Brushes with nature

This week has been quite an eye-opening, discovery-filled one for Kallie. To begin with, on Wednesday as Ryan was walking home from school, he came across a little caterpillar inching across the sidewalk. Because Kallie has read LOTS of books lately about caterpillars/butterflies, he got it to crawl onto a stick and brought it home for Kallie to see. She was fascinated by the way it crawled!

Then, yesterday morning, she was standing at our window and said, "Mommy, there's a deer!" I thought she was trying to make a joke, but went to the window to see anyway. Sure enough--there was a young deer bounding over the lawn across the street from us. What a fun picture to see from your front window! (Especially when you live in a city...)

Later that same day, we were at Grandma's house playing in the backyard when Aunt Kami saw a HUGE earthworm. Kallie and her cousins gathered around to watch it wriggle around on the grass and eventually back into the dirt. I had to laugh because Jack and Emily, (the cousins), had no qualms about gently poking and prodding the slimy pink worm. Kallie, on the other hand, stayed a safe distance away.

It's been a fun week for Kallie to actually SEE creatures she's only read about in books. I can't wait for her to discover more of the amazing things this world has to offer!

May 22, 2004

1 Ryan
1 Amanda
4 years
2 homes
2 darling girls
1.5 degrees
4 jobs
3 surgeries

3 cars

+_____________________________________

One amazingly happy couple!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, RYAN!!!

Funny

This was on my calendar a few days ago, and considering that I have my babies via c-section, I got a good laugh from it! (BTW--it's from the comic "Brevity.")

Shameless Plug

Earlier this year, my good friend Summer opened an online boutique that has a ton of cute things. For those of you in Utah, she's having an open house next week in Lehi to show off her products. If you want a sneak peek, click on the Tres Chic Boutique button in the left hand column on my blog. Here's the invite...(and because this is a public blog, I've omitted the address. Please leave your e-mail address in the comments if you'd like me to send the address to you!):

WC: Julie B. Beck

I simply cannot explain how many wonderful talks we heard at Women's Conference! And, Sister Beck's was definitely a favorite. Just like the other women, she said way too many great things to write them all down on my blog.

My favorite one-liner during Sis. Beck's talk was "There is no they." When you say (or hear) that "they" will take care of something or that "they" are responsible for something, who is really taking care or taking responsibility? There is no shapeless, formless something that is going to accomplish the tasks that need to be taken care of--no "they" to get it done. Therefore, we need to be "they." As part of this, Sis. Beck mentioned that the responsibility of other people and other entities is to support the teaching that happens in the family. If we are not teaching our children all they need to know at home, they will. I think you're all smart enough to figure out the connection between that statement and Sis. Beck's. :)

Also along these lines, Sis. Beck talked about the fact that women have half of Heavenly Father's plan. It takes both men and women to fully complete the plan of salvation, and if one half of the equation isn't doing their job, then the plan is still frustrated. She later explained that Christ called the 12 Apostles, (which established the leadership), then the 70, (which established spreading the gospel), and at the end of the chapter is Christ's invitation to the women, (establishing the gospel in the home). I know that we have all heard the meaning of the Mary & Martha story, but the way Sis. Beck said it stuck with me: you can go around being busy or you can choose to be part of something bigger than yourself.

This brings me to the next idea--she said, "Influencing is so much more lasting than managing." I often find that when I am most busy, I am much more focused on managing and less impressed with the idea of influencing. I tend to get more wrapped up in what I'm doing and lose focus on the opportunities to teach and minister to the one. (This was an oft-repeated theme at Women's Conference.) In reality, the teaching and ministering moments will be remembered and appreciated far longer than the supreme managment skills will be.

So--to tie this all together--YOU are the one who can have an influence if you make the choice to slow down and focus on living the gospel. What a great reminder for all of us!

