DC Temple

My poor blog suffers. But not that I'm back in school, it goes to the bottom of my to-do list or my grades die. And I keep realizing that I'm not taking pictures at all. I just keep going going going everyday doing the bare necessities. Yes, I have to plan time to read, quilt, or any such lesiurely activity. I'm not saying I'm busier than everyone else, but I'm back to having to write every tiny thing into my schedule so that I can remember it.

I'm happy because I have visiting teachers again. By again, I mean after 2 years. I've been visiting teaching since my 18th birthday (minus this summer in Cali), but have only been visited once. It's quite nice. Especially when she brings pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. (But it's not okay when my cat is trying to get into them as we're visiting. Oh, kitty).

That poor cat is having an identity crisis. He doesn't respond to his name, he gallops like a horse, but totally acts like a dog, and has bunny paws. He doesn't act like a cat at all. And he gets to lonely because he's an indoor kitty now and we're so busy :(

I'm a tutor! I don't know why I'm so excited, but I just am. It's for a general ed class called America and the Englightenment (history). I had to get recommended by my teacher from last year. And I thought I didn't do that good in that class. I only work 2 hours a week, but I do get paid. Now it makes me feel a little more independent.We'll see how it goes!

This past weekend was Stake Temple Day, so I got to go do a session in the DC Temple for the first time! I did baptisms there last year. It's huge! I lost Bear in the temple because I've only been in the Nauvoo temple with him which is tiny, and when I went to another huge temple (Los Angeles), I was by myself. I was almost in tears. It ends up he had a clothing mishap that took him a while. But I can't explain how happy he was when he walked in the door and sat next to me. I know it sounds sappy, but it was a moment of realization of how sad I'd be if we lost each other forever. But I know that will never happen, because we've been through the temple together :)

It gave me a peace that I really needed. It gave me a good perspectve f the future.

After the temple, we went to Bear's brother Nate and his wife Izzy's house. They live in DC too on a military base and it was good to spend time with them. Yet again, I meant to take pictures, but failed. Bear and Nate had an intense 10 minute session of wrestling where they were both panting and sweating. Silly boys.

Then we drove home and met Rachel at Waffle House. I know it's as disgusting place, but we love it.

I got to substitute for the piano in Primary on Sunday. And we had John and Trisha over for dinner.

It got really cold this weekend. When I wanted Fall, I didn't mean winter.

But I love all I'm learning. College is good. And Bear is good.

My birthday is in 2 days! I won't be a teenager any more!

First Night Alone

I'm sure a few of you have seen this already, but I think it's super cute. It's an old picture of newlywed Elder and Sister Uchtdorf. It makes me happy.

Marriage in general makes me happy. This is me and Bear's first night away from each other. He's staying over for work. I was having my own little pity party about it this morning. (Just ask my mom. I'm known for whining and pity parties.) But then I got a slap in the face with a text from me Bear a little while later telling me that the fiance of one of his co-workers just had a still birth baby at 7.5 months. She was due in September. I've never gone through a miscarriage, let alone the normal pregnancy/delivery process. But my heart instantly hurt for her. I've only met her once, but I instantly wanted to do something for her. But I didn't want to make things worse. I felt her pain in a small degree. I had just been praying for an opportunity to help somebody too.

It put things into perspective for me. ("Right. Perspective." as Hermione says.) Yes, I miss Bear. But he'll come back soon.

The Prophet Joseph Smith taught wives that they should treat their husbands "with mildness and affection. When a man is borne down with trouble, when he is perplexed with care and difficulty, if he can meet a smile instead of an argument or a murmur - if he can meet with mildness, it will calm down his soul and soothe his feelings."

I'm trying to apply the above quote in my life. I really am happy being married. I love him. I hope that I don't sound like I'm trying to cover up an insecurity or prove that I have a better marriage than you. It's just that the best love story is your own, you know?

By the way, I know successful blogs are about a specific topic (antiques, photography, autism, entrepreneurs, thrift, just to name a few that I read). But I can't help myself. I can't stick to one topic. It's too boring for me. Hopefully it's not too all over the place for you.

Now go be happy for me.

To the Rescue

Lately, I can't stop reading. It's probably because I can't really read at school. I always take mountains of books with me, and don't get through a single one. Maybe it's because I was spending so much time with Bear...I don't know. Anyways, I just keep going onto the next book.

As you can see, I just finished To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson. It all started back at school in October. I saw it at the school library (one of the ups of going to a small school: you have a chance at things you wouldn't at a big school). They must have just put it in the New Arrivals section, because I snatched it. But of course I couldn't read it fast enough at school. I kept renewing it and renewing it, read some of it during Thanksgiving break, but felt bad that I was hogging it and returned it. But then I missed it and kept trying to borrow it but it was continuously checked out. Of course. Then I read a little while I was in Utah for Christmas from my grandma's library. I thought about buying the kindle version, but it was too expensive, and I love the feeling of a real book in my hands.

