Life right now...

I have so much on my mind and heart and I feel like sometimes they both may just explode...sometimes because they feel and think happy and oft times just the opposite. Right now I feel like someone who is caught in the rush of life and watching it all happen in slow motion. I want to jump in and stop me from some things and then others I just want time to stop to relish in that sweet moment of life.

My Danny received his mission call, and to say that it was an emotional experience for me would be a huge understatement. We picked up his call letter from the post office because we had all our mail on hold due to our move...which is another story in itself. But, back to the topic at hand, Danny and I walked in together and asked to mail clerk to check our mail, he walked back with that infamous large white envelope. He handed it to me, and I in turn gave it to my handsome son grinning from ear to ear! Before we even reached the door to exit I was in tears, he sweetly hugged me and walked me back to the car w/ his arm around my shaking shoulders. I remember well the times when I comforted him as a child as he wept on that same shoulder. We waited for 54 1/2 hours before we opened it. We wanted Loni Anne, Pap, Lynn and Nate here and they all had plans to be here by Friday night. So we just waited till Saturday to open it. Check out the link below for the OPENING!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z2sYmIThqJA

As you can see it was a fun and exciting moment that we shared with 57 of our closest family and friends. Danny aka Elder Nock is so excited to serve his mission in San Bernadino, California! I am excited to, it is just a wonderful feeling being a missionary mom.

With our Nock family in town and Loni Anne here we had a mini Nock reunion. It really wasn't a real Nock reunion because my brother in law Luke and nephew Sean were not there. Nevertheless, we had a great time, eating, beaching it and just laughing way too much! I am grateful for wonderful in-laws who always make me feel loved and special. It was so great having my Loni Anne here, we realized that this is probably the last time we will all be together until Danny returns so we took some family pictures.

Life is busy, wild, too fast and sometimes filled with too much drama but, I guess its mine and I have to live with it and make it the best ever. I am grateful for many blessings and for family and friends who make life worthwhile. Today at work as I listen to my co-workers sometimes sad and empty lives (meaning w/o the gospel and family) I'm so grateful for my trials, tribulations, blessings and gifts from God!

The summer is just flying by...

We have just come home from John's second kid pitch game and so far...not so good. However, he is learning to play a new way and after this season is over, he will be used to it. He has always hit so wonderfully off the pitching machines but, the real human pitcher thing...has got him a bit stumped (for now that is)! He looks great in his uniform and tonight he played 3rd baseman and the catcher would never throw him the ball to tag the man out. He just kept running towards anyone there to tag them out and never made it! I'm not gonna lie, it did annoy me after the 10th time he did it.

Baseball seems to be the big thing right now in the family, if we're not watching John play, we are taking Andi and Spencer to work at the Kinston Indians stadium where they work concessions there. They are enjoying it and have the funniest, "Drunk people, groupie and park rats stories" when they come home. The park rat is the typical teenager who is dropped off by their parent to just loaf around with no adult supervision and they usually "hook up" with their bf or gf and act like idiots! The drunks are just plain ol' ridiculous and are always hitting on my daughter! What losers! I may just end up hitting (literally) one of them the next time they want to act like a fool! The groupies are single, older women who go to every game, yes even the away ones and always dance to the song "Jump on it" when its played at the stadium. They think they look sexy and appealing but WE all know better!

Danny's mission papers are finally done and hopefully Bishop and Pres. Hancock will process them this week online! I am so happy we were able to get them done. I am also grateful to everyone who helped us out with the 4 fundraisers to help raise money for Danny's mission! Danny is working part time (very part time) like 1 or 2 days a week for a private club as a fry cook. He also moonlights for anyone at church who needs a big, strong guy to move something heavy. The heavier the item the more $ he gets!

My 3 older girls have such busy lives with babies, school, working and dating that its hard to even try to blog about them w/o taking up too much time. I am proud of Loni Anne and Sela pumping out good grades and being a true Nock when it comes to work! They are so dedicated and hard working, they always seem to make their employers smile! Jaz, Brooks, Donnie and Lyla are fabulous and doing GREAT!

Dan and I are doing what we do best, handling family, church callings, work and extra curricular activities. We have most of it under control and what we don't have under control the Lord does! Life is crazy busy, chaotic, full of adventures and this summer is just flying by...but, I wouldn't have it any other way!

4 down, 3 to go!

