Happy 2009!

I can't believe it's going to be 2009 in less than 6 hours! Where have the last 29 1/2 years of my life gone?? :) To me, New Years Eve isn't the greatest "holiday." It's always a let-down, and this year is no exception. Patrick and I had planned to do something great tonight, but nothing is panning out. It might be a quiet night at home, which isn't a bad thing, but it's not what we were hoping for. Maybe we'll walk over to Green Street or something...

On a more positive note, I'm pondering my "list of resolutions." The list needs development, but here goes:

1. Finish my bachelors degree (I'm all registered for the Spring semester and will graduate when I finish the semester!!!)

2. Build up a respectable savings account, making weekly deposits

3. Make significant progress in getting out of debt

4. Get physically fit...exercise regularly (i.e. 3 times a week would be nice) :)

5. Work on strengthening myself (emotionally, spiritually, intellectually)

6. Work on strengthening my marriage

7. Go camping and hiking (nature is one of my best antidepressants)

8. Declutter the house~~~SIMPLIFY

9. Embroider, scrapbook, craft, create

The color test

I took the Color Test and the results are freaky:

Your Existing Situation

Imaginative and sensitive; seeking an outlet for these qualities--especially in the company of someone equally sensitive. Interest and enthusiasm are readily aroused by the unusual or the adventurous.

Your Stress Sources

Wishes to be independent, unhampered, and free from any limitation or restriction, other than those which she imposes of herself or by her own choice and decision.

Your Restrained Characteristics

Believes that she is not receiving her share--that she is neither properly understood nor adequately appreciated. Feels that she is being compelled to conform, and close relationships leave her without any sense of emotional involvement.

Feels rather isolated and alone, but is too reserved to allow herself to form deep attachments. Egocentric and therefore quick to take offense.

Willing to become emotionally involved and able to achieve satisfaction through sexual activity, but tries to avoid conflict.

Your Desired Objective

Intense, vital, and animated, taking a delight in action. Activity is directed towards success or conquest and there is a desire to live life to the fullest.

Your Actual Problem

Fights against restriction or limitation, and insists on developing freely as a result of her own efforts.

ENFP

I just took the personality test, and mine is ENFP. It says it's really uncommon, but I swear I've heard of a lot of people with this personality type. It could be that we answer questions in a way that we think we should answer them. Or maybe I associate with people like myself, so I find people with this rare personality type. Who knows...

Either way, it works for me. Here's my favorite description of this personality:

"ENFPs are warm, enthusiastic people, typically very bright and full of potential. They live in the world of possibilities, and can become very passionate and excited about things. Their enthusiasm lends them the ability to inspire and motivate others, more so than we see in other types. They can talk their way in or out of anything. They love life, seeing it as a special gift, and strive to make the most out of it."

- Portrait of an ENFP (The Personality Page)

If you know me, does this seem accurate?? :) I want Patrick to take it too...

Painted Canvases for My Bedroom

Now that I have a camera again, I can finally post some pictures of what I've made! One of the girls I work with has "Craft Day" with her roommates every so often. Her name is Makayla. She invited me a couple months ago to participate. I made the lotus pillow for another friend's birthday on that day. Before we got to crafting, we hit up Michael's and Big Lots for supplies. Big Lots had small, medium, and large canvases for a great price, so I grabbed 3 large canvases to do something with. I think they were $10 or $15 each. The smalls are $5, so the large was probably $15. I want to go get some small ones to paint for friends. I still haven't done Christmas gifts, so I better get on it. (YES, I am a huge procrastinator!!!)

I finally decided what I wanted to do with the canvases, so I bought some paints and went to town. Now, I am not really an artist. I can be creative once in awhile, but it's not something that comes naturally to me...and I don't know the ins-and-outs or shortcuts for what paints to use on canvases. So, I used a foam brush to paint the dark brown paint on these canvases. It took forever. Next time I'll buy some spray paint to save loads of time.