Finally, I bought it at a Deseret Book on our honeymoon in Las Vegas. I know it's a book that I will want to keep on my bookshelf forever. I didn't really care for the writing style, but of course I love Pres. Monson no matter what. The book was so uplifting and I think I can say that it's changed my life forever. There are so many good quotes from all of the Brethren. I definitely recommend it. He really does reach out to "the one". I had a personal experience with it. You can read about that in the post below this one.

"What will the legacy of President Thomas S. Monson be? Observers have a tendency to set the starting point at the beginning of a man's presidency of the Church. But his legacy goes all the way back to when he began following the Spirit and heeding promptings, when he began reaching out with the power of the Spirit, one-on-one, to anyone and everyone, especially the forgotten. His legacy will be Christlike living." p. 528

The countless stories of him on his way to help someone, and helping a few unexpected people along the way, is just one example of him listening to the Spirit. I had a few favorites, but they're long and I just want you to read it. So go ahead. Now.

The President Monson Story

I thought that I had posted this story on my blog, but I can't find it anywhere, so I post it again. This is from October 2009. Almost 2 years ago. Oh my gosh.

And this story starts a couple of months before the happening when David Archuleta came. I had it narrowed it down to 2 people, either David or the prophet. I was pretty sure it was David in my head, but I kept feeling like I was going to meet the prophet. I was so excited, and when it was David, I was still excited, but a little disappointed. I guessed that I was just really excited and that wasn't the spirit that I felt.

Well, on Friday, I was having a bad day. Nothing had really gone wrong. It was just one of the those days that I felt ugly, stupid, etc etc. I was mad that I was feeling that way and wanted to flip it around, but couldn't. I was way overwhelmed with school, college classes, lots of homework, early morning seminary, early-bird chorus, my job, college and scholarship applications, chores, and musical practice. Forget about a social life, I didn't have 5 minutes to myself. I was about to explode. We got out early that day, and on the way home, I said a prayer telling Heavenly Father that I felt like I was doing everything that I was supposed to, but I couldn't take it anymore, and to have a reminder of why I'm doing what I'm doing. I felt better after the prayer.

Well, I always wanted to meet Pres. Hinckley, and was so sad when he died and I couldn't let him go. And living in Nauvoo, I've gained a super strong testimony of Joseph Smith. But I've had a hard time accepting President Monson. Which doesn't make sense, because I never saw or heard Joseph Smith, and President Monson is giving is instruction for today. I've been gaining a gradual testimony of him, but nothing kaboom like I had with Joseph Smith.

So after school, I had to get an ecclesiastical endorsement signed by my bishop for SVU. It definitely didn't need to be that day though. I called him, thinking I could just drop it off at his house, and have him bring it to church on Sunday. But he said he wasn't home. He was at the building north of the temple. And he said he would fill it out right then. I thought that was weird, because that was the new Temple Accomadation center, that was under construction. Me and my dad went on the way to the post office. It wasn't even close to the deadline, but I had this feeling like I needed to hurry and get it signed. We could've even gone to the post office first, but we didn't.

We pull up, and the building is 99% finished. I can see a lot of older, important looking people inside the building through the windows. And they could see me. Just walking up to the door, I felt like it was a VIP party I hadn't been invited to. There weren't door knobs. But I figured that since they saw me, they'd open the door. Nope. I knocked, and an older guy in a suit stuck his head out. He seriously gave a look like "she's not on the list". He opened the door a little more, and my Bishop saw me and said I could come in. He had a security earphone. Everyone was staring at me (because I was the only person under 50 probably). I saw a lady staring at me that looked really familiar. I knew she wasn't from Nauvoo, but that I had seen her recently. Then it hit me. It was Ann M. Dibb who talked in conference - Pres. Monson's daugter! But I still wouldn't believe that Pres. Monson was there. My Bishop said, "you came just at the right time!" I was really confused. He said, "can you see who's in the room on the left?" All I could see was the temple president dressed in white talking to someone. There was a mirror on the wall that showed the top of the mystery guy's head. It looked like Pres' Monson's head, but I still didn't want to get excited. My Bishop was interviewing me and filling out my paper like nothing weird was going on. But I had nothing to do and just felt really out of place. Right at the end of the interview, the temple president came out of the room, and a tall man followed him.

It was President Monson.

He was so tall and erect and confident looking. He was smiling, and looked right at me in that room full of people. He started the conversation, and told me I had a beautiful smile and that I needed to watch out for young men. The second he walked into the room, the spirit came like a tsunami and it was like, HE'S THE PROPHET!

I didn't get to shake his hand or take a picture with him, but it was enough. He went down and visited the flatts (they were closed down for the afternoon). I told all my friends, and they got to shake his hand at the visitor's center or get a look at him. I couldn't believe it had happened. That definitely wasn't the answer to my prayer I thought I would get. He flew home the next morning.

