Living a life of Peace, Joy and Purpose will bring Happiness
How do you want your life to be? Full of turmoil and stress? Picking up
the pieces and never knowing from one minute to the next what will happen or if
you will be able to handle it?
Or would you prefer a life of peace, joy and purpose? Where you have a
calm and quiet inside of you and can move on without fear knowing that everything
will be ok and things will work out for good?
We are so blessed to have to gospel of Christ in our lives. If we choose to,
we can all have the latter type of life by following the road map we've been given.
It is important to note that we are not free to choose what happens to us but
we are free to choose how we handle the things that come our way.
Much of my talk will be centered around a talk by Elder Richard G. Scott
found in the February 2014 issue of the Ensign, entitled Living a Life of Peace, Joy
and Purpose. He also wrote a book called Finding Peace, Joy and Happiness. Both
are excellent sources of guidance if you would like to delve more in depth than my
talk will take this topic.
If you take a minute and think about the world you will probably agree that
our world has crumbling values. Principle, virtue, integrity, religion, have all
declined for the majority of our world.
Heavenly Father has given us a road map and we much exercise faith and
follow His plan in order to find the peace, joy and purpose that we are seeking.
Part of finding joy in our lives may stem back to our perspective. Imagine
for a minute that you have a pebble in your shoe and a lollipop in your mouth. (You
can try this at home later if you'd like). Take a walk around the room. What is it
you think about? Probably in most cases it is the stone in your shoe and not the
sweet in your mouth.
What is your perspective on adversity? Do you only recognize the bad
things and not the good?
By following Heavenly Father's plan hopefully one of the things we can
learn is perspective and being able to recognize the good and minimize the bad in
our lives.
So what are some of the things we need to do?
how challenging the circumstance.
you.
you implement the impressions you receive.
Sometimes answers come over an extended period of time.
*Trust in God and in His desire to provide the help when needed, no matter
*Obey His commandments and live a life that demonstrates the He can trust
*Be sensitive to the quiet promptings of the Spirit and be courageous as
*Be patient and understanding when God lets you struggle and grow.
God uses faith to build your character. Character is woven patiently over
time through trials and testing in your life. The decisions you make now will affect
you now and for eternity.
Think about food storage. You have to fill your pantry (sometimes for
years) and then when you need it, it is there. Character is the same way. You must
develop good traits and habits now so that you will have the ability and strength
when you need it later. As you develop your character you will become more able to
conquer the trials of your life.
Satan would have us destroy our character by opposing the commandments
and will of our Father. He would have us be disobedient and tell us that there are
rewards and pleasures that outweigh following the commandments. So be careful.
You will be faced with many choices. Make your decisions wisely and prayerfully.
There is no guarantee that life will be easy for anyone. We grow more
rapidly by facing and overcoming challenges. However, there are some challenges
that we NEVER need to encounter. They are associated with serious transgression.
As you continue to avoid such tragedy, life will be simpler and happier. You will
see others around you make wrong choices and recognize the sadness that those
choices bring.
I wrote in the margin of this paragraph “THINK”! Given scenerios I
believe we all know the proper choice in situations. But do we have the courage to
choose the proper choice?
Many of you know that I work here in the city as the Justice Court Clerk.
In my job I see minor consuming alcohol tickets, DUIs, minor drug charges, spousal
abuse, and theft among other things. All of these types of behaviors (and subsequent
consequences) could easily be avoided by living the commandments.
I think many times it seems fun to party and get drunk and play. And we
KNOW that this isn't the right choice but it sounds more fun that a quiet evening at
home. And then the consequences come. We might lose our driver license, have to
go to jail, have to pay a large fine, lose our job, become addicted. It seems so
harmless on the early side of these decisions and then it spirals out of control. I have
seen people unable to dig themselves out and surrender to suicide.
The thing that is so heart breaking about it all is that in many cases it could
have been avoided just by following the commandments and choosing the right.
Don't justify and rationalize. Choose the right.
So what can we do? Do what you KNOW you SHOULD do!
Build a good family
1. Rejoice in your companionship – love and cherish your spouse, your
parents, and your children.
2. Don't have secrets – work together in righteousness
3. Decide issues together – let your family help you if you are struggling.
4. Study the scriptures and pray.
5. Go to the temple and honor your covenants.
6. Hold fast to the word of God.
7. Keep the Sabbath day holy
8. Consistently serve
YOU are needed!
