Seeing the Lord's Hand in My Life

I, like everybody else, am tremendously blessed.  2010 was a most wonderful year, and 2011 holds so much promise. 

Yesterday, 1/1/11, my husband was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  It was such a special event in our lives.  The Spirit attended and touched every single person who came to witness Dan in this ordinance.  I'm so proud of him, but humbled at the same time. 

Today in sacrement meeting, it was announced that I am to be called as our ward's Primary President.  My oh my!  My heart is so very full right now that I don't even know where to begin.  I'm excited, scared, thrilled, happy, nervous, and humbled by this calling...and I haven't even been set apart yet.  My mom and step-dad came down for Dan's baptism.  Ron actually gave the talk on baptism, and it was wonderful.  Today, my mom shared her testimony with our ward and it was beautiful.  I have a mother who loves me, the Lord, and her family...and I love that she can show it.

Life is good and I know it.  I recognize that the blessings I enjoy come from our Father in Heaven and our brother Jesus Christ.  The Holy Ghost comforts me, teaches me, and helps guide me in my life.  The picture is getting clearer.  I can also see so much better now that this clarity, the love I feel, and the knowledge I have, is all related to my obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Alma 32:27 teaches that it's okay to test the gospel...to go ahead and put it to an experiment.  This past year, I took it for face value and I did just that.  When my life wasn't giving me the results I longed for, I examined my choices and came to the conclusion that clearly in order to get different results, I would have to do different behaviours.  I put it to the test, and the results were astounding.  When I committed to going to church every single Sunday, I found that my desire to be in church on Sundays increased dramatically.  When I committed to reading my scriptures more, I found that the Savior became more of a person--not just a figure, a name, or someone I do not know.  When I decided to live other commandments that I had thrown by the wayside long ago, I found that the Spirit was more readily available to me...or that it at least felt that way.  When I discarded the spiritual junk/clutter/mess, I could hear and feel the Spirit more clearly.  He was able to teach me better.  He was able to dwell in my home more comfortably.  When I decided to really trust in the Lord, and share more of the gospel with Dan and not fear sharing it, he was more ready to hear it and feel the Spirit too, and I think quite possibly that's the best result of all.

My experiment yielded amazing and beautiful results.  I've always heard we should "Practice Random Acts of Kindness," but I daresay we should also practice random acts of faith.  Yes, we should always walk in faith, but I think every now and then our daily walks in faith become routine, and we ought to shake it up a bit here and there by increasing our faith by following the Lord's plan in one way or another a little bit better.  I know now that faith in the Lord leads to greater happiness.  What an amazingly beautiful and simple concept! 

My prayer for 2011 is that as I begin my new full-time job at Lee Halyard & Associates tomorrow, and begin my new adventure as Primary President, that I always work with faith.  I pray that I have the Spirit to lead and guide me, that I'm worthy to hear and feel his guidance and comfort, that I learn more than I'm even able to teach, and that Dan and I continue to grow even closer than we are now.  This year in all this busy-ness, we are preparing to go to the Temple to be sealed together and I know that if we both practice our faith, and continue to look for the Lord's hand in our daily lives, we'll do just fine.

I'm so in love with life!

Can someone please explain this to me?

Ethanol.

Where is the logic in leaving the oil in the earth and burning our crops instead? 

Seriously.

Oh the weather outside is frightful!

And if there were a fire inside, it would be so delightful. 

Instead, I shall delight in Kramer doing his business outside in the snow.  He's never seen anything quite like this.  So cute!

I just love watching Kramer bounding through the snow.  What got him to run back into the house was me yelling "dinner!"  He's a such sucker for dinnertime.

What a cool post-Christmas treat!

Have I mentioned I'm getting married?

I have to admit, I'm a bit peeved that I just typed three well-thought out paragraphs and they all disappeared.  Grrr.  The idea of it all is that I am making the best decision of my life.  I shall spend my life with an honorable, funny, sweet, tender-hearted man who is in tune with the Spirit and loves the Lord.  Life is good.  I love Danny White and I get to marry him!  Oh, and he gets to marry me too.  Ain't love grand?!

I love that he leads his life by what feels right and by what is right.  I love that he reads scriptures in the middle of his work day when he doesn't have a whole lot going on.  I love that he is a great dad to his two sons.  I love that he knows just how to hug me and hold me tight when I feel down or am having a teary day for whatever reason.  I love that he is willing to play Trivial Pursuit with me or watch Jeopardy! at any given time.  I love that he likes to say the blessing at dinner.  He is good, and he is mine. 

Where Were You When...

I'm not a hugely political individual.  I'm rather simple and plain in my beliefs.  I believe the Constitution was divinely inspired.  I believe that it will be challenged and torn in incredibly sad ways...and that it's happening now.  I also believe that the Priesthood will save it, because modern prophets have told us so.  I believe in truth, liberty and justice for all.  I believe the land on which we live is the Promised Land, and will remain so as long as we, the people, treat it as such.  Well, it's not difficult to see that we aren't treating it as such, and so many of us have forgotten, or have chosen to not acknowledge that we are children of Heavenly parents who loved us enough to bless us with this land.  Sigh.  In other words, my political beliefs are absolutely intertwined with my spiritual and religious beliefs.

