I can finally talk about BYU's defeat in the NCAA tournament without crying.
I'm kidding.
But actually, I've been saving a few text conversations about this game on my phone for this very blog post, and I'm excited to share them with you. Mostly I'm excited to share them with my sister Megan who will be the only person who will truly appreciate this for what it is. (And I'm excited to share it with Sara when she quits being an amazing sister missionary and comes home and has time to catch up on my blog, which I'm sure will be her NUMBER ONE PRIORITY.)
Picture this.
BK and I are sitting on the couch watching the game.
My parents are sitting on their couch at their own house two hours south of mine.
I'm having separate text conversations during the game with each of my parents.
Here is my conversation with The Colonel:
Him: Garbage!
Me: Don't give up. Jimmer will show up soon.
Him:Waiting...
Me: The cougars are deciding to show up to play!! yay!!
Him: Hooah!
Me: Ball doesn't lie...Welcome back, Jimmer.
Him: Bring it
Me: Settle down, brethren.
Him: Boo! I have a bad feeling
Me: I think the refs should start calling fouls or this game is going to get out of control.
Him: Now he is back.
Me: It's Jimmer time.
Him: He needs to get angry
Me: Anger is key to success
Him: Get the ball!
Me: I might have a heart attack. This could go either way!!
Him: Exactly.
Me: Excellent defense, brethren.
Him: This stinks
Me: It's now or never...
Him: Yikes
Me: :( Good game though. Jimmer ran out of steam.
Him: We missed opportunities but we tried.
At the same time I was also having the following conversation with my mom.
Me: Are you watching like you promised dad?
Her: I am!
Me: Rise and shout! Jimmer is probably tall enough for megan...
Her: His jump shot is extremely flat.
Me: His layups are incredible. Landon just said "I'm a-posed ta be (supposed to be) takin care of polar bears." after seeing the La Quinta commercial. Also, Landon is predicting a cougar victory.
Her: How has his prediction success rate been in the past?
Me: I don't have any current statistics...
Her: Hmmmmm..... Florida's team is HUGE.
Me: The humidity? Bugs are bigger in Florida...
Her: They should be killing us. We look like midgets. I hope we get to play the Badgers.
Me: Wisconsin's colors are red and they have a big white guy with bright red hair.
Her: Plus, they're badgers and whatnot.
Me: Right. That's obvious.
Her: Let's give him four points for that one!
Me: Or 50!!!! Should we name our next child Vernon?
Her: I think the Cougs showed amazing restraint at the end of regulation play.
Me: I agree whole-heartedly
Her: The Gators aren't even green. Shall we root for the badgers now?
Me: No. Badgers are sort of weird animals.
Her: Well, Blue Devils are weird, too. I'm sticking with the Badgers.
Me: I think there's still at least ten other options...
Her: Oh, right. I'll have to figure out what those are and then decide.
BONUS:
The following conversation happened during the a Saturday session of general conference.
Her: Your move! [on words with friends]
Me: Your move!
Then at the exact same time, I received two text messages.
The first one from my dad: Pay attention.
The second one from my mom: Don't listen to dad. It's Saturday and it's your move.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA.
You're welcome, Megan.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Monday, April 11, 2011
Service Study, Days 7-8
The Joy of Service-- Russell C. Taylor
“Service is the rent we pay for our own room on earth.” I'm embarrassed to say I have never considered this. But wow--the Lord has given us this beautiful earth, and we really didn't have to do anything to obtain it, except choose His plan. Service really is a great way to pay "rent."
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. I especially like that second sentence. I'm always willing to serve others, but do I actually do it? Do I ever offer service to others? Something to think about.
Small Acts of Service--Spencer W. Kimball
When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves. This is a really hard transition to make--but the times that I've actually done it, it always turns out to be true.
We become more significant individuals as we serve others. Service really is a great way to improve self-esteem.
