Faith & Timing

"Faith in the Lord is trust in the Lord. We cannot have true faith in the Lord without also having complete trust in the Lord’s will and in the Lord’s timing. As a result, no matter how strong our faith is, it cannot produce a result contrary to the will of Him in whom we have faith. Remember that when your prayers do not seem to be answered in the way or at the time you desire. The exercise of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is always subject to the order of heaven, to the goodness and will and wisdom and timing of the Lord. When we have that kind of faith and trust in the Lord, we have true security and serenity in our lives."

--Dallin H. Oaks, "The Atonement and Faith", Ensign, Apr 2010, 30–34

My grandparents

Elsa Casale (Jan. 1947)

Gervasio Ipuche

Leandro, Gervasio, Adrian, Elsa & Magda (my mom)

Gervasio & Elsa on their wedding day April 19th 1950

My grandparents from Argentina

Both of my incredible grandparents have passed on. I miss them terribly and love them so much. Today is their wedding anniversary and a great day to remember their warmth, generosity, laughter and sweet spirits.

In their memory I wanted to share this scripture in Spanish:

Mosiah 2:41

"Y ademas, quisiera que consideraseis el bendito y feliz estado de aquellos que guardan los mandamientos de Dios. Porque he aqui, ellos son bendecidos en todas las cosas, tanto temporales como espirituales; y si continuan fieles hasta el fin, son recibidos en el cielo, para que alli puedan morar con Dios en un estado de interminable felicidad. Oh recordad, recordad que estas cosas son verdaderas!, porque Dios el Senor lo ha declarado."

I would like to think of my Grandparents in a "state of never ending happiness". They were both such amazing people and I wish that Brandon and my boys could have met them.

Victory!

Victory! 3 months with no soda= a healthier me ...proving to my son that you can do ANYTHING you set your mind to do no matter how big or small even if you DONT want to do it = PRICELESS!!!!!

On the news with Big Budah

Aidan was selected from among his peers to be part of a news segment on FOX 13. Today is the first day of the Tulip Festival which is an event we look forward to each year. His class has been studying tulips so they thought it would be great to interview a couple of them for the morning show. We were thrilled that Aidan was chosen! Since this was before school Jordan was also with us and they decided to include him in the first part which was about different crafts and planting. Later they did the interviews and Aidan did great despite being a little nervous. It was exciting to see how everything gets set up to film, the cameras, the microphones etc. The boys got to take a tour around the gardens in a golf cart and see an owl who decided to nest on the ledge of the waterfalls. At the last second they asked if Aidan could join the board meeting that was taking place to discuss all that he has learned so those who donate funds to the gardens and the schools can actually get an account of what their funds actually provide for the students. It was such a great experience for them and oddly enough Aidan would tell you that the best part was that he got 2 doughnuts afterwards! He's too cute! I guess to a kid getting doughnuts is just as exciting as being on TV.

NOVA Graduation

Jordan graduated from the N.O.V.A. (Nurturing, Opportunities, Values, & Accountability) Program today. Its an additional program offered to 6th graders through the school by the police department. It is an incredible program that teaches the students core values and principles as well addressing the dangers of drug abuse, alcohol, gangs etc. The programs motto is "Illuminating the path to excellence". He has done so well in this program and I was thrilled that he wanted to do it with the load he already has at school. Though Jordan is and has always been a straight A student he would tell you that he struggles with writing. He has worked hard at improving his skills and we are very proud that he conquered what he would consider a weakness and even earned first place in the essay contest. We are very proud of you Jordan.

Mormon Battalion

An Easter Earthquake

We were very surprised to have our egg hunt interrupted by an earthquake and a long frightening one at that. Its been almost 20 years since I have even felt a significant earthquake and it was not fun. As an adult I am more aware of the possible outcomes especially since Haiti and Chile have recently been hit hard and the devastation was severe. We donated to help those families and now here we were on Easter Sunday in the back yard feeling the ground shake, losing our balance, and wondering what was going to happen.. oh you should have seen the waves in the pool! We were not all together because of our usual enthusiasm for my Dad's traditional treasure hunt for adults. We were all scattered searching for clues and eggs in hopes of finding our reward. The boys were on the balcony, Mike & I were near the pool , others were by the swings, my mom in the front yard talking with the neighbors as she and Carla saw the cars swaying. There were 15 of us and we all had different accounts of what we saw and felt. Our hearts were pounding, our emotions started to settle and then came the aftershocks! Within an hour, here in Bonita, we had felt 4 earthquakes and this morning another hit at 4:29 am that shook our entire bed. It has been an adventure and we are so grateful that in comparison to what is going on in the world these were small and we are all OK.

This is what we found on line this morning:

At least 8 aftershocks follow big quake
By Scott LaFee, UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
Sunday, April 4, 2010 at 5:55 p.m.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake rumbled through most of Southern California and Baja California this afternoon, followed by a series of aftershocks, according to early reports from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The biggest temblor hit at 3:40 p.m., its epicenter estimated to be 108 miles east-southeast of Tijuana in Mexico. The rupture occurred 20 miles deep.
It was preceded by a magnitude 3.3 quake that occurred at 3:34 p.m., the epicenter in the same area but at a considerably shallower depth of less than one mile.
At least eight aftershocks have followed:
• At 3:44 p.m., a magnitude-2.3 quake occurred 100 miles east of Tijuana. The estimated depth was 19 miles.
• At 4:09 p.m., a magnitude-4.5 quake occurred 62 miles east of Tijuana. Estimated depth: Slightly more than one mile.
• At 4:15 p.m., a magnitude-5.1 quake hit 86 miles east-southeast of Tijuana. Estimated depth: 10.5 miles.
• At 4:19 p.m., a magnitude-3.8 quake struck 43 miles east-northeast of Tijuana. Estimated depth; Less than one mile.
• At 4:22 p.m., a magnitude-3.6 quake rumbled 45 miles northeast of San Diego and just 10 miles southwest of Borrego Springs. Estimated depth: 4.3 miles.
• At 4:34 p.m., a magnitude-4.7 quake hit 85 miles east of Tijuana. Estimated depth: Less than one mile.
• At 4:46 p.m., a magnitude-3.5 quake struck 72 miles east of Tijuana, 16 miles west-southwest of El Centro in Imperial County. Estimated depth: 2.2 miles.
• At 4:48 p.m., a magnitude-3.4 quake occurred 98 miles east of Tijuana, 9 miles east-southeast of Brawley in Imperial County. Estimated depth: 13.4 miles.


Authorities were dispatched all over the county as nervous residents called in with concerns. It was a familiar scene for many San Diegans. Pets cowered. Pictures fell. Mothers fled homes with babies in tow. Even the hippos at the zoo stood up fast and headed for water.

Is it REALLY April?

I wish it was an April fools joke but its not!!! April and we are covered in snow!!!! Oh how I LONG for warmth and spring!!! We didn't put the cars in the garage, obviously a mistake, so we are heating up the van now so it will be warm enough to take the boys to school. Thank goodness we are going to San Diego for Easter. We are really not up for a "White Easter". Sure its not an enormous amount of snow like in January but its April, where's the green grass, the beautiful flowers and the sun!?!??!