Time Out for Women...my spiritual cup was filled and overfloweth!

 Loved every second of this "EFY for Women" (that's what I call it) conference I attended Friday night-Saturday afternoon.  It was glorious from the moment I jumped in the car with 6 other remarkable daughters of God and Women I look up to until they dropped me off the next day.  Doug was gracious enough to watch the kiddies and the breast pump accompanied me on another getaway.  The presenters were fabulously hilarious and Spiritually uplifting all at the same time.  It was like taking a concentrated dose of God's love.  Here are some of my notes from some of my favorite speakers and singers. 

John Bytheway
“If I were Satan and wanted to destroy a society, I think I would stage a full-blown blitz on women. I would keep them so distraught and distracted that they would never find the calming strength and serenity for which their sex has always been known.” Sister Patricia Holland

Wendy Watson Nelson “Let Your Spirit Take the Lead”: If you want to turn all the daily life challenges into joyous tasks or learn how to handle difficult situations try this: for 5 days pray for the Spirit to be with you (as your constant companion) and do this earnestly in the morning and then again in the middle of a challenging situation (i.e. a child is throwing a fit, you’re upset with your spouse, the house is a wreckage).

Think about “What’s is like to be Married to me?” 

The 5 minutes before your husband leaves and the 5 minutes when he returns home are important to show affection and let them know you love them.  Make them happy moments.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team’s jersey we want to wear! Source: Cited in John Bytheway, When Times are Tough, (Deseret Book, 2004), 30.

Sister DeAnne Flynn
 “Hope is the best thing we can give people.”

“Do things appropriate for a Holy day (the Sabbath day).”

“This is what we do in our family”…what you can say when kids complain about going to church, washing dishing, or serving a neighbor. 

Personalize the scriptures.  Want to know how to be a good parent---read about the good “patterns” in the scriptures.  “Patterns” are what lead us to a good outcome…must follow with exactness because chances are you’ll mess it up by cutting corners.  Family Home Evening, Family Scriptures Study, and Family Prayer…can’t cut these corners or our family will suffer. Est. good patterns EARLY with family.  The patterns we set, the children will follow.

Need more strength each day- each morning have a daily devotion (scripture study) and you WILL be Blessed!

Mary Ellen Edmunds
Even when they tell you “you can’t,” believe I the part of you that says, “YOU CAN!”

Dallyn Vail Bayles is a professional actor and singer currently performing around the country in the Broadway tour “Phantom of the Opera.”  He’s been in numerous church films like Hyrum in “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of Restoration.”  His Broadway voice filled the room and the Spirit manifested truth and power as he sang songs that bore testimony of Jesus Christ, God’s Love for us, and Joseph Smith.

Hillary Weeks made us women feel empowered with love from our father in Heaven and to really enjoy the here and now with our kids.  I LOVE the song "If I only have Today" 

If you ever get the chance to attend TOFW...seriously don't let Satan talk you out of it!  GO!  I promise you will be a better mother and wife for it!  It's worth the sacrifices you might have to make.  You'll feel the Lord's love for you, you'll laugh until you'll pee your pants, and you'll realize the sisters in your ward and you have one BIG thing in common: we are all striving to do our best and become the woman the Lord wants us to be!

plus we got this cute bag

International Night

The last activity I did for the Morgantown 2nd ward was an International Night.

• Members brought food from around the world to share
• Some dressed representing a country
• Some brought photos of places they've traveled to and posted them on our huge continents we drew
• Everyone played a game where we doted the world with the current temples
• the kids did games from around the world and sang the song "Children All Over the World" 
• Each family was given the assignment to learn "I am a Child of God" in another language (I passed out 16 different language options they could choose from a week prior).  So at the end of the night we all sang "I am a Child of God" in a bunch of languages.  It was fun.  

Florida Getaway

So one of my delightful friends from college got married in Florida last month.  Not only was it a spectacular wedding, it was a nice rejuvenating getaway.  I debated for weeks if I should bring Colton (only 2.5 months at the time) since I was nursing, but I choose to bring the breast pump instead which worked out fine.  My girls were supportive of all the times I had to pump in the car, in the hotel room, or wherever we were.  Katie Ball and I spent as much time as we could taking walks on the beautiful beach and talked for hours while Cristina did her bridesmaid duties.  I made some new friends which was delightful.  Since a portion of the wedding was at the Cocoa Beach Hilton, we stayed there and loved the waterfront views we had.  It seriously was paradise.

AKA HKH is now HKHN

So my dear friend Heidi K. Hynes married her first kiss last month.  It was such an honor to be at her sealing and to witness their eternal commitment to each other.  She looked gorgeous and I can tell she's marrying a good man.  Heidi was one of my freshman roommates in college and also a bridesmaid of mine.  I just love her dearly and loved being there for her dream wedding in Florida.  To view all the pics of her wedding, go to my photography blog.  But here are just a few I took. 

Easter 2010

Britta threw a super darling party and the kids loved the hunt.  I loved her cookies!  Then we had an Easter feast at our house.  Doug's mom and dad came and some friends joined us too.

Our family photo.

And yes, they look as good as they taste...yum!!!

I just loved these last 3 photos in action.

Moshi Moshi Reunion

One of my best friends from college came to see me at the Orlando Temple when I was there for another college friends wedding. It was a glorious reunion! We haven't seen each other since I was prego with Jaxon (I think) so about 4.5 years ago. Now I've got 3 boys and she's married with a beautiful baby girl and living in her tropical paradise in Dominica. Some memories I have of Liz are:

1. When we met our souls delighted because I really feel like we had known each other for years (must have been BFF in the pre-mortal life).

