I don't know how to say this, but.....

It's not you, it's me.

I just need some time for myself.

I need to figure some things out, and I'll let you know.

I'm just not fully vested in this relationship right now.

What I'm trying to say is.........

Blogging just isn't enough for me anymore.

But it's honestly not you. It's me. Or the weather. I don't know.

You may or may not have noticed I haven't been around as much. My posts have been less frequent, and definately half-hearted. I haven't commented as much either.

Here's what I can come with as excuses:

• My in-laws visited a few weeks ago, and I took a break. I haven' really been full-throttle since then.

• Spring has finally arrived. Last week we had gorgeous weather. I actually got a sunburn last week.

• I bought flowers to plant, but wouldn't let myself do it till I mowed our lawn. Our lawn was covered with thousands of dandelions, which I decided I needed to pull before mowing.

• I seriously spent 12 hours last week just pulling those flippin' dandelions. Then I finally broke down and bought some spray (that didn't work) and then mowed. I planted my flowers yesterday.

• I've also been reading quite a bit. I the rest of Annette's books and loved them. One in particular, House on the Hill, was beyond fantastic. The heroine is not perfect. In fact, at the beginning of the book, she's ungrateful and a little petulant. Her gaining a testimony is an integral part of the story, which I loved. I'd say that one is definately my favorite of all her books.

• A few weeks ago, I won a code for a free Shutterfly book from Angie. It expires on Thursday, so I've been working on that. It's fun, and I'm really excited about having a hardbound book with pictures of our family.

• A dear friend is moving this week. I've watched her kids a few times, and went to a going-away party for their family.

• I've been on this weird industrious kick. I worked really hard on the lawn last week, and worked really hard on my house. Stayed on top of the dishes and making the beds and keeping things tidy. I did FIVE loads of laundry yesterday. No, I'm not nesting. I'm definately not pregnant. I guess I just......have more energy with the sunshine out. Maybe I'm solar-powered. That'd be awesome.

• Then of course there's the usuall stuff with callings. Enrichment committee meetings, scout meetings, and activities for both. Busy as ever with those and organ/choir.

• Oh, and I went kayacking last Monday for the first time. I could write it all now, but it's kind of a funny story I'll save for when I come back. -->Did you catch that? I'm coming back. I promise.

So basically................I haven't felt a real need to blog lately. I've still been reading your blogs every day or two, but not commenting as much. (Sorry.) I'm sure I'll be back in full swing soon, and I'll probably keeping doing quick and easy posts, but I'm not making any promises as to when that will happen.

I know I'm not the only one to experience this. Have you ever had blog-burnout, or just wanted to take a break? How long was it before you really came back? And most importantly, are you all going to leave me if I'm not as committed for another week or two?! (How do you make the "u" with the dots over it that looks like a smiley face? That's what I want to do right here. 'Cuz I'm teasing. Mostly.)

Waterproof mascara

Pro: It doesn't come off when you cry in church because a dear friend is moving away.

Con: It doesn't wash off at night when you WANT it to come off. And I'm out of my eye-makeup remover.

p.s. what's up with the pigs getting the flu?

Stirring the pot........read if you dare.....

Maybe I've become cynical, but I never was under the assumption that we didn't torture at Guantanamo Bay. A few days ago when all that stuff was released about it, I was like, "What's the big deal?" I just didn't think there were people who would be legitimately surprised to discover the happenings at Guantanamo Bay. Why else would Obama want to close it? Is it just because they supposedly didn't torute captives, and now we find out that wasn't the case? Are people mad that the Bush administration lied? Haven't we already been over that?

Did you think torture never occured there?

Yes, I know torture is wrong. That's not what I'm addressing.

While we're on the subject, what do you think of all that info being released?

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Last night we watched a little Bill O'Reilly. I had heard there were going to be some big happenings and wondered what was going on. We missed whatever it was, but saw a little bit of The Factor. Bill was talking with some others about Mel Gibson. He was saying that it seemed like when "religious" celebrities screw up, they get hit a lot harder by the media than non-religious or left-winged celebs. He didn't like the double standard.

Do you think there is a double standard? And if so, do you think it's legitimate?

I personally think that if you don't practice what you preach, you should get hit harder than those who don't preach. (You follow?) If you "know" better, and have been brought up that way, then you actually do have farther to fall.

I know that Bill was making it into "The media's harder on the right than they are on the left," but when it comes to moral transgressions, I think those with religion should get hit harder. (Not that I think "the left" is godless, but he was making it out to be that way.)

He mentioned JFK, and how he never was criticized for his "indiscretions," apparently because he was a Democrat. But wasn't he also Catholic?

Talk about a double standard.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So what do you guys think? I want to hear honest opinions, whether they agree with mine or not. I'm not looking for a fight, just an intelligent discussion.

What's on *my* walls

After asking you guys what's on your walls, I'm sure you're all dying to know what's on my walls.

