over the river and thru the woods

Last night Rob and I went on a date.  We saw the new magical creatures Harry Potter movie and I loved it! Dani wants to see it this week and I figured if we went ahead of time we could baby-sit the grands and the kids could all go.

 A really nice rest stop we spent a few minutes at in St George.

Steve tried to sneak into the suitcase.

Car fun.

More rest stop fun.

Today was travel day.  Normally travel day is okay.  No one loves it but the kids are big and so, theoretically, it's better. Today I was wishing they were back in their 5 pt harnesses and  small enough to strap in place. There was a lot of fighting over who would sit in the back (no one wanted to).  How loud to have the Ohio state game on (some people didn't want to hear it at all & some people wanted to but couldn't over the commotion.)  And where exactly is it appropriate to put your feet.
We made a lot of stops.  Things were spilt.  We stopped at the pharmacy on the way up and somehow the pharmacy bag got thrown away, which will lead to a whole replacement ox in the mire scenario tomorrow.

There was some hysterical laughing when things went wrong and some good times. But not a lot. My favorite was the last hour when things had settled down and we turned on our scripture library and listened to about 8 chapters of Mark.

And then of course we got here and it was great to be with mom and dad and to tell dad, the spriest 77 year old ever, Happy Birthday!

Thursday

Hannah and a big psychology project due today.  Normally she's pretty good at time management but this time she was a little behind and had to finish up this morning.  I helped her out a little and it was fun to see her memories.

blanket making

After school we went to the Lancaster Ward building to make blankets for the painted turtle.  Grace, Hannah and I made 4 in one hour.  We were the fastest, not to brag :)  We can't make them at home because we have pets and the kids are medically fragile and many have allergies and other issues to boot so I was glad for the chance to make them today.

middle of the week and it's cold outside

Grace threw up last night and twice today.  Otherwise she feels fine.  In fact she says she has no warning and so she has missed the toilet every.single.time.  I don't know if she's sick or what.

Today we did some laundry and made crock pot corn and chicken chowder and bread.  All those things went well.  Grace and I also went to Ross and bought some pants.  She needed some warmer clothes and normally she's not easy to shop for/with but we found lots of things that fit and that she liked.  So yeah!

keeping warm

Also today Ziva went to the spa.  She hates it but we sure love it when she is trimed up and clean!

this guy also loves the fire

and they love it together. 

Small and simple things

We had our young women in excellence night tonight. I thought it went very well, the girls did all the planning and chose the theme of by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. They all shared something that was special to them. We had five girls who received their young women medallion this  year and they shared a little more in depth about what doing personal progress meant to them.

The decorations were pretty gold and pink and we had an ice cream bar for dessert. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

Movies

We went to the movies for FHE tonight. We saw Dr Strange. Everyone likes it.

There are lots of movies coming out that I want to see. 

thoughts

So yesterday was the big day.  We went to Bakersfield and got to hear Elder's Ardern and Bednar and they were great. It was a wonderful experience.  We got there early and got great seats, fourth row from the front.   When Elder Bednar walked in everyone stood up and it got very quiet. We actually started a couple of minutes early, which is unheard of in Mormon stand time.  Elder Ardern is from New Zealand and has the cutest accent. So first off Elder Bednar is not lighthearted and/or funny during general conference but he was very relatable and funny.  It was just a delightful experience.  Also it was so powerful.  The spirit was so strong and the learning was profound.

these two

The whole evening was done as a Q&A.  He gave his iPod phone number out and told the youth to send in questions real time.

Some of the thoughts I wrote down.
"You avoid temptation by being where you are supposed to be, doing what you are supposed to do". Elder Bednar

"Stop being mean to yourself.  Work to become what the Lord would have you become one step at a time." Elder Ardern

Someone asked what to do about the state of the world and the anxiety everyone feels.  Elder Ardern said "you have a president, I have a prime minister, we ALL have a King of Kings.  Fear Not." "We need to take refuge in our homes.  We need to cultivate a relationship with the Holy Ghost.  Everything we do in life has the fundamental objective of inviting into our lives the companionship of the Holy Ghost"

Elder Bednar counseled us to call upon the Master.  He said you can't be passive, you have to be actively engaged in securing yourself in the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Do it on bended knee.  In prayer.  In scripture study.

Many questions lamented the shared feeling that we are not doing all we need to, we are not good enough.  The youth compare themselves to people and find themselves lacking.  He said we need to change line upon line.  A little each day.  An hour in the scriptures can make us different.  Spend that time.

We were taught that we have two things that ours 1. is our agency and 2. is an allotment of time.  We need to use both wisely.  To become like the Savior.

Someone asked how to be happy all the time.  Well we can't.  That's not what mortality is about.  But we can have peace and joy and happiness.  Being happy, Elder Bednar said, means you deal well with adversity.  It's okay to be sad, just don't live there.  Be firm and steadfast in your faith in Christ.  Foster gratitude, look to serve, be optimistic (and read Elder Nelson's talk on joy)

He taught that there are some fundamental truths that we must accept and understand to have a firm and steadfast testimony.  We must accept that God exists. We need a correct understanding of gods nature, attributes and character.  We need to know that what we are doing is in accordance with the Lord's will (and if not change it so it is).

We need to focus on ordinances.  He asked Are you receiving, honoring and remembering your covenants?

And these two

Rob came with us and these are his notes:

12 Nov 2016

Elder Bednar

You avoid temptation by being where you are supposed to be doing what you are supposed to do. Elder Bednar

Don't have a prequal list for marriage. Become what your list would be. 

Stop being mean to yourself. Don't compare self to others. It Is pride. Be patient on the Lord's timing. 