I can't even begin to believe that my 4th child, my oldest boy, my baby Danny has graduated from high school. He is now an APA alumni and the festivities leading up to last Friday night were so fun and memorable for him and our family as well.

We had his luau on Saturday the 22nd of May, he along with his girlfriend Emily and cousins Clark and Grantie had a joint celebration with 200 of their closest family and friends! What a grand celebration it was and the night was so much fun with all the kids dancing, singing and playing! The food was awesome and the beautiful flowers and plants made the hall feel like we were on a tropical isle! Thanks Snow and Frankie and Creative Gardens of Winterville (2527567788) for making that happen.

My sister Loni, Emily's mom Vickey and I organized all the food and might I just say we did pretty good. BBQ, teriyaki chicken and beef, long rice, lupulu, rice, potatoes, fruit and toss salad, baked beans, coleslaw and an amazing assortment of desserts made for some fat and happy luau goers!

The show was fun and we had some great entertainers, some of them on stage for the first time ever! I'm so proud of all of you, especially Emily who joined the girls in a sweet hula called, "Sway it hula girl"! She was great.
Danny also performed with his cousins and did the haka and of course they were a true crowd pleaser!

The baccalaureate exercises were the Sunday before at a local church in Kinston and it was a very nice ceremony with Emily giving the benediction. We took lots of pictures with my Mom after wards and it was great that she came to that because, she got to watch the boys march in their cap and gown. She left for Pgh. on Thursday before their commencement exercises at school, so I am grateful she was there for that night.



Last Thursday was the Senior Awards Night and after a nice catered dinner for all of us they gave away awards and scholarships to very deserving students. Danny received an athletic letter award which was so nicely framed along, with a senior class picture and one of him, Dan and I at a Senior night last Feb. The night was complete to me because his acting Headmaster gave him some sweet words of encouragement about his mission and future plans. His football coach also thanked me for letting Danny attend the school and then told me what as awesome leader Danny was for the team this year and that he loves my boy...yes, I cried!

Friday night was his commencement and the whole Nock and Jones families were there. The Anderson's also came and so did Trent, Lauren and Andrew. We had a great crowd and as the kids walked in one by one, of course Danny had to do a little fresh prince of Bel Air move as he came in and pointed to us and winked! Emily received a character award which was a plaque and a monetary gift so I was so proud of that too! When the time came for each student to receive their diploma, their names were called by Mr. Pollock and then their diplomas were given to them by a faculty member and they posed then for a picture. Then the girls would get a hug and kiss from Mr. Pollock and the boys got a handshake. When it was time for Danny to get his diploma he posed with a crazy, yippee kinda attitude, to which the crowd just cracks up, and then when he goes to Mr. Pollock whose hand is extended for a handshake, Danny shakes his head no and points to his cheek. Mr. Pollock then kisses him on the cheek and everyone just starts cracking up even more! Mr. Pollock turns to all of us and says, "Oh what I do for these kids"! Afterwards we put his gardenia leis on him, made by Grandma Tilini and then about 10 candy leis which Jaz made! I was so proud of my son and I thank Heavenly Father everyday for blessing me with him.

Last night, Danny graduated from seminary, he has gone through 4 years and studied the Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. He should be ready and well prepared to preach the gospel now. I am very proud of my son and I know that he will be a great missionary and that he will work hard. He has learned the value of hard work on the football field and in the classroom, he has developed a deep love for the gospel and his testimony has grown because of seminary, YM and his family and friends!

So, Dan and I are now proud parents to 4 HS graduates...4 down, 3 to go!

Mothers Day Talk May 2010!

I was asked to speak on Mothers Day last Sunday and I thought I would post my talk up here. I usually have some sort of tribute to my Mom and didn't this year, so I thought I would just post my talk. I did take out a couple items because I read them from another book and didn't want to type that in. Happy Belated Mothers Day to all you sweet mommy's!



Good Morning brothers and sisters, before I begin I would like to wish all of you sisters a Happy Mothers Day. I am especially grateful that my own dear mom is here and I can’t believe how lucky I am to speak today with her here in the congregation. She is truly my hero and she has always been the greatest example to me of unconditional love, endless service and great faith.



When I think of Mothers Day and the great celebration that it is, I often think of my long list of things of what I haven’t done or what I could have done better as a mother. I look at you women in this ward and am always in awe of what you have done or continue to do to raise good children. I think of the sisters whose children are grown and gone and those who don’t have children of their own, and, am grateful for their natural, nurturing love they show to my own and for the gospel truths they have taught them.

