Women's Conference 2010!...

This year, it was me, my Mom, and my sister Kimbie at Women's Conference at BYU.  I was sad my other sisters couldn't make it--but I did have a few sister in laws that came, Katie and Kristy!  It was fun to spend some time with them as well at one of my favorite places!  Women's Conference is a two day conference for women only up at BYU Provo.  It is two days full of classes, and instruction on how to become better women, better mothers, and better wives.  It is amazing to me how there are so many classes to choose from, and yet I always feel like I ended up at just the ones I needed for my life at this moment!  This year was no exception.  I felt renewed, uplifted, and ready to go back and try this mothering/wife thing all over again with a new effort, and a fresh perspective.  It's amazing how a few days away from kids and family leaves you feeling like you can take on the world!  Then again, it's amazing how quickly that new life is sucked out of you a few minutes after you return to normal life!  HA!  They also have a concert every year with some LDS performers.  This year one of the performers was Michael McClean.  He is hilarious.  I had to pull out my camera and take some video during this song when all the women had their cell phones out & we were singing.  People that aren't Mormon would probably look at us and think we were CRAZY--how could something like this be fun?  The theme of the night for heaven sakes was LAUNDRY!  We even sang a song about it!  This is the great thing about the Mormon culture--we can have fun doing just about anything--as long as we are together! 
BYU was beautiful as ever, with the spring tulips--but someone forgot to tell heaven it was spring because there was SNOW this year!  It was super COLD and wet--but I actually didn't mind it much, knowing that 110 degrees are right around the corner for us here in AZ!

 Some of the things I came away with, that I'm trying to work on now that I'm home:
Sister Beck told us that we needed to prioritize our lives, and make sure that we are doing the Essential things first--those things that will qualify us for the Celestial Kingdom such as, scripture study, prayer, temple attendance, church callings, etc..  After that come the Necessary things, such as homemaking, cooking, caring and nurturing our families, and creating an environment in our homes where the spirit can dwell.  The last thing was "Nice to Do" things, such as reading, hobbies, crafts, blogging etc.  We need to make sure we are always doing the necessary and the essential things--THEN Heavenly Father will help us to make some time for the Nice to Do things.  I need to keep this in mind.  I think sometimes I spend a lot of my time on nice to do things--and not enough on the essentials!

Dallin H. Oaks talked about how we need to not be selfish.  This world that we live in, and our society is becoming increasingly selfish--and we need to make sure we are not a part of that.  "It's not about YOU", was one of the quotes he used.  I like that--as mothers it is really NOT about us.  We are here to help others, to serve our families, to serve our neighbors, to serve our fellow sisters, and to serve our Father in Heaven.  When we get wrapped up in "What's in it for ME?"  is when we start going down the wrong path.  It is Satan that would have us focused all of the time on our own wants, desires, and needs.  As women of God, we need to be better than that.  If you have a chance, look up his talk on the Women's Conference website--it's a great one!
On Saturday, we drove up to my sister Wendy's house in Brigham City.  We stopped at Costco along the way to get them a few needed items--check out mom stuck in the back of our rental car--we hardly had room to fit her in! 

We had a great time with Wendy's family--we went to a great little shopping place called Gardner Village in West Jordan.  It was a neat little place, with a great restaurant, with old fashioned food.  I had a turkey dinner with all the fixin's.  They even had a free piece of carrot cake with every meal!  The shops and boutiques were tons of fun to browse through--although I wish I would've had more room to take things home!  There were so many cute things.  It was a lot of fun! 

Then, that night we headed over to Toad's with the kids for laser tag, miniature golf & video games.  We had a great time!  I have never played laser tag before--it was pretty intense!  We definitely have to go do that as a family sometime for family night--it will give me a chance to take out my aggression on my teenagers!  (And I'm sure they need that opportunity to take some out on me as well!)  We were sad we didn't have more time to spend--but glad we got to see my sister and her beautiful family!  She seriously has the sweetest family--and the best kids!  Love you guys!

Gila Valley Temple...

