This is my four generation pedigree chart.  It was a privilege to compile this history and to see where I come from.

My Favorite Temple

We did this assignment awhile ago, but I really wanted to share it because it is all about my favorite temple, and I really would love for this to be included in my Book of Remembrance.

Decisions Determine Destiny

 Twin Falls Idaho Temple

Dedicated August  24, 2008

By President Thomas S. Monson

History

   In 1996 the 14 Stake Presidents in the Magic Valley area co-authored a letter to President Hinckley stating their desire for a Temple to be built in the Twin Falls Area.

  In June of 2004 President Hinckley visited the area to find a site for the Twin Falls Temple to be built.

The Candleridge Golf Course was purchased as the new site for the Temple

The Testimony of an Authority

The Temple was announced in October 2004 at the semi-annual general conference. 

The groundbreaking for the Twin Falls Temple was held on April 15, 2006.

The ceremony was presided by Elder Neil A. Anderson of the Presidency of the Seventy

–"Our children and our children's children will not travel to the Twin Falls temple by buggy, but they,   too, will remember their days in   the Twin Falls temple. The   temple is our solemn testimony   to the immortality of the soul.”

The Temple was constructed to overlook the beautiful Shoshone Falls, a landmark of Twin Falls. 

A Controversy?

Many of the residents in the area surrounding the Golf Course opposed the building of the Twin Falls Temple, stating that the they had bought their homes to overlook a Golf Course, and that their property value would decrease.

In response, the Church created pamphlets and other printed materials stating their intent to work with the residents of the area, and that the Temple would be a place of beauty and peace.

The House of the Lord

On May 30, 2007 the Angel Moroni was set in place in the Spire above the Temple, marking the completion of the exterior of the Twin FallsTemple

The Open House

Five weeks prior to the opening of the Twin Falls Temple an open house was held for member of the community to tour the Temple. (I got to put on the foot coverings!)

Over 159,000 attended the open house.  23,00 more than expected

After completing the tour, community members were           invited for refreshments and to learn more about the gospel.

A Celebration

The night before the dedication a Youth Cultural Celebration was held, celebrating the history of the Magic Valley through song and dance.

"I think you will always remember the part you had here. You can't help but remember it.”  -President Thomas S. Monson, Youth Cultural Celebration, 2008

The Dedication

The Twin Falls Temple was dedicated on August 24, 2008 by President Thomas S. Monson. 

  “And now we dedicate this temple as an abode for Thee and Thy Son. Let Thy glorious light ever shine upon it. Wilt Thou place Thy ratifying seal of approval upon this dedicatory service and upon all we have done and shall do in this, Thy Holy House, which we now present to Thee.”

What makes this Temple Special to Me

I grew up in the Magic Valley, and so the Twin Falls Temple played a big role in my youth

    I was able to see it’s progress as it was built, and I was also able to be a part of the Youth Cultural Celebration. 

    It took months of preparation, plenty of Wednesday nights and many Saturday mornings, but President Monson was correct, I can’t help but to remember this amazing experience.  It was a night where everything was about the Lord, we referred to it as “dancing for Jesus.”  I will never forget the witness I received that night of President Monson being a true prophet, and of the house of the Lord. 

(These are the girls from my ward, I'm not in the picture, but I still thought I would include this.)

The Twin Falls Temple is also very special to me because it is where I was sealed to my Husband on October 23, 2010

Decision Determines Destiny

At the Youth Cultural Celebration, President Monson introduced the 3 D’s, three words that we should always remember and apply to our lives.  Decision determines destiny.  The decisions we make will determine the destiny that we receive.  Righteous decisions will always bring a righteous destiny.  May we always remember that the decision to attend the Temple will bring a promised destiny.

Ancestor History

For this assignment I got to write a history for two of my ancestors.  I chose an ancestor from both my dad's side and my mom's side. I chose two men who were very influential in bringing the gospel to my parents families. Both crossed the plains as pioneers, and both have a legacy that I hope my posterity can learn about as well.

Jacob G. Bigler

                Jacob G. Bigler was born on April 4, 1813 in Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia).  Jacob’s father was Mark Bigler and his mother was Suzanna Ogden Bigler.  Jacob grew up in Harrison County and lived there until he was twenty-five. He farmed with his father and raised a small amount of stock. 