Sometimes the solution is not to change our circumstance, but to change our attitude about that circumstance; difficulties are often opportunities for service. This is a really hard thing to master as well. Changing our attitude requires a lot of focus and prayer for sure.
We need to help those we seek to serve to know for themselves that God not only loves them, but he is ever mindful of them and of their needs. I always appreciate it when others make me feel this way, and so I need to be more involved in helping others to feel this.
God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. So, so true.
Called to Serve--Boyd K. Packer
Our baptism is a call to lifelong service to Christ. If I am looking for an official reason to serve others, here it is.
She sees a need and serves; not “Call me if you need help,” but “Here I am; what can I do?” I often say "call me if you need help" and I really mean it, but I see that the second statement is much more proactive!
We must teach our children by example and tell them that an unselfish spirit is essential to happiness. Good heavens. If I can ever by example be an unselfish spirit, I will have arrived.
No calling is more important, no service more enduring, than parenthood. *pats herself on the back* :)
“Service is the rent we pay for our own room on earth.” I'm embarrassed to say I have never considered this. But wow--the Lord has given us this beautiful earth, and we really didn't have to do anything to obtain it, except choose His plan. Service really is a great way to pay "rent."
Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do. I especially like that second sentence. I'm always willing to serve others, but do I actually do it? Do I ever offer service to others? Something to think about.
Small Acts of Service--Spencer W. Kimball
When we concern ourselves more with others, there is less time to be concerned with ourselves. This is a really hard transition to make--but the times that I've actually done it, it always turns out to be true.
We become more significant individuals as we serve others. Service really is a great way to improve self-esteem.
Sometimes the solution is not to change our circumstance, but to change our attitude about that circumstance; difficulties are often opportunities for service. This is a really hard thing to master as well. Changing our attitude requires a lot of focus and prayer for sure.
We need to help those we seek to serve to know for themselves that God not only loves them, but he is ever mindful of them and of their needs. I always appreciate it when others make me feel this way, and so I need to be more involved in helping others to feel this.
God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. So, so true.
Called to Serve--Boyd K. Packer
Our baptism is a call to lifelong service to Christ. If I am looking for an official reason to serve others, here it is.
She sees a need and serves; not “Call me if you need help,” but “Here I am; what can I do?” I often say "call me if you need help" and I really mean it, but I see that the second statement is much more proactive!
We must teach our children by example and tell them that an unselfish spirit is essential to happiness. Good heavens. If I can ever by example be an unselfish spirit, I will have arrived.
No calling is more important, no service more enduring, than parenthood. *pats herself on the back* :)
Last Week. What a Joke. (But it ends well, I promise.)
Last week was hard.
I'm not quite sure why.
It was probably a combination of a lot of things: teething babies, defiant almost-three-year-olds, small apartment, husband not quite grasping how difficult the first three things on this list really are.
But see, that could pretty much describe any week for me, really. I'm not quite sure why last week was so hard. I felt I had no patience or energy.
There I was, in the midst of reading about and really, honestly trying to find more charity in my life, and suddenly I found myself in the midst of one of the least charitable weeks of my life.
The grande finale to last week was most definitely Saturday night. I told BK to go ahead and go to ward temple night, since I hadn't found a babysitter, and I was planning on going this week anyway. Of course the second he starts getting dressed, the children act up. Of course they do.
Spencer started pitching the biggest fit I have ever seen a child that small pitch. All because he apparently, at that exact second, decided he hated baby food with more passion than ever before. Oh boy, I thought. I already have Landon who maybe eats three bites of dinner on a good night, not you, too, Spencer!
As he arched his back with every bites of rice and green beans, I arched mine on the inside. He screamed and screamed and screamed, and finally I just snapped.
I threw his bowl of baby food across the room.
In front of his two year old brother.
With whom I've been working ALL WEEK about not throwing things, specifically when frustrated or upset.
EPIC FAIL. Right?
I promptly went to my room and put myself in time-out.
BK somehow found acceptable food for Spencer.
I went to my bathroom and cried.