Last weekend we had the chance to go down to Thatcher to see the new Gila Valley Temple.  It's was so fun to drive past it as we were coming into town!  It's so neat that the place that I grew up in is finally getting their own temple.  There are so many good people in that valley--so many faithful saints that have been traveling 3 hours to go to the Mesa temple forever.  It will be so great for them to have their own temple!
Funny story...I grew up in Pima, where my dad moved where he got his first teaching job.  We lived in Pima from when I was 3 years old, until I moved to Thatcher (5 miles away) when I was 13.  You have to understand the politics of living in a small town.  Pima and Thatcher have been rivals forever.  There is some real animosity between the schools, the students, and even sometimes the parents.  It is no surprise that each town thought that their town was going to get the temple.  People in Pima (which was settled first...) have been saying they would have a temple there for more than 100 years.  People in Thatcher were sure they would have the temple built in their town since it is bigger, and has more people in the stake.  When they announced the temple, they called it the "Gila Valley" temple, thus giving no clue as to where the temple would actually be built.  In the middle of these two towns is a little town (about a mile across or less) called Central.  They have one ward in Central, but there was also a huge church softball complex where I remember spending countless summers playing and watching church softball games.  They decided to build the temple there, in a nice "Central" location...LITERALLY!  I mentioned to Todd how the people in Pima and Thatcher would be upset about this, and he told me I was crazy.  "They won't care where the temple is built."  he said.  "You obviously don't know how small towns work..."  I said.  So when we were down for the weekend, we were talking about this Central location to my friend and her husband.  He is the YM president in their ward, and he told us, "I told my young men, you have to look at the statue of Moroni on the temple--it is pointing toward Thatcher--and turning it's back on those sinners in Pima."  I just looked at Todd and cracked up--(told you so).  Then when we got back to the house I was telling my dad what my friend had said about the statue of Moroni, and he told us, "Well, you know what the people in Pima are saying--Look at the statue Moroni on the temple--he is pointing his trump toward those sinners in Thatcher--and calling them to repentance."  Oh the joys of living in a small town!  I can't say I miss that part of it--but I'm sure they'll work things out--and maybe with the temple there, the rivalry will be put to rest somewhat--although I doubt it will spread to the football field, or the basketball court!
 The open house was so great, I saw so many people who helped to shape my life--from YW leaders, to teachers, and of course, my family.  I am so happy for them!  It was neat to take the kids through the temple, and explain each room to them.  What a great opportunity!  If you have a chance...GO!  It was so fun to see all of the growth that has taken place in the Gila Valley over the years, I hardly recognize it anymore!  We went back to Grandma's house and shared our thoughts and feelings about the experience.  My favorite was Josh, who said (with a big grin), "I liked the hot tub room!"  And Cole, who didn't realize that we had walked out of the temple and into the church building, and said, "I didn't know the temple had a basketball court!"  Most of the girls LOVED the bride's room, which was absolutely beautiful with tiara style lights!  The chandelier in the Celestial Room is just stunning, I have never seen one like it before.  There was a painting that the church had commissioned of a place we've been to called Ash Creek, and when it was finished, President Monson loved it so much that he ended up putting the original painting in his office, and having a copy made for the temple!  Another fun fact, the murals painted in the endowment room were painted in the winter time, by a painter in Colorado, but when he came back to Thatcher before the open house he drove through the same area and noticed that wild flowers had bloomed everywhere in the desert this spring, and it was so beautiful and colorful that he decided he had to add it to the mural.  The flowers were added just the week before the temple open house began. The town is all excited that President Monson, and President Eyring will both be there for the cultural celebration, and dedication.  It is such an exciting time there, and it is just in the air!  All in all, it was such a great, testimony building experience, and I'm glad we went!  I am SO grateful for the temple, and what it means in my life!  Here are some pictures I took:

As a footnote:  Here's a story my Dad shared about his experience working at the Temple open house that I wanted to remember:

May 15, 2010

On the last day of the Gila Valley Temple Open House, I was in the chapel to cover a medical shift as my responsibility was to secure volunteers for medical coverage throughout the days and hours the public was touring the Temple site. Minding my own business, I was approached by a lady who was looking for someone to be a Tour Guide during an extremely busy period. Not knowing what I was doing, I followed her and was placed with another Tour Guide, Sharon Buckley. Sharon did the talking and I brought up the rear following the group through the Temple.

On the second tour Sharon lead, I was approached by an older lady coming out of the Celestial Room. She said her husband was named Hank and I was Hank. She said he had died on Friday and she wanted to thank me for being her Tour Guide through the Temple as I was the Hank that was taking her through the Temple in Proxy for her deceased husband named Hank. I asked her name and she said June Devoe? June told me Hank and her had been married for forty years and they were Sealed for Eternity just two years ago. Her daughter told me that Hank had been bed ridden and June didn’t think she would be able to leave him to tour the Gila Valley Temple, but he died making it possible. She also thanked me for being there in proxy for June’s Hank and she felt that Hank was there through me.

Amazing

Hank Metzger

Every Woman Should Read THIS!...

