Alex can now claim, "Shotgun!"

Yes, heard today for the first time by Hannah from Alex was, "Shotgun!" as we were going to the car. It took her by surprise. I wonder how long he's been planning that. He turned 13 on Thursday and, according the the airbag advisory in our car, is now old enough to sit in the front seat.  Happy Birthday Alex!

Other big news in our household this week is that for the first time ever, the CCHS Girl's Tennis Team, of which Hannah is a member, won the right to go to State! That will be in 2 weeks in Vegas. Congratulations to the Lady Greenwave Tennis players.

I don't have a photo from this year's tennis, so last year's will have to do:

This next week is Homecoming Week and the Powder Puff football game is on Monday. Hannah will be playing on the Senior girl's team. Should be fun!


Today was our Stake Temple Day. It was a beautiful day to go to the Reno temple.

Ryan and Eric seem to be doing well on their respective missions. There isn't much news from Ryan's direction these last few weeks, but Eric got a new companion a week ago, Elder Loggins, and moved to a different apartment building.

Eric was able to attend the Priesthood session of General Conference last weekend and shook the hand of Elder D. Todd Christofferson, one of the Apostles. Eric has also had a change in his assignment. He now is doing what's called FamilySearch Waypointing. He explains it this way:

My first assignment is Bronx probate records, let's start there: a probate record, like wills and stuff, would take up more than one image, so a Waypointer would "index" the name of the person whose probate it is, once, and then assign a range of all of the pertinent images that that name applies to.

I don't totally understand, but that's OK.

Andrew and Heather are busy with school and work and are planning on coming here for Thanksgiving!


Glen is also busy with school He's busy with a dinner murder mystery that's being performed next Saturday as a fundraiser for our local animal shelter CAPS. He's got rehearsals for the upcoming play "Time Share" that goes on in November--Hannah's in it, by the way. At first she was just going to play the dead body, but she actually has a real role. And last Friday night, Glen portrayed Andy Drumm for the museum. Oh, and there's lots of scouting stuff going on, too.

My long-term sub job is a dream. I am subbing for an all-inclusion teacher, which means that I am not in charge unless they are short on subs (which has happened for 2 different classes so far). I am a co-teacher and just follow the lead of the other teacher. I don't have to decipher lesson plans! I usually go around and make sure the students are taking notes and help them with their math. The teachers with whom I'm working (Lund, Davis, Strasdin, and Marsh) are all fabulous and most of the students are great, too. I have 3 weeks down and 3 to go now.

So, that's what's happening with us. :)

is this a sugar or a spiritual high?

answer: both

It is General Conference weekend. My 4 favorite times of the year are: October General Conference, Christmas, April General Conference, and BYU's Ed Week. Conference is really that good that it ranks with Christmas.

For Conference, which is always a spiritual high, our family chooses words to listen for during the talks and we get a candy for each time the word is said--thus the sugar high is mentioned. I might need to find something other than candy for April.

Our words for this conference this go around:

Commandments
Word
Eternal/Eternity
Forgive/Forgiveness
Chariot (Eric's, in case you couldn't tell--he likes to choose words that might not be said, and it wasn't)
Blessings
Perfection/Perfect
History
Family

As wonderful as Conference was, I realize the big work is now deciding how what I heard is going to be represented in the choices I make daily. It's time to apply what we heard. Don't know yet how.

Anyway, here I've just put a few of the quotes that stood out to me. I gave everyone the assignment to take a  conference quote and attach it to a picture for FHE tomorrow night. I've made 2 so far.

Although I love all our General Authorities, I have to admit that Pres. Dieter F. Uchtdorf is my favorite...he seems to speak straight to my heart, so I have listed him first. The rest basically goes in the order that they spoke.

PRES. DIETER F. UCHTDORF with his awesome German accent (he spoke twice, click here and here to watch his talks):

We see assignments not as burdens, but as opportunities to fulfill covenants we gladly make to serve God and His children.

Doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.

Some might say, "I don't think I could live up to your standards." All the more reason to come. The church is designed to nourish the imperfect, the struggling, and the exhausted. It is filled with people who desire with all their hearts to keep the commandments, even if they haven't mastered them yet.

I suppose the church would only be perfect if it were run by perfect beings. God is perfect and His doctrine is pure, but He works through us, His imperfect children, and imperfect people make mistakes.

Godly sorrow leads to salvation. It inspires change and hope through the Atonement. True repentance is about transformation, not torture or torment.


ELDER EDWARD DUBE with his awesome Zimbabwe accent (click here to watch this talk):

The past is to be learned from, not lived in. Faith is always pointing towards the future. 


In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much on what we have done or in where we have been, but much more on where we are willing to go.

 


ELDER DAVID A. BEDNAR (click here for his talk)

Ingratitude means living in endless discontentment.


PRES. BOYD K. PACKER who is awesome even without an accent (to watch his talk click here):

The safe place to raise children is a gospel-centered home.

Righteousness is more powerful than wickedness.

The scriptures are a key to our spiritual protection.


ELDER TIMOTHY J. DYCHES with his awesome Reno, Nevada accent (click here for his talk):

Jesus heals the body, mind, and spirit and it begins with faith.


ELDER JEFFREY R. HOLLAND whose carpets I cleaned while he was the President of BYU and I was on the custodial staff (click here for his talk):
 
When you face depletion depression, make the requisite adjustments. Fatigue is the common enemy of us all. So, slow down, rest up, replenish, and refill.

Physicians promise us that if we don't take time to be well, we most assuredly will take time later on to be ill.

Do not vote against the preciousness of life by ending it.... One day the dawn will break brightly.

If the bitter cup does not pass, drink it and be strong, trusting in happier days ahead.

ELDER M. RUSSELL BALLARD (for his talk, click here):

It is impossible for us to fail when we do our best and we are on the Lord's errand.


PRES. THOMAS S. MONSON (He spoke 4 times, click here and here for his main talks):

There are lives to brighten. There are hearts to touch. There are souls to save.

Whether it is the best of times or the worst of times, He is with us. He has promised that this will never change. 

Such difficulties [sorrow, grief, being tested to the limit] allow us to change for the better, to rebuild our lives in the way our Heavenly Father teaches us and to become something different than what we were, better than what we were, more understanding that what we were, more empathetic than what we were, with stronger testimonies that we had before.


ELDER DALLIN H. OAKS (click here for his talk):

We should remember our first priority--to serve God. And, like our pioneer predecessors, push our personal handcarts forward with the same fortitude they exhibited. 


PRES. RICHARD D. MAYNES (click here for his talk):

quoting Pres. Anthony W. Ivins: "This is what the gospel gives us. Not immunity from death, but victory over it through the hope we have in a glorious resurrection."



ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT (for his talk, click here):

Satan will try and use our memory of any previous guilt to lure us back into his influence. We must be ever vigilant to avoid his enticements.


ELDER QUENTIN L. COOK (click here to hear from him):

How we preserve time for family is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures.


ELDER TERENCE M. VINSON (to watch his talk, click here):

The Savior wants us to love Him to the point we want to align our will with His.


ELDER RUSSELL M. NELSON (click here for this talk):

Christ allows us to access His power as we keep His commandments eagerly, earnestly, and exactly.

Each day is a day of decision and our decisions determine our destiny.


It is already available online to read, to listen to, or to watch. To see all the other talks, go to:
http://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2013/10?lang=eng