I ♥ Conference!

I love, absolutely LOVE!, General Conference! It makes me so happy, and I love the spiritual upliftment that I receive. Especially in these past few sessions.
The encouragement we receive from the Brethren and other speakers calms my soul from the things I have been worrying about. I know that everything is going to be just fine. I know that my Savior loves me. I know that my Savior died for me, and He Lives. I KNOW that He lives. I have received confirmation of this fact. The hymn, I Know That My Redeemer Lives, is my testimony:
I know that my Redeemer lives
What comfort this sweet sentence gives
He lives, He lives who once was dead,
He lives, my Ever-living Head.
He lives to grant me rich supply
He lives to guide me with His eye
He lives to comfort me when faint
He lives to hear my soul's complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart
He lives all blessings to impart.
He lives to bless me with his love
He lives to plead for me above
He lives my hungry soul to feed
He lives to help in time of need.
He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend
He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while He lives I'll sing!
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King!
He lives and grants me daily breath
He lives, and I shall conquer death.
He lives, my mansion to prepare
He lives to bring me safely there.
He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same!
O sweet, the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!
He lives, all glory to His name!
He lives, my Savior, still the same!
O sweet, the joy this sentence gives:
I know that my Redeemer lives!

How perfect that General Conference lands on Easter Sunday this year! I am enjoying the apostolic testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel and of the Savior, even Jesus Christ. I add my testimony of Jesus Christ and the Atonement to the others that have been expressed in the last two days.

He Lives! I know He does. He loves me. He loves you. He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then died on the cross for our sins. He is the very reason that the plan of happiness works.

Enjoy the rest of this Easter Sunday, and the rest of this wonderful General Conference!

O My Father

I have just come to find this hymn to be one of my favorites. The words mean more to me than I had ever noticed. (LDS Hymnal #292) Read these words carefully:

"O My Father, thou that dwellest

In the high and glorious place,

When shall I regain thy presence

And again behold thy face?

In thy holy habitation,

Did my spirit once reside?

In my first primeval childhood

Was I nurtured by thy side?

For a wise and glorious purpose

Thou hast place me here on earth

And withheld the recollection

Of my former friends and birth;

Yet oftimes a secret something

Whispered, "You're a stranger here,"

And I felt that I had wandered

From a more exhalted sphere.

I had learned to call thee Father,

Thru thy Spirit from on high,

But, until the key of knowledge

Was restored, I knew not why.

In the heav'ns are parents single?

No the thought makes reason stare!

Truth is reason; truth eternal

Tells me a mother there!

When I leave this frail existence,

When I lay this mortal by,

Father, Mother, may I meet you

In your royal courts on high?

Then, at length when I've completed

All you sent me forth to do,

With you mutual approbation

Let me come and dwell with you.

I love this hymn. It speaks to my spirit, and it comforts me in the hardest times of life. I especially love the arrangement by Sally Deford. Check it out: http://defordmusic.com/comethoufountomyfather.htm
It's also the same musical arrangement she uses for Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, another great hymn.

AHHHHHH! Can You Believe It?

So...............
It's my last semester in Rexburg. Can you believe it? Because I sure can't. It's crazy! I'm really excited, but at the same time, I'm really nervous.
This is it.
After this semester, I need to be a real grown-up.
A grown-up.
Man, I'm getting old.
I've recently (last night) finished my student teaching application. By March sometime, I'll know what school district I'm going to be student teaching in for the Fall semester 2010. This is CRAZY! I'm going to be a TEACHER!
I think I need to go to bed, because the sleep deprivation of college is catching up with me....and I have some lesson plans that still need to be done before class tomorrow. But, alas. I'm on my blog, writing to who knows who.
And Kassi just turned the music on. That's sounds awfully lovely. I love music.
Oh my. I'm just rambling on now. But that's okay. This is a perfect example for a case study on sleep deprived college students. Great ADD tendencies. (which, really is not a good thing. When you are trying to concentrate on your homework or a test, you cannot afford to get distracted on other topics...such as music, dating, boys, other school work, roommates, ward activities, callings)
Oh, that reminds me! I have two new callings this semester that I'm really quite excited about. The first one is Relief Society pianist. I love being the pianist. In past semesters, I have found that being the pianist really bored me and was tedious. But I've come to love being the pianist. As the pianist I am the one that helps in bringing the Spirit of the Lord to the meeting. I get to help with that! How cool is that?!
My second calling is Family Home Evening Coordinator. I'm incharge of a lot of stuff, and I'm not quite sure exactly what, but from what I know, I know that I am supposed to be in this calling. I know there is something that I'm am supposed to learn this semester, and there is going to be things that I can teach others through this calling. I'm VERY excited to start serving the Lord in these new capacities. And honestly, I'm really glad I'm not the Relief Society president. As much as that would be a humbling experience, I'm not sure how equipped I am to handle that much responsibility.
So, anyway. Three weeks into the semester....10 more to go! Wish me luck! Grant me peace of mind! Pray that I get some sleep!

