Called to Serve!

Just sharing some good news! 

Our daughter Emma has decided to put her schooling on hold for 18-months to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  She opened her call on Tuesday night and she has been called to serve in the Toronto Canada mission--speaking Spanish! 

We are so excited and proud of her!   Now, if you know of where to buy some good warm clothes for a missionary....let me know!  

Thoughts on Hope

In August of 2017 our family drove to Greenville, South Carolina so that we could be in the path of totality when the solar eclipse arrived. It was a long drive for something that only lasted a couple of minutes, but I will never forget that incredible moment when the crickets started chirping and darkness arrived in the middle of the afternoon. Another moment I’ll never forget was when the moment of totality ended. I put my eclipse glasses back on and looked upward to see that only the tiniest sliver of the sun was showing again, but that tiny sliver was enough to dispel the darkness and bring the daylight back again.

Afterward we had a family home evening lesson and talked about the scripture 1 Nephi 31:20, which reads:

“Press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.”

Then we related it to our experience of watching the solar eclipse. How often circumstances of life can make us feel like we’re in the darkness, but when we look to Christ, the source of true hope and heavenly light, He can dispel the darkness. He can take that tiny sliver of hope and help it become the perfect brightness that we seek in difficult times.

A few months later I thought of this experience when I read President Uchtdorf's talk, “Bearers of Heavenly Light”  from October 2017 General Conference.

He said:

“Night is nothing more than a shadow.

Even in the darkest of nights, the sun does not cease to radiate its light. It continues to shine as bright as ever. But half of the earth is in darkness.

The absence of light causes darkness.

When the darkness of night falls, we do not despair and worry that the sun is extinguished. We do not postulate that the sun is not there or is dead. We understand that we are in a shadow, that the earth will continue to rotate, and that eventually the rays of the sun will reach us once again.

Darkness is not an indication that there is no light. Most often, it simply means we’re not in the right place to receive the light….”

I love that.   Instead of feeling overwhelmed and like there is no light when I am in one of the dark abysses in life, I need to start looking for where I can find the light. 

President Uchtdorf, in the same talk,  told us that:

“Spiritual hope and light rarely comes to those who merely sit in darkness waiting for someone to flip a switch. First, we need to start where we are and don’t feel discouraged by how dark it seems. Second, turn our hearts toward the Lord. He is always there. He wants us to feel hope and light. And third, walk in and embrace the light.”

We need action!   Isn't that one of the basic tenets of the gospel?   We need to get up and move.  We need to press forward, searching for that perfect brightness of hope.   What does that look like?   It means putting one foot in front of the other day-after-discouraging-day and turning to Christ.   No matter how far off or small the light may seem, I know that when we turn our hearts towards the Lord, He will always be there to help us feel hope and the pure love and light of Christ.

 As Moroni says in Moroni 7:41:“And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal, and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”

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What brings you hope?  What do you do when you feel hope waning in your life?

Come, Follow Me activity sheet for 2 Nephi 26-30 (3/1/2020)

Ahhhh, this week's CFM was a little easier than last week--not only fewer chapters, but far less Isaiah.     Granted, I do like to think I've gained a greater appreciation of Isaiah through the years, but, man, when I'm wading through the middle of 2nd Nephi I do start to yearn for some words of Nephi again.     In the meantime, I keep plugging away hoping that someday (likely in the very distant future) I'll have a perfect understanding of the symbolism and cultural meaning behind Isaiah!

So, in honor of the easier reading this week, I made the word search just a bit easier than usual.   But don't worry....for those of you who like a challenge, I did throw in a bonus word you'll need to figure out first, then find. 


ENRICHMENT IDEAS:    Here's a great talk if you want to read a talk from Elder Bednar on the idea of receiving revelation "line upon line".   And I think it goes well with this FHE lesson about recognizing the spirit. 

"As you ponder the principle of “line upon line, precept upon precept,” you will be able to discern more clearly the consistent help from heaven you have received in your lives. And your faith in the Savior will be stronger, and your hope for the future will be brighter. I pray you will recognize the Lord’s pattern and process for obtaining spiritual knowledge."   David A. Bednar

Have a great week!  

"Just Mercy" and "The Sun Does Shine" REVIEWS

I read "Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption" a couple months ago and can't get it out of my head.  The author, Bryan Stevenson, is a Harvard educated attorney who has dedicated his life and career to helping poor {mostly black} men on death row get the justice they deserve.   It really is a real-life version of "To Kill a Mockingbird" and the parallels between the two stories that the author points out make for thought-provoking irony.

 It's one of those books that opens your eyes and makes you realize that there is still much wrong with the justice system in America.  I was stunned when I realized that everything he wrote about, happened in my lifetime.   I think I had this naive notion that people getting falsely accused for crimes they didn't commit was the very occasional exception.  I had never really thought about how much politics and pressure from the public plays a role in making arrests, often with little to no supporting evidence. 

Once you read this book, you  may want to continue on and read, "The Sun Does Shine: How I Found Life, Freedom, and Justice,"  a memoir written by one of Bryan Stevenson's clients--a remarkable man who served 30 years on death row there was almost zero evidence for him committing.   Both books will leave you uneasy and wondering how many innocent people have perished without someone like Bryan Stevenson standing up for them.    Then you will wonder what needs to be done to help fix this broken system.

