The Light of the World

I have been thinking a lot about Him lately.

Who He was and still is.

What He did and still does.

How and why?

The only answer that makes any sense at all, is LOVE.  He was, is, did, and still does because He loves us.  Me.  You.  His Father in Heaven.  My Father in Heaven.

The more I think and learn of Him through focused scripture study, the more my understanding, connection to, and love for Him deepen.

How I want to be more like Him.  Motivated, guided, and strengthened by love.  More willing to serve and share that love with others.

He truly is the Light of the World.  His love for us is beyond comprehension.  The more I go to Him, the more I feel that love.  The more I look to Him, the more I see Him in every detail of life.

I know He lives.

Sneaky Leprechauns and a LONG Family Hike

We have a sneaky leprechaun.  His name is Lenny.  Every year he manages to trip all our traps, sneak away with little treasures, and play lots of tricks on us.

We haven't found out if there is more than one but if it's just him, he is VERY good at his job.

This year, he peed in our toilet, colored our smoothies green, tried to trap us by blockading our door with crepe-paper, drew rainbows and shamrocks all over our bathroom mirrors, painted the rocks gold, and somehow managed to do this to Jake's face...

And that was just the beginning of the day. :)  The tricks only continued at school.

Sneaky Leprechauns!

After all the tricks, we decided to take a little family hike in Corner Canyon.

It was a gorgeous day and great little hike.

However, on the way back to the car, we decided to continue on a different trail we thought would lead us back.

It did.  But it was a LONG detour.  By the time we actually got back to the car, I think we had hiked at least 6 miles roundtrip.  Maybe more.

We hadn't planned that, but it was a good lesson for us all on staying positive no matter what (especially for me).  

It really was a beautiful trail, one that we will definitely explore more another time; just was a big extension to an already challenging hike for our kids.

We have a goal to become a "hiking" family.  So even though we hadn't planned to hike that long that night, it was good.  Hard is good.  Just need to keep that in mind sometimes. :)

Happy St. Patty's Day!

Keeping a Promise to Myself on St. Patty's Day

Today I promised myself I would document.  I would write on my blog.  I have missed this so much!  

Over the past few days, I have been looking back through the pictures and stories on here and vowed to make more of an effort to keep it up because it documents my family so beautifully.  

So here I am making an effort. :)  

A weak one, I know.

But I have heard it said, "start where you are and do something."  

I will apply this here.  I am starting.  Again.  

Which will likely happen again.  And again.

That's ok with me.  At least I am doing something to preserve the moments of my life and the journey of our little family.

With that, I am going to head off and trip more leprechaun traps and play more tricks on my kids.

It's a good day! :)

Keep a look out for more documenting to come. :)

General Conference 2015 - October

We are LDS.  We believe that God has called Apostles and Prophets in our day (just as He did in ancient times); through which He reveals truth and direction in a world that often seems like it can't find which way is up.

So when these modern-day leaders talk - we Lightens listen.

Every 6 months our church holds a big conference in downtown Salt Lake City over the first Saturday and Sunday in April and October.  All are welcomed to attend and participate - lds or otherwise.  They broadcast the proceedings worldwide through tv and the internet, send magazines the following month with all the transcripts from each talk, and even have them posted on lds.org so that they are available to any and all who want to access them.

In our home, we watch in on TV.  Together.

Growing up I always saw this weekend as a "break" from church. :)

Now I see it as an absolute feast of inspiration and guidance for my life.  I LOVE General Conference!!

In addition to the wonderful feelings we get watching conference, we also have a couple of traditions that have woven themselves into the fabric of these special weekends.

First, a scrumptious Sunday morning breakfast.  Over the years we have tried different delectable dishes like Biscuits and Chocolate Gravy and Homemade Cinnamon Rolls.  But the past few years we have pretty much stuck to the official "Lighten" Sunday morning conference breakfast of Eggs Benedict.  

This is what Trev's family always had growing up for Conference.

Oh...makes my mouth water just thinking about it. :)

Another crucial element is "Conference Bingo."  

When our kids were younger we found it SOOO hard to listen to conference because their attention spans for watching talk after talk were about the size of a gnat.  

Some wise mothers on the internet suggested trying this little game out.

It worked like a CHARM!!!

In fact, this conference in particular, I am proud to say that ALL our 4 olders listened intently to ALL 4 sessions!!!

I feel like there should be a golden medallion emoji after that statement!!  It took a very long time but we are finally to the point that all are interested and listening to the speakers.

We'll have to help Eliza learn how to do Conference Bingo in a couple years but for now it makes the experience so much more enjoyable and uplifting.


And to see my kids eating up what is being shared is just such a treat for us as parents, who desperately want our kids to listen to and follow the counsel of these wise leaders.

For me personally, I approached this conference a little differently than I have others in the past.

The whole week prior I was praying to receive specific answers to the questions I had.  Some of my questions going in where:

1 - How can I find more serenity and joy in my busy life as a mother of 5 kids?

2 - How can I keep my thoughts positive, uplifting, and edifying instead of turning negative, judgmental, and frustrated?

