Summer is over...

I know that everyone has pretty much stopped checking my blog. I pretty much knew that I wouldn't blog very much over the summer. This is a picture of us taken in June in Las Vegas. I have a lot happen this past week. To say the least it was a hard week. All the different parts of my life came down on me in different ways. I was talking to my Bishop and he said that he felt as if Satan was trying his hardest to discourage me. You see this next week I start teaching institute. This is a dream come true for me. Ever since I started attending institute in Washington, I knew I wanted to teach someday. I didn't know how much the Lord was going to expect of me over the next six years to develop me into the teacher He needed. My Bishop has the most confidence in me and my teaching (I don't think he has ever even heard me teach!) He said of course Satan wants to discourage you, wants you to not be focus, think of how many lives you are going to touch. So after pretty much crying all day Friday, I turned to the Lord and asked for forgiveness in my lack of focus. I was reminded that it is through our trials that we learn to trust in the Lord. So I got out my study guide and started reading. I started listening to Conference talks again on my ipod and knew I needed to focus, if not for myself, for all those who will be attending my class. In church today we were singing the sacrament song, when a line to the song struck me, "And silently we pray, For courage to accept thy will, to listen and obey. We love thee Lord, our hearts are full, will walk they chosen way." I need to remember that I have chosen to accept the Lord's will for my life, and sometimes I just forget. I guess I had figured by now (a year and half after Rob died) I would have a better idea as to where my life is going. The one thing I do know, is I love to teach and if that is how I can be an instrument for the Lord, than I am doing what He wants. I am so excited for my class. I hope I can help at least one person grow, like I was helped in Washington.

First day of Preschool for the Monkeys!

Yes, I am one of those mothers who can't wait to put her kids into school! I have friends who want their kids to stay home forever or think they can teach their children better than someone else. I think my kids and I do much better with a break from one another! And yes for you doing the math, the monkeys don't turn 3 till October, but I begged and pleaded my friend to take them early. I think she might count this as her compassion service for the year! The monkeys have been talking about school everyday. When my dad gave the kid's their Father's Blessing before the beginning of the school year, Luke and Johnjohn wanted a blessing also. Everyday they have been asking me, school? We going to school? Luke could not wait and actually tried to leave with Robbie to school this morning! How cute is this kid? He's ready to go!
I could barely keep him from running out the door!

Johnjohn on the other hand wanted to stay home and watch TV. I am not sure how we got him out!

Luke jumped out of the car!

Johnjohn needed to be pushed out of the car.

Here they are holding on to the rope.

The monkeys would not stand together and smile. This was the closest picture I could get. I am sure it's going to be a wonderful year!

Back to School Back to Blogging

Do you have any idea how many entries I have saved as drafts from this summer. I would get started writing them and then life would happen. We were so busy this summer, I barely had time to think. But with school starting, I have time in the morning while I am avoiding my breakfast dishes to blog. Life will be just as busy this fall. Robbie and Jake have both started playing tackle football. They absolutely love it!!! I held them off for as long as I could playing tackle football. I didn't want my boys to get hurt (any who remember all my brother JD went through with concussions would understand my concerns). The boys love playing and just having fun. Robbie wears his dad's old AF football uniform to practice. Robbie has been told by his coach to ease up at practice and not hit the players so hard. He knocked a kid out the first day! He loves playing defence. Jake has been playing center on his team. His first game is tomorrow morning.

Robbie started Jr High this year, lockers, different classes and everything. On Wednesday the 7th graders went to school all by themselves to get the layout of the school and classes. They then didn't go on Thursday and went back today for their first "real" day with 8th and 9th graders. Yesterday Robbie and I spent the day together with Ali and her 7th graders out on the boat. It was a fun last day together before my little Robbie is a teenager forever. He is such a tremedous help. I know that I am probably too hard on him. There is no way I could get through all of this with out him. I wish he didn't have to grow up so fast, but I know he will be a better person and father because of it.

I had the opportunity of speaking at another Best of EFY in Pocatello, Idaho this week. I went very well and I love being able to share my testimony with others. I will be doing another one in the Tri-Cities area in October. It will be great heading closer to home! Starting in September I will be teaching an institute class on the Book of Mormon. I am also looking forward to learning and growing in the gospel. I have misses my institute class in Washington and hope my class will be even half of what Sandy's class was for me. This class is for anyone, it will be Thursday's 9:30-11 am. There will be a nursery for mom's to come and learn. I am anxiously looking forward to what this year will bring for me and my family. I have no idea what the Lord has instore for us, but I do trust in the Lord and lean not on my own understanding.

I KNOW......here's a post!