“Sometimes we’re fractured by the choices we make; sometimes we’re shattered by things we would never have chosen. But our brokenness is also the source of our common humanity, the basis for our shared search for comfort, meaning, and healing. Our shared vulnerability and imperfection nurtures and sustains our capacity for compassion.”

  Bryan Stevenson

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A Thing of Beauty

I come from a family of surprisers.  My parents and siblings love to do the unexpected and especially love to plan surprise visits.   They're not as common anymore now that there are lots of kids involved, but there was a time when "dropping in" for a visit, despite living thousands of miles away, was a semi-regular occurrence.    When you've been surprised a lot though, it makes you pretty hard to surprise.  

This past week,  however, our youngest daughter completely and totally surprised us with this beautiful gift she'd been working on for weeks. 

It's a painting she's been working on  in her art class.  She based it on this photo--one of our favorites--from our trip to Uganda.      

It literally took my breath away and I'm still in awe that a child of mine had the artistic capacity to capture such beauty and emotion.   Now we just need to find a place to get it framed...

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“The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.”  Dieter F. Uchtdorf

0 x 0 -- The Lord's Math

Have you ever asked Siri what 0 divided by 0 equals?

Siri answers something really smart alecky about dividing zero cookies amongst zero friends and cookie monster being sad and whatever. It always made the kids giggle when they were little and usually made me want to make cookies!   :)

But have you ever asked Siri what 0 x 0 =

The answer is not silly at all. The answer is simply just zero. 

But maybe Siri could use an update. Here’s what I propose she says:

“When we put zero effort into something, we get zero blessings from it.”

We have powerful promises given to us by modern apostles that when we engage in sacrificing to center our lives on Christ our entire families will be blessed. These promised blessings range from increased protection from the adversary, strengthened testimonies, and greater light and knowledge from the Holy Ghost. These are blessings that we all could use….no matter what season of life we are in.

By definition, sacrifice means to give up something of value for the sake of something else even more important or more worthy. Sometimes I think we think of sacrifice and we think of big things--like donating lots of money or spending hours and hours on a church calling, but I think that the sacrifices that really matter are the day-to-day ones. The little things we give up to bless our families and to keep Christ in our daily lives.

A perfect example of this is the sacrifice mothers and fathers make to raise their children in faith. That may mean waking up a little earlier than you want to say a prayer with the kids that leave the house first. That may mean not watching that show on Saturday night, so you can finish reading the Come, Follow Me reading for that week.  Or it may mean following a prompting to do something you'd rather not do.

If you will sacrifice what the Lord has asked you to sacrifice, he will make more out of your life than you can.

There are many examples of people all over the world that sacrifice huge things in the name of following Christ. I read an example about members of the church in Sub-Saharan Africa not working their farms on Sunday and somehow finding that their fields are yielding more crops than neighboring farms that are much larger.

In my own family, my parents have given up 2-years of their retirement to serve the people of Paris, France on a senior mission. It is a sacrifice not only of comfort, but also of money, and time away from family and friends. Us kids honestly wondered if they would even be able to get their house ready to rent out for two years, let alone have the stamina to do what needed to be done on a mission. Yet they are thriving. They are being stretched in ways that are blessing their lives as much as the people they’re serving. Their blessings far outweigh the sacrifice they’ve made.

This quote illustrates this point perfectly:
“The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways—and so is His arithmetic. It is different than ours.” (Chad Webb, S&I Broadcast, August 2015)

Yes, it’s true that 0 x 0 = 0 and that if we don’t put any effort to studying Come, Follow Me with our families, we’ll receive zero blessings for it. BUT 1 + 1 in the Lord’s arithmetic is much greater than 2. Christ takes us where we are and makes us more. Makes us enough. He blesses us in beautiful and multitudinous ways that we can barely fathom. CHRIST + ME = ENOUGH

Elder Richard G Scott has said, “Are there so many fascinating, exciting things to do, or so many challenges pressing upon you, that it is hard to keep focused on that which is essential? Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people, those who are committed to a worthy, righteous life, who want to do good and intend to make the most of this life. His tool is distraction. He would have good people fill life with "good things" so there is no room for the "essential ones." Have you unconsciously been caught in that trap?” (Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy [2007])

What is distracting us? For me it’s often my phone.  It’s a blessing to be able to communicate so easily with my family that live scattered all over the world, but how often do I let myself get sucked into social media or other pursuits that have no lasting value? It’s all about balance.

Sacrifice is a matter of the heart.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said: “The submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we ‘give’…are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us.” We can surrender our will to His, and dedicate our lives to building up His kingdom and serving His children.”

And in D&C 64:33 we read, "Be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.”

Let us not be weary in making room for Christ in our lives. It is worth every sacrifice--large or small--to allow those great blessings to come our way.

Favorite Memories from Uganda PART 1

I thought it would be fun to publish a collection of favorite memories from our trip to Africa.    Here are two memories written by two of my kids.   I'll publish more as they come.   :) 

Written by Emma: 
I step off the cool, air-conditioned bus, squinting in the bright African sun. There are a few village kids watching our group shyly as we make our way to the large pile of bricks and begin passing them down our human assembly line. After a sweaty hour or so hauling bricks, I take a quick water break and notice the growing group of kids again, just watching. A few other volunteers and I make our way over to say hi and high-five the little ones. Before I know it, a little girl grabs my hand and we start to throw a ball around, more kids joining in as we play. I see a small baby strapped to the back of his (also young) sister and hold my arms out to hold the baby, hoping the little girl would be able to go play without having to feel responsible for her brother, even just for a few minutes. And a few minutes was all it was before the baby started crying and his sister immediately came back to take him.

