I read this poem and immediately thought of my mom and her birthday yesterday! I absolutely love her and everything that she does. She is my best friend, my greatest example, and one of the people I can always rely on. I'm so grateful for her and I hope she had a fabulous day! I can't wait to see her in just 8 short days!
So I am officially the newest member of Pinterest and I love it already! So many cute ideas and even though it may be a time waster, it allows a girl to dream :) There are so many practical and easy to do ideas that can make weddings and homes so original and adorable! Plus yummy food, cute outfits, and life-changing quotes. This website is fabulous!!!
I have had the most wonderful start to the Christmas season this week. On Monday night for FHE, we took awkward family Christmas pictures. I was able to wear my new Christmas pajama pants that have candy canes on them. I absolutely LOVE candy canes :)
On Tuesday night, I went to see BYU's production of White Christmas. I grew up watching this movie and I hadn't seen it for a long time so it was fun to refresh my memory. It was a fabulous performance and I'm so glad I went! I couldn't help but think of Kenz during the song "Sisters". I love how close we are and I can't wait till she's here with me next year...(hopefully!)
Oh and the guy who played Phil was so cute! and really energetic and an amazing actor and flirtatious haha! I want to meet him :)
On Thursday, Brother Smith "decorated" our room for the holidays on a powerpoint slide with this fabulous ornament...
I also love all the lights and trees up on campus. It makes everything seem so festive!
And then Friday was the day I've been looking forward to for a long time! I started the day by making cookies and curling my hair. Oh and receiving an itinerary from Logan ha! Then I went to class...boring! I came back home and finished getting ready and then took the bus to Matt and Mikelle's to get the car. I picked up the boys and then we were on our way to Salt Lake! Of course there was traffic but the car was filled with Christmas music and laughter :) We made it there in time to have dinner at a little Mexican restaurant called Su Casa. After getting a little lost in the Conference Center we finally made it to the theater to see Savior of the World! I absolutely love this production and not only do I have all the lyrics memorized but I know majority of the lines as well! I've seen it so many times and I don't think I could ever get sick of it. However, it was fun to actually watch and enjoy it instead of being in it. It really brings the scripture stories of our Savior to life and the Spirit is SO strong. The first time I performed in it is when I really gained my testimony of Jesus Christ and I"m so grateful for that. I love the peace and joy that it brings and it was very entertaining to see a professional group do it. Although majority of it was similar to what we've done, there was a lot of aspects of the stage that I really liked. It testifies so well of a living Christ who served those around him and lived to do the will of the Father. I don't know what I would do without this gospel and I'm so grateful for the knowledge I have. My testimony has grown so much recently and I look forward the spiritual experiences I will have the future that will continue to strengthen it.
We then went across the street to the beautiful Temple Square. Probably one of my most favorite places on the earth. And with Christmas lights it's like a million times better! Despite the freezing weather, as I was walking around I couldn't help but think about how blessed I am. I was able to think about the true meaning of Christmas and how I can't wait to go to the temple someday and how grateful I am that I have such good friends who share the same standards as me and that we have the opportunity to further our education at BYU, a college unlike any other on the entire earth. A college that is only one hour away from our church headquarters. There are so many people that don't have these opportunities and I couldn't help but take it all in. One thing I love about our church is that it's not about what you see, it's all about what you feel. We don't have to see things to believe them, because if we feel the spirit and have faith, then we know.
Afterwards, Logan's mom invited us over for root beer floats. We chatted and then headed home. It was such a lovely evening and I'm so glad such a big group was able to enjoy this night with me!
What was going to be a boring Saturday, turned out to be amazing. Alan invited me to go up to Salt Lake for the BYU vs. Oregon basketball game and to go see the lights at Temple Square! I didn't hesitate to say YES and looked forward to being up there again so soon! Alan and I played monopoly on his ipad on the car ride up and we made it right on time for the game. We had great seats and it was so much fun to be in the arena where the Utah Jazz play! It was an amazing game and we won! Hartsock is my new favorite player because he is pretty much a beast and was tearin' it up in the paint. Also I want to marry Stephen Rogers because he is very attractive and super good at shooting three-pointers!
After the game we went to the Gateway mall to have dinner and then we walked over to Temple Square. There were so many people there! But it was amazing nonetheless, and I could not express how happy I was to be there again.
Mary, Alan, Koa, Allyson, Jake, Haley
"jumping for joy" in front of the temple
isn't it gorgeous?
We thought these chairs looked like thrones and decided that
we could name ourselves King Alan and Queen Mary
I LOVE hot chocolate!!!
Especially when it's peppermint flavored and has whipped cream on top!
I love this tree in the Joseph Smith Building. The ornaments are
so pretty and the tree is so tall. The top reaches the chandelier!
Here's us on the trolley! It's free downtown Salt Lake so we thought we would take advantage of being warm for a small moment as we traveled from Temple Square back to the Gateway.
Now I am sitting in my warm bed with my blankets watching the First Presidency Christmas Devotional. I don't think I could describe a more perfect weekend. I hope we can all remember the true meaning of Christmas this year and remember our Savior, Jesus Christ. As we serve those around us and focus on what's important, I know we will be able to find lasting joy. I'm definitely looking forward to the rest of this Christmas season!
