Chicago Temple

This morning Bret and I were up bright and early, 5:15am, to go to the Chicago temple. We left around 6:15 and got there by 7:25. So... we walked around and took pictures for a bit. It was really weird, there were hardly any cars in the parking-lot. When we went in, there was practically nobody around. It was actually a little scary, there were no nice ladies to tell me where to go, so I got a bit lost. There were only 6 people in the session... so not much of a surprise, we got to be he witness couple. It was actually pretty cool, especially with so few people there. We talked to the one other couple after and found out they are missionaries in Chicago and are from South Jordan, UT. Small world. So, afterwords we took some more pictures, and then ate pizza at giordano's. Honestly... i didn't think the pizza was too great- but Bret liked it (.... but he likes everything). So.... that's about it for that temple trip- I guess. Yay for temples!! :)

I'm Grateful :)

Sooo... I just wanted to say I'm grateful.
I've complained a lot lately. I haven't been very happy living here in Aurora, away from home and family, working lots and being away from my husband so much. I have felt a little guilty for my attitude, and tried to change it. BUT today I feel like I got hit with how ungrateful and selfish and plain stupid I have been. A couple of techs got fired today- not because they were doing poorly or did something wrong- there just weren't enough sales so some people had to be let go. They came into the office and were just so sad that they got let go... and it just made me so sad... and then so grateful. I'm very very very lucky, and blessed, to have this job. Definately, it would be more fun to be home around family for the summer, but both Bret and I are making fairly good money out here, and that is a HUGE thing to be grateful for. We only have 2 1/2 months left. Sometimes that seems like FOREVER, but SERIOUSly, it's nothing. We're VERY blessed, Life IS Good. :)

Teaching our children

I've ALWAYS looked forword to having kids, I'm just so excited for it. But one thing that scares me, kind of a lot, is that I'll be responsible for teaching them and guiding them toward, well, the ultimate goal of eternal life. This past conference (April 2010) had so many talks on teaching children and the rising generation... and as I've been reading the talks again I've been able to learn more... and of course, it scares me even more about the responsibility that I'll have, and that really I want to have, because I know it's part of why I'm here and I know that it will be worth it. I just hope that I'll be given the help that I need as I try to guide and teach my children. There was a story shared by President Henry B Eyring that I was reading today and it just made me cry. Soooo... here it is... :

"I learned the power of simple faith in prayer and in the Holy Ghost when our children were small. Our oldest son was not yet baptized. His parents, Primary teachers, and priesthood servants had tried to help him feel and recognize the Spirit and know how to receive His help.

One afternoon my wife had taken him to the home of a woman who was teaching him to read. Our plan was that I was to pick him up on my way home from work.

His lesson ended earlier than we had expected. He felt confident that he knew the way home. So he started to walk. He said afterward that he had complete confidence and liked the idea of being alone on the trip. After he had gone about half a mile (0.8 km), it started to grow dark. He began to sense that he was still very far from home.

He can still remember that the lights of the cars as they streamed past him were blurred by his tears. He felt like a little child, not the confident boy who had begun to walk home alone. He realized that he needed help. Then something came to his memory. He knew he was supposed to pray. And so he left the road and headed toward some trees he could barely see in the darkness. He found a place to kneel down.

Through the bushes he could hear voices coming toward him. Two young people had heard him crying. As they approached, they said, “Can we help you?” Through his tears he told them he was lost and that he wanted to go home. They asked if he knew his home phone number or address. He didn’t. They asked if he knew his name. He did know that. They led him to the nearby place where they lived. They found our family name in a phone book.

When I got the phone call, I rushed to the rescue, grateful that kind people had been placed along his way home. And I have been ever grateful he was taught to pray with faith that help would come when he was lost. That faith has led him to safety and brought him more rescuers more times than he can count."

Hope

I read the talk by Elder Wilford W. Andersen entitled 'The Rock of our Redeemer' given in the April 2010 General Conference. I feel like it applied a lot to me, and probably would apply to a lot of people, if not everyone.

A part that really caught my attention was this: "I do not wish to minimize the reality of clinical depression. For some, solutions to depression and anxieties will be found through consultation with competent professionals. But for most of us, sadness and fear begin to melt away and are replaced by happiness and peace when we put our trust in the Author of the plan of happiness and when we develop faith in the Prince of Peace."

