This makes my heart sing.

Boys.  On their way to last night's General Conference priesthood session (Wade's first time).

They enjoyed it and got Jack-in-the-Box for dinner afterwards.

About an hour later, I got a text from a friend about Wade.  We are happy parents!

Singing in the rain

Living on the East coast for a couple years was a fantastic experience for our family.  It also opened my eyes and helped me realize some things I'd taken for granted here in the desert.

1--Desert rain is simply the best.  It comes so rarely.  Even flooding is bearable because you know, like snow, the puddles are going to disappear VERY quickly.  While we lived in Virginia, the first huge rainstorms were very welcome and exciting, but after that I was always on high alert for flooding in the basement...

The dogs and I got caught in the rain earlier today, but it wasn't a downpour yet so we just enjoyed it.  It also makes for a very relaxed, peaceful morning at home!

2--One upside to having so few trees here is that you have a GREAT view of the sky and the mountains.  The East coast was FULL of beautiful, tall trees and green everywhere, but you couldn't see the sky because of it!

October 1st Sunrise, Ridgecrest, CA

Other news:

--we enjoyed General Conference this weekend SO MUCH.  It was great to be all together, sustaining the new Apostles, Elder Rasband, Elder Stevenson, and Elder Renlund.  So many good things shared over the two days--it's hard to choose a favorite!

--Saturday was busy with other things, too.  We helped clean the church at 7:00 am, watched Conference, and then Rhiannon was gone from 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm on her first high school band trip to Taft.  She had a good time and said judges liked her performance on the mallets.  She was VERY happy that the school took 2 buses instead of 1 so they didn't have to fit 3 to a seat, haha!

--Wade visited with Bishop Washburn yesterday for his 12-year interview.  When he and Jason came home and walked through the door, he said, "I'm worthy to be a deacon!" Then a few minutes later he said the next thing he was going to prepare for was his mission.  This was pretty exciting for me to hear from our sweet boy Wade, who talks a LOT more about football, movies, and video games. :)

--This knock-off Olive Garden soup was a hit yesterday.  It popped up on my Facebook feed one day and I had to try it--VERY, VERY good.  I think it's the first time I've made a soup in the slow cooker that wasn't a chili-type one.  Had to share!

Zuppa Toscana (better than Olive Garden!)

1 lb. Italian sausages (use spicy to get that signature Olive Garden flavor) 

4-6 russet potatoes, chopped   [I used 4 large ones]

1 onion, chopped 

1/4 c. REAL bacon pieces (optional) [I was lazy and didn't add this]

2 Tbsp minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves) 

32 oz. chicken broth

1 c. kale or Swiss chard, chopped (or spinach)  [I used closer to 2 cups of kale]

1 c. heavy whipping cream

2 Tbsp flour 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Brown sausage links in a sauté pan. Cut links in half lengthwise, then cut slices. [I took the sausage out of the casings and browned it that way, like I was cooking ground beef]

2. Place sausage, chicken broth, garlic, potatoes and onion in slow cooker. Add just enough water to cover the vegetables and meat. 

3. Cook on high 3-4 hours (low 5-6 hours) until potatoes are soft. 30 minutes before serving: 

4. Mix flour into cream removing lumps. 

5. Add cream and kale to the crock pot, stir. 

6. Cook on high 30 minutes or until broth thickens slightly. 

7. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. 

Can't wait to have leftovers for lunch!

Listening to General Conference on the treadmill

Like every other school day, I took Rhiannon to seminary this morning and then fought the urge to go right back to sleep.  It's dark then, and the couch looks pretty cozy!!!  Usually I give in and enjoy that 40 extra minutes sooooo much.

But today was different.

I felt I needed to listen to conference AND get a little exercise, so I walked into the guest bedroom, set up the treadmill, and started walking while I listened to a recent General Conference talk.

The next 40 minutes were very special to me.  President Eyring's talk about the law of the fast and fast offerings was the first message of the Saturday morning session, and it was the best talk or lesson I've ever heard on fasting.  Period.  My eyes teared up as he talked about the faithful woman from Sierra Leone, too.

I still had time to kill and some treadmill to pound, so I clicked on President Packer's talk.  I felt my heart breaking a little bit because his words were very slurred in his advanced age and I could only pick up about every 4th word.

I quickly got off the treadmill and read President Packer's talk instead of listening to it on my little iPhone screen.  You know what I discovered?  He gave the best talk I've ever heard about the power of procreation, creating life, and why it must be guarded, why saving that til you're married to someone you love eternally is crucial.  I'm so glad I read it, and I will definitely share that with our kids.

A few minutes remained before I had to pick up Rhiannon, so I skimmed talks and picked Elder Ballard's talk titled "The Greatest Generation of Young Adults."

Because of the guidance of the Holy Ghost, I felt strongly to share it tonight in our institute class, even though there is a lot of other material to cover.  That talk is important.  It needs to be shared, studied, and reviewed over and over.

What an amazing start to my morning!  These messages from living prophets touched my heart today as I walked on the treadmill.  It was a funny place to have a spiritual experience, but one that I will treasure and think about through the rest of the day and week.

