182nd General Conference, Sat. AM

These are the notes I took from this October's General Conference Session(s). This is probably not the whole "jist" of these talks, but these are the thoughts that struck me. They may not make much sense to you. Some thoughts are short, some not so short. They may seem out-of-order -ish. Please, just take them for what they are.

Announcements:
* Missionary Age for young men went from 19 to 18.
Missionary Age for young women went from 21 to 19.

* Two New Temples:
Tuscon, Arizona
Arequipa, Peru

* Quentin L. Cook, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
-Immersion in scriptures heals hurt feelings, hateful feelings, etc.
-"When you are sick, THEN you will listen to the doctor"
-Never forsake the Master
-Disrespect in the home is not acceptable!
-Moral issues are to be addressed [taught] in the Home
-Through repentence, you can qualify...
-The Atonement!

* Ann M. Dibb, 2nd Counselor in the General Young Women Pres.
-"Im a Mormon! Are you?" T-shirt story
-Confidence in our religion - Who we are!
-"I'm a Mormon! I know it! I live it! I love it!"
-Paul, "I Am Not Ashamed!"
-Strength, Discipline, Commitment?
-Feast on the scriptures
-Doers of the Word - Faith, Obedience
-Everyone is imperfect - Do you Best
-Humility and submission to the Father's will, most difficult principle to apply

* Craig C. Christensen, of the Seventy
-Holy Ghost knows us as the Savior and God do - our thoughts and our heart's intent
-He is to bear witness, teach truth, comfort
-God, Jesus, and Holy Ghost are ONE in purpose
-Act without delay!
-Power of vs Gift of

* Shayne M. Bowen, of the Seventy
(Especially powerful talk!)
-"Too pure, too lovely to live on this earth" -death of babies and young children
-Get rid of those DESTRUCTIVE feelings NOW! (I could have..., I should have...)
-Self-pity is destructive, anger is destructive
-Pray for heart to change
-Great blessings <--- Prove faith -The veil is thin -Continue with good cheer... -Christ can turn sour to sweet -Love deeply. Love eternally. :) -Sorrow ---> Joy
-He will not leave us comfortless
-Rely on the Atonement!

* Russell M. Nelson, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
-worthiness AND preparation
- ...add more! (To other values)
-Missionaries - a Heaven-sent resource; learn from them!
-Ask the Missionaries - they can help you!

* Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor of the First Pres.
(Always a favorite!)
-We are mortal! A suprise? :D
-Any regrets?
-We wear our bussiness as a badge of honor?
-Live each day with purpose
-Know the value of those you meet, give them the gift of your time, love
-Give BEST self to those who are important
-"We are capable of more!"
-Illuminate our Paths: Family prayer, Family scripture study, Family activities - DO IT for great blessings!
-Pursuit of holiness and happiness vs Pursuit of regret
-"Let ourselves be happier!"
-"Its not a race, its a journey"
-"Enjoy the Moment"
(Mom's quote to me back in April: "Enjoy the Journey")
-Do not focus on the finish line - we'll fail to find joy in the journey
-Happiness is available NOW!
-Rejoice and be glad
-Embrace and cherish
-See and appreciate
-Give thanks in all things
-Resolve to be happy, regardless...

A Thought (aka More Tears)

So, I just had a "vision" or something close to it...

I had a thought pop into my head of my future husband (one guess as to who that would be) blessing a new baby in Sacrament meeting.

Wow! On top of having an emotional week - this has been added to the reasons why I need to carry tissues with me at all time.

And why I NEED this marriage to this awesome man to hurry on up.

Answered Prayers

Yesterday was a rough day for me...

But let me back track some to Sunday and the week or so before...

(Read last post for "details." The meeting with Pres. Livingston went well. Like Ava said/says, 'You worry too much.' Yeah... I know... I over think and over analyze and over, well, everything. Things are good. He left us with a blessing at the close of the meeting and still after I wasn't 100%.

I had to drop Ava back off at work and when I got back I asked him and my Dad for a blessing. I LOVE blessings. Nothing better than getting one, I think. Dad gave it and afterward apologized several times for what the Spirit told him to say.

Everything that was said is EXACTLY what was on my mind and what was bothering me.

Just to share something very special and sacred with ya'll, it told me to #1. not worry about other people talking. That Satan uses people as tools just as the Lord uses people as instruments, and #2. that things will be taken care of SOON!

