Can you imagine?

Can you imagine knowing someone who had Christ at the center of his life, and you knew it within minutes of knowing him? How about someone who selflessly served each day to the fullest (and sometimes overflowing)? What would you say if this person took you into their home for more than a month while you waited for a life-changing white envelope? Imagine this person having conversations about the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a wide variety of people, and loving every minute of it. Imagine learning about the holy temple from this person. Picture this man asking your opinion on a variety of matters. Imagine sharing tomato sandwiches while talking about his adventures around the world, while still being one of the most humble people you know. Can you see the love he has for his family? Imagine seeing him in big group settings with his family, and in one on one settings with each of his children, and feeling the love for each of them. What about the love that he has for his wife, which has been described as "the kind of love poets only dream about"? Can you imagine the example of such a man? Can you feel the love this man has for you, as an adopted member of the family?

I am incredibly blessed, because I don't have to imagine. I KNOW. I had the privilege of knowing Joe Raynes for the past few years and seeing him in his different roles. Joe recently returned home to his Heavenly Father after a courageous battle with cancer. Words cannot express the gratitude I have for knowing Joe, for being a part of the Raynes family, and for having him in my life.

I want to share a little bit about him...



Joseph Lincoln Raynes PhD, age 64, passed away peacefully January 10, 2011, surrounded by his eternal family, after a battle with brain cancer.

He was born June 21, 1946, in Provo, Utah to Beth Milner and Lincoln Frances Raynes; he was the second of eight children. Much of his childhood was spent on the Oregon Coast. While at BYU, Joe met his beautiful wife Alice Nielsen in a laundromat and it was love at first sight. Their first conversation began with his joke about both having red hair. They married in the Salt Lake Temple on May 27, 1969. They have ten children, all redheaded. It was impossible to be around Joe and not know he loved his family, the Gospel, and serving others.

Joseph completed his Bachelors and Masters degrees at BYU and earned his PhD at Texas A&M University. He served and inspired others throughout his lifelong career in Education. He was an Elementary School Teacher, Principal at Joaquin Elementary, Dean of Continuing Education, Dean of Trades and Technology, and Associate Academic Vice President at Utah Valley State College. He was instrumental in bringing the Education Program to the now Utah Valley University. He loved being a Professor of Education. His influence is carried through the countless teachers he molded.

Traveling the world extensively, Joe was always in search of opportunities to serve others. Fluent in both Portuguese and Spanish, he lived in Bolivia and traveled throughout South America with his young family while working with the Bolivian government. He lived in Colonia Juarez, Mexico working with the Juarez Stake Academy, and traveled to Mongolia to develop their higher education programs during their transition from Communism. He was a gifted storyteller who weaved his life experiences into tales that both entertained and edified.

He was a dedicated servant of the Lord, who served an honorable LDS mission in the Brazil North Mission. He labored as Branch President at the MTC, Bishop of Cascade 2nd Ward, High Council Member in Orem Cascade Stake, Ordinance Worker in the Mount Timpanogos Temple, and a member of the Curriculum Resource Committee. A gifted teacher of life and salvation, he lived to bring action to the Gospel’s precepts.

Joe was a builder of homes, ideas, and lives. A gentle giant, who was steadfast, thoughtful, humble, and strong; he spent his life in quiet service. His greatness was shown by his Christ-like love, the warmth of his smile, the power of his patience, the richness of his intelligence, his ability and desire to teach even the hardest of hearts, his comedic timing, and his gift to uplift others through his faith, stories, and unconditional love. His love of the Savior showed in everything he did.

He is survived by his loving wife of 41 years, Alice Nielsen Raynes, and their ten children: Janelle (Nathan) Gerber, Michelle, Denise (Paul) Pitcher, Alison (Marshall) Smith, Melanee, Stefanie (Nate) Farnsworth, Jonathan (Daniela), Danielle (Bryan) Kennedy, Derrick (Alexa), David (Sydney), and their 17 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father and five sisters.

I only hope to carry on the lessons he taught me in every day life throughout my life. Thank you, Joe, for all you have done for me, even when you may not have thought anything of what you were doing. Thank you for bringing me into your family and helping me feel loved. Thank you for being an example of Jesus Christ.

New Year, New Adventures!

One of the perks of my job with the university is that I can participate in classes each semester. I have taken advantage of this opportunity, and have decided to audit 2 classes. I am taking an Old Testament class, taught by the same person from whom I took the first half of the New Testament. I LOVED her class, and am looking forward to this class. I am also taking a general psychology class. I am intrigued by this topic, and I figured a class would be a great way to learn more about it. One of the beauties of auditing is that I don't have to worry about any grades! I don't have to do the assignments or papers...Just pure learning without the stress. I plan on doing reading and such, but it is nice to not be concerned with MLA or APA!

