A few snippets from the weekend

We went to the Phoenix Temple open house on Saturday. All these temples popping up in Arizona makes me so happy!

This one is pretty small, especially compared to the Gilbert Temple, and absolutely beautiful.

Eli sat on Dallin's shoulders during the tour. I know he won't remember it, but I loved watching him look all around and take everything in.

And even though it doesn't look like it in this picture, I think he had a pretty good time. :)

We also stopped by to see grandma Carmen, who is always so happy to see us, especially Eli.

I finally used this certificate I got for my birthday about... three, maybe four years ago. About time, right? I'm pretty sure butterscotch squares are what we will eat in heaven. SO GOOD. 

Eli met his doppelgänger at IKEA. He had some pretty mixed feelings about the experience.  

First, interest and curiosity. 

Then exuberant displays of affection. 

Things quickly turned south as deep feelings of jealousy began to develop, and the offending lookalike got a smack in the face...

...and an attempted arm amputation.

But then Eli realized this supposed "lookalike" was lacking his shiny bald head...

...so the jealousy dissolved, all was forgiven, and they parted as friends. 

We finished off the day at Chick-fil-a where the cousins were finally able to hit each other in the face without doing harm. Possibly the best day of their short lives. 

Becca and I pretty much finished up painted the bathroom we started a couple weeks ago, when this picture was taken. We are awful at taking duck-faced mirror pictures (that's probably good thing). Next step: staining the cabinets! Wish us luck! Man, it feels so good to see real progress being made on our house. 

This I Know

I've had a lot on my mind the last few weeks. Whether you are LDS or not, you've probably heard something about the Ordain Women group, its founder Kate Kelly, and everything that has been going on with that situation lately.

I don't think it is much of a secret that I don't agree with the aims of the members of the Ordain Women group. I tend to be pretty vocal about my feminist opinions (and yes, I do consider myself to be a feminist), but I don't want to talk about Ordain Women today. Maybe never, actually. I think there has been plenty of talk already, plenty of pointing fingers and choosing sides, and plenty of harsh judgements coming from all directions.

I don't know a lot of things. The older I get the more aware I am of that fact. I don't know Kate Kelly or any of the members of Ordain Women. I do not know exactly why it is God's will that only men hold the priesthood, although I do have my theories. I also don't know why people like shrimp, or why roaches exist, or why not everyone (my waistline especially) shares my opinion that cookies are an acceptable breakfast food. Sigh.

However, I do know this: the church is true. God lives. He lives, he loves all of his children, and he is aware of each one of us. That means you. Yes, you. This I know.

Because God loves us, and wants us to return to live with him, he has provided the way for us to do just that. He would not withhold anything from us that is necessary for our progression and salvation. This I know.

We came to earth to be tested, which means there will be times when our faith is challenged, but truth and goodness will prevail. This I know.

I love the gospel. I love it deeply. My religion is my rock and I am so thankful for the way it brings peace and strength to my soul. The gospel is pure and perfect, despite the imperfections of people. This I know.

I don't just believe this because I was born into the church. I had to gain that knowledge for myself, a process that took time and effort, and a process that continues every day as I try to fix my plentiful shortcomings. It is in my blood, and has been for many generations, but more importantly my faith is in my heart.

And even though I don't know everything, because I know God lives and what I need to do to return to him, I know enough for now, although I hope to continue to learn more each day.

Meanwhile, instead of looking for faults in each other, maybe we (myself included) should try to be more compassionate and kind, especially to those with differing opinions. We've got better, more important things to do with our time. Maybe we should serve our neighbors more. Maybe we should be less judgmental. And maybe we should talk more about Jesus.

"Sorrow that the eye can't see"

I stumbled upon this quote Sunday morning and it resonated with me. 

You know the hymn "Lord, I Would Follow Thee"? There is a line in it that says, "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." I love that. I always have. I've never really been one to broadcast my challenges or ask for help, even when I really need it. Instead, I tend to keep things inside and deal with them on my own. I know I'm not the only one that is an expert at putting on a cheerful facade when I'm struggling, and knowing that many others around me are dealing with "sorrow that the eye can't see" makes me want to treat others with the gentleness and care that I crave when I am going through a rough patch. 

Moral of the story: be a little more gentle and patient with the people around you, whether you think they deserve it or not. You don't know what they might be going through. Show a little more love and kindness. You never know how badly someone may need it.

Warm Fuzzies

Christmas is just a few days away... yippee! This has always been my favorite holiday. Everything about just makes me happy inside.

