You know it's been a busy day when you can hardly remember the morning by the time you get to the evening. So ... I plumb the depths of my memory and find this:
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
That's the alarm clock, waking me up at 7:55. I press snooze, but I end up getting up before the alarm goes off again. Fortunately for Dan, I remembered to turn the alarm off. Shower, very careful tooth-brushing, check the status of the gum graft using a flashlight, quickly get dressed, drop Dan off at the church to be part of the member cleaning crew, and drive an hour to work.
Yay. Work. Fortunately there were a few other people there on a Saturday with me. Even my boss was at work. So he called me in to his office for my performance review (it's fine). Fortunately I figured out my shirt was inside-out before I went in to for the review. Afterwards, I spent some time wondering what's wrong with just wanting to be really good at what I do without wanting to get to boss other people around at what they do. In other words, I was asked to work on wanting to be a leader. And to make things better, I was also asked to think of what role I want to work towards - being a manger or being a technical lead. Um. Can't I just do a good job at my job? Because I currently have no desire for leadership. And thinking that far forward about my "life goals" also is a reminder of my real life goal and how things didn't turn out there the way I thought they would. But there were some nice compliments about other things I was doing well, including my boss being pleased that I'm fitting in okay with an all-male group, getting along with my lead, and doing a good job.
Then I went back to work, got through over half of what I meant to do today, and headed home. With a stop at the library to drop off books and pick up some things to read over the holidays, and a stop to gas up the car, I got home just in time to primp, grab Dan, and get back in the car. Next stop Seattle Sheraton, holiday party time!
We found a perfect parking spot within 20 yards of the parking garage entrance/exit and walked a few blocks to the hotel entrance. We went into the hotel and followed the directions of the hotel staff to a line with a 30-minute wait. And lots of kids. Hmmmm. So we waited. I played a game on Dan's phone for a while, and then we saw that the line led past some gingerbread houses. Actually, they were some pretty awesome gingerbread houses.
Then we headed to the correct line, checked in, and went to the party. The I-don't-know-how-to-describe-it-themed party. Masks, costumes, all sorts of cool stuff.
We started in the room with a flamenco dancer. The food was a slice of bread topped with a thin cucumber slice and some stuff for flavor (spices and possibly other veggies). The dancer was amazing - her feet stomped and flew, and her face was so intense that we watched for a good 10 minutes. The room was set up with tables and with private-ish curtained seating areas along the back wall. Very fancy.
The next room was a large room with several parts. The first thing I noticed was the girl sitting in a hoop hanging from the center of the ceiling. The smooth jazz tones went well with her acrobatic dance. And there were a couple strong man in an area by the door doing balancing tricks. There were standing tables and sitting tables, and several food stations. We started with the garbanzo beans, rice, and pita bread. Then the oversized spaghetti and meatballs. Then the chicken sandwich and french onion soup. And we hung out and watched the acrobatics for a while. The girls traded off every 5-10 minutes - that looked like quite a workout, and they made it look so easy!
I grabbed a grapefruit juice with sprite as we headed upstairs to the cirrus room on the 35th floor, where we tried the crackers and cheese, and the crackers with something that tasted like apple pie filling, and the crackers with spiced cherry filling. And we looked out all the windows to see out over the city. Cool. This may have been my favorite room.
Are you sensing a theme? Because I was full by this point and we weren't nearly done finding all the food. There was still the whole third floor. On the third floor, they had decorated in a "through the rabbit hole" theme. There were spotted mushrooms, giant flowers, and mysterious paw-prints glowing on the floor. The main room on this level had a live band, but they were on a break. I watched the man on a platform carving a cheshire cat out of chocolate while Dan tried the open-face sandwich. We also saw some folks playing croquet. There were folks dressed up as playing cards, people wandering all over with half-masks, and mostly just lots and lots of people. (Side note - if your shoes are that painful to walk in, they are not good shoes. That poor girl.)
Further along this floor we found the dessert rooms. There were more desserts than we had room to try, but we found space for brownies, mini-cupcakes with coconut frosting, flan baked right into a tiny cup, crumb-topped apple tart, and my favorite. Who needs cake pops when you can have cheesecake pops?!? I passed on the second type of mini-cupcake and the blueberry tart. But when I went to have another cheesecake pop, they had run out. So we went on and found the mad hatter tea party room - it looked kind of dull, so we turned around and headed back along our path.
After I picked up a little baggie of chocolate shavings from the Cheshire Cat chocolate statue carver, and Dan had seconds on his favorite sandwich, Dan kindly stopped and waited with me in line for us to get our pictures at the Mad Hatter display. He even put on a cape, sat on a throne, and held a scepter. I hope we figure out how they are getting us the pictures afterwards.
We headed back to the one room we'd missed - the Ice Bar. Which was more of a dance club with a griffin ice sculpture in the back. Loud music, girls dancing up on high platforms, you get the picture. Then we found our way back out (past the violinist and the cellist who entertained those going up and down the escalators with live music), picked up our car, and made it home in one piece.
And now I get to go pack up what I need for my last Sunbeams lesson of the year and go to bed!
17 December 2011
11 November 2011
11 good things this week
#11 Today. 11:11 11/11/11
#10 walking past the floral department in the grocery stores
#9 Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip. amazing stuff - so versatile.
#8 Sunny sunny sunny Thursday
#7 didn't get hurt at all when I caught the leg of my pants on a file cabinet at work, even though it tore a huge hole in the pants (fortunately at the end of the day and in a not-to-bad place along my shin).
#6 picked up a room that was messy for months
#5 learning a new craft project, just in time for Christmas
#4 worked extra hours so I got Friday off
#3 my sister posted on her blog!
#2 surprise party for a friend!
#1 Totally non-PC conversation at work, regarding an after-work social.
Me: did you have a good time?
C: yeah, it was fun. there was lots of good beer.
Me: glad you had fun.
C: why didn't you go?
Me: I was at work until 6.
C: the party was still going until 8.