Don't live for this moment...but keep an eternal perspective.
True lasting happiness – the kind you feel early in the morning when you are honest
with yourself is won only by obedience to the word of God.
To succeed in life follow 10 steps I will go over in a minute.
Life is hard, don't make it harder.
For just a moment think about an egg and a carrot. When you boil them
what happens? One gets hard and the other gets soft.
So it is with us!
The adversity in life can strengthen us and buoy us to bigger better things or it
can beat us down and smash us and destroy us. In many cases the choice is ours by
how we react.
So what is the PLAN?
1. Establish principles which will guide your life – don't have your
“church” standards, and your “school” standards and your “Friday
night” standards . Set your standards and keep them everywhere.
2. Don't make exceptions to your standards – Be loyal to your teachings
no matter the circumstance.
3. Be loyal – Be loyal to your family and your loved ones and Christ. Be
consistent in following the teachings of the Lord.
4. Live so that the Lord can guide you to where HE wants you to be
and serve. He can do this if we live worthily and strive to be obedient.
In our lives we have felt guided that it was time to leave a home and
then guided to where our new home should be. Looking back I can see
the Lord's hand in our lives as he gently guided us to what would be
best for our family.
5. Serve others – this will bring happiness and blessing to your life and
the life of those you serve. I have had many opportunities to serve
others and while it is sometimes hard to get out to complete the service I
have found time and time again that I feel uplifted and I benefited from
serving others. It is truly a miracle for the ones you serve and yourself.
6. Smile – Life is not all bad. Everybody has problems and nobody wants
to hear about yours – put away your problems and smile! Have a good
sense of humor.
7. Don't complain – Life isn't always fair A saying we like to use at our
house is “Get off your pity pot Nancy!” I'm not saying you shouldn't
talk about things that are frustrating you however it is always more
pleasant to be around someone who is happy.
8. Always have a church assignment – always offer yourself up and get
busy wherever you are.
9. Go to the temple – pretty much anybody from the age of 12 on up
should try to live worthy to obtain a recommend and then use it once
you have it.
10. Use the Savior as your example. Follow his teachings and don't make
exceptions to them.
Bishop Carnevale asked us to speak on how Gospel service has blessed our
lives.
What an amazing and great topic for our family because truly without the
gospel in our lives I don't believe we would even be a family.
I grew up in New Jersey and Andy was born in Las Vegas then lived in
Missouri and Texas before his family settled back in Utah. We were 2000 miles
apart. Andy was called to serve in the Philadelphia, PA mission at 19. Imagine if
he had chosen not to serve.
Elder Griffin served in my ward early in his mission when I was 16. His
companion was sick so he was grounded. To not waste time he got on the phone and
started making dinner appointments for every night of the week. Our family was one
of those appointments. At some point Elder Griffin mentioned he needed to practice
for an upcoming program he was to sing in. I played while he sang.
So at this point in our lives we are both doing what the Lord would have us
do – I was going to church and developing my talents, Elder Griffin was serving a
mission.
Both of us continued on with our lives and at the end of his mission Elder
Griffin was again assigned to our Stake. In NJ the Stake boundaries are HUGE – so
he was not close to my home however Stake Conference was held at my church
house. So using his connections from serving in our area before he lined up another
dinner appointment.
At this point I was planning to attend BYU starting just 3 weeks after his
mission ended. I knew no one west of Ohio so we arranged to have Elder Griffin
pick me up at the airport and deliver me to BYU. He's been picking me up and
driving me around ever since!
We like to joke that he brought a souvenir home from his mission.
All kidding aside, I truly believe as we follow the teachings of the gospel and
serve we will be blessed beyond measure.
I have seen it over and over again in my own life.
Serving in the church has helped me to develop study skills as I have tried
to plan for talks or lessons.
It has helped me to gain confidence as I conquer speaking and teaching in
front of others.
It has helped develop my leadership as I have worked with the scouts and
the young women.
It has helped me develop friendships and talents. I have grown so much in
my ability to play the piano. It has taken me many years and many tears to
overcome playing in front of others. I'm still working on it. I would never have
developed my skills if I hadn't been challenged over and over again at church.
