Ponderings & Insights

Something really cool happened in AZ that I was thinking about last night. My nephew, Everett, is the one on the left in this photo. He was with us on the trip, he is one and a half and just learning how to talk. My sister Fiona (his Mom) and I were playing with him, and she asked "Do you remember Heavenly Father?" Everett said "Bes" (which means yes).
I was amazed! He may be just giving an answer when he doesn't really understand the question, but what if he did understand?
We tried to ask him more simple questions like "Does He love you?" and "Is He a nice guy?" but all we got after that was unintelligible baby babble.
As I was pondering this I wondered if the veil that removes our memory of the premortal existence is a gradual thing. Maybe young children really do remember because the veil doesn't completely cover their eyes yet.
I know I can't remember anything before a certain age except for scrapbooked photos and I wonder if there is a divine reason for His childrens' lack of memory of their early years. Perhaps during those years we are very close to our Heavenly Father, but in order for His plan to work He must soon remove our memory of Him completely.

I am also pondering the idea of when the spirit meets the body. This is a common, but very ambiguous question in the argument about abortion. I loathe abortion and I believe that even the smallest form of human life should be cherished. Anyway, most of our changes in this life are gradual changes. For example, we mature gradually, we gradually gain a testimony of the gospel, we gradually decide what we want to be when we grow up, etc. Could the process of coming from our premortal life to this mortal life also be a gradual one? What if, for some period of time, in the womb or out of it, we are really dwelling in both worlds to an extent? Could Everett have been closer to our Father than I realized? What a blessing it will be in my home to have children so close to my Father. I think I will constantly be asking them to give Him messages from me, asking for forgiveness or help or blessings on others. In this life I will probably never know the true process of how our spirits come into this life, but I know that these infants are pure spirits that we should cherish.

It's interesting and so cool how I can get so many small blessings and insights from God when I am obedient. The instance when my nephew said he remembered Heavenly Father occurred at a time when I was reading scriptures and praying daily. Sometimes it is difficult for me to keep that habit. But the Holy Ghost brought this to my remembrance at a time when I was also reading my scriptures. I could know so much if I were just diligent in my prayers and scripture study! Heavenly Father truly blesses me.

Sorry my thoughts are kind of scattered. It's difficult to try and fit these experiences and concepts into words.

A Preston Wedding

While I was in Arizona, I noticed my brother in-law (Mike) had changed his facebook relationship status to "engaged". I knew Mike had recently turned in his mission papers so I was a bit concerned. I asked Myles if he knew what it was about and he told me it must be a joke.

The next day he got a phone call from his Mom. We come to find out that he really is engaged to the girl he had been dating (Natasha Dudley) and they are getting married in 3 days!

We know everyone must assume that they got married so quickly because of adultery or pregnancy but that's not the case! Certain personal circumstances led them to decide to get married quickly. They both prayed about this decision and know it's right for them. I couldn't be more happy for them!

I was able to throw a small bridal shower for Tasha, gave her some awesome gifts, and got to know her a little better. She is such a strong, sweet girl. I'm proud to be her sister!

Tasha and Erin, now sisters!

The wedding the next day was a very small, private wedding with just Myles' immediate family and the Bishop who married them. It was so touching to hear all the wise words about marriage from the bishop and then see them take their vows. What a special and happy moment for them! I was glad to be there.


After the wedding they opened a few gifts and we had a yummy and filling lunch. We had decorated their car and everyone watched as they drove away to their honeymoon as husband and wife! Yay!

Once all the wedding festivities were over we went back to the ranch. I finally got to ride horses with Myles! It was so neat to see him talk to the horses and use his expertise to get them to do what he needed. As we rode up onto a hill a deer ran out in front of us! It was cool.

We also went to Deer Cliff Inn where Myles used to work as a cook. My entire plate was deep fried food. Oh my goodness. I think I'm going to have a heart attack it was so delicious.

On our way home from the Inn we stopped by grandma Porter's house and she had more family visiting so we were able to spend some wonderful time getting to know Myles side of the family a little better.

It was a very good trip to Idaho. :)

By the way, I've heard some people are having trouble viewing my blog. it should come up with the URL melodieporter.blogspot.com It's a public blog. Any insight on why some people can't view it?

