Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Little House Living



I've spent the past two weeks reading all of the Little House on the Prairie, books in order. Amen to Amazon and finding a kindle addition of the series for like $4. I've never read any of them, but the TV show was my all time favourite...

Watching the tv show as a young girl, I always dreamed of being Laura, riding in a wagon and carrying my lunch to school, in a little pail. The simplicity of the life for the ingalls was in every way a stark contrast to ours in crazy Orange County. Oh to be an Ingalls...

Well the books surprised me. With the simplistic life came ignorance and judgement. While still kinda charming, my desire to be an Ingalls is mostly gone...

While I still seek the simplest things in life, I'm grateful for things like medical care and the ability to stay connected with friends and family and the fact that I don't have to wear corsets petticoats and dresses. Can you imagine how cranky I'd be in such attire? And the whole prim and proper thing, I would have been utterly, hopeless. 

So yeah I don't think I'll be living in a little house anytime, ever. Unless that prairie has wifi and I can wear yoga pants. :)







Monday, April 27, 2015

Sister Kramer: Donuts

 
 
 
 
hey how are you guys.
 
so this week we great we went and got donuts from this awesome donuts truck maple bacon and yes really bacon they were so good :)
 
We had the opportunity to attend the temple this week it was great I always get so excited to go to the temple its just the best place on earth! :) 
 
Also we have started the book of Mormon challenge i have done this once before on my mission and it is great its weird but you learn so much when you read it that fast so i hope that you guys have taken on the challenge because i know that it will bring alot of blessings your way :) 

love you guys 
see you on mothers day!! :)
 

Tuesday, April 21, 2015

Snowbirds and Tow Trucks

Even hours later it's still HILARIOUS.....right Superman?

So yeah he's one of the smartest men I know, yet occasionally proves he's human... We were watching the awesome SNOWBIRDS practice today. The arrive every April and for three weeks the Comox Valley gets a free air show, daily....

Today we watched them take off in formation from behind the Base, but when we got in the van to head down to Kye Bay for a better view over the water....

We were stopped in our tracks, literally :)
Grant didn't realize how soft the sand was on the passenger side and well...


She's stuck...
Like really stuck...




It's a good thing BCAA covers stupidity, I mean sand, yeah sand :)

I couldn't stop laughing. I still can't. Superman LOVES it when I'm laughing...

The tow truck driver said, he pulled another car out of the same spot yesterday...it's nice that Superman's not alone in his stupidity, eh sweetie? 



At least we got to watch the SNOWBIRDS much longer than planned...and I still love Super, really I do :)

{not a bad shot, for my iPhone :) }

Monday, April 20, 2015

Sister Kramer: Opps Tomatoes



{So grateful for other Missionary Moms who send me pictures}
 
This week we found out about transfers and i am happy to say that my companion and i are staying in sackville which is super exciting! 

So funny story well kind of! so we had dinner at a members home sunday night and they forgot the my companion is allergic to tomatoes and they were in the salad which the member dished up for us so when they all had their backs turned she throw them on my plates and some of them bounced on to the members plate and they turned around before i could grab them awkward :) haha
alex asked me some pretty good question in her email to me today :)
What has going on a mission taught you about yourself?What habits did your mission help you break?Where would you be today if you didn't go on a mission?
 
1. My mission has taught me How to have charity for others to show compassion towards all who i met. Truly it has helped me understand that i really am a daughter of my Heavenly Father who loves me and wants the world for. He has given me so many blessings and has so many more in store for me :) my mission has taught me how to be truly happy :)
2. one of the biggest habits my mission has helped me break is procrastination because the time that i spend on my mission is not my time it is the Lords. This is his work and i should be doing all that i can to assist him is it. I am truly on the Lords errand.
3. I am not sure where i would be if i didn't come on a mission i don't think it would be anywhere good maybe in school i really don't know but i do know that i am a far better person because i am severing a mission.

love you guys 
love sister kramer 

Sunday, April 19, 2015

We Talk Service

Superman being able to serve on the High Council is such a blessing for our family. Today we both spoke in our Home Ward. I spoke on Service and he spoke on, I wasn't listening I don't remember. ;)

Here is most of my talk, including the two pages my printer didn't print and I didn't realize, until I was at the pulpit (awesome).....
You can just read the red type if you want the Coles/Cliff notes version. :)
 

I had left my five energetic preschoolers in the charge of a young babysitter...

