Lord's tender Mercies

I am in awe of how many tender mercies the Lord showers me with when I bother to stop and pay attention! I have made it a goal to notice them these last few weeks and have been overwhelmed with gratitude for all the Lord is doing for me. Last week He even blessed me with a whole chocolate cake out of no where! I was at the Library to do a group homework assignment when I noticed two people holding a cake debating wether to throw it away or not. The girl who had made it didn't want it. I jumped at this. "Don't throw it away! If you really don't want it I am more than willing to take it off your hands." I thought I was saying this somewhat jokingly but before I knew it I had a giant chocolate cake! I am so blessed! Today I am feeling particularly blessed by friends. One friend gave me a ride to the grocery store. Something that I rather desperately needed...I was down to potatoes...with no butter or milk...just potatoes. Another friend noticed me leaving for a class meeting in the wind and rain and offered me a ride! I was particularly grateful for this because not only was it cold and wet outside but I was running late! I love how the Lord watches over me and blesses me in all aspects of my life. Tonight he gave me the opportunity to serve others. I was looking at the paintings in the BYUI Center when a guy walked up and asked if I was there to clean. I answered somewhat confused that no I was not. He asked if I wanted to clean. I think I might have given him a look that questioned his sanity but only asked if they needed me to clean. He answered in the affirmative and gave me directions on who to talk to to sign up but added that I didn't have to if I didn't want to. So....I went and found the person and signed up to clean. I actually had a lot of fun and was blessed even more by cookies and punch served afterwards. I never look free food in the mouth! :)

Yellow Death

So I was babysitting for the Neil's the other day and was in charge of making the dinner. What was for dinner? Why Macaroni and Cheese of course. So the kids are all served and happily sitting down with their dinners when Nathan looks over and sees that I don't have any. "Aren't you going to have some?" he asks. And what do I respond without thinking. "oh no, I don't eat yellow death." I say. His eyes get big and he asks "why do you call it yellow death?" Oh crap. Did I say that. umm. "Because my family calls it that." There avoided the problem right? WRONG! "why do they call it that?" he asks. "Umm well, because its not very healthy." I explain. His eyes get bigger as he looks at the macaroni and then at me "It's not?" he asks in a shocked voice. "ummm.....no not really" I answer, I mean I can't lie to the boy right? "Why not?" comes the next question. "Umm. well because its bad for your cholestrol and it clogs your arteries and stuff like that" Right just use big words and the problem will go away. "oh" he says. There is a pause for a little while and then..."I don't think I want this any more" he says pushing the Macaroni away his face worried. Shoot. "Oh no. Nate it's okay. You are young and healthy. It's not that bad for you!" I say. He looks at me then at teh Macaroni. "OK" he says slowly. Luckly that was the end of it. They all ended up eating their macaroni. I just hope that the next time Sister Neil pulls out the Macaroni she doesn't get drowned in cries of "Not 'yellow death!'"

Can I take your order?

So the other day on the way to Family Home Evening with the YSA Kristi and I decided to stop by Mcdonalds because we hadn't had dinner yet. So we pull into the drive through and the guy tells us he can take our order whenever we are ready. Due to the delimea of trying to find anything on the menu that has even that slightest chance of not giving us a heartattack(good luck by the way not possible) we tell him it is going to be a minute. We then of course take a few minutes to decide what to order. When we are finally ready I turn to the speaker...okay we're ready...no answer...umm, hello?...no answer...slightly louder, hello?....no answer...finally both Kristi and I shout HELLO? This is what we then here in reply SHUTUP I can hear you! I told you to just order when you were ready!...umm what? Kristi and I turn to each other with incredulus looks, then I decide to explain our need to shout (huge mistake).. "okay well we said hello two or three times before and you didn't answer so we shouted." "I TOLD you to just order when you were ready!" AT this point I am very incredulus and ready to go at it with this guy but Kristi pipes up from the back "Traci just don't I am hungry and I want my food" I turn to the speaker the guy is still trying to argue with me and tell me that I should have just ordered "ok, you know what whatever heres our order...so I gave him me order and moved onto the window. Mean while Kristi and I need to confirm that this really just happened. Kristi: did he just tell you to shutup Traci: umm. yeah I think he did. He opens the window glaring at me jerks the card from me and then gives it back never removing his glare from me. We drive to the next window and at this point really can't resist just laughing our heads off. I mean really what ever happened to customer service or the customer is always right. Needless to say we checked our food really good for anything unwanted.

Struggle

Encircled about by unyielding arms
bound in a cold and iron grasp
abandon hope, its death has come
giving myself over to darkness and despair

Then penetrating the dim bleak depths
and loosening sins strangling hold
His love finds me and wraps me in light
Hope everlasting now shines from within

I'll follow where you lead

Whether through the rocky ways, stormy seas, or barren hilltops You go
I'll follow You Lord on the path that you show
For You are the light, the truth, and the way
and I'll follow you Savior past my dying day

You built the foundation whereon I must keep
and told me of blessings that I would reap
If I could stay faithfull on the rock that you built
and not lose my way because of sin or guilt

So when I need comfort or am in bleak dismay
I'll remeber Your words, and I'll look your way
and I know You will be there for you promised me this:
If I but repent, You will guide me out of the abyss

By TraciAnne Atkinson

YSA photoshot

These are some cute pics we took last night at the Maine's studio. We had a ton of fun just goffing around, playing foseball, and helping the Maines practice for their photo shoot at Skyview high school on Saterday. in explination of the backgrounds on these pictures the theme of skyviews prom is superheros. tell me what you think

Shoes, Shoes, Shoes

September 25, 2009Yesterday my little sister Annie was reading Kristi and I a story she worte as an assignment for her writting class. The assignment was to write a story about a shoe, as so many fairy tales do. It got me to thinking, Why, in the world, do we have so many fairy tales about shoes?! And before you go and say there aren't all that many let me list a few for you, There's Cinderella of coarse with her glass slipper, then there is the crazy old coot(ahm, women) who lives in a shoe(why in the world someone would want to live in a shoe is beyond me, place must stink like the dickens), there is puss in boots, and there is Dorothy with her ruby red shoes to take her home. Then there are the tales of shoes that do amazing things, like transport you ten thousand leagues with each step or like hermes shoes that let him fly.Finally there are the many obseessed women and probably a few men who horde and collect shoes in the tens or hundreds. So my question to society is this, WHat is it that we find so facinating and mystical about so seemingly ordinary an object as a pair of shoes? Why do they continue to be an object of our adoration. Are shoes just a way of shielding our feet form the elements or adding something to our latest look. It would appear not. Let me know what you think