This was surprisingly a tough topic for me to write on…not the fact that it is hard for me to write beautiful and awesome things about my mom or about being a mom in general but, the fact that I wanted to focus more on gospel truths that we needed to implement into our lives, so that we could teach our children to become more Christlike, and also to help us become better mothers and women and people of God in general.

So, I began to really think about what it is my own mother has taught me about this precious gospel, and I would like to focus today on just a few of them. I would have to say right off the bat that her love for the scriptures was the 1st thing that popped into my mind. If I had a dollar for each hour she has read her scriptures I would be a very wealthy woman. She knows the scriptures inside and out, backwards and forwards. I have seen her many times read and study for hours on end and, I have been taught by her, many truths as she uses the scriptures as her main teaching tool.

In 1979, Pres. Spencer W. Kimball addressed the women of the church in a worldwide women’s fireside. Because, he was in the hospital at the time he had his dear sweet wife Camilla read his remarks, Pres. Kimball said, “I stress again the deep need each woman has to study the scriptures. We want our homes to be blessed with sister scriptorians whether you are single or married, young or old, widowed, or living in a family. Become scholars of the scriptures…NOT to put others down, but to lift them up”.

I feel that in order to do this, that we must study the scriptures, we must accept challenging callings, we must strive diligently and powerfully to teach our children the gospel of Jesus Christ. To do this, we must develop ourselves to our fullest and finest potential! Pres. Spencer W. Kimball continues to say, “Seek excellence in all your righteous endeavors and in all aspects of your lives”. I feel he is also saying, in short, we as women of the church must fill the measure of our creation and that no matter who I am married to, what my children may choose to do, I must NEVER lose sight of who I am. I am a daughter of God, and a mother in Israel!

When we lived in Pittsburgh, the Meservy family moved into our ward from Utah. They had 8 children who were smart, athletic, witty and all of them were so well versed in the scriptures and knew so much about the gospel. It amazed not only myself but, the entire ward because this family really had it all together in every way. We all wanted to know the mother Michelle’s, big secret and how she did all of this with her children. She said simply that their day never starts without scripture study, that every morning at the kitchen table as they ate breakfast they read the scriptures as a family. They never missed, that was her only secret…that they never missed. On a side note, she was also voted as mother of the year in Utah a couple of years before moving to Pittsburgh. Today all of her children, 9 of them, are return missionaries; college graduates and all are married in the temple. Do you think that daily scripture study worked? I know it did.

Another thing my mother taught me was to always attend the temple. This is the main reason she lives out west, because she attends the temple faithfully every week, sometimes with others and sometimes alone. If you ever want to go with her, do not think you’ll go to do just 1 or 2 sessions and then go home, be ready for a marathon day there. She enters when the sun is up and exits when it has gone down. One of the greatest experiences I had at the temple was when our family went before Loni Anne left for her mission and did baptisms for Dan’s mother’s side of the family. There we were, Dan and I, Loni Anne, Danny, Andi and Spencer. We had about 30 names and with the help of Jesse Anderson and some friends from her ward, we were able to perform all of them including, Dan’s mom. The spirit was obviously there and my children left with a greater appreciation for their family who has gone on before them and for the rich blessings we receive only from the temple.

Our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith has said, “The greatest responsibility in this world that God has laid upon us is to seek after our dead. Those saints who neglect it, do it at the peril of their own salvation”. I know that when we attend the temple and happily share those experiences with our children about the importance of why we go, it will sink deep into their souls why it is important for them, to always be prepared and ready to enter that holy house of God. How grateful I am for the temples that dot the world and that allow us to be more like Him and for the eternal blessings we receive there to be families forever.

The last thing I would like to share with you about my mom is that she is a woman of great faith! She, through her faith, has been instrumental in pleading with the Lord on behalf of her children and grandchildren. She has fasted for days on end for Tommy to be healed of what could have been a terminal illness, or even one, to render him a vegetable his whole life, she prayed and fasted for my Andi to be healed of colic that she suffered with for over 3 months of her life already, and literally overnight Andi was healed. She stood vigil day and night in a hospital room in Utah 2 years ago as my sister Mia barely held onto life, fasting, praying and seeking a priesthood blessing for her. These are just a few examples of the faith my mom had in the Lord for His healing power, which He has so obviously blessed our family with.