The thing I am grateful for most this year was the opportunity I had to go home!!! My friends were constantly talking about how excited they were to see their families, and about their plane tickets, and all the fun things they were going to do. I couldn't stand to listen to it anymore because I wanted to go home so badly! It really is true that you don't know what you're missing until it's gone. I don't know what I would do without my family and I'm so grateful I get to be with them for eternity!
Things worked out and I got to drive home with my cousin Tim and his friend, Mike. We made the long 13 hour trek home to surprise our families! Waking up my mom at 1:30 in the morning was definitely the highlight. She had NO idea and I was so excited to surprise her! I'm glad she didn't know because I learned that I'm not a very good secret keeper and by the time I got home my dad, sister, and about 4 of my friends, plus my whole FHE group knew I was coming home haha!
I absolutely love Washington and just being home and the best part was that I sat around and did nothing! We watched movies and played games and just enjoyed being with each other. I could not have asked for a better thanksgiving. And what's keeping me going now is that there are only 3 weeks left of school and then I get to go back! I've already started counting down the days :)
Each week I go to the temple. Even though it's super close so the travel time isn't very long, it still is about a 2 hour trip. While being at the temple is always such a great experience, you get plenty of ponder time and get to enjoy the peace because you are waiting for so long just to end up doing only 2 or 3 names. Sometimes only 1. Now some would think, "Is it even worth it?" or "Someone else can do those 2 names that I would get to do and I can spend my time doing something else". But here is the thought...You may wait 2 or 3 hours do only do one name but think about how long that person has been waiting. These names come from the 1500's and 1600's which means they've been waiting for over 400 years! When the temple worker told us that yesterday it really put things into perspective. 2 or 3 hours of your time is really insignificant compared to how long the people on the other side have been waiting to be baptized. So now that I have that in mind, it makes going to the temple seem all the more worth it and it reminds me to keep an eternal perspective because that is what truly matters
On Tuesday in Book of Mormon class we were talking about why it's called the Book of Mormon. My teacher believes that it's named after the Waters of Mormon based on what Elder Maxwell has said. When I went home that day, I checked the mail and guess what I found. A postcard from Guatemala that was mailed on July 13, sent on October 29 and delivered on November 15. Crazy huh? But that's not the cool part. When I read it, my mom had written that they had been at the Waters of Mormon on that day! So I told my teacher about it today because I thought it was pretty exciting. He called me to the front of the room and looked up one of Elder Bednar's talks in General Conference. He says:
Six months ago, I stood at this pulpit for the first time as the newest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. Both then and even more so now, I have felt and feel the weight of the call to serve and of the responsibility to teach with clarity and to testify with authority. I pray for and invite the assistance of the Holy Ghost as I now speak with you.
This afternoon I want to describe and discuss a spiritual impression I received a few moments before I stepped to this pulpit during the Sunday morning session of general conference last October. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf had just finished speaking and had declared his powerful witness of the Savior. Then we all stood together to sing the intermediatehymn that previously had been announced by President Gordon B. Hinckley. The intermediate hymn that morning was “Redeemer of Israel” (Hymns, no. 6).
Now, the music for the various conference sessions had been determined many weeks before—and obviously long before my new call to serve. If, however, I had been invited to suggest an intermediate hymn for that particular session of the conference—a hymn that would have been both edifying and spiritually soothing for me and for the congregation before my first address in this Conference Center—I would have selected my favorite hymn, “Redeemer of Israel.” Tears filled my eyes as I stood with you to sing that stirring hymn of the Restoration.
Near the conclusion of the singing, to my mind came this verse from the Book of Mormon: “But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance” (1 Ne. 1:20).
My mind was drawn immediately to Nephi’s phrase “the tender mercies of the Lord,” and I knew in that very moment I was experiencing just such a tender mercy. A loving Savior was sending me a most personal and timely message of comfort and reassurance through a hymn selected weeks previously. Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord’s timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them.
So it's clear that some might think this is a coincidence. But with belief and faith in our Savior (the topic of our lesson today) it's easy to recognize that simple things like this really are tender mercies of our Lord. I'm so grateful for my Book of Mormon teacher and for the great impact he's had on my life the past couple of months and for all that I am learning about the gospel. I really do love it and I'm doing all that I can to help my testimony grow each and every day.
As I sat and waited for the bus this afternoon I realized how long a minute really is. Sitting in the cold is not my idea of fun and really your only choice when you're waiting for something is to think. And trying to NOT to think about being cold makes you think about it even more! So as the minutes passed by, I realized how long 60 seconds can last and that amid all the millions of things I have to do this week it's really important to use your time wisely! What a concept, I know. My teachers and parents have drilled this my entire life but it's a lot easier said than done. So my goal for the rest of the week...BE PRODUCTIVE! Use every second to the fullest and get everything done that I need to so that I can have a relaxing Thanksgiving Break!
Here you'll find all my favorite things and get to read about my adventures with friends, family, and my third graders. I'm Mary Abigail and I'm so happy you're here!