Me: well, I had to get home so Dan could have the car.
C: you should've come - there was lots of good beer.
Me: I don't drink.
C: huh?
Me: I'm a Mormon.
C: EEUUGH!
--dramatic pause--
C: That ... that wasn't about you being ... that was about living without beer!
Me: --laughing--
#10 walking past the floral department in the grocery stores
#9 Jalapeno Greek Yogurt Dip. amazing stuff - so versatile.
#8 Sunny sunny sunny Thursday
#7 didn't get hurt at all when I caught the leg of my pants on a file cabinet at work, even though it tore a huge hole in the pants (fortunately at the end of the day and in a not-to-bad place along my shin).
#6 picked up a room that was messy for months
#5 learning a new craft project, just in time for Christmas
#4 worked extra hours so I got Friday off
#3 my sister posted on her blog!
#2 surprise party for a friend!
#1 Totally non-PC conversation at work, regarding an after-work social.
Me: did you have a good time?
C: yeah, it was fun. there was lots of good beer.
Me: glad you had fun.
C: why didn't you go?
Me: I was at work until 6.
C: the party was still going until 8.
Me: well, I had to get home so Dan could have the car.
C: you should've come - there was lots of good beer.
Me: I don't drink.
C: huh?
Me: I'm a Mormon.
C: EEUUGH!
--dramatic pause--
C: That ... that wasn't about you being ... that was about living without beer!
Me: --laughing--
20 October 2011
Dear Driver
Dear Driver of the Dark Red Beretta,
I want to let you know that I really appreciate your consideration this morning. I watched you down the road from a half mile away, resisting the urge to speed to make sure I could go through the light with you, but you were kind enough to pull into the crosswalk to make sure the light wouldn't turn green before I got there. How did you know I love to get to trigger the sensors myself?
Also, I am grateful for how you quickly pulled away from me after we rounded the corner so that I wouldn't have to worry about driving close to someone who quite possibly didn't know where cars should go as opposed to pedestrians.
I did have a nervous moment when I saw you turn into the little road that goes to my work, but fortunately you reassured me by pulling a 9-point completely illegal u-turn about 10 yards down the street while I waited to turn after you. I'm so glad that you evidently don't work anywhere near me.
Thanks for making my morning so much fun!
Your Road-Neighbor,
~julie
I want to let you know that I really appreciate your consideration this morning. I watched you down the road from a half mile away, resisting the urge to speed to make sure I could go through the light with you, but you were kind enough to pull into the crosswalk to make sure the light wouldn't turn green before I got there. How did you know I love to get to trigger the sensors myself?
Also, I am grateful for how you quickly pulled away from me after we rounded the corner so that I wouldn't have to worry about driving close to someone who quite possibly didn't know where cars should go as opposed to pedestrians.
I did have a nervous moment when I saw you turn into the little road that goes to my work, but fortunately you reassured me by pulling a 9-point completely illegal u-turn about 10 yards down the street while I waited to turn after you. I'm so glad that you evidently don't work anywhere near me.
Thanks for making my morning so much fun!
Your Road-Neighbor,
~julie
17 October 2011
Gave Another Talk In Church
And I still write my talks out long-hand, the whole thing. I know my teachers (especially sophomore year English) tried to break me of this habit, but my words come out better in writing.
So here it is-Overcoming Adversity
(Quotes from Harold B. Lee are from "Chapter 22: Peace Be unto Thy Soul," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: HaroldB. Lee, (2000) unless otherwise cited.)
Good morning.
The topic - Overcoming Adversity - just in case I start to ramble or stop making sense, I wanted to make sure you got that part.
There are lots of types of adversity
*physical, mental, emotional challenges
*loss of loved ones, or seeing them go through their own challenges
*financial difficulties
*discouragement
*school projects and tests
*temptations
*sometimes we are disobedient and need to repent
*challenges that result from others using their agency in a way that makes our lives more difficult
*others criticize us, or criticize our faith
I'm sure there are more, but I'm going to focus on what we do about the adversity in our lives. I think that overcoming adversity is not necessarily defeating our difficulties and making them go away; rather, it is not letting adversity defeat us. In other words, we overcome adversity by remaining faithful through our challenges, without compromising our honesty or integrity.
As President Harold B. Lee put it, "The all-important thing in life isn't what happens to you, but the important thing is how you take it."
As I started to read and think about overcoming adversity, I found an overwhelming amount of information. Even just in our most recent General Conference there were many talks that give us tools for how we face our challenges. I chose a few of those ideas to talk about today.
The first one is that Focusing on Eternal Things Helps Us Put Adversity in Perspective
I'm going to tell a small story and then I will (hopefully) relate this back to overcoming adversity. My sister and her family visited recently. She has two children - Lucy, who is 6, and Calvin, who will be one year old soon. Calvin sees the world from an interesting perspective - about 14 inches off the ground. He loves to crawl around and investigate new things. I was watching him explore my mom's family room last Saturday. He played with his toys for a few minutes and then he crawled over the the exercise bike. He grabbed the side of the bike and stood up. He studied the seat, the posts, and the pedals. He touched everything, feeling all the hard and soft surfaces. He held on to the pedals and tried to play with them, but they just wiggled a tiny bit. After a few minutes, Calvin gave up and went back to his toys. I was struck by how he clearly wanted to know about this thing, this exercise bike, but he wasn't able to understand its purpose or how it all worked just yet. I'm sure it will make more sense as he grows up, when he understands the big picture.
Like little Calvin, we are all still learning and growing. There are many things in our lives that we may not yet understand. But Heavenly Father sees the big picture. His gospel teaches us about His plan of salvation, His plan of happiness for us. Focusing on the big picture can help us with our challenges. This might make more sense in someone else's words - so I will borrow again from President Harold B. Lee.