There is a rally going on in DC tomorrow called Restore Honor.  It was organized by Glenn Beck.  It isn't a political rally.  It's to honor our military and other honorable individuals in our country.  There will be three awards/merit medals given out & the recipients have yet to be revealed.  I'm intrigued.  Because Mr. Beck is such a "controversial" character/host/voice, the nature of the honor rally has been twisted into a whole host of ungodly events by those who have forgotten who we are or refuse to acknowledge who we are and where we come from.  Double sigh.  I've been wanting to attend this rally to simply be a part of something bigger than myself, honorable, and journal-worthy.  I wanted my mom to go with me and she wanted to go too, but my step-dad won't let her go out of fear that the crazies will be rampant and we'll be harmed.  Perhaps he's right.  Dan won't go with me because he has stuff to do and he simply leaves all of his political notions in the voting booth.  I don't want to go by myself, but if I did go, it would not be the first time I've done a big thing on my own.  I'm a big girl.  I know how to put on my big girl panties and just do it.  But for right now, I'm left with a big choice. 

**It's now around 9 o'clock on the morning of the rally.  I began this around 11 p.m. the night before.  I was tired and frustrated, and just went to bed instead.**

The missionaries called Thursday evening inviting Dan & myself to a bbq at the stake president's house.  The bbq is for the missionaries and their investigators, and it will be held at 5 o'clock on Saturday afternoon.  If I were to attend the rally up in DC, then I would not be back in time to attend the bbq.  Now, I'm not a huge fan of attending events where I'm expected to be social with people I do not know.  I actually am a little shy that way.  A huge rally where there are tens of thousands of people is less frightening to me than a backyard bbq with 25 people and I need to mingle.  Eeek.  In any case, my choices are plainly either attend the big rally that I have longed to attend, or stay home and perhaps go to the bbq with Dan & make it another good missionary moment for him. 

Thursday night I stayed up very late.  I didn't go to bed until nearly 4 a.m.  (If I were to choose to go to the rally, the bus would leave at 4 a.m. Saturday, so a goofy sleep schedule somehow was making strange sense to me at the time)  I had dvr'd the Glenn Beck program that day just so I could see what's going on, or what's in store for the rally.  I don't religiously watch the show, so when I do catch it, I find it ever interesting.  The day's guest was Alveda King, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.  She is a tremendous woman.  I loved the message and peace she carried with her.  She will be speaking at the rally.  Hmm.  Well, in the middle of the night I was still unsure of what I should do regarding rally or missionary bbq.  I decided right then to pause the show and get down on my knees and ask my father in Heaven what I should do. 

I am certain that both are good choices.  I am certain given whichever option I choose, that I will wonder what the other option would've been like.  That's just who I am.  But I felt peaceful after my prayer.  I was confident that I would have an answer.  I again began watching the show and continued listening to Dr. King's words.  At one point when the host & guest were discussing the enormity of the event and day, Mr. Beck tossed out the question that we may be asked one day in the future, "where were you on 8/28?"  I heard this question once or twice before and only pondered the event itself, the largeness of it all, the message of the day.  This time, I actually heard my inner voice say "with Dan having a good missionary experience." 

My choice has been made.  I am happy with my decision.  I am at peace with my decision.  I am wondering about the Restoring Honor rally today, and wishing some way that I could still be there, but I'm okay with it.  I did just learn that it will be televised on Facebook today, but I have an obligation at 10 o'clock now, and guess what time the rally starts.  Yep, 10 a.m.  Oh well.  All is well, all is well.

Real Men Do Eat Quiche

Especially when you tell them it's Breakfast Egg Pie.

1 deep dish frozen pie shell

9 large eggs

1/3 cup milk or cream

1/4 pound Canadian bacon

1 T. finely diced red onion

1 cup shredded cheese...your favorite will suffice

2 T. flour

1 cup diced tomato minus the goo/seeds

2 T. light cream cheese

pinch of salt

freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 350* and take the pie shell out of its wrapper & allow to defrost just a wee.  In a mixing bowl blend together the eggs, milk, salt, and pepper.  Whisk in the onion, tomato, and diced meat.  

In another bowl, add the shredded cheese and flour.  Mix well, then stir into the egg mixture; pour into the pie shell.  Make sure that the tomatoes, meat, and onions appear to be evenly (or at least prettily) arranged toward the surface of the quiche/pie.  Next, take the cream cheese by 1/2 teaspoonfuls and dollop around the top of the egg mixture in a pretty, even pattern.  

Bake for 35 minutes at 350 then turn off the oven but leave in for about 10-15 minutes more.  The center should just barely be set.  Allow to sit for at least 10-15 minutes before cutting and enjoying.

Yields 6 slices.  

(Un)INSPI(RED)

Two months ago, my mom asked me to help her with something for one of the Beehives in her YW group. This young woman's name is Rachel. I had the pleasure of meeting her once. She will be 13 later this month. She is kind, she's pretty, and she is rather sporty. She hates pink. She hates all things girly. She will be the only girl from her ward going to YW Camp this year and my mom wanted to make sure she isn't "forgotten." Nowadays, they have "mail bags" for the girls. People from their wards, their families, etc. create letters, notes, what-have-you for these mail bags. I told my mom I'd be happy to help.

I haven't been that happy while helping.

I have hit a creativity wall. I am so uninspired. I don't like what I've been producing. I think I've lost my mojo. In any case, I did produce a couple things thus far. I must get them in the mail today or tomorrow to my mom too. Two months prep time, and many hours thinking about these things have amounted to not so much. I've been quite stumped trying to not be so girly in my creativity. I am kinda girly! The products I have to use are mostly girly...or at least tend to lean on the feminine side of life. Oh bother! I do believe I made this task more difficult than it ever needed to be. This is not my best work. Not even close. But here it is. And it's just as well...it's not like Rachel's gonna live or die because of it. It's just a little something so she knows she's not forgotten and that she is most definitely loved.