The next few hours are a blur of “patty-cake,” nail polish, and “duck, duck, goose.” Everything we do attracts more and more kids to play with us. Others though just sit and watch, laughing at me when I slip every time I run around the circle for “duck, duck, goose.” When I go to rest under the tree, some of the moms come up to me and try to talk in broken English. I can’t understand what they’re saying, but they keep laughing and stroking my hair and my arm, so I think they must have just been wanting to touch a “mzungu”.

As we leave the village, I reflect on what I just experienced. I keep thinking about the joy they have. They don’t have much. Pretty much just basic necessities. That’s why they got so excited even to just get a single crayon and coloring sheet. They didn’t need stuff to keep them happy. They had each other. They had us.


Written by a child who wishes to remain anonymous: 
It's hard to imagine needing to overcome such simple and yet overwhelmingly important obstacles like how to collect enough water for your family or what to do with the baby while you cook dinner; yet unfailingly locals we interacted with approached these with a smile and word of encouragement to us, when by all accounts it should have been the other way around. The particularly strong example of this that comes to mind is a boy who lived in the village where we were building a school. He came up to me and wanted the same things all the other kids wanted- a hug, a shoulder ride, even just a smile or to hold our hand for a bit. But after we had introduced ourselves to all the kids and split off to work on different projects for the day, this young boy followed us around wherever we went and wanted nothing more than to help us with our work. It's so easy to look at the people we were helping and see them based on what they didn't have, but the more time we spent with them the more I realized that the list of intangibles they possessed was not only much longer, but far more valuable.

Stay tuned...more memories to come!  

Come Follow Me Activity Sheet for 2 Nephi 11-25

Hey!   Do you like this way of posting PDFs?   People seemed to be having so many issues with the way my FHE lessons were posted, I decided to try these in a different way, but I've never heard any feedback from y'all.   Does attaching it via google drive work for you?  

These double-sided activity sheets make for a great quiet sacrament activity and/or review or introduction to the CFM reading for the week.  Hope your families and/or classes are enjoying these!


Are your kids enjoying these?  If so, how old are they?   I handed a couple of these out in church on Sunday and neither child (around 10-years-old) seemed super interested.  Are they too hard?   Is there something I can do to improve them?    I'd love to hear your feedback!  

Have a great week! 

How Can Temples Bless My Life? (YW and Aaronic Priesthood lesson)

I'm teaching the lesson, "How Can Temples Bless My Life?" this Sunday, along with a brand new young woman who has never taught a lesson before.  We met today and discussed how we would like to teach the lesson.  I think long videos are too much for the short lesson time we have now, but we decided that we would like  to send out the link to the video of Elder Bednar and Elder Rasband leading a tour of the Rome Temple before the weekend.  I think there's a lot of good information in there that will set the stage for a better discussion time during the lesson.  Here's a FHE lesson all about temples you could incorporate too. 

When I talk about temples in a lesson, I like to start with my own family's experience with the temple.   If your family doesn't have a similar story, you could share my story about people who lived in the midwest or the video, "Temples are a Beacon" from the lesson.



OUR FAMILY'S STORY
I grew up in the great state of Minnesota.    It was a great place to grow up, but when I was a child, the closest temples were over 1000 miles away.  Idaho Falls, Cardston, Washington DC, and the Utah temples were all right about the same distance away, which meant that going to the temple was quite an ordeal for the people in our area.    Our family didn't have much money, but my parents always did love a good road trip, so they'd build visiting temples into our family trips. 

That distance meant that they generally only went to the temple once a year or so, but my parents would usually set aside a day or two out of our vacation  and attend as many sessions as they could during that time.  I learned first-hand from their example,  that the temple  was important to my parents. 

This is what visiting the temple looked like when I was a child:

Then, in the year I turned 12, the temple in Chicago, Illinois was dedicated and that is where I went on all of our youth temple trips.  Chicago is about 400 miles away from where I grew up, so significantly closer than driving to Utah, Cardston, Idaho, or DC, but still an event.  We generally went with the youth a couple times per year and my parents would do babysitting exchanges with other families, so they could be away for 20+ hours at a time while they did a session.

This is what traveling to the temple looked like when I was a teen: 
 

When I was a college student, I worked at a store that sold glass temples at the University Mall in Provo.    As part of that job, I had the opportunity to get asked a lot of questions about temples.   I got asked design questions--why don't all temple have an angel Moroni statue?   And a lot of questions about where temples were and why?   I was quite the temple trivia whiz in my time and I enjoyed learning more about temples in a time when the internet wasn't really a widespread thing yet.  haha. 😂

 At the time I worked there in the early 1990's, there were about 50 temples in operation around the world.  It was sometime in that time period that Gordon B. Hinckley announced his plan to have 100 temples built by the year 2000.   As someone who grew up so far away from a temple, that announcement blew me away.   What a blessing it was going to be for so many people around the world and I wondered if Minnesota would ever get one. 