Later, he went on to quote a scripture in Helaman 5:12 which is 'a reminder of the constant comforting counsel from a loving Father to His children since the world began.':
“Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.”

He ended with his beautiful testimony, "I testify of Him, that He has overcome the world, that He will never forget or abandon us, for He has graven us upon the palms of His hands. I testify that those who keep His commandments will grow in faith and hope. They will be given strength to overcome all of life’s trials. They will experience peace that passes all understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Our Path of Duty

Some thoughts from Keith B. McMullin's talk entitled, "Our Path of Duty" from the April 2010 General Conference

President Thomas S. Monson said, "If we are to walk with head held high, we must make our contribution to life. If we are to fulfill our destiny and return to live with our Father in Heaven, we must keep His commandments and pattern our lives after the Savior. By so doing, we will not only achieve our goal of eternal life, but we will also leave the world richer and better than it would have been had we not lived and performed our duties."

Ecclesiastes 12:13 states, "Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man."

What is duty? "Duty is what we are expected to do and to be. Duty does not require perfection, but it does require diligence. Doing one's duty is a manifestaion of one's faith. Life, intelligence, wisdom, judgement, power to reason, all are the gifts of God to the children of men. He gives us our physical strength as well as our mental powers... we should honor God with our intelligence, with our strength, with our understanding, with our wisdom, and with all the power that we possess. We should seek to do good in the world. This is our duty."

And a final note: "The message that God forgives has a condition: that we forgive those who have injured us."

Life is Beautiful

Life is Beautiful. It's easy to forget. We often get so caught up in just doing the things necessary to get us through the day, and forget to look around us and notice the beauty everywhere. For example, I've been a bit unhappy living in Aurora, IL the past month. I keep seeing all the things that I don't like here and didn't think about the things that I maybe like. I love the mountains more than anything. And.... there's no mountains around. It's really hot and humid, and basically all my surroundings are unfamiliar... therefore not beautiful. BUT that is totally wrong, duh. I've just been too mopey and self-pitying to let myself like things about this "place". Anyway, the other night I was walking home from work and it dawned on my how wonderful the weather was and how nice and kind of refreshing it smelt and felt. The day had cooled off so it was a perfect temperature, and the humidity i decided reminded me of the ocean air when on a cruise. Silly i know, but it felt wonderful, and i loved it. Since then I've decided there are very beautiful places all around, there are trees around, and it's very green... anyway, that's my point. This world is beautiful, beauty can be found everywhere and i'm so grateful for it.

In addition to this thought on beauty all around, I've felt lately a lot that joy really can be found all the time. There's no reason to feel dissapointment and sadness and unhappiness for very long if at all. We are here to feel joy... along with learning and growing. But we need to search for that joy and make an effort to feel it... and then we'll be much happier. Sooo that's my thoughts, all jumbled and crazy. Let's be grateful for this wonderful life and beautiful world we've been blessed with. :)

Cricut??

So I've been researching cricut machines and products lately. The reason being... Bret works at a warehouse that sells them and could get me one for half price. Anyway, I just can't decide. It looks super fun... but is it worth it? I don't scrapbook THAT much. Apparently, you have to buy all these different cartridges to go with it (for fonts and shapes), sooooo it could get pricey. BUT, ebay is an option, looks like I could get fairly cheap ones on there. ALSO, there's a "black market" type software for it called "sure cuts a lot" that lets you use lots of different fonts without buying a bunch of cartridges.

Why it seems SUPER cool to me is...
1- Scrapbooking of course... it provides a lot of new ways to scrap-book.
2- Cards. I think it would be way fun to make cute little cards... ya know, for birthdays and holidays and thank-yous, and I love you's, and stuff like that.
3- Wall art. You can cut out letters and pictures on vinyl and stick them on your wall! I think it's cool. You could put sayings or words on the wall or decorate a child's room with cute little pictures.
4- Ummmmm there's a lot of other creative things I've seen as I've been lookin around. People decorating cakes, and making party favors, and decorating picture frames... and all sorts of things. I don't know. It just sounds like fun. :)