The gospel is true.  And it makes me happy!

General Conference weekend

We

Love

General 

Conference

weekends.

The speakers, the messages, the company, the relaxation, and the food.  It was a fun weekend!  I'm looking forward to going back and reading the messages again.  We felt happy inside as we listened, and we also felt inspired to do better and be better!

Here are a few fun random pictures of the weekend.

Rhiannon took this with my phone.  It is classic Oscar. :)

Conference weekend

General Conference weekend was a good one.  Jason got back Friday from travel, Rhiannon passed her audition for playing the high school band this coming week, the kids helped me plant our garden, and we all sat back and soaked up every minute of General Conference and the beautiful weather we were having.  Happiness!

How cool is this!  I found this on Facebook this morning and had to share it.  It was created by Morgan Shauerhamer.

I used my knitting loom to make a couple hats while we listened.  Very relaxing and fun!

Samson enjoys his perch on my lap outside.  It sure was beautiful this weekend!

You're never too old to color



 

Just for fun--General Conference weekend photos!

 



Totally posed, but cute picture of Wade.  Can't believe he'll celebrate a decade this month!

I snuck the camera between the stairway slats to get this pic of Rhiannon. 
She was chatting on Facebook and having the time of her life, even answered a friend's questions about the Church.

This is Samson.  He is a good dog about 98% of the time.

Selfie, ha-ha!  I was sitting outside watching the dogs.

Probably up to no good, those two.  They like to eat grass, and..

don't seem too care too much when sticky weeds get stuck in their faces!

I'm not gonna lie, I like these dogs a lot. 
This was a common scene during General Conference, all of us fighting for Oscar and Samson's attention!

General Conference is over, and we all enjoyed it!  So many good talks!!!

You're never too old to color.  Wade colored Spiderman pages,

and Rhiannon colored the little activity book that we'd stashed in the 72-hour kits for years.

Conference sticky notes...

times 2.  Which was your favorite?



A great Columbus Day weekend!

On Saturday morning we got out the door early and worked in the front yard together.  The plants around the front pond were so overgrown!!  It was great to get that done together--it made for a much faster job.

We got inside and turned on General Conference.  Well, the downside of that little family project was missing the "big announcement" firsthand about the missionary age change!  Thank goodness for traffic on Facebook that filled us in on that.  We also had satellite issues and only heard the end of President Uchtdorf's talk.  Thankfully we didn't have too much more of that the rest of the weekend and enjoyed all the wonderful messages and counsel shared. 

That night some young men and their dads came over for ice cream after the priesthood session of General Conference.  A smaller crowd than usual (plus me going a little overboard on toppings) meant one thing--lots of leftovers for another time!  :)

We enjoyed more Conference on Sunday, and then on Columbus Day we got up early and celebrated Oscar the Dog's 1st birthday with exercise!  Jason ran over 5 miles up and down this huge hill to the community college, and Rhiannon, Wade and I did close to 2 miles with Wade on his bike, Rhiannon jogging, and me being dragged by Oscar.  Fun times...no, really, it was fun! :)

That evening we hosted a "Polar Bear Challenge" swim and bbq party.  It was a blast--we had some old friends over and some new ones, too, to celebrate the end of summer and the glorious return of Ridgecrest's best season of the year--fall.  LOTS of good food, plenty of kids running around trying to brave the cold pool, and, you guessed it, ice cream and toppings for dessert.  It was a fantastic way to end the long weekend!

Last night we attended Rhiannon's fall concert for Concert Band.  They played "Band Avenue March," and music from Jurassic Park and Pirates of the Caribbean.  Rhiannon came across loud and crystal clear on the mallets, chimes, and bass drum.  She did a great job!

Tomorrow we will say goodbye to a family member--Toby the Tortoise is moving on to bigger pastures with the Green family a few streets away.  We've been thinking about him/her/it all summer and were concerned how to care for him long-term.  Toby has outgrown his box on the kitchen counter and is the right size to move outdoors now, but our swimming pool and big, active dog aren't the best combination, with the in-ground pool being our biggest concern.  Tortoises + pool = no more tortoise.  Realistically, if Toby really wanted to get to that water, the chain-link fence wouldn't stop him.  I feel bad about it, bad that we didn't think things through too well when we got him, but I'm grateful for the lessons we've learned from Toby about taking care of a pet and taking responsibility for it, even if that means finding him a better place to live.  We're grateful to our friends for being willing to give him a new, bigger home!

Good traditions

Last night we hosted another ice cream extravaganza after the General Conference priesthood meeting.  Jason invited the young men leaders and the young men and their dads from our ward.  It was the best turn out so far--I'd say around 25 or 30 showed up. 

We had just the right amount of ice cream--2.5 gallons.  And the toppings were a hit, too--rainbow sprinkles, chocolate sprinkles, strawberry syrup, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, marshmallows, M&M's, toffee bits, coconut, gummy bears, and canned whipping cream!  Towards the end some boys showed up with extra offerings, too--Whoppers and Nerds candy.  I completely forgot to put out some crushed Oreos--maybe next year!