I can't remember where I got the inspiration for the designs, but this sort of design has been my favorite for awhile. (***I found the link that inspired me: It's the MUJKA ILLUSTRATION BLOG.) Anything with swirly stems, leaves, etc. floats my boat. So, here's the set, hanging above my bed, and a close-up of each:

Family Photo

It's pretty rare for us to have any pictures around with both of us in them, especially those taken by other people. So, on Christmas Day, I had Patrick's sister take a picture for/of us. I think we make a pretty cute couple.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!!!

Christmas Memory

One of my favorite memories of Christmas as a child was reading Luke 2 as a family on Christmas Eve. And eating oranges that my dad would peel for us. :) He had a special knife he would use, and we would patiently wait for another orange to eat. My dad is awesome.


A blog I follow, Design Mom, posted this cute nativity that the children in her church participated in. It's narrated by one girl, and filled with photography of the different scenes. The sheep are my favorite. It's so very cute...check it out:

Denver

I arrived in Denver on Monday to open up the new downtown Ling & Louie's. It's a brand new experience for me, which is exciting. It's also a big honor and privilege that I was selected from all the servers to represent the restaurant where I work. I really love being a server and doing my job well. I hope I can transfer that passion to the servers I train.

This morning my sister picked up me and another server I work with, Makayla, and we went to breakfast. It is really nice to see my sis again. I miss living close to family, and I really miss living close to my sis. I'm excited to get to spend time with her while I'm here.

I'll try to post little updates about my experience. For now, I need to go to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a long and full day!!

I can't wait for Lost Season 5!!!!

Patrick got me hooked on this show. I'd embarrass myself if I openly admitted the hours I spent in front of the tv and computer catching up on all of the seasons. :)

A couple photos from Phoenix

Our family went to the park on the Friday after Thanksgiving. My sis-in-law snapped these shots. I figured I'd put them on here as a reminder to me to 1) suck in my belly more often, 2) enjoy the sun as I did during my nap, and 3) lose 30 lbs.

That's all. :)

Vintage Gift Idea

I'm pretty sure I've posted this picture before, but I need to remind myself of this project. My creative juices are flowing in regards to this one!!



This is a collection of vintage multi-stamp transfers of old cars. My husband is a vintage freak and an old-car freak. This would be an awesome project to do for him. I just can't decide if I should do a wall hanging or a quilt.

My mom and her neighbor have been playing with her neighbor's humongous quilting machine. This thing takes up an entire room, and they've done some amazing work on quilts my mom has made. She is finishing a project and asked me if I want it. I am so wishing I had a camera so I could have taken some pictures. It's so pretty. I just don't have a lot of space. So don't kill me, but I said no. She told me (and I knew) that she would rather it go to someone who really wants it and will treasure it. A lot of time has gone into that quilt.

So, I want to embroider the old car patterns, put it together as a quilt with some sweet vintage fabrics, and have my mom and her neighbor quilt it. I'm giving myself 12-18 months for this project. :) Either next Christmas, or a year from Patrick's birthday sounds like a reasonable timeline.

Thanksgiving Report

I posted a summary of our Thanksgiving trip to Phoenix on our Family blog:

Thanksgiving in Phoenix

It was a great trip. :)

Lemonade and Thanksgiving

I haven't posted in awhile, I know. I've been a little preoccupied with posting about my health on a little blog I started up for that specific purpose. It is:

I Make Lemonade

I figured a good name for the website was "When Life Gives Me Lemons..." and the website is "I Make Lemonade." Clever. I know. :)

So, I'm pretty sure I have rheumatoid arthritis, and it sucks. That's been the focal point of my life for the last month. If you have any experience or advice, I'd love to hear about it! I started the blog to journal the physical challenges and growth, as well as the emotional challenges and growth. Turns out, there will be some relationship challenges and growth as well. So, check it out if you want. You might end up thinking I'm a total weenie after reading it, but that's okay. I know I'm a tough girl...I'm just trying to be really honest in my journaling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patrick and I are driving down to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with my parents and siblings. I'm excited to see them. We were last down there for Christmas last year. This time of year, I miss the heat sooooo much! We'll be down there from Wednesday through Sunday, then Patrick will drive back to Utah Sunday so he can be back to work on Monday. Monday morning I fly to Denver to help open a new restaurant. I thoroughly enjoy training, so I'm quite excited about this opportunity. I'm hopefully finding a camera soon, so I'll post pictures of the adventures I'll be having over the next 3 weeks. :)

