Meet Missy!

Moroni 7:45 & 48
"Chartiy suffereth long and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is no not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things." .... 48: " Wherefore, my beloved bretheren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of is Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure."

What is your happy thought?

My "Happy Thought" is a well kept secret place at the Great Salt Lake. Farmington Bay never disappoints. Go there in February, see more than 50 bald eagles sitting in one stand of trees, go in the spring and see thousands of migrating water birds nesting. Return in the fall to catch the migrating birds stop over for a little reprieve on their way back down to South America. No matter what time of year you go it is tranquil and serene.

What is your favorite book, piece of music, or work of art?

I LOVE anything written by Chaim Potok, especially the Asher Lev series.

Briefly share your education/work experience…What did/do you choose to spend your time on? why?

I worked in Biotech/Drug Discovery for 10 years before I retired to stay home with the kiddos. I love everything about the industry except the ability to work part time. There is always something new to learn, robots to play with, plenty of room for creativity, flexibility in schedule, the customer is so far removed there is no dress code and no pleasing anyone (except those finicky little creatures you work with). And then there is the data! How I loved playing with those numbers. I started my career cloning worms, moved on to the wonderful world of yeast and genetics and ended by designing disease models for Cancer, ALS, and Muscular Dystrophy and screening for novel drugs. Never found a breakthrough drug, but had fun trying.

You are given twenty million dollars and ten years to live...how would you spend it?

Traveling with my family to exotic places.

What's your favorite way to spend the weekend?

Weekend or not, my favorite way to spend time is splashing through the tide with Brad and the little Toads.

How long have you been in the Hingham Ward?

We are in our 9th year. We moved here for Law school and loved it and decided to stay. We LOVE the Hingham Ward. Right from the start we felt like we were pulled to the center of the ward.

What's a "Fun Fact" about you?

I have 3 brothers and 4 sisters, but I am the only girl born to my mother who is not a twin.

What do you choose to spend your time on? Why?

I like to spend my free time swimming and running. Although, I have no interest swimming or running solo. I am social exerciser. I especially enjoy running by the ocean early in the morning. I like to run with someone else because I enjoy the therapy of talking out the vicissitudes of life. Top it all off with a massage and it is the best day ever.

Fun Facts about yourself?

I could go completely without a TV if it were not for PBS. My favorite show is NOVA which Brad, Sam and I watch every week. Also topping the list is This Old House, American Experience, Frontline, Masterpiece Theater and anything the kids will watch so I can get a few moments to do important things like write spotlights about myself.

Links from Fresh Start Workshop

Thanks again to those who attended and contributed to our Fresh Start Workshop Wednesday night!  Below you'll find the gist of what was discussed and links for more complete info on each topic. 

Time Management and Home Organization

"Ideals are starts to steer by.  They are not a stick to beat ourselves with." ---Barbara Smith, former General Relief Society President

It's about setting routines and practicing them.  Kristin used a lot of ideas from the FLYLady system (Finally Love Yourself).  Check out FLYLady's wonderful outlook on her site here.

 Budgeting and Debt Reduction/Elimination

Connie shared her experience and counsel about setting a budget and getting out of debt.  Links that might be worth a look are here and here.  Check your credit report here (free once per year from each of the three credit reporting companies.  This will not release your credit score (which might affect it) unless you arrange for that specifically so you can check it often and have a good idea of where you really are.  It's a good way to protect yourself from fraud).  Great ideas on the Provident Living site under family finances.  We also highly recommend the "One for the Money" pamphlet, link available on the Provident Living site, or pick up a copy from the library or Relief Society room. 


Food Storage

"Buy what you eat, and eat what you buy."

It's personal, the details are different for every family, what's important is that you do it, and use it.  Amy shared her five-minute food storage salsa with us and I've been dreaming of it ever since!  Ask her and I'm sure she'll share ;)  Check the Provident Living site under Family Home Storage for good information.  And keep your eyes peeled for more suggestions about food storage and emergency prep coming soon. 

Fresh Start Workshop

It's not too late to start fresh in the New Year....

Fresh Start Workshop

Wednesday, January 20th  7:30-8:30 PM

Meet us in the Relief Society Room for tip, tricks and a new outlook on:

Time Management & Home Organization*

--Kristin Planinz--

Budget Basics & Debt Reduction

--Connie Harrop--

Food Storage

--Amy Openshaw--

Re'fresh'ments will be served.

*Kristin's presentation will feature ideas from the "FLYlady" program.  Additional info can be found here.

Meet Jennifer Ashley!

What do you do when you're scared?

I sing primary songs when I'm racing and scared. I learned to swim after a life guard fished me out of the deep end at the local pool, I was dared by my brothers to jump off the high dive. My parents decided I should join the swim team that year. (We could only afford one year, thus ended my swim future.) So I have this love/fear relationship with water. I competed in the USTA world championship In Sweden as a member of TeamUSA, it was extremely cold and the swim on the international long distance races is actually longer than the ironman. So there we are swimming, it's freezing cold and I'm sing Primary songs in my head. They're the worst renditions ever... because I sing them to my pace. Throughout the swim, they got slower and slower with a lot of slurring, but it was such a comfort no matter where I am or how hard it is... the gospel is true.

