Sunday, April 5, 2009

weekend introspective...

this weekend has been a refuge and a respite after a loooooooooooong week.

on friday, brandon burst through the front door declaring, "let's go eat!" we've been trying not to eat out too often, but we felt we deserved a treat just for surviving all of our busy-ness. we opted for thai food.

egg rolls + yellow curry + pad thai = blissfully full

saturday morning brought with it fresh belgian waffles & sausage and the start of general conference. i'm so grateful to be able to watch all the sessions right from home.

later that afternoon, i got to spend some time with my former roommates lindsay, benita, megan, lauren, and amber for amber's baby shower. SO great to spend time with all of them.

while brandon was at priesthood session, i decided not to go to dinner with the girls since we had just eaten out the night before. instead, i watched an episode of say yes to the dress (i thought i'd spare brandon from sitting through it. ha.) and whipped up some sweet & sour pork with crunchy asian salad. it was gooo--oood! and i just worked with what ingredients i had and made some substitutions for ingredients i didn't. nice!

this morning, we used leftover rice from the night before to make what i call raisins & rice. we ate it growing up... it's basically a rice pudding, i guess. simmer some milk with sugar and cinnamon, add rice and raisins. so simple, yet delicious. and it warms you right up! then i put a roast and potatoes in the crock pot and finished just in time to watch day 2 of conference.

general conference is so rejuvenating. as we just finished watching, i've been musing on what i've learned. here are some thoughts...

  • don't be afraid of the future. yes, there is an economic crisis, but with faith in the Lord Jesus Christ we can get through anything. instead of harboring doubt and cynicism when faced with uncertainty or tribulation, we need to view our trials as an invitation to grow.
  • i loved what elder robert d. hales taught about joyfully living within our means. it's okay to say "we can't afford it" or "we can afford it, but we don't really need it."
  • elder d. todd christofferson and elder kevin w. pearson gave talks that were closely related in my mind. they both talked about exact obedience, which i thought was interesting, and they both addressed strength--being strong christians through making and keeping sacred covenants and developing strong faith through obedience.
  • the gospel of Jesus Christ is the answer to ALL our problems! you are never alone. there is always help available. God will keep his promises to us if we keep our covenants to him.
  • SERVE. the Lord offers his help through us.
  • i feel like this was addressed over and over...don't let anything get in the way of regular temple worship. be worthy. attend the temple. remember and honor your covenants. you are never lost when you can see the temple. there is a sacred relationship between the temple and the home.
  • discipleship is a journey. we must practice what we preach. personal righteousness is a choice.
  • and simply...God is aware of us, He loves us, He hears our prayers. don't be afraid. things will work out.

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