Real Reality TV

Today we had stake conference. We had a visiting area authority, Elder Phippen. He spoke about a lot of different things, but my favorite part was when he talked about how wonderful the women of the church are. He said he's not really into the primetime waste of time on TV and he thinks that Reality TV is really stupid, but he'd love to write a reality TV show. It would be something like Survivor, but the contestants would be 6 adult men. They would be dropped off on a remote island with 4 children and would be 100% responsible for the care of children and house for six weeks. They would be required to provide 3 meals a day (no fast food restaurants on the island), they'd be required to plant flowers outside the house and decorate the inside of the house. They would have to balance an imaginary checkbook with not enough money to pay all the imaginary bills and still figure out where money would come from to buy groceries. All 4 children would be involved in 2 sports and some type of music lessons. The men would be responsible for taking all 4 children to a doctors appointment, a dentist appointment, and some type of emergency visit. He went on and on about the requirements that mothers deal with daily and then said the children would be the ones to vote each loser off the island and the winners prize would be to live that way for the next 20 years and any monetary prize won would be given to his real wife at home. He then challenged the men in the congregation to trade places with their wives and make the reality show a reality, and then talked about how amazing women are. As I listened to him I thought about my friend Nicole's blog, and all of her experiences raising her two small children while working part time; then I thought of my sister in law Nicole who is responsible for her small son, while being 8 months pregnant, while Todd is away at school and work, trying to help the family by being the supporter. I then thought of all the other mothers that I know who sacrifice their time and effort raising the next generation. Lastly I thought of my mother, who is pretty much done with the hectic mom stages and I look back at all the things I never even realized my mom did, but that obviously got done. I realize that I can't really get as good a grasp on being a mother as the rest of you who actually are, but let me just say Thanks. My hat is off to all of you wonderful women who put aside your life for things of a better. And to my mom, please know that I love you and appreciate all the times when I was the most important thing in your life.

Thoughts in the Temple

Wednesday night I went to do a session at the Bountiful Temple. I ended up in an own endowment session and after it was over I was sitting in the Celestial room watching the group of people who had come with the girl receiving her endowment. I looked around and saw couples arm in arm walking around and people from a ward who had come together for ward temple night. I usually don't mind going to the temple alone, in fact I used to prefer it, but sitting in the Celestial room that night I felt very alone. I was trying to figure out what was wrong with me, and then it occurred to me. The Celestial Kingdom is not somewhere we go alone. In Heavenly Father's plan, He made it so we could end up in the Celestial Kingdom with Him and our families. I think for the first time in my life I realized that I'm not complete by myself. I'm not sure where to go from here, but I am glad that I was given a moment to reflect on the fact that Heavenly Father made it so that we would need each other to get back to him. Time to find a temple buddy.

Pen Pals

Remember when you were in second grade and you got to write a pen pal letter to some random kid in your sister school in Maryland? Lately I feel like I've been re invited to write pen pal letters only this time it's through blogging so it's a lot quicker response time. Between face book and blog spot I've had an opportunity to catch up with a lot of really old friends, and many of them have married and started families and I get to see them grow old. I just recently caught up with a guy I knew in high school on face book and his wife keeps an amazing blog. I don't even know the girl, we've never met, but maybe she'll allow me to be her pen pal through blogging. I don't know what it is about people that are in a station in life that either you are in or want to be in, but I sure appreciate the opportunity to share lives with so many people online.

Spring Awakening...

Today is January 15 which in Utah speak means that we are in the middle of winter. Today was warmish and sunshiney and some of the snow even melted. Wouldn't it be cool if it was really over? I know we didn't really get snow for a really long time but at work I've paid $600 to have my lot plowed over and over and quite frankly I'm done. I'm ready for spring!!!! Lynae and Tyler have this fantastic picture in their house of the Salt Lake Temple through a blossomy branch. I want to see blossoms and sunshine and all that fun stuff. Come on Spring!

Utah Utes Day

Yesterday Governor Huntsman declared it Utah Utes day. You see the Utes played the Crimson Tide (Alabama) in the Sugar bowl and supposedly were supposed to lose. I'm thinking that maybe the Crimson Tide should have presented themselves on the field if they wanted any chance at all of beating Utah. Congrats to the only undefeated team in America. Again I'm proud to bleed RED!!

Just a side note, on the helmets of the Utah players were 3 letters, JBW, honoring Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin who played for Utah back in the day. I found it pretty cool that the team would honor him in such a special way.