Wonderful Husband

I just edited these pictures (makes me appreciate the fact that D usually does it, but it's kind of fun). Can't decide which version I like better. This was the night of my birthday last month, when we had a really fun date. My wonderful husband got work off, planned it all, and it definitely impressed me! He works hard for us every day. The picture is of the two of us at the theatre where we saw some old silent films. So I did the black and white version to look old-timey. I hope my blurring of the background looks okay. Oh, and for dinner that night we had Himalayan food, which I highly recommend; we tried Lamb Curry and Chicken Saag.

Remembering Summer

I know it's only October, but it was way too cold this morning! I love these two pictures from this summer -- we never had put them on our photo site for some reason.

 

 

Shboogoo got to "swim" in our neighborhood pools three times, and at a water park once. I would have taken her to our pool more if it weren't for the 5-and-under rule all the public places established because children were getting sick. But it was fun while it lasted. Her young aunt and cousins enjoyed it too. Goodbye, warm weather!

Funerals, Meth, and more

Not a very fun title, is it? I was thinking about the events of the last few days. I wore church clothes part of the day on Friday (funeral), Saturday (9-year-old's baptism), Sunday (church meetings), and today (funeral). They were all good opportunities to feel the Spirit.

The funeral on Friday was for the husband of my middle-aged friend. She and I have known each other since we were in The Sound of Music together when I was 8. His short life was an amazing Alma the Younger type of story. It was cool to learn more about him, although I already knew he was a great example to me of sharing his incredible singing talent and testifying of everyone's need for Christ's Atonement. Most people don't leave the straight and narrow quite as far or as long as he did (and then came back), but we all sin and therefore all need the Savior. Scott touched so many people.

While I fed Shboogoo tonight there was an interesting show on TV about meth. I think it was called The Aftermath of Meth. This is a real epidemic. Drugs are bad! I have a family member who used the drug in the past. Anyway, I hope people saw it and will benefit from it.

General Conference

The Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was last weekend. Yay! Which talks did you like the best?? I wrote down a few important points on index cards as I watched (although during 3 out of 4 sessions there were noisy kids around us, in addition to ours). Here are the best of them:

Bishop Richard C. Edgley:

• "What happens to a few happens to all" - he meant particularly in your own neighborhood. Be visiting teachers and home teachers!
• Adversity can increase our gratitude for Christ's Atonement and for prayer, and "can bring us closer to God."
  
• We can each be more compassionate.
  

Mary N. Cook:

• The Young Women theme applies to ALL youth.
• "The Lord is depending on you to bring the blessings of the gospel into your family. . . Who in my family can benefit from my personal prayers?"
• Jesus Christ will bless our family.

Elder Enrique R. Falabella:

• Why am I a member of the only true church?
  

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

• Do we live with joy?
• The message of the gospel made all the difference for his family -- they looked around "with an elevated viewpoint."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:

• Said that the contemporary Christian "trinitarian notion [was] never set forth in the scriptures because it is not true."
  

President Henry B. Eyring:

• Excellent talk on keeping a journal -- we must write down our spiritual experiences because in the future they will help someone who needs it! Write about general conference feelings.

Elder Quentin L. Cook:

• Live by faith, not by fear.
• "We can raise righteous children anywhere in the world."
• Preach My Gospel

Claudio R. M. Costa:

• Have "time for families" -- family prayer and Family Home Evening
• Express your love now

Sister Julie B. Beck:

• "Mothers who know desire to bear children."
• "Attributes you gain here will rise with you."
• During sacrament meeting covenants are renewed.
• Keep your home clean.
• "Plan for the future of your organization. . . . Maximize your influence where it matters most."
• For your kids, the "MTC [should] be a review, not a revelation."
• Do less. "Don't try to choose it all."

Christoffel Golden, Jr.:

• He and his wife read 1 chapter from The Book of Mormon together each day.
• Sacrament meeting is holy.
• The power of daily prayer.

Elder David A. Bednar:

• "Repentance is the sweet fruit that comes from faith in the Savior."
• Sacred covenants / recognizing the Holy Ghost
  
• "Clean hands alone will not be enough when" we stand before Christ.
• Deny ungodliness.

President Gordon B. Hinckley:

• We're a worldwide church.
• Our unique and true understanding of the nature of deity comes from Joseph Smith's First Vision.

Elder Robert D. Hales:

• We can receive personal revelation.

Claudio Zivic:

• Talked about his conversion . . . and how happy he was because of temple sealings.

Douglas L. Callister:

• Bear testimony!
• Early church leaders paid a great price to establish this dispensation. (Which reminds me that I still need to write in my journal about the Pioneer Trek we went on this past July.)
  

Steven E. Snow:

• As his mom was dying, he asked her what she regretted. She said, "I wish I had served more." He reminded her of service she had done throughout her life. Still she said, "I could've done more."
  

Morning

It's 6 am, and I got up before 5:30. I didn't really want to today, but I needed to because I knew my 8-year-old neighbor Kyle would be coming over at 5:30. I watch him 3 days a week before school. Part of me needs to go back to sleep and wanted to as soon as Kyle laid down on the couch. But another part of me loves being the only one awake right now. I believe it's not just that, but also the time of day, that makes it peaceful for me. In the morning my brain feels better and fresher than it does at the end of the day. You know what I mean? Before "Shboogoo" is awake I usually think of my highest priorities and have a desire to read the Ensign magazine or visit familysearchindexing.org, lds.org, or mormon.org. I have come to value the principle of "early to bed, early to rise" rather than staying up and sleeping in. I don't feel as good when I stay up late, even if the things I'm staying up to do are productive. A regular sleep pattern is important (well, once the baby is sleeping through the night).

So how do you feel about being up early? Are you "a morning person"? Has this changed throughout your life? I would love some comments!

Whatever I Want It To Be

Welcome to my first post, which I have put off writing for over a week. But it's okay because at this moment while I am writing it, nobody knows I even have a blog! Only my cute husband and I know it. He helped me come up with the name. See, I'm not sure what this blog will turn out to be. I decided that I'll be "random" if I want to be (my college roommate Emily said I was very random).

My blog won't be:

• full of photos of our child, because we have a separate photo site.
• a personal journal, because I have a separate journal.
• limited to religious topics, although I do like to read mormanity sometimes.

Recently while blog rolling I found a really great explanation from a woman I don't know about reasons she blogs. If I can find it again I will add a link for it. One last thing for now: My husband returned home from his LDS mission five years ago yesterday. Time flies.