Sure enough, in 1998, plans to build one in Minnesota were announced and in January of the year 2000 it was completed--the 69th temple.   There were 102 dedicated by the end of that year.  The year 2000 was a great year for temples in the latter-days! 

Though I no longer lived in Minnesota, I rejoiced with the people of Minnesota and with all the people in the upper-midwest who now had a temple in their backyards after having sacrificed so much money and so many hours  of their time to go to the temple for so many years.     Today there are 182 functioning temples with another 40 or so somewhere in the process of being built (source).   Think of all the people in the world who are blessed for their closer proximity to the temple. 

WHY DO TEMPLES MATTER? 
So I've spent all this time telling you about how great it is that temples are more accessible to the people, but why does that matter? 

#1. I think the first thing people think of when they think of blessings of the temple is that when couples are married and/or families are sealed in the temple, those families are sealed together forever. 

"The full realization of the blessings of a temple marriage is almost beyond our mortal comprehension. Such a marriage will continue to grow in the celestial realm. There we can become perfected."  Russell M. Nelson

The ability to be sealed to our families is a wonderful blessing and should be a goal for all to strive for, but you don't have to wait until you're married or sealed to enjoy the blessings of the temple. 

President Russell M. Nelson told us that “Building and maintaining temples may not change your life, but spending your time in the temple surely will.”

Why is that?  

Elder Quentin L. Cook answers it well:   

“The temple is also a place of refuge, thanksgiving, instruction, and understanding, “that [we] may be perfected … in all things pertaining to the kingdom of God on the earth.” Throughout my life it has been a place of tranquility and peace in a world that is literally in commotion. It is wonderful to leave the cares of the world behind in that sacred setting.”(source)

#2.  The temple is a haven from the world. 

I'll be totally honest here.   The temple is often not easy for me to go to.  Not only does the horrible traffic make the 20-25 miles to get there exceedingly long and painful, but I'm often exhausted and struggle to stay awake during sessions.   BUT, when I do make the effort to go,  and though I'm often a little irritable and fight nodding off the entire way through the session, I STILL AM BLESSED WITH PEACE.    The world is more fast-paced than it's ever been and we literally need...yes, need...this time for our minds, spirits, and bodies to take a break from the freneticism of the world.  Now,  more than ever,  we need to give ourselves that quiet time to commune with God without the distractions that beset us almost everywhere else we could otherwise be.  

So those are some nice blessings for us when we go to the temple, but what about the actual work you do while you're there?

“After we receive our own temple ordinances and make sacred covenants with God, each one of us needs the ongoing spiritual strengthening and tutoring that is possible only in the house of the Lord. And our ancestors need us to serve as proxy for them."  Russell M. Nelson

#3.  Our ancestors are relying on us to perform important saving ordinances for them. 

“This work is all about people. It’s about giving every one of our Heavenly Father’s sons and daughters the chance to make covenants and receive saving, exalting ordinances. It’s all about helping his children return home to him.”-- Sheri Dew 

I love that when we walk in the doors of the temple all people are equal. We walk in the doors to do a selfless work of saving our ancestors, and there are no distinctions of wealth, status, or position. We all wear the same clothing, missionaries don't wear their tags, and general authorities sit in the same seats with the rest of us. It's actually a beautiful thing to behold....people from all walks of life gathering together to do an important work that can't be done anywhere else. And it doesn't matter to our ancestors whether a farmer, grocery store clerk, or CEO is the one doing their work. They're just happy it's being done. Think of the joy we facilitate on the other side of the veil when we participate in temple work.

IDEAS FOR THE LESSON
Because I am working with a young woman who will be preparing her own part of the lesson, it is my plan to have these ideas, quotes and stories tucked away.   I'm also reviewing this lesson for more ideas.   We'll see where she takes the lesson and go from there.  I feel strongly though, that I need to end with this quote:

“Those who understand the eternal blessings which come from the temple know that no sacrifice is too great, no price too heavy, no struggle too difficult in order to receive those blessings.”  Thomas S. Monson (source

Valentine's Day 2020

Happy Valentine’s Day to all you dear blog readers!

Are we the only ones out there that aren’t that into Valentine’s Day? When the kids were little, we’d always make the mailbox and send the kids to school with a bag full of valentines to give to their friends.

Awwww, she's so little! 💕 

Sometimes, if it was the weekend, and Glen happened to not have to work late, we would go out for dinner or something. And maybe, just maybe, I might make cookies or buy some candy, but that involves forethought, so that didn’t usually happen either! Historically Valentine’s Day at our house usually ends up looking a lot like every other day with an extra big mess from the valentines’ haul they’d bring home from school. Haha.

2012 Valentine making

 

Today we are being a little more festive than usual. Adam is delivering bucketloads of sugar cookies that he made as a way to raise money for his HEFY trip to Guatemala this summer. He’s a cookie baking whiz kid and it’s his treats I miss most when I’m cutting down on sugar, especially when those cookies are sitting around the house all week. Cookies (and cookie dough) have always been my very favorite dessert. 😜 I am eating sugar today though, so you better believe I ordered a couple of those cookies for me!