So
1. my prayer was answered
2. I got the testimony of him that I had been waiting for
3. the feeling from 3 months ago was the Spirit, and came true
4. he acknowldged me and gave me a compliment on my insecure teenager day
5. just that tiny bit of advice he gave me, and his presence was the proof and reminder that I needed

My bishop could've said he was busy, or I could've called a couple of hours later. So many things could've happened. But it wasn't a coincidence.

Monday Night

Today I made chicken spaghetti. It is one of my family's favorites. This time I made it with cream of chicken instead of mushroom for the first time because Brandon doesn't like mushrooms, but I think I like the mushroom taste better. Make sure you cut up the chicken pretty small. Unless you like it big. It's not complicated and quite delicious.

2~3 chicken breasts (halves), cooked and diced
1 can cream of mushroom (or cream of chicken)
1 can chicken broth
1 8 oz block cream cheese
1/4 C. shredded Parmesan cheese

Combine and bring to simmer.

I also gave the Family Home Evenging lesson. It was about courage, and at the very end I realized Marek (4) didn't know what I meant and I had to tell him it was the same thing as being brave. Fail on my part. Bah.

I have this problem where after I post a post, I find other information later on it that I wish I could've added or other thoughts come to my mind. So about Fascinating Womanhood, it's a long and deep read that you can't breeze through (if you do, you won't get anything out of it). I know that a lot of people have to reread a few times. And about the last post about respecting parents, I don't want to get all emotional and use the overdone "I have the best parents in the whole world!", but I really do love and respect my parents. I had a few complaints as a teenager, but now I can see I would've handled the situation the same if I had been the parent. They make me happy and give me meaningful advice. So there. You better be reading this before or after family home evening. Just saying.

Two Cents

This weekend was nice and relaxing. I've been able to spend a lot of time with Bear. I think we should be crowned king and queen dork. I'm loving all my reading time. We're trying to figure out our financial aid and where we're going to be living back at SVU. It will be here before I know it. And I'm secretly excited for this next semester. I'll be taking 19 credits plus Institute (which does kind of sounds like suicide), but I'm excited to read more, learn more, and study more. And I won't put off homework this time. That's my goal. Now that I'm married to Bear, hopefully we'll spend our time together more wisely instead of watching lots of TV. Baha. We'll see.

We had another "heated" discussion in Relief Society today (I don't want this blog to be all about church, but it always gets me thinking) about how we're supposed to honor our parents, but a lot of people complained that their parents weren't good parents and that it's hard to respect them now. But somebody made the good point that you're responsible for you.

I respect the people that rise above their situation and don't let their environment control them. I watched a online news video clip (that I can't find anymore) recently, where a gay man was being interviewed about a "anti-gay program" his parents put him in. I'm not going to go into whether gay is "good or not" and whether that was a good parenting move, or whether the program president was a good man, or if these programs are a good idea in the first place. But I'm sure his parents were trying their best and wanted the best for their son, whether they went about it the right way or not. Another man who had been in the same program had committed suicide recently, and the man being interviewed blamed the program for making him homeless, depressed, and addicted to drugs. He also said it took his family away from him, when he had just barely said that he chose to cut himself off from his family. The news seemed to be a little more on his side. But...I lost all respect for him right there. Not because he was gay.

I can't judge the level of depression people feel and I can't judge a circumstance that I've never been in. But I can't respect people who blame their horrible lives on their horrible background and sad life experiences. If anything, it should have made him a stronger person. I would have liked to see a news story about somebody who overcame their trials, not someone who wallowed in them and blamed other people for everything!

Also, I don't agree with Casey Anthony's verdict. But yet again, I'm not her, her family, the judge, or the jury. I didn't see it happen, I wasn't in the court room. But I would like to say that I'm happy to live in a country where we have a right for a fair trial, even some people get away sometimes. I think that's much better than no right to trial and going straight to jail because a tyrannical government said so. I hope that right lasts.

Well that's my two cents. I gave a scare to people accidentally on facebook with one of my statuses. But we are not pregnant. Just so that is cleared up. The final Harry Potter is this weeeeeeeeekkkkkkk ~ ~ ~

Sunday Goodness

My past two Sundays in Lancaster have been very good. I've learned a lot and I really enjoy my new ward. That's one of the things I love about the church. No matter where you go, all the members arebgetting the same lessons and meetings with the same principles being taught. It's such a comfort. But one of the wonderful things about moving around so much (even though I hate it), is you get different comments from all the different places and it keeps things fresh. I learn a lot more that way I think.

One lady commented on how she thinks How the Savior has helped her during the week during the bread, and thinking about how she's going to include him in her life during the next week during the water. I'm going to start doing that.

Another thought was from Matt. 20:26-28. It reminded me of learning to be a Leader-Servant at SVU. "And whosoever will be your chief among you, let him be your minister." I love the school I go to. What a good way to look at leadership. Lead like the Savior.

And I love Sundays because me and Bear read the Ensign to each other. And because it's the one day of the week that I have him all to myself. His work schedule is quite rigorous.

