Sunrise and General Conference Take Aways

Heather and I walked out to leave for Seminary this morning and saw this sunrise.  Had we been even three minutes later, we would have missed it as it was gone by the time we finished taking pictures and got in the car.  The second photo was zoomed in a bit to catch how the light was hitting the clouds from underneath.  These are not touched up; the color was breathtaking.

It was General Conference weekend!  As usual, we missed some of it on Saturday due to soccer, and I snacked way too much, but I also took notes like I've tried to do for the past several years.  It helps focus me, keep me awake, and cause me to be more in tune with the Spirit.  One of the speakers even mentioned taking notes in just the way I've experienced taking them--sometimes I jot down the topic or a phrase that means something to me, and sometimes I am inspired to make some personal notes to myself about ways that I can personally improve something in my life.  I have a binder of these notes, and I will look over them now and then specifically for a reminder of those personal notes in the margin.  This weekend there were three specific things that I took away and want to remember--of course there were many more things I will ponder later, but these three were zingers.

•  Becoming "one" takes time (in reference to marriage) - Henry B. Eyring

I think a lot of people give up before they see this happen.  Somehow we think that we automatically become "one" just because we get married.  We're on year 27, and I see the oneness more now than ever, BUT we are still progressing and have some path to travel yet.

•  Make spiritual development of family members a high priority - Richard G. Scott

This is a priority for us, but sometimes it slips down the ladder.  I loved this reminder.

•  Our body was created as a gift by God to you...How you use your body affects your spirit - Russell M. Nelson

This was probably the biggest lightbulb of the whole conference for me.  We don't think of unhealthy eating as something of large concern like we might a substance addiction.  But I was reminded that when I am eating right and exercising, I can better connect with my spiritual self and overcome some of the barriers to accomplishing things in my daily life.  The opposite is true when I do not eat well and fail to be active...I am more easily overwhelmed and discouraged because I feel lousy about myself and my choices.  The Adversary must know this about me because body image and self-acceptance have been issues my whole life.  Healthy living feels better and I know it is because of the boundaries that are set and the self mastery that is required to accomplish this style of living.  Both boundaries and self-mastery are in accordance with the things our Father in Heaven wants for us.

What a great conference.  I am excited to take my notes, review them and make some goals.  If you don't know how to get in and comment on the blog, email me and tell me what your favorite messages were from Conference.  I would love to hear about them.

Soccer Windy Saturday

Santa Ana winds, 90 degrees and a soccer game.  I don't know how these girls did it except for possibly sweat plus the wind is cooling?  They girls played so well.  The girls won 2-0, but I usually don't post the scores because for us it's really about how well they played.  You can't ask for more than a well-played game.  Their passing as they moved the ball down the field was textbook amazing.  Jenna spent all, but one quarter as a defender, and she didn't let anyone by her.  I had to take a picture of her pony tail in the wind as she stood listening to instructions.  The last photo is of Kelly and our coach which was so perfect with Kelly in his Cross Country volunteer t-shirt.  We're really grateful to these coaches and assistant coaches who volunteer their time so our girls can have this experience.

(Jenna stopping the ball mid run to change directions)

Soccer Saturday - Score!

Jenna's team did really well today.  Lots of great passing which led to some great scoring.  Jenna made a left-footed kick into the goal.  It bounced off the pole, but from the angle she was shooting from, we didn't expect her to make it.  It was pretty awesome that she had the opportunity to score and did so (she is not a lefty).  It was also pretty awesome that the team won their game prior to their pizza party.  That's always helpful for morale, right? This is a cute group of girls, and we are having a blast watching them progress together each week.

Saying So Long to Disneyland...for now

Kelly and Heather spent their last night of Passholder status at California Adventure.  Disneyland had closed at 7PM before they could get there, but Heather loves CA Adventure, so all was well.  I texted Kelly part way through their evening to let him know that there was a good chance Heather would be tearful when they left.  I wasn't sure, but she has such fond memories of growing up with Disneyland that I knew she had the potential of having a sentimental moment.  I wanted to make sure her Daddy was supportive and validating.  Sure enough, as she rode the carousel, the tears started.  They were getting ready to go, and it was the last ride.  Kelly took her to get a pickle before they left which is another favorite.  We hope to be able to save some pennies and get passes again, but darn they are expensive.  It has been a pleasure and supreme treat to be able to take our girls on family outings, daddy/daughter dates, mommy daughter dates and friend dates whenever we could.  Heather's first trip to Disneyland was at age 18months, Jenna even younger, and we've gone multiple times every year since then. We will miss it! Until next time...

Fun Changes

It is such a joy to watch your children grow and change.  I could write pages about this, but today I wanted to note two fun changes that were a bit of a surprise, but that I completely loved.  One morning Jenna asked me to curl her hair.  She doesn't let me do girly, feminine things with her hair very often, and she was happy with the result.  It's silly, but it was so fun, and the fact that she was happy was even better.  She cares a lot about her appearance, and it's cute to watch her get ready to go places.  Heather accompanied her Seminary class on the piano this week.  This was her first time accompanying anyone, and I was so proud of her.  She got up early on the day she was to play, and she practiced for a few minutes.  It's so dark outside that early in the morning, so it looked like a night time photo.  I just loved her determination to try something new with piano as well as her willingness to put the practice time in to make it good.  I love these girls.

Jenna on Instagram

We were able to get a free phone for Jenna when we upgraded our phones.  We figured it would be good for her to have one now that she's in middle school, carpooling with other families, and off on dates with friends.  We knew she was going to flip and love her phone to death, but I didn't know she would be this into Instagram.  The girl is nuts about it.  These were the first Instagram photos she took during the first week she had her phone.  I'm laughing because she gets this from me and has been watching me Instagram our life for months.  I also love taking pictures, and so does Jenna.  I can appreciate her enthusiasm for both photography and for this new app.

Melissa's Birthday

What a wonderful birthday weekend.  Turning older just means more celebrating, right?  On Friday before our trip to Arizona, my girlfriends and I went to Corner Bakery for some lunch.  My friend, Kim, made the most scrumptious, fudgy brownies.  So delicious.  There was lots of chocolate including a piece of Russian chocolate.  So cool!  My friend, Sheryl, put together a yummy travel-munchie bag which came in very handy on the car ride.  As I mentioned in my Arizona post my family and I visited Frost and Caketini on Saturday, and then on Monday, some other girlfriends and I went to breakfast.  There was more chocolate, but not just any chocolate.  My friend, Michelle, bought a custom half-pound of See's (yum!) and my friend, Shea, brought chocolate back from Paris.  Yes, France.  I was floored.  My friend, Trish, bought me two dance classes at DeFore where we used to take class.  I was feeling the love!!! I found more chocolate on my porch throughout the day Monday from other friends, and I had to take the chocolate picture.  What better birthday could there be than a chocolate birthday?  Not pictured were the chocolate covered Strawberries from my brother and sister-in-law, and the See's gift certificate from my sister.  I was spoiled with other gifts as well, but I couldn't resist the chance for a chocolate post.  I'm off to put my new iPhone cover on my newly upgraded iPhone (birthday from hub).  It's been a great year, and my heart is full.