He said that “The one who confidently looks forward to an eternal reward for his efforts in mortality is constantly sustained through his deepest trials. ... He lives above his world and never loses sight of the goal of his salvation. ... The path to [exaltation] is rugged and steep. Many stumble and fall ... But through all this journey, there is the calming assurance that if we choose the right, success will be ours, and the achievement of it will have molded and formed and created us into the kind of person qualified to be accepted into the presence of God. What greater success could there be than to have all that God has?”
This was also expressed by the prophet Isaiah, in his beautiful words "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8)
With the eternal perspective of our Heavenly Father, our adversity can be for our good, our learning, our strengthening, and our growth.
The second idea I want to talk about is how Service Helps Us in Our Adversity
I left that deliberately vague - it can mean others serving us, or us serving others. Both are good. Both help us overcome adversity.
Our ward is full of examples of others serving us in our adversity - we strengthen and help each other when we help someone move, when we bring dinner to a family who has need, when we home teach and visit teach each other, when we give a hug to someone feeling sad, when we write a note to let someone know we're thinking of them, when we help someone understand their homework, and in so many more ways. Receiving service from others helps us in our times of adversity because we don't have to endure things all on our own.
I have a file folder at home where I have kepts many of the encouraging notes and pictures that my friends and family have sent me during some of the hard times in my life. One of my favorites makes me smile whenever I'm feeling down - it says, in the slanted block-printing of a young friend, "I hop you feel better." And I do feel better every time I read it.
We can also find help in our adversity by finding ways to serve others.
In the book Daughters in My Kingdom, there is a story about a sister who had moved to New Jersey. Her husband was very busy with his first year in medical school, and she felt lonely because she hadn't made friends quickly. Then she was called to visit teach 12 sisters. As she got to know these sisters and their families, and as she served them, she said "I quickly forgot about my own loneliness as I served others. The sisters whom I had at first considered so different from myself soon became my dear friends who were grateful for even the slightest thing I did for them."
We all have chances to serve others, through our callings or through how we treat our family, friends, and acquiantances. As we serve others, their needs, their wants, and their happiness grows in its importance to us. We choose to make someone else's needs more important than our own, and our own problems can take a backseat as we focus on what we can do for others. Our feelings of stress, sadness, disappointment, and frustration are balanced by the feelings of love and joy we get from serving others.
President Heber J. Grant "Service is the true key, I believe, to happiness. When we perform any acts of kindness, they bring a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure into our hearts, while ordinary amusements pass away." ("Chapter 15: Labor for the Happiness of Others," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: HeberJ. Grant, (2002))
This next idea was in many of the talks I read from General Conference - Our Faith and Testimony Help Us Overcome Adversity
Again, here's a little story from my life. When I was in college, I learned that I have allergies. Just your normal, everyday hayfever allergies. Most of the time they are not too bad, but every once in a while allergies can make me feel pretty sick. So, my doctor recommended I start taking a daily allergy medicine, all year round. I started out with good intentions, but I quickly forgot to keep taking my medicine. And in the winter semester, that didn't matter very much. But when spring came, there were so many flowers and shrubs and trees all in bloom that I got sick pretty fast. I felt miserable for a whole week. If only I had remembered to take my allergy medicine every day, I wouldn't have gotten so sick.
This seems to me to be similar to our faith. We build our testimonies even when we're not in the middle of trials, challenges, and other forms of adversity, because then we will have built up the strength we need to face our challenges when they come.
There are many stories in the scriptures of people who have faced adversity with faith. One such story is when Nephi went with his brothers to get the brass plates from Laban. Nephi told his 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." (1 Nephi 3:7)
So Nephi was prepared with a testimony that the Lord would help them to get the brass plates. He did not get discouraged even after the first two attempts to get the plates from Laban failed. He relied on his faith and went into the city one more time and brought out the plates. We too may fail in some of our attempts in life, but like Nephi, we can lean on our testimonies to help us to try again.
Sometimes overcoming adversity takes a long time. The children of Israel were in bondage for a long time before the Lord called Moses to lead them out of Egypt. We may also endure challenges that do not end quickly. Our testimonies are key to overcoming, or to enduring our adversity with faith.
It's just like the parable in Matthew 7, where the wise man built his house upon a rock, "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ..."
As President Harold B. Lee explained, "The Master was saying, and I am saying to you today, that the rains of disaster, the rains of difficulty, the floods and winds of severe trials are going to beat upon the house of every one of you. There will be temptation to sin, you will have hardship, you will have difficulty to face in your life. The only ones that will not fall when those tests come will be those who have their houses founded upon the rock of testimony."
And after we do all that we can do, I believe there comes a point in our lives (or maybe this happens over and over) when we realize that we cannot overcome adversity with just our own strength.
We have a choice - when our challenges are too hard to handle - do we give up, lose our faith, give in to temptation? Or do we turn to our Heavenly Father's strength to hold us up when we can not stand on our own?
President Joseph F. Smith said, "Man is so utterly dependent upon God! How helpless we are without him; how little can we do without his merciful providence in our behalf!" ("Chapter 3: True, Faithful, Earnest Prayer," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: JosephF. Smith, (1998))
In this most recent General Conference, Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy shared an experience where he needed Heavenly Father's help in a time of adversity. When Elder Cook was a newly called General Authority, he was feeling overwhelmed by his new responsibilities. In his words:
"I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.
"The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.
"I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.”
"But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!” As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, “Now, remember, it is better to look up.”
"As we parted, the words of a scripture came to mind: “Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.” As I thought of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s power, my heart found the comfort I had sought in vain from the floor of that descending elevator." ("It Is Better to Look Up, October 2011 General Conference on lds.org)
Like Elder Cook, if we remember to look up, to rely on our Father when we are overwhelmed by the burdens of life, He is there for us. He is there after we have done everything we can think of, everything we have the strength to do. He is there when our own strength isn't enough.
We can find Heavenly Father's help, like Elder Cook did, through the words of the scriptures, and through the words of the prophets and apostles. We can also find his help in blessings given with priesthood power. At a time when I was very scared, a priesthood blessing promised me that I would find peace through pondering on the things of the gospel. And I did.