So here ya go:

So what does all this say about me?

I have to confess, my inquiry to you guys wasn't an origina thoughtl. After reading this post on Segullah, I was curious to see what my blog friends had on their walls. The author of that post mostly talked about her generic tastes and almost cookie-cutter like decor style.

I think I, too, have somewhat of a cookie-cutter style, too, as far as typical LDS homes go. I'm pleased to say I don't have a lot of vinyl letter on painted boards, but I do own quite a few pictures straight from the Deseret Book catalogue.

Superman and I both grew up in homes where artwork of the Savior was commonplace. Also, we grew up in Kansas. Not everyone had the same art we did -- even other members of the church.

In all honesty, if we hadn't received the art we did as wedding gifts, we probably woudn't have them now. Not because I don't like them, but because art can be so expensive! So I'm still grateful to our parents and others who bought those for us.

I like the tone my art sets in my home. I certainly don't stare at the pictures of Christ for hours and ponder things, but we always get comments when people come to our home for the first time. They wonder if I painted the letters on the wall ("Of course I did!!"), or where we got married. It feels very peaceful.

I wouldn't consider myself one who's extremely outspoken about her beliefs. Even when I didn't live in Utah, I rarely invited friends to church, or talked about my religion a lot. I just wasn't that zealous. I still don't think I am.

But I have no problem with people walking into my home and seeing a picture of Christ right away.

I also have a large frame that holds 21 pictures -- I switch those out regularly. It's fun for people to see pictures of the kids when they were younger. They aren't profesional portraits, mostly snapshots, and a few wedding photos.

So there's my answer for you guys. And don't worry -- if you said you weren't really a fan of LDS art, I still love you. :o)

p.s. I want to give you guys just one more link. This is an artist who lived in my last ward and does some pretty amazing work. A piece he did a few years ago actually won an Ensign art contest and was on the cover. And he was my next door neighbor! He's used friends of mine as models. His name is Ben McPherson, and here's his site. This is one click that I promise won't be a waste of time.

I'm in the mood for

some of this:

along with some of this:

which probably means it's about time for this:

JOY.

Inquiring minds want to know.......

What kind of art do you have in your home? What do you think it says about you?

TGI random F!!

“An old friend will help you move. A good friend will help you move a dead body.”
~ Jim Hayes

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Have you seen Wicked? I know of few of you out there are hard-core obsessed, but have you seen it, or do you just have the soundtrack memorized?

Last week when my in-laws were here, it came up. I guess it's being performed up in Salt Lake, and Superman said we could go if we wanted to spend a few hundred dollars. (I wish.) My mother-in-law was like, "Uh, I'd be sure about that show before you went. I read the book, and it's just horrible. I thought it was going to be a funny spoof of The Wizard of Oz from the Wicked Witch's perspective. But it wasn't funny. It was twisted and disturbing."

I was shocked. My only real exposure to Wicked is through blogging, because I know people who just LOVE it. And the song "For Good," which is in my playlist, if you wanna hear it.

I played the song for my MIL, and she was shocked that it came from the musical. "That defiantely wouldn't fit into the book." (It's a beautiful song about the powerful influence friends can have on us, for good.)

Have you seen the show? Read the book? How are there such differing opinions? Was the sarcasm and humor in the book just too subtle?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some things I realized yesterday as I was REALLY cleaning my home:

• I need to do laundry on Mondays and Tuesdays, because that's when they do the Vh1 reruns.

• I have definately neglected the house too much if I have to walk through it with a trash bag and throw things away. And I'm not talking about kids' toys that weren't cleaned up. I'm talking easter candy wrappers, library receipts, crusts of bread..........maybe I shouldn't be divulging all this................

• Big fuzzy slippers make your feet hot (and stinky) when you're moving around a lot.

• Turning the power strip off for the TV makes my home a very peaceful place. I need to turn the TV off more. It also means I can enjoy my playlist more.

• Having a clean home makes me happy. The sense of accomplishment is nice. And it's nice to be able to blog or read without feeling guilty that my house is a mess. And it's much easier to tidy a mostly clean house, than spend hours working hard to get it clean.

• I know. Whoda thunk?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A few days ago, That Girl did a post about her 2nd born. And she could've been describing my 2nd born. I didn't christen him "The Hulk" lightly. Boy has a temper. He is either the happiest kid, or madder than Hades. He turns bright red, and his hair turns white. In fact, he was in time out FOUR TIMES before BREAKFAST this morning. He wouldn't say sorry to Spiderman. It honestly took 30 minutes, in and out of time out.

But when he's not mad, he's hilarious!!! He is so happy and willing to help. (Spiderman pulled all the books off his bookshelf yesterday. I asked him to pick them up. He picked up a few, but the Hulk happily picked up most of them.) He laughs and plays and cracks me up. But if something doesn't go his way.................watch out. I've learned how to quickly diffuse a situation before he gets out of contol, but also not give in and make him think throwing fits gets him what he wants. (What mommy merit badge is that? The Equilibrium badge?)