So it has been an extremely busy summer. We have been to Las Vegas, McCall (twice) and Lake Powell. Also, I ran a relay race in the middle of all of that! Plus all of Sally's field trips have kept us extra busy! I have a whole bunch of pictures and blogs saved as drafts. I just wanted to quickly write so everyone wouldn't give up on me! The biggest new is I will starting teaching an Institute class in the fall. I can't tell everyone how excited I am for this! While we lived in Washington, our stake offered an institute class during the day. I will admit that I first started to go, just to get out of the house. (At the time, Robbie was 6 Jake 4 and Ellie 2) All the moms took turns in the nursery, so we could come and learn. Sandy Ririe was and still is the teacher. I know my testimony grew more there in that class than it had ever in my life. She taught me how to love the scriptures and seek learning for myself. All the women in the class taught one another in sharing their testimonies and stories. The class had young mothers, women with older children and empty nesters. We felt safe and loved in our class. Any concern we had, we could find our answer there. In this class, I felt the whisperings of the spirit to have more children. I started to cry and turned to LeAnne and said, but I don't want to. Surprisingly she knew what I was talking about and knew I could handle more children. I was to the point to where I scheduled everything around my class. Adrienne started flying in on Wednesday nights so she could come to the class. After 5 wonderful years of learning, I am finally having my turn to give back. My hope and desire is to be even half of the teacher Sandy was for me. If I can help anyone to learn to love the scriptures, it will be a success. For people to grow and build their faith and testimonies, is all I want to accomplish. I hope I can be an instrument for the Lord in helping others come closer to Him. I thank my brother, Bishop Bagley and President Sermon for helping this dream come to past! I can't wait for class to start! I am sure I will learn more than all my students. Next week I have Youth Conference, a Best of EFY in Pocatello, then school starts! I will post my summer, but I don't know when. Love you all!!!

Babies, Babies Everywhere!

Within a week and a day, our family was blessed with two babies!!! First, on June 14, Erin and Rod had their sweet baby boy, Hank Rodney. He came a little early (37 weeks) and his lungs needed a little more time to develop,therefore staying in the hospital for awhile. Then, my sister Kathy had her second child, Abby Rose, on June 22. Great Grandma and Grandpa Epperson holding Hank
Hank Rodney Poulsen
Abby Rose Rinker
Ava greeting her little sister for the first time. Grandma Sheri holding Abby.
Rinker Family: Craig, Kathy, Ava, and Abby.

Tough Love

Another piece to the puzzle of my life will come together now. Let me first start with a story to help everyone get a view into my thought process. When I was 14, I think, I was playing shortstop in a softball game. My dad was the coach, and I believe we were in a championship tournament. A line drive got hit right to my ear. I did throw the girl out, but there was a time out on the field for my dad to come and check on me. I remember my dad saying you're fine, you're staying in the game. And I was like dad I can't hear out of my ear. He looked at me, looked at the dug out and said I am not taking you out, you're fine. But dad I can't hear!! I did stay in the game and learned at an early age to play through any type of pain. Tough love, but I feel I am a better person because of it. (I am positive my siblings have similar stories!) I was thinking about this story this morning as I was running and my knee was KILLING me. I was thinking about how I have learned to keep going no matter what type of pain I may be in. You pick yourself up, don't complain (still working on that part) and finish what you have started. My dad taught me that I can do anything, no matter how hard or how difficult it may seem. It is very easy in life to come up with excuses not to finish the race or to come out of the game. Everything won't be perfect. You may not hear for awhile, your knee might hurt, or your life may not turn out how you imagine, but there is no one else who can finish the game, a race, or life but you.

The Posse Field Trips

Some of my friends (actually one, and I will call Prez) is bored out of her mind. This is her first summer not working and home with her kids all day. Long story longer, she has made up all these different field trips for her family and we have just tagged along with her fun, whether she likes it or not. The first field trip was a hike up in Pleasant Grove. Yes, hike. I made it through living in the Northwest and only doing maybe two hikes in 5 years (and I am counting the Pioneer trek as one). I didn't really want to go on the hike, but got talked into it and was glad we went. The walk up to the water fall would take the normal person maybe 20 minutes, but the monkeys took a little longer. You need to think about how big those rocks are compared to them. And how little the legs are to be walking. They were good little monkeys and did end up going to bed at 6:30 that night! Even though I had to drag my kids on the hike, they had a wonderful time and asked when we were going on the next field trip! Shauna and Luke walking up the trail.
Ellie and I enjoying the spray of the falls.


Johnjohn and Luke throwing rocks into the water.
Robbie, Jakers and I

Jakers climbing around

Tyler, Robbie, Jake and Nic