Me at a Halloween Party

Not the greatest picture, but it gives you an idea of the look I went for. :)

Summit 2008

Saturday I went to my Mary Kay area's Summit Conference in downtown Salt Lake City. I'm glad I went. The recognition part got a little old, but that's mostly because I hadn't eaten breakfast and my head was throbbing. I'm sure if I was one of the people who had worked my butt off and was getting recognized, I would have been super excited to keep clapping and cheering. :) (Just a little perspective there!)

The training part of it was really good. I've always loved training. Deanna Spillman was one of our trainers, and I absolutely love hearing from her. She is so to-the-point about everything, and I love it.

For lunch, my Director, Amy Walker, and I went to Thaifoon to eat. I love eating there on days when I don't work. It's just funny to have my coworkers serve me. :) The food was great. It was Amy's first time there, so it was a good culinary experience.

My favorite part of the whole day was the very end. A Director's 8 year old daughter sang a song for all of us. I can't remember what it was called, but holy cow!! Her voice was beautiful. She was so confident. She was so adorable. She was just amazing. I totally teared up. I can't wait to have my own kids around that age who have talents, personality, and so much to share with the world. It made me think of my own nephews and nieces, two of which are in that age range, and they are so stinkin' smart and talented. I can't wait to see them all in Phoenix for Thanksgiving.

A couple of inspirational points I took to heart from Summit:

*Am I a Victim or a Victor?
This idea was first presented to me months ago by a person I met during the Usana Conference in Salt Lake City. What was to him a business presentation of the company turned out to be a totally philosophical and spiritual conversation about life. It was a conversation I will always cherish and that I think of often when thinking about my own Mary Kay business.

*Be consistent with customer service.
Something I know I need to work on.

*Let go of something, even just ONE thing, that is taking away from time I spend on my business, like tv, internet, etc.

*Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream, Dream!!!!!!

*Set detailed goals.
Vision without action is fantasy.
Action without vision produces drudgery.
Action with viction results in Victory.

*My goals:
1. Red Jacket by end of November 2008
2. Team Leader & On Target for Car by end of January 2009
3. Submit DIQ by end of March 2009
4. Debut as a Director by June 15th 2009

So, that was the highlight of my weekend. Grocery shopping with Patrick was fun, too, but didn't light the fire under my bum like Summit did. :)

Please Pray for Molasses

Here's a link to an online blogger-friend's post about her sweet dog. Check it out, and say a little prayer for Mo.

Molasses

Post 100!!!!

This is my 100th post in my blog! That's pretty awesome! And what a perfect number for such an important post:


Today is the day to vote! Go do it! Personally, I need to get in the shower first, then I'll head over. I hear the middle of the day is usually the best time to go. :)

Use your voice...cast your vote!

More Shoes!

For the one Halloween party I was able to go to this year, I dressed up as a pin-up girl. My camera is down and out, so I didn't get any pictures. :( When I get a new camera, I'll dress up again, just so I can post a picture. I looked good. Patrick was in heaven. I had a navy dress with white polka dots, red wedged heels, pearl necklace and earrings, and I watched a ton of YouTube videos on how to do pin-up style hair, so I rolled my bangs, pinned up the sides of my hair, and curled it all. It took forever, but it paid off! Everyone said I looked fabulous. Oh, and let's not forget the eyeliner with wings and the beautiful red lipstick. :)

So, now that Patrick has seen that I can pull off the pin-up look really well, I'm going to have to start adding this style to my wardrobe. I don't know about you, but I think SHOES are a fabulous place to start!!!

Patrick says I need these shoes.