Heavenly Father will help us because, as Alma said of our Savior's Atonement, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)
Closing
A verse of a Primary song was stuck in my mind this week while I was preparing for this talk, and I believe it sums up what we do to overcome adversity. It says,
"What does the Father ask of us?
What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like His Son.
Help others on their way."
("He Sent His Son," Children's Songbook #34)
I believe that, as Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Our Heavenly Father did not put us on the earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously." ("Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer, Ensign, November 1989)
I believe that I can overcome adversity, not by myself, but with help from others and from Heavenly Father. I believe the same is true for you.
So here it is-Overcoming Adversity
(Quotes from Harold B. Lee are from "Chapter 22: Peace Be unto Thy Soul," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: HaroldB. Lee, (2000) unless otherwise cited.)
Good morning.
The topic - Overcoming Adversity - just in case I start to ramble or stop making sense, I wanted to make sure you got that part.
There are lots of types of adversity
*physical, mental, emotional challenges
*loss of loved ones, or seeing them go through their own challenges
*financial difficulties
*discouragement
*school projects and tests
*temptations
*sometimes we are disobedient and need to repent
*challenges that result from others using their agency in a way that makes our lives more difficult
*others criticize us, or criticize our faith
I'm sure there are more, but I'm going to focus on what we do about the adversity in our lives. I think that overcoming adversity is not necessarily defeating our difficulties and making them go away; rather, it is not letting adversity defeat us. In other words, we overcome adversity by remaining faithful through our challenges, without compromising our honesty or integrity.
As President Harold B. Lee put it, "The all-important thing in life isn't what happens to you, but the important thing is how you take it."
As I started to read and think about overcoming adversity, I found an overwhelming amount of information. Even just in our most recent General Conference there were many talks that give us tools for how we face our challenges. I chose a few of those ideas to talk about today.
The first one is that Focusing on Eternal Things Helps Us Put Adversity in Perspective
I'm going to tell a small story and then I will (hopefully) relate this back to overcoming adversity. My sister and her family visited recently. She has two children - Lucy, who is 6, and Calvin, who will be one year old soon. Calvin sees the world from an interesting perspective - about 14 inches off the ground. He loves to crawl around and investigate new things. I was watching him explore my mom's family room last Saturday. He played with his toys for a few minutes and then he crawled over the the exercise bike. He grabbed the side of the bike and stood up. He studied the seat, the posts, and the pedals. He touched everything, feeling all the hard and soft surfaces. He held on to the pedals and tried to play with them, but they just wiggled a tiny bit. After a few minutes, Calvin gave up and went back to his toys. I was struck by how he clearly wanted to know about this thing, this exercise bike, but he wasn't able to understand its purpose or how it all worked just yet. I'm sure it will make more sense as he grows up, when he understands the big picture.
Like little Calvin, we are all still learning and growing. There are many things in our lives that we may not yet understand. But Heavenly Father sees the big picture. His gospel teaches us about His plan of salvation, His plan of happiness for us. Focusing on the big picture can help us with our challenges. This might make more sense in someone else's words - so I will borrow again from President Harold B. Lee.
He said that “The one who confidently looks forward to an eternal reward for his efforts in mortality is constantly sustained through his deepest trials. ... He lives above his world and never loses sight of the goal of his salvation. ... The path to [exaltation] is rugged and steep. Many stumble and fall ... But through all this journey, there is the calming assurance that if we choose the right, success will be ours, and the achievement of it will have molded and formed and created us into the kind of person qualified to be accepted into the presence of God. What greater success could there be than to have all that God has?”
This was also expressed by the prophet Isaiah, in his beautiful words "But now, O Lord, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8)
With the eternal perspective of our Heavenly Father, our adversity can be for our good, our learning, our strengthening, and our growth.
The second idea I want to talk about is how Service Helps Us in Our Adversity
I left that deliberately vague - it can mean others serving us, or us serving others. Both are good. Both help us overcome adversity.
Our ward is full of examples of others serving us in our adversity - we strengthen and help each other when we help someone move, when we bring dinner to a family who has need, when we home teach and visit teach each other, when we give a hug to someone feeling sad, when we write a note to let someone know we're thinking of them, when we help someone understand their homework, and in so many more ways. Receiving service from others helps us in our times of adversity because we don't have to endure things all on our own.
I have a file folder at home where I have kepts many of the encouraging notes and pictures that my friends and family have sent me during some of the hard times in my life. One of my favorites makes me smile whenever I'm feeling down - it says, in the slanted block-printing of a young friend, "I hop you feel better." And I do feel better every time I read it.
We can also find help in our adversity by finding ways to serve others.
In the book Daughters in My Kingdom, there is a story about a sister who had moved to New Jersey. Her husband was very busy with his first year in medical school, and she felt lonely because she hadn't made friends quickly. Then she was called to visit teach 12 sisters. As she got to know these sisters and their families, and as she served them, she said "I quickly forgot about my own loneliness as I served others. The sisters whom I had at first considered so different from myself soon became my dear friends who were grateful for even the slightest thing I did for them."
We all have chances to serve others, through our callings or through how we treat our family, friends, and acquiantances. As we serve others, their needs, their wants, and their happiness grows in its importance to us. We choose to make someone else's needs more important than our own, and our own problems can take a backseat as we focus on what we can do for others. Our feelings of stress, sadness, disappointment, and frustration are balanced by the feelings of love and joy we get from serving others.
President Heber J. Grant "Service is the true key, I believe, to happiness. When we perform any acts of kindness, they bring a feeling of satisfaction and pleasure into our hearts, while ordinary amusements pass away." ("Chapter 15: Labor for the Happiness of Others," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: HeberJ. Grant, (2002))
This next idea was in many of the talks I read from General Conference - Our Faith and Testimony Help Us Overcome Adversity
Again, here's a little story from my life. When I was in college, I learned that I have allergies. Just your normal, everyday hayfever allergies. Most of the time they are not too bad, but every once in a while allergies can make me feel pretty sick. So, my doctor recommended I start taking a daily allergy medicine, all year round. I started out with good intentions, but I quickly forgot to keep taking my medicine. And in the winter semester, that didn't matter very much. But when spring came, there were so many flowers and shrubs and trees all in bloom that I got sick pretty fast. I felt miserable for a whole week. If only I had remembered to take my allergy medicine every day, I wouldn't have gotten so sick.