I can see how the gospel has blessed my children also. I think first and
foremost we have a road map. We know what we should do and we teach it to our
children at an early age before the world can give them other ideas.
As I have watched my children grow up I have had many aha moments.
One of the things that I think I have realized is why something was important...years
after the fact.
So many of the teachings we have we may not understand – which is why
we need to have faith and follow the Lord's plan even if we don't understand it at the
time.
We can see the wiseness in the word of wisdom as we learn more about
health and wellness. We understand dating as we watch young people struggle with
adult issues at early ages. We can see the wisdom of not using drugs or alcohol or
tobacco as we watch others battle with addiction and consequences of actions while
on drugs. There are so many examples I can't list them all. What a blessing that is to
have a road map even if we don't fully understand why we are following it until
later.
We are so blessed to have Primary lessons that our children learn each week
that will help them cope with school and life.
Also, think about the opportunity for our small children to get up and give
talks and bear testimony from the age of a sunbeam. When you start that little you
conquer that fear before it even sets in!
The songs that we sing each week that will stay in their minds and they will
remember them when they need them.
I know that I have been blessed to have the gospel in my life.
I am blessed to have a husband that honors his priesthood. I am blessed to
be able to receive a blessing if I need it. I am fortunate to have children that can also
see the value of the Lord's plan and try to follow it.
I hope that as they grow and leave home that they will have instilled in them
the knowledge of the Gospel and always desire to follow the teachings of the Lord.
I hope that everyone here also realizes the great gem that we possess having
the knowledge of the gospel in our lives. If you are feeling overwhelmed and
stressed take time to study the words of our apostle, Richard G. Scott and apply his
principles in your life. He is truly inspired.
Sunday, August 30, 2015
08/30/15 Holly's Sacrament Meeting Talk
Sometimes we wonder, “What did I do to deserve this?” or “Why did God have to
do this to me?” Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mom how everything is going wrong. She's failing algebra,
her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a
snack. Her daughter says, “Absolutely Mom, I love your cake!!!!”
“Here, have some cooking oil,” her Mother offers. “YUCK!” says her daughter.
“How about a couple of raw eggs?”
“Gross Mom!!!”
“Would you like some flour then? Or baking soda?”
“MOM, all those things are YUCKY!”
Mom replies, “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are
put together in the right way they make a wonderfully delicious cake!”
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why HE would let us go through
such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things in His
order, they always work out for good! We just have to trust Him and eventually they
will all make something wonderful!
I am Holly Griffin. I am the youngest Griffin and I am 11 years old. I have been
working on my Faith in God award since I was 8 years old. I have learned how to
give family home evening lessons, I have memorized the articles of faith. I have
given talks in Primary along with prayers. The Faith in God award has helped me to
try to read my scriptures and is teaching me to be a better person.
I am so thankful for the church and all the things that my family has taught me to
help me make good choices in my life. I am only in the sixth grade and I can already
see a difference between the way I act and the way other kids act. I already see kids
saying bad words and doing bad things. I am thankful that I know to avoid those
things.
I would like to bear my testimony that even when bad things are going on around
you it doesn't mean that you have to do it.
do this to me?” Here is a wonderful explanation!
A daughter is telling her Mom how everything is going wrong. She's failing algebra,
her boyfriend broke up with her and her best friend is moving away.
Meanwhile her Mother is baking a cake and asks her daughter if she would like a
snack. Her daughter says, “Absolutely Mom, I love your cake!!!!”
“Here, have some cooking oil,” her Mother offers. “YUCK!” says her daughter.
“How about a couple of raw eggs?”
“Gross Mom!!!”
“Would you like some flour then? Or baking soda?”
“MOM, all those things are YUCKY!”
Mom replies, “Yes, all those things seem bad all by themselves. But when they are
put together in the right way they make a wonderfully delicious cake!”
God works the same way. Many times we wonder why HE would let us go through
such bad and difficult times. But God knows that when He puts these things in His
order, they always work out for good! We just have to trust Him and eventually they
will all make something wonderful!
I am Holly Griffin. I am the youngest Griffin and I am 11 years old. I have been
working on my Faith in God award since I was 8 years old. I have learned how to
give family home evening lessons, I have memorized the articles of faith. I have
given talks in Primary along with prayers. The Faith in God award has helped me to
try to read my scriptures and is teaching me to be a better person.