I'd be okay with that. :)

I Like:

Cosette
by Gabriella Rocha

I really like these too:

I Like:

Calypso
by Sofft

Patrick likes these:

I Like:

Devyn
by Gabriella Rocha

I think these are FUN:

I Like:

Marquee
by Nine West

Another one Patrick likes:

I Like:

Felicia
by Fitzwell

He LOVES these too:

I Like:

Abbey
by rsvp

I love the polka dots and the height of the heel on this shoe:

I Like:

Heaven
by Gabriella Rocha

This is an awesome shoe. I could buy this shoe in about 5 different colors or patterns!

I Like:

Sherene
by Naturalizer

I liked this shoe, although it looks a little puffy. :)

I Like:

Alexys
by Gabriella Rocha

And last but not least, Patrick likes these. I think they're awesome!

I Like:

Cristal
by Gabriella Rocha

So, someday when I have a ton of excess money laying around, I'll buy a bunch of super sexy shoes that could be used in a more pin-upy wardrobe. :)

A bibbin, A bobbin

Just the other day I was contemplating how in the heck does a bobbin work? I've used sewing machines all my life, but never really put too much thought into the mechanics of it all. As long as I could thread the machine and get the stitch width and tension right, I was good to go.

Interestingly enough, I just found a gif of a bobbin in motion that explains it all! Here it is!!


Makes perfect sense now, doesn't it?!

A Couple of TALENTED Friends

Josh Steadman

One of Josh's pieces you'll find on his blog. This is beautiful.

Will Varner
Will's artwork is all copyrighted really well, so click on his name to check it out. He actually painted one of our old boss's wall in the backyard with a beautiful mural. He does great work. I particularly love the piece titled Peace.



I had the privilege of working with both of these guys at Outback Therapeutic Expeditions. Not only were they fabulous coworkers, talented in affecting teenagers' lives in a positive way, but they are both talented artists as well. Just click on their names to check out some of their great work!!

Elliot and Molly's adoption profile...please take a look

Please visit this site to see an amazing family
adopting through LDS family services

Getting the word out and increasing the exposure of their adoption profile is a great way to help Elliot and Molly on their journey to adoption. These are some of the best kind of people I know. Intelligent, funny, sincere, kind, loving, strong, giving, faithful, and loyal. I am blessed to know both of them.

Please take a minute to check out their profile and post a link on your blog to help spread the word. Thanks!!

Kolob

I was talking to my sister the other day about a movie she watched with her boyfriend and his dad and step-mom. I can't remember what it was called, but it led my sis and I to a conversation about Kolob. Now, I don't have a whole lot of knowledge about this subject, but I told her I loved the hymn "If You Could Hie to Kolob." She couldn't remember the song, so here's a version I found on YouTube that's rocked out:



I really dig this rocked out version of the hymn. Some people think it's irreverent to cover a hymn with a rockin' twist, but I think, "hey, if it makes people able to relate to it a bit more, why not?!"

So, I think this version of the song is great. Take it or leave it. :)


**A little side note from this post:

Do you think that people who have faith or believe in God and/or are active in a religion are weak or stupid for believing in something that can't be proven?

My 2 cents on Politics

With two weeks left until the polls are open, there's a lot on my mind.

First of all, I am so grateful to be an American. This country was founded on great principles, most importantly (to me) freedom of religion and speech.

I am going to vote for McCain/Palin. Their platform and values are much more similar to my own values.

I feel bad for whomever does get voted in. There are a lot of messes that need cleaning up and it certainly won't be easy.

I have faith that regardless of who gets voted in, America will be okay. I pray that America survives intact and continues to value freedom of religion and speech.

It irks me that Christians are opposed in so many areas of life. It also irks me that other faiths and beliefs are strongly opposed by radical Christians. America is a tapestry woven with people with infinite backgrounds, beliefs, experience, etc. I will never stop saying the Pledge of Allegiance with God in it, and appreciate that "In God We Trust" is on our currency. I respect all faiths and beliefs, and hope that others will respect mine.

I'm tired of people being dogmatic and thinking that we all need to think the same way. If that happened, we'd be a Communist nation, and it would flat out suck.

