General Women's conference

I am so thankful for this time of year for many reasons tonight I am thankful it is conference time again.  You can watch conference on the Internet at lds.org, or byutv, or listen on the BYU radio app, OR go to any local lds chapel and watch in the chapel.  While staying home in our pjs and watching always sounds preferable, the First Presidency has asked that we go to the chapel to watch conference.  Tonight the girls and I did just that.  It started off with a great talk about gossip and being kind.  It was sister Brighton from the general primary presidency.  She was great!!  The second speaker was Carol Stephens from the RS presidency -parts of her talk hit us right in the heart.  She told a story about a young lady who had some massive mental challenges and who was having a "floor day" meaning she was on total sensory overload and could not dealwith anything not sound or light or touch.  Sister Stephens told of how the girls mother laid on the floor with her for over an hour repeating "I would do anything to take this pain from you" over and over again.  That got both Sierra and I crying.  Then she said as the mother and daughter lay there and the mother says again "I would do anything to take this pain from you." The daughter looks up and says "you don't need to.  Someone took it from me already.  He took it from me."  In the midst of the daughters pain and was able to testify of the atonement. What a powerful moment between a suffering daughter and a grieving mother. I know exactly how that mom feels.  It is heartwrenching.  Then Bonnie Oscarson Spoke.  She was great too.  She told us that sisters needed to known the bedrock of the doctrine of the gospel.  That we need to be bold and clear in our teachings.  The concluding speaker was President Uctdorf.   He was of course wonderful.  He spoke a lot about faith and the things that it could and could not do.  He also told some cute stories and one that involved the missionaries knocking on every single door for FOUR floors of apartments.  At the last door, after everyone else turned them away, a young girl answered and convinced her mom to let them in.  That young girl is his wife.  :)  I am so thankful for inspired leaders. More than once I felt like they were speaking just to me.  To our family to our situation.  Amazing.  Can't wait for conference to continue next weekend.  

Smarty pants!

Our Haylee girl. She is a smarty.  Sometimes a too big for her own britches smarty but I wanted to blog a moment from the other day. A few days into high school I tell her I have a couple of books I know she would like and ask her to pick one to take to school with her when she has time to kill in class. (She is never excited about my book suggestions because she thinks I have no idea what I am talking about.  Shocking, I know.)  I tell her I want her to read either "The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate" or "Inkheart" instead she reaches into her bag and *nerd alert* two days in high school and she has already been to the library.  She pulls out some book about black holes I'll have to ask her the name of it again and plug it in here later. I tell her I think she would really like either of the books she suggested and she tells me "Sorry Mom, I am just really interested in Astrophysics right now."  What the heck? Who is this geeky kid? Goodness gracious.  That girl is going to set the world on fire one day.  Love that she has a mind of her own and USES it!  :)

Book club

It was For the last six months or so I have been participating in a book club.  When I went to the first meeting Joe looked at me incredulously and said "really?!? You are adding something else to your calendar? You are so busy already!!"  I realized that i am busy but also that everything I do, I do for other people.  Not that I don't get enjoyment out of the other things I do, I love volunteering  at the thrift shop and serving in my calling and being a key spouse etc.  But not one thing was just for pleasure, just for me. I love to read and often find myself re-reading books over and over again.  I have a hard time researching new material.  This book club has been just the thing!!!  While I haven't loved every single book I have read things I would not have picked up and have really enjoyed some of them.  We meet the first Tuesday of each month.  It is a small group but we are open to adding more members and I hope to see it grow a bit.  I am thankful for the new friendships it has opened up and for the excuse to have just some me time.  It has been a wonderful!! Tonight our discussion was on "Harry Potter and the cursed child" it was very interesting to hear everyone's different points of view.  Whoever picks the book hosts the group and Lorna's cute husband decided we needed butter beer for our Harry Potter night!  So cute that he took the time to make it for us!!  

We also had ice cream to celebrate Amy's birthday. 

It was a sweet night!  :) 

This months book is Frankenstein which no one is very excited to read but hey you never know.