Pearls & Perfection Pending

Oh, New Year.  How I have missed you.  Thanks for reminding me to get it together, old friend. This year's theme ideas: Enough. I have enough. I know enough. We make enough. It's time I start to believe it. WOW 2015! ( Word of Wisdom reboot) Simplify...everything... Stop Spending All The Money, Denae...Shopaholics' Anonymous? Be nicer. Okay...so I have a lot I want to work on.  Isn't that what January 1 is for? Here's what I've decided, and then I'll tell you how I got there: Theme: Living Happily Goal #1: Prioritize People and Memories over Money and Things Goal #2: Nourish & Strengthen Body Goal #3: Be Nice The past couple of years have been interesting and exhausting and nothing that I imagined they would be. I don't know if it's because I became a mother, or if I am just facing that mid(ish)-life panic--that people talk about--of wondering where I went wrong, but I've been struggling.  Church. Organization. Feeli...

" We get nearer to the Lord through music than perhaps through any other thing except prayer." -J. Reuben Clark, 1936 I believe that is true.  The majority of my most significant life events, especially those that have increased my testimony, have had something to do with music.  Take a peek at some of my favorites. Perfect Love I Know That My Redeemer Lives O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Nearer My God to Thee Nessun Dorma Don't Give Up Hourglass Come Thou Fount As I Am My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee He (II) Rob Gardner A Little More Like Thee

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...

Sometimes I feel like my calling at church is lame.  I sit in Sacrament quietly like always, then I move to the primary room and sit at the piano bench for two hours quietly .  I don't even really get a chance to interact with the kids much, let alone other adults.  I feel somewhat socially isolated and like I don't really contribute very much.   But sometimes... Today during sharing time, they talked about how Heavenly Father answers prayers.  They kids learned that Heavenly Father can answer our prayers in our heart or in our mind through the Holy Ghost, through other people who help us or prophets who teach us, or through the scriptures.  I was asked to share an example of a time when I prayed and received an answer to my prayer.  As I thought about it, one memory came to my mind.  That was the only one for awhile.  I planned to share that particular experience.  But as I sat there thinking, numerous memories flooded my mind and I...