Unfortunately, it seems like there hasn't been enough "warm fuzzies" going around the interwebz lately. I don't know about you, but I'd much rather be thinking about happy, Christmas-y, festive goodness than all the controversial topics that have become the focus the past couple weeks. Thus, here are some of the things that have been giving me the warm fuzzies recently, just in case you need something to get you in the Christmas spirit too. 

1. Dallin sung in our former ward today so I went as well. In that ward, there is a sweet boy who has Down's syndrome that was ordained a deacon not long before we were called to the Spanish branch. One of the duties of being a deacon is passing the sacrament, and it melts my heart to see one of his fellow deacons gently guiding him around the chapel with his arm over his shoulder so he can participate. It always makes me think of Christ and how he helps me handle things that I can't do alone. I love it.

2. This video. If this doesn't make you feel warm and fuzzy inside, you just might be the Grinch himself.

Life is so much better when you are kinder to people around you, whether you think you deserve it or not, and is there any better way to get in the spirit of Christmas than that? 

3. Ingrid Michaelson's version of "I've Got My Love To Keep Me Warm." It's chock full of happiness. (I'm not sure how legit this website is, but you can listen to it here)

4. Baby boy's wild movements are becoming more recognizable, like maybe there is actually a baby in there instead of an octopus (whew!). It's starting to sink in that he is coming very soon, ready or not. I'm so excited. Whenever I think about this wee babe of mine and how blessed I feel to be pregnant (something I wasn't sure I would get to experience), I get overwhelmed with happiness. Life is so very good. I can't wait for next Christmas, when there will be three of us instead of two.

5. This, which might be my very favorite Christmas song.

I especially love these lines:

Chains shall He break for the slave is our brother
And in His name all oppression shall cease

Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we

Let all within us praise His holy name

I'm so thankful for my Savior. He means everything to me, and I owe all the happiness, hope, and peace in my life to him. Even though I know I could never repay him for what he does for me, I know I can at least try to help those around me and become a better person, and isn't that what this season is all about? (That, and cookies. Always cookies. The end.)

Have a merry little Christmas! 

On letting yourself mess up

The past few weeks I've been working hard to learn a new Christmas hymn to play in church this Sunday. I think I've mentioned it before, but I'm not a very good pianist, and I promise I'm not just being modest. I'm mostly self-taught, besides a handful of piano lessons years ago. Somehow I got called to be the pianist in the Spanish-speaking branch of our church that we attend... and it's a struggle. I'm trying hard to learn more songs so we can have a little variety. We pretty much sing the same songs over and over. It's a good thing everyone in the branch is so sweet and patient!

Anyway, while I was practicing said Christmas song a few days ago, I finally got to the point where I was pretty sure I will at least keep the melody going for the whole song when playing in church. I thought to myself, "Hopefully I'll get better, but even if I don't it's okay since it doesn't have to be perfect."

And then I had an epiphany: I think I'm finally learning how to make mistakes. 

I don't think I've ever made it through an entire church service playing every song perfectly. Not once. I make mistakes every week, and that used to bother me so much. I would come home from church feeling like a failure because I couldn't even play familiar hymns perfectly, thanks in part to the anxiety that flares up when I have an audience. 

I've always been a bit of a perfectionist. Now, this is rather problematic. Being a perfectionist means you are just setting yourself up for a lot of frustration since, in reality, life is messy and imperfect. You're never going to have everything go 100% your way. I've beaten myself up too much in the past because of failures, both real and imagined.

Personally, I tend to be at one extreme or another on the perfection spectrum. Either I throw myself into something wholeheartedly (going a little insane in the process) with perfection as my only acceptable result, or I let myself get discouraged and don't even try. I haven't been good at finding a happy medium. At least, not until recently. 

Maybe it's a combination of being pregnant and having a couple of derriere-kicking church callings that have forced me to have more realistic expectations of myself, yet also don't allow me to give up trying. I'm grateful for that.

Moral of the story: Don't set unrealistic expectations for yourself, and be nice to yourself when you mess up.

I made it!

Today was my last day of seminary. Yippee! As much as I loved (most of the things about) teaching seminary, it is really nice to know that I don't have to wake up early or spend lots of time preparing lessons for the next couple months. I just get to focus on getting ready for this little babe to get here, and that is a big relief. I know I will miss it though.

Still, I sure felt happy sitting next to the fire after I got home, eating homemade bread and jam, sipping hot cocoa, and watching the snow fall. Very happy indeed. 

 

Here are a few things I learned this semester:

1. Teaching seminary while pregnant, especially when you're in your third trimester, is much more difficult that when you're not pregnant. 

2. It's really hard to tell if/when anyone is getting anything out of your lesson, but often -- even when it doesn't seem like anyone is paying attention -- there is still progress being made. And that is both exasperating and relieving. 