As I rounded the corner home I saw the truck that belonged to the babysitters dad in our driveway, I will tell you that this is NEVER a good sign...

I walked in the front door of our tiny farm house, first I saw Dallyn, covered in paint, naked in the kitchen sink, as the baby sitters dad is desperately trying to scrub the paint off him, I then see the four girls, equally doused in paint, all crammed in the bathtub of our only bathroom, the babysitter trying to scrub the paint off of them...

There is a quick a explanation, apology and exit of the dad and the baby sitter. And I am suddenly standing alone in the middle of the paint catastrophe of 2000...My ingenious and semi-supervised toddlers had spilled a gallon of paint, meant for the living room walls all over the brand new floor in the dining room and then proceeded to play in and track the paint  through every room on the main floor of our home...

I started to cry, sob really.

the phone rang, it was Sister K my visiting teacher..."there is paint everywhere I said through tears...."

"I'll be right over"  Sister K said as I hung up

She was there in minutes and helped scrub the paint off my kids and helped me put them in bed...

We then spent hours scrubbing the paint off the floors, cutting the dried paint out of the shag carpet and eventually my tears of frustration had turned to laughter at the absurdity of it all...Sister Kunkel told me of all the crazy things her young kids had done and that I too, just like she had done would survive parenting toddlers.

In President Henry B Eyring conference talk in October 2013, "Bind Up Their Wonds"

In the Lord’s words the Samaritan, when he saw the wounded man, stopped because “he had compassion.”

More than only feeling compassion, he acted. Always remember the specifics of the account:

“And [he] went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

“And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.”1

Pres. Erying then shares these three promises, we are all entitled to, when we act as the Good Samaritan did.

 

First, the Lord will give you, if you ask, the feelings of compassion He feels for those in need. Second, He will provide others, like the innkeeper, to join with you in your service. And third, the Lord, like the good Samaritan, will more than recompense all who join in giving help to those in need

....Pres Erying  then continues...

I was the first assistant in a priests quorum. The bishop called me one day at my home. He said that he wanted me to go with him to visit [members in] great need. He said he needed me.

As I waited for him to pick me up at my home, I was troubled. I knew the bishop had strong and wise counselors. One was a famous judge. The other ran a large company and would later become a General Authority. The bishop himself would someday serve as a General Authority. Why was the bishop saying to an inexperienced priest, “I need your help”?

Well, I know better now what he might have said to me: “The Lord needs to bless you.”

my bishop took me with him to the home of alcoholic parents who sent two frightened little girls to meet us at the door. After he visited with the two little girls, we turned away and he said to me, “We can’t change the tragedy in their lives yet, but they can feel that the Lord loves them.”

“We can’t change the tragedy in their lives yet, but they can feel that the Lord loves them.”

At one time in my life my twin Sister and I were those two frighten girls on the door step...

Circumstances beyond my control had led to a home full of chaos, nothing was predictable and Kelli and I were often left without supervision or necessities of life....

After school one day we arrived home to a front door left wide open...scared to go inside, we went to Sister Hyde's house, she live on the cul de sac behind us and was my Mom's visiting teacher, but my mom had never let her in.

Sister Hyde came back to our house, and made sure it was safe to go inside...."Girls, does it always look like this?? "Sister Hyde said kindly..."Yes" we answered unaware that there was anything wrong with the  piles of garbage and stuff everywhere and the mountain of dirty dishes in the kitchen....

"Are you sure you are ok??" She asked again

"Yes, yes!!!" we reassured her as she reluctantly left us.

A few hours later, after my mom had come home, there was a soft knock on the door...

Kelli and I opened it. It was Sister Hyde, mop bucket and mop in hand....

Over the next few hours Sister Hyde, cheerfully and kindly helped my mom clean....

My mom was embarrassed and even annoyed that Sister Hyde had come over and it didn't take long for the house to return to chaos, but for those few hours Kelli and I felt safe and cared for.

Sister Hyde couldn't change the tragedy in our lives yet, but through her we felt the love our Heavenly Father has for us.

Pres. Eyring continues.....

There is another preparation we must make. It is a human characteristic to become hardened to the pains of others. That is one of the reasons why the Savior went to such lengths to tell of His Atonement and of His taking upon Himself the pains and sorrows of all of our Heavenly Father’s children that He might know how to succor them.

