Bits and pieces

I am having a hard time focusing today. My thoughts are all over the place for some reason. (I think that is how this will get updated every time.) Biggest news is that I get to move into my place this weekend!! I'm so grateful for everyone helping me out. Anyway these are just some bits and pieces from awhile ago. I thought I would catch up everyone on (the whole 3 of you who read this.)

Its been a month since my Grandma passed away. The funeral was beautiful on Saturday. She looked lovely and finally at peace.  I am grateful for the time that I was able to spend with my parents and grandpa on the way up to Lewiston to the burial. We stayed until "it was finished" as my grandpa put it.  I did perfectly fine that day until we were at the gravestone "store" afterwards.  As we were sitting there, my grandpa said "so many decisions, one after the other this week, but tomorrow it will all be over and then I will be all alone."  I have been keeping him in my prayers and hope that he is being comforted by the Spirit.

 Grandpa with his brother next to their parents headstone.

 Grandpa with the two Naomi's

I finally posted the few pics I had of the family reunion on facebook as well, but I thought this video belonged on the blog. We have started doing "Minute to Win It" games at the family reunion. The goal of this game was to get the cookie from the forehead to the mouth.

All I have to say is I love my  mother....

The Mountain

I've been here for a whole week, can't believe it. Vernal, my new home. Right now my days consist of reading, reading, and more reading. Things will pick up in a few weeks. Because we are so far out here, we attend a lot of phone meetings (at least once a week). I have yet to keep track of how many coalitions or councils I'm a part of... but I'm excited to hopefully start making a difference in peoples lives. My Uncle and Aunt are so sweet to put me up, but hopefully I can move into my place soon. I attended my new ward. It was a little disappointing, but hopefully things will get better. I did attend the temple on Sat. which I'm glad about because it is closed for a few weeks for cleaning. It was beautiful and simple and a nice way to spend my Saturday afternoon.
Last week before I left I had breakfast with a friend and we had a great talk about our life path, and relating it to a landscape of mountains. While we are climbing one mountain, we can usually only see that mountain and imagine the view. Once we get to the top, we see a whole new perspective. With that knowledge, it means that it is okay to change paths, or directions. We are all climbing, we are all on a different mountain. Sometimes God allows the path to be easy, sometimes He allows it to be difficult. Other times, we walk away from His path and pave our own, eventually we give up and go back to the path that will bring us happiness. His path.  So, I took a few minutes to "paint" my interpretation of this..

I guess you could say this is the intro to my story. I hope it picks up off the ground a bit.

Naomi Gracy Joy Dent

The beginning

Well, I decided this morning to enter the blog world. Mostly, I hope to better record my life (because it is very non-existent right now - the record not the life...) In a few days, I will be leaving my family and friends and move to Vernal. Who knew.... I sure didn't. This whole experience has taught me that the Lord has a master plan for each of us in our lives.
I should back up a little. I recently graduated from UVU with my Bachelor's degree. When I first graduated high school, if some one were to tell me that I would do such a thing, I would have laughed, but God had another plan for me. If some one were tell me that I would have been home from a mission for a year at that same time, I would have also laughed. If some one were to tell me that I would be working with teenage girls at a residential treatment center, I would have thought they were nuts. I especially would have thought they were crazy if they then told me that I would then move to Vernal to start my career in Public and Community Health. Well, 18 year old self, it's true, and it's amazing, and it goes to show that the Lord knows what will bring true happiness. I have come a very long way from that timid and fearful of success girl.
The Lord works in my life in a bold way. I have been searching for jobs in my career for awhile, and nothing has happened. He has blessed me with the opportunity to work with the girls at the Journey, and they have taught me so much. And then, three weeks ago I went to Vernal for an interview and my life has changed so fast. I was offered a job later that night, I then put in my two weeks, and headed to Otter Creek State Park for a great family reunion. Upon returning, I learned that an Elder from my mission had passed away from saving his sister in a river, and drowned. At this point, I was so grateful for this gospel and the knowledge of eternal families. Elder Grey was a wonderful missionary, always had a smile on his face, and was a wonderful example of doing what the Lord asked of you. I began packing all my things to move home, since I will be staying at my Uncle's for a few weeks, before my place is ready. On Friday, July 29th, I received the news my grandmother passed away. 98 years young. She was a lovely lady, that always helped me want to be better (especially at being lady-like). I again was reminded of the comfort of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the power of temple blessings. My grandfather gave me permission to make a video of her photos. It has been special to watch/look at her photos many times over the past week.  I also had to tell the girls I work with good-bye, which has been hard. They mean so much to me and I hope each of them succeed in their sobriety. They have so much potential.
I have lept into  this new opportunity, full of faith knowing that this is what the Lord wanted, and have been swirled in this crazy mayhem of change. Then last night, I got a phone call from another department out of Richfield. It left me all very confused. A friend of mine came to visit, and I had him give me a blessing this morning. It was very clear what the Lord wanted me to. I will go to Vernal, as the Lord has planned for me. With the brief overview of all the other things the Lord has directed in my life, I would be very foolish to not follow this path now. So, I will attend to family needs this weekend for my grandmother's funeral, and then I will move to Vernal on Tuesday, and start my career on Wednesday. My new chapter of my book of life will then begin. Chapter Provo III is now over and next in the list of Table of Contents is Vernal: The land of discovery. (That was something I was counseled about in my blessing, was to use this time to create who I really want to be)
And so, I will start from the beginning......