Elder Bradley Romm

Today was a great day!!

Training

I feel fabulous! I wish everyone in the world could train like I am! I love my trainer, I love training with Shellie, I feel like I am on top of the world. Jack Sandberg is so positive in his outlook on life that it rubs off.
While I was on vacation I went to a dance...I could have been really offended this weekend, I was told because of the way I looked, "I should love myself a little less and my family a little more". Without even talking to me or finding anything out about me he made that assumption. I really didn't care what he thought, he was negative and mean. I have learned this year that I don't have to listen to mean people!

Road to my adventures.....

Sarah told me I needed to start a blog... hmm I have one started so I thought I would come back and post a few things. I have a new beginning and a fresh start to something.... Sarah said to look for the adventures, so here I go! I'll let you know when I have one! I love my kids and the support they are for me. They tell me I have a lot to offer so, I guess I will!

May

Wow, I posted and didn't even look back at it until today. I'll answer the comment now, at least it's a Monday! :-)

My grandest dreams....today!?

I have been to a training in Utah for my new job, I loved it! I loved the road that is being put in front of me. One door is to the computer world. I learned how to speak and write code (just a very tiny, tiny bit and LOVED it). It could open up a new career for me too.

Door number two and another thing I can't stop thinking about is being an advocate for a very dear friend of mine. Her son is brilliant and has not been given the proper tools to be successful in school. The tools that could change his life and hers. I have been doing a lot of study on this topic and find there is a great need to help families help their children. This might be a new opportunity to do something I am very passionate about.


So .... my grandest dreams today would be to continue in a quest to find out "What I want to be when I grow up!" Does that count?

Information:

Interesting changes in my life. They have brought me to places I never thought I would be. Now I am here, all we can do is take the bull by the horns and make it work. Happiness? Yes, it is everywhere! I see it in my family, friends and my growth. I love the gospel and love where it takes me. My divorce was final on Feb 7, 2011. My name is now Kaye Homer, I loved being a Homer and have been blessed to have such a great name to go back to. I've had a couple of surgeries to help me be healthier, so far it has been great. I am still working on my knee replacement, but I can walk without the pain I had before. My problem is I just want to do too much and have it over with right now. I am ready to DANCE!!! I went for an amazing walk this weekend, I was pleased to not be in pain and I was accompanied by a great friend. It makes me happy to be able to walk! Jake is doing great on his mission to serve the Lord and I am pleased to hear his reports. Getting papers all set to turn in for Brad and we are excited for that to happen. Brad is doing a little more now... he was serious about wanting to get bigger. He is competing this weekend at the Northwest Natural Bodybuilding competition, we are all big fans! Jesse is working hard and going great in school and is looking forward to doing the Running Start program next year in school. He will excel at that! So for now, there are interesting changes that have been going on in my life. A lot of news from the last time I blogged, but I am ready to move forward in my life and see what the next step for me is.

Update?!

Wow, a friend of mine said that it has been a year since my update!! WOW, is all I can say. There has been many changes. I'll have to think a while to see what I want to put here. I'll organize my thoughts and pictures and start again soon.! Hows that for an update!? hehe

What a family!

I love my family! My mom and dad are amazing. Shellie and I went to play cards and ended up there until 1:30, during the game we laughed, we delivered a baby horse!, ok I watched. We had a revolving door for moms babies. We really had a great time!

New Article I found

Interior courtyard
Brazilian MTC is filling up with missionaries again
By Robert Walsh
Mormon Times
Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010

http://www.mormontimes.com/mormon_living/mission_life/?id=13367

SAO PAULO -- The young men are wearing white shirts and dark ties.They and the nicely dressed young women are carrying scriptures.Many of them can be seen studying. Others talk quietly or play hacky-sack in a courtyard.At dinnertime, the Wednesday night menu is pizza, and the soda fountain is busy.