                It was in Harrison County that Jacob was first taught about the Gospel.  He believed it, but did not join the church until he went to Far West, Missouri in March of 1938.  “There I investigated the principals more fully and was thoroughly convinced of their truth.” Jacob was baptized on June 10, 1838.  He bought some land in Far West and went home to Virginia to move his family to Far West. 

                It was not long after that Governor Boggs issued the exterminating order, and Jacob and his family were forced to leave their 240 acre farm in Far West.  The left on February 11, 1839 and arrived in Quincy, Illinois on March 1^st.  Jacob had first met the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1838, and became close to the Smith family.  He helped to move the Smith family from Quincy to Nauvoo.

                Jacob’s father passed away on September 23, 1839 and so he and his Mother managed the estate.  In the spring of 1839 they moved to Nauvoo. 

                Jacob returned to Virginia in March of 1841 and married his wife, Mary Ann Boggess, on the 19^th of April.  They returned to Nauvoo, and on October 29, 1842 Mary Ann passed away.  Jacob married Amy Loretta Chase on June 18, 1844.

                “I worked on the temple at Nauvoo from that time, nearly continuously, until its completion. I remained in Nauvoo from that time, nearly continuously, until June 10, 1846, when I crossed the Mississippi River and made start for the West with a poor outfit for the journey, but was greatly blessed of the Lord and arrived at Winter Quarters on the 18^th of August 1846.”

                Jacob stayed in Winter Quarters until spring of 1848 and then settled near Kanesville, Iowa.  In the spring of 1849, Jacob was called to be in charge of the tithing office of Pottawattamie County, Iowa.  He acted as Bishop of Kannesville and also as a member of the high council.  During his time in Kanesville he was elected Justice of the Peace and then Probate Judge of the County. 

                On June 10, 1852 Jacob and his family started west.  They traveled in Captain Gardner’s company, and Jacob was captain of the first 10 families. Jacob and his family did make it to the Salt Lake Valley, and they stayed in Salt Lake City for a time. 

                Jacob and his family were called to settle Nephi, Juab County in Utah, and he arrived there on October 1852. In November of 1852 he was ordained Bishop of Juab County by George A. Smith.  In 1859 he was elected Mayor of Nephi and remained Bishop until 1861 when he was called on a mission to Ireland and arrived in Liverpool on July 25, 1961.  He was assigned to take charge of the Irish Mission.  In 1862 George Q. Cannon called Jacob to take charge of the European Mission while he (Brother Cannon) was in Washington D.C.

                Jacob G. Bigler returned home on the 26^th of September 1863.  He was then elected to be Probate Judge and held that office until August, 1876.  In 1863, Jacob was called to be Stake President of the Juab Stake. “I held the Presidency of the Juab Stake until October, 1871, when President Brigham Young came along and requested me to join him and company on a trip South. I expected to go to Old Mexico, therefore I resigned the Presidency of the Stake and went as far as St. George, but on account of having been elected to the Legislature council, I was released to return and attend the council. 

                Jacob G. Bigler was ordained a Patriarch in June of 1878.  He gave over 200 blessings in his time as Patriarch. “Freely I have received, freely I gave.”  Patriarch Bigler died in Nephi in February, 1907 only a few days after writing his history.

Bigler, Jacob G., Life Sketch, accessed November 15, 2012, Retrieved from http://thebiglerfamily.com/jacob-g-bigler-sr/

Solomon Joseph Despain

Solomon Joseph Despain was born on December 3, 1823 in Lauderdale County, Alabama.  When he was young his family moved to Tennessee.  His mother died when he was young, and so he lived with his older sister Belinda Despain. His father remarried and moved the family to Arkansas and then to Illinois. 

                “By this time I had arrived at the age of manhood and began for the first time to have serious thoughts about my soul’s welfare.” On June 30, 1842 Solomon married Ruth Amelia Newell.  Not very long afterward they joined the Campbellite Church.  Nine years later, on August 30, 1851 the Despain’s joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. 