New Starts

I'm coming to realize that life is full of changes. Both good, and bad. And, the bad is not always necessarily bad. It's just different. Which is what a change is. It's something that is new, something that has changed, something that makes life more interesting.
Johnathon is now in Houston Texas, ready to start spreading the Living Word to those that are blessed to live where he will teach. Johnathon is going to be an amazing missionary, and I wish that I could just follow him around and listen to him. He is growing so much. He's such an awesome person!
I'm starting my final year at Brigham Young University-Idaho. I'm so close to the end, that I can taste it. It tastes good, by the way. It's like strawberries. mmmmm...I like strawberries....which means that I will like, and most likely, love, life after graduation. I must confess that I'm really looking forward to teaching. I am in an education practicum class currently, and I love getting in front of the class and bestowing my vast knowledge to the youngsters that sit in my class for those precious 45 minutes. I love writing lesson plans, and figuring out the best way to help my students to learn. I can't wait to be in my own classroom, and decide how to run my own classroom, to make mistakes, and to learn and grow.
The weird thing about getting older and getting closer to graduation-most of my friends from former years are graduated....I have lots of friends that are graduated and have moved on to better things. BYU-I, good. Post-grad life, better.
I'm really looking forward to the future of new starts that I will be able to have. I'm excited about the opportunities that await me. I'm anxious to see what lies ahead. What does lie ahead? I'm sure I have this path that is full of twists and turns. I love how my life seems to go. I start to get comfortable with how my life is going, and something is thrown in to make me change what I'm doing.
However, I've come to realize that these road blocks and speed bumps that I come in contact with are not to make me stumble. At first I stumble, but the important thing is to get back up, and to keep going. It's to help me to learn, so that I can avoid them, and learn how to get over the trial. The trials that I face are to help me to learn and grow. And the more that I learn and grow, the better I become, until I am the best.
So.....I'm excited for the new starts that have come into my life. My family has had to figure out how to live with less people in the house (which, secretly, I think they love. Because, come on....only 3 kids? It must be SUPER quiet!). We are all going to have our challenges for the next few years. But, it's going to be good, because we will be learning new things like Johnathon is. We're going to grow as a family. And in the next few years, we're going to encounter many new starts and changes in our lives. Our family will never be the same.
BUT-
It will be better.

My Brother is Pretty Dang Cool!

So, I have a pretty cool brother. Johnathon is just awesome. He got his mission call in June. He's been called to the Houston Texas South mission for two years, starting September 2nd. I'm so proud of my brother!
Johnathon is a great example to me. Sure, he's a tease, an instigator, and can be a pain in the butt. However, he's one of the greatest examples I have in my life! And here's why:
He's temple worthy. Johnathon has his current temple recommend. He's recieved his endowments. And he loves the temple.
He reads his scriptures, daily.
He loves the Lord.
He knows how to have fun.
He knows when to be quiet (most the time....) :)
He is generous and can share....especially when I come home from work at 7 am....he gets up and lets me use his bed. :)
He helped create one of my earliest memories.....falling off a toy car and cutting my head open, requiring 7 stitches, all on Thanksgiving Day....good times, good times....
BRAKE LIGHTS!!! (need I really say more? If you've been around when a Cobabe kid has been learning how to drive, you will understand...)
Johnathon works at Mallard Landing with me, and he is SO patient with the residents. I'm learning not to ever ask him how work was. Because he always says it was good...and when I come into work, others tell me how busy it was.

Yep. I have a pretty cool brother. I hope that when I have kids one day, that my kids have such a great example to look up to!

ONLY THE BEST DAY EVER INVENTED!