2. Cherry Coke by the pool all summer long.

3. Cheering Doug and I on when we began dating.

4. NSO and all the events we planned as part of the Event Management Team at BYU.

5. Riding in our tank tops with the windows rolled down in 99 degree Utah weather in her ghetto $400 "white trash" car going to my mom's for Sunday dinner.

6. Dates nights consisted of a Red Lobster or TGIF (free drinks from Blake) and of course a trip to DI.

7. Her receiving inspiration to serve a mission in the middle of sacrament meeting. And then opening her call to Brazil.

8. Her cell phone (at the time, they were a unique commodity)and her love for her "Lady" a.k.a. "mother figure". Speaking of sweet Mama Borchardt, Liz and her mother were (and still are I'm sure) as close as sisters, best friends, and as delightfully Gilmore in their creative chattering.

9. Getting ready for dances and Friday nights out. How easily flirtatious and contagious Liz's personality is. She could swoon any male into doing something she needed or get something for free.

10. Oh, there are many more...some a little to crazy to share. But lastly, if you're wondering why it's title "Moshi Moshi" reunion, it's because we called each other "Moshi" or "Moshi Moshi"...why?...because I had just got back from Japan when we met and that's how we'd answer the phone to each other and then it somehow became our names.

To view pics I took of her and her cute daughter, click here.

Liz, Moshi, I love you and am thankful for your friendship. You came into my life at the most perfect time!

Washington D.C. - spring break

NTS...when going to D.C. during the Cherry Blossom festival, be mentally prepared for CrAzY traffic.

We decided to spend a few days in our nation's capitol with Doug's sister Kim.  Highlights were the Air and Space Museum, the National Zoo, the Temple (thank you Kim for watching the boys so we could do a session together), Eastern Market, and a quick trip to see "the Great King of Kings" (from Night at the Museum 2...which by the way the Boys LOVED that movie) at the Museum of Natural History.

This cracked me up.  Doug trying to protect 3 month old Colt from getting sunburned.

Sporting the flag.

Exhausted from all the walking.

Talon learning how to say "Shukran" meaning Thank You in  Arabic.

Here we are at the "Great King of Kings"...don't they look so happy!

Happy Easter! LOVED Conference...notes to remember

This whole conference I felt was geared toward parents, especially mothers!!! How perfect a conference dedicated to what I'm most passionate about and dedicate my life to. I just love knowing that the work I'm doing daily is supported by God and that it is the most important work I could ever do here on this earth. I love my boys and pray I can be the mother the Lord needs me to be for them. They are living in such turbulent times full of sin and these boys need a mother who will prepare them with tools to defeat Satan. Christ's atonement is what will ultimately save them (save all of us). They need to know that Christ is their personal Savior. It is my goal to teach my children about Christ's life, His teachings, and how to live a Christlike life.

So I remember, here are my notes:

General Confernce April 2010

Saturday Morning Session:

Julie B. Beck

There has never been a greater need for increased personal righteousness, families.

Qualify to have the Spirit with me.

The world will tempt us that we are “entitled to be independent” and to spend time away from families.

Spend sometime in the scriptures everyday.

Write impression down.

Revelations can come hour by hour.

Loose temper= loose spirit.

Women will have influence on the world in the last days.  Must demonstrate happiness; will help draw people to gospel of Christ.

M. Russell Ballard

Womenhood and motherhood are being corrupted.

“There’s nothing as life changing as the influence of a mother.”

We women are given innate talents to nurture and influence.

Henry B. Eyring

God wants us to strengthen children while they are young.

“The family has an advantage in the first 8 years of a child’s life.  This is through the atonement of Jesus Christ.”

“A strong spiritual foundation can make the difference for a life time.”

Children need to learn to recognize the Holy Ghost.

Saturday Afternoon Session:

Elder Bednar

READ THE BOOK OF MORMON WITH YOUR KIDS!!!

Sunday Morning Session:

Elder Uctdorf

We are to be Christ’s hands and lift other up!

Elder Scott

The Atonement of Jesus Christ had to be done perfectly.  He had to experience ALL of the world’s sin, even the gravest of all sins.

The power of the Holy Ghost will help us to teach our children in these wicked times.

Savior needs to be the center of our home and felt by children and adults.

Christ needs to be apart of our teaching our children. 

Cheryl C. Lant

As we help bring our kids unto Christ, we bring ourselves as well.

Teach them to love the Lord, the Gospel and how to live the Gospel.

1^st love the Lord and our families

2nd become worthy examples

What do the Children see in my face?  Can they see His image in my countenance?

3^rd teach them truth from scriptures and prophets

They intuitively want to be good.  It’s up to us to keep that connection with heaven.  It takes a lot of hard work and patience to do this.

We are the ones entrusted to teach them the gospel.

Quintin L. Cook

“Following the Savior”

Remember and reverence the sacrament.  This is the most holy meeting we have in church.

We MUST have love one to another.  We manifest our love for our Savior by obeying his commandments and serving others.

How we disagree is a true measure of our character.  We must disagree agreeably. 

No one is exempt from the storms of life.

ABC

My friend was having triplets, two girls and a boy!!!  The words say A- adorable, B-beautiful, C-cute.