Now...to Monday.

I called the lawyer we wanted to use from Jasper (first contact made about five weeks ago and nothing since except when I call to "bug" the secretary several times a week). She got kind of rude and short and I could hear this lawyer in the background telling her what to say.

No bueno.

So, I started the do-it-yourself paperwork. The instructions and process seem beyond easy, but I still had many questions and concerns and kept getting this "stupor of thought."

All morning was spent in frustrated tears and pleading prayers to Heavenly Father for help, guidance, understanding, and comfort.

I posted a end-the-end-of-my-rope comment to facebook and a sweet cousin texted me with the name of a lawyer she knew and used in Woodville. Whatever, I'll try anything at this point!

Made the appointment from Grandpa's house and before I could make the five minute walk to my parent's home SHE HERSELF called me and wanted to ask a few questions.

I TRIED REALLY HARD to discourage her! I did! I told her everything that discouraged the other lawyers we spoke to. To everything she said, "Oh! This will be easy!" "Oh! This will go quick!" "Oh! This is great!" "Oh! This will go smoothly!"

Where have you been for six months!

When Ava called me for the first time Easter Sunday and before we ate together that following Thursday I got the impression October-ish maybe early November. I had, and still have, no idea what this means, but things started to happen...October 1st.

Appointment set for the 10th at 2pm to start this process. In 60 days I should be announcing a date.

"More tears are shed over answered prayers than unanswered ones."

Yes ma'am. There are more tears for answered prayers!

An Evening (and the next morning) in Tears!

My Grandpa told me a story of an event that happened at his house Tuesday night that really hurt my feelings. (Without getting into details - it involved familia...) Turns out this certain member of the familia doesn't mind helping other memebers of the familia with Grandpa on their days. They have an issue with helping me on my days with Grandpa. They didn't come out and say it, but based on their words/actions in the past towards me and based on their words/actions Tuesday night - helping Grandpa isn't the problem - its helping me. So that had me feeling glorious.

Then it hit me - holy smokes, my baby brother will leave in 8 days (7 days today!) for his two year mission. I've been great until now. I KNOW I can and will survive without him, but... he's been such an awesome support to me these past several weeks. It'll be extremely difficult to send him off this next Thursday morning.

I failed my biology test! I studied! The teacher tells me, though, "So far, you've made the highest grade." AND?! I still failed... But it was A LOT of material and a LONG test. And of the four bonus essay questions, I answered two, and got full credit on those. 63 on the test. Seven points away from passing it. Thank goodness the lowest test grade is always dropped, right?

Then, because of that "issue" I mentioned on FaceBook, Ava and I have had to "behave" even more than we were already behaving. (And we were/are behaving still.) So, in my prayers, I've asked Heavenly Father to help us "behave" as we should. He had asked that I take off yesterday afternoon and evening to spend some time together and so I did.

Just to let you know, I am having to deal with a form of temptation that I have never, ever had to deal with before! Life, EVER! Thank goodness when I fall short, Ava is the strong one. And thank goodness when he falls short, I can be the strong one. I went into yesterday with full intentions to "behave" and...fell short. Or tried to... Again, thank goodness when I fall short, Ava is the strong one.

The evening was spectacular! It really was! We spent the first part of the evening running around town, doing his business and then we (meaning "he," really) washed/cleaned Mom's car, then we went back to his house. We talked and talked and talked. That's all we did! Just talked! But...to be honest, I felt like I needed more, and I left feeling unsatisfied... I thought to myself the whole way home "This is what you prayed for dummy! To stay away from temptation and because you didn't get all what you wanted, you're upset?"

I cannot wait for this "issue" to be resolved! Why is it taking so long? Why is it so difficult? Have I not been made to wait enough? Haven't I made the right choices in my life to be worthy of this blessing? Is this another test? Is this my trial in life - to wait? Am I/Are we going to have trouble having kids? -Because that's righteous desire we share! When can/will the things I REALLY want start to unfold easily?

Like Bro. Fruge' said in his fireside last Sunday, "You want a land of milk and honey? Be prepared to work for it!" Wow... I am so very thankful for what I've been blessed with. I am! I'm trying to "enjoy the journey" Mom, I really am! I'm trying to focus on the friendship side of our relationship right now, but I feel like I already KNOW him. I feel like we're already best friends. I feel like we've been friends longer than the time we've been been friends on this earth.