Arizona Holiday Reunion

A week ago we were able to go to Arizona for a family reunion! It was so good to see all of my cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents. I really enjoyed getting to know them better! Living in a different state makes it difficult to keep in contact and I didn't even recognize the cousinf who went through puberty while I've been gone! haha. I even got to know some cousins that I didn't even know well when I did live in AZ! It was fantastic.
Myles and I rode with my sister Fiona to the reunion which was in a town near Taylor AZ. There were 5 of us including 2 in car seats in a little Kia so it was pretty cramped, but we made it without too much fuss! We left at 4am and arrived around 2pm. We were in a lake house right on the shore of White Mountain Lake which means boating! And fishing! And swimming! It was really fun.
I also spent a little time in Mesa with the family and I went swimming there. I developed a nice tan to brag about. :)

Myles and Everett, Best Buds!

Prize Fish! A 17-inch rainbow trout! What a proud fisherman!

Kaisa and her horse "My Little Pony"

Kaisa and Natalia "Best Friends" for the weekend.

The sunset view from the deck of the cabin.

Adventures are Experiences That Suck at the Time, But Make a Good Story When They're Overcome.

Well, the move went smoothly aside from some stress, a few bumps and bruises, and a few tears. Now we have only a few odds and ends to find places for. It was tough to make everything that used to take up twice as much space into our tiny new apartment, but we did it!

Now for my adventure:

Myles, a friend, and I thought it would be fun to go camping.

We let the friend plan it.

6pm: The "20 minute" drive to the site ends up taking an hour, but that's okay cause the view is good and we get to see the sunset.

7pm: Myles and I are the first one up cause our car is the only one that can make it.

8pm: We miss the sunset to unpack.

8:15pm: We start dinner for all 8 people camping.

9:30pm: Myles leaves me alone on the mountain in the dark by the campfire so he can go get our friends at the bottom of the mountain.

9:45pm: I get scared and grab one of the guns we brought (to go shooting the next day) and hold it on my lap to scare away any predators.

Of course it's not loaded.

And I probably wouldn't know how to use it if it was.

10:30pm: They finally make it to the top and we eat tin foil dinners and smores. We have fun.

1am: The fire department shows up and tells us we have to move because (get this) helicopters will be flying buildings over the mountain in the morning. What are the odds?

1:15am: We pack up EVERYTHING we brought plus 6 people into and on top of our car, (5 seater Chevy Blazer) filling ever lap, nook, and cranny with something.

2am: We begin the descent toward the valley so we can camp in our friend's parents' backyard.

2:30am: We arrive and set up camp.

3am: Most people finally get to sleep, but I'm tossing and turning because I'm sharing a one man cot with my husband and it's SO HOT I can't get comfy. As I come in and out of slumber all night I notice the sky start to brighten, (we're not in a tent) and eventually the sun comes up.

7am: Everyone wakes up and complains about only getting 4 hours of sleep. (You think you've got it rough?)

7:30am: We pack up camp and eat pancakes and fruit at our friend's parents' house. That was fun.

9am: We leave to go fishing at the lake. No one has sunscreen.

9:30am: We start to fish. Nothing's biting, no bait is helping. Oh well.

11am: My skin starts to turn a little pink.

12:30pm: No one's caught anything. We decide it's probably too late in the day to fish, and we decide to go shooting. No lunch. My skin's feeling a little burnt.

1pm: We find a good place to shoot. I'm concerned about my sunburn. I get to shoot a rifle, and 3rd time was a charm! I hit my mark! I missed all the pigeons though. Myles is a pro shooter. This was kind of fun.

1:30pm: I suddenly feel exhaused and decide to go lay down in the shade of the car. I barely get any Zzzz's.

2pm: I wake up and decide it's hopeless to try and get to sleep again. The shooting is too loud. I feel weak, shaky, sunburned, and I have a headache. I call Myles over and tell him I don't feel well. For some reason I start crying while telling him I want to go home. We decide I have heat exhaustion and better get going. I slowly drink lots of water.

2:15pm: We're finishing up the shooting. I decide I may as well shoot a few more guns so I shoot a 22 and hit a few marks. I shoot a handgun and miss everytime. I rest again.

2:30pm: We're on our way home and I get the strong urge to pee.

2:50pm: I consider going pee on the side of the road, or maybe in a bottle in the car while there's 3 other people to witness.

2:55pm: I decide to try and wait it out.

3pm: We FINALLY get home and I RUN to the bathroom!

3:10pm: I collapse on the bed and I start crying again because I'm so miserable. My sunburn is bright red and it hurts. I'm hungry and shaky so I eat and drink. I go to sleep. It's over.

THE END.

Adventures. Suck.