3. Teaching is the best way to learn, by far, and the lessons you learn go way beyond stuff that has to do with the curriculum.

Like I said before, I know I am going to miss seminary, and even though I whined about it quite a bit I'm so thankful to have had the chance to teach. It was really good for me to get out of my comfort zone every day. And even if I often doubted whether my rascally students ever learned much from me, I think they did, and that makes it worth the work.

On failure (and doing your best anyway)

You know that exhausting feeling of failure that sometimes comes when you put in so much work and still don't see results? Have you ever poured all your energy, time, and attention into something and wondered if you made a difference at all?

This semester of teaching seminary has been very, very challenging for me. I'm sure a lot of it has to do with the fact that I'm pregnant, since apparently making a human being kind of affects you juuuust a little bit, both physically and emotionally. Who would have thought? ;) My class is also very different this year. I switched from the seniors to the sophomores and it's been an adjustment. Things that worked last year just don't work with this group of students; they have very different personalities, needs, and levels of understanding. 

Whatever the reason, I've been struggling. Big time. Multiple times I've driven home from class in tears, feeling like a failure when my lesson went poorly, seriously considering the possibility of playing the "I'm a pitiful pregnant lady card" to get released early instead of sticking it out to the end of the semester like I planned. I've tried different things to get myself out of this funk, but so far nothing has worked. To put it simply, I guess I'm a little weary of putting so much into this calling when I never seem to see any results of my hard work.

This weekend I spent a lot of time mulling over all of this, trying to figure out what I could do to fix things, and searching for comfort, motivation, and the excitement I used to have about teaching. While I was sitting in church I thought about it some more and felt like it would be a good idea to read through the chapters I'll be teaching in the next few weeks to get myself ready to teach it. While skimming through the upcoming chapters, I came upon the story of Abinadi, which is one of my favorites. 

If you aren't familiar with the story or need a refresher, here's the very condensed version. (If you're interested, the whole story can be found in Mosiah 11-18)

King Noah was a wicked king that didn't follow the good example of his father, King Zeniff. Instead of taking care of his people, he taxed them heavily so he and his groupies (wicked priests that he picked to replace to righteous priests his dad had chosen) could afford to live extravagant, lazy, extrememly immoral lifestyles. Things were heading downhill quickly, so God sent the prophet Abinadi to call him and all the wicked people to repentance. King Noah didn't take too kindly to this (big surprise) and ordered his people to bring Abinadi to him so he could kill him, but they didn't find him and Noah kept on a-doing his thang. 

Fast forward two years. Abinadi comes back, in disguise, calls them to repentance again, prophesies of their destruction if they don't, and is imprisoned where he continues to teach them about many things including the Ten Commandments, Christ, and the atonement. Again, Noah is not impressed. Nosiree. He tells Abinadi that unless he recalls his words he will kill him. Abinadi, being a righteous man with integrity that I admire so much, refuses to take back his words, so he was then bound, scourged, and burned alive.

I like to put myself into Abinadi's shoes here. Can you imagine how he must have felt after doing his very best to help these people mend their ways, not only to have them refuse to listen, but end up killing him too? If I were him, I would have been so discouraged the first time that I'm not sure I would have gone back... but he did. That blessed man went back, knowing that they wanted to kill him, and tried again to get them to understand that they needed to change. What love he must have had for them to still try, even when he never saw the results of his efforts.

It gets even better though! Get a load of this... One of the priests, a young man named Alma, listened and believed. Although Abinadi probably never had any idea, his words sunk deep into Alma's heart. He knew they were true. He pleaded with Noah not to be angry with Abinadi and let him go in peace. This made King Noah extremely angry, so he cast Alma out and sent servants to kill him. Alma managed to hide from them, where he wrote down the words of Abinadi and went around secretly teaching those words to anyone that would listen. Many people (around 450!) began to gather to listen to him teach and they ended up being baptized, organizing themselves into a church, and then fleeing from Noah who was none too happy when he discovered them.

The part that really amazes me is that those 450 people are only the beginning of the the influence Abinadi had. Check this out, taken from this article in the February 2005 New Era:

Abinadi
Abinadi’s testimony to wicked King Noah cost him his life (see Mosiah 17:20), but changed the life of one of the king’s priests, Alma the Elder (see Mosiah 18:1), who at the time was “a young man” (Mosiah 17:2). 

Alma the Elder
Alma helped bring into the Church about 450 of King Noah’s people (see Mosiah 18:35). They joined the Nephites at Zarahemla, where Alma became the high priest of the Church and baptized many more (see Mosiah 25:18). His son was Alma the Younger (see Mosiah 27:14). 