The thing that amazes me most about all this is that several of That Girl's commenters said the same thing. That their 2nd born, especially if he was a boy, was like this. Hot or cold.

Have you noticed this? Is your second born particularly passionate? If you aren't there yet, what about your siblings?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now, ten randon tunes from the best playlist ever. Truly.

1. My Wish -- Rascall Flatts

2. Where I Stood -- Missy Higgins

3. Hello -- David Cook

4. I Will Follo You -- Death Cab

5. Video -- India.Arie (LOVE HER. Spent 20 minutes listening to her stuff this morning.)

6. Let Them Be Little -- Billy Dean

7. Giving Myself -- Jennifer Hudson (Did you see her on Idol? I forgot how amazing she is!)

8. Without Your Love -- SheDaisy

9. The LIttle Thing -- Colbie Callait

10. All This Beauty -- The Weepies

Bonus: Paralyzer -- Finger 11

~~ You can find more Friday randomness with Motherboard, Rachel, and Sher ~~

I admit it. I'm a hijacker. At least they can't stick me in GitMo, anymore.

Rather than write an original post of my own today, I'm going to share some comments I've made on other blogs. I have a horrible tendency to make comments that should really be posts. Today, they are.

This was on Ashley's blog, and she mentioned American Idol.

I am still so undecided on this season of AI. Maybe it's because I know
Adam's a musical theater major, but EVERY performance of his feels like a
Broadway song. An *incredible* song, but still too much for me. I want
Allison to do better, and Kris. We'll see. I just don't know who I want to
win, or think WILL win. Probably Adam.

Additional thoughts I've shared elsewhere: Maybe it's horribly stereotypical of me, but I just can't see a gay guy as a huge rock star. Is that even the genre he would go with? I think Kris' and Allison's styles are more popular right now, but they need to step up their games. With the right songs, they could be really great. Danny's got a great voice, but what genre would he do professionally?

This was on Angelica's blog, who was saying that she was DONE bundling up, and refused to wear a coat again this season.

My children are bundled up, playing out in the sunshiney-SNOW right now. I even had to break out the box with gloves in it. I had put that box away a month ago. We built snowmen that they are currently attacking with ice-scrapers. And pushing over. All my hard work, down the drain.

I'm a firm believer in the jacket. Even in winter, I rarely wear more than my favorite jacket. Good luck with the drippiness of your nose.

This next one was on Tammy's blog, who mentioned that she and her husband were both Scorpios and she wasnt' sure if that was such a good idea.

Just last week, Superman and I were killing time at Barnes & Noble, waiting for a movie to start. I picked up a bargain book on astrology. Everything thing they said about Libras was true for me. Something I've never realized that is common for a lot of Libras -- seeing both sides of an issue. I can still feel strongly one way, but when "discussing" an issue, I feel the need to make the other person see BOTH sides. Then I usually go on to agree with them, because keeping the peace is also part of being a Libra. Even if I don't necessarily agree with them. I find a small point I agree with and leave it there.

Alright, that probably should've been a post. Sorry. :o)

But I was reading about the signs in relationships. Interesting and true things about Superman and I and our respective signs, and I read a little bit about scorpio/scorpio relationships. Passionate and intense are adequate adjectives. :o)

This last one is from Sher's blog. She talked about what she would do if her spouse died, then almost died herself.

First of all, I got a good chuckle out of you realizing what your dying utterance could have been. (She had sworn when she realized a car was about to hit her.)

Secondly, as one who's husband thinks he's going to die young, I've given far too much thought to remarrying. My fear is that no worthy man would want to marry me, knowing he couldn't be sealed to me.

{ahem}

And now we're moving on! I'm gonna spend some more time with my kids today. Thanks, Sherrie baby.

And with that, I'm done, folks. I AM going to spend some much-needed time with my kids today. And with my house. They've all be neglected as I was a hermit who just read books and blogs for the last two days.

p.s. Anyone else ever feel like their comments should be posts? I have a serious issue with keeping my comments brief. Hijackers Anonymous, anyone?

I'm crushin'. And not on David Archuletta, though he does have quite a voice.

Let me just say that after watching this:

I understand this:

a whole lot more. Whew!!! I may need to fan myself off a bit. Australia was a long movie, actually like two movies in one, but I liked it. And that Hugh Jackman............um, YEAH. I liked him, too. Thouroughly rugged. And that accent? This is the first time I've seen him in a movie with his native Australian accent. And I LIKE IT.

My former celebrity crush,

may have just been knocked down a rung. Sorry, Matt.

Have you seen Australia? What did you think of it? Who is your celebrity crush?