This year I even sent a bunch of valentines out to my kids that live far away, as well as my siblings, nieces, and nephews. I counted up over 30 valentines that I sent! Crazy, huh? I’ve always loved conveying my love through the mail and now that it’s such a rare thing to send non-digital greetings, I’m even more obsessed with making sure my loved ones get a token of that love from me in a tangible form they can hold and put in their rooms to see and remember. For most things, I really like my positive feedback, but in this case I don’t really care about receiving anything back; I just like hearing that they’ve received it and it’s made them smile. Of course, I do love the occasional piece of personal mail I may receive too, but it’s so infrequent that I don’t hold my breath for it. Haha!

 

We did get one valentine in the mail this year....thanks, AnnaLisa!


Tonight the kids will go to a multi-stake Valentine’s dance. Our stake in Virginia had dances once or twice a month, so they’ve been missing regular dances since we moved here and they are looking forward to it! The dance is about an hour away from here, so I’m hoping Glen will get off early enough that we can drive together and perhaps even sneak off for a date while they are at the dance. His work has been pretty stressful lately though, so we’ll see…


Speaking of Glen...I am grateful for my valentine! This will be our 27th Valentine’s Day together and though we don’t make a big deal out of it, I do want to take this opportunity to say how thankful I am for his patience and unwavering support with whatever endeavor I set my mind to! Marriage often ends up being a walk through muck and mess, more than a walk in the park, but I'm grateful for Glen to be my walking buddy through whatever mess we're wading through!

Happy Valentine's Day! May your day be filled with warm hugs from those you love, a full mailbox (or texting inbox), and a good dose of chocolate! 💖

"Hey Girl" Marvel Valentines for Mormons

Okay, okay....these valentines are probably a little obnoxious, but I have a teen girl who loves Marvel movies, who thinks these are the best valentines ever, so here you go!   




Hopefully there are some other Marvel-loving LDS girls (or to be politically correct...members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)  who will enjoy these too.     Or maybe they'll just make you roll your eyes and laugh a little...that's okay too!  😂

Happy Valentine's Eve! 💓

PS  Here is a link to some slightly less obnoxious printable valentines, if you happen to have any cute dog lovers in your house.

Free Printable Cute Dog Valentines

 I have a house full of dog lovers, but Ellie has always been our dog whisperer.  She has a way of connecting with animals {and people} and they seem to be able to put each other at ease.   When Ellie is stressed about homework--usually math--you can often find her snuggled up with Rocky while she works on it. So here are some free printable valentines Ellie and I designed.

 

They're similar to ones we made when she was younger, but with some fun puns added in.  She is excited to print them out and send them to her friends this year.     Print from the google doc below.    Have a great Valentine's Day!   💓

Come Follow Me Word Search and Coloring Page for 2 Nephi 6-10 (2/16/2020)

Here is a half-sheet, double-sided activity page, including a  word search and coloring sheet, to go along with 2 Nephi 6-10.    These sheets make for great introductions or reviews to the Come, Follow Me reading for the week or as a quiet activity during sacrament meeting.  Our previous ward used to hand them out to the kids along with the sacrament programs. 

If you end up using them, I'd love to hear how your families/classes like them. 
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If you're looking for other resources to teach about the atonement, try these other links below:

Quotes on the atonement
Atonement and the tree of life lesson
Jesus Christ's Atonement

25 Inexpensive Date Ideas

In honor of Valentine's Day later this week, here's  a list of some inexpensive date ideas I compiled a few years ago with my young women.   These are perfect for high schoolers, college kids, or anyone who likes saving money!  Almost all of these would be fun as group dates too!   

1. Take a hike together--on a trail or in the city.  Look for a certain bird, flower, or color of house along the way and keep a tally of how many you see. 
2. Cook together--a treat or a dinner item.
3. Photo scavenger hunt --do it together versus another couple.  Here's one I made for a historic part of town near DC.   Here's a general fun one I found online.  
4. Visit a pet store and play with the animals
5. Roast marshmallows and hot dogs over a fire
6. Play a board game
7. Visit a sculpture garden  (scroll down on this site for a list of sculpture gardens in your area)
8. Fly kites on a windy day (find cheap kites at a drug store)
9. Play frisbee and have a picnic
10. Outdoor movie (check for local parks and theaters that might show them in the summertime)
11. Make two different recipes of the same item--maybe chocolate chip cookies--and get people to do a blind taste test and see which one is better (or just get 2 brands of ice cream)
12. Visit a free museum together
13. Go fishing
14. Do a group date and everyone brings a sundae topping to make banana splits.  If you're really brave, get a giant bowl or dish and  have everyone combine their toppings into the "World's Largest Ice Cream Sundae" and then hand out spoons and enjoy.   Make sure to make a time-lapse video of you creating it.
15. Minute to win it games
16. Take advantage of cheaper movie prices on Tuesdays or Wednesdays
17. Letterboxing or geocaching (look it up online to find out more details)
18. Do a lip-syncing contest--this would definitely  be more fun as a group date
19. No-hands spaghetti dinner--definitely an outdoor activity with someone you know pretty well
20. Make homemade ice cream in a bag (here’s an easy recipe: http://recipeshoebox.blogspot.com/2009/07/cooking-with-kids-ice-cream-in-bag.html)
21. Go to the zoo (if your zoo is not free, then see if there's a farm that allows visitors to visit for free)
22. Watch a Bob Ross video and paint pictures
23. Do an exercise video together
24. Go on a bike ride on a trail and get ice cream along the way
25. Each come with a playlist and play “Name that Tune” w

Feel free to comment below with some of your favorite cheap date ideas!  