Alma the Younger
Alma was the Nephites’ first chief judge and high priest of the Church (see Mosiah 29:42). He helped convert more than 3,500 people and converted many more during later missions to Nephite cities. Alma’s sons served missions as well. His oldest son was Helaman. 

Helaman, Son of Alma
Helaman kept the records and was one of the high priests of the Church (see Alma 46:6). At about 73 B.C. and again about 54 B.C., he reestablished the Church after years of war (see Alma 45:22; Alma 62:46). He led the 2,000 stripling warriors. His son was also named Helaman. 

Helaman, Son of Helaman
Helaman kept the records of the people as well. He became chief judge of the Nephites. During his righteous rule, “tens of thousands” joined the Church (Hel. 3:26). He had two righteous sons, Nephi and Lehi. 

Nephi and Lehi, Sons of Helaman
Nephi was chief judge before leaving to preach the gospel with Lehi. These brothers were such powerful missionaries that most of the Lamanites were converted to the gospel (see Hel. 5:50). Nephi turned the records over to his son, Nephi. 

Nephi, Son of NephiNephi became a great prophet. He taught and baptized many in the wicked days before Christ’s coming, even raising his brother from the dead (see 3 Ne. 7:15–26). He was chosen as one of Christ’s 12 disciples when the Savior appeared (see 3 Ne. 12:1). The disciples helped convert all the Nephites and Lamanites after Christ’s coming (see 4 Ne. 1:2). 

Isn't that a little mind-blowing? Although he may never have been able to see even the smallest success, Abinadi had an incredibly far-reaching influence. Plus, each of those people converted by Abinadi, Alma, and Alma's posterity certainly affected others, who in turn affected even more people. Not to mention everyone today that is blessed by learning about it by reading the Book of Mormon. The impact of Abinadi's message was and is enormous, even if he never saw any of it while on earth.

I love that. 

Re-reading Abinadi's story today gave me the comfort I needed by reminding me that just because I may not see results doesn't mean that I'm not doing some good, whether in my calling as a seminary teacher or other aspects of my life. You don't always know when you are making a difference, and sometimes it's the simplest things that have the greatest impact. I will probably never have the kind of influence Abinadi did, but I can still do good in the world in my own little way, and that might make all the difference to someone.  

Also, even with its challenges, teaching seminary is one of the best opportunities I've ever been given. I wish I could explain how much I have learned, how much I love my students, and what an impact teaching has had on my testimony of the scriptures. The blessings far outweigh the challenges, and even the challenges are often blessings in disguise. And even though I'm looking forward to sleeping in and passing the stress onto someone else, I am going to miss it when I'm released next month! 

I love Sister Hinckley.

Yesterday, I had a quote in my head from Marjorie Pay Hinckley, who is the wife of my church's previous president, Gordon B. Hinckley. She passed away in 2004, and he was reunited with her in 2008.

I absolutely adore them both. They are such beautiful examples of happy lives and a happy marriage. 

Ah! I can't handle it. They are too adorable.

Anyway, as I was saying, I had this quote come to my mind, and I looked it up so I could share it on instagram. 

 

 

While I was looking it up, I found a plethora of quotes by her, some that I had heard before and some that were new, and I spent some time reading through them. I have some things on my mind this week that have been stressing me out a bit, and some of the quotes by her were just what I needed to hear. I love her way with words and spunky personality. Here are a few of my favorites:

“The only way to get through life is to laugh your way through it. You either 

have to laugh or cry. I prefer to laugh. Crying gives me a headache.” 

“We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.” 

“Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, “Wow what a ride!” 

“We are His children, and if we ever got that through our heads thoroughly, understood that completely, we would never do a small thing, we would never say a cross word, we would not use bad language, we would not criticize anybody, we would love everyone the way the Savior loves us.” 

Isn't she the best? I want to be just like her when I grow up.

P.S. Please tell me you thought of The Three Amigos when I used the word "plethora". If not, you should click here to be enlightened. ;)

P.P.S. Happy Friday! Yippee!

Perfect weekend? I think yes.

I used to dread General Conference weekend as a child. It was torturous to confine my energetic self to one room for a total of 8 hours (there's four 2-hour sessions), and I rarely got anything out of the talks. I do remember my parents always making a big deal of the prophet speaking, and even if I don't remember anything he said that did make an impression on me. 