                Solomon was ordained a Priest on November 16, 1851, and was ordained an Elder on May 2, 1852. He served a short mission to Arkansas from March 21, 1853 to April 11, 1853.  “I spoke to a good number of people on the principles of the Gospel of the kingdom of God. I was well treated by the people there and they asked me to preach again on the next Sabbath, which I did.  My meetings were attended by a respectful congregation.”  He baptized 11 people during that mission.

                He returned to Illinois, but then he moved his family back to Arkansas in the fall of 1853. A few years later they moved to Tennessee and Solomon worked in a wood yard until 1861, when the Civil War started.  They started towards the Salt Lake Valley on May 10, 1861 and arrived there on August 17. “In November we were all rebaptized and got our endowments in the House of the Lord.”

                On May 17 1862, Solomon entered a second marriage with Susan Dean.  In 1868 Solomon was ordained into the High Priests and started to attend the School of the Prophets. Solomon became Bishop of the Granite Ward and served in that calling until 1886.  Because of his age, Solomon became ill and contracted a disease in his lungs.  Because he was sick, it fell to his wives to care for their own families.

                On March 24, 1881 Solomon married Charlotta Lundstedt, a convert from Sweden.  She had been told by missionaries in Sweden to “go to Utah, marry a good man and raise up a family to the Lord.” Even though there was a great space between their ages, it was a good thing Solomon and Charlotta married.  He had become so sick that he needed help, and she needed a good father for her family.  Neither could speak the other’s language, but somehow it all worked out.

                Because of persecutions from the law for practicing polygamy and family contentions, in 1885 Solomon, Charlotta and their three children left for Mexico.  Because of bad weather they were forced to stop, and their little girl became sick and passed away.   In the spring they were able to continue their journey and instead of completing the journey to Mexico, they decided to stop in Arizona in the Sho Low area. A few years later they left Show Low and settled in Thatcher. 

                Solomon Joseph Despain died of bronchitis on February 17, 1895 at the age of 72.  By the time he passed away he had had 27 children, 84 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren.

“Biography of Solomon Joseph Despain”, journal of Solomon Joseph Despain, Isaiah Moses Coombs, and Ella Eugenia Despain, accessed November 17, 2012, retrieved from http://bdespain.org/gencol/famhis/sketches/SJD-bio.htm

My Governing Values

This assignment was not for my Family History class, but instead for my English class.  We read an article about the importance of defining our own governing values, and then writing them down. I really think that this is something that should be included in my Book of Remembrance.  I want my children to know what values I thought were most important and wanted to live my life by.  I wrote these as if I were my 'perfect' self.  This way I know what I am striving for, and hopefully, if I were perfect, this is who I would be.  It is definitely who I want to be.

My Governing Values

1.       Heavenly Father comes first.  I love him with my whole heart, soul, and mind.

                My Heavenly Father means the most to me above all else. I trust in him to provide for me, and I trust that by putting him first all other things in my life will fall into place.  I will abide in him and in return he will abide in me.  The will of God will become my will.   I know that I am a child of God and that he loves me.  He has sent me to be tested, but that doesn’t mean that he is not with me during those hard times. 

2.       Trust in the Atonement

                The Atonement of God is what allows me to be myself.  It allows me to make mistakes and be forgiven of them.  It helps me realize that I am only human and I cannot do everything, and that is ok.  While the Atonement helps me realize I am only human, it drives me to strive for perfection and to always be my better self.

3.       I am obedient

                I have faith that the Lord has given me commandments to help me return to him.  He only has what is best for me in mind, and has asked for my obedience in order to help me find happiness.  Because I understand why my Heavenly Father has asked for this, I am valiant!  I do not ask how bad I can be, but I strive to be valiant and obedient.  I follow God’s commandments and I do it happily.

4.       I am a good wife

                I always strive to support and truly listen to my husband.  I am intuitive to when he needs me most and I provide comfort and help when he asks for it.  I make sure that his needs are provided for in terms of meals, a clean home, and a happy wife.  This doesn’t mean that I don’t ask for help within the home when I need it.  I make time to be with him and enjoy the time spent.  I provide spiritual support when he needs it, and I make sure that we are equally yoked within our marriage.

