Come What May and Love It

We had a wonderful lesson in Relief Society today, and my heart is so full that I needed to share some of what we discussed here on my blog.

Her text was Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin's October 2008 General Conference talk "Come What May and Love It". It deals with adversity and I just felt like the message was just for me.





"There may be some who think that General Authorities rarely experience pain, suffering, or distress. If only that were true. While every man and woman on this stand today has experienced an abundant measure of joy, each also has drunk deeply from the cup of disappointment, sorrow, and loss. The Lord in his wisdom does not shield anyone from grief or sadness."

"But whenever my steps led through seasons of sadness and sorrow, my mother's words often came back to me: "Come what may, and love it." How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can't-at least not in the moment. I don't think my mother was suggesting that we suppress discouragement or deny the reality of pain. I don't think she was suggesting that we smother unpleasant truths beneath a cloak of pretended happiness. But I do believe that the way we react to adversity can be a major factor in how happy and successful we can be in life."

Elder Wirthlin gave four things we can do to better deal with adversity:

1. Learn to laugh
2. Seek for the eternal
3. Understand the principle of compensation
"That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them
in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful
know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears
of rejoicing and gratitude."
4. Put your trust in our Heavenly Father and His Son.

"The Lord Jesus Christ is our partner, helper, and advocate. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to be successful. If we do our part, He will step in. He who descended below all things will come to our aid. He will comfort and uphold us. He will strengthen us in our weakness and fortify us in our distress. He will make weak things become strong."

"I know why there must be opposition in all things. Adeversity, if handled correctly, can be a blessing in our lives. We can learn to love it. As we look for humor, seek for the eternal perspective, understand the principle of compensation, and draw near to our Heavenly Father, we can endure hardship and trial. We can say, as did my mother, 'Come what may, and love it.'"

4 Things, Maybe 5

1. Quantum of Solace was only ok. But Daniel Craig did things for polo shirts that I thought impossible.



2. Bronx Mowgli Wentz? Really?! Did they lose a bet or something?

3. This week was American Education Week, and a teacher at my school always gives the kids an assignment to choose a teacher to write a thank you card for. I got about 6 this year, and they were really sweet. One in particular said that I was the most inspirational teacher she'd ever had. It made me cry and feel all warm and tingly inside. It's nice to know you make an impact.

4. I'm through fighting it. I'll go and see Twilight. I'm sure it will benefit from abridgement. I think I can handle two hours of on screen teenage angst. I deal with the three dimensional version every day.



(Robert Pattison and his handsome hair don't hurt the cause. Of course, in my heart he'll always be Cedric Diggory.)


5. I realized that I haven't mentioned my boyfriend Toby for awhile. Hey everyone, I love Toby Stephens!

Evidence...

In my defense, here's part of the interview I witnessed between Ellen and Miley Cyrus:




See. She's maybe more than kinda dumb.

Here's what I wanted to see:



Yummmmmmmmmmmy. (But no Disney tickets.)

So what did YOU do this weekend?

This weekend was my brother David's 30th birthday, and he's kinda taking the loss of his youth this way:



So, in honor of St. David's Day (November 17) we took a little road trip



in order to dance with this lady:



On our way to see her we went to the best donut shop in the world The


(In Yucca Valley, California if you want to make a pilgrimage)

Then we went to watch our nephew Curtis'



game. I must say that he's improved since the last time I watched him play (2 years ago). He scored a goal and stopped a couple as goalie.

That night we ate at the best restaurant in the world



Then, on Sunday after church we (now including Christy) drove to Mission Viejo to stay with Jena's Aunt Lynda and Uncle Steve. They made us feel instantly welcome, had a lovely guest bed, and Aunt Lynda introduced Christy and I to Michael Ball in concert on dvd. I learned a lot.



For instance, did you know that he's had no formal voice training? Also, his dimples may actually go on for miles. Oh, and his version of "Hot Stuff"? Not actually very hot, but very very very amusing.