Easter decor

I hope you have a wonderful Easter. May you create memories and make time to ponder on the marvelous gift the Savior has given us. I am thankful for all that He suffered for me, but today especially, I am grateful for the resurrection. Through Jesus Christ, I will be able to be with my family for eternity, the most precious of all gifts.

Things I didn't know I'd love when I became a mom

• Little boys who want me to spin them around so they can get "bizzy."

• Stirring macarroni and cheese and hearing, "You're fingers are gonna get hot. You hafta be careful."

• Misused preposition "I want milk on my cup"

• Mispronouced words "Chips and SOUL-sa" and "Sleeping Booty"

• Playing Star Wars video games

• Cooking dinner around the extra chair pulled up for my helper

• Seeing my child use the potty for the first (and second and third) time

• Making beds more than once because kids just can't help but come in and jump on the bed while having pillow fights

• Reading Green Eggs and Ham

• Picking my child up from preschool and having him run to me.

• A two-year-old's love handles
• Having my son point to my breasts and ask, "Do you have balls?" No, sweetheart, but thanks for asking.
• Showing my son how to play the drums for RockBand
• Reading "Are You My Mother?" so often that my son has it memorized
• Giving underdogs at the park
• Showing my kids the right way to eat an ice cream cone
• Chasing my kids with the vacuum
All of it. I'm getting the feeling that I had no idea what I was in for when I signed up for this mom thing. I knew there'd be late nights and early mornings and millions of diaper changes and tantrums, but I didn't realize how much fun I'd have.
Has anything surprised you about being a mom? What?
p.s. still on break. Just decided to do some post-ahead stuff. Having a marvy time with grandparents!!

on a break

25 points to the first person who can name that show.

I'm taking a break, too. So my lack of posts or comments can NOT be viewed as infidelity in this beautiful relationship you and I have. I'm officially declaring it a break.

My fabulous in-laws are coming in town, and I'm looking forward to some quality time with them, and with my husband, as we will have FREE babysitters at our disposal.

So. I'll see ya when I see ya.

Have a fantastic week!

proof is in the pudding

Or the pictures.



I took this picture Saturday night after reading this hilarious post by my new friend Rachelle. But I'm using it to prove to you that my contact is not in my eye. I would have serious sticking problems after just one night's sleep in them. I even squirted in solution and kept poking myself in the eye, making sure the contact wasn't in there.



IT'S NOT. They're GONE. GONE, I tell you!!!!



I took a few pics of myself in my sexy 7th grade glasses, but just couldn't bring myself to post them. I have this weird thing where I like to look at least half decent in my pictures, and it's just not possible with these things on my face. So you'll have to remain forever in suspense.

The next proof I have for you is that my son is growing up and learning to utilize the latrine. That's right, he's peeing on the frog, as we like to call it around here.

This is actually him number two-ing on the frog. TMI? I just never know with these things. Major accomplishments in the aMAYzing household can easily translate into inappropriate for a everyone else. But I just had to record this for posterity. Or future girlfriends. Whichever comes first. Actually, girlfriends had BETTER come before posterity!!!

And because all children are created equal, a pic of Spiderman in his after-bath attire. (As you can see, I chose the superhero theme with good reason.)

They couldn't have vanished into thin air!

Last week as I was getting ready for the day, I went to put it my contacts. I opened the case, and they weren't in there.

Huh?

I am very good about taking out my contacts. They don't last long, so I take good care of them.

And they weren't in my eyes. I would have known the second I woke up.

They were just gone. Both of them.

I would've known if I had dropped them when taking them out the night before.

Isn't that so weird?

Now I have to wear my glasses, since that was my last pair. My glasses from 7th grade. I feel so sexy.

Sunday Afternoon

What I learned from

Elder Oaks:
• The needs of my children come before my own wants
• Who am I more willing to please: God or man (myself)?
• I should go to church to serve and to give of myself, not just to get something for me. (Do I fill buckets, or only dip into others' buckets?)

Elder Bednar: (always one of my faves)
• I need to go to the temple -- a serious theme for me from this conference
• The covenants made there offer protection.
• I need to figure out what an acceptable offering of temple worship is.

Elder Gary Stevenson:
• "You are never lost when you can see the temple." (I pray that my children will feel this way, too.)
• I need to replace more leisure activities with temple attendance.
• I need to make my home more like the temple. My bedroom needs to be an appropriate place for prayer.
• We need to do better at family scripture study!!
• The temple has standards for entrance. What kind of standards does my home have?

Elder F. Michael Watson:
• I need to find the quote he shared from Harld B. Lee. It was something to the effect of, "You may not always agree with what the prophets and leaders say, but......" Did anyone right it down? I just spent a few minutes searching lds.org and couldn't come up with anything.

Elder L. Tom Perry:
• What kind of shepherd am I to my little flock?
• Members need to do more finding and so the missionaries can teach.
• Open my mouth.

