thoughtful thursday: do you love me?

My carpool friend and I listened to elder Holland’s address from general conference on the way to work one morning. It's a beautiful sermon on loving god and Jesus Christ. Read and listen here.

This sermon was followed by this beautiful children's primary song, which I’m unable to stop thinking about. Download it here. Words and music by Sally DeFord.

If the Savior stood beside me,

Would I do the things I do?

Would I think of his commandments

And try harder to be true?

Would I follow in His example?

Would I live more righteously if I could see

The Savior standing nigh, watching over me?

If the Savior stood beside me,

Would I say the things I say?

Would my words be true and kind

If He were never far away?

Would I try to share the gospel?

Would I speak more reverently if I could see

The Savior standing nigh watching over me?

He is always near me though

I do not see Him there,

And because He loves me dearly,

I am in His watchful care.

So I’ll be the kind of person that

I know I’d like to be if I could see

The Savior standing nigh watching over me.

things that made me smile this week

* sometimes you need a friend to kick you in the butt kindly encourage you to do what you know you need to do. my friend llm encouraged me to do something i've been prompted to for a while now, and because of her i did it this week and will keep doing it. thank you.

* myfitnesspal is a fun app and site. it's very motivating to see where i'm at and spend a little time thinking about how to take better of myself.

* wearing layers of clothing. i love fall and winter clothing. i enjoy feeling cozy and perfect layers of fun clothing items help me feel that way. plus, i wear fall clothing so much easier than summer clothing. oh, and boots!

* fall gardening is all about putting things to rest and beginning to look ahead. i may or may not have purchased a few more dozen daffodil bulbs. i can neither confirm nor deny this.

* downton abbey. love the writing and sets and acting of this show. can't wait for season 3 on pbs this winter. shirley mclaine and maggie smith on screen at the same time as grandmothers. brilliant!

* pumpkins. mums. leaves. apples. scarves. boots. jackets. long sleeves. colors. hot cider. cocoa. soups. snuggling into bed. slippers. thick socks.

* cool nights and warmer days.

* i love the first few weeks after general conference when it's still fresh in my mind. i keep going back and listening to or reading different talks again and again. i'm really captivated by el. eyring's talk on removing barriers to our relationship with god. it's so very good. read or watch it here.

* do you save phone messages from people you love, so you can listen to them again and again? i do. i love listening to the messages from my nieces and nephews. they just make me smile.

* i have this old-fashioned wind up alarm clock that certainly does its job in the mornings. it wakes me up better than any digital alarm. and i'm so not a morning person. (in writing this, i'm trying to convince myself that it's actually something for which i'm grateful...)

* the end of a reserve weekend.

* reading about this little experience here. all god's creatures...

* this tip on chip bag origami. very practical and easy.

thoughtful thursday: a psalm

My Great-Aunt Marian passed away recently at the age of 94. She lived a full and lovely life, so her funeral was such a celebration of her life and the knowledge the gospel gives us that we will see our loved ones again. Aunt Marian was a gifted writer and wrote a lovely psalm that was printed on the funeral program, and I wanted to share it here. She was truly a great example of a Christ-like life and love. I want to be more like her.

A Psalm - By Marian W. Bischoff

Let my soul praise Thee, Oh Lord! I rejoice in Thy presence
In the rosy glow of the evening, the glorious promise of the morning,
And the sweet fulfillment of the day.

I praise Thee for the simple pleasures of my life;
The privilege of daily labor that is my joy;
I delight in the laughter and out stretched arms of a toddler's greeting;
The happy return from school and reciting of the day;
An hour in church to hear a grandchild's testimony;
And the surge of witness bearing tears in recognition of the a truth.

I treasure the sweet solace of a heartfelt prayer, 
With answers quick or patience for a wait.
To serve for precious hours in Thy house
Brings comfort to the aching heart and quiet to my soul.

I praise Thee for companionship; a good and honest husband,
A family large, and friends true, 
To comfort and sustain me as I journey and grow.

Oh, Lord, I glorify Thy name in all my days' familiar things; 
And bless Thee for the calm renewal of the night.

things that made me smile

* i went home last weekend to see my parents, and attend my great aunt's funeral. it was really nice to be home and spend time with my mom and dad and sister.

* spending the day with my mom and sister. we had so much fun and just enjoyed each other's company.

* my dad and i sat out on the front lawn and moved our lawn chairs as the shadows moved across the yard. we talked and threw apples for daisy dog to eat. it was really fun.

* lds general conference was amazing. what an uplifting weekend. 

* a friend got a job with my organization and it's been so fun to see her around at work. plus she totally helped me out on friday, by following me to mechanic shop and providing me peace of mind that i wouldn't be alone if my car pooped out on me. 

* so 13 years ago, i headed off on month-long orders to be onboard the USS Blueridge, and met the ship in brisbane, australia. i met a young woman from colorado, and we ended up becoming friends. over the years we kept in touch off and on, and reconnected recently on facebook. she is out here for a month working for my organization, so we had lunch last week and caught up with one another. it was as if no time at all had passed. it was so cool to see her here.

* slumber party with two lovely ladies. sometimes it's nice to imagine that i'm young and can survive without sleep... we had so much fun eating good food, being silly, putting on face masks, and talking. i love these lls.

* a baptism at church on sunday. i love baptisms so much. it's such a thrill to see the happiness and peace that people have when they're baptized. what a special time.

* sleep. lots of sleep.

* soup weather. i love making homemade soups. i have some good recipes to share this season.

* lovely sunday evening dinner with a great friend. thank you.

shots of home

Just a few shots from around Paradise and Sardine Canyon.

I love fall.

take with a sony cybershot. edited with picasa by google.

thoughtful thursday: zion

This talk is awesome. I highly recommend clicking the link below to read it.

In these last days, in this our dispensation, we would become mature enough to stop running. We would become mature enough to plant our feet and our families and our foundations in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people permanently.Zion would be everywhere—wherever the Church is. And with that change—one of the mighty changes of the last days—we no longer think of Zion as where we are going to live; we think of it as how we are going to live. ~Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, CES Devotional, 2012.

Thoughtful Thursday

“...that best portion of a good man's life, his little, nameless, unremembered, acts of kindness and of love.” -William Wordsworth

things that made me smile

*dinner with the lls. love these women and their stories and insights.
*perspective.
*cross stitching the evening away. good music. and rain.
*dinner with a good friend who is back for one last hurrah before deployment. so good to spend time together.
*dirt under my fingernails. planting green things. mixing dirt. so good for my heart.
*josiah's adoration and impatience. love this dog and his fear of thunder.
*finding a quicker route to work.
*really bad days because they remind me of the really good ones.
*sound advice from my little brother. thank you.
*lds women's conference. what an amazing evening.
*living breathing running
*prayer. feeling Him listen and calm.
*homemade: applesauce almond cookies. chicken pot pie. stuffed peppers. spaghetti. lemon & herb talapia. can you tell i had fun cooking this week?
*holding a good friend's brand new little boy. he is the cutest, smallest little bundle of joy. it was such a special thing to see her and her new son.
*i pulled out my uggs for the first time this season. my feet were so warm and happy.
*doctor who with friends. i totally, totally cried.