Monday, April 9, 2012

Easter!!

So, since Easter is a favorite holiday in our house, we had a great week full of fun activities to celebrate it! We started out the week with a bang and dyed Easter eggs for Family Home Evening last week :) We had a lesson with my absolute favorite talk from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "None Were with Him." It is a beautiful and powerful talk describing the lonely path of our Savior in His final days on Earth. For a person of any denomination, this talk is a stunning portrayal of what He went through to save us all and redeem us from death. I think it is so important for us at this time of year to remember this moment in time from His life to and ponder on what it means for us. Below is the link for the talk from www.lds.org Please listen to or read and show thanks for all we enjoy.
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/none-were-with-him?lang=eng&query=none+with+him Onto the Easter egg dying! Ryan and I are both professional egg dyers and we thoroughly enjoy making our eggs as vibrant and colorful as possible. Here are a few pictures of the process and the finished product! :)

Well Easter was certainly a busy week for us. We had a scouting potluck to throw for the young men in our ward, it was such a great success. We had a lot of people show up and we got to see our scouts be awarded for their hard work. 
I also had a Stake Relief Society event to help put together last week as well. It was a beautiful setting and it went off without a hitch. 
Friday night I had to finish getting supplies and planning a bridal shower for my wonderful friend Brittney. But the shower went off without a hitch and it was so fun to spend some time with my soon-to-be-married friend. Thankfully after the bridal shower I had the chance to indulge myself and get a much needed manicure and pedicure. And oh was it ever nice to do this... I need to make this more of a habit. 
And finally, on to Easter Sunday! Ryan and I slept in late on Easter and had a delicious breakfast of fried eggs and German pancakes. I would have taken more pictures but we were hungry and didn't want to wait to eat.
We went to church and wore our new outfits that we got over conference weekend and took pictures to show them off! 

 Then we came home after sacrament to finish getting Easter dinner ready! We had a bunch of friends and some family come over for dinner. We had ham and green beans and salad. Brie and raspberries for appetizers and some delicious brownies and strawberry trifle for dessert. I love Easter dinner... It is seriously amazing. And this dinner was no different.
Well all in all, Easter Sunday was a success on all levels of food, family, and fun and ended the night playing 'Last Word' (a fabulous board game) with our friends Sean and Nate and watched part of We Bought a Zoo (one of my new favorite movies). 
I love Easter and all the significance that the holy day holds. I am so grateful for the Atonement of Jesus Christ and for the blessings that come from the knowing that I have a Savior who has overcome all things. Nothing means more to me in this world than that fact and the knowledge that I can be life him. I am grateful for my family and my life. I have the most amazing husband in the world and I know how blessed I am. I hope we all can remember and enjoy how special life is and to enjoy every moment of it.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

General Conference!

I love General Conference. Hands down, best and most uplifting moments of the fall and spring. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, every six months we have a gathering of Saints here in Salt Lake City and we listen to our church leaders who we sustain as prophets of our time. They, as well as other authorities in our church, give talks on different topics relating to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is always so uplifting and rejuvenating to listen to these wise men and women and to gain more insight on how to be a better disciple of Christ.
For me, as a young, newly married adult, I find it amazing and awe-inspiring to see thousands of members of the church descend upon Salt Lake into our conference center and to fill it to capacity every session. But more so, I find it amazing to see the faith of others my age who are here in Utah at college, away from family, who still are dedicated to their faith enough to attend an ENTIRE weekend of church.... It strengthens my testimony to see their resolve to come even though no one would be any wiser. I am just so happy to live in such a marvelous place and to have these opportunities around me always.
For me, this conference focused a lot on families and the worth of a soul. Most of the talks inspired Ryan and I to be better disciples in our church service and in our resolve to share the restored Gospel with those around us. It helped us to know the areas in which we need to prepare for when our little family starts to grow in the coming years. It helped me to better understand family dynamics and how to be a more patient and loving person to those around me. My favorite talks were by President Packer, Elder Holland and Elder Ballard. Each of those talks really helped me to change my perspective on different aspects of life and to move forward towards a brighter future for myself and for my family. There were so many wonderful talks that I just cannot say enough about them... So, in lieu of that, I am attaching below, the link to watch the conference online through lds.org. Please watch any sessions that you missed or would like to watch again, or even for the first time. These are true messengers of the Lord.

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/watch?lang=eng

We had the fun chance to meet up with a lot of friends at conference and to enjoy this weekend with them. On Saturday, Ryan and I went up for the afternoon session in Salt Lake and got to scope out the new and BEAUTIFUL mall, City Creek. It is right across the street from Temple Square and it is amazing. The Church definitely held nothing back from this City Center project. The mall is clean, open, pretty and inviting. They have fountains that shoot fire and water. A creek that follows the entire mall that has live trout swimming in it. The mall even has a retractable roof for when the weather isn't ideal. For 2 whole city blocks, this new downtown is safe, fun, inviting and revitalizing for Salt Lake.
After the afternoon session, Ryan and our friends and I enjoyed the beauty of temple square on a perfect Saturday afternoon and had some lunch. It was 80 degrees, sunny and lovely. Usually when conference is rainy and dreary, it is not fun to go up to Salt Lake. Then, during the evening Priesthood session, we girls participated in the age-old tradition of shopping while the men are away. It is quite the sight to see thousands of women descend upon the nearby shops in Salt Lake and overwhelm the stores and fitting rooms. It is not the place for someone with claustrophobia nor impatience. We girls had a blast going to the stores and seeing the newest and latest clothes that we 'had to have.' I got a new summer church outfit and some new skirts and shirts to replace old ones that have been given to others.
Then it was finally time for the boys to be done. Ryan wanted to do some shopping too and we parted ways with April and Moose and went to H&M to get Ryan a new summer suit and to just enjoy an evening out together. Needless to say I have an amazing husband and we had a great time just walking around the new mall together.
Here are some pictures from the day to show you just how fun and beautiful it was... Sadly, I forgot to get a picture of Ryan and I... But the temple and conference center were sooo pretty. And the one of a dress is my new Easter outfit! :) Hope you all had a wonderful conference weekend like we did!