This seems to me to be similar to our faith. We build our testimonies even when we're not in the middle of trials, challenges, and other forms of adversity, because then we will have built up the strength we need to face our challenges when they come.
There are many stories in the scriptures of people who have faced adversity with faith. One such story is when Nephi went with his brothers to get the brass plates from Laban. Nephi told his 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." (1 Nephi 3:7)
So Nephi was prepared with a testimony that the Lord would help them to get the brass plates. He did not get discouraged even after the first two attempts to get the plates from Laban failed. He relied on his faith and went into the city one more time and brought out the plates. We too may fail in some of our attempts in life, but like Nephi, we can lean on our testimonies to help us to try again.
Sometimes overcoming adversity takes a long time. The children of Israel were in bondage for a long time before the Lord called Moses to lead them out of Egypt. We may also endure challenges that do not end quickly. Our testimonies are key to overcoming, or to enduring our adversity with faith.
It's just like the parable in Matthew 7, where the wise man built his house upon a rock, "And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. ..."
As President Harold B. Lee explained, "The Master was saying, and I am saying to you today, that the rains of disaster, the rains of difficulty, the floods and winds of severe trials are going to beat upon the house of every one of you. There will be temptation to sin, you will have hardship, you will have difficulty to face in your life. The only ones that will not fall when those tests come will be those who have their houses founded upon the rock of testimony."
And after we do all that we can do, I believe there comes a point in our lives (or maybe this happens over and over) when we realize that we cannot overcome adversity with just our own strength.
We have a choice - when our challenges are too hard to handle - do we give up, lose our faith, give in to temptation? Or do we turn to our Heavenly Father's strength to hold us up when we can not stand on our own?
President Joseph F. Smith said, "Man is so utterly dependent upon God! How helpless we are without him; how little can we do without his merciful providence in our behalf!" ("Chapter 3: True, Faithful, Earnest Prayer," Teachings of Presidents of the Church: JosephF. Smith, (1998))
In this most recent General Conference, Elder Carl B. Cook of the Seventy shared an experience where he needed Heavenly Father's help in a time of adversity. When Elder Cook was a newly called General Authority, he was feeling overwhelmed by his new responsibilities. In his words:
"I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.
"The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.
"I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.”
"But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!” As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, “Now, remember, it is better to look up.”
"As we parted, the words of a scripture came to mind: “Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.” As I thought of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s power, my heart found the comfort I had sought in vain from the floor of that descending elevator." ("It Is Better to Look Up, October 2011 General Conference on lds.org)
Like Elder Cook, if we remember to look up, to rely on our Father when we are overwhelmed by the burdens of life, He is there for us. He is there after we have done everything we can think of, everything we have the strength to do. He is there when our own strength isn't enough.
We can find Heavenly Father's help, like Elder Cook did, through the words of the scriptures, and through the words of the prophets and apostles. We can also find his help in blessings given with priesthood power. At a time when I was very scared, a priesthood blessing promised me that I would find peace through pondering on the things of the gospel. And I did.
Heavenly Father will help us because, as Alma said of our Savior's Atonement, "And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)
Closing
A verse of a Primary song was stuck in my mind this week while I was preparing for this talk, and I believe it sums up what we do to overcome adversity. It says,
"What does the Father ask of us?
What do the scriptures say?
Have faith, have hope, live like His Son.
Help others on their way."
("He Sent His Son," Children's Songbook #34)
I believe that, as Elder Richard G. Scott said, "Our Heavenly Father did not put us on the earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously." ("Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer, Ensign, November 1989)
I believe that I can overcome adversity, not by myself, but with help from others and from Heavenly Father. I believe the same is true for you.
20 September 2011
Summer: Before, During, and After
Before Trex:
After Trex:
During July, August, and half of September:
After July, August, and half of September:
Before Scrubbing Carpet:
During Scrubbing Carpet:
After Scrubbing Carpet:
Before Breakfast:
During Breakfast:
Before Paint:
After Paint:
(even the weathered side looks pretty good now)
Before Scout Camp:
After Scout Camp:
(it only lasted for a few weeks)
Before Birthday Party:
After Birthday Party:
(marshmallow guns)
After Trex:
During July, August, and half of September:
After July, August, and half of September:
Before Scrubbing Carpet:
During Scrubbing Carpet:
After Scrubbing Carpet:
Before Breakfast:
During Breakfast:
Before Paint:
After Paint:
(even the weathered side looks pretty good now)
Before Scout Camp:
After Scout Camp:
(it only lasted for a few weeks)Before Birthday Party:
After Birthday Party:
(marshmallow guns)
08 July 2011
Handmade Gift Exchange
I love making things. I love knowing how things are made even if I can't make them myself. I love seeing all the cuteness people bring into being. So, this year I decided to sign up for the Craftaholics Anonymous gift exchange!
I was really nervous about having time to finish what I started, especially since I just started working in a new group, I no longer have any telecommuting days, and my bedtime has moved to 9PM (no, I never make it to bed on time, but at least I'm trying). So, what should I show first? The gift I made, or the fabulous gift I received? We'll see which pictures I find on my camera first...
Ok, here's what I made (following a pattern from the amazing Ana Paula Rimoli's latest book).
I started with some supplies:
I made lots of pieces, large and small:
And then (starting at 11PM on June 29th and finishing at 1:30AM because things always take longer than I expect), I stitched the pieces all together, stuffing as needed!
And here's a closeup of that cute little face. I was very proud of myself because this is the first amigurumi I've ever finished (I have half an elephant started that I interrupted in order to make this):
I mailed it off on June 30th, hoping my exchange partner would like it. Then I started obsessively checking the mail every day, including Sunday and the 4th of July. I was really excited to see what would show up for me! And when the package arrived, it was even cooler than I had anticipated!