But, I want to tell you all who HER example was. The person, who taught my mom how to pray and fast and rely heavily on the Lord for everything, was her own mother. My Grandma Mele was a convert to the church. She was the glue that held her family of 13 together. She was physically strong and a spiritual giant. She was loved and respected by so many on the island and many women who could not take care of their own children, gave them to my grandmother because they knew she could and would love and take care of them. She was also a woman who always had enough for not only her own family but for anyone else who was in need. Noone left her home hungry or in need because she had a generous soul and shared all she had. She taught her children to not only love the gospel but placed an important emphasis on their education as well. Two of her children were given scholarships to attend the Church College of Hawaii, now known as BYU-Hawaii. They were the first in Tonga to receive them. Her youngest son was the first eagle scout in Tonga and all of her children married in the temple, even the ones she raised that were not biologically hers. All of them remained active members in the church, they have served as RS presidents, missionaries, bishops, stake presidents, temple sealers and temple presidents. My grandmother could not have done all these things on her own. She relied on the Lord to bless her and her family always. She served Him everyday by serving others. She exercised great faith in Him, by fasting and praying for her children and grandchildren just as my mom does. When my sister Janie was a child she was diagnosed with polio. My mother and father were devastated and turned for comfort to my grandparents. Janie was given a priesthood blessing and then my Grandma Mele fasted everyday, she fasted for 24 hours, broke her fast ate a meal and immediately started her fast again. She did this for a month, and when my sister was taken back to the doctor, as you all can guess, there were no signs of the deadly disease. I am so grateful for the amazing lineage of fine, strong and God fearing women I come from. Mine is indeed a very noble heritage.

President Gordon B. Hinckley has said, “God has given the women of this church a work to do in building His kingdom. That concerns all aspects of our great triad of responsibility…which is, first to teach the gospel to the world; second, to strengthen the faith and build the happiness of the membership of the church; and, third, to carry forth the great work of salvation for the dead. Know that you are daughters of God, children with a divine birthright. Walk in the sun with your heads high, knowing that you are loved and honored, that you are part of His kingdom, and that there is for you, a great work to be done which cannot be left to others”.

My love for the scriptures, my desire to attend the temple, and the great faith I have, I know I have learned and inherited from a mother in zion, a mother who knew! I love you mom!

In closing, may I just say how grateful I am that the Lord has seen fit to bless me to be the mother to seven beautiful, talented, spiritually strong and loving children. When I think of my children and the blessing that is mine to be their mom I think of what Sister Marjorie Hinckley said in a talk she gave on a Mothers Day. She said, “Jewish women have a wonderful way of bidding each other goodbye. They say, have joy in your children. And so I say to you, have joy in your mothering”. And I do, I feel exquisite and inexpressible JOY just being their mother!

I know that God lives and that Jesus Christ is His son and our Redeemer.

Venting!

Tonight I am so frustrated! Sometimes, I feel like I'm on the parent battlefield alone! I know that Dan works hard to provide for the family but, sometimes I feel he leaves the rest of the parenting to me...the sucky stuff like, disciplining, dealing w/ heartache and issues, filling out all the forms for whatever is needed...bill paying, grocery shopping etc...Don't get me wrong, he works and works and works, which is awesome! But, I think he just is so tired that he is not motivated to do anything else! That is what is so annoying to me right now! If I am in a "war" with one of the children he calls it my war, well YES it is my war...but, that's ONLY because he refuses to address issues at hand that NEED to be addressed!

I don't even know why I am carrying on like this, I just need to vent I guess! I can't work like he does, it just isn't in my gene pool makeup! And, tonight when he asked me what was wrong, I told him...and then I waited for a reply of any kind...and here's what I got..."I don't know what to tell you"! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I. Am. So. Tired. Of. Hearing. That.!!!!!

I see other men who always seem to have the right words in situations like this and they seem to bring some peace or are able to resolve the issue at hand. Dan doesn't have that gift! And, I'm not gonna lie it is soooooooo bothersome! He NEVER seems to know what to say!

So, in lieu of feeling this about him I decided to go to a blog of my niece in law who is a widow at 33 with 6 little girls and after reading some of her posts and feeling just an iota of pain that she feels in a very real way, everyday of her life now...I've decided to just shut-up and deal with it! (Only after I blog about it)!

