Beauty and the Beast

For Christmas Santa gave Elizabeth a ticket to Disney's Beauty and the Beast the Traveling Broadway Musical. Santa arranged to go with our cousins, aunts and uncle and sister and spend the weekend with them.

Friday I picked Elizabeth up from school and raced to Virginia to beat a storm that was blowing in. I was nervous that it would interfere with the show. On the way we listened to the Broadway Musical Alexander Hamilton. Elizabeth and her cousins are obsessed with this musical and listen to it constantly but I had never listened to the whole thing.

The musical was a fun idea and very creative in its use of words and music. I had to ask my aunt lots of questions to be able to understand exactly what was going on, but now I do know more about our Founding Father Alexander Hamilton.

We LOVED Beauty and the Beast. The best part was seeing Elizabeth's jaw dropped through the different scene. When it was over she said, "That is exactly what I want to do, to act in a musical like this and on TV."

While watching the musical I had a "Aha!" moment. When I watch anything or read anything or listen to anything I look for the things they should not have, words, scenes, immodest costumes, innuendos, etc. I want to be aware of them and make sure that I am disappointed in the production because of those items. Because I know it could be done a better way without the need of inappropriate things.

As there were some innuendos and immodest costumes in the musical I realized that I was focusing so much on my disappointment in the inclusion of these items that I was missing the beauty of the musical. Instead of focusing on what is immodest or dwelling on how they should not have put that in I needed to see the whole picture. To realize that the world is involved in what we see and view so it will not be up to my standards but by dwelling on those things I allow them to preoccupy my mind and don't just dismiss them. I am actually making it worse by thinking of these things than by letting them go since I have no control over them. I should not dwell on it. That the dwelling is what Satan wants me to do with that information and instead I need to see it and then dismiss it. It is that idea of being in the world but not of the world.

I will still be guarded in what I watch, read, and listen to but I will not dwell on it. If something is indead wrong I will close the book, turn off the movie, or walk out if I need to but I will not dwell. Instead I will look for the good, see the beauty, and enjoy the moment.

Elizabeth and I had an absolute wonderful time. We loved being with family. My favorite part was on the way home. Elizabeth asked some really good questions and we were able to have a really good open discussion. I felt very blessed to have that time alone with her. She is a wonderful young woman and I am so privileged to be her mother.

WE ARE EXPECTING BABY #5

Yes, you read it correctly. The Thornton Family is expecting a new baby in Dec. 2012. We are very excited. Today we made the announcement to our 4 children and I am sure that each of you heard their screams of excitement. Maddison immediately told us that it was going to be a boy but then after a few minutes decided that we need one boy and one girl. John Derek would like the baby to be a boy so that he can have a brother. Samantha would like the baby to sleep in her room. Elizabeth would like the baby to have brown hair so that more kids in the family would look like her. Then the conversation turned to names. Here are some of their favorites: Elizabeth wants: Sarah, Eva, Evelyn, or Eve, and if it is a boy Phineas or Ferb Samantha wants: Sam or Ammon John Derek wants: Johnny Maddison wants: Cinderella and Johnny So here we go. Taking on a new adventure of 5 children with faith that we are following our Father in Heaven's desires for our family. In this last conference Pres. P...

Lessons from Friends/Faith

I had a fun visit with some of our friends yesterday. We talked a lot and I learned a lot. At one point she said that she has to rely on the Savior and the Atonement to make up for the love that she cannot give her children. She loves them but her weaknesses do not always show that and she prays that they will feel loved through the Atonement. I loved that idea. In my life right now I am functioning good but not perfect. I need the Atonement to make up for what I cannot give my children right now. She also talked about how important siblings are. That in China one of the problems with only having one child is that there are no aunts, uncles, or cousins. The family network is gone. How as parents we may not be able to give our children all the love that we would like but they are still getting loved from their siblings. That as children we fought with our siblings but now as adults we are closest to our siblings. ...

Anniversary Day 3/Weaknesses can Become Strengths

We slept in again, oh so nice. We didn't leave the hotel until 11:00. We went to a local pancake place and had a scruptious breakfast. We then went in search of apple orchards as this area is known as Apple Country. We ended up at a place called Grandad's Apples. I was in 7th heaven. We bought a full bushel of apples and then more for making apple sauce. I loved it. We then went to down town Ashville and bought chocolates at the Chocolate Feddish. Mmmmm . . . Then we headed home. It was a wonderful time to be together with my best friend. I am so grateful to my loving Heavenly Father for helping us have such an enjoyable anniversary. We felt truly loved and blessed by Him. We enjoyed our 15th Anniversary and are looking forward to an eternity more. . . Book of Mormon, Ether 12:27 "27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weak...

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