The first thing that slid out of the package looked like a long, thin card. I looked closer and saw something peeking out of it:
Then I read what was printed on the (oh my GOSH! how cute is that! she totally made that by hand too!) card and pulled out the most gorgeous bookmark, in my favorite colors!!!
Added bonus - I have never tried tatting, but this is so gorgeous that now there's a new craft I want to attempt to learn! Look at all those little, tiny knots:
After some minutes of admiration, I turned my attention back to the package and took out a beautiful card, with a saying that my exchange partner had no way of knowing is really close to my favorite life motto (which is "Stand in Joy"):
And, again in my favorite colors, a little purse just the right size for keeping gift cards, or for carrying those minimum essentials when you don't want to carry a big bag:
I love everything about it - from the colors to the quilting to the lavender zipper! Thank you Karen!
I was really nervous about having time to finish what I started, especially since I just started working in a new group, I no longer have any telecommuting days, and my bedtime has moved to 9PM (no, I never make it to bed on time, but at least I'm trying). So, what should I show first? The gift I made, or the fabulous gift I received? We'll see which pictures I find on my camera first...
Ok, here's what I made (following a pattern from the amazing Ana Paula Rimoli's latest book).
I started with some supplies:
I made lots of pieces, large and small:
And then (starting at 11PM on June 29th and finishing at 1:30AM because things always take longer than I expect), I stitched the pieces all together, stuffing as needed!
And here's a closeup of that cute little face. I was very proud of myself because this is the first amigurumi I've ever finished (I have half an elephant started that I interrupted in order to make this):
I mailed it off on June 30th, hoping my exchange partner would like it. Then I started obsessively checking the mail every day, including Sunday and the 4th of July. I was really excited to see what would show up for me! And when the package arrived, it was even cooler than I had anticipated!
The first thing that slid out of the package looked like a long, thin card. I looked closer and saw something peeking out of it:
Then I read what was printed on the (oh my GOSH! how cute is that! she totally made that by hand too!) card and pulled out the most gorgeous bookmark, in my favorite colors!!!
Added bonus - I have never tried tatting, but this is so gorgeous that now there's a new craft I want to attempt to learn! Look at all those little, tiny knots:
After some minutes of admiration, I turned my attention back to the package and took out a beautiful card, with a saying that my exchange partner had no way of knowing is really close to my favorite life motto (which is "Stand in Joy"):
And, again in my favorite colors, a little purse just the right size for keeping gift cards, or for carrying those minimum essentials when you don't want to carry a big bag:
I love everything about it - from the colors to the quilting to the lavender zipper! Thank you Karen!
04 July 2011
Nine
We decided on the spur of the moment to celebrate our anniversary in Stehekin. Which is at the far end of Lake Chelan, accessible only by boat or seaplane. So, we made a reservation at a little Bed & Breakfast in Chelan, drove up after work, woke up bright an early the next day to catch the ferry and enjoyed the peaceful trip up the length of Lake Chelan. (Which is Shell-ann to me and Shell-ahn to Dan)
The views were gorgeous. The ferries were okay, although some sort of boat-dwelling flying insect was in season. The ferry schedules were offset in a way that we could maximize our time in Stehekin by taking the fast ferry uplake and the slow ferry downlake. It worked. Three hours in Stehekin was great - we rented bikes, rode up to Rainbow Falls, ate lunch at the bakery, toured the old and new schoolhouses, and still had 15 minutes to visit the locally made craft cabin (The House that Jack Built) and the ranger visitor station (we could've used a bit longer there).
So, talking over, ready for some pictures?
Our ferry (parked at the Stehekin dock):
Views from the ferry, heading uplake:
Us, on the ferry:
Once we got past Fields Point, it was all mountains:
Dan studied up on Lake Chelan and the history of the ferries:
The ferry backed right up to this waterfall so we could take pictures (can you see the rainbow starting in the lower right corner of the first picture?):
Rainbow Falls - the upper falls were so wet that I had to hide the camera away after taking one picture of the soaking wet post - it literally felt like it was raining for the last 50 yards. I kept trying to find rainbows all the way up the path, but I couldn't find any. Then, when I finally gave up and headed back down the trail, it was full of rainbows! But I couldn't take any pictures without soaking my camera. Here's the view from the lower viewpoint:
Next stop, Stehekin School. I recited from a textbook, while Dan studied geography. He made sure I got a picture of the graduation quilts poster because he knew my mom would enjoy it. Here we are:
Then we stopped at the new Stehekin School. I think it looks a lot like the old one, except it's newer and bigger (but not that much bigger):
I took a picture of the sign at the bakery where we had lunch, partly because it reminded me of another awesome trip we once took:
I didn't take any pictures of the food, but my pesto calzone and Dan's 5.0 sandwich disappeared pretty quickly.
The one thing I wish was that we'd had more time for Dan to explore the park's visitor center:
But it was time for us to get back on the ferry (the slow one this time):
And to enjoy another trip full of beautiful scenery:
Well, some of use stayed awake to enjoy it:
Then ... yes, you thought this was the end of it, right? No way! Then we still had to drive all the way back home! We took a nice break in Leavenworth, eating dinner in a bar since all the restaurants were closed. We also walked around the town, peering in the shop windows and enjoying some gelato. Dan made some new friends too:
Then we went home. Here's the picture that sums up the whole trip (well, actually, here's the picture we accidentally had zoomed in when we tried to take our picture at Rainbow Falls - but it works):
I wonder what we'll do for ten?
The views were gorgeous. The ferries were okay, although some sort of boat-dwelling flying insect was in season. The ferry schedules were offset in a way that we could maximize our time in Stehekin by taking the fast ferry uplake and the slow ferry downlake. It worked. Three hours in Stehekin was great - we rented bikes, rode up to Rainbow Falls, ate lunch at the bakery, toured the old and new schoolhouses, and still had 15 minutes to visit the locally made craft cabin (The House that Jack Built) and the ranger visitor station (we could've used a bit longer there).