I am so thankful for the church and all the things that my family has taught me to
help me make good choices in my life. I am only in the sixth grade and I can already
see a difference between the way I act and the way other kids act. I already see kids
saying bad words and doing bad things. I am thankful that I know to avoid those
things.
I would like to bear my testimony that even when bad things are going on around
you it doesn't mean that you have to do it.
08/30/15 Moving into the new house for D & M!
08/30/15We received your shipment of shirts from Spokane Mission!!! Thank you! Tell me for sure who you sent them for so I get them distributed properly.
Our week has been busy with moving Dallas and McKayla in to their new home. The house is right behind Wal-mart hill in a new little community. It is a beautiful condo with about 1800 sq ft 3b 2.5 bath.
We thought it was still in our stake in the 7th ward but it turns out the little river between the condo community and the last house in the stake is the line. So they will go to the church up in Green springs. Crazy huh!? We were looking forward to them being in the 7th ward with Spriggs and Seegmillers and lots of other people that know and love them. Bummer.
Dallas sliced his finger at work Friday morning so he spent a good portion of the day at insta care. He never complained about it though and just worked away at work and moving after it happened.
Marlee came over for dinner Wednesday night. We had a nice visit. Katie made cupcakes for her birthday and we gave her a little first aid kit to take on her mission. Her farewell is coming up pretty quick...like 4 weeks now I think.
Dad got asked to speak in Sacrament meeting today...and me and Aj and Holly will too. It seems like we talk in church a lot! Katie gets to not talk because she did a youth talk a couple of weeks ago.
Our talks are about how service in the church has brought us peace and happiness. Or something like that. I attached Holly's talk and my talk for ya.
Hope everything is going well there. Excited to hear lots of details about your new comp and how things are going!!
Love you! mom
Tuesday, August 25, 2015
08/24/15 Primary Olympics
Sister Carnevale did some minute-to-win-it games and had a primary olympics. The bishopric -- Brother Clark, Brother Harrison and Bishop Carnevale competed. They were to complete each task by the time the song ended and could not start until the song began. The kids and the bishopric really enjoyed this activity.
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| Bishop and Bro Harrison playing tic-tac-pong |
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| Brother Harrison wearing his winning badges proudly! |
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| Rubberband tumble |
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| Busy naming the Presidency of the Church |
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| Bishop Carnevale, Brother Charlie Harrison, Brother Jerry Clark |
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| Hannah Olsen, Brother Jerry Clark, Holly Griffin |
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| Sister Carnevale, unknown, Bishop Carnevale and Hannah Olsen |
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| Holly Griffin - age 11 -- all tied up! |
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| Bishop Carnevale cookie face |
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| Brother Jerry Clark cookie face |
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| Brother Charlie Harrison cookie face |
Sunday, August 23, 2015
08/23/15 Thurl Bailey and the Vulcan motorcycle
Wow looks like some crazy fires and smoke going on around you. The news is reporting your air quality is really poor. How are you and your comps doing?
Your mission president and the stake president in your area both put out statements regarding the situation and said you are having a fast today for rain and safety. They also said you were not allowed to proselyte but were having to stay in as much as possible and do appointments and such but not be out on the street. So have things changed for you? What are you up to?
Monday dad covered a story about Thurl Bailey at the rec center and we all went with him. They were having a kids camp about basketball. The girls enjoyed it. They got t-shirts and headbands and got to get taught by Thurl. They even got to give him a high five! Cool, eh?! He gave a really great workshop and told the kids they needed to put away their devices and associate with others. He told the kids that he didn't start basketball until he was 13...basically it's not too late. If you want to do something ask questions, learn how and practice!
Tuesday morning was kind of eventful too. I took Katie to her jazz band practice at 7 a.m. As I was leaving PVMS I went up a couple of blocks to 450 North and turned right. I was approaching 2310 East (about 1 block) when I heard a woman scream "You gotta be kidding me lady" and then I watched as a white SUV struck her and she fell to the ground crying. I immediately turned around, parked and called 911. An officer arrived on scene within just a couple minutes and then more officers and an ambulance and fire truck. The woman that hit her was upset. Said she was just talking to her kids and didn't see her. The woman that was hit was ok -- crying pretty hard but breathing and not bleeding. Another car stopped same time as me and she was a CNA (nurse assistant) so she got down on the ground and stayed with the woman. The paramedics checked her out and couldn't find any major injuries so she decided not to transport to the hospital. I texted her later and she said she'd spent all day in the ER (it was 6:30 p.m. and she was just getting out) and that she was exhausted but ok. That could have been so much worse. I believe the woman who hit her received a ticket and is probably going to be pretty freaked out of awhile. know I was and I just watched it!
