Marriage and Family

So I was being my stalker self and had to go read my friend Kati B's blog since she updated for the first time in months. She posted some info about Prop 8 in California - which is set to reaffirm California voters' vote on Prop 22 in 2000 by amending the state consitution - to define marriage as only between a man and a woman. Why do they have to reiterate what passed with 61% of the vote? Because 4 judges in San Francisco have overturned the people's voice to recognize same-sex marriage and declared sexual orientation to be a protected class giving them civil rights. Rights are important, but with this distinction, anyone who speaks against homosexuality - even in church - could be prosecuted for hate speech.

I hope that I am not coming across the wrong way, and I really believe that the Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility towards men and women with same-gender attraction. Protecting marriage between a man and a woman does not affect my Christian obligation of love, kindness and humanity toward all people, but I do know that there is a prophet of God on the Earth today - Thomas S. Monson - and he, along with his counselors, have counseled the members in California to get involved in this issue to help preserve the sacred institution of marriage. If the prophet is giving specific counsel, I want to follow that. Yes, I don't live in California, but I know that when legislation begins in one place, it often follows elsewhere. I figure if anything, I can help get the word out and help support the cause of righteousness. If anything, this is my effort to let people know where I stand and it is unequivocally on the side of marriage between a man and a woman and continuing to support the family as the basic unit of society - both here on Earth and in eternity.

For more information see:

• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - the Church's official website
• Preserving Tradition Marriage and Strengthening Families - a letter from First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Church leaders in California to be read to all congregations on 29 June 2008
• Kati's blog - what inspired this post
• The Family Proclamation - a proclamation given by Pres. Gordon B. Hinckley, then the prophet, in September 1995 that defines the Church's belief and expectations concerning the Family
• The Divine Institution of Marriage - an article from the Church about its involvement with Prop 8
• Same-Gender Attraction/Marriage - excerpts from an interview with Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles, and Elder Lance B. Wickman, a member of the Seventy.
• Same-Sex Attraction - perhaps the most succint and best information on the subject from an Apostle, Elder Oaks
• Protect Marriage - a coalition to help support the passing of Prop 8
• Poway - one of the stake websites showing the Church's support for this
• When Gay Rights and Religious Liberties Clash - NPR article showing how religious groups are being challenged about their provision of services to individuals with same-gender attraction and losing

I had a birthday - shout hooray!

Lot's of people sang to me yesterday.
I'm one year older and wiser too.
I had a great birthday thanks to you!

Ok, enough with my shameless adaptation of a primary song - onto the good stuff -

My birthday was yesterday. My last couple have been on the lame side, so I was trying not to get excited about this one. I mean come on - 26 - what's so great about that?

Well, on Saturday night, Mom, Dad, Gavin, Chance, Michael, and I ate some Pancho's goodness. Yes, it's a quantity over quality kind of place, but I do love me cheap Mexican food in excess! Sunday morning, I had meetings for church, so I planned to ride with Michael as usual. Michael said he had to be there early, so I got up extra early - i.e. 7 am - and hurried over to pick him up. I got there and he asked me to come in - I was already suspicious. He had a present waiting for me (that his mom helped "wrap") - dental pics that we saw at the store a while back and 26 Snickers Nut N Butter Crunch (well actually there were only 20 because he had enjoyed some). Also, there was my favorite breakfast - French Toast (that his dad had helped cook). It was yummy delicious. Once we were finished, we headed to Branch Council, which was ok and then the 3-hour block. I had offered to play the organ in sacrament meeting, so I was playing prelude and 3 different people came up and shared birthday wishes and presents. Holler! Alicia gave me some watermelon lip smackers; Staci gave me this awesome thing for my wall; and MaryAnn told me my present was in the car. What fun!