You are "called" to serve as a missionary. You are "assigned " to a specific mission. If you are sick, come home, then are assigned to serve domestically, your call was unaffected. Only the assignment changed. 

All Mechizedek priesthood holders are here to preach the gospel, to bring others to Christ, not to be engineers, doctors, lawyers, pro soccer players. 

Boys have the obligation to serve a mission. Girls have the "opportunity" to serve, but should feel no obligation. 

The Bishop has keys to help bless you to overcome sin. 

How to keep self and family safe strong and righteous:

We may have presidents or prime ministers. Fear not, Jesus Christ is above the president, Jesus is King of Kings

Stand ye in holy places, make home one of those, create a refuge from the storm, place of safety. 

Cultivate relationship with the Holy Ghost. That brings settledness and direction. 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be added unto you. 

Turbulent times, people reverse the binoculars and do worldly stuff first, wrong order. 

Stay on the Boat, good ship Zion, keep the life jacket on, jacket represents you developing faith in Christ. 

Can't be passive, must be actively engaged in securing yourself in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Call upon the Master. 

How do I really move toward being a disciple of Christ?

We are doing better than we think. Give self credit for the little things. An hour in the scriptures can make you different. 

The Lord wants us to become new creatures in Christ. 

Put off the natural man and become a saint thru the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

You can't change yourself enough. You have to do it with the Lord. Only He can change you enough. 

Bednar: The single best way to change is to read the BoM looking for examples of disciples who were changed. E.g. Alma the younger 

There is no resting place in the path to righteousness. Keep moving forward. 

How can I read the scriptures without it being a chore to read?

Scriptures are way to feel the voice of the Lord. 

Read to learn. Scriptures are instruction manual. 

Someone went to a lot of trouble to chisel out those characters. Figure out why. 

The BoM is not only an ancient record. It tells the future, what we need for our day. It's not a history lesson. It's a preparation for the future. 

Write on each page the lesson you get from that page. 

Video games distract from the Spirit. Should I cut them out completely?

Anything in excess is a problem. If it takes you away from the Spirit, then stop. 

The loss of the Holy Ghost should be rare. 

If we thought that movie language wasn't too bad, the HG just left. 

If you aren't sure if you are feeling inspiration, but it's a good thing, then do it. You will look back on it and recognize the hand of the Lord. 

If only active member in family:

Stand for truth and righteousness, figure out how to do that. 

Home from mission 2 years, not reading or praying anymore. 

Day of judgment is not a checklist. It is an evaluation of what we have become. 

It is a self judgment. We will have perfect recollection.  We will know where we belong. He won't have to tell us. 

You only have mortal agency and an allotment of time. How are you going to use it?

When we repent of sins, they are forgotten. But some consequences remain for some sins. But i need to forget about it and do as much good as I can.  

The Lord always expects the best of us. 

Do not procrastinate the day of your repentance. 

It's only a mistake if we fail to learn from it. 

Making many mistakes can make us learn faster. 

Learn from good and bad experiences. Both are equally valuable. 

Not going to be happy 24/7 in mortality. 

Happy if you learnt to deal well with adversity. 

Keys to happiness:

1) Foster gratitude

2) Look to serve

3) Try to be optimistic in all things 

How know what we are supposed to be when we are older?

Same objective now as later: be faithful, good and patient and kind. 

Lectures on Faith: accept God exists, understand His attributes, and know what you are doing is according to Gods will

Last thing Saviour did in mortality was teach sacrament ordinances. First thing in new world, taught ordinance of baptism. Taught ordinances first and foremost. 

To know if you are on course, are you making and honoring ordinances and covenants? Steady progress on that path is important. Press forward to the Tree.

The youth loved the evening.  It was so fun to see how excited they were and to hear them talking about it after.  Truly a lifetime highlight.

Then today at ward council it was a great time also.  There were 3 of us who attended but we each were invited to a different session.  Bro Higa went to the young marrieds evening.  The Bishop went to the bishop session and I took the youth to their session.  We spent all of ward council reporting back and again the spirit was so strong and testified to me of the truthfulness of what we had heard and were sharing.  Our bishop is a kind, good man.  He is not dynamic or outgoing though.  When he talks I can feel his testimony.  He is wise and loving and I am grateful to serve with him.  The Lord can use all of us, with all our strengths and our weaknesses!

Sacrament talks were good. YW was great! Gospel doctrine was not the best but that's okay.  BYC was good.  

It was a good weekend.   The best part is being taught by the Spirit.  What a tremendous blessing the companionship of the Holy Ghost is.  I was thinking about this after Saturday night.  We left so uplifted and excited but the information we got wasn't really earth shaking on it's own.  Read the scriptures and pray is not new.  I know that.  I knew it last week, and I'll know it next.  But that information accompanied by the Holy Ghost's witness and gentle tutelage is profound and encouraging and fortifying.
I felt that strongly in the presence of an Apostle.  But I also felt in the small office of a humble Bishop, during the words of a high councilors talk, while listening to the YW teach and testify and during family scripture study. "Line upon line upon line, that is how He lifts us, that is how He teachers His children."  That God deems us worthy of teaching is so amazing.  Words are inadequate but suffice it to say that I am grateful.

Saturday

We got up this morning and went to Crazy Ottos. We dined with a local celebrity...at least you'd think he was if you were 80 years old. R. Lee Ermey.

When we got home I decided it was time to decorate for Christmas. For the record Rob wanted to start the day after Halloween.

Turns out kittens love to undecorate Christmas trees.

And Z still hates her reindeer costume.

Jerry, Hannah, Sam, Elias, Emily Rylie, Janelle and Paige

The highlight of the day...or month..was going with the laurels and priests to hear Elder Bednar and Elder Ardern speak.

Notes coming tomorrow. Right now we are driving home.