That's what I get for doin' my own thinkin'!

When we first moved into our ward and had our first meeting with the bishopric I was asked a question that no one had ever asked me before--"What calling do you NOT want to have?" At the time I was constantly wrestling my children at church each week. I had two in nursery who never wanted to attend and my oldest was finally content in Primary and I didn't want to disrupt that, so I responded, "I need to not be in the same place as my kids on Sunday." And our bishopric respected that. (A few weeks later I kind of wished I had responded differently to that question when I was called to be Ward Activities Chairman. . .but I digress.)

I have nothing against Primary. I have had several other Primary callings in the past and have very much enjoyed it, I just felt that it was initially not for me in this ward. But things change. I have had the opportunity to substitute in the primary twice in the last month and I started to realize that I could really make a contribution there. In fact as I sat in Primary last Sunday I had a strong impression that I was ready to give it a try again. Our current primary president had been serving for three years and with the program now out of the way everyone was pretty certain she would be released.

I have been in an instructor in the Relief Society for over two years and although I have loved it, I've kind of been feeling lately like I had nothing new to say. I was kind of expecting a change soon and was not at all surprised when the ward executive secretary called me yesterday and said the bishop wanted to meet with me. It was my week to teach so I got nostalgic thinking about this being my last week in Relief Society and I even started to plan out what I would say about leaving.

Well, "shock" is the only word that can describe how I felt when the bishop asked if I would be willing to be the Enrichment Counselor in the Relief Society Presidency. I had to suppress the urge to say, "Umm...don't you mean Primary Presidency?"

But I had walked in there ready to say "yes" to whatever was extended to me so that's what I did. Turns out the previous Enrichment Counselor was called to be Primary president. So I wasn't totally wrong in my impressions that I would be somehow be involved in the leadership change in our primary. But this came totally out of left field.

My mind has been spinning ever since.

I don't know anything about enrichment. I'm not very good at being crafty and I have real aversions to things that are overly "special." I have to go to lots of meetings now and visit people and be a real grown up. AND to top it all off, I'm not even completely free from the whole teaching gig!

It never pays to try to second guess the Lord or your leaders. You just never know what's going to happen next.

Ten Ridiculous Things I Regularly Say to My Children

1. "No, I don't comb your hair just to make you cry."

2. "Remember, Mom has no sense of humor at dinner time."

3. "No one is allowed to touch anyone else ever again!"

4. "Don't annoy me."

5. "You shouldn't drink soda because you're still growing. It's OK for me because I'm already grown up."

6."Never walk around with a blanket over your head. That's a family rule."

7. "Today is not about you."

8. "Please, just watch TV." (when did I turn into that mom?)

9. "No one can eat anything else until the kitchen is clean." which is usually followed sometime later with "Do you have to eat now? I just cleaned the kitchen!"

10. "Because I'm the Boss Mom, that's why."

Pure Light

I have a love/hate relationship with the lighting in my house. I love that almost every room has lots of lights--most of of which are recessed, which I really like. But I hate replacing the recessed bulbs at $3 a pop and I hate it even more when several bulbs go out at the same time.

Such was the case a few weeks ago. I found myself needing about eight new bulbs at once. I went to Costco and was delighted to find a big bulk box of 6 bulbs that cost about $12. What a deal! But I was sad to find that although the box proclaims these bulbs would provide a "warm white light" they actually had a slightly yellowish hue to them. I noticed right away that something was amiss with the color of light but I had already installed the bulbs and I figured I'd get used to it. But I didn't.

I found myself detesting the way these light bulbs made my carpet look orange,my walls a dingy cream color and my kids' skin look jaundiced. I discovered that I was keeping the lights off because I was so bugged. It bothered me so much that I could feel myself becoming agitated just by having them on.

We've had rather gloomy weather for the past several days and it became necessary to have the lights on during the day as well as at night. I realized that this odd yellowish light was actually making me feel uncomfortable in my own home. Something HAD to be done! (Yes, I have considered that I might be a little crazy.)

So yesterday I went out and bought all new, more expensive, recessed bulbs and replaced them. Right away I could see the difference, not just in my house but in my mood. How weird is that!