Now that I am older, that has completely changed. Conference weekend is my favorite. It's the highlight of my April and October. I mean, does it really get any better than having an excuse to sleep in, wear PJs all day, eat lots of food, and snuggle with your husband while listening to the beautiful words of our church leaders? I love it, especially since being pregnant makes me want to do all those things even more, which I honestly didn't think was possible. Our weekends are usually pretty busy with some crazy adventures on Saturday and church + meetings on Sunday, so it was nice to have Dallin all to myself for two whole days. It was perfect and (of course) went by too quickly. 

There were so many talks I adored. I can't wait to study them in more depth when the November Ensign comes out. I've been kind of in a rut lately, as you might have noticed from the rather grumpy posts I've been writing lately, and this conference left me feeling refreshed and ready to go. I needed that. 

Last conference, I started posting some of my favorite quotes on instagram, and I did that again next year. Here are some of my favorites:

(P.S. If anyone is interested, I used a combination of the Rhonna Designs app and www.picmonkey.com to make these.)

I think we all need that reminder sometimes.

Fun fact: I once met Elder Nelson and he called me "sweetheart" and told me I was beautiful. In other words, we're pretty much best buds. ;)

One of my favorite talks.

P.S. We will have a 2-month-old baby next General Conference... whaaaaat? In other words, I made sure to soak up the opportunity to listen without distractions since it will probably be a very, very long time before that happens again. :) 

I'm a Mormon woman, I don't hold the priesthood, and I'm okay with that.

There's been an increase of discussion lately about Mormon women and the priesthood, partially because of this group of women who are seeking ordination and to attend the priesthood session of General Conference tomorrow. If you know me personally, and/or have read my blog (especially this post) for very long, you probably know that this is an issue I feel strongly about. Very strongly indeed.

I would really, really like to call myself a feminist. I personally do consider myself to be one, but I hesitate to officially and publicly label myself as one because I disagree with the opinions of almost all of the self-professed "Mormon feminists" out there. I don't want to be mixed up with them. 

Unlike most of these feminists, I do not feel slighted as a Mormon woman. I have never felt like I am less valued or less worthy as a member of the church because of my gender, even though being a woman means I do not hold the priesthood. I don't feel like I need to hold the priesthood to be happy or fulfilled or important. 

I also know that if it were necessary for women to hold the priesthood to be happy or fulfilled or important, then God would never withhold that from us. I know for absolutely certain that if God wanted women to hold the priesthood then, by golly, women would hold the priesthood. It is as simple and profound as that. He would reveal it to our dear prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and that would be that. The end. 

In The Family: A Proclamation to the World (a very short but extremely worthwhile read found here), it discusses the importance of gender, the roles and responsibilities men and women have, and how they work together. Here are a couple excerpts:

"Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." 

"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."

I love that. Often "gender roles" are considered to be a bad thing (and sometimes they can be), but if you read the Family Proclamation, specifically these excerpts, then you'll see that God has given us gender roles/responsibilities. I would even be so bold as to say that the Plan of Salvation is built upon the foundation of gender roles because that is central to the family and family is central to the Plan of Salvation. And according to the proclamation and this talk, it means that women's primary responsibility is to nurture their children (if they have the opportunity) and that the responsibility to hold the priesthood, the presiding authority in the home and the church, belongs to the men. And you know what? I totally support that. (Gasp!)

I'm sure that some of you are going to read this and think, "None of this sounds very feminist." You're probably right. You see, my definition of feminism is a little different than most. 

To me, true feminism is embracing the unique, God-given qualities women have been blessed with, and using those qualities to better the world in a way that only women can. It means being feminine. Strong, nurturing, loving, gentle, hard-working, intelligent, sensitive, wise, and so much more. 

As a wife, it means supporting my husband, especially his position as a priesthood bearer and the patriarch of our home. It means being an equal partner with him in our marriage and doing my part to keep our relationship strong and our home happy.

As a mother, it means nurturing, loving, and caring for the spiritual, physical, and emotional well-being of my future children... with the help of my husband as my equal partner, of course.

As a single woman, it meant preparing to become a wife and mother, whether I would end up having that opportunity or not. It meant gaining education (both secular and religious), preparing for a meaningful career, and becoming a better person in general.

Anyway... I figure President Gordon B. Hinckley put it best when he said this: 

“Women do not hold the priesthood because the Lord has put it that way. It is part of His program. Women have a very prominent place in this Church. Men hold the priesthood offices of the Church. But women have a tremendous place in this Church. They have their own organization. It was started in 1842 by the Prophet Joseph Smith, called the Relief Society, because its initial purpose was to administer help to those in need. It has grown to be, I think, the largest women’s organization in the world... They have their own offices, their own presidency, their own board. That reaches down to the smallest unit of the Church everywhere in the world...