President Monson:
• Go to the temple often
• Pray for the prophet, his counselors, and the Apostles

General themes in this conference: The TEMPLE was the theme for me. I know there was a lot more discussed, but I know that I need to make the temple a priority. I am going THIS WEEK. My in-laws are coming into town (YAY!!!) and so we'll have some free, live-in babysitters! I'm excited for them to be here, and particularly excited to make the temple a priority this week.

Sunday Morning session

First of all, I just have to tell you that I was so excited to be able to watch this session in our stake center. I was really looking forward to paying attention with no distractions.

But the stake center was locked. I guess they don't always set it up.


So I wasn't in the best of moods as the session started this morning. Every sound that came from the boys made me bitter that I wasn't watching uninterrupted. So it took me a while to get into the right spirit.

I did enjoy what of Elder Uchtdorf's talk I heard. One thought that occurred to me: Guilt should lead to repentence, not just a confession on my blog.

I liked when he said this life is not a sprint, but a test of endurance. I've pondered this before. He also said that the gospel is not a spectator sport. Get off the bench!!!!!! Our is not a second-hand religion. We can't just plant a seed and expect it to grow on its own. How is my seed doing?

One note I have from Elder Neil L. Anderson's talk is that it is WRONG to feel superior to people of other faiths. There is so much good in the world, and we are not the only source of Christlike behavior. I need to be better.

I loved Sister Barbara Thompson's talk. It's impossible for me not to smile when I see her. What a wonderful quality to possess. She made me want to strengthen my family more. I love the example she shared of the family who acted out the iron rod. We need to be better at family scripture study, FHE, and family prayer. I often think that there's just not time before Superman leaves for work. I can either MAKE time, or do it once he's gone. It wouldn't be difficult. It's just a matter of making it a priority.

She said that at some point, we will all be beggars in some way. (Mosiah 4:19) She quoted Spencer W. Kimball, who said that God loves and is aware of us. He hears and answers our prayers, "But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs." Which means I need to be in tune enough to know who has needs, and be willing to serve. It also means that I should allow people to serve me!!

Finally, I love Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk. He directed it specifically to those who felt alone, then illustrated that that could be any one of us at some point.

He spoke of Christ fulfilling the Atonement alone. His disciples couldn't stay awake in Gethsemane. For whatever reasons, they betrayed and denied Him. Even at the end, the Father had to withdraw his Spirit.

This was particularly insightful for me. I'm not sure who said it, but I've heard some quote saying that when God withdrew from Christ, it was probably jut because Christ's suffering was too much. It was too much for God to see His Son suffering so, knowing He could stop it, but at the same time, He couldn't. So he withdrew and hid in the farthest corner of the universe till it was over.

Elder Holland essentially said that was false. He said that God had never been closer to His Son than when He was on the cross. This perfect Son, who had never done anything to displease His Father. But God knew that for the Atonement to truly be complete, Christ had to feel the way the rest of us feel when we sin -- we experience the withdrawal of the Spirit. Christ had to experience physical and spiritual death. It just had to be done. Christ had to feel the way the rest of us feel. Otherwise the Atonement would not be complete.

I am so grateful, for this perfect Son who knows exactly how I feel when I sin, or when I am heartbroken, or confused. Elder Holland said that Christ may not have been completely spiritually and emotionally prepared for God to withdraw His Spirit, which is why Christ cried out, asking why God had forsaken Him. God hadn't left for selfish reasons -- because it was just too much for Him to bear. (Though I can't begin to imagine the difficulty of that moment for either of them.) God left because He had to.

I am so grateful to be able to celebrate Easter next Sunday. Christ lives!!! He overcame death, in all its forms, so that I can be with Him again. If I live worthily, I will see him, and live with my precious family forever. Through Christ's atoning sacrifice and infinite grace, I can be perfected in Him, if I simply give Him my heart and allow Him to change it. I can't hold anything back if I hope to receive the greatest reward.

What did you learn this morning? What was your favorite talk? What did the spirit whisper to you?

Saturday Afternoon

As I mentioned in my last post, I was driving throughout this whole session, so what you're getting here is from memory. Please feel free to fill in the gaps!!

I really like Elder Ballard's talk. It was actually laughing at him talking about "texting in his talk" that made me miss my exit and spend an extra 20 minutes driving in Salt Lake. He talked about learning from the experience of others -- whether it be our parents, or those from 100s of years ago in the sciptures. As he was talking about the pride cycle, I started to apply it to the 1900s. At the beginning of the century, it seems there was a lot of humility. The people were blessed, and prospered. Then came the greed and wickedness, followed by the Great Depression. Again of time of humility, and more humility through WWII. Then prosperity, then greed, immorality and wickedness through the 60s/70s, and then wasn't there some kind of big recession in the 70s or 80s? (I'm just going from memory here; I could be completely wrong.) Following that humility, we enjoyed a period of prosperity, that has again moved to greed, wickedness and immorality, and then here we are.