When we learned about talents in Relief Society, it made me want to pursue my dream of learning to make vintage dresses (clothes in general too), cake decorating, and making hand stamoed jewelry. I can't wait to start!

Give me more inspirational thoughts in the comments!

Easter

I hope you have a hoppy day. My day has been filled with lovely warm weather, surrounded by a green Virginian spring, good talks on the Resurrection, and getting released from my calling. Resurrection rolls, egg coloring, and other good Eastery goodness to follow tonight.

FOR YOUR EASTER SUNDAY

It makes my heart full

This was in front of my dorm door last night. It made me really happy. They're from my RA, Katie. It made me feel guilty because I never do this kind of thing for other people in need. It really encouraged me to look for more people in need.

I'm feeling a lot better. The pain is going away. I was never in denial or angry. I just needed to cry. Which is what bear let me do. What would I do without his patience?

My family started the drive to Utah today. My parents asked me if I wanted them to buy a plane ticket for me. I really wanted to go. And I'm sure my professors would understand and I wouldn't be gone for very long. And it was a really hard decision. But I prayed and stressed and prayed and stressed and decided to stay at school. I'm still sad about it, but I need to listen to the Spirit, right? Gah my faith is being stretched right now. I want to be stronger. Bear supports my decision either way. I love him.

I don't want to sound super emo on this blog. But I really am on an emotional roller coaster. Sometimes I'm super happy and at peace about it. Sometimes the littlest thing can make me cry. And want to sit around doing nothing but focus on my sadness.

I've had so many people saying that they've been thinking about me and praying for me. It makes my heart full.

When my mom called me yesterday to let me know that grandpa's blood pressure was at 40 and he was going to get a blessing of release that day, I was happy for him that he would be let go from his pain. But later that day I just started bawling during class. Ironically, it was just as my grandpa was dying, I just didn't know it then. I had a missed call right after class. I really think I have a spiritual connection with my grandpa. Our lives have always been interconnected in an interesting way. I love him.

Thanks to Bear, to Greta for taking me to the benefit concert, to Jena for working for me, and to Katie for the flowers.

I'm the type of person that cries really hard and then I've let it go and I'm okay. I will be okay. I will see him again. I just want to be with my family during this time. My grandma's wedding dress and the temple are so much more important to me all of the sudden.

But I'll be okay because I believe in eternity.

Teachings of the Living Prophets

This semester I'm taking an Institute class called Teachings of the Living Prophets. When I was a younger teenager, I remember my mom telling me that she took that class at BYU and really wanted me to too. Obviously, all the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency has completely changed since my mom's BYU days and there's a brand new manual. There's hundreds of new talks and more recent social and ethical issues to deal with, but it's comforting to know that the basic principles of the gospel will never get outdated. And with modern issues or church policies...there's revelation to guide us.

I've always really enjoyed President Monson's biography. It's so long so it's taken me awhile, but it's AMAZING! I want my own copy instead of the school library's.

I've been looking up the church's stance on political issues on the official website. And I've learned a lot of cool stuff. The interesting thing is there wasn't a strong statement on all issues. That's why there's different political views even within the church. It makes me so grateful to be guided in most areas, but have some areas up to our own free choice and what we feel is right. The Lord loves us.

So anyways, I'm loving my class and I'm learning a lot (the good part is I get to take it with Bear). The best part is our homework lately has been to read out of the latest conference Ensign. I LOVE IT! It forces me to spend time looking at modern revelation. I'm just happy right now. Life is good. Especially with the gospel. What was your favorite conference talk from last October? And what are you grateful for?

One Day at a Time

One thing I have discovered: if I get sleep, my life is good and happy. I can take whatever's thrown at me. When I don't get sleep, one little comment from can make me feel like my world is going to end and I "downward spiral". Bear is getting to enjoy this and learning to send me home to sleep when he sees it coming on. Right now, I have sleep and I'm very happy.

The ring is still not here. It's a complicated process. Bear's dad is supposed to get a picture from the jeweler today and Bear is supposed to approve it. Hopefully it will be here by Valentine's! And the wedding plans haven't progressed much. We're trying to decide if we want to have the reception the night before, so we can leave for St. Louis right after the temple, or just get it all done in one day...we're trying to figure those bugs out. And we've narrowed down our reception buildings, but still haven't decided on a certain one yet. My grandma's wedding dress got delivered to my mom, and apparently it fits Tashi, so it should be okay on me too. I've only seen pictures, not in person, but my mom says it's in really good shape (and I trust her because she's a fabric expert). But the lace has yellowed. My mom says we need to try and get special permission from the temple. Hopefully they'll let me. At this point, we're asking people about decorating, catering, the cake, and photography, but no definite plans yet. But my roommates are planning on taking me to D.C. at the beginning of April for a bachelorette party. If we're lucky, we'll get to see the cherry blossoms!