Please pray for me. Thinking about asking for a blessing... Again.

Family and Such

What a crazy emotional weekend! Full of good emotions and not so good emotions... Mostly good, though. But what's life without some "bad", right?

Sunday was Jarom's farwell Sacrament Meeting at church. He asked Sarah, Mom, and me to speak. Oh my goodness, I didn't cry "that much", BUUUT, I never was more choked up for such a long period of time. Like, really!

An extremely spiritual hour!

Then, that Sunday evening we had a fireside at the chapel and oh-ma-heck, could the day get any better? Bro. Fruge' did AWESOME! And, luckily, Ava was able to make it.

We had a wonderful, short time together and was able to spend about five minutes together afterward.

(*Just a side note: I am SO thankful for the RIGHTEOUS choices he's "having" to me for US - to keep us SAFE! Anyway...)

All day Monday was...HORRIBLE. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't focus. I couldn't work. I couldn't study. I couldn't do ANYTHING... I knew he was going to be super busy and didn't want to call him just to whine about how much he was on my mind and how much I missed him, but at around 6pm, I couldn't help myself - and, thankfully, he had just got home and started to relax some.

I was honest... I told him I missed him horribly and was an emotional wreck because of it. Then this sweet man tells me he had the same trouble ALL DAY! :') He couldn't sleep, so he went to work early (earlier than usual anyway) and couldn't hardly do one single simple task.

I love it when he tells me he thinks of me, but I love it even more when we feel the same thing at the same time(s).

Not that want him to "suffer", but its pretty flippin' awesome to hear that someone thinks of me and loves me. <3

Feeling... content.

MyFitnessPal

This program has become my new "pal."

I've been honest with myself as far as working out goes, but the food part has [always] been an issue for me. (The first step in recovery is to admit, right?!)

This program (myfitnesspal.com) can be run from your phone through an app or from the computer.

It's FREE!

It's EASY!

And...its working!

I can eat anything I want, but its making me accountable at the end of the day...or sooner. If I want a big bowl of cheese dip and chips for lunch - that's cool, but to make sure I don't go over my calories by the end of the day, I may have to have a salad for dinner.

You start by opening your profile - the usual stuff; profile name and password, name, age, gender. Then the "hard" part - your current weight, your goal weight, and then how many pounds you'd like to loose a week.

Most foods are already in their database, just look them up, adjust the servings, if needed, and click "add." If not, then you can scan the barcode on whatever it is you have and *BOOM* there it is! Beautiful!

Flight of Ideas - Emelie Style

I've felt a bit over whelmed the past three weeks are so...helping Ava with his legal stuff, trying to help his cousin with her driver's license issue, school, Grandpa, home stuff, church calling stuff, loosing weight, and family... just to name a few. But this morning I had a crazy moment where only about five of these things were able to make a complete and thorough thought.

1. It is ALMOST easier/better to exercise in the morning as it is to read/study the Scriptures and pray... Almost!

2. I REALLY L!O!V!E! my Samoan cowboy. Not that this isn't a known fact already. I was in town yesterday to get feed for my feathered and furry kiddos and my Fatu wanted to ride with me to do his running around. We went to the Tyco feed store to get something for Grandpa and he LOVED the store! I found a "I Love My Cowboy" picture frame and told him that I had some ideas. As we were walking out he said, "I like this store! We will be back!" Sweet!

3. I REALLY L!O!V!E! my Samoan!
a. He's a cutie
b. He's sweet
c. He's righteous
(Just to wrap it up, but these aren't all the reasons)
d. He "forgets" all the time to kiss me when we meet. He's a bit shy about PDAs, BUT we're in the parking lot a Wal-Mart and he's waiting for me as I lock up the vehicle and he says, "Oh! I forgot to give you something." Leans over and plants a big one! Yeah... Good times! Good times!

4. I had a dream Saturday night (and told him about it yesterday) that Jarom was coming home off of his mission and we were at the airport to pick him up. Our entire family was there. Ava and I were there with his kids and I had a child in my arms, who I assumed to be Lindon. We see Jarom coming and I say to this boy, "Look! There's Uncle Jay! See him?" I look at this boy and instantly recognize him as my son - our son. Emotional... Ava liked it!

5. Getting comments about how much weight I've lost is cool and having to buy smaller clothes is kind of cooler, but actually starting to LOOK different is even cooler! Like fer reelz! :D Happy today!