Cajun Spelling

Brian came home with a funny the other day: he drove past a store that had a sign outside stating that it was sold out of a particular product...what did the sign say? "Soulde out".

There is a town north of us named Thibodaux (pronounced "tibi-doe"), which is also the name of my ward. I learned some interesting history, which sheds some light on the spelling: once upon a time the majority of a town's population couldn't read or write. The few who could write were called upon for their services. If a man's name was Thibodaux, the scribe would write T-h-i-b-o-d-a-u and the man would make his mark ("x") at the end. Thus the name Thibodaux was born, and has stuck ever since.

It all makes me wish I had learned French in high school.

Kylie-bug

Kylie & Sallie

Kylie doing a "Naruto" move.My beautiful girl!

Sunday Afternoon In Louisiana

Today we had 3 new member confirmations at church (one of the converts had his baby blessed) and another baptism after church. It is a very unique feeling when those events take place. It was awesome to see the difference in the countenance of the lady who was getting baptized after church. She has very dark, cold eyes and a rough demeanor. But today she glowed and her eyes were softer. Two of the three confirmations were a man and his brother-in-law. The man is married to a member who stopped coming to church when she moved down here. The missionaries tracted into them, and the husband agreed to take the discussions. The brother-in-law was sitting in on the discussions, seemingly uninterested. However, the day that the missionaries asked Brother Lee if he would like to be baptized, the brother-in-law accepted before Brother Lee could! The missionaries were stunned, but thrilled. We have 3 sets of missionaries in our ward--one is from Preston, ID and served with Bro and Sis Chambers!

This ward has been interesting. The women are a little like pecking hens. There's always at least one "pecking" comment made in Relief Society. And they're very judgmental of others in the ward and how they're filling their callings. Not much ward unity. I wonder if that's part of the reason why out of 500 members, only 100 attend.

We've had crazy weather down here. We were in the 80's with 80% humidity...then in the 60's and rainy...then 80's with really sticky humidity...and today we're in the 60's again. Today I got stuck at one of the three draw bridges on the way to Brian's work. It was interesting to note the behavior of other drivers: most shut off their vehicle engines to wait, a couple people got out of their cars and chatted with other drivers. Very laid back, going with the flow. So I took a deep breath and just enjoyed being there too, watching the boats go down the bayou. Here's an example of common waters around here.

I found a picture of a 19th century plantation home that's just up the road from our place, called Southdown Plantation. Sugar cane is the #1 crop down here. I drove past the other day and there was a wedding going on out front. There's some awesome mansions down here, especially along the bayous. I think the bayous smell awful, but it must smell like home to these people, just like cow manure smells like home to me. Mmmmm, cows....

I Am Knowing Myself As God Knows Me and Created Me

I wanted to share with everyone this e-mail I got from Carol Tuttle:

"Dear Katie, One of the greatest accomplishments you can achieve in this life is to truly know yourself as God knows you and created you. How do you accomplish this? It is easy; just say to yourself several times a day: "I am knowing myself as God knows me and created me." As you speak this, the truth comes alive and you become it. Once you have come to integrate the truth of knowing yourself as God knows you and created you, your life challenge really begins: to live that truth with integrity everyday of your life.To choose thoughts, feelings, language, perceptions, and behaviors that express that truth with wholeness. Say it again, "I am knowing myself as God knows me and created me." Excellent, are you feeling it? God Bless You,Carol Tuttle."

How often do we go about living only half the life our Heavenly Father meant for us, doubting our worth and ability? This is something I struggle with every day. Join me this week in focusing on the above statement: I am knowing myself as God knows me and created me. Put it on your bathroom mirror. Let's see what happens!