No politician running for the office of president is a 100% perfect candidate. This is why it is important for people to vote for the candidate that has ideas and values that are most similar to the voter.

It is unfortunate that a lot of people base their vote on what is trendy, popular, supported by Hollywood, etc. There is a lot of information available about these candidates, and taking the time to actually read about these people is important. People who can only spew out garbage about the "other party's" candidates are wasting everyone's time. If you don't know what the candidate you support is all about, you need to do more reading and ask more questions.

Anyone who is passionately anti-anything isn't someone I want to associate with. There is too much good in this life to focus on negatives.

I love this country. I love that I am able to vote.

God bless America, and God bless this election.

Such Sexy Shoes

I am totally loving these shoes. I've been on a sexy shoe kick lately, and Patrick is a huge fan of Mary Janes. So...when I see a Mary Jane style shoe with some pizazz, I'm quite naturally excited.

These shoes would look fabulous on me.

I Like:

Dyana
by Nine West

Total Random Thought

There's a store at the mall where I work called Lola Bella. One day during a break I was outside enjoying the day and noticed this little boutique. My mom's name is Lola, and I think it would be absolutely adorable if we had a daughter to name her Lola Bella Largin. Freaking cute, I say!

Norah Jones

I am in such a major Norah Jones mood tonight.



Norah Jones has one of the most beautiful female voices I've ever heard. I really enjoy listening to her when I need to take a deep breath in life and gather myself for the next step. The only thing that would make it a better listening experience would be a hot bath.

Monogrammed Handkerchief How To !!!!!!!

Monogrammed Handkerchief How To !!!!!!!

This is such a great tutorial for a sweet little gift that wouldn't be too time or resource consuming. I think I'll be adding this to my handmade gifts this Christmas!

More Dramatic Eyes

I did my makeup a little different today, so I felt like taking a picture. I realized (after looking at this close-up of my face) that my eyes are wide set. This means the space between the eyes is equal to or greater than the width of an eye. I could be paranoid, but it looks like a lot of nose/bridge between those baby blues:

I used spun silk, cinnabar, espresso, and coal eye shadows, black eye liner, and black ultimate mascara.
Also, strawberry cream blush, but you can't really see that too well in the picture.
I need some color on my lips, too.

I don't think it's as noticeable with my hair more done (okay, I didn't really do my hair, I just put a headband on) and not so close to the camera:


I must say, I look pretty good for my age. :)

(This is my vain post for awhile...it could've been worse...I could have posted fitness update pictures!!! eeewww!)

My mantra today

Life is Good and I am Happy

Zen

Apparently I'm into lists today. I found this list of Lessons from a Zen Master on the Tracy Stokes website.

Lessons from a Zen Master

Soyen Shaku was the first Zen Buddhist master to teach in the United States and became the leading academic on Zen Buddhism in the West. In 1893 he taught about karma, non-violence, an end to war, and tolerance of other religions. He also lived his life by 10 simple rules, that have inspired me greatly in my practice (life), although I struggle terribly with number 1 (and number 2, and number 3…).

1. Upon awakening, quit your bed at once, like discarding a useless pair of shoes.
2. In the morning, before dressing, light incense and meditate.
3. Eat at regular intervals and only to the point of satisfying hunger.
4. Retire at a regular hour.
5. Receive a guest as when you are alone. Be alone as if you had received a guest.
6. Be aware of what you say. Say only what you would do.
7. Do not forego opportunity, nevertheless, think twice.
8. Do not regret the past but look instead to the future.
9. Have the fearless heart of a hero and the loving heart of a child.
10. When you retire to sleep do so as if it is your last night.

Photo credit: shioshvili

Personally, I struggle with almost all of these. I have a long way to go.