 “The men hold the priesthood, yes. But my wife is my companion. In this Church the man neither walks ahead of his wife nor behind his wife but at her side. They are co-equals in this life in a great enterprise.” 

Well said. 

Also, because I can't help myself, please enjoy what might be my favorite Mormon pick up line of all time. You're welcome. 

Monday pick-me-up

Just in case you are as thrilled about the beginning of another week as I am. ;)

Also, this cracks me up every single time. Haha!
The first time I heard this story and saw him wiggle his ears was in a broadcast for all the stakes in Arizona several years ago. I laughed so hard my sides hurt. Oh, how I love both President Hinckley and President Monson! And oh, how excited I am for General Conference this weekend! :D

"My wife told me not to say that." 

Have a wonderful week!

Halfway there, livin' on a prayer

I'm 20 weeks pregnant today. Halfway there! 20 more weeks, give or take, until we meet this tiny human and our family of two (and a half) becomes three.

I don't think that has really sunk in yet.

It's pretty hard to wrap my head around the fact that this is all really happening. I just got used to the idea of being a wife, and now I'm becoming (and in some ways already am) a mother? Whaaaaat? 

It's all a little crazy still, but I love it. I am so happy to be where I am today... married to the sweetest man, anticipating this little baby's arrival, and living a life that is even happier than I hoped. 

So sappy, I know. Just feeling really blessed today, I s'pose. :)

On a lighter note (because if you know me you'll know I'm not good at staying serious for very long), it's a really good thing that I ended up watching last night's Relief Society broadcast at home last night rather than going to the activity at the church. Let me put it this way... I was very well hydrated (Sonic's happy hour is hard to resist sometimes), and had an unfortunate incident involving a rather large sneeze while sitting cross-legged on the couch.

Truly, is there anything more glamorous than a pregnant woman? Lovely.

Also, wasn't the RS broadcast great? It just got me even more excited for General Conference next weekend! Yippee! Also, funny story, I like to write down some of my favorite quotes in a somewhat cute manner to post on instagram, and a couple of them ended up the the LDS General Conference facebook page and this Deseret News article. I sure would have made my handwriting a little neater if I had known it would end up there... just saying. Haha!

 

Happy Sunday! :)

I will go and do.

One of my shortcomings is my fear of doing difficult things, especially the ones that really stretch the boundaries of my happy little comfort zone. 

You know, things like attending the Spanish branch when I only have a small, patchy understanding of the language. Or being asked to play the piano in that branch, even though I only know a handful of hymns that took me a very long time to learn. Or teaching early-morning seminary five days a week to teenage kids that really aren't that much younger than myself! Each of these things really test my ability and willingness to take a deep breath, put on my metaphorical big girl panties, roll up my sleeves, and just do the best I can. 

One of the scriptures that has most influenced my life is 1 Nephi 3:7. 

"And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

Seriously, Nephi is pretty much the man. To give you some background, here's a quick sum-up of what's going on here. Lehi (Nephi's dad/prophet) has a vision in which he sees the destruction of Jerusalem. He warns the people, leaves his home to seek safety in the wilderness with his family, and then has another vision in which the Lord tells him they need to return to Jerusalem to get the brass plates from a dude named Laban. Nephi's rather whiny older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, do their thang and start whining ("murmuring") about how that's too hard. 

1 Nephi 3:7, in contrast, is Nephi's response to this commandment.  "I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men save he shall prepare a way from them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."

In other words, "I'm gonna go and do what the Lord asks, because I know he will never, ever ask me to do anything that I cannot do."

Even if it is difficult, maybe even extremely difficult.

Even if at first it doesn't seem possible. 

Even if it means pole-vaulting over the confines of your comfort zone by, I don't know... attending the Spanish branch, or playing the piano in church, or trying to teach "spirited" teenagers about the gospel. :)

The Lord can and does prepare the way for us. I know I've experienced this many times, especially recently. For example, playing the piano in church is a very real, very difficult struggle for me. I rarely get through a song without messing up at least a few times and I get very anxious and tense every week. My goal  is not to play perfectly, but just to keep the song going. I've almost lost it a couple of times, but somehow my hands fall on the right keys, or at least enough right keys to keep the melody flowing well enough for people to sing along until I get back on track again. 

Each week I become more confident, especially as I learn to trust and lean on the Lord to help me do it. It's really something to feel my anxiety get swept away or to "magically" have my hands fall on the right notes, even when I've completely lost my place. I am so thankful for that help and support. I couldn't do it otherwise. 

Also, it was providential that Dallin's parents "happened' to give us their piano just a couple months before we were called to the branch. Don't you try to tell me that is a coincidence! :)

P.S. I survived the first two days of seminary! My class is great and so far everything is going very smoothly! You know, this is a demanding calling, but I'm really going to miss it when they release me. It's the best.