After sacrament meeting, Michael walked in with a Sunday School manual and looked a little stressed. I asked - Are you teaching? He said he had forgotten that 3 of the 4 teachers would be out of town, so he was going to teach. I offered to teach and had a good time teaching about the Stripling Warriors. Not too tricky of a lesson to teach since I feel like I live with them. It went well, then it was off to Relief Society. For music enrichment, Amy had everyone sing "Happy Birthday" and we had all of the June, July, and August birthdays come up and get a treat. It was fun! The lesson was great too!

After church, I went over to Michael's to work on this project I've been trying to finish for over a month. I didn't finish, but headed home around 4:30. Got home, cleaned up a bit, started to frost one of my cakes, and then tons of folks came over to celebrate. It was awesome! The Willardsons came from McKinney. Sister Tenney came. Diane and Jared came (all the way from Utah I might add!! :). Emilee and her brood, Mimi, Loree, Brooks, and Darbee, and Amanda and Jonathan Colegrove also came. It was tons of fun and tons of crazy. There were kids running everywhere! I had a great time.

I got some pretty cool presents - a Piano shaped jewelry music box, a Pei Wei gift card, a porcelain figurine, a quilt cover, a new church binder-notebook thingy, M&M paraphernalia, some awesome pictures (thanks Lizzie), cosmetics, this awesome hand crank lantern, these awesome cupcakes on lollipop sticks (which I haven't tried as of yet, but look forward to eating when I get home today!! thanks Kati B!!!) and lots of very sweet cards. I'm a small gifts love language girl, so I was feeling very loved!

After the excitement left, I watched some Olympic action and ate some sausage and then MaryAnn and Suzanne came over to bring me my presents - European chocolates and new swimming gear (awesome tinted goggles and a white Nike swim cap).

What a way to finish out a great day!

So, 26 is starting out magnificently. I'm excited for all of the things that are coming up - Logan going on a mission, Michael getting his mission call and going to serve, applying for a master's degree, training for the sprint tri, paying off some more debt....the list goes on.....

Thanks everyone for helping me have a great day!

Love ya!

Oh What Do You Do in the Summertime?

When all the world is green.....I work. Boo! Sometimes I really hate that I have to be a grown-up and be all responsible and such. I really enjoy summers and working 40 hours a week and driving to that work for 10 really takes away from that enjoyment. On Saturday however, I was able to go to the lake. I love going to the lake. It's how I exercise these days. Uh oh here comes some math ------ TANGENT ---- See....


I have a good friend (one of my best) MaryAnn. She and I met in the C4 YSA Branch. The first day she came, I introduced myself (not just because I am the RSP, but because she seemed cool) and asked her where she was from. She told me she was moving from Boston. I had just spent time in New Orleans with the Garcia fam and met Erica, Brian's girlfriend (but also fiancee because I know they were talking!), who was living in Boston. My response to MaryAnn "Ohhh my cousin's almost fiancee lives there....Do you know Erica Ruth?" For the life of me I could not remember her last name, but sure enough MaryAnn knew who she was because she said "Erica Egli?" Our bond was sealed! We both were fans of Erica - common ground. Since that day, I have come to truly respect and admire MaryAnn. She is amazing! When I grow up, there are people that I want to be like and MaryAnn is one of them.

Whew....I hope you made it through that....now onto the story.....

Anyway, I am MaryAnn's visiting teacher (it was inspiration - I promise!) and one day when I went to visit I mentioned how my family likes to go swimming in Lake Lewisville. She was so excited. We arranged to go swimming during the week and then went again for Memorial Day. We have been swimming in the lake at least twice a week all summer, except for when MaryAnn went to Yankee land to visit her brother and sister (and was her totally awesome self and got some family history pics for me!). We have a usual route to "the peninsula" that is about 1/4 mile.
Two weeks ago, we started swimming further. We swam to "the island" which is about a 1/2 mile round trip.

Saturday, since it was a little choppy and cloudy, we swam past "the peninsula" but not quite as far as our island trip of the previous week. We are getting pretty good if I do say so myself and it's definitely good exercise because I'm always hungry after swimming and I sleep really well.