Even the best of Heavenly Father’s [children]  do not rise to that standard of compassion easily. Our human tendency is to be impatient with the person who cannot see the truth that is so plain to us. We must be careful that our impatience is not interpreted as condemnation or rejection.

As we prepare to give succor for the Lord.... there is a scripture to guide us. It contains a gift we will need for our journey, wherever the Lord will send us. The good Samaritan had that gift. We will need it, and the Lord has told us how we can find it:

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, 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 his 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.”3

One of my most sacred experiences with service happened on a very dark day....my sweetheart had become very ill, requiring hospitalization, our small town hospital was not equipped to handle his needs and I watched as the ambulance pulled away, transferring him to a hospital 45 minutes away. The fear and uncertainty was overwhelming as I walked the two blocks home. "Daddy's too sick to come home tonight"  I had to tell my five confused toddlers....

Minutes after arriving home, there was a soft knock on my door ....My visiting teacher Sister H stood there, knees still dirty from working in her garden.... 

They took Grant to Lethbridge, I barely got the words out...Sister H took me in her arms and just held me as I sobbed, there were no words, she just held me. Once I had gained some control she sat and held my hand as I pour out my heart, all the fear and worries flooded out as she listen....she couldn't fix any of it, but in her arms I knew I wasn't alone....

Sister K, Sister Hyde and Sister H all knew what it meant to "succor for the Lord" and my family has been forever blessed by theirs and many others kind acts of service.

TESTIMONY

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

 

Thursday, April 16, 2015

And, I'm Sorry.

We ALL sat at the dinner table on Monday (it's a Kramer miracle) and in the middle of a slightly inappropriate conversation about jokes heard in gym class...

One of them says, "Oh my gosh Dad, you sure yelled a lot last week!!!"

"Yeah, you're probably right. " Superman says mid bite...."And I'm sorry"

So was it your bipolar or what, Dad ???

"Yes I was really sick last week and I'm sorry you guys witnessed that."

"It's ok Dad, we still love you....even when you're crazy" Alex adds, with almost sincerity.

And then they were back to the regular Kramer dinner banter.....

Dallyn: "You guys must be the proudest parents ever, your oldest works at McDonald's, and y'all know I'm planning a career in the comedic arts...."

And thus began the lecture on doing your best work, wherever you work and that Dallyn was not allowed to live in our basement past 21 :)

The kids were right, though, last week was so hard. Things can be well one minute and then the bottom can fall out with little warning.

It's a very humbling thing to have to put the pieces back together, when some clarity returns, but Superman does it willingly. It takes time and rest for him to stand on firm ground again but he finds the courage to climb that mountain, again and again, we all do.

Grateful for a calmer week, funny kids and the trust we have in Heavenly Father's plan for our funny little family. :)



Monday, April 13, 2015

Sister Kramer: Dear Dad

So Grant writes our missionary this week and gets a novel  in reply :)...  


I can't believe Dallyn is growing up he can't he is suppose to stay little he is not allowed to get taller then me i am not coming home and having to look up at him! haha

Conference was great i really enjoyed on of my favorite talks was the one that President Uchtdorf gave about grace it is actually something i have studied from most of my mission and i think that it is a hard thing for most people to understand. What i have learned on my mission is that we are saved be the grace of Jesus Christ because there is no other way that we get to heaven other then through his atonement. but i think the thing that people that i have come across on my mission is that they think that as latter day saints we think we have to earn our way to heaven but no we are learning heaven God has given us Celestial laws to live in a telestial world so that we can perpare to meet him But it is only because of the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ that we get the chance to meet God Brad Wilcocks gives an amazing talk on grace it is found in byu speeches. i would look it up

in my Studies this week i was going through the commandments section of preach my gospel and looking for all the blessing that we gain by living the commandments and i was truly amazing to see how much God is willing to bless us and the blessings far out weigh the commitment we will ever make He has to bless us when we are obedient He is bound to do so D&C 82:10.

for discipleship they is a great talk be David A. Bednar called "the cost and burden of discipleship" or you could use the story of where the angel comes to mary and tells her to tell the disciples that christ has come and say like if christ came would someone come and tell you and talk about what make us disciples of christ.

i really do like that that is the youth theme this year because everynight after we are done planning we recite D&C 4.


love you guys take care
Love Sister Kramer  

Wednesday, April 8, 2015

Try Not To...

 
 
Yup this is Madison's darling text wishing us well on our 22 years of wedded bliss....
I burst out laughing....

