that meant. I could tell he was afraid he was going to offend me with his response. He replied, "I look forward to the day that religion no longer exists." We didn't discuss it more than that and, no, I wasn't offended.

I have to say I agree with my coworker more than he knows. I hate religion. I do not adhere to a particular religion. I go to church every week and if that is your definition of religious then so be it. Jesus Himself did not promote religion. The scribes and Pharisees were the religious people of Jesus' day and take a look at what Jesus had to say to them in Matthew 23. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness...You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness...You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?" Wow! Harsh words. And that is just a small portion of what He had to say about them.

What I have is not religion. What I have is a relationship. I have a personal relationship with Jesus my Saviour. And that relationship is available to anyone regardless of what "religion" they may or may not claim. Religion is not something that is from God. Religion is man's way of trying to reach out to God whether it be through regularly attending church, tithing, doing good deeds, baptism or any number of things. Now, I'm not saying that any of those things are bad. They are all commanded by God, but not as a prerequisite for salvation. The truth of the matter is that Jesus has already done everything that needs to be done in order for us to have a relationship with Him. Through dying on the cross, He became the perfect sacrifice that was needed in order for us to be reconciled to God once again.

Salvation is really so simple but man's religion has clouded and confused it so much that mankind is constantly striving to attain this perfection that is impossible outside of Christ. If you will, it is as simple as ABC:

1. Admit that you are a sinner; that you have done things in your life that have separated you from the perfection of God. Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."
2. Believe that Jesus came to be the perfect sacrifice for those sins and that, through His death on the cross and resurrection, He is the only way to salvation. Romans 5:8 says "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."
3. Confess and repent of your sins to God and accept his free gift of salvation, and as a result, God has promised that you will be saved. Romans 10:9 says "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." And in one of my favorite verses, Ephesians 2:8-9, you see how generous God really is "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast."

That's it. That is God's way for us to have a relationship with Him. Religion is man's way and will never be enough. No matter how hard you try and to what extent your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, you can never do enough. Religion says "Do this and do that", God says "It is already done." His Son was His gift to you; He doesn't expect you to work for it or else it wouldn't be considered a gift. God asks you to come to Him as you are. He doesn't say, "Get your life straight and then come to Me." God is the One who will make the necessary changes in your life, all He wants is you; all of you, flaws included. It is in those flaws that He is able to make His power known.

It is up to you; it is your own personal choice. No one can make this decision for you; not your church, your parents, your pastor, your bishop, etc. It is between God and you. God is reaching out to you through His Son, not through religion. "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me." What is your choice? Are you going to open the door?

For those of you who have stuck with me to the end of this post, thank you. I know it was long. If you ever have any questions about what I have written please talk to me, send a comment, email, phone call, whatever. I have no problem discussing any of this with you, even if it's been years since we've seen one another. And to my coworker who brought on this post, I too "look forward to the day that religion no longer exists" and all that exists is Jesus.

Tagged!

I'm finally getting around to honoring Natalie's tag.

5 Things on my list to do today:
1. Cook dinner (I’m trying to create a new recipe tonight).
2. Clean up dinner.
3. Go for a walk.
4. Finish this blog post.
5. Finish reading New Moon.

5 Snacks I enjoy:
1. Home grown tomatoes with salt, pepper and cottage cheese.
2. Iced tea / hot tea, depending on the weather.
3. Chocolate with peanut butter.
4. Laughing Cow Cheese with crackers.
5. Hot chocolate when Jesse makes it for me in his special way with an extra serving of love.

5 Things I would do if I was a sudden Billionaire:
1. Give a portion to the Lord whether it is through supporting my home church, missions or some other God-honoring organization.
2. Quit my job and stay home with Marshall.
3. Save some money for Marshall to go to school.
4. Buy a cabin in the mountains and a vacation home on the beach.
5. Buy Jesse an older model Dodge Charger.

5 Bad Habits:
1. Biting my fingernails.
2. Spending too much time reading blogs when I have work to do.
3. Doing my makeup in the car.
4. Sleeping with my contacts in.
5. Not keeping in touch with my friends.

5 Places I have lived:
1. Magna, UT
2. West Valley City, UT
3. Taylorsville, UT (with my brother)
4. Taylorsville, UT (my house now)
5. That’s it!

