Pass it Forward Project

I'm excited to share with you something very exciting from Ashley @ The Shine Project
Her new, inspired idea is called Pass It Forward
The idea behind it is to serve others.
The exciting new twist behind it is that you get to see where it goes! :)
It starts with a card like this, and after doing a small service
you pass the card along to the next person!

I think Ashley, herself says it best:

Pass It Forward was designed to get people to do little things, everyday, that makes an impact on the community around them. Pass it Forward is designed around a card. Each card is given a unique ID number. Lets say we're at McDonalds, and I decide to pay for the person behind me in the drive through. I'd give the cashier the card, and tell them to pass it along to the next car when the give them the food that has been paid for. I then go home and log into the website that was on the card, and find my unique ID number. I log into it, and add my information... My first name, city, and a description of what I did....

If the person behind me was you, you would pass it forward to someone else, 

and then would go home and do the same thing.

From the very beginning, you will be able to track where your card goes, and how many people you affect just by doing one simple act of kindness.

(www.spreadtheshine.com)

I'm so excited about this project!
I think it's such an awesome addition to be able to see where your card ends up!
As of right now, you can get a pack of 10 cards HERE for $2.50....
or, you can just wait around and see if a card ends up in your fingertips....
but which one sounds like more FUN?!

"Service changes people. 

It refines, purifies, gives a finer perspective, 

and brings out the best in each one of us. 

It gets us looking outward instead of inward. 

Righteous service is the expression of true charity, such as the Savior showed."
--Derek A. Cuthbert,

 Ashley will be featuring each Friday on her blog stories of people who have shared their card.
Are you going to be one of them?

cancer

"You really ought to get a mammogram, I just diagnosed a girl your age with breast cancer." our family doctor told me when I took my daughter to an appointment a few years ago.  I didn't think much about it, I was too busy taking care of my 3 little girls to think about going to the Dr.'s for myself.  But the thought was there, in the back of my mind.  Afterall, my grandma is a breast cancer survivor (Wahoo! Go Nanny!!!)  But, it wasn't until this year that I took our Dr's advice seriously.

  My sweet friend, Barb was diagnosed with breast cancer this fall.  She and I have a lot in common, we're both the same age, in fact, we are only a few days apart, we both have little girls, in fact, our kids are about the same age, too.  I feel helpless as to how to help her.  She lives on the other side of the country and so the only thing I can offer is lots and lots of prayers, and encouragement.  But, she is a fighter!  She is strong!   She just shaved her head, and we are all praying, praying, praying as hard as we can for her.
*update* visit this link for more about Barb and her fight!

source

I've done self-exams and never felt a lump. But, we decided ("we" meaning my husband) that it was time for me to get a mammogram. 

source

I went this morning and it was rather quick and mostly painless.  The ladies were nice, and they had mints and crackers in the waiting room.  Everything in my mammogram looks normal.  I feel blessed.   But, I would hope, if i was diagnosed with cancer, that I'd be a strong fighter like my grandmother and like Barb.

Source: whosays8isenough.org via Emily on Pinterest

So, after thinking about cancer all day, and thinking about the premature death of sweet baby Afton, I stumbled upon this video and found it rather fitting.  It talks about death.  That death isn't the end.  Through the grace of God and our loving Redeemer, life continues after this mortal life.
 


I feel so blessed that I have a testimony of eternal families.  I know we will see those who have passed on before us again.  Death, though it's scary and all sorts of freaky, is not the end.
If a man die, shall he live again?  To all within the sound of my voice i declare "he shall live again!"
xo-Danielle
PS: this post is dedicated to Maelynn, the sweet, always-speaks-her-mind, super woman who lost her battle in January.  I know we'll see her again someday.

oh, teton park, how i love thee...

so, have you ever been to Grand Teton National Park??
if not, i will take you on a visual journey
if so, i will take you on a visual journey ;)

Mt. Moran

every year my husband's family stays at a condo just out side of jackson hole, wy.
we try to spend as much time in teton park as possible!
and, you see...from a photo like that one up there my husband will make a beautiful painting like this one here #amazing!

it's so beautiful up there right by them there mountains

canoeing and swimming in string lake

 picnicking on the beach

hiking to the bottom of the grand canyon of yellowstone

 and a jaunt to see the hot pots in yellowstone too

oh, and you can't forget about the wildlife!

hiking to water falls

more hiking
oh my gosh, don't we look like we're having fun? love it!

and a lot of this

driving around with binoculars looking for "aminals"

{and there may or may not have been a little bit of skinny-dipping ha!}

it's so amazing to have a place where we can spend time with family surrounded by such beauty, you really feel like you're in the heart of one of God's most beautiful creations.
love that place!
until next time, tetons

 xo-Danielle