So, talking over, ready for some pictures?
Our ferry (parked at the Stehekin dock):
Views from the ferry, heading uplake:
Us, on the ferry:
Once we got past Fields Point, it was all mountains:
Dan studied up on Lake Chelan and the history of the ferries:
The ferry backed right up to this waterfall so we could take pictures (can you see the rainbow starting in the lower right corner of the first picture?):
Rainbow Falls - the upper falls were so wet that I had to hide the camera away after taking one picture of the soaking wet post - it literally felt like it was raining for the last 50 yards. I kept trying to find rainbows all the way up the path, but I couldn't find any. Then, when I finally gave up and headed back down the trail, it was full of rainbows! But I couldn't take any pictures without soaking my camera. Here's the view from the lower viewpoint:
Next stop, Stehekin School. I recited from a textbook, while Dan studied geography. He made sure I got a picture of the graduation quilts poster because he knew my mom would enjoy it. Here we are:
Then we stopped at the new Stehekin School. I think it looks a lot like the old one, except it's newer and bigger (but not that much bigger):
I took a picture of the sign at the bakery where we had lunch, partly because it reminded me of another awesome trip we once took:
I didn't take any pictures of the food, but my pesto calzone and Dan's 5.0 sandwich disappeared pretty quickly.
The one thing I wish was that we'd had more time for Dan to explore the park's visitor center:
But it was time for us to get back on the ferry (the slow one this time):
And to enjoy another trip full of beautiful scenery:
Well, some of use stayed awake to enjoy it:
Then ... yes, you thought this was the end of it, right? No way! Then we still had to drive all the way back home! We took a nice break in Leavenworth, eating dinner in a bar since all the restaurants were closed. We also walked around the town, peering in the shop windows and enjoying some gelato. Dan made some new friends too:
Then we went home. Here's the picture that sums up the whole trip (well, actually, here's the picture we accidentally had zoomed in when we tried to take our picture at Rainbow Falls - but it works):
I wonder what we'll do for ten?
28 June 2011
Soon
I will post a real post soon, with pictures to look at and news of what's going on. In the meantime, I'm just checking in.
Have you ever gone through a day and, at the most impossible times, wished you could post something to facebook? If facebook could read my mind, this week's status would have included:
I saw TWO bald eagles on the lightposts along the freeway today. TWO!
Heh heh heh - notice how no one ever tailgates the Honey Bucket Truck?
Please please please let the fires in New Mexico go away - but gosh, the pictures are beautiful in a huge, scary natural disaster sort of way.
Have you ever gone through a day and, at the most impossible times, wished you could post something to facebook? If facebook could read my mind, this week's status would have included:
I saw TWO bald eagles on the lightposts along the freeway today. TWO!
Heh heh heh - notice how no one ever tailgates the Honey Bucket Truck?
Please please please let the fires in New Mexico go away - but gosh, the pictures are beautiful in a huge, scary natural disaster sort of way.
30 May 2011
By Request
I've apparently been neglecting my blog lately. Not that this is an excuse, but it does seem that every time I look at my blogger homepage and consider writing a post, I think my life is currently too mundane to be interesting. However, blogging is a good exercise for focusing on the small good things as well as for writing about big events. So small good things it is.
I love crafts. Stamping, cross-stitch, embroidery, and now crocheting amigurumi. Amigu-what-y? ah-me-goo-roo-me - try it. It's fun to say. A friend got me started, and so far I have completed one elephant head and half of his/her foot. I'm undecided if it should be a boy elephant with a scarf or a girl elephant with a skirt. It's blue, which does tend to lean me towards boy.
And, speaking of amigurumi, the coolest thing happened last month! A friend of mine is holding online auctions of items or services or various things to help raise funds for her sister's family because they had to relocate to the Seattle area from Idaho for the sister's cancer treatments. So, a few weeks ago, my friend emailed Ana Paula Rimoli, the author of three of the best amigurumi pattern books ever, to ask if it would be okay to sell little critters made from her patterns for this auction. And the response was a definite yes, plus the donation of her latest pattern book and all of her etsy patterns as an auction item. Some people are so cool! And then, on the final day of the auction, after I was outbid in the last three minutes, Ana donated a second copy of everything to the second place bidder (me!). So, that was one of my moments last month where I was shown, again, how utterly amazing people can be. I write this not because I expect the world to read it and beg her for free stuff, but because she has such a beautiful attitude of how we're all here to help each other.
Okay, beyond amigurumi. Well, I started my new position in a differnt office. I miss windows. Not the computer kind - the clear glass things you can look through to determine if you need your coat or umbrella to step outside. Now I have to go down the hall, down the elevator or stairs, and outside to find out if I need weather gear. But, as I half-expected, I am enjoying meeting new people. Quirks and all. And we all have quirks. Especially after spending a week without seeing the sun.
So, now I'm looking around my room to figure out if there's anything else to blog about. The scraps of paper from putting together arts and crafts for teaching the Sunbeams (3 year olds) at church? The two-thirds complete Lego Hogwarts castle my little brother is building with me? The bookshelves I haven't dusted for months? The sheet music ... ah, the music! A friend asked me to accompany him on a special song he wants to sing to his wife. However, the music only had the melody written in for the right hand. Fortunately it also included the guitar chords, so I used noteflight to write in some non-melody parts for the right hand. It was surprisingly difficult and yet fun. The difficulty often came in trying to drag and drop the different music notes one at a time, but the fun is hearing it all come together at last!
I hope that's enough ramblings for now. I hereby make a goal to post more often in June than I did in May. Not that it will be too hard since I averaged less than one post per week. The hard goal will be to find something worth taking pictures of to share.