Share one of your most embarrassing moments:

I almost kissed someone at church that wasn't my husband. In America, we have a comfort zone of about 2-3 feet. Most people, especially members of the opposite sex, keep this distance. One Sunday, I was talking to someone and this dark suit was less than a foot away behind me, listening over my shoulder, Mike's height and built, so when my conversation ended I turned to kiss "Mike." Yahaaa! That was close. I don't think this person even knows, but I was dying. No more kissing at church for me.

You are given twenty million dollars and ten years to live...how would you spend it?

I would continue to expand Feed the Need. I would like to have more races and spend less time worrying about budgets. It's amazing to help others. We just delivered over 2,000 pounds of produce to food pantries during the Christmas week. Missy and I dropped off 1,250 pounds of potatoes, onions and carrots on Saturday. On Monday, when we came back with fruit, the previous produce was gone. Tuesday, I dropped off cans from a office food drive... there was no fruit left. There is such a need and I would devote my time and fortune on it for both the giver and the receiver.

What's your favorite way to spend the weekend?

Outdoors, I love seeing the Lord's creations. It's a step out of time, something that anyone may have experienced in any dispensation. My father enjoyed creating pen and ink drawings, especially trees. It's a mutual love; I enjoy an interesting tree. I can stop in full stride to admire a great tree, brook, rock formation, smell grapes, etc.

What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

The human body. The Lord is an amazing creator. My anatomy/physiology/pathology classes brought this awareness to me in full force. There are so many systems in the body and their complex interactions allow us a mortal life that's mind boggling. I love to see a happy toddler running around; is there anything more perfect or beautiful.

What's a "Fun Fact" about you?

I started running while living here. I wanted to have another child, Mike discussed three concerns he had: find a doctor that would take me (high risk/blood clots), bigger car (we wouldn't fit in our sedan) and better shape (no comment.) I started reading up on the fastest ways in to get in shape, I'm sure I did more research than the grocery store check out headlines. But, there it was..."Running, fastest way to get in shape." I remembered Amy Openshaw ran in college, so I called her and asked if she wanted to run with me. I called several women in the ward directory and Linda Erickson was the only taker. Amy suckered Diane Nielsen into coming. So the four of us went over our schedules to see what time would work. My mouth hit the floor when THEY came up with 5:30 am. I'd never seen 5:30 in the morning, I'd seen 5:30 am pulling an all-nighter, but IN THE MORNING... no way. I had to eat crow if I wanted this... so three times a week we met at the ward building before seminary to run. I'm sure it's not lost on anyone, myself included, that I was and still am, significantly heavier than any one or three of them combined. With that stated, I did see the most improvements in weight loss and inches. It was a great time in my life. I could not have asked for better company. I went on to met a wonderful doctor. I left the car in the Lord's hands; I remember praying, "I've done all that I can." Mike's grandmother passed away and left us a minivan, it turns out I was two months pregnant then.

What is your home town?

Every year on our birthday, we would hear about the day of our birth. My father would start with.... "Your mother let me know with no doubt that it was time to go to the hospital. I ran out to the car and it wouldn't start (my father had a love affair with old, junky cars that never worked, I think it made him feel needed), so I woke your uncle up. He lived in the rabbit hutches too." "What rabbit hutches, Dad?" "Why, married student housing at BYU." My only memories of my childhood are of Indiana, but I have a birth certificate that says Provo, UT on it. Wait, does that make me a Utah Morman?

New Gospel Principles Manual

"Wherefore, they shall come to the knowledge of their Redeemer and the very points of his doctrine, that they may know how to come unto him and be saved."

                                                                               1 Nephi 15:14

Since 1998, the Relief Society lesson for the second and third week in the month has come from the "Teachings of the Presidents of the Church" manuals.  Beginning next week, we will be taking a two year break from immersing ourselves in the teachings of one particular latter-day prophet and instead focus on getting back to basics by reviewing the new and improved Gospel Principles manual.  In this month's Ensign, Russell M. Nelson explains the reasons for the change in curriculum and promises "by reinforcing your study of the core doctrines of the gospel of Jesus Christ, your testimony will grow, your happiness will increase, and you will find a greater abundance of the blessings of the Lord in your life."   

Read the full text here

Visiting Teaching Message January 2010

“‘Self-reliance means using all of our blessings from Heavenly Father to care for ourselves and our families and to find solutions for our own problems.’ Each of us has a responsibility to try to avoid problems before they happen and to learn to overcome challenges when they occur. …
“How do we become self-reliant? We become self-reliant through obtaining sufficient knowledge, education, and literacy; by managing money and resources wisely, being spiritually strong, preparing for emergencies and eventualities; and by having physical health and social and emotional well-being.”1
Julie B. Beck, Relief Society general president.

Read more here 

Bunco Night

Come in out of the cold for a night of laughter, games and prizes.   Bring your friends and a snack to share!

Friday, January 15 7:30 PM

Location TBA

The game works best when played with even numbers.  If possible, please contact Jennie Wilde so I can get a rough head count....but don't be shy about showing up at the last second!  We'll happily rotate you in :)