Conference, Doctor Who, Love, and other things...

This is a random post of several different things. As requested, I have a journal entry for you too! :) But let's begin with the random things first:

• My roommate, our friend, and I made homemade fries. They were delicious! Also, it's not a good idea to just toss the fries in the hot oil. It makes for messy, slippery floor.
• I got to break open a pinata on Saturday night. It was exciting.
• I made two Doctor Who references today. I for one was proud of myself. THEN I made a star trek reference and that one was completely on accident! I felt like a geek this morning and thoroughly enjoyed it.
• I saw this book in the library called, "Do Bananas Chew Gum?"

 LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!!!

My dear friends! My dad wrote this sweet email to us kids and he ended with this:

"The next day I woke up and there was a delicious berry pie in the fridge with a cute little note on it.  After working hard all day, Heidi spent the time and energy to make me a special pie.

She later told me that she had come to my door and found me asleep so she quietly sang,

“Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Steve, happy birthday to you”. 

She then blew me a kiss.

I certainly don’t have plans to leave this earth anytime soon but I do want you kids to know that whomever of you takes care of your mother after I leave, no matter how far away that time is, will be guaranteed a spot in the highest part of heaven for taking care of one of God’s most special angels.

I have never see anyone with such a desire to do good, so unselfish, so willing to help others, and so eager to work as hard like Heidi does.

She truly does love each of you dearly and would do anything for you without complaint.

May we all learn from that sweet lady."

Wow! You guys, my parents love each other so much! This is only a taste of their love.

Now for Conference:

First of all General Conference was AMAZING! It was different this time for me. The biggest thing that really resonated with me was that I need to prepare to be a wife and mother. I thought it was kind of strange, but as the speakers talked about strengthening the family, I felt so impressed to prepare myself. I don't plan on getting married and starting a family anytime soon, but I need to prepare myself. I need to be doing those simple things and strengthening my testimony and faith. "True to the faith that our parents have cherished." I love that line from the hymn. I want my kids to know and understand how important the gospel is to me. In order for that to happen, I need to work on my testimony. I need to be studying my scriptures, fasting, and praying. It's those simple things that I need to do to prepare myself.

A few weeks ago at stake conference, I was so impressed with the way that my stake presidency talked about how supportive their wives were during their time of service. Not one of their wives ever complained about their husbands callings, especially since it was so time consuming. That's the kind of wife I want to be. To stand next to my husband and to love and support him in all that he does. Whether it's through the good times or the bad, I want to support him!

Growing up, I watched my parents support each other through the good and the bad. They stayed firm to their faith and testimonies and continued to push through! They love each other so much! It's beautiful! They are an example to me of how a marriage should be. They sure had their hard, rocky points. (Haha, I said 'rocky' and my last name is Rock.) But they grew from each hard experience and their love for each other grew. They are rock solid! (Haha, rock solid...) Thank you mom and dad for being the example to me! I hope to have a rock solid marriage like you!

Now here's a snippet of my journal entry about conference from Saturday:

"I loved Sister Reeves talk. It touched me so much! I felt this overwhelming feeling of love and peace wash over me as she spoke. She talked about pornography and the dangers of it. Yes, pornography is serious and so dangerous! It is so damaging in a variety of ways. "It over takes lives and causes loss of the spirit." What really hit home to me was that you can feel love and compassion to those who do have this problem. You can support, encourage, and help them through it! You can love them and help them understand that the atonement can help them! Don't be shocked or angry, rather be gentle and kind. This isn't just for pornography, but for any challenges and addictions. That's how I want to be. To be a better support to those who have challenges. There's so much that we as members can do to support our friends and family's. We can pray for them. Fast for them. Show our love for them. I know that pornography is a growing issue and I know that one day, I will have to teach my future family about it. This has always been something that I never really knew how to teach children. But this talk was spot on and powerful that I now have a better understanding. Sister Reeves emphasized the importance of teaching our children the dangers of it. She also emphasized the importance of the atonement and teaching our children that our Savior is so merciful! "Do you realize how deeply the Lord loves and cherishes you even now? Our Savior has the power to cleanse and heal you. He can remove the pain and sorrow you feel and make you clean again through the power of His atonement." These words really hit home to me! This is what I want my family to know. This is what I will teach them!"