Ten Rules for Being Human

Ten Rules for Being Human

by Cherie Carter-Scott

1.	You will receive a body. You may like it or hate it, but it's yours to keep for the entire period.
2.	You will learn lessons. You are enrolled in a full-time informal school called, "life."
3.	There are no mistakes, only lessons. Growth is a process of trial, error, and experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiments that ultimately "work."
4.	Lessons are repeated until they are learned. A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it. When you have learned it, you can go on to the next lesson.
5.	Learning lessons does not end. There's no part of life that doesn't contain its lessons. If you're alive, that means there are still lessons to be learned.
6.	"There" is no better a place than "here." When your "there" has become a "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here."
7.	Other people are merely mirrors of you. You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.
8.	What you make of your life is up to you. You have all the tools and resources you need. What you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.
9.	Your answers lie within you. The answers to life's questions lie within you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.
10.	You will forget all this.

I found this on a website called My Success Company. I don't really know what's on the website, but I liked this list of "rules" for being human. It makes sense to me!

100 Things

My name is Alison.
My dad didn't like the name when my parents were deciding what to name me.
I don't have a middle name.
My parents changed the spelling of my name a couple weeks after I was born, from "Allison."
I grew up in Phoenix.
I lived in the same house for over 21 years.
I have 3 older brothers and 1 younger sister.
I have lived in Arizona, Idaho, and Utah.
In Arizona, I lived in Phoenix, Peoria, and Chandler.
In Idaho, I lived in Buhl.
In Utah, I lived in Alpine, Spanish Fork, Midvale, Murray, and Salt Lake City.
I used to camp with "at-risk" youth for a living.
That was, and probably always will be, my favorite job.
I attended Arizona State University and Utah Valley State College, now Utah Valley University.
My major is Psychology.
I graduated high school in 1997.
I played volleyball and softball in high school.
I had a 3.9 GPA when I graduated and was 5th in my class.
I still have 12 credits to finish my bachelors degree.
I was married to a police officer for almost 3 years.
My marriage didn't work out.
I am now married to a super smart man who can do just about anything, including fixing my car!
I have a step-daughter from my previous marriage.
I have 4 nephews and 5 nieces, all at or under the age of 8.
My parents are still married.
My oldest brother is deaf.
He was raised orally and didn't learn sign language until he was about 20 years old.
I took American Sign Language at ASU so I could sign with my brother.
My signing is horrible, but I try.
I have around 60 or 70 cousins.
My grandfathers are still alive.
I have had 7 grandmothers, 6 of which have passed on.
I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
I love to sleep.
I am a Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant.
I love food.
I play recreational slow-pitch softball.
My husband and I have 3 cats.
I own a purple 1968 Schwinn Breeze Deluxe.
I had my first job when I was 8 years old, helping my brothers with their paper route for $ .01 per paper.
I want to have at least 3 children.
I love to watch movies.
I love music.
I don't know names of bands, singers, actors, etc.
I rarely buy new clothes.
I like to embroider and do other crafty projects.
I am a "mellow" person with an energy that calms others.
My astrological sign is Cancer.
I was born on the same day as my brother who is 2 years older than me.
My younger sister was born 2 years later on the day before our birthday.
I like jewelry.
I used to have gauged earrings that I wore for 6 or 7 years.
I have a lot of different earrings now.
My wedding ring is turquoise and opal.
I am 5'2".
I am a waitress at a restaurant in Salt Lake City.
I have owned one car in my life, and I've had it since 2001.
My car turned 10 this year.
I spend way too much time on the internet.
I'm not allergic to any foods.
I played the violin for 6 years, and a bit here and there for a few more years.
I still have my violin, and I can't play it anymore.
I am a great listener.
I have been to Alaska.
The only place out of the country I have visited is Tijuana.
I don't have a passport.
I want to go to New Zealand.
I want to go to Machu Picchu.
I want to do my own pilgrimage of the road to Santiago.
Paulo Coelho is my favorite author.
The Alchemist is my favorite book.
Closed-minded people disgust me.
Generalizations piss me off.
Disrespect angers me.
I believe everyone has a choice how to feel and react to any given situation.
Because of that belief, I frustrate myself a lot.
I like to sing.
I like to read.
I wish I was more confident and more of a free spirit.
My husband doesn't like to dance.
I do.
I don't like watching tv very often.
We watch a lot of tv.
I believe in energy, vibrations, karma, prayer, divine intervention, and the power of love.
I want to lose 30 lbs.
I have hiked the Grand Canyon 6 times with my dad.
I think teenagers are amazing people at a critical cross-roads in life.
I want to be a therapist and work with teenagers.
I think parents need to relax a bit.
I'm not a parent, so what do I know?
I snort when I laugh sometimes.
I have a cute nose.
I love my eyes.
I love my chest.
I say "woof" instead of "wolf."
I am an emotional woman.
I have a pretty crass sense of humor.
I run late for just about everything.
I adore my grandfathers and love my parents.
My hero is Zina Coates...you don't know her, but she was an incredible woman.

