Police station's are never a nice place to be.....

Yesterday night was a horrible night for us...

As we were doing our taxes, we found that we were missing a few documents and hoped that we'd be able to find the information we needed on our bank's website. When I saw our savings account balance...I was sick to my stomach. There were thousands of dollars missing. How could this be? As we were checking, there were numerous transactions in Southern California at gas stations. The amounts were sickening. WHY? C'mon.... how much gas could one person need?

I called my bank immediately and reported my card number stolen. I could barely sleep that night. I woke up early....early for me on a Saturday... and drove to the bank with Joseph. He had a birthday to go to afterwards, so he had to be my little companion for the morning. To be honest with you, I was NOT a pleasant person to be around...especially with the bank personnel. He didn't seem to know how to answer my questions on how these thieves stole my information. So frustrating. How could my bank not have noticed $300 gas transactions per day? Why did no one catch this? More frustrations. I signed an affidavit stating that the $3000+ were fraudulent charges and that I wanted my money back ASAP. GRRR!

After the bank, Joseph and I went to the police station to file a police report. I was pleased to say that it didn't come close to what the San Jose police station reminded me of. It wasn't as busy as I thought it would be. There was an elderly woman there for identity theft. What a nightmare. I filed my report, to which they said they would close the case since all the fraudulent transactions didn't take place in their jurisdiction. ...more frustrations.... I said that I had no problems filing charges should they catch these thieves.

In all...by Monday afternoon most of our money was returned to our account. This has been such a nightmare, but I am now diligent in checking my accounts on a daily basis. That was my nightmare for the weekend.

Man's best friend....or friends....

On Christmas Eve, Allison (Brent's sister) and family joined us for Christmas Eve dinner. Their dog Buddy joined us also. As you can see, the dogs were very patient while Brent carved the ham...

My little quilting bee.....

Alycia was helping a young man in our ward complete his Eagle project by tying baby quilts. She had a lot of fun with the girls in our ward. It was so much fun!

My kids with Santa....

I think my kids are a bit too big to sit on Santa's lap. (big sigh)....

My "eek" moment....

A few nights ago Brent and I went to movies to see the movie Avatar. I was told it would be a 2 1/2 hour long movie, so I decided to use the restroom prior to it starting. I'm not as obsessed with my Blackberry as some might think, but I was texting and walking towards the restroom at the same time....such a bad idea....I had the weirdest feeling like I shouldn't be where I was. I glanced towards the floor and all I saw were jeans and feet. Very large feet facing the wall.....

Eeeeek!
All I could say was "oops...I am soo sorry!"
I made the quickest exit I could make and went straight to the Women's restroom this time.

I went to the movies to see a show...but not that kind!

Christmas 2009

Here is the quick summary of what happened in 2009 for the Smith family: Brent finished the Ironman triathlon, Anna gained 6 inches in height, Alycia once again had straight A’s, and Joseph has learned to speak Latin without an accent. What a year! If you are not confused right now you must be thinking of some other Smiths, because this year was fairly ordinary for us.

In March we went to LA and saw Universal Studios, the tar pits, and the beach. A surprise gem for the family was the Getty museum, which had many amazing works of art and was completely free. July was spent first in Utah at Brent’s family reunion, then up in Yellowstone. Anna was a good sport and put up with two night of camping, complete with bears, buffalos, and a thunderstorm that seemed determined to destroy our tent. We are ending the year here at home, but have Brent’s parents coming to escape the snow.

Joseph, 10, began this year cutting the cheese. His pine wood derby race car was shaped as a triangle block of cheese, complete with holes and mice. Both he and Brent were surprised to see it take 4^th place out of 30 or more boys. He earned his Bear in Cub Scouts and is now working on his Weblos. Besides Scouts, Joseph continues to keep busy with piano, and various therapies. He is in 4^th grade now and misses his big sister who has moved on to Junior High.

This was a big year for Alycia. She left Elementary School and Primary and has moved on to 7^th grade and the Young Women organization at church. This is her third year in the CATS (smartypants) program, but the first year that she has really been challenged. It has been a painful adjustment for everyone. She was able to get her ears pierced when she turned 12 in August, but it took a couple months for her to build up her courage and get poked. She has gained several inches in height and has now passed Anna as the tallest girl in the house.

Anna began the year with two of her favorites: Chemistry and Algebra classes. There is nothing better that she likes than having those beasts out of the way. She did well, but put her schooling on hold in the fall to focus on helping the kids with their schooling. Some need more help focusing, doing work, and meeting deadlines than their brother does. (I’m not going to say who.) Anna also started the year as a Cub Scout Den Leader, where she spends an hour each week teaching up to 10 boys various skills. She really enjoys doing this, although there are usually one or two boys that challenge her.