Getting Off the Hamster Wheel of Perfectionism

I remember in high school sometimes complaining to my parents that I wasn't really good at anything. While a good student, I was far from being valedictorian. While an enthusiastic cross country and track captain, I spent most of my time injured and running the ranks of junior varsity. I couldn't sing solos like the Cottles, I wasn't fashionable or witty, and, heck, I wasn't even that great at making my bangs big.

When I complained about my lack of talents to my parents, they would always dutifully console me and remind me about some of the less visible skills that I had--you know like french braiding my own hair,  eating 3 doughnuts in a sitting, and saying all the books of the New Testament in under 30 seconds. Yeah, I was just that cool.  Later my dad, during one of their pep talks, introduced me to the quote, "Jack of all trades, master of none." Though he meant it as a compliment that I could do many types of things reasonably well, I always thought of it as a sad, but apt description of my abilities.

Now I'm 30 or so years past my high school days and I still find myself occasionally plagued by the same insecurities. I try my darnedest to do all the things I feel like I’m “supposed” to do, but rarely feel like it’s enough. It’s easy to look around and see all of the people who can do x, y, or z better than me.

One day a few years ago, I came across this article on the church website. It was the first time that I even realized that the church website had a blog section with articles written by every day people. This article, called, “The Perfect Lie,” rocked my world in a very real way. If you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend stopping to read it right now. Even if you have read it, but not for a while, I recommend reading it again. It’s life-changing.

I realized that I had been living my life exactly the way she described in the beginning of her article--going through life with my long-list of things I need to do and if only I can cross enough of those off my list, then maybe I’ll reach some elusive state of goodness or contentment in my life.

The author puts it as the ME + MORE = CHRISTLIKE way of living life.

The problem is, is that that “MORE” list is endless. I want to be MORE spiritual, serve MORE, read the scriptures MORE, be MORE fit, be MORE sensitive to those I minister to, cook MORE healthy food, clean the house MORE, etc. etc. While none of those desires is wrong or bad, the list is truly endless and there’s absolutely no way that I’ll ever be able to do enough MORE to actually be Christlike. It’s a hamster wheel that Satan would love for us to stay on endlessly, because it’s discouraging and unsatisfying in the best of times, but absolutely heartrending when things, out of our control, come and take away our abilities to do even the bare minimum in our lives, yet alone the MORE. Things like poor health (our own or that of a family member), a lost job, a big move, mental illness, a struggling child, or whatever can wreak havoc on our efforts to always be MORE. (PS All those examples I listed are things that we’ve faced in our family.)

But when we change up the equation and instead look for ways to add Christ to our lives, through him we can be ENOUGH. It’s actually a beautiful change.

ME + CHRIST = ENOUGH

It’s a change of semantics, but it’s powerful. When we go through our days and seek for ways to make Christ a part of our days, rather than an item on a to-do list, it changes everything.

I love this quote from the article:

“As I studied Jesus’s life, I realized this was the continuous theme in His entire ministry: taking the weakest things of this earth and using His power to transform them into something miraculous.

Christ never asked us to give more than we have to give. Rather He asks, pleads, and invites us to learn of Him, come to Him, trust Him, and let Him make us more than we are.”

What does making Christ a part of my day look like for me?

It means getting off the hamster wheel of elusive perfectionism, putting away my phone, even if for a short time, and allowing myself to study and feel the words of Christ without distraction. It means sharing with my children  the insights I gain.  It means seeking for more time to be still and know that God is there.  Does it always go smoothly? No way. But I’ve found that as I’ve made Christ a part of my day, rather than an item on a checklist, that he takes me as I am--flaws and all--and, through his grace, I am strengthened to be MORE, and even better, to be ENOUGH.

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"Brothers and sisters, every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical about the truths of the gospel, the truthfulness of the Church, our hope for our future, or the possibility of godliness. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete—which is the New Testament meaning of perfection."
Jeffrey R. Holland

Why is Joseph Smith’s mission important to me?

When I read through the YW and Aaronic Priesthood lesson for Sunday, I was stopped up by the question it posed, “How did you gain your testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith?” I thought for a long time and realized that I’ve never really had a huge moment where I just knew. My testimony of Joseph Smith, much like my testimony of the gospel in general, has come to me piece by piece, as if I were putting together a puzzle.

My puzzle definitely still has many missing pieces, but the more I read and study, the more the pieces fall into place. When I was younger, I used to feel like I might be broken or missing something important, when I didn’t feel anything big or earth shattering when others around me were visibly moved by the spirit. It took me many years to understand that tears and emotion are not generally how I feel the spirit and that’s okay. For me, it’s much more subtle--more like just a sense that that concept makes sense to me.

When I talk to my kids and teach youth classes, I like to make sure that they know that different people feel the spirit in different ways, and that’s totally okay. I don’t ever want a young person to wonder if they have a testimony just because they don’t cry or feel anything huge. Also, I want them to know that it’s not only okay, but completely normal to still have missing pieces of that testimony puzzle. You don’t have to know everything to have a testimony. In fact, I don’t believe there’s a person alive whose testimony is perfect. We all wonder about some things that don’t make sense to us and that’s okay, as long as we don’t focus so much on those missing pieces that it distracts us from the things we do know.

