Monday, April 2, 2012

Family, Fun, and Feasting

I just got back from a MUCH needed weekend!  And a fantastic one at that!  I just love my family!  When I say "Family, Fun, and Feasting," I mean LOTS of family and fun!  But there's two different kinds of feasting that happened.  Lots and lots and lots of food!  That part's always great (I think I gained about 100 pounds this weekend).  But I also literally "Feasted on the words of Christ" this weekend.

Friday we drove down to Utah and met up with Kira and Jeff for the Utah Jazz game.  They played against the Kings, who just happens to be the team Jimmer Fredette from BYU plays on.  It was kinda funny.  People at the game were almost just as loud for Jimmer than they were for Utah.  And you could tell who were BYU fans and who were U of U fans.  Cheers and boos heard all around.  Haha.  :)  But it was a VERY sad game.  Jazz didn't play oober great, but the last 30 seconds of the game were super intense!  We ended up losing by one point at the very last millisecond possible.

Saturday we watched General Conference and my uncle and his family came over to Grandma's too.  Conference is always the best!  Then we went over to Jeff's house to meet his family.

Sunday we went to the afternoon session of conference.  It's always great on TV, but there's something special about going to see conference live.

Now for the feasting.  Can I invite you to enjoy some of this deliciousness too?  :)

General Conference has always been my favorite parts of the year, especially in April.  It's always a great birthday present for me!  And this year, I got one of the greatest early birthday presents ever!  I focused more on conference this time than I've ever focused before.  Usually when I watch conference, I take notes on pretty much everything the speakers are saying.  This time, I decided to really personalize it, which made this conference something special.  I wrote down a question I had and really focused on finding my answer.  I've never really done that before, and let me tell you, IT WORKS!!!  It's fantastic!  So as I was taking notes this session, I just wrote down the personal inspirations I had, instead of main points.  I figured that I can go through later and highlight the main points when the Ensign comes out.  I found a lot of things that really pertained to me.  It felt like most of the conference was just for me!  And almost every single speaker touched on somethings that I needed to hear, and almost all of them answered my question.

Here's some thoughts that I had that really touched me:

  • Heavenly Father is mindful of my needs, so I need to listen to His Spirit.  As I stay in tune with the Spirit and keep my life in order, I will receive the inspiration I need, when I need it.
  • I believe Heavenly Father can help me through anything.
  • I can touch the lives of others.  Be mindful of everyone and look for ways to help.
  • Prepare for the Sacrament and make room for the Savior and the Holy Ghost.  Leave behind all the things of the world.  Live the Gospel Standards and let them guide my life.
  • With God's help, I never have to fear for the future.  Look to the future with confidence.
  • When there is a decision to make, we can make the decision we want, but if the decision really matters, we will feel the right answer.  As we live righteously, we will always be prompted to do what is right.  Communication with Heavenly Father is key.
  • Bear nobly my burdens, and look for ways to help others bear theirs.
  • Look for trivial decisions vs. important decisions.  We are privileged to choose for ourselves.  Reach to God for assistance.  We have divine attributes to guide our journey.  Use them!
  • Replace fear with faith.  Trust God in all things.
And this isn't even my whole list.  This is just getting started!  I learned so much!  I feel great!  I am high on life!  I love this gospel with all my heart!  I have no idea where I would be without it in my life.  I can't wait for October's conference to come around now!