Hi everyone! I have been gone for a couple of months. I signed on as a new group member in June and really was looking forward to conversing with everyone. Then my mom got really sick and since I am the only child left living close to her, I was sort of elected to help care for her. So I haven't had any time to sign on for awhile. As a matter of fact, the only computer time I seem to get anymore is at work. But things are finally slowing down and I would like to devote a little time each day to my new friends, past, present and future. First, let me reintroduce myself. My name is Christine, but everyone calls me Chris. I am 39 years old, married to Eugene (I call him Gene) and have four children. They are Tiffany Leigh, age 19, Jeremy Eugene, age 18, Kendall Aaron, age 16 and Chelsea Mariah, age 5. We live in a rural community called Annis, Idaho, just north of Rigby. My husband was born and raised here. I am originally from Idaho, but was raised in Huntington Beach, California. We moved back to Idaho when I was 14. I met my husband while attending Ricks College, which is only about 10 miles from where we live now. After having my first three children, I went back to work in the families accounting firm. I now pretty much run the office. My parents both work there, but my mom has M.S. and is wheel-chair bound and my father has suffered a stroke a few years ago, so I try to keep things on an even keel for them so they can still work. If given the choice, this would not have been my career, but my parents are very important to me and I want to help them be self-sufficient as long as possible. I guess I always feel responsible for them, because I am the oldest child in my family. And isn't that what us oldest children do best, be responsible? Anyway, enough with all of that. I am very active in the church. The gospel is a most important part of my life. Although my family always went to church, we didn't really live the gospel. It wasn't until I went away to college that I found out what having the gospel in your everyday life is like. There have been times in the past few years, that if I didn't have a testimony, I wouldn't have made it through. But with the help of Heavenly Father, I find that all things are possible. I love going to chuch! When I miss a week I am lost! Right now I teach Course 3 (I still call them Sunbeams) and am on the Service and Activities committee. I have been a primary teacher, young women's advisor, young women's secretary, and the most prolific job has been in music. I have held a Primary music job, either Chorister or organist for about 19 of the past 25 years! I did one short stint as the Sunday School chorister a few years ago, when we had Sunday School opening exercises right after Sacrament. But the rest of the time has been in primary. And right now, my daughter Tiffany is the Sr. Primary chorister, carrying on the family tradition. I have even written a couple of primary songs that the kids in my ward have performed. That was really fun! As for my hobbies outside of church, I love music! I was in school choirs and even had a chance for a singing career but didn't like the music world, i.e. the bar scene! I sing in church any chance I get, I have been in the Dodge/Wrangler Country Showdown and love to sing at the county fair each year. I play the piano and guitar. I also love to sew, knit, crochet, and cross-stitch. I try to make all of my own gifts each year. We have a nice trailer and go camping alot. I also love to take pictures of wildlife. This goes along with my husband and sons' hobby of hunting. We also love animals. We have seven dogs, three cats, two horses and one turtle. I grow a big garden. So far this year I have canned strawberries, raspberries, peas and beans. My corn should be on by the end of this week. If anyone likes to share canning recipes, I am always looking for new ones and love to share back. I also love sports, especially soccer. I got turned onto it when my son Jeremy started playing AYSO. I have been a team mom, coach, and helped start a school league and coached the girls high school team for a year. I also love baseball and basketball. I also like to read, (can you tell by my e-mail name?) and have just finished reading the 5th volume of The Work and The Glory. It is really neat to read about that part of our church's history, since my ancestors and my husbands were so involved in it. My husband's great grandfather was a convert from Canada the same time as John Taylor, and later became a bodyguard for the Prophet Joseph Smith. My 3rd great grandfather converted in Vermont and followed the Saints through all persecutions, ending only when he passed away in Escalante Utah. So these volumes help understand what they went through so that I could have the gospel in my life. Awe inspiring, isn't it? Well, I have rambled on enough. I look forward to conversing back and forth with all of you. I have spent the day trying to go through all of the e-mail built up in my bank. It has been most mind-boggling. The most disturbing part was to see that there have been some unkind things said and feelings hurt. Sisters, I am the last one to council you, but let's please try to mend fences. The first thing all of us need to do, is to get on our knees and pray. Pray for understanding, pray for friendship and pray for forgiveness. There is nothing in this world that cannot be forgiven. I speak from personal experience. If you don't forgive, it doesn't hurt the person who wronged you, it hurts you. It will eat away at your testimony and your very being. You cannot return to live with our Heavenly Father if you harbor any ill feelings against anyone. I almost let those kind of feelings destroy my life once, but thankfully I learned a lesson before it was too late. This life is too short to hold grudges. Remember what Jesus said directly after the Lord's Prayer; "For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." Matthew 6:14-15. Also, for your scripture reading tonight, read Matthew 18. Jesus explains forgiveness to Peter, better than I could ever to any of you. And anyways, it might give you something to think about! I love you all sisters, even though I don't know you all yet! But let's change that! HTTR Love, Chris