5.       I am a good, loving mother

                I provide for my children’s need in a mother.  I give them love and work hard to be an authoritive parent.  I teach my children the importance of making their own choices and discovering what consequences those choices bring. I realize that I am raising my children to be adults, contributing members of a society and will one day be the driving force in the world.  My children know that no matter what I will always love them unconditionally and that I do not expect anything but their best in life. However, I hold them and cry with them when sometimes life lets them down.  My children know that I would cross the I-beam for them in a heartbeat, and would do as many times as needed.  I expect my children to respect me, not only because I am their mother, but because I give them respect.

                I push my children to work hard and to value good work. I teach them the joys of an education, and my own love of music and books.  Most importantly I teach them to be empathetic, compassionate, and to love God above all else.  I provide for my children spiritually by bearing my testimony often to them and helping them learn and apply gospel principles.  I stress the blessings of being an eternal family and how happy I am that they are mine.

6.       I am grateful

                I have gratitude for the blessings I enjoy.  I recognize the tender mercies I am given each and every day and I thank my Heavenly Father daily for them.  I also write them down each day so that my children might know all that I have received and see the goodness of God through it.  I express gratitude to the people who have helped me or made a difference in my life.  Those that I am close to feel appreciated because I strive to make them understand the gratitude I have for them.

7.       I have integrity

                I realize that integrity is one of the greatest gifts that I can give to society.  Integrity is what allows me my freedom. I am not bound by the lies I have told, and the harmful things I have done, because I never did them in the first place.  I realize that my word is binding and that trust must be built and kept.  Integrity is more than just not telling lies, it is an intrinsic part of me and it motivates me to always do what is right, no matter what the situation.

8.       I know that trials not only for my good, but that they help me to ‘become’

                Trials help me to realize my inner strength and become stronger.   Trials help me to realize the hand of God in my life and become more dependent on him.  Trials make me see the good that I have, and they refine me into who I want to be.  Trials help me to become closer to those that I love most in life, and they help me to work a little harder to be a little better every day.

9.       Financial Security and Peace are important

                I am financially stable.  I put away monthly for retirement so that my husband and I will be safe later on in life.  I have no debt except for education and home, and I work hard to “snowball” those debts to pay them off faster.  I only spend money that I have, and my money for needs is spent first.  I know that financial troubles can affect every aspect of life, and therefore to have peace, I must be financially stable.

10.   Education is a precious gift to be sought after

                I love to learn.  I read books to learn and to be stretched.  I continually strive for more education, and I realize that good grades are reflective of hard work and knowledge gained.  I work hard to constantly be learning because I know that what I have learned in this life is the only thing that I take with me after I have died.   Education is a gift, to be educated is to know about the mysteries of life.  From reading, one can learn about all walks of life and all kinds of people.  Knowledge allows us to connect to other people, to better understand ourselves, and the teachings of God.

11.   To know where I’m going, I must know where I have been

                I respect my ancestors, and seek diligently to do their Temple work.  I realize that without their choices and sacrifices, I would not be blessed with many of the things I have today.  I understand that they need me to enjoy the blessings of Heaven, and I will not let them down. 

12.   I am passionate about music

                Music is my passion.  It is what allows me to feel talented, and that I truly have a gift.  It speaks to my soul and helps me to learn about myself and to channel my emotions when they seem too much.  Music has been a form of language since the beginning of time and I have the blessing to bring that language to others and to do the work of God through this special talent.

                I know that music helps to develop admirable qualities in myself such as discipline, hard work, and understanding.  It helps me to know the importance of setting goals within my passion and to work to achieve new skills and learn new music. 

13.   I am happy and positive

                I am a happy individual and I am recognized as so. I go about with a smile on my face and when others think of me, they think of me as one who is happy with my life.  I do not burden others with my sorrows, but instead try to lift them up.  The world does not need to know my worries, God knows them, and he will provide that every need is taken care of.  People want to be around me because they know that I will buoy them up and be happy for their joys, and that I will not only complain about my troubles.

14.   Time management is important to me and I am productive

                I manage my time well and use it to my advantage to accomplish the things I need to.  I don’t squander time on useless things such as excessive social media, T.V. watching or game playing.  I also understand the importance of punctuality.  I realize that by being late to things I am being arrogant because I feel that my time is more important than the people I was supposed to be on time for.