I love my husband more then anyone else in the world, he comes with many imperfections, as do I! He is not...

a public speaker
a college graduate
a wealthy man
a savvy business owner
a studly athlete
a GQ model

He is also not...

an abusive man
a man who has eyes for other women
a lazy man
a selfish man
a self righteous man
a show off


He is (just as Starr from the Washington Branch would say) "A GOOD MAN"! He loves me and our children and parents. He tries hard to provide for us and he deals with a crazy, loud, mouthy show off wife! He tells me I am beautiful even when I know better! He thinks I'm sexy (I still don't get that)! He is a good son and son in law! He loves the Lord and tries hard to do right by Him!

I think I feel better now and can go to bed not angry anymore...Thanks Blog World for listening...

NOT a family update....hahaha! yeah right!

Sorry, I didn't mean for this to be a family update...

So much has happened this last month. We have had prom, Cinderella play, Lacrosse, baseball, scouts and everything else in between. This is part of the reason for not blogging as much, we have had a very busy Mar/April!

I have to start this blog by saying just how much I loved general conference. I love hearing from our prophet and apostles and it seems like twice a year isn't enough. I can feel the love that they have for each of us and sometimes feel as if they are looking right through the TV screen right to me, it's like they are saying, "Lyla, this talk is just for you"! I love sitting in my comfy living room with my family eating good food and listening to our general authorities share important messages of our Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I really enjoyed it because it was Easter, we were able to have Wynnie and her Burke girls over, the missionaries and Jaz, Brooks and babies there. We ate till we couldn't move and then just vegged in front of the TV afterwards!

My Danny turned 19 on April 1st and we are getting his papers done for his mission. We are excited to see where the Lord will send him for two years! He is playing Lacrosse and is enjoying his last year of school with his cousin Clark and girlfriend Emily. He had prom last week and looked BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!!! I felt like time was just racing by as I reflected on times when he was a little boy, as I looked at him in his size 44R tux coat! How blessed I am to have a good son like him.

Andi and Spencer have been involved in the play at school. They did the Brandy and Whitney Houston version of Cinderella. Spencer was part of the backstage crew and really enjoyed it and made friends with so many. He bragged a bit on closing night that the director wants him to do it till he's a senior. He is such a good hard worker. I asked him if he ever came out on stage during the play and he told me that yes he does, twice in fact, to put the drawbridge on and then to remove it. he told me, if you look closely you can see the white Nike strip on my shoes! He is so crazy!

Andi played the Fairy Godmother and was superb! I cried the first night and then just grinned from ear to ear the last two nights! She nailed it! She was so perfect for that part and was so OVER THE TOP!!!! I was so proud and grateful that Heavenly Father has blessed her with such a beautiful voice!

John John is back to baseball and is liking it OK so far. He is a bit rusty and it is time to take him back to the batting range. he loves to make us laugh and is still very much a mamas boy...we need to fix this because I sure don't want It to be an issue later in his life.

My Jaz, Loni and Sela are all doing very well and I have come to realize that they are strong, smart, focused and very capable women! I hope I can take some credit for that! I do love and miss them in my home but, I love to hear about things they are doing that are so fun, exciting and great lessons in life for not only them but, for Dan and I.

As you can see, life is the same with slightly new and different experiences and familiar ones just to keep it somewhat normal!

Gladys Knight and the SUV Choir!

YES! I was able to see this DIVA perform last night!





She brought her amazing Saints Unified Voices aka SUV choir with her!




This is Loni and I with two of the choir members, our dear sweet niece Rosie and handsome Tupua! They are 1st cousins and talent runs deep in their family! They treated us like VIP!!! We sure did appreciate the LOVE you showed us!


I wish my whole family was there to feel the sweet Spirit and to hear the beautiful singing that the choir and Gladys Knight did! The most impressive part of the whole program were the testimonies borne by her and her husband. They have a deep understanding of the true gospel of Jesus Christ and they are spreading His word all over the world!

I would encourage anyone to go to one of their free fireside performances but, I will have to warn you to get their early because the line was wrapped around the building and it is like that every performance!

My favorite songs sung last night were, "I am a Child of God", a stirring solo sung by the queen of the night, and she put so much love and feeling into it that my emotions got the very best of me and the tears flowed freely from that moment on! The Christian favorite "Tomorrow" and "Kanaka Wai Wai"!

A big thanks to Rosie for making this happen! I love you girl!