BK came back to see if I was okay, and I told him I was, I just needed some alone time, and I needed him to go ahead and finish up dinner and bedtime for me. Because I had had enough.
But then instantly I felt ridiculous.
Of COURSE this happens on the night BK was supposed to go to the temple.
I sat there and cried and prayed. I was so very frustrated.
I had been trying so hard all week to read my scriptures and try to apply them to my life.
And yet, there I was--an uncharitable mother and selfish wife, crying on my bathroom floor.
I prayed to know what I could do. I prayed to know that somehow all my hard work on myself and my toddler hadn't just flown out the window.
And wouldn't ya know, it hadn't. My answer came quickly.
Let your husband go to the temple. Put your boys to bed and clean your house. You'll feel better.
And so, I quit crying, got back up, feeling completely refreshed and full of energy.
I walked out and apologized to every member of my family and told BK to go to the temple.
I put my boys to bed.
And then I spent an hour cleaning my house.
And I felt better.
I've decided that even though I might read my scriptures and pray everyday, it won't make me perfect. True, I need to try harder to have even more charity, but sometimes I'm going to make mistakes. The difference is, it's a whole lot easier not to give up completely and to receive quicker answers to prayers when you've been doing the right thing consistently.
That's what I learned last week.
I'm not quite sure why.
It was probably a combination of a lot of things: teething babies, defiant almost-three-year-olds, small apartment, husband not quite grasping how difficult the first three things on this list really are.
But see, that could pretty much describe any week for me, really. I'm not quite sure why last week was so hard. I felt I had no patience or energy.
There I was, in the midst of reading about and really, honestly trying to find more charity in my life, and suddenly I found myself in the midst of one of the least charitable weeks of my life.
The grande finale to last week was most definitely Saturday night. I told BK to go ahead and go to ward temple night, since I hadn't found a babysitter, and I was planning on going this week anyway. Of course the second he starts getting dressed, the children act up. Of course they do.
Spencer started pitching the biggest fit I have ever seen a child that small pitch. All because he apparently, at that exact second, decided he hated baby food with more passion than ever before. Oh boy, I thought. I already have Landon who maybe eats three bites of dinner on a good night, not you, too, Spencer!
As he arched his back with every bites of rice and green beans, I arched mine on the inside. He screamed and screamed and screamed, and finally I just snapped.
I threw his bowl of baby food across the room.
In front of his two year old brother.
With whom I've been working ALL WEEK about not throwing things, specifically when frustrated or upset.
EPIC FAIL. Right?
I promptly went to my room and put myself in time-out.
BK somehow found acceptable food for Spencer.
I went to my bathroom and cried.
BK came back to see if I was okay, and I told him I was, I just needed some alone time, and I needed him to go ahead and finish up dinner and bedtime for me. Because I had had enough.
But then instantly I felt ridiculous.
Of COURSE this happens on the night BK was supposed to go to the temple.
I sat there and cried and prayed. I was so very frustrated.
I had been trying so hard all week to read my scriptures and try to apply them to my life.
And yet, there I was--an uncharitable mother and selfish wife, crying on my bathroom floor.
I prayed to know what I could do. I prayed to know that somehow all my hard work on myself and my toddler hadn't just flown out the window.
And wouldn't ya know, it hadn't. My answer came quickly.
Let your husband go to the temple. Put your boys to bed and clean your house. You'll feel better.
And so, I quit crying, got back up, feeling completely refreshed and full of energy.
I walked out and apologized to every member of my family and told BK to go to the temple.
I put my boys to bed.
And then I spent an hour cleaning my house.
And I felt better.
I've decided that even though I might read my scriptures and pray everyday, it won't make me perfect. True, I need to try harder to have even more charity, but sometimes I'm going to make mistakes. The difference is, it's a whole lot easier not to give up completely and to receive quicker answers to prayers when you've been doing the right thing consistently.