“When problems come and questions arise, do not start your quest for faith by saying how much you do not have, leading as it were with your “unbelief.” That is like trying to stuff a turkey through the beak! Let me be clear on this point: I am not asking you to pretend to faith you do not have. I am asking you to be true to the faith you do have."   

Jeffrey R. Holland

One of the other things I feel like we need to talk about in our class are some of the lessons we learn from the First Vision. It really was a remarkable event that changed so much of what we knew about God. And it’s many of those lessons that are a foundational part of my testimony. Is there anything you’d add to this list?


     1. We learn the Heavenly Father and Jesus are separate beings.
     2. We learn that Heavenly Father and Jesus have a body of flesh and bones.
     3.  We learn that we can be influenced by Satan.
     4.  We learn that prayers are answered and God knows us by name.
     5.  We learn that answers come by exercising faith.
     6.  We learn that the true church had been taken from the earth and had not been restored yet.
     7.  We learn that Jesus Christ was resurrected from the dead and still lives.
     8.  We learn that the scriptures provide guidance and answers for us.
     9.  We learn that God’s power is stronger than Satan’s.


The class I’m teaching is young, but I’m hopeful we can have a good discussion about testimonies, Joseph Smith, and his mission. Though we know that Joseph Smith was not perfect, his mission definitely was divine.

“Though Joseph was young and inexperienced, he had been foreordained from before the foundation of the world to be God’s prophet at this particular time. Joseph was tutored, trained, and prepared by heavenly beings." 

Russell M. Nelson

One more thing I just discovered that I want to talk about in our class too...check out Page 15 in the February 2020 edition of the "New Era".     "A Pattern for Seeking Truth" is a great way to apply what we learn about Joseph Smith to our daily lives. And isn't that what learning the gospel is all about?  Seeking truth, and then making it mean something in our everyday life. 

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Getting Ready for Our Humanitarian Trip to Africa

In this post, I told you a little about how our humanitarian trip to Africa came to be and in this post I told you about what we did on our trip.  Since we didn't find out for sure that the Family Humanitarian expedition to Uganda was going to happen at Christmastime until mid-October, it was quite an adventure trying to get the 8 of us living in 3 different states prepared for it in such a short amount of time!  Thankfully, we had decided early on that if the trip came together that it would be in lieu of any Christmas presents, so at least we weren't Christmas shopping on top of all that too!  😏

So, here's a little glimpse of the tasks that we needed to accomplish, along with our packing list and  some tips in case anyone out there is planning a similar trip! 

Plane tickets--This was, by far, one of things I was most stressed out about.  We are normally super budget travelers, only going places when plane tickets are rock bottom cheap. (Click on this link to see where we find our deals) We pack light, eat cheap, and stay in cheap places.  With this trip, though, I knew  that I was going to have to set aside those cheap tendencies and embrace the cost as part of the experience.  Because of the kids' school and Glen's work schedules and the expedition requirements, our dates were totally inflexible, which meant that there was only so much deal finding to be had anyway.   Combine that with the fact that this required  buying tickets for an overseas route at arguably the most expensive time of year to travel and there wasn't much to do.   I did incessantly check Google Flights, Skyscanner, and Expedia  for a week or two,  watching the prices and routes, but ultimately we just bit the bullet and bought the cheapest tickets we could with the fewest amount of stopovers.   We flew on Kenya Air and had a very positive experience.

Visas--Because we were visiting both Uganda and Kenya, it was more economical to get the East African Tourist Visa, than to get separate visas for both.  You can apply for the East African Visa or just the Ugandan Visa here.  The website is a little glitchy and it does take some time for everything to be approved, so I recommend applying for these about  3-4 weeks before your trip. 

Vaccinations--The yellow fever vaccination is required to enter Uganda and Kenya, so that was something I needed to make sure everyone got.    At the time we were getting our vaccines, there was a shortage of it available  in the US, so it was only offered at certain clinics.  If that is the case when you're looking too, I  recommend checking the CDC website for a list of places in your area that offer it.    Be forewarned, that the vaccine is not cheap ($100+ ).   Hopefully when the manufacturing issue that is causing the shortage is taken care of, the price will drop.  Luckily the yellow fever vaccine offers life-time immunity, so at least it's a one-time thing.   Don't forget to bring your yellow fever certificate with you on your trip--they absolutely do check at the borders--for both Uganda and Kenya.   We tucked them right into our individual passports.

Check the CDC website for other vaccines that may be recommended for your trip too.    For us,  it was also recommended that we get the typhoid vaccine and get everyone up-to-date on their routine vaccines.  For me that meant also getting the flu shot, hepatitis A & B, meningitis, and tdap.  I felt like a pincushion by the time I got them all!  

Anti-Malarials and other just-in-case medications--Malaria is still rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, so you'll definitely want to be taking an anti-malarial.   We were mostly prescribed Malarone (Atovaquone/Proguanil), because side effects are minimal and it only needs to be taken for 7 days additional days after the trip is over.  I did get a slight headache with it, but otherwise we didn't have any issues or side effects.  The hardest part was remembering to take the pills once the trip was over.    Doxycycline was prescribed to one of my kids (I guess that's what happens when everyone ends up going to different doctors all over the country).   Doxycycline is also considered highly effective with minimal side effects, however it needs to be taken for an additional 4 weeks past the end of the trip, so it's less appealing for that reason.    She's done fine with it and has had zero issues. 