On Monday (yes, I took a personal day. I love my brother that much) we drove to Burbank and went on a WB Back lot tour where we saw this:




and this:



And the place where this:



is filmed.

Then, after a lunch we went to the Ellen taping, where we hoped to see these guys:



But instead, saw this girl:



We were understandably disappointed until she told us that we'd each be getting two tickets to



and then we became huge fans. Just kidding. She's annoying (in that, "Oh my gosh I am just the most darling thing in the universe!" way), and kinda dumb.

Then, on the way home we stopped at



and our happiness was complete.

Love you David! Thanks for inviting me along. I now can say that I have danced with Ellen.

Au Revoir House Princess...

Tonight the world is a little darker for me and my family. My sister's wonderful dog Alyx died today, and I'm so sad I can hardly see to write. Alyx was, like all beloved dogs, absolutely worthy of every single bit of love and affection that was showered upon her, and I know that I am not alone in saying that she will be missed.

Alyx wasn't flashy or in your face, and if you didn't take the time to get to know her you might have considered her boring or aloof. But, this first impression could not have been more incorrect. Alyx was a quiet little dog, always waiting for you to notice her, never forcing the issue. When you did notice her, she cuddled as close as she could and looked up into your eyes with an almost palpable expression of love.

But, what made Alyx more than just a sweet dog was that she had a hidden dark side. One of the reasons she'd cuddle up to you when you pet her was so that she could wipe her almost constant eye boogers on your leg. We called her the House Princess because she KNEW that she was in charge of her house and everything and everyone in it. She didn't like to play with toys and would go so far as to bite the other dogs if they dared to play. She liked to tell on her brother Gunner if he did anything wrong (or even if he didn't), and bloodied my little Scout's eye twice when she displeased Alyx (which she accomplished by merely existing. She was NOT a big fan of Scout's). She killed birds in the back yard (a feat Christy still can't explain considering her two inch long legs and chubby body), and a baby bunny, and her fearless nature caused Christy a lot of worry over the years.

Alyx loved her mom and would wait patiently by the front door for her to return home, even if that meant sitting my the door for several days at a time. That kind of loyalty doesn't come along every day or even with every dog. I know that my Scout loved me, but she didn't wait by the door for me.

Alyx,our house princess, you are loved, and you will be missed.

Promises, promises.

I promised you pictures, but so far this is all I got. Christy and I decided to only take one camera to Disneyland and it was hers (it's smaller and newer). Thank goodness there is ONE ride at the happiest place on earth that doesn't charge you $100 for the horrible picture they take of you. On the Buzz Lightyear ride they email it to you for free!

Notice the look of concentration on our faces. Yes, it's a ride for kids, but when you put a member of my family in any sort of competitive situation, no matter how silly, we're going to go for broke (Ask Jill about the night of Dance Dance Revolution and Bop-It). Also, we were keeping the galaxy safe from Zurg for heaven's sake! Who wouldn't have been intent on accomplishing that??? Also notice that I beat Christy. HA! Finally, notice the hats that should only be worn by small children.

More to follow. I'm not through with you people yet.

I've accepted failure. . .

Hey everyone,

I'm going to try to post an actual real live post later this evening, but right now I don't have the brain capacity. I know that I promised a blog post a day during November and I haven't posted in a couple of days. I'm sorry.

In my defense I was really busy going to Disneyland and playing in California with Christy.

We went shopping, played with the dogs, saw The Secret Life of Bees (which was pretty good considering it's one of my favorite books ever and I can be a little judgy of adaptations.), wore hats that only small children should wear, and had a seriously horrible and utterly painful ulcer flare up
(That last one was only me. Wouldn't it have been super wierd if both Christy and I had one at the same time? As it is, I don't think my nephew Curtis will ever recover from seeing me like that, and I think Christy still has questions about my sanity. Oh well, you can't please everyone.).

Pictures and bragging to follow.