Thursday after work we went back out to Hurricane and dad bought the bike. We got it all registered and home. The old man looked like he was going to cry when dad drove off on the bike. About an hour later he called and asked if Andy made it home ok. (We think he was checking on the bike, not dad! Haha!!!) Dad is in little kid heaven.
Your mission president and the stake president in your area both put out statements regarding the situation and said you are having a fast today for rain and safety. They also said you were not allowed to proselyte but were having to stay in as much as possible and do appointments and such but not be out on the street. So have things changed for you? What are you up to?
It's been a busy productive week. Dad gave Sister Grover a blessing last Sunday night as she prepared for surgery this week. She hurt her knee while on vacation and was having it fixed.
Monday dad covered a story about Thurl Bailey at the rec center and we all went with him. They were having a kids camp about basketball. The girls enjoyed it. They got t-shirts and headbands and got to get taught by Thurl. They even got to give him a high five! Cool, eh?! He gave a really great workshop and told the kids they needed to put away their devices and associate with others. He told the kids that he didn't start basketball until he was 13...basically it's not too late. If you want to do something ask questions, learn how and practice! 
Tuesday morning was kind of eventful too. I took Katie to her jazz band practice at 7 a.m. As I was leaving PVMS I went up a couple of blocks to 450 North and turned right. I was approaching 2310 East (about 1 block) when I heard a woman scream "You gotta be kidding me lady" and then I watched as a white SUV struck her and she fell to the ground crying. I immediately turned around, parked and called 911. An officer arrived on scene within just a couple minutes and then more officers and an ambulance and fire truck. The woman that hit her was upset. Said she was just talking to her kids and didn't see her. The woman that was hit was ok -- crying pretty hard but breathing and not bleeding. Another car stopped same time as me and she was a CNA (nurse assistant) so she got down on the ground and stayed with the woman. The paramedics checked her out and couldn't find any major injuries so she decided not to transport to the hospital. I texted her later and she said she'd spent all day in the ER (it was 6:30 p.m. and she was just getting out) and that she was exhausted but ok. That could have been so much worse. I believe the woman who hit her received a ticket and is probably going to be pretty freaked out of awhile. know I was and I just watched it!
Wednesday we went out to Hurricane to look at a motorcycle that dad wanted to buy. It was really nice in perfect condition 2008 volcan. One owner. The guy had some medical issues and couldn't ride anymore. It was like he was selling his first born child. Afterward we went and dropped in on Neal and Cheryl and visited with them for awhile. We haven't seen much of them for awhile and it was fun to visit with them.
Friday was the first football game of the season and Katie had a birthday party and Holly didn't want to help with stats. So I did. It was about 95 degrees in that press box and the game went into double overtime! But PVHS beat Judge and I have a better idea of how to do stats. I don't think the first set was usable at all...but dad held his comments and I didn't get fired. He wants me to come up to Cottonwood next weekend and try again.
Saturday we did our chores and then Jeffrey Binder's first birthday party at Nisson park. They invited us and the clarks and their family. We had pulled pork sandwiches, chips, cheese ball, peanut butter squares, rice crispie squares, cake. It was SO HOT! The food was yummy and it was fun though.
We ran some errands Saturday and then the Carnevale's had a party for Katie's 3rd birthday. They had a house full. I couldn't begin to name everyone. They served cupcakes and cobbler and the kids all played outside in the bounce house and sprinklers.
We tried to go to the Ott's wedding but after getting all dressed up and into town realized it was Friday night. Oh well. Dad took everyone for rides on the motorcycle afterward.
Feel like the week has been a whirlwind and didn't even accomplish all that I had on my Saturday list...lawn still needs mowed (it's need mowed for awhile now!!! - although as hot as it's been it's probably ok to be extra long and not get burnt), the van needs a bath, laundry all needs folded. I guess Monday after work we'll do some chores!