That's what I learned last week.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Charity Study, Days 5-6
Matthew 25:31-46
It's interesting how this scripture applies literally to motherhood. Today has been one of "those days," and it's nice to be reminded that any small act of service I do for my children doesn't go unnoticed.
1 John 4:18
We can't be scared of getting hurt or being taken advantage of in relationships with others. Perfect love has no room for these things.
Ether 12:33-34
Christ gave His life for us. Most of us won't be asked to make that great of a sacrifice. Most of us are just required to be kind and love one another to show our dedication.
Moroni 7:46-48
We must pray for charity in order to have it.
Doctrine and Covenants 12:8
Humility is another important ingredient of charity.
Doctrine and Covenants 34:3
We are children of our Heavenly Father. And He has set up an amazing plan for us to return to Him.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:45
When we are charitable and virtuous, we are blessed and can be confident in our relationship with Heavenly Father.
Love of Christ--C. Max Caldwell
It's interesting how this scripture applies literally to motherhood. Today has been one of "those days," and it's nice to be reminded that any small act of service I do for my children doesn't go unnoticed.
1 John 4:18
We can't be scared of getting hurt or being taken advantage of in relationships with others. Perfect love has no room for these things.
Ether 12:33-34
Christ gave His life for us. Most of us won't be asked to make that great of a sacrifice. Most of us are just required to be kind and love one another to show our dedication.
Moroni 7:46-48
We must pray for charity in order to have it.
Doctrine and Covenants 12:8
Humility is another important ingredient of charity.
Doctrine and Covenants 34:3
We are children of our Heavenly Father. And He has set up an amazing plan for us to return to Him.
Doctrine and Covenants 121:45
When we are charitable and virtuous, we are blessed and can be confident in our relationship with Heavenly Father.
Love of Christ--C. Max Caldwell
It is difficult to be grateful to the Lord under circumstances we don’t enjoy...
Things we don’t enjoy must not overshadow our reasons to maintain our love for the Savior. Otherwise we may lose our perspective or become bitter, and our love for Christ may be lost. How deeply do we love him? Does our love depend on favorable environments? I really needed to read this article today. I would like to say that my love for the Savior doesn't depend on favorable circumstances, but I know my actions do not always reflect that.Jesus’ love was inseparably connected to and resulted from his life of serving, sacrificing, and giving in behalf of others. We cannot develop Christlike love except by practicing the process prescribed by the Master. This was another thing I really needed to ponder today. As I mentioned above, today has been a hard day--one of those days where I don't feel like I have enough patience and energy to meet everyone's needs around here. But I know as I continue to practice serving, sacrificing, and giving, I will become more Christlike and will be blessed with those things I stand in need of.
Is there a greater love among mortals than that of a mother, who offers all for her child? Enough said. :)
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Change of Plans!
It's funny how a few weeks can completely change the whole path your life is taking.
And now that I received a phonecall yesterday, informing me that our loan has been approved, I can tell you all about it!
To make an insanely long story short, BK isn't taking the job he originally thought. He then felt strongly that he should take an interview in a different city altogether than our original plan to stay in Dallas. I wasn't completely convinced, but as time went on, I really started to see how everything was falling into place. The job offer he ended up getting in the different city turned out to be exactly what we needed. And so we bought another house! (We were still in the contract period on the house in Dallas, and so, thanks to a financing contingency clause, we were able to get out of it and get our earnest money back!) We found a subdivision 7 minutes away from the hospital BK will be working at. We will be living about 30 minutes away from my parents.
We were going to look into building, but as the sales person showed us a few never-been-lived-in inventory homes so that we could get a feel for the floor plans, we fell in love with one of them. Turns out houses are a LOT cheaper in this town.
Check out our new place! We are set to close on this lovely house in the middle of next month!
The house is 4 bedrooms + a loft, 2.5 baths, and is about 2400 sq. ft. We absolutely love it, and can't wait for our little boys to have a little more room to wreak havoc upon...