So why swim in nasty Lake Lewisville? Well, I have this goal. I am going to complete a sprint triathlon (500m or 750m swim, 20km bike, 5km run) before I turn 30. I would say when I'm 26, but because of the back surgery this year, I don't think I'll be able to train like I'd prefer so I'm giving myself a few years. Since swimming is my forte, I'm starting there and then when I have the money saved, I'm going to buy a good bike and start that training. I can't run (Dr. Guess, my back surgeon, would not be a happy camper or maybe he would be because he could make some more money...), so I plan to start back on the Elliptical when the feeling comes back completely in my left foot. I don't want to do it before then because it's risky. When I complete the sprint I plan to speed walk the 5km. So, there you go - the sprint triathlon is now officially one of my goals (since "A goal that isn’t written down is just a wish.").

My brother is going to India

Yes, that's right - India! Logan received a call to serve in the India Bangalore mission. We're still in shock, but we all know he'll do great. He has a fun list of immunizations he has to get that's for sure. One series (Japanese Encephalitis) is $100 per shot!!! It will be interesting to have him literally on the opposite side of the world. He'll be in India for Christmas. (Wow, just typing that I got a little choked up. The vapors....)

So onto other topics - I'm tired. Is that the usual post for me? Because I think I feel tired a lot! The nice thing is that my tired is just my eyes. My body feels energized - thanks for the drugs Dr. Johnson! I went to see my friend Dr. Johnson Monday for my check-up. Since the last time I was in I had lost 10lbs! But on an even more exciting note, I am down 30lbs since April. Holler! I'm hoping to be down another 15lbs before Logan and Michael leave on their missions. It will take some effot, but I think it can be done! For now, I'll keep downing the H20 and trying to avoid the Burger King fries and Taco Bell (my weight loss nemeses).

It's Monday....

Yes, it's Monday. Oh how I wish that it was still Saturday! This weekend was not long enough considering everything that I've been dealing with lately. I'm definitely exhausted to say the least! I can barely keep my eyes open this morning. My body needs a week off, but I don't think I have enough vacation time saved, especially since I'll need it for when we take Logan to the MTC.

So, the funeral went well. It was well attended and Heather looked beautiful. I was proud of Staci. She did quite well with everything. The slideshow we worked on turned out great and now we're working on a book for Tyla (Heather's little girl). We are gathering letters from people who knew Heather to help Tyla know more about her mom as she gets older. If you want to help, check out the site.

Why a blog now....

Erin and Suzanne - thanks for the comments about the color scheme. It looks just fine on my computer, but I hadn't been able to check it on others. Let me know if this is any better. Much like me, this blog is a work in progress!

So, I thought I would write a little about what really helped me decide to start writing in a blog again. Yes, Erin's "whatever happened to" email put the thought in my mind, but ultimately, I decided to blog as a result of death of another member of my YSA Branch.

Heather Davis and I have known each other for 10 years. When I moved to Texas from Louisiana, Heather was in The Colony 1st Ward with me and we attended and graduated from The Colony High School together as well. We weren't in the same crowd, but we had our times together in Laurels and at other church activities. I didn't keep in touch and to be honest, when she first came to C4, I was a little concerned. I hadn't realized how much animosity I had harbored since 16 for her and the group of girls that I felt had left me out. I talked to my mom and wondered how I had let that eat away at me for so long. I decided to let the past be just that and go on and try again. We didn't ever become close or even really hang out, but for me, I felt like I had been able to let go and that made all the difference in my ability to serve her as the Relief Society President.

On Friday, while at lunch with her little girl Tyla and Tyla's dad Teddy, Heather collapsed. She never regained consciousness. On Saturday, Staci Poss told me all about it and I hurried to the hospital to be there with her and her family. Apparently, Heather had an aneurysm in her brain which bled out. Saturday, the doctors told her family that she was already gone - the machines were keeping her mortal body functioning. Her family decided to wait to turn off life support until her sister could come from California. In that time, they also decided to donate her organs. What a wonderful gift in a tragic circumstance!