I'm keeping up with my classes and assignments of all kinds - especially if I read my scriptures first. I haven't missed a single class except for when I was sick and so I feel like I'm understanding everything. So life is good. Except blogging unfortunately has to be at the bottom of my to-do list and never gets done. I wish I could blog everyday. :(

When I feel bogged down by everything (I just need to go to sleep), but I also remember the talk by D. Todd Christofferson from the CES fireside on January 9th - which ironically was the same day I got engaged:

"In the 1950s my mother survived radical cancer surgery, but difficult as that was, the surgery was followed with dozens of painful radiation treatments in what would now be considered rather primitive medical conditions. She recalls that her mother taught her something during that time that has helped her ever since: “I was so sick and weak, and I said to her one day, ‘Oh, Mother, I can’t stand having 16 more of those treatments.’ She said, ‘Can you go today?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Well, honey, that’s all you have to do today.’ It has helped me many times when I remember to take one day or one thing at a time.”

The Spirit can guide us when to look ahead and when we should just deal with this one day, with this one moment. If we ask, the Lord will let us know through the Holy Ghost when it may be appropriate for us to apply in our lives the commandment He gave His ancient Apostles: “Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof”

I hope this helped your day in some way. I'm planning on buying a digital camera from my refund check! I'm so excited! And I'm so excited for Valentine's day because Bear said he's going to surprise me! I love being engaged :) Leave me comments!

Orientation Activities

The activities at orientation have kept me busy and helped me meet new people. There's been free dinner at the institute, a Jeremy Hoop concert (he's the actor from Charlie and The Testaments). Who knew he could sing? It wasn't really my type of music, but I liked the lyrics. Go look him up on iTunes. And we got to watch Iron Man 2, which I hadn't seen yet.

Oh, and there was a men's soccer match against Warren Wilson College. And...we won 1-0. Our goalie was really good. Hooray for some school spirit. There's been a Luau and inflatable games. We all wanted to repel off the side of the school, but I kind of chickened out and the cut off ended right after Greta, my roommate. She totally did it! Me, Rachel, Greta, and Morgann (our new friend) laughed and just had fun that night. I haven't laughed that hard in a while.

There's also been service projects. We had to go pick up garbage at the park. And I got a slice of pizza, a chocolate molten lava cake, and a bottle of water for only $1.32 from Dominoes! I'm loving all the cheap food I'm getting. We went to Walmart. Which was an adventure and a half. We got lost there and back. Usually you figure out how to get somewhere after the first time. I guess we're just challenged. But we got cleaning supplies for our dorm, and other little things that make our room feel more homey.

Then there was a stoplight dance on Saturday night. If you were single, you wore green, if you were complicated, you wore yellow, and then red if you were taken. Yes, there was mosh-pitting and body surfing. And the one guy that asked me to dance just got home off his mission from Japan. So we spoke a little Japanese to each other. Haha

The past two days, I've had 2 scriptures pop out at me. I love it when that happens. One is Helaman 2:27

"Yea we see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon his holy name."

And the other one is Helaman 4:15
"and it came to pass that they did repent, and inasmuch as they did repent they did begin to prosper."

Just simple little scriptures. But they had strong principles that I needed to be reminded of. I like how principles never change.
Classes start tomorrow, but I don't want to get too busy, because I'm having so much fun with my roommates.

Tomas Ambt Kofod

I met the man on the right. This is the best picture I could find on the internet. Isn't that sad? His name is Tomas Ambt Kofod. He portrayed Jesus in The Testaments: Of One Fold and One Shepherd, and Finding Faith in Christ. He's a Danish convert to the church. He came to visit Nauvoo for fun and then got stuck here when the volcanoes erupted and there were no flights home.

So he threw a spontaneous fireside in Nauvoo last Monday night. We went for family home evening. He told us about all the tiny little miracles that made it so he could have this part in the movie. If any one of the million miracles hadn't worked out, he wouldn't have been able to do it. He was a foreign exchange student and went to Bingham High School where my dad went. They graduated just a couple years apart from each other. And he's also really into musicals and sang "Bring Him Home" for us. It was perfect, because me and Tashi are obsessed with Les Mis right now. His two kids are adopted, which made Mia excited.

He was very spiritual and really sparkled. His point was that he didn't get the part because he was perfect. And just thinking about his own sins while portraying the atonement scene was enough to overwhelm him and bring him pain. It reminds him to repent. The fireside went later than planned and we had early morning seminary in the morning. Our seminary teacher, Jennifer was there and invited him to come to our seminary.

He came. At 6 in the morning. He didn't really talk any more about his experiences with the movie and just gave us a pep talk. He said he wishes sin was like a cold shower so we it wasn't tempting and we would never want to do it again. Sin is only appealing because it gratifies us. He talked a lot about repentance and staying away from sin. And how perfection is a process. His sense of humor was awesome. He really made us laugh.