It's interesting how you come up with an amazing plan, and it's in a subdivision in a very popular part of Dallas, and you're so happy thinking, Wow, I'm getting everything I want... and then suddenly the Lord says, "Well, your plan is great, and if that's what you want, we can make that work, but let me show you a different idea..."
And, asusual always, His plan is better afterall.
(Have you checked out Pinterest yet? You can check out my home decorating ideas here. Send me an email if you want to start a Pinterest board of your own, and I'll send ya an invite!)
And now that I received a phonecall yesterday, informing me that our loan has been approved, I can tell you all about it!
To make an insanely long story short, BK isn't taking the job he originally thought. He then felt strongly that he should take an interview in a different city altogether than our original plan to stay in Dallas. I wasn't completely convinced, but as time went on, I really started to see how everything was falling into place. The job offer he ended up getting in the different city turned out to be exactly what we needed. And so we bought another house! (We were still in the contract period on the house in Dallas, and so, thanks to a financing contingency clause, we were able to get out of it and get our earnest money back!) We found a subdivision 7 minutes away from the hospital BK will be working at. We will be living about 30 minutes away from my parents.
We were going to look into building, but as the sales person showed us a few never-been-lived-in inventory homes so that we could get a feel for the floor plans, we fell in love with one of them. Turns out houses are a LOT cheaper in this town.
Check out our new place! We are set to close on this lovely house in the middle of next month!
Floor plan: (Click to enlarge!)
I am in love with the back porch:
They have since sodded the back yard--thank goodness.
Breakfast nook!
Dining Room!
Kitchen! (And since this picture has been taken, a matching fridge has been installed!)
Front door!
Flowerbeds!
Living Room!
Master Bath!
Loft/Playroom
It's interesting how you come up with an amazing plan, and it's in a subdivision in a very popular part of Dallas, and you're so happy thinking, Wow, I'm getting everything I want... and then suddenly the Lord says, "Well, your plan is great, and if that's what you want, we can make that work, but let me show you a different idea..."
And, as
(Have you checked out Pinterest yet? You can check out my home decorating ideas here. Send me an email if you want to start a Pinterest board of your own, and I'll send ya an invite!)
Charity Study, Days 3-4
Gotta play catch-up!
Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love--Gene R. Cook
Yet there stands the devil, the destroyer of this love, replacing it with anger and hostility. Anger and hostility really are the exact opposite of charity. I need to recognize this when feeling those emotions.
Finally, she learned to love herself more, being more kind, gentle, and long-suffering. She stopped her struggle for self-esteem and started loving herself the way God loved her. Her image of herself became His image of her. I really, really like that last sentence.
At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. Just thinking about this actually brought me to tears.
Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. We can't fake charity. It has to come from having a strong relationship with Heavenly Father, and truly knowing that He loves us.
As we increasingly think and act like Him, the attributes of the natural man will slip away to be replaced by the heart and the mind of Christ. 32 We will become like Him and then truly receive Him. :)
Strengthened in Charity--Elaine L. Jack
When we love the Lord with all our mind, soul, and heart, we love others. And charity abounds. This really makes a lot of sense to me. When we're lacking charity, we should really be working on our relationship with God, not just the relationships around us.
When we give our time, our energy, our commitment, our testimony to others, we are giving of ourselves. We are sharing intangibles, not easily left on the doorstep but easily deposited in the heart. When I think about the gifts that have meant the most to me, they most definitely fall under these intangible categories. I need to be better about giving my time and energy.
Nothing will bring the Spirit of the Lord into your meetings, your homes, and your personal associations more quickly than showing kindness. This is something to remember and ponder about for sure!
Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love--Gene R. Cook
Yet there stands the devil, the destroyer of this love, replacing it with anger and hostility. Anger and hostility really are the exact opposite of charity. I need to recognize this when feeling those emotions.
Finally, she learned to love herself more, being more kind, gentle, and long-suffering. She stopped her struggle for self-esteem and started loving herself the way God loved her. Her image of herself became His image of her. I really, really like that last sentence.