                I plan each day the things that need to be done and I do them.  I do not waste time, and I do not lament that I do not have enough time.  I show my family that I care about them by meeting their needs in a productive manor, and I show others that I value them by producing quality work within the time frame I am given.

15.   I have self-respect

                I am not to blame for the things that go wrong in other people’s lives.  I need to respect myself by not allowing myself to take the blame.  I have self-respect because I understand the value that I have to my Heavenly Father and the importance I have within my family.  My self-respect drives me to stay in control of my body, and to honor my name.

16.   I accept others for who they are and I do not judge or gossip

                I accept those who may not live life the way I do.  I do not mock them or judge them for their choices because I realize that it is through God’s plan that we each have the agency to make our own individual choices, and it is not my place to scrutinize them. Gossip only stresses the bad in others and it does not promote the spirit.  Therefore I do not gossip and I make sure that the things I say about others are positive and uplifting.

17.   I have empathy and compassion, I look for opportunities to serve

                I am empathetic to the plights of others.  I have compassion for them and truly look for ways to help them.  I am always ready to serve and looking for opportunities to serve someone, even in the smallest way. 

18.   I value good health

                I follow the word of wisdom to keep my body clean.  I do not intake that which could be harmful to my body because I know that my body is a Temple and I am expected to keep it clean.  I work hard to keep in good physical condition because I know that it is important to be in the best health to be a good mother and wife.  I will not be able to play with my children if my body is not in a condition to do so.  Without a healthy body, family activities will be limited that I can participate in, and I want my children to know I value my body as something special and that I take care of myself. 

                I realize that cleanliness is part of good health and I work hard to keep myself, my children, and my home environment clean.  My children are bathed regularly, their rooms kept tidy, and their clothes washed often.  I also prepare nutritional meals for my family because I know it is important in young years to be fed well and I want to give my children their best chance.

19.   I take responsibility

                I know that when things don’t get done they are done because I didn’t do them, I do not provide excuses to pass responsibility to someone, or something else.  I am responsible for my actions and when I do something wrong I admit my mistake and I fix it.  I do not tell fibs to cover my actions, and I take charge to right my wrongs.

20.   I value hard work and endure to the end.

                I know that the good things in life are earned, not given.  I work hard for the things I have and what I accomplish.  I do not work to a lesser quality than I know I am capable of, and I endure to the end.  If I start something, I finish it.  When trials come, I follow them through.  I keep the goal in sight and I work hard to reach it.  I set goals because they help me to remember the importance of what I am doing and to continue to work hard.  There is nothing sweeter than enduring through hard work to obtain something well sou

My Personal History

This assignment has been really fun for me.  I got the opportunity to write my personal history.  While it is not yet finished, I will post what I have now, and then post the completed history at a later date.

My Personal History

                My name is Cambria Rose Bigler Parks.  I was born on March 11, 1990 in El Paso, Texas to Carl Edward Bigler and Cindy Marvene Meister Bigler.  I have one older sister, Mariko Celeste Bigler Shumacher, three younger sisters: Allison Lanae Bigler, Andrea Nicole Bigler and Megan Christine Bigler.   I also have one younger brother, Keith Loren Bigler.  My Father’s Parents’ names are Galen Albert Bigler and Margie Ann Hatchett Bigler.  My mother’s parent’s names are Clifford Joslyn Meister, and Woodeen Rozailia Hayes Meister. 

                I was born with problems with my urinary tract system.  My mother tells me that I would just cry and cry all the time, and there was nothing that anybody could do.  It was months before they found out that I was sick and proceeded to fix the problem.  A few months before I turned three, I went in for surgery to have my ureters re-implanted in Fort Collins, Colorado (we had just moved there a few months before.)  In order to give me the anesthetics needed for surgery the nurses took me on a ride around the hospital in a red wagon.  While on the wagon ride they gave me a mask to play with, the mask put me to sleep, and the next thing I knew I was waking up from surgery in a lot of pain.  I wouldn’t go in a red wagon for years after that.