Leavin' on a jet plane

Nope, not me. I'm staying right here. But, Ryan left for Oakland today. Since he started grad school, he's been looking forward to attending a conference--and it just so happened that THIS particular one is in the same place where he served his mission. And, I don't mean the same general area--I mean the conference is at a hotel that is actually in one of the areas he served in for several months. (They used to call the hotel the Great and Spacious Building because of how huge and ornate it is!) It couldn't have been a more perfect opportunity for him! I'm bummed that we couldn't afford for me to go as well, because I've never been to Oakland and would love to see where he served his mission. But, I'm excited that he gets to spend some time in a place he enjoyed so much!

In the mean time, the girls and I have some fun things planned. Tomorrow, we get to go to lunch with my mom--and then I'm going to lunch with my girlfriends on Tuesday while Kallie and Whitney are playing with Aunt Laura and Marne. Ryan will be home on Wednesday night--and Friday, he and I are heading off for a night away to celebrate our anniversary. (I have no idea where Ryan's made reservations. I just know that we're going somewhere!) Kallie can't believe she's lucky enough to get to spend the night at grandma's house--AND that her cousins will be arriving for the summer in the same weekend. It couldn't be a more fun and eventful week for us!

WC: Parenting for Young Mothers

This was my favorite class at Women's Conference. I learned something amazing from almost all of the classes I attended, but this one truly connected with things I've been thinking about and concerned about recently. Hmm...Maybe that's because I'm smack in the middle of the experiences they talked about? There were 4 speakers in this session--and I really wished that they all had their own hour-long session to speak because they were all so wonderful. I think the part that really connected with me the most, and the one thing I've really worked on since Women's Conference ended was taught by the first speaker, Sue Egan.

Sis. Egan began by talking about lists. We all know about those mommy lists...because we all have them in some form or another. They're the ones you write at the beginning of each day detailing what needs to be done. And, quite often, when something unexpected comes up, we write that on the list as well--just so we can cross it off! Then, relating her goal to have the spirit in her home, Sis. Egan explained that her goal also seemed to be something she would put on her list and rush through the day to accomplish. So, she thought about what she could do to invite the spirit into her home throughout the day. There were a few things she felt needed to happen. First, she cut out extraneous activities, made sure she did something for herself during the day, and asked Heavenly Father to teach her how to accomplish this goal.

As she prayed, she felt little inspirations throughout the day. (I like to call them "packets of sunshine.") One bit of sunshine was the phrase "Choose joy." In the moments when life (or the kids) got a little out-of-control, she could choose to be frustrated, angry, impatient, or she could choose to find joy, be patient, loving, etc. As she began to think more along these lines, she noticed that her home was becoming more peaceful.

Another bit of sunshine came as she was sitting at the base of the clean laundry version of Mt. Everest. Instead of grumbling through her work, (which is often what I do when laundry is involved), she had the thought that every time she folded an article of clothing, she should remember how the child it belonged to blessed their home. I felt like this was a beautiful way to remember why we are doing these mundane tasks. It really would turn the drudgery into an act of love and service--and I appreciated this perspective.

Finally, she told a story about her granddaughter's soccer team. When they first started a couple of years ago, the 4-year old girls would skip across the field holding hands, pick flowers, or just twirl in the middle of nowhere. This year, it's a team of 6-year olds. Even though they're older and make a better effort, they still struggle a bit in the execution of the game. During one play, the ball was on the right sideline and the coach yelled, "Kick it to the other side!" One little girl ran over and kicked the ball, which landed in the middle of the field. The next little girl ran over, and instead of kicking the ball into the net, she remembered her coach's command and kicked it to the left sideline where it went out of bounds. Immediately, the crowd erupted into cheers of "Good try!" to encourage this little girl, who threw up her arms and did a little victory dance. Sis. Egan drew a parallel between this situation and our lives. Even when we, as parents, kick the ball into left field, the Savior is cheering us on and telling us, "Good try!"

One of the final things Sis. Egan said was that Heavenly Father can do remarkable things with our best efforts, even if those efforts are feeble in our eyes. We need to trust that, as Boyd K. Packer said, "God knows [we] are enough." (This was quoted in two different sessions at Women's Conference and I didn't write down the reference...I'll have to see if one of my friends wrote it down.) When we are confident that we are enough, we are able to enjoy the journey more and savor the season we're in.