Another new adventure in my life happened when my bishop at church asked to meet with me before Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. I knew I hadn't done anything wrong (smile here) so I thought maybe it was a new calling. Oh yes. It was. He called me to be in the Relief Society presidency in my ward! OH my! I look forward to this new adventure and am grateful to be able to serve.

I feel like my life is going in a positive direction. I feel more engaged and fulfilled with these new adventures in my life, these challeneges and opportunities for growth. I look forward to learning and developing.

PS...my MTC elders come home in 3 weeks!!! (that means I have been home for almost 6 months!!!)

Christmas, Oh Christmas!

I wanted to give you some snapshots of my joyous time in Oregon! Some things were more random than others. I was able to be there for about a week and it was wonderful! There was one day that was GORGEOUS so Jessica and I went to the beach with her dogs. While there, we found a dead seal on the beach. I loved spending time with my family, being there for all the traditions and decorations.

I did get to reflect on my Christmas last year. It will always be near and dear to my heart.

However, new times bring new memories, and I want to share them with you!










I hope you enjoyed the pictures and a small look into the joys that were my vacation!

Happy New Year!

December of Joy!

This December was a fun one! I was able to travel a bit and see some people who are near and dear to my heart! There was also some random joy too! Let's have a looksy:
My friend Doug and I decided to test our mad puzzle skills. This puzzle is a 3-D holographic type one. When Bryan gave it to me a few years ago, I thought he hated me or something ;) JUST KIDDING. But here is our final product!


I had the fabulous opportunity to go to California for a few days! I loved my time there and was able to do some fun things! My original reason of going was for my psuedo little brother, Blake's wedding. It was so amazing to see my adopted family for the first time since before my mission! PLUS I got to see a lot of people from Woodland from my growing up years! Here are a few pictures from the wedding:


The cake was SOOO good! Melissa, Blake's sister, made the cake!



Sarah, Jill, and I haven't been together in I don't know how many years! It was so great to be together again, and to meet Sarah's kids!



Pretty, huh?

I also got to spend some time with my nieces, Trinity and Taryn. Lucky for me, I got to go to Taryn's birthday party! Afterwards, I got to help her with her Barbie pool. I also got to hang with Trinity. She tried to teach me how to do the worm, and then gave up and made carpet angels! (What else do you do in California??)


It's been awhile since I have worked with Barbie, but I got it figured out!



She has mad skills!

I also got to spend some one on one time with Trista, my sister-in-law, which is super nice, because I didn't know her very well (as I had been gone for awhile) and it was fun to just hang with her. We even got pedicures!

Do you like my snowflakes?

Alas, there was a bit of sadness in my California adventure. I was given a poinsettia from work. I forgot about watering it before I left, and didn't think about it until I got home. It was quite pathetic. BUT I watered it, and it was somewhat revived! Then I did some trimming off of deadness and I had a poinsettia palm plant! AND I gave it to Bryan and Dani before I left for Oregon :).




I also had a bit of birthday joy throughout the month! I was only in Utah for one Sunday in December, so Bryan and Dani surprised me at Sunday dinner at the Raynes with a birthday cake at the beginning of the month! AND there was a whiteboard of birthday joy for me at work. AND then there was a birthday cheesecake on my actual birthday in Oregon. I thank you all for remembering me!




AND I thank you all for the wonderful birthday wishes as well!

I will be posting Christmas on its own..soon! I promise!

I LOVE YOU ALL!!!

SO...

I know, I know. I am horrible at this whole blogging thing. I am trying to get better. I also know that you don't try...you either do or you don't. BUT I am a firm believer in processes, so this trying to improve at blogging is indeed a process of doing. HA!
SO...over Thanksgiving break we had The GREAT Heritage Flood. The construction crews broke a water main and we had thousands of gallons of water flood through Heritage Halls. I was the only Hall Advisor around, SO I was in the trenches, shoveling out water. It was actually a lot of fun, even in the midst of the chaos and the worry. Makes me grateful for the people I work with.

SO...also over break I was able to go to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights with Bryan, Dani, Charlotte, and Alex-Dani's nephew. We had so much fun, and Charlotte was LOVING it. We also had dinner at the Lionhouse...DELICIOUS!


SO...of course we had Thanksgiving. I got to spend it with the Raynes family. Oh, how I love them!

SO...we had snow, and my RAs got a taste of the joy of shoveling. The funny thing, is these two, Eric and Melany, are from Arizona and California, respectively, so they are novices with shoveling. BUT they had fun...I think!

SO...I have the tradition in my family to make a Thankful Tree in the month of November where we write down one thing every day that we are thankful for. I made one in my hall, and invited residents to write on leaves as well. This is what we ended up with.

I will try to update you all on December happenings soon! Have a wonderful day!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!