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2016 Worldwide Indexing Event - Join Me!

In junior high/high school I was really into Indexing. Every Sunday I'd log on to the internet (Insert wee oohh weee ooohh noises here), download a batch, log off the internet, complete the batch, log back on (wee oohhh wee ohh) and upload them to FamilySearch. I LOVED it. It was easy and pretty fun, and any type of service just makes you feel good inside. 

That's why FamilySearch decided to try and break a record this year! From July 15-17th, FamilySearch International is sponsoring their 3rd annual "Worldwide Indexing Event" to try to bring 72,000 indexers in 72 hours online to index the world's records and make them available online. 

That's what Indexing is. So my Marriage License/Record would be filed somewhere in Salt Lake since that is where I was married. Say this was 1890 and there wasn't a computer to store the file on, they kept PAPER records of every marriage. Now, FamilySearch has photos of the paper records, and WE are looking at them, reading the information and typing it out so it is in a searchable document so others can find their ancestors. SO COOL. Other types of records are available too, like birth and death certificates, draft records, Census documents, etc. 


If you'd like to join me, click HERE and enter your email to receive some reminders about the event. Invite your friends over, grab some Swig sugar cookies and make it a night to remember by Indexing an entire batch, which usually takes less than a hour. It's the easiest way to assist in Family History work, and also one of the funnest ways.

Let me know if you're going to join, and we can meet up and do it together! Let's break some records!



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You Can Do Good Right Where You Are

I've been in a writing rut lately. I haven't really blogged or journaled anything super meaningful in awhile. I think it's because I've been trying to write this post but I didn't know how. Prepare yourself for this post, it's a long one. And please, read all the way to the end. It has a happy ending ;)

My life is a hot mess right now. In January I quit a really frustrating job to go be a 4th grade teachers aide which I have loved even despite its own challenges. I took a $3/hr pay cut and took 29 hours instead of 40. In February, husband was on the brink of losing his job so I took on a 2nd job working for Albion Apparel in their shipping department. In March he was offered a position at the same company in a different department, much more stability and a boss who loves him. But the pay was cut by almost 40%. It it worth it while he finishes school (November can't come fast enough!) but it's been tough for sure. In April we finished my home salon, business license and all, and I have really enjoyed starting to take hair appointments again. 


And despite all the changes and challenges, we have been really, really happy. And really, really blessed. But I've been in a rut. An emotional, spiritual rut.

I feel stuck. I couldn't quit any of my jobs, even if I wanted to, because for the first time in our married life, my income is necessary. (we skipped the poor college student phase as newlyweds, so I've been joking that our time had finally come.) I've also joked that I am not cut out to work full time, because between my two jobs I was barely working over 40 hours a week and it was taking a toll on me. My anxiety/stress levels were operating at their highest levels and melt-downs became a weekly issue instead of monthly/bi-monthly.

And guess what else? I'm ready to be a stay at home mom. So ready. It hit us like a lightning bolt back in December and we both wanted a baby. We are both ready for that phase in our life and so excited, but it isn't here yet. And we aren't pregnant. And that is hard. I can't imagine doing this for years and years. Wondering if on Day 39 of my cycle I'll start my period or test HCG +. My cycles are crazy and they always have been, so what if we can't even get pregnant? What if. What if. What if. 

In almost every aspect of my life I feel like I don't quite fit in. We are the youngest couple in our home ward and have no children. I'm not super skinny and fit and super-model-esque like the girls I work with. I'm the youngest teachers aide at the elementary school. I'm the youngest in our group of friends. I haven't really had my own gang of friends since high school/college and I left them all behind in Logan to get married. Why do I have to be so different? Why don't I have the magnetic personality of my brother in law? Why don't I have the gorgeous hair and body like my co-worker? Why don't I have 2 children by now like my fellow YW leaders? Why did I drop out of college to go to hair school when I will never make a lot of money doing it? How did I gain 40 pounds after marriage and why is it so hard to lose it when I'm doing everything right and working my butt off at Yogalaties!?

My life for the past few months has been surviving one day at a time. 4th grade is out for the summer which means I'm only working one job right now, but I kicked up my hours at my second job and left open two days a week for hair appointments. After a melt-down over my new summer hours, and a weekend of praying, pondering, relaxing in Ledgefork campground near Kamas, UT, I asked Colten for a blessing of comfort and counsel. 