This article, written by Dave Barry was published in the Miami Herald in February 1998.  It was used last week in one of the talks at Women's Conference, and had the whole auditorium rolling with laughter!  Let's face it, there are SO many differences between men and women, I don't know how we are supposed to make marriage work...but we do.  Here's a comical look at the difference between how men and women judge appearances...enjoy!

Beauty and the Beast

BY DAVE BARRY
(This classic Dave Barry column was originally published on Feb. 1, 1998.)
If you're a man, at some point a woman will ask you how she looks.
''How do I look?'' she'll ask.
You must be careful how you answer this question. The best technique is to form an honest yet sensitive opinion, then collapse on the floor with some kind of fatal seizure. Trust me, this is the easiest way out. Because you will never come up with the right answer.
The problem is that women generally do not think of their looks in the same way that men do. Most men form an opinion of how they look in seventh grade, and they stick to it for the rest of their lives. Some men form the opinion that they are irresistible stud muffins, and they do not change this opinion even when their faces sag and their noses bloat to the size of eggplants and their eyebrows grow together to form what appears to be a giant forehead-dwelling tropical caterpillar.
Most men, I believe, think of themselves as average-looking. Men will think this even if their faces cause heart failure in cattle at a range of 300 yards. Being average does not bother them; average is fine, for men. This is why men never ask anybody how they look. Their primary form of beauty care is to shave themselves, which is essentially the same form of beauty care that they give to their lawns.
If, at the end of his four-minute daily beauty regimen, a man has managed to wipe most of the shaving cream out of his hair and is not bleeding too badly, he feels that he has done all he can, so he stops thinking about his appearance and devotes his mind to more critical issues, such as the Super Bowl.
Women do not look at themselves this way. If I had to express, in three words, what I believe most women think about their appearance, those words would be: ''not good enough.'' No matter how attractive a woman may appear to be to others, when she looks at herself in the mirror, she thinks: woof.
She thinks that at any moment a municipal animal-control officer is going to throw a net over her and haul her off to the shelter.
Why do women have such low self-esteem? There are many complex psychological and societal reasons, by which I mean Barbie. Girls grow up playing with a doll proportioned such that, if it were a human, it would be seven feet tall and weigh 81 pounds, of which 53 pounds would be bosoms.
This is a difficult appearance standard to live up to, especially when you contrast it with the standard set for little boys by their dolls ... excuse me, by their action figures. Most of the action figures that my son played with when he was little were hideous-looking. For example, he was very fond of an action figure (part of the He-Man series) called ''Buzz-Off,'' who was part human, part flying insect. Buzz-Off was not a looker. But he was extremely self-confident. You could not imagine Buzz-Off saying to the other action figures: ``Do you think these wings make my hips look big?''
But women grow up thinking they need to look like Barbie, which for most women is impossible, although there is a multibillion-dollar beauty industry devoted to convincing women that they must try. I once saw an Oprah show wherein supermodel Cindy Crawford dispensed makeup tips to the studio audience. Cindy had all these middle-aged women applying beauty products to their faces; she stressed how important it was to apply them in a certain way, using the tips of their fingers. All the woman dutifully did this, even though it was obvious to any sane observer that, no matter how carefully they applied these products, they would never look remotely like Cindy Crawford, who is some kind of genetic mutation.
I'm not saying that men are superior. I'm just saying that you're not going to get a group of middle-aged men to sit in a room and apply cosmetics to themselves under the instruction of Brad Pitt, in hopes of looking more like him. Men would realize that this task was pointless and demeaning. They would find some way to bolster their self-esteem that did not require looking like Brad Pitt. They would say to Brad: ``Oh YEAH? Well what do you know about LAWN CARE, pretty boy?''
Of course, many women will argue that the reason they become obsessed with trying to look like Cindy Crawford is that men, being as shallow as a drop of spit, WANT women to look that way. To which I have two responses:
1. Hey, just because WE'RE idiots, that doesn't mean YOU have to be; and
2. Men don't even notice 97 percent of the beauty efforts you make anyway. Take fingernails. The average woman spends 5,000 hours per year worrying about her fingernails; I have never once, in more than 40 years of listening to men talk about women, heard a man say, ''She has a nice set of fingernails!'' Many men would not notice if a woman had upward of four hands.
Anyway, to get back to my original point: If you're a man, and a woman asks you how she looks, you're in big trouble. Obviously, you can't say she looks bad. But you also can't say that she looks great, because she'll think you're lying, because she has spent countless hours, with the help of the multibillion-dollar beauty industry, obsessing about the differences between herself and Cindy Crawford. Also, she suspects that you're not qualified to judge anybody's appearance. This is because you have shaving cream in your hair.