WC: Sheri Dew

Sheri Dew spoke in the opening session of Women's Conference. As usual, her talk was filled with wonderful counsel for becoming amazing women. My favorite part, however, was when she focused on personal ministry. This is something that has been on my mind a lot lately, so I was very interested in what she had to say about this. (Please note that this is my interpretation of her words--not direct quotes--as this information is taken from my notes.)

This part of the talk started off with a story about Sis. Dew changing planes in the JFK airport. Her first flight left late, so by the time they landed and made it to the gate, she had 4 minutes to make her connecting flight. She entertained us with her description of running through the airport--then said that as she approached her gate, she could see the attendant closing the door. She yelled, "Don't close that door!!" Amazingly enough, they didn't and Sis. Dew made it on the flight. During the flight, she noticed a man kneeling beside her. (Here she said, "I can't tell you how long I've waited for a man to get on his knee..." The Marriott Center erupted into laughter!) This man's wife had recently learned that her mother had passed away before she was able to return and say her good-byes. He asked Sis. Dew if she would please come talk with his wife. She did, and they had a wonderful conversation about losing a loved one when you're far away. After she returned home, Sis. Dew received a letter from the wife explaining that she learned things from their conversation that weren't discussed that night. Sis. Dew pointed out that she didn't make that flight that night because she needed to get home faster. She made that flight that night because she was needed to minister to one of Heavenly Father's children.

She counseled us to consciously ask ourselves--in every day situations--why we are there? For what reason are you put into that particular situation?

Later in her talk, she said, "What if one sister in Relief Society looked for just ONE opportunity to share the gospel this year?" Although I didn't write down the specifics, she listed several "just one" opportunities we could do each year to be a positive influence on those around us. (i.e. What if we had another family over for FHE just one time this year? What if you chose just one TV show to stop watching this year? What if you did the temple work for just one family member this year?) I loved this idea of "ONE". I think far too often, we get caught up in doing everything and we want to do it now. Too often, if we can't do it all (or all at once), we simply don't. But, by focusing on ONE, we set an attainable goal that will make a difference in someone's life. We minister to ONE person and move forward ONE step at a time.

This was one of my favorite talks from Women's Conference this year. I always appreciate Sheri Dew's boldness and her unabashed focus on the truth.

Women's Conference

Two weeks ago, the stars lined up just right and I was able to attend Women's Conference at BYU this year. I've wanted to go in years past, but I had to work, I had a newborn, was sick in early pregnancy, etc. Next year, who knows where we will be...whether we will be here or moving? So, Ryan stayed home with the girls in order for me to attend these two wonderful days! There was a group from our ward who all attended together. Since we live so close to campus, we walked over in the morning and walked home in the evening--we didn't once have to stress about parking! (That's the way to do Women's Conference!) We all attended different sessions so we could share notes with each other from more than just one class. It was such a great time!

There were so many amazing talks and I heard so many wonderful things. I would love to say that I learned many wonderful things...but I'm still in the process of putting them into practice, and learned, to me, means that I've incorporated it into my life. So for now, I'm working on learning them.

Over the next few days, I'll try to post some of my favorite parts of the conference--this stuff is too good to NOT share! In the mean time, you can watch some of the talks on BYU-TV on May 15.

Wow. *deep breath*

This was my reaction when, two weeks ago, the Bishop asked me to serve as the Primary President in our ward. I had a feeling for quite a while that something was coming and I needed to be ready for it. But, I honestly never thought that this was what it would be! For that entire next week, I felt extremely overwhelmed. I haven't been in Primary since I was a Mia Maid! (Remember when there were Mia Maids and the orange Primary songbook?) As the idea has settled on my mind, I have realized that I really have been prepared over the past few months for this calling. Because of the demographics of our area, we only have a Junior Primary--and only about 20 (or so) children in that Junior Primary. I feel fortunate that I have the opportunity to learn about Primary without having to worry about Scouts or the transition to YM/YW for the older kids. When I first received this calling, 2 weeks seemed a long way off and like it would never come...but today, we were set apart as a presidency and I now feel ready to move forward.