Before I met him I heard that he was Danish and I also heard a cool story which is my favorite. He was offered to have a part in a play with nudity and was able to work it out with his director so that he wasn't nude onstage. And he also got offered a part in Rent, which has homosexuality in it. And he turned it down. He didn't want to turn down two jobs and it was really hard. But when Neil A. Andersen interviewed him, Tomas was honestly able to say to his face that he had never been nude onstage or portrayed homosexuality. He was blessed with portraying the part of the Savior right after for turning those bad parts down. I think that's an awesome blessing. It was cool to have that story confirmed and actually meet him in person. And it motivates me. Come to Nauvoo so you can meet cool church people! Haha jk

Elder Holland

Elder Holland came to our Stake Conference last Sunday. It was amazing. He has a good sense of humor, but the serious points he makes are very strong. The whole week before he came, I was very depressed and didn't know why. The same thing happened before I met President Monson (even though I didn't know I was going to meet him ahead of time.) Satan was really working on me trying to control my emotions. But it just makes me feel the Spirit so much more when I meet them and strengthens my testimony. Satan fails haha. So I have met and talked David Archuleta, President Monson, and Elder Holland in less than a year. How lucky is that? Nauvoo is the place to be!

They are always so full of the Spirit. How awesome would it be to have your testimony show in every conversation? Or just in your presence? (Without being self-righteous.)

I got to shake his hand. He said I looked like a Dr. Seuss character! I just think that's so funny. Instead of just a hello, he was actually trying to find unique about each person who came up to him. I definitely won't forget what the prophet or this apostle said to me personally. My testimony was definitely strengthened by meeting them. Whenever I feel like I can't take anymore discouragement in my life, Heavenly Father sends me something amazing to keep me cheerful. How can you not feel cheerful when the prophet or an aspotle speaks? And knowing the talk was especially for our stake made it so much better than a general conference talk.

Elder Holland's talks are very sharp and makes you proud (a good proud) to be a member of the church. The gospel is so amazing!

Watched Over

My family has really been looked out by Heavenly Father for the past few days

^ (this is Tash, me, and Jordan)

My aunt Jill posted this about my cousin Jordan:

"Jordan was in a car accident last night, but luckily, nobody was hurt. He was out doing missionary splits, and they were hit by a sweet older woman in her 70's or 80's. She didn't see them coming and pulled out from the stop sign, clipping the tail of the truck as he was going 60 mph (speeding up to avoid her) down the highway by the Benjamin exit. The truck actually turned around 180 degrees and ended up on the other side of the road. They almost went over the drop-off, but stopped just in time. If Jordan hadn't seen her coming and sped up a little, she could have hit the passenger side further up where the missionary was. There were several other cars in the area, and it was good that no other cars were involved. Everyone was wearing seat belts. He feels that they were watched over."

My grandparents were on their airplane to Chile for their mission when the huge earthquake hit. The plane turned around to Miami and now they are waiting in Dallas. They were a few hours away from being hurt, killed, or stranded. Not only were they lucky in not being there during the earthquake, now they will be able to help a lot more when they get there!

And other such small incidences in my immediate family too. I know these are not coincidences! If you're doing what's right, you'll be watched out for. Especially with missionary work. Once again, I love missionaries

N Stake Girls Camp 2009

I was at my 6th and final year of Girls Camp from June 23-27. Me and Tashi were the only youth leaders from our ward. I wasn't excited to go, because none of the girls in my ward were my age, and all the girls my age from other wards weren't going (making me have more responsibilities at camp), I didn't grow up with these girls, and didn't go to school with any of them, unlike my past 2 stakes. There were 7 girls from our ward that went: Eliza, Briana, Lis, and Katie. Our camp was 45 minutes out of St. Louis, Missouri. That was hottest week of the summer. The temperature was in the 90s, with a heat index of 110 degrees because of the humidity. We were all sweating profusely like sweaty pigs and guzzling down liquids.

We met at the Halxxxx's house at 8:30 am the first morning. Sister Halxxxx is from our ward, and in charge of buying all the food for the whole stake. That is a huge responsibility, I don't know how she did it. She didn't complain once, even though she was stuck in the kitchens with the hot ovens the whole time. So on the way to Girls Camp, we stopped at Sam's Club and helped her shop for everything. It was a lot of food for 200 people for 11 meals. We ate lunch there too. Their berry shakes make me happy inside. Our camp was called Camp Sherwood.

I got really homesick on my first day of camp, like I always do . I don't like camping at all, so thank goodness for the spiritual stuff and friends. Kennedy and her mom Gloria came too. I was so excited for Gloria to come. Me and Tashi had to give devotionals every night for our ward and were in charge of teaching certification classes for the younger girls. We were hoping it would cool down during the week, but to no avail. It didn't cool down much at night, and it was very hard to fall asleep and stay that way. It didn't rain at all the whole time we were there too, which is a miracle! It rains so much here. If it would've rained, it would've cooled down, but the humidity would've gone up, the mosquitoes would've come, we'd hahve been muddy, stuck in our cabins...not a pretty picture.

