Pearls & Perfection Pending

Today I am more grateful than I have ever been for sisters.  I never had a sister growing up.  I was blessed with a really great group of friends however, which I counted as sisters.  In 2010, my mom and I both got married and I went from having no sisters to having more than I've yet met.  I see five of them on a fairly regular basis. This weekend I went down to Salt Lake to spend some time with my sisters at Time Out for Women .  We stayed at Amy's condo downtown and had a marvelous time.  It was so much fun to be back with a group of girls.  I hadn't realized how much I missed it.  We laughed.  We cried.  We were far too immature and loud at our restaurant.  It was wonderful.  There is something divine about the unity and sisterhood found between women. Jessica & Chanelle Kristen, Me, & Amy Dana & Marianne The Whole Gang Marianne & Jessica Jessica & Chanelle Me & Dana Amy & Kristen Dinner at the Ol

Today I am really grateful for the 25 sets of eyes that look to me everyday to hold it together.  There are a lot of days that I wake up (sometimes after a long, hard fight) with no desire to do anything.  Sometimes I wake up feeling gross and wishing more than anything that I could go to bed.  Today wasn't the worst, but it was not one of those excited-for-life mornings that David keeps trying to convince me exist.  Despite all of my early morning woes, I get ready and make it to work. Somehow, no matter how I fell or what I'd rather be doing, I see those kids who look to me for answers to all of their daily problems and I manage to pull myself together.  I don't really know how I do it, because when I am at home, I can't even get myself a glass of milk without whining when I am tired.  Magically, I become superhuman.  I pray the whole way to work that I can make it a good day for these kids who depend upon me to have a good day themselves.  It really is a miracle.

I am very thankful for the Book of Mormon.  This morning, I watched a short video about a man who came to know that the Book of Mormon was true for himself.  A lot of the passages of scripture he reads are passages that have also had a big impact on me. Growing up, my testimony came piece by piece.  The first thing I gained a deep and life-changing knowledge of, at the age of fifteen, was that Jesus Christ is my savior.  He knows me and loves me.  He wants me to be happy and he has taken all the steps necessary to make that a possibility for me.  I spent a week at a church youth camp called EFY which left me a new-found vision and purpose in life. My second most memorable experience came in the form of a confirmation that Joseph Smith was truly a prophet.  I spent many years pondering this and studying to find out for myself if he really was what he claimed to be and really saw what he claimed to see.  Through many important learning experiences and one particularly profou

I thought I would kick off November with something I am thankful for each day until Thanksgiving.  It has been my experience that whenever I take the time to count my blessings and pay attention to what I should and am grateful for, I see miracles and I find happiness. "Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things." - Doctrine & Covenants 59:7  This is a cute little video of people on the streets of New York sharing what they are thankful for. Day one: David I am thankful for a husband who makes me laugh, puts up with my inner six-year-old, serves the world, and tackles each day as if he just won a spelling bee.  His optimism and kindness are admirable.  His ability to work when no one else would is inspiring.  His unique thoughts and ridiculous on-the-spot songs keep me smiling.  I love everything about him and I am so grateful he chose me.