Brent received a similar challenge in August when he was asked to be the Scoutmaster for the local troop of a dozen 12-13 year old boys. He worked with the youth once a decade ago and has dreaded having to do it again ever since. It was a struggle to get organized at first, but it has become enjoyable for Brent to go on campouts and hikes again. Before scouting, Brent had been teaching Sunday School for a couple years. Anna misses hearing his lessons, but has been very supportive of his new responsibility. He is still working at Global Crossing, where he designs the backbone of the Internet.

We miss all of our family and old friends and are glad we can keep in touch (or at least keep tabs) with many of you via Facebook and blogs. We are constantly surprised to see you and your kids getting older. That might happen to us one of these days if we aren’t careful, but not yet. We hope that you are all doing well and enjoying the Light of Christ this Christmas season.

Love,

Brent, Anna, Alycia, and Joseph Smith

Gifts.....

It's 1:25 in the morning and I awoke to a pillow soaked with tears...my tears....

Several weeks ago a sister from my ward called and asked if I could do her a huge favor. My response..."well...it depends on the favor"....I would do it no matter what but I was dreading it...especially since she's in the Relief Society presidency...

Her favor you might ask..."could you tell a few experiences on gifts that the Lord has blessed you with or when someone has blessed your life with a gift?" I responded with a "sure, I could totally do that...I was afraid you'd ask if I could teach a lesson." Dodged that bullet....

Throughout the past few weeks I've been thinking about this topic and nothing came to mind. I said a quick prayer tonight before I went to bed asking for help....and my prayer was answered...

Eight years ago, around this time I was packing my house in Tulsa to move to the grand state of Arizona. My husband Brent was already out here working while I stayed behind with my young children and packed. This move was so difficult for me. I was leaving my house...the house that held so many happy memories...where my children took their first steps...I was going to leave my friends and ward family...these were the people that helped me with my little ones and helped me to become a better person....
This Christmas would be different from those past. Brent flew back to Tulsa to help with the move and my wonderful mother-in-law also flew out to help us out. All my Christmas decorations were packed up, so the house seemed empty. I mentioned to Brent how strange it felt to not have anything up. I was very sad...Then the doorbell rang. Who could that be we wondered? They were the young women from my ward. These were my girls. I was their leader the year prior...They came in and put up handmade decorations on my walls..they were made with love and alot of thought went into each of them. Oh how that little gesture brightened my evening. There were many tears of joy and sorrow shed that evening. I will forever remember that experience and that gift that was given to me and my family...

My other gift...
Growing up in my household was very difficult. There was a lot of contention in my home and I felt as though something better out there was awaiting. As a child I lived in Washington D.C. and my family would drive to Maryland every weekend to visit my grandparents and family members. On those drives we would drive past the most beautiful castle I had ever seen. I told myself that I would someday enter the castle...That "castle" turned out to be the LDS Washington D.C. temple. When I turned 12 we moved to San Jose, California. I was leaving behind my extended family and my heart ached that I wouldn't be seeing them for a very long time ...looking back...that was the best decision my parents made. Several years after we moved, my parents divorced. It was one of the most trying times of my life. I had to make a choice between my parents and I chose my dad. Several years later as a senior in high school I met my future husband Brent at work. As we dated, I thought to myself...I think I'm going to marry him...I thought that was a silly thought since we were still in high school. Several years later we were married in the Oakland LDS Temple. That was the happiest day of my life..the day I was sealed to my eternal companion forever...death could never separate us..and our children would forever be with us... As the years went by, we were blessed with two wonderful children.

This other gift was the Lord's love for me. These experiences I have shared are the snapshots I have been reminded of this evening. He was there with me throughout the difficult times of my life and the happy ones as well. I will be forever grateful for the gifts he has given me...My eternal marriage...my children...Temples here upon this earth...and of course the gospel that makes this all possible.

When I awoke this morning I had the overpowering feeling that the Lord truly does know and love each and everyone of us. I have known this all my life, but tonight/this morning I have been reminded of it. For some reason I have been prompted to share these experiences and hope this has helped in some way.

Well I should be getting to bed..it's almost 3 in the morning and Joseph's excited to see Santa tomorrow morning...I wonder if he still believes in Santa..

Good night dearest family and friends....

BTW- Several years ago I had the opportunity to enter the D.C. Temple and it was a dream come true...