We had so much to eat at all of our meals. And there was so much junk food. And I was bloated with liquids. I gained so much weight there I think. I didn't get many bug bites either. Our first lesson was really good. It was about listening. And if you don't listen to people who need to be, you are depriving them of psychological oxygen. The second lesson we learned to have a perfect heart, and in the 3rd & last lesson, I learned that faith is a prerequisite for purity. Sister Skog came from our ward to teach a hair braiding class. I learned how to tie knots on top of your head. In my second class, I learned how to make homemade Almond Joys. They were so good. My last class was yoga. But I forgot that I had signed up for it, and forgot a yoga mat. And I was dumb and wore tight jean shorts to the class instead of stretchy, comfortable pants. And I'm already inflexible, so I could barely do these stretches without feeling like I was going to rip my pants. And it was making me sweat a lot for some reason, I was using somebody elses's gross mat, and I was thinking, why did I sign up for this again??? When all of the sudden, our teacher made us do some really relaxing stretches on our back. Then we were told to just lay flat on our back and close our eyes and focus on our breathing. She made us do it for 15 minutes, so of course we all fell asleep. I felt so good when I woke up.

The first day, I only sat on the beach of the lake, but the next 2 days I was in the water!!! It was really gross, but it never got too deep, and cooled you down. The lake was for all the surrounding camp grounds, so there were people with tattoos and alcohol and cigarettes and boyfriends and girlfriends all over each other in the water, and it was like, WE'RE AT GIRLS CAMP!!! This is not supposed to be happening! It's funny how seperated from the world you become at Girls Camp. There was also zip-lining and spelunking in caves, but I didn't do either of those.

And I finished reading the Book of Mormon while I was at camp. I had started at the end of January. One of the nights, we had a youth leader meeting, and we ate so much candy that I got sick to my stomach. We had flushing toilets, showers, and no campfires. We slept in cabins with bunks. A few wards were in charge of each meal for the whole stake. So it wasn't really roughing it except for the heat.

We planned our skit last minute. We got it on video. Tashi was a character called Mr. Tashimoto. It was hilarious. All of the skits were hilarious. I wish we could have filmed them all. I got a little tan from going to the lake.

I am so glad Gloria was at camp. She was my positivity and humor that I needed to get me through. We had to show the Bishopric our skit when they came up the last night. Our Bishop reminded us to stay virtuous and to remember there was a boy being prepared out there to marry us someday. I thought we were going to have a testimony meeting with them, but we didn't. And I had taught the girls about testimonies, so I was a little disappointed. I thought if I brought it up, people wouldn't want to. After the Bishopric left, we went back to our cabin. Eliza, who isn't even quite 12 yet, asked if we could have a testimony meeting right then and she wanted to go first. And her testimony was so cute. And then we all followed after her. I had such pure, innocent girls at camp that obeyed me. (Maybe I had to remind a few times, but nobody disobeyed me).

What if I get called as a leader next year???!!!!

Holy Things

These are just some various things that I have learned this week:

A morally clean life is important if you want to enjoy peace, happiness, and self-esteem. The battle for our souls is exceedingly fierce. The adversary is strong and cunning. Sin is sin!

Pray vocally as well as in your heart. When you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer continually.

Virtue is not only having chaste thoughts, but pure thoughts, that are full of truth.

Prayer is something to enjoy.

The body is to be kept pure and holy. Do not be afraid of soiling its hands in honest labor. Do not be afraid of scars that may come in defending the truth or fighting for the right, but beware scars that spiritually difigure.

And then we had several ladies from our ward each give a talk on divine nature for mutual last week. One of them said something I really like: Eternal marriage isn't just getting married in the temple. It's working hard for it everyday after you get married, to keep it together for eternity because you know you just can't throw it away like any marriage outside of the temple.

Virtue

Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It includes chastity and purity. The power to create mortal life is an exalted power God has given His children. He has commanded that this power be used only between and man and a woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

"And notwithstanding this great abomination of the Lamanites, it doth not exceed that of our people in Moriantum. For behold, many of our daughters of the Lamanites have they taken prisoners; and after depriving them of that which was most dear and precious above all other things, which was chastity and virtue - " Moroni 9:9

"For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts." Jacob 2:28

"We, the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

We declare the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

We call upon responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society" - "The Family: A Proclamation to the World"

Physical intimacy between husband and wife is beautiful and sacred. It is ordained of God for the creation of children and for the expression of love between husband and wife. God has commanded that sexual intimacy be reserved for marriage.

When you obey God’s commandment to be sexually pure, you prepare yourself to make and keep sacred covenants in the temple. You prepare yourself to build a strong marriage and to bring children into the world as part of a loving family. You protect yourself from the emotional damage that always comes from sharing physical intimacies with someone outside of marriage.

Do not have any sexual relations before marriage, and be completely faithful to your spouse after marriage. Satan may tempt you to rationalize that sexual intimacy before marriage is acceptable when two people are in love. That is not true. In God’s sight, sexual sins are extremely serious because they defile the power God has given us to create life. The prophet Alma taught that sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder or denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:5).