Rhiannon, Wade, and I were definitely underdressed in our shorts and t-shirts, surrounded by white shirts and ties.   It was a fun night, and a great tradition!

Conference police

I sat down to put some thoughts down on the blog about General Conference.  I was sitting next to Wade on the couch.  He said, "Um, what did that talk say about being on the computer too much?"  (Guess he was listening intently to Elder Ardern's talk...)  Smiling, I said I was putting my time to good use by writing about conference and added that the Nintendo DS game he was engrossed in at that moment could probably be called a time waster, too.  He grinned and got the message that a Conference Policeman needs to pay attention to his own choices and not just those of his family in the room with him! 

Wade cracked me up during our 4 hours of Conference talks today, raising eyebrows at each of us for both good reasons (Primary kids singing "Families Can Be Together Forever") and bad (that killer talk on good use of time).   It is a WONDERFUL experience watching your kids grasp the important messages they hear during General Conference!  Rhiannon and I would usually jinx each other after talks, too, saying, "That was a good one!" at the same time. 

All 4 of us hanging out in the same room, keeping our fingers busy with different activities,  but all listening carefully, too.  Oh, and eating almost-expired "treats" from the emergency kits, too.  I love Conference weekends!

Here's my quick summary of Saturday's messages:

Elder Scott--Scriptures can become our friends.  Fill your mental "filing cabinet" with memorized scriptures.  Grow to love all the scriptures.  Consistently read the Book of Mormon--it is true.

Sister Thompson--Holy Ghost and personal revelation.  We need to desire to know, ask in faith, and keep the commandments, then answers will come in God's way and in His own time.  Our testimonies get us through hard times--they need to be strengthened so that they'll sustain us.

Elder Clayton--Church growth.  Growth of the Church prophesied in the scriptures.  It is happening!  We need to share the important message of the knowledge of a Savior.

President Monson--we loved his enthusiastic "Hello!" at the beginning.  Announced temples in Columbia, the Congo, Durban in South Africa, Star Valley in Wyoming, Paris, and the Provo Tabernacle being rebuilt as a temple.  Loved all the collective gasps from the audience at these announcements!  Also mentioned a new fund set up for members living in remote areas to have money for a 1-time trip to temple.

Elder Alonso--Service and rescuing those who are lost.  LOVED this repeated phrase:  "do the right thing at the right time without delay."

President Packer--great talk directed to the youth.  How to survive in enemy territory and a world in commotion?  Listen to and follow the Spirit.  Too many good things in this talk--we will for sure want to review this with the kids.

President Uchtdorf--Worth of souls.  The paradox of man--man is nothing, but man is everything to God.  Always retain the greatness of God and the worth of souls.  Loved his stories about being in west Texas, and the humble couple who went about doing good.

Elder Bednar--I've heard many talks on family history work, but this talk was especially good.  You don't have to be old to do family history work!  He spent a lot of time explaining how the youth should get involved and not be overly trained, but basically introduced to family work and then they'll catch the excitement all on their own.  Cool story about some young men who were asked to teach the family history course in their ward. Very timely.  All of us enjoyed this talk.

Elder Andersen--Importance of families and having children.  Have faith--multiply and replenish the earth--don't follow what the world says and wait til you have "enough money."  How many or when to have children is a personal decision between God, husband, and wife.  Don't be judgmental of others, too, in this vital, sensitive topic.

Elder Aldern--Make good use of your time.  I took a LOT of notes on this one.  Basic message to me was don't let technology take over your life!  Seek after the things of God and make time for Him and your family.  Make sure that all your busy-ness is productive and not just using up time.

Elder Carl Cook--LOVED this one and loved his story about being in the elevator with Pres Monson--"It's better to look up!"  Prophets lead us to God.  Look up, step up, and you will cheer up!

Elder LeGrand Curtis Jr.--wonderful talk about the Savior's Atonement and several stories of redemption.  Reach out to others--through Christ, people can change their lives.

Elder Christofferson--Jason felt this was one of the better talks he'd ever heard on repentance.  I loved how he talked about repentance being a joyful experience--"Look, I'm smiling!"  He shared 5 keys--repentance is a message of love, striving to change takes effort, commit to be obedient, be serious about repentance (don't do a check-off list), and feel the joy of forgiveness.

Elder Perry--"Be thou an example."  With all the attention the Church has been getting in the media, he reminded us of how important it is to be a good example, speak up, do good works, walk in faith, and share the gospel message.


What's been your favorite part so far?

Now THAT'S a first!

Today was a first for our family.

1. We watched ALL of Saturday's General Conference sessions.
2. We ALL stayed in the same room.
3. We ALL stayed awake!

It was awesome! Here were things that helped us:

1. Legos
2. Conference packets for the kids
3. Going through the 72-hour kit beforehand for goodies that were almost expired (Starbursts, jerky, and Easy Cheese with crackers--a feast!)
4. Yarn (inside joke on that one)
5. Taking notes on each talk (SHORT ones--each talk got its own sticky note, which got put on the temporary "Conference Wall")

Tomorrow we get to do it all over again! :)