                The surgery went well and I was soon able to return home.  One of the instruments used in the hospital had bacteria on it and I developed psudonomis poisoning from that bacteria.  We then returned to the hospital where I hovered between life and death.  According to my mother I talked of seeing a few of my ancestors, and at one point of time I asked her to let me go to be with “Grandpa”, referring to my Great-Grandfather Hayes.  Eventually I was able to get better and return home.  The only thing that I actually remember of the whole ordeal is when the Young Women from our Ward visited me in the hospital and read me the book, “Is Your Mama a Llama?”  For years that was my favorite book.

                As I mentioned before, we had moved to Colorado just a few months prior to my surgery.  My dad got a job in Denver at LePrino foods.   We lived with my cousins for awhile when we first moved from Texas to Colorado.  I loved living with my cousins.  My cousin Jaron and I became the best of friends and we would often go on a lot of adventures together.  My Aunt Coleen and my Uncle Mark own a half acre of land so there was always a lot of space to go exploring.  I remember one time we were all outside playing and the older kids wouldn’t let us play so I sat down by the sandbox to pout.  Pretty soon I started feeling lots of little stinging pains in my legs.  I looked down and there were hundreds of little red fire ants climbing up and down my legs!  I had sat down on an ant hill! 

                Another time I remember my cousin Jaron and I found a bag of marshmallow matey’s and ate all of the marshmallows!  My aunt Coleen caught us and informed us that we weren’t allowed to eat any other kind of cereal until that was all gone.  We couldn’t believe that she would make us eat all of the yucky part of the cereal when we had clearly eaten all of the marshmallows for a reason!  To this day though, I eat both the marshmallows and the cereal when I eat marshmallow matey’s. 

                After living with my Aunt and Uncle for awhile we moved into an apartment.  The apartment was just down the street from my school, Monroe Elementary.  Our mascot was the Mustang, and my kindergarten teacher was Mrs. Britteen.  My favorite part of my kindergarten year was making stone soup and growing catipillers into butterflies.  We got to go out to the playground to release our butterflies and I thought that was the best thing in the world.  My little sister Andrea was born in May of my kindergarten year. 

                I was always a bit of a sassy child, and I was very friendly to others.  One day in school we learned about what to do if we met a stranger.  Later that day my mother took me to the grocery store.  This grocery store had little horse rides that were only a penny!  My mother gave me a penny and sent me to ride the horses while she was checking out and could keep an eye on me.  A man passed by and I asked him “Are you a stranger?”  He looked at me and replied, “Well, you don’t know me, and I don’t know you, so I guess that does make me a stranger.”  I looked at him for a minute, and then screamed at the top of my lungs, “STRANGER!  STRANGER! STRANGER!”  My mom came running as well as the security guard, the store manager, and a local policeman that was in the store.  After the man explained the story my mother explained to me that I can’t yell stranger about everybody that I don’t know.

                I went to first grade with Mrs. Pascal, and it was in first grade that I developed my love for pigs.  We studied a whole unit on pigs because that was Mrs. Pascal’s favorite animal.  I decided it would be my favorite animal too, and over the years I gathered quite the collection of toy pigs and stuffed animals.   Keith was born just after my first grade year, and I remember feeling like I was the best big sister ever because I got to name him Keith!  It wasn’t until years later that my parents had already chosen the name Keith and I just approved.  I also started piano lessons in my first grade year, and I gained such a love of music that has helped to sustain me through some of the hard times of life, and provide me with a lot of joy.  It was also in first grade that I saw my first musical, “Hello Dolly!”  I love that musical, and it is still a life ambition of mine to play Dolly Levi someday in the musical.

                At one point of time we moved back into my Aunt Coleen and my Uncle Marks’ house, and lived with them for a few years.  During that time I went to second grade at Monroe.  My teacher was Mrs. Shook, and honestly don’t remember very much about that time.  I do remember one time when we went to shop at garage sales with my mom, my aunt and all of my cousins.  I was actively perusing the merchandise at a certain garage sale when I looked up and my aunt’s car with all of my family was driving away!  I quickly took off after them and ran as fast as I could.  I followed quite well until I finally came to a corner and remembered that my mother had told me never to cross the street without an adult.  I wished as hard as I could that I was Pocahontas and leap across the street just like she leaps across the mountain in the movie.  I took a breath, leaped as far as I could, and didn’t even make it a whole two feet.  That was when I started to cry and returned back to the garage sale.  It wasn’t much later that my Aunt came back to get me and everything was made right.