Before marriage, do not do anything to arouse the powerful emotions that must be expressed only in marriage. Do not participate in passionate kissing, lie on top of another person, or touch the private, sacred parts of another person’s body, with or without clothing. Do not allow anyone to do that with you. Do not arouse those emotions in your own body.

In cultures where dating or courting is acceptable, always treat your date with respect, never as an object to be used for your lustful desires. Stay in areas of safety where you can easily control your physical feelings. Do not participate in talk or activities that arouse sexual feelings.

Homosexual activity is a serious sin. If you find yourself struggling with same-gender attraction, seek counsel from your parents and bishop. They will help you.

Victims of rape, incest, or other sexual abuse are not guilty of sin. If you have been a victim of any of these crimes, know that you are innocent and that God loves you. Seek your bishop’s counsel immediately so he can help guide you through the process of emotional healing.

If you are tempted to commit sexual transgressions, seek help from your parents, your bishop, and friends you can trust. Pray to the Lord, who will help you resist temptation and overcome inappropriate thoughts and feelings.

If you have committed sexual transgressions, begin the process of repentance now so you can find inner peace and have the full companionship of the Spirit. Seek the Lord’s forgiveness. Talk with your bishop. He will help you obtain the forgiveness available to those who truly repent. - "Sexual Purity" in The Strength of Youth

"We believe in being hoenst, true, chaste, benevelent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed we may say that we follow the admonition of Pual - We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." - Article of Faith number thirteen

"Who can find a virtuous woman? For her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no seed of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands. She is like the mechants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms. She pereiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor: yea, she reaceth forth her hands to the needy. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple. Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land. She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant. Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come. She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness. She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness. Her chidlren arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her. Many daughters have done virtuously,but thou excellest them all. Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised. Five her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works priase her in the gates." Proverbs 31:10-31

ENOUGH SAID

artsy

I want to quilt. But I'm just not in the right mood too. Which doesn't make sense, because I want to. Maybe it's like me wanting to go on a no-sugar diet, but I'm never in the mood to start. I always want to create something beautiful, but feel discouraged that it won't turn out that way. Should I force myself to quilt? I feel like I will never finish my grandmother's flower garden quilt. Or any of the other things I have started.

I feel like I'm not ready for college, and never will be. I only have one year now to be ready. The new school and seminary that I hated has opened up my mind. I thought I learned a lot when I moved to Utah...forget that. I've learned 100 times more here in N town. I didn't think I would make it through the school year, but now I can't believe it's already over.

There's something about N town that always makes you feel at peace. You feel protected and watched over. Sounds cheesy, I know. But I live on the street where all my ancestors had to walk down to the water and cross over to the other side after they were kicked out of their homes. The Trail of Hope. It feels so sacred. The temple is so close. Everytime you pass that corner and it comes into view on s sunny morning, it radiates the white and almost blinds you. I almost go off the road staring at it. You have to pass the temple to go to church from our house. How many people get to do that?

I have had so many spiritual and educational, artisitc opportunities that I have never had before until I moved here. I feel so inspired by all the people around me.

My friend Eli gave a nice talk in sacrament meeting today. He is so spiritual. He always cries during his talks. I know I should ultimately be thinking, what whould Jesus do? But I seriously usually end up thinking, what would Eli do? He's my role model and hero.

I had to give a talk last week on memorial day weekend. We had so many visitors in our ward, the whole cultural hall was filled up too. I couldn't even see how far back the people went. And I only had a couple of days to prepare for my talk. But I learned a lot from it. My favorite thing I got reminded was that Heavenly Father is paying us the ultimate compliment by giving us freedom. And if we just obey, we are protected. Not from adversity, but from being alienated from God. Not to get too deep here. My mind is just going crazy right now.

And we get to go watch one of my favorite movies for family home evening tomorrow night: Joseph Smith, Prophet of the Restoration.

I wish artistic things came to me naturally, and I didn't have to force it.

Book of Mormon

I've been reading the Book of Mormon everyday for one of my 10 hour projects for Personal Progress in Young Womens. I read 5 pages a day, and I started at the beginning of January. I'm at the end of Mosiah now. I've only skipped a couple of days so far and I made them up so I'm not behind. I've been so busy lately, I sometimes feel like I can't find the time. But even though timewise it's impossible, I somehow have been able to get everything done. It's kind of crazy. Seminary teachers speak the truth when they say if you read your scriptures before you do anything else, you will always get everything else done too. I believe what my seminary teacher said now.

There's so many little truths and things in the Book of Mormon that you forget about. It helps calm me down and when I'm having a bad day, I've noticed it will get better the second I say a prayer. Yes, reading 5 pages a day has helped my day to day life. It doesn't even seem like a lot to read anymore. I'm reading the New Testament for seminary too. I think I've read over 10 hours worth by now, but I'm going to finish reading and maybe start over again. My mind is able to focus on what it needs to instead of the gross yucky things people talk about at school. I'm able to tune it out.

Anybody else want to do it with me?