Brazilian missionaries at the Sao Paulo training center have finished dinner in the cafeteria and are headed to evening classes. Photos by Robert Walsh These young people are Mormon missionaries at the Centro do Treinamento Missionario de Sao Paulo -- the Sao Paulo Missionary Training Center, or CTM -- and the scene would likely be similar to the Missionary Training Center in Provo.But there are some differences.The busy street on which the Sao Paulo center is located is full of small businesses and shops -- many painted in bright colors.The drinks in the center's cafeteria have different names: the national Brazilian soft drink Guarana (both regular and no-sugar), agua com gas (water that's carbonated) and such juices as passion fruit and mango.The dominant language heard in the Sao Paulo hallways is Portuguese.The Brazilian missionaries stay less time because they're serving "stateside" missions."The Brazilians don't need to learn Portuguese," said Elder Vernon Christopherson, executive secretary of the center.For that reason, the center's missionary districts are either all Brazilian or all American. And their Sunday meetings are done in their native languages -- Portuguese or English.Elder Christopherson, of Orem, Utah, served a mission to Brazil from 1961 to 1963 and is back here with his wife, Jerry, as a senior missionary couple. They will return to the United States in March.With room to accommodate 646 missionaries, the center is second in size only to the one in Provo. But in mid-January, there were only about 50 missionaries there; last October, there were close to 400. The problem was visas for American missionaries called to Brazil."We're not receiving many (missionaries) from the United States now," Elder Christopherson said then.That situation has now improved.
Jose Pecanha, a training supervisor, stands near a painting of Christ in the center's front entrance. Jose Pecanha, a center training supervisor who has worked here for 3 1/2 years, said in an e-mail that as of Feb. 14, there were 132 Brazilians and 75 Americans training there.When the American missionaries do arrive, they come in at different levels of missionary experience because many have spent time in U.S. missions while awaiting their visas.In a January meeting with former missionaries who were touring Brazil, Elder Christopherson shared information about the Centro do Treinamento.When new missionaries arrive, he said he likes to quote President James E. Faust, who served in Brazil, about the two kinds of missionaries -- those who have calls to Brazil and those who wish they did.Elder Christopherson said Brazil is "the second nation of the church" because of the number of faithful Melchizedek Priesthood holders. "The power and knowledge of priesthood holders are equal to those in the United States," he said. And São Paulo, a city of 22 million people and more than 30 stakes, "is a wonderfully dynamic place to be."
The Centro do Treinamento has basketball and volleyball courts, peaceful interior courtyards with lush tropical landscaping and a small indoor track -- 14 laps make a mile.Missionaries attend classes, of course, including those for doing role plays and practicing door approaches. They are recorded on videotape so they can watch their performances and learn from them. There's also a room set aside for one-on-one teaching so they can get more experience and special help as needed.The missionaries also get a crack at real proselyting while at the center.A church van takes them to a downtown street -- usually Paulista Avenue, one of the city's busiest streets -- and they do street contacts to pedestrians. Or they might just go to a street in the center's neighborhood and do cold contacting there."The U.S. missionaries are terrified to do it (the first time because of the new language)," Elder Christopherson said.American missionaries at the center have the proselyting experience twice during their stay, while Brazilian missionaries do it once because of their shorter stay.There's also a temporal component to their time at the center."Everybody is expected to do service," he said.Missionaries mop floors, polish the furniture, run the vacuum cleaner and pick up litter on neighborhood streets.
The Centro do Treinamento Missionario de Sao Paulo has room for 646 missionaries. They also go to the Sao Paulo Temple -- a little more than 10 miles from the center -- almost every week. Some of the trips used to be to the temple in Campinas, about 60 miles northwest of Sao Paulo."We have cut back on expenses," Elder Christopherson said, "and it's a great blessing to have the temple so close."Pecanha, who served in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission and is now studying international relations at Faculdades Integradas Rio Branco, said working at the center is "the best job someone can get. Here you're surrounded by incredible young men and women of the church, not only because of the missionaries but also because of the other teachers who live in a high moral standard and are always willing to (improve) their lives."For him, the best part of working at the CTM "is to see how committed the missionaries are to the work and how the church, through the gospel principles, can help us have a higher vision about the world and about our purpose in life. ... When I see a missionary crying, because he or she is having a hard time learning the language, or learning a lesson topic, or acquiring patience or any of the Christlike attributes, I think about what the gospel has brought to them and to their family. I wish each member of the church could see how engaged they are to this work."Pecanha said another favorite part of his experience is seeing the missionaries after they've completed their missions."It's mesmerizing to see how much they grew and how they learned how to love the culture and the people they've served. We see after that they learn how to become leaders. It catches my attention because I have an impression that our countries don't strive to make leaders anymore but followers, and through the mission they learn how to think by themselves as they learn the gospel."Elder Christopherson said that despite the language differences, the American and Brazilian missionaries have no trouble integrating."I don't know of a friendlier people than Brazilians," he said.And the smiles of the missionaries -- whether Brazilian or American -- are a large part of a universal language.
E-mail: rwalsh@desnews.com

Elder Romm

It's what you plan for your whole life. It's a good thing, a great thing, yet still I will miss him something aweful! I can't wait to hear from him and experience his growth and love for the gospel through his letters. Thanks to Aunt Lisa we have some pictures of him arriving at the MTC. She is an amazing lady!!! We love you Aunt Lisa!