Am I completely wrong? Has anyone else thought about us going through the pride cycle 3 times in 100 years?

There were some other talks that I liked, but don't remember who said what. Didn't Elder Cook speak? I remember liking his talk and wanting to remember something, but of course I don't remember it. Do any of you? Help!! Someone else talked about faith. I liked his talk, but don't remember the details. Again, I plead for your help!!!

There was the Latin brother I remember who talked about his counselor whose 3-year-old daughter drowned. That brought tears to my eyes as I drove. That family was so grateful (as am I) for the covenants and blessing of the temple. He also shared the scripture from D&C 121 that Elder Eyring shared: "Peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high..." I always find it interesting when more than one speaker mentions the same scripture.

Moving on to Elder Scott's talk. Wow. This one I actually had to pull over for. He talked about people who live near temples. (Like me.) Now I have to tell you, I live close enough to the Draper Temple that we could have gone to the open house. But I've been to a temple open house, and my kids are so young, and Superman would've had to take off work........I just decided that we didn't need to attend the open house. The boys would most likely be really disruptive, and they wouldn't remember it anyway. It was better to let people who hadn't been to an open house use the tickets.

I regret that decision now.

My children are NOT too young. Just because I've been to one open house doesn't mean I've been to all of them, or seen all there is to see. It would have been an incredible and memorable experience for my boys.

Back to Elder Scott's talk. He talked about people who live far away from temples, and how they have to save money and plan for a long time, just to attend the temple once. These people make great sacrifices, and know the importance of the temple. Then there are those who live in the shadow of the temple and rarely go.

Like me.

In the time that it takes my parents to drive to the closest temple to them, I could drive past SEVEN temples. And how often do I go? I think the last time I was at the temple was last September. Honestly, just Thursday night, I was telling Superman that I really wanted and needed to go to the temple. He said, "So go. Make a plan and make it happen." But then all my normal excuses started running through my head. If I wait to go with my husband, the temple is so busy. We end up sitting in the chapel for an hour. Then the kids are up late, and it makes the children of the people tending our children stay up late, too.

The other option is finding another sister to watch them so I can go during the day. But it take so long that I feel bad having someone else watch my kids for that long. And I have to make sure it doesn't disrupt them picking up children from school or going down for naps.

It's complicated, but these are also just excuses. If I really wanted to make it work, I could. I would.

So back to Elder Scott's talk again. He humbly suggested that those who live close to the temple make specific plans to go, then let nothing stop them from getting to the temple. If we would do this, then we could be blessed as those who plan and prepare for so long, just to go once.

At this, I could hardly see the road for the tears streaming down my face. I knew I needed to go to the temple SOON. I need to make plans, and let nothing stop me. I decided to pull off at the closest exit and take notes through the rest of his talk.

He offered many suggestions to make our temple experience more sacred. He suggested that we study the doctrines of the temple, the Atonement in particular. (Which was interesting to me -- it would seem other doctrines are more central to what is taught in the temple. Which is perhaps why we need to study it more!!) He also suggested pondering our relationship with Christ as we are in the temple.

He told us to plan enough time that we not be rushed while we are in the temple. He suggested removing our watches. (These were great suggestions for me. I often find myself concerned with the time and what my children are doing, or getting home to relieve the babysitter.) I just need to tell myself that the kids are fine, and the babysitter knows what I'm doing and that it takes a while. I need to remove my watch and get over it.

Another suggestion he had was to think of and pray for the person whose work you are doing. I've done this on more than one occasion, and it helps me stay focused. I doubt this is true, but sometimes I tell myself that if I'm not paying attention, the person whose work I'm performing isn't getting all the information they need. I honestly doubt that's true, but sometimes when I'm particularly tired, it helps.

And then when he spoke of his wife's and son's and daughter's passing........I was in tears there, too. Such adversity and faith. I thought it interesting that two speakers (back-to-back) spoke of the covenants and blessing of the temple, and the peace they can bring.

This was definately one of the talks "for me" in this conference. I'm sure there'll be some tomorrow, as well, but Elder Scott's was one I needed to hear.

I know I've missed several speakers. Please fill me in! What talks did you enjoy? Anything in particular the Spirit whispered to you that you'd like to share? What themes did you see? Talk to me!

Saturday Morning

First of all, I have to apologize. I was unable to take great notes during these sessions because I went to a reunion for my college ward in between sessions. I had to drive for the last half of the morning, then planned on watching the afternoon session at the church where the reunion was, but it wasn't set up to broadcast. Then I missed my exit on the way home and spent an extra 20 minutes in the car, ensuring that I would not be home to take notes for any of the afternoon session.

So the following is mostly from memory.