                We moved out of my Aunt and Uncle’s house again into a trailer park down the street.  My sisters and I shared a room in the end of the house.  We thought it was the greatest thing ever because we had a great big window in our room that let us look outside.  The trailer we owned was purple, and we lived there for a few years.  My mom transferred us schools to CottonWood Elementary, and I started school there.  My third grade teacher was Mrs. Sudbeck.   In March of my third grade year I turned eight and on March, 14, 1998 I was baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I was confirmed on March 15, 1998. I remember being so proud that I was now a member of the church, and I knew it was true with my whole heart.  I loved going to primary and singing about Jesus.  To this day I have a very strong love for the primary songs.  I am very glad that I made the decision when I was eight to get baptized.  That has been one of the most important decisions of my life and being a member of the LDS church has shaped who I am. 

                As well as being baptized in my third grade year, my father lost his job at LePrino foods.  I loved that my Dad worked there because he would bring us home string cheese, sometimes even in different colors!  Sometimes if we were lucky he would bring us home pizza too!  My dad soon found a job in Gooding, Idaho, and at the end of my third grade year we packed up to move to Idaho.

                The night before we moved my cousin Rachel and I cried and cried, but then we got to go on a great road trip, just my dad and his girls.  My Grandpa drove up from Arizona to help my dad drive the moving truck to Idaho. 

                We arrived in Gooding after hours of driving, and I remember thinking we had just come to the tiniest little town on the planet!  I soon made some friends and in September I started 4^th grade.    My teacher was Mrs. Lamm, who was also the ward organist in our ward.  

                Living in Idaho was a lot of fun, and my parents bought a house with twelve acres.  We often would raise calves, and chickens, and one time we even had a pet pygmy goat!  In the summer we would ride our bikes all around town and play outside a lot.  I think it was also in Idaho that I really developed my love for reading.  My mom had always read to us growing up, but it wasn’t until about fourth grade that I found that you can escape your world and become somebody else in a book.  I read the first Harry Potter book at the end of that year, and books really came alive for me.

                In fifth grade I was in Ms. Rosenberg’s class, and the highlight of the year was getting to be a dancer for the “Jingle Bell Rock” in that year’s Christmas concert.  We also learned about the Revolutionary War, and my love for history was sparked. 

                I started sixth grade with such an excitement to be in Middle School.  I decided to play the clarinet in band, and my love for music was only strengthened.  It was in middle school that I started to realize that not everybody has a desire to do what is right like I did.  I started to see other kids in my grade make choices that I knew were wrong and I had to make the decision to join them or not.  I am very grateful to my parents who were there in those situations to help me learn what was right and wrong, and how to make my own decisions despite what others are doing.

                I decided to try out for the cheerleading team in seventh grade, and much to my surprise I made it!  While I have never been the stereotypical cheerleader, it really did help to shape my life.  It helped me to gain a strong sense of leadership and how to be comfortable in front of people in public.  Cheerleading helped me to start to understand the importance of physical health, and of creating relationship and honoring commitments.  I joined choir in seventh grade and discovered that I loved something more than playing the piano, I loved singing.  I had enjoyed it previously, but it was in choir that year that I realized how much I loved it!  My band and choir teacher, Mr. Randall taught me a great deal about music and inspired me to pursue it as something more than a hobby.  He encouraged me to continue with music and to audition for things that I never would have. 

                In eight grade I was made the head cheerleader and I turned 14.  Part of turning fourteen was the fact that I was now allowed to go to church dances!  My parents dropped me off at my first dance, and I remember being so excited.  The Twin Falls area has holds dances every second and fourth Saturday of the month for all the youth in the seven surrounding stakes.  I discovered many friendships that I still have today through those dances, and I also discovered that there were people like me, working hard to follow God’s will. 