So, if you know anything about my family, you will know that the Fourth of July is a big deal. It's not merely the amazing fireworks show at the end of the day, but the entire day. Ever since I can remember, I have memories of the gigantic celebration we have to celebrate the birth of America.
I can remember in years past the bike parades at the Hokanson's, whether it be around the block in Vancouver, or up the driveway and racing to see who can get to the top and back first. The bike parade is always amazing. And each year we grow more and more extravagent. The best part is just seeing how each of the kids decorates their bike. Some kids are very meticulous in their decorations.
Take Claira for example. She knows exactly how she wants her bike to be decorated and with which colors, streamers, balloons, and whatever else she can get her hands onto. It's quite the scene. She has her color scheme (anything purple...seriously. Anything purple, or close enough to be in the "purple family" or related to Disney princesses). Eventually, all the kids are ready for the parade.
Everyone lines up at the start line. Most years we have a marching band, that starts the entire show. Then the kids GO! And, boy, do they go! They race as fast as they can to get the farthest and chuck the most candy at the adults on the sidelines....and the candy that hits the sidelines is returned to the children...for the most part....:)
The BBQ is the next event of the day. Everyone brings food to contribute to the feast. The one staple that I remember being at every Fourth of July I can remember is my Dad's potato salad. It's really yummy. I like to help my dad make the potato salad. It makes me feel VERY important. But, it's tradition to have my dad's potato salad there. And, then we have all the normal junk food that is in no way really all that good for you, but tastes so yummy. We have hamburgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, tons of salads, chips, dips, beans, and a plethora of desserts. (I love it when I can stick my big words in....makes me feel smart...just being able to use my "big" vocabulary....:) )
After eating (seriously, it's an event all in itself. It in there with the bike parade and the fireworks show. If you've ever been to a day like this, you would know...), the setup for the big night starts. This is my dad's spotlight. He puts together all the mortor tubes and sets up table to put on the best show EVER. This year, Dad started to pass down the tradition to the next generation. It was so cool to watch Matthew and Johnathon take charge of the fireworks show.
As it starts to get dark, we play with sparklers. Ever since Harry Potter was published, we use the sparklers as wands and have duels. And of course, it's not the 4th of July without using a sparkler to spell out your name. I've discovered that it's really fun to write my name with sparklers, because of the loops that I can do. I like it when the smoke looks like a bunch of loop-di-loops.
After the sparklers are all done, we pull out the parachutes. It's so much fun to see the kids chase all the parachute men around the yard. The run back and forth around the grass, looking at the sky, trying to get just beneath the parachute to catch it. You have this giant pack of kids running around together, all trying to catch the same tissue paper and string parachute.
Then the big show starts. The pyros start to tie fuses together to be able to set off more mortors and fireworks at once. It's all part of the amazingness that is part of the holiday. It's a contest between the different years to see how many different fireworks can go off all at once.
We then sit back and enjoy the show. It's really funny to see Johnathon and Matthew narrowly miss getting their heads blown off. Not that they are really going to get hurt, they just have some close calls. But it's all part of the fun.

I think the best part of this holiday is the togetherness that I feel with everyone that is present. At first, it was strictly a family holiday. But, over the years, our family has grown. It's gone from the Cobabes/Hokansons/Brinkmans/Tarsis to anyone that we invite. We have TONS of people around. And it adds to the joy of the day. Its more fun every year.
On the way home from the Hokansons (aka family compound), I was telling my dad how much I love the 4th of July. I decided that when I get married (eventually....very VERY far in the future...) if there's a dispute in who's house we are going to for Christmas, I would give up going home for Christmas one year..........AS LONG as we were going to come to my family for July 4th.

Ford vs. Honda

Today is one of those days that I realized how blessed I truly am. I think that I always knew that the Lord looked out for me, protected me, and helped me in all that I do. However, today was a day that this happened to stick out more than any other.


Today, I was in a car accident.


First of all, no one was hurt. I think the worst part is the replay that keeps running through my mind. Other than that, I'm okay. However, when I keep thinking back to the first moments-those moments when I knew I wasn't going to stop in time, the moment of the impact, and those seconds directly after-I keep finding blessings and humor in the situation.


So, this afternoon, I was on my way to work. I was heading south on Parkway in Battle Ground, because it was the quickest way with the least amount of stoplights. I was heading through the stoplight at the intersection of Parkway and Main. The light was green, so I didn't think about slowing down the car from its cruising speed of 25 or 30 mpr. As I crossed the crosswalk entering the intersection, another car-heading north-turned left, directly infront of me.

Immediately, I tried to stop. But, even after doing all that I could, I knew I was going to hit the Ford Explorer. I think I braced myself for the impact. All I remember thinking was, "I'm going to hit her."


The next couple of seconds seemed to speed by and last forever at the same time. I sat in my car, freaking out. I couldn't believe that this had happened! My first thought was, "Dang! I'm going to be late for work!" My next thought was, "How's my car?" Then, I thought, "Crap. I need to call Mom and Dad." In the next second, I realized my car had come to a complete stop in two seconds. I looked around, and saw the Ford Explorer driving down Main Street. My instant reaction was a glare at that truck. How dare that driver make me hit her, and then drive off. I then realized the truck was just pulling into the parking lot.