There was a lot of talk about adversity. That wretched "e" word was only mentioned once or twice, thankfully. Lots about faith in adversity. I loved Pres. Eyring's talk. His story about the young husband who was jobless was so inspiring -- it made me want to make sure we were doing everything we could to ensure the Lord would bless us. Somethings are easy for us, other things we struggle with. We need to remedy those struggles.

I loved what Elder Hales had to say. Did anyone else catch that the first addiction he mentioned was to food? I think I struggle with this addiction more than any other. He said that the adversary knows when, where and how to tempt us. Which means we need to be aware of those things, too, so we can be on guard. We need to practice saying, "Get thee behind me," so that when we are tempted, we are able to respond with strength.

I need to practice provident living and JOYFULLY living within my means. (Didn't you love that? I could definately be more joyful in that area!!)

Elder Hales talked about King Lamoni's father, who said he would give away all his sins to know God. Everytime I hear this scripture, I think of my "favorite sins," and whether I'm willing to give them up to know God. In the context of this talk, I thought, "Am I willing to give up all my shopping or eating to know God?"

It would seem some reevaluation is necessary.

Sister Margaret Linford was next -- from her I learned that I need to teach my children better prayer language. (Elder Nelson reinforced this for me, as well.) She also talked about reverence and respect in the home. I know I want my children to respect me, but do I respect them?

Michael A. Neider followed her. He made me think about being a student in God's class. What kind of student am I? Do I just show up and hope to pass? I wasn't that kind of student in school, but I think I'm becoming one in this big class we're in. But I know that if you want to get an A, you have to work for it. It requires study, and work. I need to be an early-morning scholar. It's hard for me to get up, but nothing that's ever worth it is easy. If I want the blessings, I've got to sacrifice.

Random randomness and then some tunes

"You say I'm crazy. I GOT your crazy."
--Britney Spears

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I was frustrated last night. I was hoping to see a new Grey's Anatomy last night, since The Office wasn't going to be on. But no. It was a re-run. Private Practice, too. Smallville was new, thankfully, and a pretty decent episode. I like the Chloe/Davis/Clark triangle much more than the Chloe/Jimmy/Clark one. I'm upset that the writers had Chloe and Jimmy get married just to brak them up 5 episodes later, but whatever.

Of course, Smallville was on at the same time as In the Motherhood and Samantha Who?. I'm interested in In the Motherhood, but have yet to make a final decision on it. I know it's supposedly based of stories from real moms, but it seems a bit extreme. I love Samantha Who? but only watched it during Smallville's commercial breaks.

I want a DVR. Or to be able to find ALL the shows I want to watch on Hulu.

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Since I wasn't watching my regularly scheduled programming last night, I flipped to E! and saw the THS of Bret Michaels. Now, I've watched every season of Rock of Love. (No judging.) About a year ago we got cable and the first season of the show was in a marathon. Anyone who's ever watched a TV show marathon-style knows it's a sure way to get hooked on the series.

So I've watched every season. But I didn't know how much I didn't know about Bret Michaels till I watch the True Hollywood Story. For example: Did you know he dated Pamela Anderson? News to me.

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Have you seen those Old Navy SuperMannequin commercials? I can't stand them. First of all, the mannequins at Old Navy don't have faces. Do any mannequins have faces anymore? Secondly, isn't it weird when the one mannequin's clothes get ripped off and they censor it out? Half of me thinks that if you have to censor it, it shouldn't be a prime-time commercial. The other half thinks that it's just plastic, and they are dumb for censoring it.

In any case, it makes me not want to shop at Old Navy. Which I'm pretty sure is not what they want you to think after watching their commercials.

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I'm really excited for General Conference tomorrow. You guys all had some great ideas, ones I'm anxious to try out. I think I'm going to go to the stake center for a couple of the sessions, and I actually got an e-mail yesterday from someone with packets for me to print off for the kids.

I'm going to try to take good notes, and I honestly encourage you to do the same. I get **so** much more out of the talks when I'm writing things down. Come back here and we'll discuss what we heard. I'm not sure if I'll post at the end of every session, but most likely the end of each day.

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Since the "2 lies and truth" was so much fun the other day, here's another one for you:

1. I teared up watching Horton Hears a Who for the first time today.
2. I opened our bedroom window last night even though it was like 35 degrees outside, just to listen to and smell the rain.
3. I thouroughly enjoyed the playdate I went to today. It wasn't lame at all!!

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And finally, 10 random tracks from pretty much the best playlist ever. (Or so I've been told.)

1. She's Every Woman -- Garth Brooks
2. Smooth -- Carlso Santana
3. Never Think -- Rob Pattinson
4. Billie Jean -- David Cook
5. Roll to Me -- Del Amitri
6. Time After Time -- Eva Cassidy
7. I Walk the Line -- Chris Daughtry
8. Put Your Records On -- Corinne Bailey Rae
9. Mad World -- Gary Jules
10. Streetcorner Symphony -- Rob Thomas

When I grow up.....