Because traveler's diarrhea is so common in Africa, we were also prescribed Azithromycin to take just in case it was needed.   About half of us ended up needing to take ours, the other half ended up fine without it.   Because we had the Azithromycin and Imodium (see below), nobody got sick to the point where they couldn't participate with the activities of the day.  

We also packed prebiotics, probiotics (to help our gut stay as preemptively healthy as possible), Travelan (a natural dietary supplement used to help prevent diarrhea), Imodium (otc antidiarrheal), Zofran (an anti-nausea pill prescribed by the doctor), Benadryl , Electrolyte powder packets, and standard painkillers (Aleve, aspirin, etc).  We put all of them to use on the trip except the Zofran.     We also brought antibiotic ointment , hydrocortisone cream, assorted bandages, and lots of wipes.  All of this was used liberally too.   See below for more of what we packed.  

Packing--We normally pack very light (these are the awesome backpacks we usually pack in).

It's part of traveling cheap and it doesn't even phase us anymore.   This trip was different in that we had two free check-ins per person, we were bringing lots of books to donate to the school, and had more incidentals (like medicines, snacks, etc) to pack than usual.   In the end, although I think I overpacked a little, there were a lot of items we don't normally bring on trips that I was very grateful to have, so I have no regrets. 

Here are some things I'm glad we packed:

Non-perishable snacks--granola bars, nuts, meat sticks, trail mixes, flavored drink powders, etc.   We were fed well on the trip, but still found that for long bus rides or days spent serving, that having plentiful snacks available was necessary for everyone's happiness.   I made sure that everyone had picked some favorite snacks beforehand to include in the stash.

Hand sanitizer--I recommend getting a travel size hand sanitizer for everyone to attach to their day bags, so everyone has it when they need it.  Then bring a 1-2 bigger ones for refilling purposes.

Wipes--get everyone their own travel size pack of wipes, plus a few for backups.   We used these all the time, because running water generally wasn't available when we were away from our accommodations.

Toilet paper--I recommend collecting half-used rolls before the trip.  Why half-used?  So it doesn't take up as much space in your bag.  You will 100% need your own toilet paper if you're ever leaving the hotel in Africa.

Sunblock --Uganda and Kenya are right on the equator and even if you're normally not super prone to sunburn, you'll be glad you have plenty.    Additionally, most anti-malarials make you more prone to sunburn than usual, so there's double reason to be prepared.

Insect spray-- The bugs were actually not as bad as we expected, however there were still some and because we didn't want to contract any weird mosquito borne illnesses so we were still grateful to have plenty of spray.  Thankfully everywhere we stayed had mosquito nets over the beds, so there's no need to bring those.  They recommended one made with 30-40% DEET .

Electric travel adapter--  For Uganda and Kenya, you'll need the type G travel adapter (same as the UK).  This will work great for charging cell phones, etc.   It will NOT work for hair dryers, irons, etc.

Quick drying travel towels--The places we stayed had towels for showering, but we had some activities and rainy days where we were glad that we had our own towels.   These got used for drying up messes and as yoga mats.  We were glad that they could be handwashed and dried pretty quickly. 

Quick dry clothing--If you have the budget, I highly recommend going to an outdoor store (we got ours on sale at Columbia Outlet) and getting some light-weight quick dry clothing before your trip.   I will seriously never travel without it again to any destination, but especially somewhere like Africa.  I love that this type of clothing will quickly dry after getting wet, which served us well on a rainy day and a day we got soaked by a waterfall.  I also love that they can be easily spot-cleaned or fully washed in the sink and dried overnight. 

Materials to wash clothes--Part of packing light means rewearing the same clothing multiple times.   To avoid appearing/smelling/feeling grungy, I highly recommend bringing a way for you to wash your clothes on the go.   You'll want a good bar soap for laundry (so it doesn't end up taking up your precious liquid allotment on the plane), flat drain cover (to allow yourself the ability to fill up a sink or tub with water), and a travel soap case .    Washing clothes generally works best if you're staying in the same place for a couple of days.   Unless your clothing is all of the nice "quick-dry" variety I mentioned above, you'll probably need at least 24 hours for them to fully dry.  And even longer for jeans or other heavy items.   If you have access to a fan in your hotel room, that will help reduce the drying time significantly. 

Extra toothbrushes--When you're somewhere where you can't use the water for drinking, you also want to keep your toothbrush away from it.   We found that not putting your toothbrush into the stream of running water is an exceedingly difficult habit to break though, so we were glad to have back-up toothbrushes, so the ones we tainted accidentally could be tossed without guilt.

What not to bring:  
Don't bother bringing jeans or other bulky items of clothing.  Not only do they take up a lot of room in your luggage, but they'll take forever to dry if you need to wash them.

Don't bother bringing hair dryers, irons, hair straighteners, or curling irons.  Your  travel adapter will NOT work with them anyway (you will need a more expensive electric travel adapter AND converterfor that) and if you do try it with just the adapter, you're likely to fry your electronic.   If you're staying in a nice hotel, they might provide them for you, but if you're like us, you may just have to forgo having cute hair and ironed clothes for the duration of the trip.   And that's okay!

Have you ever done a trip like this before?  What tips do you have to share?   Do you have any questions?  Send me a note!