Honor

We blessed our son at home. It was a beautiful experience. It's totally up to you. If you do it at home you just have to arrange to have a member of your bishopric present. My husband was much more relaxed and it was a small and intimate setting with family and a few friends we invited.

I was called to work in the nursery on the day my son was old enough to attend. I was struggling at home (a stay at home mother and during the winter months in Utah) and spiritually, trying to keep the motivation to stay active and live the gospel the way I knew I should. It was the first time I've ever contemplated saying no to a calling. I talked it out with my mother and a few close friends, most of them encouraging me to let the bishopric know of my current situation, making sure that they know I am willing to serve, but that I'm having a difficult time. Ultimately I accepted the calling and never had the opportunity to speak with anyone about my concerns. The nursery was in need of a lot of help, with the current leaders never showing up and parents of children coming in to take care of it. I was needed, so I did it. I served for 2 months before meeting with the bishop to get a recommendation for marriage counseling as things at home didn't improve as I hoped that they might if I served with faith. As I finally told my bishop what I was going through, his immediate reaction was, "I'd like to release you from nursery. There are others who can serve at this time and you need to be taking care of yourself, your home, and your marriage." Yes, I think it's important to explain circumstances to leaders when they are extending a call. I believe that callings are inspired, but that people aren't perfect (those extending the call or those being called). Sometimes the result of an inspired calling isn't that the calling is accepted. If I had been able to talk to my bishop about my concerns, he would have been aware of circumstances in our home 2 months sooner. Who knows what it would have changed, but I always try to remember that the Lord's purposes are rarely seen clearly by his children. I now have relationships with many children and parents that I wouldn't have had without my SHORT service in nursery, and I'm sure there are other reasons that the situation happened the way it did. ANYWAY, what I'm saying is, be willing to serve, but don't be afraid to let your leaders in on your personal circumstances. We are all human, and struggling through this thing called life together. Oh, and I did get a calling - I now the piano in Relief Society.

I'm right there with ya Melissa. Well, picking and choosing the aspects of attachment parenting that I'd practice, but very similar. Although it resulted in a c-section (don't get me started lol ), I had planned a home birth for my son, took Bradley classes, labored naturally for 14 hours, and began co-sleeping in the hospital (my baby was never going to be alone!). We use disposable diapers, but never formula fed, used bottles or pacifiers and breastfed until he was 2 1/2 (weaning just a few weeks ago). The family I grew up in was pretty naturally minded (I'm a home birth) and I've found myself gravitating toward the lifestyle, most prominently with choice of diet and childbirth. I've learned that while there are some topics that people can find really interesting to talk about, there are some choices I've made that I am happy to avoid discussing. I've also been a part of La Leche League and ICAN for a few years now. You seem like an incredibly strong sister. If there's anything I've struggled with in the gospel, it's been feeling like I am personally strong enough to live everything I say I believe and having a bit of an "all or nothing" attitude. A good friend told me, "We've not been asked to be perfect before we pray and the saving grace between being a hypocrite and living everything perfectly is repentance." Of course as it turns out, we never know what we can survive until we are on the other side of it. I admire you for the trials you've weathered and your faith in living the gospel when I'm sure there have been a great many lonely moments. Glad to have you on the site and look forward to getting to know you!

(Ben, that weather report for a fellow brother made me smile - very sweet)

I really hope you have a safe trip and I hope you and your family members are accompanied by the peace that I know Heavenly Father can send his children at times like these. You're in my thoughts.