So long, summer (kinda)

Seminary starts next week. It is so close! I can't believe my lazy summer is almost at an end and that today was my last lackadaisical weekday morning for a while. Here's some of the things I'm mourning already...

• No more going without some of the non-essential pieces of clothing that one doesn't need to wear when they are a bum at home all day. In other words, I will now have to wear a bra. Life is so hard sometimes... *sigh*
• No more sleeping in until 7:00am every morning, which is my favorite time to get up. Early, but not too early. 
• Likewise, no more staying up "late", which for this old fogie means any time past like 9:00 or 9:30. We're pretty exciting around here, lemme tell ya. 
• No more leisurely weekday breakfasts with Dallin. 
• No more showering in the morning. (Ain't no seminary teacher got time for that!)

On the bright side, there's a lot of things I'm really looking forward to, such as...

• Teaching! It can be difficult some days, but I love that it challenges me, and I hope I can do some good in the lives of my students. I know high school was a very defining time for my character (in other words, it was misery... but I learned from it!), and I know seminary played a part in helping me avoid bad influences and decisions. 
• Preparing lessons! I learn so much when I'm studying the scriptures and lessons manuals. It really helps me study with a purpose. Also, the new manual is going to make this much less stressful than last year... yippee! 
• No longer being a bum all day. It was nice to take it easy for a little while, but I've started to feel a little useless just hanging out at home all day by myself. There's only so much cleaning, reading, and Netflix-watching one can do before it gets a little very monotonous. I kind of wish I could be working, at least part-time, but employment around these parts is hard to come by, especially good employment (as in something that doesn't make me work on Sunday and isn't a bad environment like the job I quit a while ago).
• Being forced to get dressed and "prettied up" in the morning. It really makes a difference in my day to get home at 8am already dressed and with makeup on. I tend to be much more productive when I start my day early.

Wish me luck! (I need it...)

Printable Scripture Mastery Cards/Bookmarks

Seminary is getting closer and closer! I've been busy preparing lessons, getting materials together, and (to be honest) kind of dreading getting up early. I think I've been a little spoiled this summer!

Grumpy Cat always understands me.

This year, along with the new curriculum, eight of the twenty-five Book of Mormon Scripture Mastery scriptures are different. Unfortunately this means that a lot of the materials are still in the process of being updated, and a lot of the free printables and things I've been using from other seminary teachers are no longer current. Bummer! So... I made a couple of my own. I figured I would post them here just in case there are any other seminary teachers looking for something like this. Feel free to print or edit them any way you like! 

I made this one to be the same size as the new Scripture Mastery cards. Last year some of my students (and myself, to tell the truth...) had a hard time keeping track of their cards, so this year I put them on rings and added this list to the ring. I figure it is a good way for them to have everything in one place so it's easy to pull out and hopefully won't get misplaced as easily. 

(Left click to enlarge, right click to save and print)

To get the card the right size, I printed them as wallet sized pictures (on white cardstock). The tricky part is cutting them the right length because the new cards are kind of long. I messed up a couple of sheets, so... good luck! :)

Also, because of the way the new SM cards were printed, the only way to punch holes in the cards without losing text is to do it in one of the bottom corners. Keep that in mind if you plan on putting them on rings!

The finished product!

I also made a 4x6 version for my students to use as bookmarks, especially since we don't have the new ones put out by the church yet. (Plus these are cuter... which is very important, am I right? :P)

(Left click to enlarge, right click to save and print)

I plan on printing this on the back so they have a place to keep track of the scriptures they passed off besides the poster at the front of the class. This is partially because we had a couple problems with people putting stickers in the wrong places... sometimes accidentally, sometimes not. ;) 

Last one... I have had this quote hanging on the wall in front of the classroom and decided to make one that was a little more eye-catching (but still simple). 

The colors are a little dark in the download because my printer tends to print things lighter than they should be, so feel free to tweak the colors if it doesn't print quite the way you want. 

Here's how it looks in real life. See what I mean?

Well, there you have it! Let me know if you have any questions! Also, I plan on making (and posting) more seminary printables so if you have suggestions or ideas feel free to shoot me a comment or email. 

The problem with feminists

Feminism. Oh, what a touchy subject this can be. 

Disclaimer: I'm fully aware that I might offend some of the people that read this, so I just want to apologize in advance. That's not my intention. I just want to discuss some of the thoughts and ideas that have been running through my mind lately.