Here are some of the answers I received (either little thoughts and promptings from the Holy Ghost or direct instructions from Church leaders):

1 - SIMPLIFY!!  Prayfully ask for the Holy Ghost to give me specific areas and ways I can do this.

2 - Being "busy" is good for me.  An idle mind is the devil's playground.  Just make sure I am busy doing things that have eternal significance.

3 - Look for Light.  Focus on it.  Ignore the bad in situations and people.  Look for and focus on the good.

Oh how my Heavenly Father knows me.  I am just so grateful that He is so willing to teach me.

I am grateful for living prophets and apostles to share their wisdom and guidance with me.

I am grateful for General Conference.

It was a great one!

My 5th Baby and Final Pregnancy (I think...)

I say "I think..." because that is how I really feel.

"I think" we are done.  Pretty sure.  

But we haven't consulted Heavenly Father on that yet - so when that time comes that I actually ask, I will know for sure.  But for now...we are done; with 5 great kids to show for it. :)

As per feeling done; I approached this pregnancy differently than I had with my others.

I wanted to do this "really well."  In fact, that was my mantra - "do this well."

In my mind, this meant a couple of things:

1.  Eat, sleep, and exercise as best I could to help my body and growing baby thrive.  I actually went off treats (except for on holidays) throughout my pregnancy - knowing that if I did that I would consistently feel better.

2.  No complaining or whining.  I have been pregnant before and knew full well what to expect.  When the tough times came, as I knew they would, I was going to chin-up and be positive instead of complaining or feeling sorry for myself.  I was going to be strong and work on being cheerful and grateful - no matter what.

3.  Enjoy the experience.  Being pregnant is truly a remarkable thing.  I mean, seriously, you have a precious baby growing inside you.  There are so many tender moments that come along with that and I wanted to notice and treasure them.  

These were a few of the facets of my approach to this pregnancy and I can't even describe how much each of these affected me over the last 9 months.  Suffice it to say that this pregnancy was seriously my best!  I wish I had approached my other pregnancies so deliberately.  I felt amazing the entire time and was able to keep up with my family and life the same way I had before.  It was truly astounding and after my pregnancy was over I felt such a sense of accomplishment!  I had done what I set out to do...I had "done it well."

In addition to these few facets, I also wanted to actually take some pregnancy pictures of me.  I hadn't done this before but felt that one day I would want to see myself as a pregnant, young mom.  

I would want the flood of memories I would have looking at my former self.  I would want the pull on my heart as I reminisced these early years.

So my sweet sister, Jessica, came down with her new fancy camera and helped me capture this phase of my life.

To my future self: This is you carrying Eliza at 8 months along - 5th and final baby.  We also called her Baby Peanut for the first 6 months.  You rocked this!  Great job!  Be proud of yourself. :)

24 Days of Giving

A couple of weeks ago, our inspired Bishop gave us a challenge.  To come closer to the Savior this holiday season by giving the gift of service.  Being His hands on the earth.  Reaching out in love to those in need.  Walking the path He would walk.

How do we do this?  We serve others.  

Mosiah 2:17 in the Book of Mormon

"...when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God."

I have pondered how to accomplish this goal and today found my answer on this blog.  

(multiplygoodness.com)  

This is how we will count down the days until Christmas.  By filling our season with service.  Following the Savior's example to serve others.  

I can't wait to see what memories will result for our family this year!  :)

A Couple Flopped Photo Shoots and a Major Tender Mercy on Thanksgiving

We are all blessed with different gifts and talents by our Heavenly Father, that we can use to bless our lives and the lives of others.

One of my talents happens to be photography.  I have been a photographer for almost 11 years now, 5 of which I owned my own photography business - Kasey Lighten Photography.

In 2008, I gave birth to my twins and decided something needed to be cleared from my plate; with 4 little ones at home I decided to effectually push the pause button on my "professional" photography career.  

Although I wasn't taking other people's pictures professionally anymore, I never lost that love of taking them of my family.  

You see, I don't have many pictures of me growing up.  I also don't have a great memory.

I have come to realize that if I have a picture of something, I remember it.  I remember where I was, how I felt, who was there, so many tiny details and joys of life that would be lost forever in the recesses of time and my mind if I had no way to recall them or spark the memory.

So I take pictures.  Lots of them.

Over the years, I have become very good at it too - as a result, it has become not only a passion but an artistic outlet for me.

It truly brings me joy.

However, just like any gift or talent, if it is not used or nurtured it can diminish.

I started to see that happening lately.

You see, this year has been so crazy with so many things that I have not taken the time to photograph nearly as much.

I have not practiced or enriched my talent.

And I saw it slowly start to diminish.  Pretty soon I was having a hard time enjoying the pictures I was taking because I knew they could be better.

I was frustrated by this, but not enough yet to really do anything about it.

Until a few weeks ago.  I hit that moment.  The moment where you realize that you need to make the effort to be better at the things you love and are good at.  Where you are reminded that you need to put in the time and work to become better - it won't just happen.  The moment where you decide you will not let this diminishing effect continue.