LOL pretty funny if you ask me. A little dangerous to start throwing scriptures into such a rivalry, but whatever. I know some of you treat football like it's a religion anyway. :)

I never know how to feel about this stuff. I'm often touched by music and I love the power that it has to invite the spirit. I feel torn between my views of this though. While parts of that piece gave me goosebumps, part of me was thinking, If I heard a piece of music like this sung by the youth of a religion who's teachings I didn't believe in I might find it a little strange sounding. There's a fine line between sounding like a humble generation that is enthusiastic to serve the Lord and sounding like "We are the best! We are the most righteous! We are the chosen people!" It sounds a little too arrogant for me. That's what I kinda heard from that piece of music, but I don't get that feeling with the EFY Medley (As Sisters In Zion/We'll Bring the World His Truth). Maybe it's just my reaction to something new and it'll grow on me if I hear it more. Scripture Power was a little like that for me. Actually made me laugh to hear it sung at first, but it just became normal as I sung it and played when I was serving in our ward Primary. Anyway, I guess those are my thoughts on it, however unorganized they may be.

You might flip through the hymns toward the back that are written for specifically men or specifically women and see if there's not a part that could be sung an octave above or below. OR find a solo soprano hymn arrangement (I Know That My Redeemer Lives, Where Can I Turn For Peace, I Stand All Amazed & Nearer My God to Thee all arranged by Michael R. Hicks are AWESOME). Get creative! Worst case, ask your music chairman if you can make it a quartet and find a Soprano/Tenor couple to sing with you. Also, I don't know where you are from but check out Deseret Book or try cruising the website for sheet music that might work. Good luck to ya! Let us know what you find and how it goes.

You meant to say "clover, Honey." right?

... In a treeeeeeeeee!

3 french toast, 2 turtlenecks & a beer..... There should be more there, eh?..... Where?

Wink wink me?! Are you still trying to drag me on that road trip with you?! I told you time and time again I'm not riding in any car when you're the driver! LOL JK! Just so you know, I'm pretty sure that this one is in addition to the one happening in April. Don't get your panties in a bunch.

Found it - MyFox Utah | Avalanche Reported in Providence Canyon

I wonder what you'd do if your wife said, "Hun, my love language is 'acts of service'... You know what would help me feel like you really love me? Outdoor Christmas Lights!" Oh wait, that'd be a little bit of an abuse of the whole love language concept, but I'd still love to see the look on your face. LOL Something like this maybe ? Or this ?

This is all I've heard about: Avalanches in Utah kill 1 person, trap another - CNN.com

Ahhh you're one of THOSE: "That guy can do it better so I won't even try...." It's ok Pale, you're still ok in my book with or without lights. No need to feel intimidated by a Gingerbread House. :)

You Grinch, you! Any excuse to cast a "Bah Humbug" in the direction of festivities when really you're just upset that they're making you look bad with your one string light job.

I think at the end of one of the videos it takes you up close to see more detail. They have their whole little Christmas village set up inside the garage. The surfaces of the house facing the street are all covered in brown paper or a tarp or something to look like gingerbread and the eves are lined with what looks like striped candy canes. Each window has something displayed in it with a sheet draped behind it so you can't see into the house. The amount of detail is INSANE. I probably would have stopped at the lights, but WOW. When these people do something they do it to the MAX. Here's a couple pictures from a better angle. I get tired just looking at it!

My family and I went to see this house in my hometown tonight. Pretty crazy stuff as well as what I'm sure is a crazy electric bill. It's got a radio station frequency that plays the accompanying music. It was pretty awesome to sit for a while and watch it. We even ran into a few friends from the ward I grew up in that I hadn't seen in years. I love small town stuff like that! Hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas holiday!

I dunno, Orem is a little far.... I'm most likely IN.

Chile Santiago North That's the link to the Santiago North Mission. If she's not listed in the Alumni you might be able to leave a message in the "Lost Contacts" section. Good luck!

Link 1 Link 2 Let me know if you still can't view them.

Oh and Halfers - you're amazing!

Wow, I dunno how many cows you paid for each of the 7, but DANG, you must be single-handedly keeping bovine sales afloat. But that's not counting the ones that you paid off before they reported you, right?

LOL Thanks you guys, but those were just a few! I was hoping that you funny people would throw a few out there. I couldn't think of as many as I had hoped.....