My thought for the week...marriage and family are so important. The rising epidemic of divorce and split families is a cancer to society that is affecting our children and society as a whole. There is an article in the ensign that states the alarming rise in teen crime, mental illnesses, child neglect and abuse of women. It is so disheartening. I can see the decline in society from the time I was a child until now and it only stands to get worse as people continue to not marry and have children or divorce. What the kids are being taught gets worse with each generation.
Building a good marriage is not easy. It is not supposed to be easy. But when a confused culture confuses us about what marriage means, we may give up on each other and ourselves much too soon. Yet the gospel’s eternal perspective, as taught in the scriptures and the temple, can help us transcend the modern marital chaos until our marriages are the most satisfying, sanctifying—even if also the most demanding—experiences of our lives.
Love you Bryce! Hope that you are doing well and breathing ok!!! Be careful and take care of yourself. We love you and are so proud of you! xoxo mom
Sunday, August 16, 2015
08/16/15 School's back in session!
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| Holly and McKinley |
Well the girls are back in school. Holly started Fossil Ridge and she seems ok with everything. Said she got lost a couple times but if she goes back to a certain point (the library for example) then she can figure out where to go to get to her next class.
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| Holly's first day of 6th grade at Fossil Ridge |
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| heading to the bus stop |
Katie started at PVMS and also is having to figure out where everything is. Katie's A day has her running from one end of one hall to the other end of another and back again. It's kind of crazy. But her B day seems pretty easy...band room, gym, lunch room. So she'll get her work out on A days!
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| Katie's first day of 8th grade at PVMS |
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| Katie's first day of 8th grade at PVMS |
The girls have started piano again (they just took off a couple months in the summer) and we'll probably do city rec sports again. They of course have YW and activity days. Holly is going to finish out girl scouts this year (getting her silver award) and then they'll both be done with that by December. So they'll have a few things to keep them busy. Katie is going to do Jazz band. I don't think either one will be in choir.
Dad did his big media day on Tuesday where he was on TV for 3 hours talking about all the teams and their upcoming seasons. So he is just about ready to jump into being busy all the time. Football games start this Saturday.
It's still pretty hot here -- just got back from a walk at 8:30 in the morning and I was just about sweating already. Hopefully it cools down a little soon. It's still about 100 every day during the hot part of the day.
Holly is going to sing I stand all amazed for the primary program with the Olsen twins. At first she was really scared and didn't want to but she decided that she can do it and so now she's planning on it. I have to figure out if I'm just going to play the hymn book version or try to find another version to play with them. I think we have until October but I need to get practicing on it if it's difficult at all.
Dad's boss got arrested for DUI this week (Joyce) -- so that was kind of a surprise. And Dallas had 2 of his coworkers arrested for drugs...they got fired. Along with a third co-worker who didn't get arrested but tested dirty on the pee test. Seems like there is a lot of crime around here lately.
Well I hope you had a great week -- excited to hear about it!
Saturday, August 15, 2015
52 questions, continued
- What scares you?
- What makes you stop and go “Wow!”?
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| Zion National Park, October 2014 |
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| Shelly and Andy, ZNP, 2014 |
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| ZNP, October 2014 |
- What are some of the things you enjoy doing in your leisure time?
- If you could go back in time and spend an hour visiting with yourself at age 15, what would you tell your younger self?
- What are some of your talents? Explain how you discovered them and what you have done to cultivate and improve them. Describe how your talents have they affected your life.
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| Piano Recital, December 2014 Clarks, Wrights, Carnevale & Griffin's Dawn Wright, teacher |
I am also a good typist - started at about 40 wpm at my job. Now I type over 100 wpm. It is fun to try to keep up with typing what is going on in court or whatever. Plus it makes it easier to get stuff done. It is a good skill to master! This skill came with work - the longer I worked at it the better I got.
- What did you do for a career? Explain how you chose that career.
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| All these files needed scanned in the computer (plus more!) |
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| This is the files after scanning, ready for shredding |
I like working with people and helping them through their problems. I like the work load -- always almost too much to do. I like the change - we have evolved and changed through the years and technology has been a part of it.
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| Good feeling to have all the "open" files available on the computer! Shelly, 2015 |
I completely automated our system when I was originally hired and then eventually moved to a paperless system. Our court is progressive and always looking to make things more efficient and that has helped to keep me interested and challenged and give me a reason to want to go to work each day.