At times it will not be easy to discover the Lord’s love for us in all that we experience, because He is a perfect, anonymous giver. Just thinking about this actually brought me to tears.
Unless you are feeling love, you cannot convey true love to others. We can't fake charity. It has to come from having a strong relationship with Heavenly Father, and truly knowing that He loves us.
As we increasingly think and act like Him, the attributes of the natural man will slip away to be replaced by the heart and the mind of Christ. 32 We will become like Him and then truly receive Him. :)
Strengthened in Charity--Elaine L. Jack
When we love the Lord with all our mind, soul, and heart, we love others. And charity abounds. This really makes a lot of sense to me. When we're lacking charity, we should really be working on our relationship with God, not just the relationships around us.
When we give our time, our energy, our commitment, our testimony to others, we are giving of ourselves. We are sharing intangibles, not easily left on the doorstep but easily deposited in the heart. When I think about the gifts that have meant the most to me, they most definitely fall under these intangible categories. I need to be better about giving my time and energy.
Nothing will bring the Spirit of the Lord into your meetings, your homes, and your personal associations more quickly than showing kindness. This is something to remember and ponder about for sure!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Charity Study, Day 2
Choosing Charity: That Good Part
Bonnie D. Parkin
Here are some of the things that stood out to me! (My comments are in blue)
Wouldn’t it be easy if we were choosing between visiting teaching or robbing a bank? Instead, our choices are often more subtle. We must choose between many worthy options. I wish that all I had to do was choose not to rob a bank. I could do that!! But it really is a lot harder to choose exactly how to spend my day and how to balance all the responsibilities I have.
We choose daily. Conversion is not the end of our story with the gospel. We must "endure to the end" by choosing DAILY to follow His teachings. This is something I really struggle with, but I'm trying to be better at this. I got out of the habit of reading my scriptures and praying daily awhile ago, and so it's a struggle for me to get back into this the past couple of years. But I'll keep trying!
Charity is our love for the Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another. This really stood out to me. It really ties in with the article yesterday. By loving others and serving others, I'm really showing Christ my dedication to him. Sometimes I don't understand people, but if I can't think of any other reason to be nice, this is a pretty good one, right?
Bonnie D. Parkin
Here are some of the things that stood out to me! (My comments are in blue)
Wouldn’t it be easy if we were choosing between visiting teaching or robbing a bank? Instead, our choices are often more subtle. We must choose between many worthy options. I wish that all I had to do was choose not to rob a bank. I could do that!! But it really is a lot harder to choose exactly how to spend my day and how to balance all the responsibilities I have.
We choose daily. Conversion is not the end of our story with the gospel. We must "endure to the end" by choosing DAILY to follow His teachings. This is something I really struggle with, but I'm trying to be better at this. I got out of the habit of reading my scriptures and praying daily awhile ago, and so it's a struggle for me to get back into this the past couple of years. But I'll keep trying!
Charity is our love for the Lord, shown through our acts of service, patience, compassion, and understanding for one another. This really stood out to me. It really ties in with the article yesterday. By loving others and serving others, I'm really showing Christ my dedication to him. Sometimes I don't understand people, but if I can't think of any other reason to be nice, this is a pretty good one, right?
Do we criticize each other for individual choices, thinking we know better, when in fact we rarely understand another’s unique circumstance or individual inspiration? This is so true. I'm definitely critical of others, and it's something I'm working on, but I know that this is true. It is RARE that we actually know EVERYTHING that is going on in someone's life. Choices are a lot more complicated than they appear to be most of the time.
We simply cannot criticize, gossip, or judge and keep the pure love of Christ. I love cut and dry statements like this. I wish I remembered this all the time. Something to work on!!
When we know a sister’s heart, we are different. We won’t judge her. We will simply love her. I have had many opportunities in my life so far to get to know a person's heart, and this statement is so true. I usually don't judge people at all if I know them really well--even if I disagree with them. Because I know that they are good people. I need to work on having this feeling toward everyone!
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