Staci and I left Saturday to go take care of Tyla. We picked her up and brought lots of treats. Tyla instantly won my heart. We sang songs all the way home and she even gave me hug before I left. What a sweetheart! On Sunday morning, Staci called me because Tyla had cut her foot pretty bad and probably needed stitches. I threw on church clothes in the hope that I would be able to at least partake of the sacrament in all of the goings and comings of the day (which I did), and headed over to Urgent Care. I was the human papoose! I got to hold Tyla down while the doctor gave her shots to numb her foot and put 5 stitches in. What fun! I almost got a needle in my eye. The highlight of the morning for everyone was when Tyla was crying and screaming "Kaycee get off of me!" I'm a big meanie, but she forgave me when the doctor told me she was done and I gave her some lip gloss. Who knew lip gloss was the cure-all? Tyla also cleaned out Target with Staci and Kirby while Susie picked up her antibiotic. That little girl is so loved.

On Sunday, we went back to the hospital. While there, I noticed that one of Teddy's family members was reading the Ensign I had left the day before. What article? "Families Can Be Together Forever" from June 2008! That was neat for me. I had felt prompted to leave it by the lunch we had brought the day before and to see a tender mercy extended in such a time was a testimony builder for me of Heavenly Father's love for each of us.

Heather was declared deceased at 10:27 a.m. Sunday, August 3, 2008 in Fort Worth, TX. The machines were left on until Monday though while all the required testing could be completed to find recipients. Currently, the date for the funeral has not been set, but the C4 Branch will be responsible. When I first met with Sister Hennefer for my training as the Relief Society President, I remember her saying that the RS is responsible for certain things following the death of a ward member. She said if that were to ever happen, I could call, but we didn't need to go into depth with that because "it's the singles." Two weeks and two deaths in the RS and I'm becoming far too familiar with what the responsibilities are. It's been very different from the other things I do day-to-day, but it has helped me recognize the importance of those daily happenings, in my personal life, with my family, at work, and serving in my calling.

In all of this, I keep thinking how important it is to live today because we never know what will happen tomorrow. I know that with death everything is not lost, but that there is hope in Christ for even more glorious blessings. Because the Savior lived and died and was resurrected, I know that Heather, and everyone who has lived, will be resurrected too someday. We can be with our families forever and live with God again. Heather will be missed, but I know that I will see her again.

Kaycee's back to blogging

So, I had a blog a while ago on Xanga. I think the last post was in Spring 2006. With all the stuff that's been happening in my life, I figure it's time to begin again.

If you think that this blog will have tons of deep, thought-provoking ideas, guess again. Really, I just wanted a place to keep people up-to-date with the goings and comings of one Kaycee Renee. I think I stopped blogging because I'm a very personal person (that's funny) - personal in that I don't necessarily like to share my business with the world. I realize the benefit of having a place to keep everything organized though, so I'm back to blogging.

What this blog is:

1. A place for me to tell everyone what's going on
2. A journal that won't get lost in my church bag or behind my bed
3. My attempt to follow Elder Ballard's counsel to share my testimony with the world through the electronic media
4. Erin misses my craziness posted in electronic form where she can read it on her snazzy IPhone.

What this blog is not:

1. A place for you to tell everyone what's going on (get your own blog!!! :)
2. A place for me to share ALL of my thoughts and feelings (sorry folks- that's for that journal lost behind the bed or the bottom of the bottomless church bag)
3. A diatribe about religions of the world (see the 11th Article of Faith)
4. My personal correspondence with my Erin-friend - all are welcome to enjoy my craziness!

I don't know how well I'll do with keeping this current, but I'm putting my best foot forward.

Enjoy!

Much Love,
Kaycee