I love that I can work my hours so that I can go to work when my kids go to school and come home about the same time they come home too. There is of course some overlap but it works pretty well for us.
- What were some of the jobs you had throughout your life and what were some of the memorable experiences you had with these jobs?
I worked at Little Caesar's pizza in NJ and taco bell in NJ and Utah.
I worked as a transcriptionist in Provo, Utah- I listed to things and typed them up for companies. I would play shows like Oprah and if they talked about Ford - I would type up that segment. Different companies want to know what people are saying about them.
I worked in a day care in SLC. I had 15 kids - age 2 - that I tended with another lady. We changed diapers, fed them, played with them, read with them, tried to get them to nap etc. This job helped me not be in a hurry to have kids!
I worked in a tire shop as an auditor in Logan, Utah. I had to go through and check their books and make sure everything looked ok. I also had to send in rebates to the tire companies. And I was an over the phone assistant to help with computer problems.
I worked in the USU computer lab as a computer consultant - helping people with writing papers and basic computer use. Back in that day the computers didn't auto save and they seemed to just quit pretty regularly. One day there was a lady that had been working on a paper for HOURS (like 6 maybe) and was just about done and had not saved. Something happened and the system went down and she lost everything. And she lost it too! She had a major crying, screaming, yelling hissy fit. Right there in the lab. Sigh.
I worked as an assistant to a quadriplegic in Moscow, Idaho. He was a very smart man but had little/no use of his hands or legs. He would dictate what he wanted me to do and I would type up his work or get things gathered up for him or whatever.
I worked at Moscow High School - I programmed their board out front with announcements and helped with other things in the office.
And I've been a court clerk. For a long time. I worked in Logan, Utah for Judge Russell for a couple years. Then I worked at District Court in St George for 4 months. And now I've been at Washington City for almost 20 years. I have about 9 years or so until I can retire and I plan to stay with Washington City until that time is up. I have been Judge Bunnell's clerk for all my years there so far and we have a great working relationship. It will be hard when he retires next year. Not sure if the court will remain and I'll get a new judge or what will happen but it's hard to give up a great thing!
- In how many places have you lived during your lifetime? Provide a brief description of each place you’ve lived, why you lived there, and why you moved.
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| Backyard |
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| Home sweet home for 18 years 1970-1988 (Mom and Dad still lived there but I left for college in 1988) |
When I came out to Utah I lived in the dorms. I moved around a little but always lived in the dorms that included the meal plan so I never had a kitchen while I was single. I lived up at Deseret Towers in the Honors Hall, down at Helaman Halls also Honors Hall and then got married.
We lived in several real "dives". The first one in Provo was just down the road from Campus. A one bedroom tiny place. We only lived there a few months and then moved to Salt Lake City for Andy to attend broadcasting school and I transferred to SLCC into a 2 bedroom 1 bath place in Holiday. It was a nice place we rented from George Harris (Diane's -- Eldon's wife's dad). We got a decent rent in exchange for shoveling the snow. And boy did it snow those 9 months we lived there! Once Andy finished his broadcasting school we moved to Logan and both transferred to USU where we completed our degrees.
We moved on to Logan and found another 2 B 1 b place on the north side of town. We lived there about a year. Seems like rent was about $400/mo. We found a house on main street (split into 4 apartments) for $165/mo and moved there for the duration of our Logan time. It was a real dive but so cheap we didn't mind. It was 2nd floor and the carpets were orange. The bathtub just had a water weeny, no shower. The kitchen was match box size. But we could afford it and do school and Logan is a pretty nice place so it wasn't scary at all! We met a lot of other super nice couples and enjoyed our time there. We had AJ there.
We moved to Moscow Idaho for Andy's first job as a newspaper writer for 9 months and lived in a hotel for a week because there was so little rental choices. We found a decent 2B1b place that we enjoyed. We liked the people of Moscow but found the overcast drab weather hard to live in and didn't like being so far from family. So we moved back.
We moved to Cedar City for 9 months and lived across from the old hospital in a duplex and Andy worked for the Spectrum. He was promoted to Sports Editor so we relocated to St. George Utah. We found another similar apartment and lived there for about a year. We had Dallas at that house. We eventually found our home out in Hurricane and moved to our 3B 2b manufactured home. We paid $72,000 and it was brand new. It was really nice unfortunately it was in a retirement community (they didn't have everything properly recorded which allowed us to get in). We enjoyed our ward and our home was quite nice but several of the older neighbors didn't really love us being there. (Some of them really did though too!). But we always tried to keep the kids quiet -- we had Bryce by this time too. And that is not easy with three active busy noisy boys.