Pat's Run 2010

Emie and I got to go and run in Pat's Run this year along with like 30,000 other people!  It was super crowded, but really fun!  We had to get up at 4:30 a.m. so we could get there in time to get registered & get our t-shirts.  It was hard getting up, but we had a great time & I'm just glad that Emie was nice enough to slow down and run with me!  That girl could've ran so much faster!  You're amazing Em...thanks for running with your OLD mama!  Love you!

Peace...

Okay, I admit, to say that it is peaceful around here may be a stretch, but in the last few weeks I have finally felt at peace for the first time in awhile.  Peace in my heart at least about what we are doing with our lives, and peace about some of the decisions that we have made of late.  Todd and I were discussing getting answers to prayers a few weeks ago, and how sometimes God just lets us go with our gut and we have to make decisions, sometimes even big ones, on our own.  He has often told us that he is not going to counsel us in all things, but we are also told to pray always.  I have wondered about that many times.  Sometimes we may not feel that we get answers to our prayers, at least the out loud kind, where God is telling us what to do.  Often those answers do come, however, in ways we least expect them, or in quiet thoughts or impressions in our minds, that are so simple, so subtle, that we may not even give God the credit--we may think we came up with them on our own.  I have been thinking about that this week because of a lesson we had in Relief Society last Sunday on the Holy Ghost.  The teacher was talking about how the Holy Ghost communicates with us, and how He is a mediator between us and our Heavenly Father.  The Holy Ghost is the go between.  As long as we are worthy, He is there to communicate messages that our Heavenly Father would have us hear.  As long as we are willing to be worthy, and to listen, He will speak to us.  He doesn't speak to us out loud most of the time, but He speaks with us spirit to spirit.  I thought that was powerful--sometimes I will have thoughts, or feelings, or I will have a moment where something will become clear, and I think "Wow--I have never thought of that before!"  Those moments are the Holy Ghost--teaching me, inspiring me, communicating to me, spirit to spirit, the things that Heavenly Father wants me to know.  What an amazing gift I have been given, what an amazing thought, that the Father does communicate with me, more than I even know.  I have the ability, through my faithfulness, to have a member of the Godhead with me at all times!  Isn't that amazing! 
What I have been learning is that I need to keep this channel of communication open--through prayer, and study, and I also need to make sure that I am listening.  Listening is hard sometimes.  There are so many demands on my attention, and I find it hard to just be still.  Those are the moments, however, that I am most able to hear that communication.  The other thing that I have been trying to do is to act.  When I do have a thought, or a feeling, or a prompting, I need to show Heavenly Father that I am willing to do what He wants me to do.  He will then be able to trust me, that I will act on the promptings that He gives me, and I will be able to receive answers and promptings more frequently.  In a talk called "Prayer and Promptings", Elder Boyd K. Packer tells us:  "This process is not reserved for the prophets alone.  The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children.  It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found."  I loved that.  Every problem that we have can be solved if we will just listen to and obey the promptings of the Holy Ghost.  Even if the problem doesn't go away--the Holy Ghost is our comforter--he is the one who can heal the hurts, and bind the wounds that ail us. 
Later in the talk, President Packer related this poem:
With thoughtless and impatient hands,
We tangle up the plans
The Lord hath wrought.
And when we cry in pain He saith,
"Be quiet, man, while I untie the knot."

So many times in my life, I have been that man.  Trying to do things on my own, trying to muddle my way through, tangling up the plans that my Father has for me.  I need to remember to use the wonderful gifts that I have been given.  I need to remember that I am never alone.  When I do these things, I can have peace, even amidst the chaos that is my life.

Jack vs. The Pavement...

Jack decided to stand up in the wagon while on a walk with Abby--and low and behold, he fell out!  Surprise, surprise...I can't tell you how many times that kid has wiggled out of a seatbelt since he is SO stinkin' skinny, and smart too!  Anyway, it was my little Jack vs. the Pavement--and the Pavement won!  Poor little guy!   Maybe Jack will sit down when I tell him to...then again, I know enough about 2 year olds to know that is NOT the case!  Oh well, live & learn!  Sometimes in life...we fall flat on our face!

Spring...