I looked around the intersection. It had come to a complete standstill. Everyone was looking at me, and I was looking at them. I realized my car had turned back on (can it really turn off and then back on from that impact? I'm not sure. I vaguely remember the music stopping in the moment of impact, and then the clock flashing off, and then back on). I took another look around the intersection. I could see bits of the front of my car scattered around the intersection. I looked over at the Ford Explorer, and saw part of my fender imbeded in the Explorer's wheel well. Honestly, I kind of laughed, but I'm not sure why.


I put my car in reverse, and backed up slowly in the intersection to be able to get onto Main Street, and followed the Explorer to the old library parking lot.

This all had to have happened in just under a minute. I could already hear the sirens of the approaching emergency response teams. I was so grateful that someone else had called 911. Truly, it wasn't on the top of the list of people I needed to call. First I called my dad, forgetting he was on a business trip in Oregon. Then I called work, letting them know I was going to be late. I then called my grandparents, and my grandpa, the wonderful man he is, talked me through, calmed me down, let me know what I needed to do, and came down to help me.


I then got out of my car, and a fireman was there instantly, making sure I was okay. I told him I felt fine, but wasn't quite sure. I started to take out my insurance and licensing information. I went to the driver of the Explorer, and told her my side of the story. She had the audacity to accuse me of being at fault. HELLO! You didn't have a green arrow. You had a green yield light, meaning, YOU WAIT UNTIL THE COAST IS CLEAR TO TURN! I then just turned my back on the other driver and returned to my car. I talked to my grandpa on the phone (He told me not to worry, it wasn't my fault.) and then phoned my mom, who said she was already on her way. I talked to the cop. He was so nice. I think he took some pity on me. The other driver had passengers there to comfort her, and her husband (that's who I think it was) was on the scene within a minute or so. I was standing next to my car, by myself, in my scrubs, crying, weeping, (I must have looked insane, just standing there, holding my information and sobbing, my eyes blotchy and red, and my nose running. And, I just kept looking at my poor car.) The officer took my information, and told me I'd be just fine.


Just then, my mom pulled in, and gave me the big hug that I needed. She told me I was going to be okay, and that the important thing was that I was okay. She also told me how amazing it was that I had my first fender bender about 5 years after getting my license.

I then stood there and watched the street sweeper come to the scene. I watched as the intersection was closed for a couple minutes as the street sweeper sucked up the last little bits of my car. I laughed (inwardly right now. I'd giggle about this throughout the rest of the night. I mean, come on. I thought that I'd just be working tonight, not standing in my ugly scrubs watching a street sweeper drive around the intersection sucking up bits of my car.).


At this point, Grandpa showed up. I got a big hug, and he said he was glad that I was alright. By now, its been about 20 minutes? The firefighters were gone, but the police remained. The Explorer's grandkids (they were sitting in the back seat. When the little girl saw me crying, she exclaimed, "It'll be alright! I'm sorry my grandma hit your car!" ) I saw some realative of the Explorer yank out part of my fender from the wheel well. He carried around for some time, and then gave it to me as a "souvenier." Yeah. Some prize, treasure, that I get to have forever. I think I'm going to get rid of it as soon as I can. Actually, maybe I'll keep it. I dunno. But, again I laughed. Why? Because my dinky little car my be yucky looking now, but it managed to show that Explorer who's boss (okay, not really. The Explorer is still the boss. But, my little car can dream, right? It got bruised and broken today, but it made sure that Explorer doesn't forget today....)


Well, all in all, everything has turned out just fine. After close to an hour, I was able to go home. Now the daunting task of getting the car home. Grandpa drove my car home, and I drove his. Mom followed. The drive home was intense. I gave EXTRA space between me and the cars around me. I went exactly the speed limit. I freaked out when a car merged into my lane, a good 15 feet in front of me. "What's wrong with you!?! Don't you know that I hit someone today? I really don't want to do that again! Please let me know when you are stopping!"
Luckily, I made it home. I'm safe. The Lord has blessed me SO much. My car is going to be okay. I'm okay. I work at a great place where my shift was covered so I didn't need to come in to work. My family is amazing, and super supportive. My friends are amazing worry warts (which is why I didn't tell them until about 2 hours after the fact). The emergency personnel were so attentive and quick to respond. They really did save the day.


I look back at today and am able to recognize all these amazing blessings that I have. I'm so glad that I can look back on today, and laugh. Because, really, I'm okay. I'm just fine. I just can't say the same for my car. :(

My poor car!!!!

Seriously. This is all the damage to the Explorer. That's it....

PS. The Explorer tried to tell me that I was at fault for the accident. But, Grandpa thinks he saw the driver get a citation. Um.....te **cough** hehe **cough**
PPS. The Explorer said her insurance is going to pay for it. I just about did a happy dance when she told me this!