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| Holly and Katie 2005 |
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| Teddy Scott and Bryce, 2005 |
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| Katie and Grandpa Laurito, 2004 |
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| Katie and Holly 2006 |
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| 842 Colony Circle, Washington UT |
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| Back porch Colony Circle |
So we were happy when our house sold and we found our home at 842 Colony Circle in Washington UT 84780. It had 4 B 2 b about 1700 sq feet and a huge back yard. We paid $105,000 for it. We had Katie and Holly while there. It was a great home and we lived there for almost 10 years. Then the neighborhood started deteriorating and we just felt like it was time to move on. We put our house up for sale and it sold in 24 hours at full asking price $135,000.
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| 587 S Ali Lane, 2012, prior to purchase |
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| Model Kitchen before we bought the house |
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| Griffin Family Christmas 2014 |
We bought our current home, 587 S Ali Lane, Washington Utah for $270,000 August 2012-- 5 B 4 b plus office and 2 family rooms - 3500 square feet. It is amazing -- like living a dream. It is brand new and so nice. It was the model home and had all upgrades and landscaping and wood blinds and jetted tub. We joke that we don't need to go on vacation anymore because our place is nicer than any hotel we ever go to! We moved while AJ was on his mission so it was quite a difference for him to come home to such a fancy place. Shortly after moving here Aj moved to BYU. Dallas has now gotten married and Bryce is serving a mission. So our house is pretty huge for the 4 of us! We are considering downsizing but hate the thought of moving all our stuff! Plus the house is so beautiful we kinda don't wanna leave it!
- What are 5 significant events or experiences in your life, and explain what effects they have had on you.
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| Mother's Day, 2015 Griffin Family |
- What are some of the life lessons that you have learned and would like to pass on to your descendants?
The list goes on -- not having premarital sex...no unwanted pregnancies. No unpleasant people that you have to deal with forever due to said pregnancy.
I am so thankful that my mother chose to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ and then lived it and loved it and encouraged us to do the same. I hope that my children also learned that from me. It really does save you from so many unpleasant things in life if you are living right.
- If someone gave you $10,000 and told you that you could NOT give it to any of your friends, family members or use it for yourself, what would you do with it?
- If you could go back in time and do things over again, what would you change?
- When all is said and done, what do you want to be remembered for? Write about what you are doing now to create a legacy worthy of remembering.
- If you were to leave 5 different bits of advice for your future posterity, what would they be?
2 - Education - spend as much time as you can learning all that you can. It will help you in so many areas of your life. Reading, exploring, learning -- all help make you a better person.
3 - Explore the great outdoors - There is so much beauty in the world. Step out of the rush of life to enjoy the many things God put here on the earth for us.
4- Enjoy the journey - Life goes FAST. Sometimes all the hub-bub of raising kids or college life or whatever seems overwhelming. Slow down. Stop complaining. Enjoy the stage in life that you are in. You will miss it when it's gone.
5- Read the scriptures, pray, go to church - There is so much good to be had by following the gospel. But if you don't know it you can't do it. So study and learn and then do what you are taught. And pray -- Heavenly Father wants to bless you but he likes it when you ask for help! He wants to hear from you. Always.
- Have you traveled to any place outside of your home country? If so, explain the reasons for your trip(s) and what memorable things happened on some of those trips.
I spent a summer in France at age 15. I was a foreign exchange student. I was able to visit many amazing places like the Eiffel tower, Seine-a-marne, the coast of France, the louvre, monestary and many other places during my stay there.
- List 20 things you think the world would be better off without.
1 - Abortion
2 - Racism
3 - Hatred
4 - Politicians
5 - Gay/Lesbian nonsense
6 - Divorce
7 - ADHD
8 - Drugs/Alcohol
9 - Abuse
10 - tattoos
11 - addiction
12 - video games
13 - mosquitoes, cock roaches, bugs in general
14 - greed
15 - cancer - disease, sickness
16 - poverty
17 - laziness
18 - crime
19 - pollution
20 - pornography
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