Yesterday I got to spend some time with my beautiful friend Elisha.

Isn't she gorgeous?

She is one of the best moms I know. We had a great talk about dealing with our children. She said that one of the hardest things about being a parent is figuring out what matters to each of your children, then applying it to situations you find yourself in with them. Do they need to be in control? Do they need rules? Continual affirmation? Elisha knows these things about her children. She is so wise, and always tries to be the best person she can be. She is patient and loving with her children, and a great example for me.

She is such a sweet friend. I always come away from my time with her feeling like I've learned something, and have news ways I want to improve. A few days ago, she called and told me she had something for me. Then yesterday, she gave me these:

A little while ago, I was obsessed with having a purple purse. I finally got one, and after less than a week, it broke. I used it as a church bag, complete with 2 sets of scriptures, 2 lesson manuals, my hymnal, books, snacks and drinks for the kids, diapers and wipes. The buckles just weren't meant to hold that much weight.

But Elisha works for Sole Desires, a shoe company that does home parties. They also sell purses, and she snagged this one for me. How sweet is that? I love the bow at the end. It's the perfect shade of purple and holds everything I need a purse to hold.

Her sister is a hair stylist and gets salon products cheap, so she also got me some Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum. I am SO excited to try it out. It's the same stuff my stylist used on me.

Thank you so much, Elisha. You are such a sweetheart and great mother. When I grow up, I want to be you.

2-day summit in Salt Lake City

If you haven't heard, it's coming this weekend. General Conference. I'm excited. I love hearing what our Prophet and leaders have to say to us. I always learn so much.

Growing up in Kansas, we went to the stake center for Conference. I especially loved it as a youth. There weren't any little kids around making noise, and I could just take lots of notes.

Now I live (as a mother) in Utah. It's still broadcast at the stake center, but it's also on 2 different local channels. We stay home in our pjs and do our best to keep the boys entertained. My notes aren't as copious, and I just can't pay as much attention. I keep thinking that I need to start lunch, or a load of wash, or I could be reading my book.....plus keeping the kids occupied.

What do you all do for General Conference? I suppose I'm looking specifically for how you get anything out of conference with the kids running around, but I also want to know what you do now, no matter what stage of life you're in. Do you make bingo cards? Do you dress up and stay home? Do you children attend all sessions with you at a stake center? Do you have any traditions?

What have you done to make General Conference special?

Truth revealed

Alright ladies. Here's the real story.

1. I'm the only girl my husband has kissed in 9 years. True
2. He's the only boy I've kissed in 9 years. False
3. I've only kissed 2 boys. True

Superman was my first kiss (and first date). We dated until he started preparing for his mission nine years ago. I was pretty hung up on him till I went to college. I fell in love, kissed and got engaged to another guy, then broke it off when I realized it was wrong. Superman came home in early June, and we got engaged in July and married in August.

1. I've played the organ in every ward I've lived in since I was 12. False
2. I've played the organ in 5 different wards. True
3. I've taken organ lessons from someone who plays in the Conference Center. True

I've played the organ in all but one of the wards I've lived in since I was 12. I started playing at 18. In college, I took a class from a lady who occasionally has recitals in the Conference Center.

1. I was an all-star cheerleader. True --I'm a little hurt at everyone who thought this was a lie!! ;)
2. We went off soda pop for cheer camp one year and I didn't have any carbonation for 13 months. True
3. I was a cheerleader through all of middle and high school. False

I cheered every year except 7th grade. As a senior, I made All-Star. And I was very religious about going off pop. Even now, I rarely drink it. And only Diet Dr. Pepper!

1. I've worked at Dairy Queen. True
2. I've worked at Chili's. False
3. I've worked at Home Depot. True

Dairy Queen was my first job. Home Depot was my second. (Lots of cute boys there!!!) I always wanted to waitress, at Chili's in particular, but never did.

1. I've met Elder Cook. False
2. I've met Elder Bednar. True
3. I've met Elder Perry. True

I attended BYU-Idaho and met Elder Bednar on several occasions. I even interviewed him once for the newspaper. I met Elder Perry at Superman's mission president's funeral. That man is TALL!!!! I've never met Elder Cook.

1. I've given birth sans epidural. True
2. I've given birth with an epidural. True
3. I've had a c-section. False

I gave birth to Spiderman with no medication, for some silly reason. I was induced, and it was not a good idea to have pitocin and no epidural. About 7 hours into it, I begged for something and got some Demerol. (I'm still mad at the nurse that let me go so long without offering anything.) I wisened up by the time the Hulk came, and it was a marvelous experience!! (No, I still have not seen the needle. I do not need to see it to know it does wonders. Kind of like having faith in God, no?) I hope I never have to have a C-section.

There you have it! How did you do? Surprised by anything?