General Conference Thoughts

I was doing my daily blog reading and a friend of mine, Jon, was posting his notes on the morning session of the LDS General Conference. His notes are on his blog Pitching In and Catching On. I think it's great that Jon took the time to log the highlights of the talks given.

So, I found myself inspired to tune into Conference. I LOVE modern technology. As a child, we would watch Conference on tv at home, and usually get dressed and watch the Sunday morning session at church via satellite transmission. Now, you can watch Conference live on the internet. That is amazing and wonderful.

I'm not the best at making sure I watch all of Conference, but I do make an effort to listen to or watch what I can. And the bits and pieces I see or hear always move me.

One of my fond memories of Conference is watching my dad and brothers get ready on Saturday evening and go to the Priesthood Session at 7pm. They had a tradition of going to the session together and going out for dessert afterward. As a teenager, it seemed like such a sacrifice for my brothers to miss out on a fun and exciting weekend night to do something churchy, but I realize now, as an adult, what a great opportunity it was for them.

I savor every occasion I had and will ever have to spend time with my dad, especially when those occasions include something where we can be united in our faith and knowledge that we are an eternal family. Now that my dad is older, and a grandfather, he is so much more open about sharing his love for the gospel and Jesus Christ with us. He did share it when we were younger, too, but I'm sure his perspective of eternal families is so much more rich and comprehensive with such a beautiful growing family.

My parents, Jack and Lola, December 2007

My dad is becoming more and more like his dad, my grandpa Mecham. Years ago, at a family gathering, we were all over at the church playing volleyball, and my grandpa sat down next to me, watching everyone play. In that room sat my grandpa, my dad and his siblings, their children, and their children. Four generations of such a beautiful and wonderful family playing volleyball together. I asked my grandpa what it was like, to see his posterity all gathered together in one room. He got teary-eyed and expressed the great love he has for all of us and his great desire for each and every family member to live a righteous life and to be an eternal family. Seeing my cute old grandpa tear up with love for his family and legacy quite obviously made me tear up. I'll never forget that moment. I love him dearly.

So, opportunities to be reminded of my family, our values, and my great love for it all are always welcome. Here's one little quote from Conference that I liked:

Faith, hope, and charity lead us to abound in good works.

I hope to always live a life that includes good works. I truly believe that when it's all boiled down, that is what matters...being unselfish and doing what we can to bless the lives of others. That's when we are blessed the most.

excerpt

Something I just read and really liked in As A Woman Thinketh:

She who would accomplish little must sacrifice little;
she who would achieve much must sacrifice much;
she who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.

Lotus Pillow

***The pictures from my phone were deleted for whatever reason,
so I uploaded this picture. Hopefully it stays. :)
It's not the greatest picture, but it gets the idea across. ***

My camera is still suffering from a major attitude problem, so I took pictures of my latest completed craft with my phone...I'll have to figure out how to edit these pictures. Until then, here are some side-ways shots of a pillow I made with my lotus flower embroidery for a friend's birthday. It turned out really cute!

I worked on it on Sunday at "craft day" with a few friends. I've got a great craft/project idea in mind to decorate our bedroom. I'm glad I found a group of crafty gals to hang out with!!

Pin-up Monograms

Yep, that's Pin-Up Monogram for Patrick's name.

And Pin-Up Monogram for my name.