Just 10 More Days!

What I Wish For 2016

The presidency message I wrote for January is a message I want my family to read too...

Dear Sisters (and family),

My hope for you in 2016 is that you have your BEST YEAR YET!  As I look back in my life, these five things have made my life better.  I believe they will make yours better too. 

1.       Keep the spirit of Christmas with you throughout the year.  Focus on Christ, be a little more kind and loving all year long!

2.       Learn from the past, but move forward with faith.  If you made mistakes in 2015, it’s okay.  Learn from those mistakes, forgive yourself and move on with your life, never looking back!

3.       Live the Lord’s standards as found in For the Strength of Youth.  As you do, you will feel closer to your Father in Heaven, have more peace in your life, and feel more confident!

4.        Live with an attitude of gratitude.  Don’t focus on what you lack.  “Count your many blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord has done.”  This is one of the secrets to a happy life!

5.       Lose yourself in service to others.  Serve your husband, serve your kids, serve your neighbors and the sisters in our ward.  Get down on your knees and ask, “Who needs my help today?”  As you feel prompted, go and do. 

I can’t promise that you won’t have trials in 2016, you may face your greatest trials ever.  But doing these 5 things will bring an inner peace and joy to your life.  I wish this for all of you this year!!

Love,

Shannon Fuller (mom)

Happy New Year!

This year we laughed in the new year with the Welsh and Patterson families while playing "Things" and "Beyond Balderdash."  Who knows what the kids were up to.  At midnight we had a silly string battle.  Glad we survived 2015!

I Don't do Karaoke!

Tonight my sister wanted to go out for her birthday.  I was pumped when she decided to go to Keys on Main  Who doesn't love to hear dueling pianos?  But tonight we show up, and it's karaoke night.  Oh NO!!!  Now, I love to sing just as much as anyone else.  But I love to sing....in the shower, in the choir, in the car.  I do not love to sing songs I don't know, to people I don't know and I never sing solo.  I do not do karaoke!!!!! Unfortunately it was my sisters birthday and she really wanted me to sing something.  Luckily, I have the best husband in the world who agreed to go up and sing Ice Ice Baby with me.  I'll be the first to admit, that isn't really singing, but we sure did say a whole lot of words to a beat on stage and it made Jenny happy. 

I think maybe in years past this would have been an easier thing for me to do.  But tonight, I had zero confidence on stage.  No dance moves, no chutzpah, nothing.  I was pathetic. 

Merry Christmas!

White Christmas

Christmas day was wonderful for a number of reasons...

First, it dumped on us through the night, which means we woke up to lots of fresh white snow. 

Second, I had the opportunity to see a sweet woman dressed all in white as she was baptized on Christmas morning.  I can't think of a better way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, it was beautiful!  I had been asked to do a talk on the Holy Ghost and when I realized that 90% of the people in attendance were Hispanic, I decided to switch it up and give my talk in Spanish.  I was pretty nervous, it had been a while since I had given a talk in Spanish, but it went surprisingly well. 

Third, the kids all seemed happy and GRATEFUL for what they received!

 

 

Fourth, we got to spend time with family and enjoy a delicious Christmas dinner!

Fifth, we ended the day watching The Martian, which I loved.

Q and Ayzha didn't quite make it through the movie
it was a long but lovely day!

Best Chrismas Eve Ever!

When I heard those words come out of Ayzha's mouth I'm sure I had a grin on my face ear to ear.  We did a lot of fun stuff today.  We played ball at the church, did some hooky bobbing and sledding behind the car, jibjabbed ourselves, played bean bag baseball at a retirement home, re-enacted the Nativity, and opened up our Christmas jammies. 

I'm exhausted!