Wonderful Conference Weekend

I just wanted to capture a few thoughts and highlights from this weekend. I love Conference weekend! I do miss some of the fun traditions I grew up with. I miss hanging out at Deseret Book with all my cousins and aunts and winning or watching others win prizes then having pizza while the guys did their thing on Saturday night. But, I have come to really enjoy the ways we have carried on some traditions and found others to replace those I could no longer do since I live so far away from everyone. I love that now Matthew is old enough to go with John to the priesthood session and out to dinner together. Only one more conference of just the two of them and then Harrison will be old enough to join them. That's crazy to think about! But I'm glad they have that time. I love the great friends who go and hang out at the park with cheap pizza and kids running around in 100 degree weather. It was fun to sit and think about how many priesthood sessions we've had that tradition now. It made me miss Brooke who it just never seems right to carry on traditions without her around. But Krinn stepped up and took over this time. Thanks! We remebered the horrible wind one time, the rain another, the ants that took over boxes of pizza along with the broken arm one time. But in spite of it all, I can't imagine now doing anything but going to the park to brave mother nature and enjoy hanging out with my girlfriends.

I also decided this year I was not going to be anywhere but listening to all the sessions of conference. Anyone who knows me knows how crazy our Saturday's can be. And though there is much I truly love about crazy Saturday, I really wanted this one to be different. So, I went and did bountiful baskets and came home. I didn't leave my house again until we went to the park during the priesthood session. I sent John off to Harrison's game. Luckily I had some great pull with an amazing soccer mom who got Harrison's game moved to 8am this week so even the boys who went to the game wouldn't miss much of it. I stayed home and since they no longer show it on TV here unless you have dish or some other such thing, I got the computer turned on and prayed it wouldn't overheat so I could hear it all. It reminded me how blessed we are to have a couple working (mostly) computers so that we could hear it anywhere in the house. The kids asked where their bingo and packets were. I quickly printed some out for them and they were off to enjoy it with their gear. All the bags of reces pieces and skittles and such that were bingo markers are gone. I think they all won on that one. :) But since they are old enough to stay there "mostly" focused for that long, and Ellie...well we all worked to keep Ellie quiet so we could hear. I took a lap top in the scrapbook room and went to work while I listened. Nope, I didn't clean...John could only dream. :) But I did crank out page after page as I listened to the inspired words of the leaders of our church. So many different things hit me. I really was inspired by the end of Saturday to show more service, to be more open to the opportunities to help, and was reminded of the great and important thing I'm doing to be a mom.

After the boys got home from their dinner to Taco Bell, Matthew and I took a walk to Walmart to return a redbox and get a treat. I loved that he wants to hold my hand or walk with his arm around my shoulder. He isn't afraid to love me and isn't embarrased by me...I'm sure that will come but I love that for now, that's where he is. I love that with just one small question, "Did you enjoy the priesthood session?" he spend the entire walk telling me all about it. His favorite parts of everyone's talk and what he thought the talks were about. It really makes me want to read the talks to see if I can actually make sense of what he said. But I love that he was excited to share with me all he had heard. I also love that he is eager to listen to what is being shared.

Sunday morning, I got up and made cinnamon rolls...yep right out of the pillsbury can. But it impresses my family and that works for me. We then got conference started and all the packets and treats out for the kids and I went back up to the office to see how much more I could accomplish while I was inspired. With a little lunch break as a family, some picking up around the house and Ellie down for a nap, we all set out to enjoy in our own way the second session of the day. Again I found my way into all my pictures and paper and set to work. I really had to pay super close attention to the talk about being..."To be or not to be, that is the question" talk. I really like what I learned from it, but I had to keep repeating to myself what he was saying as he'd jump back and forth between be and do. But it made me want to be a parent who inspired my kids to be the kind of kids they should be not just do the things they should do. But probably my favorite talk was about how they come up with what they are saying in their talks. I've always felt like there was a theme each conference and though the talks would vary in subjects, they would all seem to hit on a certain theme. To hear that they are not in anyway given any direction from the church leaders on what to speak about really bore testimony to me about how inspired those talks really are. It made me want to go back through and immediately listen to them all again.

In the end I've completed over 85 scrapbook pages this weekend (Thurs-Sunday). It truly is a miracle all on it's own. But now, I'm so inspired I can't decide what to do..maybe I'll take the computer in and listen to it all again and see how much more I can get done before the night is over.