I won't quote the blessing word for word (though I wish I could because it was incredible!), but I will share one thing. In the blessing, my Heavenly Father told me that he knows the challenges I am facing, but that He made me UNIQUE. He has made me different than a lot of people for specific reasons. He told me that I will influence those around me as I strive to share goodness. I am unique and important in HIS plan. He wants to recognize the good I can do in the phase of life I am in. I matter to HIM. And this is not verbatim, but He basically told me to get off my butt and begin doing the things I know I should be doing so that I can have His spirit with me at all times. 

Oh. my. lanta. A breath of fresh air. How easy is it to forget that we are unique for a reason? That we have a sphere of influence that only WE have? That you can be a good person at any age, in any phase of life and guess what else? In any type of body. 

YOU CAN DO GOOD RIGHT WHERE YOU ARE. RIGHT NOW. IN WHATEVER PHASE OF LIFE YOU ARE IN .

My problems haven't disappeared completely. I still felt anxiety when I woke up this morning. But I made it to Yogalaties, and I listened to the Book of Mormon on my 25 minute drive to work, and I tried to be a hard worker and a good listener to my co-workers, and when I came home I kissed my husband and snuggled my puppies. I might not have children to influence, I might not make $60,000 a year (or even $20,000 to be honest), I might not have the sexiest body, or the prettiest hair and makeup... but I matter right where I am. And God needs me. And just as important... God needs YOU. And I sincerely hope and pray, that wherever you are right now, you feel the Spirit confirming to you that that is true. You can do good, right where you are. And God needs you.


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Disney Movie Club - Play or Pass?

At the end of last year, we ordered a picture frame from Disney.com to frame our favorite picture from our Disneyland trip. When the package came, it had a flyer in it for the Disney Movie Club. I've seen ads for it here and there and decided I should look into it. I mean, it's surprising I wasn't already a member right??

I'm going to lay it all out for you guys here. I legitimately think the DMC (Disney Movie Club) is worth it! I highly highly recommend doing your research and reading all the fine print before signing up, but here's the full story. You've probably seen banners like this floating around...



I realized there wasn't a ton of information out there about it. I knew it was a "Subscription Service" of sorts, where they keep your credit card on file to charge it every month unless you PASS. Those always make me nervous but I dug for info. I learned that once you make your initial purchase of 5 movies for a dollar you have to purchase 4 more movies at FULL PRICE to fulfill your "Commitment Status". You have 2 years to purchase those movies.

FIRST ORDER- $21.90

Our first order we took advantage of a 5 movies for $1.00 deal that we had got in the mail. You can get that same deal by clicking HERE

Brave- $0.20

Wreck It Ralph- $0.20

Finding Nemo- $0.20

Monsters Inc- $0.20

Monsters University- $0.20

After the initial 5 it gave us the opportunity to add a 6th movie for $7.95

Jungle Book- $7.95

It also gave us the opportunity to add a 7th movie for $12.95 and this one would count towards our commitment status.

Wall-E- $12.95


We were now at 1/4 on our commitment status.


7 Disney movies for $21.90 was a steal! And we only needed 3 more to reach our commitment status. Two months later we decided to just finish off our contract in one quick swing so we wouldn't have to worry about it anymore. Each month they do a movie offer- this is the "subscription service" portion of the DMC. We decided to purchase the movie of the month, Avengers: Age of Ultron. When we went to purchase it it offered to add Big Hero 6 for only $11.00 and if we did they would throw in free shipping!

SECOND ORDER- $76.85

Cinderella- $21.95

Big Hero 6- $11.00

Avengers: Ultron- $21.95

Ant Man- $21.95


Our total for both orders equaled out to be $98.75 for 11 movies or $8.90/movie. Pretty rockin' deal considering most of the movies we purchased were still at $20 retail value or higher. Disney movies hold their value like crazy.

Once you've fulfilled your commitment status, you hit VIP status and get lots of additional opportunities for savings and perks. My husband and I have stayed signed up because we do plan on purchasing additional Disney movies in the future.

Each month (Or about every 4 weeks/up to 13 times per year) Disney has a "Movie of the Month" that they offer to you. You can Accept or Decline the offer in 2 ways. They send an email and you can go to your account and decline, or they also send you an envelope in the mail with the opportunity to mail it back to accept or decline. The bad thing is- if you don't decline they will charge your card and ship you the movie. It is SO EASY to decline the movie. We have declined every month except the one where we finished off our contract.

Let me know if you have questions I didn't answer so I can continually update this post for ya.

Make sure to CLICK HERE to get the discount and get 5 movies for $1 . If you use my link you'll get 5 movies for $1 instead of 4 + I'll get 2 free movies. So thanks for supporting my Disney movie obsession ;) Let me know which ones you choose


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