                

My Grandpa

    I realize that this is a book of remembrance for myself.  But I think it is important to include stories about those I love as well.  The first person I want to write about is my Grandpa, Galen Albert Bigler.  I love my Grandpa Bigler, and he really is an inspiring man.  He has always had such a strong testimony of the church, and I admire him for having such faith.  He served in WWII, and I have personally seen how that has affected his life.  I will never forget being at a Fourth of July activity where he openly cried as they played the Star Spangled Banner.  He is a man who willingly fought for the cause of freedom, and he defended it.  I enjoy the freedoms that I have today because of men like him.
     I have always admired how much he loves his children.  He has been there for every baby blessing and every baptism in my (immediate) family.  Including the baby blessing of my own little boy, his 8th great-grandchild.  He drove from Kingman, Arizona to Gooding, Idaho just to be a part of my baby's blessing.  To me that shows what true love is.  He takes joy in his family and wants to be there for each of us.  It means so much to me that he would drive over 13 hours simply to bless my baby boy.  One of the greatest things that I will always remember about my Grandpa is when he bore his testimony one Sunday while he was visiting my family.  He said, with tears running down his face, "I've always been a little man, but that's because God has blessed me with such a big heart."  Now, if you  have ever met my Grandpa, he is very short, and has only gotten shorter over the years.  I'm 5'3 and my Grandpa is shorter than I am.  But it is true, he does have a very big heart.  He shows so much love and compassion, and I have heard countless stories about how he has served and helped others.  He and his sons even helped to build the church that my Dad attended growing up.  I remember my dad telling me about how they worked together to build that church.
     I called my Grandpa today.  I try to send him pictures every once in awhile, but I am not very good at it. It is something that after today I have resolved to do better at. It was nice to get to talk to him and see how he was doing.  I called him to see if he would allow me to type up my Grandmother's journals.  My Grandmother kept a journal through most of her life, and I want to type them so that we will always have a copy.  As I was talking to my Grandpa today, he told me the story behind the stove in my Grandparents home.
     Grandma and Grandpa only had one small electric heater and all the children would fight over who got to stand in front of the heater, so the next year Grandpa put in the stove.  The kids loved it because the stove will heat the entire house.  But because of the stove, he then had to start hauling wood. He used to drive about 40 miles just to chop down the wood.  That is quite a bit of commitment if you ask me!  There is a place now in town that he can get garden rail posts, so all he has to do it split them, and he doesn't have to haul the wood anymore.  He goes down to Central every once in a while to fill his truck up with wood.  Central is where the Bigler family calls home.  It was settled by Biglers and every year there is a great big Bigler Family Reunion.  I have never had the opportunity to attend, but I hear it is a really neat experience.
     I wanted to type this story and post it here because even though it isn't a great big heroic story, it shows enough of a hero for me.  I love my Grandpa and I am so glad that I got the chance to talk to him today, and to hear a little bit about his past.  My Grandpa is a man to be proud of, and I will always be amazed at the things he has done, and the wonderful man he is.  I am proud to be a descendant of his, and that my children will have the Bigler name as part of their heritage.

The Hearts of the Children

For this assignment I was given the opportunity to watch a devotional by Brother Michael R. Otterson.  His devotional was about the importance of Family History work.  He emphasized the great blessing it is that we have the technology that we do.  Especially because of how it helps us to further our family history work.  He spoke about how we know, far better than our parents, how to use the internet and how to create results from using it.  This is so true!  The Internet really is a tool that I can use to further my family history work, and I do know how it works quite well.  He also spoke of how if you are feeling unmotivated to do your own family history work to try to think of the stories of those who are waiting for that work to be done.  I often do this as I am going through the Temple for somebody else.  I imagine their life, their love, what they were interested in.  I have thought about these things for my own ancestors as well.  I often wonder what it was like for my Great-Grandmother to grow up as the daughter of Norweigen parents in the 20th century.  I wonder what another Great-Grandmother felt moving from her home to Oklahoma a place that is nothing like where she came from.  This does help to make family history more "real" to me, and it gives me a further desire to give them the one thing that can save them.  The Gospel.
Brother Otterson also spoke about how we need to write down the history of our own parents and the importance that their stories hold to posterity.  It gave me a great yearning for all of those nights when I was a little girl and my Dad would tell us stories about his childhood before we went to bed each night.  We always looked forward to hearing them, and I am sure that I will tell some of those stories to my own children.  It is important to have those stories preserved before it is too late.
Once again I have found that my testimony of family history has grown, and that my urgency to find certain ancestors has increased.  I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to listen to this talk tonight.