5 jobs I have had:
1. Executive Secretary, Utah League of Cities and Towns.
2. Accountant, Infobytes.
3. Audit Support, Taylorsville City.
4. Administrative Assistant, Midvale City.
5. Mom to Marshall.

5 things most people don't know about me:
1. I have had a total of 18 stitches on my face.
2. I had to have an emergency C-section because Marshall’s heart rate kept dropping when I was in labor.
3. I’m very particular about the way I do things; it’s on the edge of being obsessive / compulsive.
4. I have hazel eyes; everyone assumes that Marshall gets his blue eyes from his blonde mother but he doesn't. I don't know where they came from.
5. I never had any wisdom teeth.

I tag Stacey & Erin (Welcome both of you to the blogging world). Have fun. :)

Guitar Lessons

For any of you that might be interested, my husband is teaching guitar lessons. For the past few months he has been giving lessons to our niece and has enjoyed it so he wants to do it more. He's been playing for 17 years and can teach all kinds of stuff; how to play your favorite songs, chords, how to play along with a band using lead sheets, different types of strumming/fingerpicking, etc. They would be private lessons with one on one training.

So, if you or your children would like to learn the guitar, Jesse is your man. If your interested, call me (if you have my number) or send me a comment and I'll get in touch. I'm not putting my number on here for obvious reasons. Rock on, Dudes!

Cuddling with the Football

Marshall has always loved to play with any kind of ball: football, basketball, soccer ball, baseball, etc. And he knows the difference between all of them. I just knew that one day he would want to sleep with his football. Well, do I know my son or what? This is how he went to sleep the other night. He liked the flash of the camera so he kept saying "again" and wanted more pictures taken. What a silly, little stinker!

On a little side not, Jesse told me a funny story about Marshall the other day. He was changing his diaper and must have been holding on to his leg a little too tight because Marshall said, "Daddy, leg broken it!"

Sandoval Family Reunion

Earlier this month we went to the Sandoval family reunion. It still feels a little strange to me that I'm a part of this family. I have known many members of the Sandoval family from the time I was just a little girl. They are a huge family and we have gone to the same church for years. Oddly enough, I have early memories of Jesse's family members but none of Jesse when he was younger. My grandparents and parents all knew his grandparents and parents long before Jesse and I were ever together. My dad played softball with Jesse's dad and many of his uncles back in the days when our church had a softball league. Who would have ever thought that one day I would be related to all these people. It's just interesting to me the way God works.

The largest branch of this family tree comes from Jesse's grandma, Juanita (Jenny) Sandoval. Take a quick glance at this picture of her. She's on the left.

I know what it looks like and, no she's not doing that. I still thought the picture was funny though. Even if she was flipping off the camera I'd have to say she has every right to. This woman had 21 children. No, I didn't transpose that number. Twenty-one children! Could you imagine? I'm going crazy with just one rambunctious little boy. Amazingly enough, she outlived Jesse's grandpa, Max, who went home to be with the Lord a few years back. Jenny now lives in Seattle with her oldest daughter, Ernestine, who is in the picture with her. I come from a very small family so this huge family is kind of foreign to me. I have two cousins. Who knows how many Jesse has. It seems like anywhere we go he says, "I think that guy/girl is my cousin."

Jesse's mom, Anita, organized a bunch of fun games for the kids to play at the reunion. Marshall was kind of little for a few of them but here are some of the kids getting ready to do a treasure hunt. There were pennies hidden in the saw dust for the kids to find. Once they found one they brought it to Anita to receive a prize. Marshall got a whistle and some bubbles, which he managed to break the next day. Bye, bye bubbles!

Jesse played catch with his older brother, Jon, who's standing in the picture with him and Marshall. I think it's funny when Jesse brings his football with him to stuff like this. Sometimes I think I married a teenager.

Marshall hadn't gotten his nap that day so I pushed him in the stroller until he fell asleep. He plays very hard all day long and needs his naps. We all pay if he doesn't get his rest. I got him to sleep for about an hour which seemed to be good enough to make him happy again. This is him just waking up from his nap. He was still a little out of it at the time.

Jesse is so excited because his Uncle Andy let him take his electronic piano home from the reunion. They used it for some music during a service up there and Andy told him to take it because he doesn't ever play it. Jesse taught himself how to play the piano on a little keyboard we have. This piano sounds much better. I'd have to say we definately came out ahead after this family reunion.