The moment came when I was trying to take my baby sister's senior pictures and my own family pictures for our Christmas card.

My sister's senior pictures photo shoot started out tricky.  I couldn't figure out the lighting that I liked or the settings.  I was frustrated but pressed on.  We shot a lot of pictures but in the end there were only a couple I loved.  I thought, "oh well, I just need to get them off my camera and see them big on my computer before I worry too much." 

I was only able to get one picture off my camera before disaster really struck.  My memory card became corrupted and I couldn't transfer ANY of the pictures!!  I couldn't even see them on my camera anymore!

I have heard of this happening to other photographers but in the 11 years I have been at this, I have never had this problem.

I felt terrible, but also a little relieved for another shot to get better pictures.  Only problem was we were on a time crunch and couldn't seem to find a time where my sister could do another shoot before the bad weather hit.

It seemed we would have to wait for spring before we could do them...and by that time my sister would have braces on again and she was not so excited about that little fact - which I don't blame her. :)

But what could I do?  Other than feel bad.  Which I certainly did that.

Flopped photo shoot #1.

Flopped photo shoot #2 came about a week later when I decided to try to take my own family photos for our Christmas card.  

I borrowed a tripod and thought, "how hard can it be?"

Well, to make a long story short...

Let's just say I spent a whole day prepping, shopping, and agonizing over outfits...

Then spent more time getting everyone cleaned, prepped, and pretty for the pictures - which with a family of 6 is no small task in and of itself.  We do LOTS of hair around here.

Once ready, we piled into the car and headed up the canyon where we would hike...me in heels no less...

Up to find the perfect spot with the perfect lighting with us all looking perfect...

Until Morgan fell into the river...TWICE!

But still we pressed on...

With tripod in hand, children going to the bathroom in the woods, we spent 3 hours trying to get a few shots that would work of us all and at least one of each kid to put on the wall...

Only to come home, download the pictures to find that I had the settings wrong on my camera and they were all a bust.  

It still hurts my heart to think of this story.

I cried.  A lot that night.  Frustration, disappointment, defeat, and fear at the realization that I needed to try again - worried about having the same result.  No usable pictures.

Here is the end result of flopped photo shoot #2.

Looking at these now, they don't seem so bad.  But to my photographer eye they were disappointing.

And when you consider it was my first time using a tripod, I guess I should feel pretty proud.

But I did not that night.

The next day after some sleep and a lot of thought I started to develop the determination that I needed to try again.

I could have just hired a photographer to do it, but I wanted to do it!  I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it.  I wanted to progress my talent.

So with that determination building and bad weather on the way, I decided to practice and brush up my skills in order to try again.

But I just didn't know when and frankly I was nervous to try.

I mean, did I really have it in me, and did my family have it in them to go through another photo shoot?

We would see.  But I would be patient and just pray for a good opportunity.

Well, that opportunity was granted.  On Thanksgiving no less.

It was in the morning, and we were getting ready to head up to Logan to have Thanksgiving dinner with my family.

I wanted us all to look nice for the dinner but secretly thought..."if the weather is nice I think I might try to get a family picture..."

So as we got ready to go, I sort of told the kids what to wear that might look nice in a picture.

Even during the getting ready process I had decided it wouldn't work, but I didn't lose hope.

When we arrived in Logan, everyone still looked nice, the weather was stunning, and I got an urge of gusto to give it a shot!  I asked my baby sister to come with us and take the photo for us.  But quickly noticed she looked darling too..."ooohhh could I perhaps do her senior pictures today too???"

"No don't get ahead of yourself."

But with these thoughts rolling through my brain we headed out.

And it was like magic.

The kids were good.  The lighting was great.  Everyone was happy.  The stars were aligning.

We were able to get what we needed.  A few pictures for our Christmas card.  (Spoiler alert)

Love this last one. :)  

Then...with my adorable sister there...we decided to give her senior pictures another shot.

SUCCESS!!!  My two flopped photo shoots redeemed!

Now I would have loved to get more amazing pictures that day, especially of my kids and family; but I believe Heavenly Father was answering my prayers and granting me a tender mercy by giving me what I needed in spite of my lacking.  I was trying and He was honoring that.  It was what I needed to get my confidence to do it back again.  It was what I needed to want to begin again to develop this talent for photography that He has blessed me with.  

These pictures and this Thanksgiving will always be a special reminder to me of how grateful I am He makes up for the areas I fall short.  That He blesses me when I ask and try.

That I have talents that He has given to me that I need to remember not to completely cast aside when life gets busy or they will start to diminish.

Now there are moments in life that we have more time than others to focus on developing our talents, but I think that just a little consistent effort over time will add up to more development than big bursts anyway.

We our given talents to bless us.  To give us joy in accomplishing and to bless the lives of others - and we need to use and nurture them for those purposes.  

I am just glad I have these pictures to hopefully help me remember this lesson always.

How good God is to me and how grateful I am for the talents He has given me and encourages me to develop and enjoy.