I believe that women are powerful. Their influence on the world is strong and deep. I am thankful for the good that women do in the world, whether it be in the home or in the workforce, and I firmly believe in the importance of getting a good education whether you are male or female. Women should absolutely be able to vote, have their own bank accounts, be property/business owners, political leaders, gain higher education, and have a career. Some of these rights were fairly recently granted to American women, and I am so thankful for the people that brought about these changes. I'm thankful for the opportunities I have as an American woman, and for the decisions I am free to make that allow me to live the life I want to lead.

I truly feel blessed to be a woman in this day and age.

Bam! Woman power!

This all sounds pretty feminist-y, doesn't it? However, I feel very reluctant to refer to myself as a "feminist". I have many feminist peers and I enjoy talking to them or reading their opinions and feelings on the subject, but I find it very interesting that I disagree with most of their beliefs. In fact, there are few ideals I have in common with the majority of these feminist friends of mine. 

I was really baffled by this at first, but after a while I figured out why we felt so differently. I believe that "masculinism" (and sometimes chauvinism) has taken the place of modern feminism. In today's society, most feminists I have come in contact with are, in my opinion, basically trying to become men, and this is where I draw the line. To me, this is where feminism is no longer truly feminism. 

As I wrote in this post, my definition of true feminism is embracing the unique, God-given qualities women have been blessed with, and using those qualities to better the world in a way that only women can. 

I firmly believe that women and men are equal in importance. We need both sexes for social and biological purposes; neither is more necessary than the other. I also believe that we are different for a reason and that each sex is divinely created to fulfill a specific role.

Gender is not a coincidence, neither is it arbitrary. It is a central part of our spiritual identity and responsibility and is a central part of the Plan of Salvation. The Family: A Proclamation to the World is a great resource to learn more about why gender roles are important and what responsibilities each gender has. Here is an excerpt:

"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."

Here it what it says about the responsibilities of parents in the home:

"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."

Now this is where I am probably going to ruffle some feminist feathers: As is stated above, I believe that the primary role of women should be a wife and a mother, and that no other path of life can be more noble, important, or fulfilling. Do I believe in getting an education? Absolutely! Get a good education if you possibly can. Is there anything wrong with pursuing a career? No way! However, neither of these things should ever take precedence over family. That is what is most important. At the beginning of this post I said that "women should absolutely be able to . . . be property/business owners, political leaders, gain higher education, and have a career". This is true, but none of these things should take priority over a family or keep women from fulfilling their responsibility to be a wife and mother if they have the opportunity. Unfortunately, a misconception I often see in modern feminism is the idea that to be a successful woman you must have a career, and that being a mother is a restrictive burden. Nothing could be further from the truth. Motherhood is more important, more precious, and more rewarding than any career. (Side note: I recognize that not everyone has the opportunity to get married or have children in this life, and no one should be looked down on for that or feel that it affects their worth as a person at all. Unfortunately I've heard of a few people that have felt that way.)

"There are two principles that we should always keep in mind. First, no woman should ever feel the need to apologize or feel that her contribution is less significant because she is devoting her primary efforts to raising and nurturing children. Nothing could be more significant in our Father in Heaven’s plan. Second, we should all be careful not to be judgmental or assume that sisters are less valiant if the decision is made to work outside the home. We rarely understand or fully appreciate people’s circumstances. Husbands and wives should prayerfully counsel together, understanding they are accountable to God for their decisions." -Elder Quentin L. Cook (source)

I also support the priesthood-based (or patriarchal) structure of my church. The majority of church leaders are men, and the leaders that are female work under the direction of priesthood leaders (who are all male since women do not hold the priesthood). And you know what? I'm okay with this. I know that my church is led by a prophet that receives direction from God, and because of this knowledge I know that the leadership structure of my church is based on revelation and guidance from Him. I certainly don't feel oppressed as a Mormon woman because of this structure or the fact that I don't hold the priesthood (besides when I hug my husband... heh heh :P). In fact, I am grateful for the ways that my religion helps me, as a woman, be my best and realize my full potential. 

My point is that the problem with (most, not all) feminists is that too often they forget what it means to be feminine. 

(source)

Being feminine means using the divine qualities and responsibilities we've been given to make the world better by working with men, not against them, and supporting their divine qualities and responsibilities.  

It means being gentle, loving, compassionate, classy, righteous, nurturing, strong, innovative, creative, powerful, intelligent, and wise -- qualities I hope to instill in my daughters (and my sons, for that matter!). 

It is magnifying womanhood, motherhood, and sisterhood. 

It is becoming more like our heavenly parents every day. 

Read more of my thoughts on the subject here and here.

Also, this makes me laugh. ;)

 

Happy Monday!