I love Spring.  I love the flowers, and the feeling of everything coming alive again, renewed, and beautiful.  I love the orange blossoms, and the smell of spring that is in the air right now--(even if it makes me sneeze, and my nose itch, and my eyes water because spring also means allergies in my world...always has...but that is for another post...).  I love that the school year is winding down, and the kids are counting the days until summer.  I love that we there is talk of summer vacations, time as a family, days at the lake, sleeping in,  friends, and FUN!  I love that there are ball games to go to, and the weather is just perfect for sitting outside and playing at the park.  Especially because too soon it will be way too hot, and my house will feel like a prison to my kids!  Thank goodness for a cold pool in the summer--I don't know how I ever lived here without one!  I was thinking a lot about this over Easter, about how amazing Heavenly Father is, and that even the seasons testify of our Savior.  Truly all things testify of Him, of His divinity, of His mission.  I was thinking about how all of the good things in my life, every single one, has come because of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am so lucky to have the knowledge that I have! 
During General Conference I felt so uplifted, and spiritually fed.  It was like spring for my soul.  I felt like it stirred something within me, and my spirit was awake again.  I vowed to be a better wife, and a better mother, and a better daughter of our Heavenly Father.  Then, Monday came, and Tuesday, and Wednesday, and real life.  Man, is it hard to keep those feelings when real life comes around and hits you smack in the face! I feel lately like I am just in the thick of this parenting thing.  I'm not sure how anyone in their right mind looks back and misses this stage of parenting!  I've got teenagers, who think they know everything, and toddlers, who can't do anything for themselves.  Kids in the middle somewhere too, who need my love, and occasionally some attention!  I am up half the night waiting for the teenagers to get home, and the other half of the night with the toddler, who decides that he needs to sleep in my bed if he's going to sleep at all.  Add to this chaos the stress and worry of investing money in a new business that may or may not make it--while trying to collect money owed from an old business, that may or may not make it as well, and a husband who needs my love and support.    Add to that all of the daily stresses, excercise, eating right, practicing, cleaning, laundry, church callings, etc. etc. etc.   It seems so easy for the adversary to make me feel  tired, and stressed, and worried, and afraid.  It's almost too much sometimes, and I really don't know how I can possibly do it all--then I remember.  I remember that He said that He is always there.  I remember that He said to His Disciples, "Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself."  When I think of Him, I feel comfort, and peace--even amidst the chaos and worry.  Just as we have the surety of spring coming, and the flowers blooming, and everything having a new life--tomorrow will be better.  There is always hope in a new day.  That's the beauty of Spring, and that's the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Easter 2010!

This year for Easter, we went up to Payson to be with my sister, Kimbie and her family.  My parents also were able to make the trip!  It was a great Easter weekend, and I love when General Conference falls on Easter as well.  It seems to just add to the spirituality of the whole weekend, and help us to really focus on what is important at Easter time, our Savior, Jesus Christ, and His sacrifice, and resurrection.  I am so grateful when I ponder on His mission here on Earth, and think about the love that He has for each one of us.  Last year, when we visited Israel, and were able to visit the Garden of Gethsemane, I wrote down some of my feelings:
"As I sat and looked at the trees that very well might have been here at the time of Christ, I thought about the apostles and how they slept as Jesus suffered for the sins of the world. How could they have known what he was doing? How could they have comprehended it? It’s hard for us to understand exactly what happened in this place, it’s just so amazing. It’s hard for me to wrap my mind about the magnitude of his suffering, but I am so grateful to him for his sacrifice for my sins. I am especially grateful for his example when he said, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” One of the monuments in the garden had this quote, “O Jesus, in deepest night and agony, you spoke these words of trust and surrender to God the Father in Gethsemane. In love and gratitude, I want to say in times of fear and distress, ‘My Father, I do not understand You, but I trust You.’” I loved that. If I will just trust in my Father in Heaven, even when it’s hard, he will take care of me. Because my Savior suffered, I don't have to.  I will be eternally grateful for Him, that He was willing to do that for me.  Truly, "I Stand All Amazed!"

Of course, this Easter weekend was about fun and family as well.  We went to Kimbie's neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt.  They had the Easter Bunny there, as well as a little petting zoo.  It was great weather, and we had a lot of fun!

Easter Sunday started with another Easter egg hunt, and the Easter Bunny was nice enough to bring all of the kids a notebook and pen so they could take good notes during General Conference!  They all did a great job, and I was sure to bring candy bars along so they would share what they learned with us!  All in all, it was a fun Easter Sunday, with great messages about the true meaning of Easter, and it was great to hear our leaders tell us what we need to know!  I am so grateful for my sister having us all at her house, and that Grandma and Grandpa could make it as well!  We had a great time!

Lastly, check out this picture of a home that's down the street from my sister's house in Payson.  The flag is flying half staff!  I guess the flag has been that way since Obama was elected, and the sign was added when the infamous healthcare bill was passed!  I don't know about you, but I think it's something many of us are thinking...but don't want to say.  It takes some guts to express your political views so publicly!  I wonder what kind of feedback they have gotten?  Interesting...