Good News!

I can now walk and move and bend, without crying! Woo hoo.. time to do it again!

Gung HO!!!!

Ever been so excited to start a new project and you give it your all!! Then you puke!? Well, OK that is gross, but I worked out so hard I did just that. I am now so sore that I can't sit or stand or walk or.... anything! Moderation... following the "one little word" from Passionista, (by the way I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE her blog) I think that "moderation" is going to be mine for this quest! I know Brad I'm a nube...

Missionary Mom

The count down is now single digits. I'm so excited, yet so scared. (not sure if that's the right word) I just really don't know what to expect. I know this is what he needs to be doing and he is an awesome boy!! He loves the Gospel and loves teaching it. He has been teaching me a lot this past year! Going through the Temple with him was a neat experience. I am excited to hear of his experiences in the mission field.

A visit to Nammy's

This wasn't just any normal visit. I brought Quinn home so mom and dad could do some shopping... .well on the way out the door.... I must have been sidetracked and put down the diapers. So when we got home and Quinn did the duty in his pants, there was no diapers. So being as smart as the next guy I decided it would be OK to just clean him up and put his sweats back on so he could be clean. He is potty training after all. Well, getting busy and playing we kind of forgot we didn't have a diaper on and wet the sweat pants. It was cold and we were going to go play at GG's for a little while, so I went to look for something his size, I was sure there must be something left from when Clark and Gordon where here..... alas, NOTHING!.... I found a pair of size 12 and Jesse helped me engineer a pair of pants that would fit with the help of a safety pin on the back. They worked for a while, but he was busy and having to stop and pull up his pants all the time. I saw the pockets sticking out the side and a brilliant idea, cutting the pockets out and putting his arms in will keep them up for him. So Jess and I set out on a new design. This is what we got!

When mom and dad got back, Dad was a little concerned, I think the comment was, "What in the world is my son wearing" LOL Quinn decided it was pretty cool and didn't want to change, so he sported the new outfit the rest of the night!

Busy, Busy, and more Busy!

I love watching my boys play basketball, it brings us to a really busy time of year. Work, Christmas, kids, and grand kids! I love, love, love it all. I have really enjoyed my new job. I really do LOVE my bosses.... crazy huh.. well really not .. since its Jani and Jami ( my sister and brother in law) I get the benefit of getting know their kids and be a part of their family as well. So it's an extra bonus for me! I have been so blessed this year, and look back to see the blessings of the gospel in my life. Jake has received his mission call, Sarah has moved over here, I have seen the Young Women in Burbank grow and Jessica be baptized, I now get to listen to Angels sing each week(Primary Chorister), I have had the blessing of the support of my family in may ways. I could go on forever... but for now, these are a few of the things close to my heart. I love the Gospel and hope every day to be able to live it better. I have such a love for my Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ.

and again!!

Grandkids!!!! Oh the joy!

Changes...

I don't know if any of you saw that I was going to change the heading of my blog, but I was thinking about it today, and it is still my story. So I will continue the story as it goes ... day by day. It's still once upon a time, I have a fantastic family and children that I love with all my heart. I have been going through some changes in my life as most of you know. There are many different emotions that come to the surface through trials and heart ache, I have found that when I fall it's because I have not yet learned to control my emotions. I have a great need to learn patience and am striving every day to be a better person. I love the scriptures and the conference talks, they have been a blessing and my strength.


My Visit to Alabama!!


I walked in to an awesome sign... it made me cry!


We had many activities to keep us busy.. new projects and everyone loves to help!!

Taking naps with Nammy!! .............................. Or waking up Nammy! Loved it!




Going to the park, or playing games... I had such a great time. Thank you Steph and Jared for letting my crash there for awhile!




I had the most amazing time getting reacquainted with Gordon and Clark... I think about my visit and cant help but smile, it was a sad thing to leave, but I missed my kids here soooo much I had to come home.

Lifting Burdens

Very good!

Lifting Burdens

Finding Joy!

Life seems to just continue even when you don't feel like you want it to. I have been very blessed to have such a warm and loving family. My mother, father and brothers and sisters are all amazing! I love them very much. Times seem to just get harder and harder... but as I sat today at the edge of my bed wondering if I wanted to even put my feet down, I got a call from my sister..... and then my mother... and messages from my daughters.... yes... Finding joy with such fantastic family members is not even hard to do on the worst days!!

Happy times!!!

These faces say it all!!! I love it!!