General Conference

This is one of my favorite weekends of the year! I love watching, listening, and feeling uplifted by the messages from the Lord's chosen servants - his prophet and apostles. I relish the feeling of peace in our home as these messages resonate in our hearts. This weekend there have been many messages that seem to speak to me specifically. I am proud to be a woman in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the messages that teach me of my important role in my home, church, community, and nation. I am encouraged to do more, to be better, to reach out to others. Often times, I feel that my efforts are never good enough. I wonder if I am making a positive difference in my home - for my husband and children. I know I am not perfect, but I am trying...and that is all the Lord requires. The Lord is the only one who truly knows our hearts. He knows our situations perfectly, and He knows what we are capable of. Who am I to judge another? I know how it feels to be judged...and I must remember that He is the only one who can and should make those judgments. I am grateful for the messages of family. I feel incredibly blessed to have been born into the family I have...and to have chosen to join the family I did. I consider myself the luckiest girl in the world to have the unconditional love of my parents and husband. I am incredibly fortunate to have the siblings I do. They are my best friends and my biggest supports. I am eternally blessed to have the sacred and divine calling of mother. This is the first conference when I've actually been able to relate to every aspect of motherhood. I love Jonas more than words can describe, yet that love is not unlike the love I have for the children I did not bear but get the opportunity to raise. It amazes me how much the Lord can expand our hearts with love for those we choose to serve. I love Laurin, Amber, Dallin and Daniel as if I had been the one to raise them from birth. There may be differences in my love for Jonas and my love for the other children, but there is no difference in the quantity of love I have for each of them. I am grateful for a gospel that teaches the importance of family. I am grateful for a gospel that teaches the depth and expanse of our Father and Jesus's love for us. I am grateful for the atoning sacrifice of my Savior, Jesus Christ. My understanding of that atonement is still so minute, but I know that it is by His grace that I have been able to accomplish what I have in this life. It is through His strength and power that I have become who I am today. I am proud to be a member of the Lord's true church on this earth today!

Another reason I love General Conference weekends is because I get to stay home and watch it in my pajamas, surrounded by my family. It has been fun to continue our traditional treat buckets. Each session, we choose 6 topics that we think the speakers may address in their talks. As those topics come up, the kids get to take some treats out of the respective buckets. As much as I'm not a huge fan of encouraging sugar consumption, I do enjoy watching the kids listen more and pay attention to the words being spoken...by whatever means necessary. All in all, it has been a great weekend!

Funny story about this picture: We went to Jeff's parent's house so that Jeff and Dallin could watch the session dedicated to the brethren of the church who have the priesthood (God's authority given to men on earth to act in His name). Before we left the house, Jeff told Dallin to get on his white shirt and tie. Dallin took him literally! I was just glad he put on basketball shorts and didn't come out in his shirt, tie, and underwear!