I have known for sometime that I am affected by light. Fluorescent lights make me crazy. I have even wondered if I have seasonal mood problems in the winter from lack of sunlight. This whole light bulb hullabaloo really confirmed to me that I need to be surrounded by pure clear light or I am just not right.

I've thought a lot about this today and wondered if there is some profound and thought-provoking gospel analogy I could learn from all of this. There probably is, but I'm too tired right now to articulate what it is. But at the most basic level at least I've learned that bargain light bulbs just aren't worth it!

Political Rantings

When I started this blog a year ago I promised that I wouldn't say anything political or controversial, that this would just be a fun place to record my thoughts and observations. Well lately my thoughts and observations are so consumed with the current events of the world that I can't seem to shut my brain off.

So I'm going to rant a little bit if you don't mind. If you don't want to read this that's OK. If you don't agree with me that's fine too.

In the past several months we have been bombarded with messages all over the place encouraging us to vote in the presidential election so our "voice can be heard." I have very strong feelings about liberty and democracy and the right to vote, yet I struggled with the concept that voting was going to allow my voice to be heard because none of the candidates were singing my song! The people who represented what I believe were out of this whole thing months ago.

As a small business owner and an Army wife, the things that go on in Washington have a very direct impact on my life. While it is clear to just about everyone in America that change is desperately needed in government, I don't think that change in and of itself necessarily means better.

I'm concerned.

I'm concerned that our new president has NO executive experience. Every other president in my lifetime has been either a governor or a vice president before taking office. This guy hasn't even been a business executive. I've conducted a few job interviews myself recently and on the job experience is always valued more than theoretical ideas. Why did we not require that for the most important job in the country?


I'm concerned that the proposed tax burdens on businesses will make it very difficult for our business to grow.

I'm concerned that there is support to unionize our industry--a move that will absolutely cripple us.

I'm concerned that one of the most pro-abortion legislators of all time is now in a position to determine who sits on the Supreme Court.

I'm concerned that there are plans to "redistribute wealth" in America. I'm even more concerned that people think that is a wonderful idea. In my mind, that is the definition of socialism.

I'm concerned that we as a people are willing to trade freedom for security.

But since there is nothing I can do to change any of this, I honestly hope I am wrong. I hope that my concerns can be resolved. I hope that our government will truly improve. And I guess that in all actuality I haven't really liked the men who have served as president for pretty much the past twenty years and I've managed to go on with my life!

What I need to focus on is the fact that MY president is Thomas S. Monson.

Happy Halloween. . .

from a ninja, a gardener and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

I am actually very pleased that Halloween turned out to be a nice little event. It was perhaps the nicest Utah trick or treating weather on record. Nobody even needed jackets. I honestly don't like Halloween so it's sometimes a challenge for me to muster up enough interest in the whole thing to allow my kids to be kids.

We had a bit of drama with my oldest about what he wanted to be this year. The Halloween expectations of a third grader are kind of intense. There was no way I was going to pay $70 for the storm trooper costume that he really wanted and his dad's attempt to turn him into the Incredible Hulk with old green sweats from DI just was not going to cut it. Finally on Thursday he said he'd be willing to try the ninja outfit we had seen at Target last week (you know, the one to which he turned up his nose up and said "um, I don't think so"). Lucky we got the last one in his size and by then it was on clearance!

My daughter decided weeks ago that she was going to be a gardener--not a farmer or a cowboy, a gardener. She came up with that idea all by herself and put the costume together pretty much on her own (I put the patches on her pants but that's it). I was worried that as we got closer to the big day she would give in to the commercialism of it or seek the approval of her peers and change her mind, but she didn't. We didn't catch it in the picture but she carried around a little basket containing plastic vegetables, a spade and gardening gloves. It was adorable.

And my little guy is the perfect age to just be whatever is available. He wore the pirate costume from his birthday to the ward party and we dug out his brother's old ninja turtle outfit for trick or treating. He's generally pretty agreeable.

Most of all, I'm just glad that Halloween is over. Now we can focus on being grateful and eating pie. What could be better than that!