So I guess any illusion that the Superman and I have this blissful, picture-perfect marriage has been lost. Actually we never even tried. Perfection never fit well...and if anyone knows that its our kids....
They've seen us argue, yell, cry, slam a door, or two, (not always the best parenting) but they have also seen us apologize, forgive, say sorry, laugh at the absurdity of fighting over toilet paper, let it go and move on...

So after 22 years I want my kids to know that even though its far from perfect, marrying their Dad was the best decision I have ever made. He and they are my greatest blessings and making it work will always be worth it.

So thanks Madison and no worries, we actually like each other today. :)

Monday, April 6, 2015

Sister Kramer: Mission Adventures

Some adventures from my mission! 

It was the first sunny day we had in a long time so we had to celebrate!.....
 One of the member was having a baby and asked if i would paint her baby room so much fun.....
 just building some crazy snow forts!.....




 All three of us had our brithday on the same day and we were all serving in the same district weird right???....
 
 
 
this week was great it only snowed a few times haha!
conference was great we were able to have dinner and watch the last session at the mission home with president and sister leavitt it was great! i am so grateful that we have the opportunity to hear from the prophet and apostles of the church they have so much love for all of us and it is comforting to know that they pray for us missionaries everyday :) 
i am glad that you had a good Easter and the you are sharing because he lives it is amazing to have that knowledge to know that the savior lives today and loves us all :)

love you all
sister kramer

ps it is my 11month mark tomorrow!! how crazy is that!

Sunday, April 5, 2015

Missing that Smirk.

He was funny. Hilariously unpredictable. Sometimes not quite appropriate but genetics had dealt him a fine hand in hilarity. It's called the Merrill whit, all the Merrill boys have it, but both his parents could give any comedian a run for their money, so I think Beena's Peterson side deserves just as much credit. Regardless Dad was funny and that's what I miss the most about him.

When I called to tell him I was having Dallyn, without skipping a beat he quipped "What's next Robin, a school bus?"

Dad almost always had a smirk on his face.....Its been a long three years without that smirk.

But I am grateful that laugh and smirk lives on. Those Merrill-Peterson genes are strong ones,  something that is a blessing and a curse as I raise his equally hilarious grandchildren.

I miss you Dad. Until we meet again.


Saturday, April 4, 2015

Music brings peace.

#BecauseHeLives
Music brings peace to my heart.

Listen (you know you want to :) )



Music brings peace like nothing else can for me. I remember my mom playing the piano for hours trying to calm her troubled mind, filling a chaotic home with sweet peace. I remember listening to my Dad perform for thousands, long before I understood the talent it took to do so and the pure joy on his face as he played. Music brought much peace to both of them and Kelli and I. The hymns are my favourite. Comfort from my Savior and an instant reminder of His love for me.

Friday, April 3, 2015

I Can Find Joy.

#BecauseHeLives
I can find joy.

At the end of a rather chaotic week (aka: normal week) I was in Nanaimo at Leadership training, after presenting my part, I sat down. Unable to quietly leave and go to another meeting I was supposed to attend, I stayed put and listened as one of my former YW continued with her part...



My heart filled with joy as I listened to her powerful testimony and truly realized what a beautiful woman my little Beehive, now friend, had become. I then looked around the room and saw more of my once Beehives, Miamaids and Laurels, now all dear friends, each truly amazing women and my heart overflowed with joy. That moment was such a blessing and a reminder that joy, even in the chaos of life is possible. 


Thursday, April 2, 2015

Together forever.

#BecauseHeLives
My family can be together forever.


....as a kid I thought that was a punishment rather than a blessing....



Now it is one of the sweetest promises I know of. :) These are five of my greatest blessings and forever is just fine now.


Wednesday, April 1, 2015

I Do Not Walk Alone.

#BecauseHeLives
I do not walk alone.
{Kramer Kids, Underwood Cove, China Creek Marina, 2005} 
 
 
Life for us has not been simple, challenges came early and often, but even as a very young girl my heart knew I was not alone...I don't ever remember not knowing I was a child of God and that I was loved and would be helped...that simple testimony serves me just as well now as it did as a child.
 
I still turn to my Heavenly Father for help daily knowing He will help me. Prayers of courage, of acceptance, of gratitude...and on those days when it seems the whole world is caving in, prayers of perseverance... I have never had to face our challenges alone. That is such a gift. 
 


Because he lives...I don't not walk alone....no one does.