I love crafts. Stamping, cross-stitch, embroidery, and now crocheting amigurumi. Amigu-what-y? ah-me-goo-roo-me - try it. It's fun to say. A friend got me started, and so far I have completed one elephant head and half of his/her foot. I'm undecided if it should be a boy elephant with a scarf or a girl elephant with a skirt. It's blue, which does tend to lean me towards boy.
And, speaking of amigurumi, the coolest thing happened last month! A friend of mine is holding online auctions of items or services or various things to help raise funds for her sister's family because they had to relocate to the Seattle area from Idaho for the sister's cancer treatments. So, a few weeks ago, my friend emailed Ana Paula Rimoli, the author of three of the best amigurumi pattern books ever, to ask if it would be okay to sell little critters made from her patterns for this auction. And the response was a definite yes, plus the donation of her latest pattern book and all of her etsy patterns as an auction item. Some people are so cool! And then, on the final day of the auction, after I was outbid in the last three minutes, Ana donated a second copy of everything to the second place bidder (me!). So, that was one of my moments last month where I was shown, again, how utterly amazing people can be. I write this not because I expect the world to read it and beg her for free stuff, but because she has such a beautiful attitude of how we're all here to help each other.
Okay, beyond amigurumi. Well, I started my new position in a differnt office. I miss windows. Not the computer kind - the clear glass things you can look through to determine if you need your coat or umbrella to step outside. Now I have to go down the hall, down the elevator or stairs, and outside to find out if I need weather gear. But, as I half-expected, I am enjoying meeting new people. Quirks and all. And we all have quirks. Especially after spending a week without seeing the sun.
So, now I'm looking around my room to figure out if there's anything else to blog about. The scraps of paper from putting together arts and crafts for teaching the Sunbeams (3 year olds) at church? The two-thirds complete Lego Hogwarts castle my little brother is building with me? The bookshelves I haven't dusted for months? The sheet music ... ah, the music! A friend asked me to accompany him on a special song he wants to sing to his wife. However, the music only had the melody written in for the right hand. Fortunately it also included the guitar chords, so I used noteflight to write in some non-melody parts for the right hand. It was surprisingly difficult and yet fun. The difficulty often came in trying to drag and drop the different music notes one at a time, but the fun is hearing it all come together at last!
I hope that's enough ramblings for now. I hereby make a goal to post more often in June than I did in May. Not that it will be too hard since I averaged less than one post per week. The hard goal will be to find something worth taking pictures of to share.
21 May 2011
Dear
Dear Back,
I'm sorry. I know I tend do overdo things when I get into a gardening project, or when I get stuck in traffic for two hours on the way home. After more than a year of off-and-on discomfort, you would think I should know better, but I forget. Or I think I'm getting better and stronger. If I keep trying to remind myself to be careful, do you think you would consider cutting me a break today?
~the rest of me
Dear Washing Machine,
I know it probably gets on your nerves when I mix up your name with the Dishwasher. I know I don't spend a lot of time with you in that cold, cold garage. But please, did you have to ruin my absolute favorite blouse? I really hope the Oxi-Clean takes those mysterious stains back out. I know you're only three years old, but WM, you have solidified my dislike of front-loading washers. You don't work as well, your cycles take forever, and you grow stuff in that gross rubber seal thingey. So, this is your notice - your days are numbered.
~me
Dear Dan,
I'm sorry you're sick! Please get better soon. I think we've only had one week out of the last five where one or the other of us hasn't been sick. Can I do anything to help?
love,
~me
Dear Hulu,
Thank you, you save my sanity. I no longer stay up until 11:00 to watch that favorite show, and now I can watch that show anywhere. You're awesome.
~a fan
I'm sorry. I know I tend do overdo things when I get into a gardening project, or when I get stuck in traffic for two hours on the way home. After more than a year of off-and-on discomfort, you would think I should know better, but I forget. Or I think I'm getting better and stronger. If I keep trying to remind myself to be careful, do you think you would consider cutting me a break today?
~the rest of me
Dear Washing Machine,
I know it probably gets on your nerves when I mix up your name with the Dishwasher. I know I don't spend a lot of time with you in that cold, cold garage. But please, did you have to ruin my absolute favorite blouse? I really hope the Oxi-Clean takes those mysterious stains back out. I know you're only three years old, but WM, you have solidified my dislike of front-loading washers. You don't work as well, your cycles take forever, and you grow stuff in that gross rubber seal thingey. So, this is your notice - your days are numbered.
~me
Dear Dan,
I'm sorry you're sick! Please get better soon. I think we've only had one week out of the last five where one or the other of us hasn't been sick. Can I do anything to help?
love,
~me
Dear Hulu,
Thank you, you save my sanity. I no longer stay up until 11:00 to watch that favorite show, and now I can watch that show anywhere. You're awesome.
~a fan
06 April 2011
Best Ever
While my sister was visiting, we threw my mom the best ever garden-themed birthday dinner party. It was so much fun to plan (with lots of help), to prepare (with lots of help), and to party!
Big thanks to Sara for more help than I can list in one sentence (making it a dinner party was even her idea in the first place), to Nichole for the cake recipe, and to Jenny and Steven for making sure we actually had food to eat.
The room was beautiful.
Here's some close-ups on the details.
flowers:
dessert buffet:
beautiful invitations and favor boxes from sara (slightly edited for privacy):
place settings, with the corsage for the birthday gal and the seed packet place cards:
even a place for the baby:
the cake (again edited for privacy):
Everyone had fun!
Me & the Birthday Girl
Happy Birthday Mom!
Big thanks to Sara for more help than I can list in one sentence (making it a dinner party was even her idea in the first place), to Nichole for the cake recipe, and to Jenny and Steven for making sure we actually had food to eat.
The room was beautiful.
Here's some close-ups on the details.
flowers:
dessert buffet:
beautiful invitations and favor boxes from sara (slightly edited for privacy):
place settings, with the corsage for the birthday gal and the seed packet place cards:
even a place for the baby:
the cake (again edited for privacy):
Everyone had fun!
Me & the Birthday Girl
Happy Birthday Mom!
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