some thoughts on sunday...

1- is there really only one week left in july? summer is flying by! we have been blessed with some great visits with megan and tod so far this month, and next weekend from tod and ian. we are excited!

2- megan arrived on july 12 and then spent the 13th, 14th and 15th with us at zone conference (9-4). she was pretty amazing! the last day, after lunch, she was feeling pretty weary. i think having the opportunity to bear her testimony perked her up for a little while. toward the end of training, she accepted a pass-along card from elder abbott to pass along. (story for another day...confessions of a mission president's wife) it was great to have her spend time with our missionary sons and daughters. if you get a chance, ask her how many times she was asked if she was going to serve a mission. i think the more people push her, the more she decides "no way"! she is committed to having companionship study and companionship prayers with her sisters this week in newport though. :)



3- tod arrived the night of the 15th and for the next couple of days we spent a little time eating, talking, golfing, sight seeing, laughing and loving being together. it is pretty sweet to love being with your family!







4- this past week megan and i have explored the area a little more. i introduced her to the giant redwoods (she loved captain lance armstrong), we visited Castello di Amorosa Winery in callistoga, we shopped a couple of thrift stores, we got a little lost, and jon joined us in a visit to san francisco to see the japanese tea garden and the aquarium at the bay. it has been fun spending time together and making a "plan" for her life! :)









5- i decided to read all of the conference talks and general young women meeting talks again last week. reading the words of our living prophets is always inspiring! i wanted to read a session a day. some days i read a little less and some days a little more, but i just finished.



what did i get from it?

teach your children, be an in-tune mother, teach your children, mothers teach your daughters (they will follow your example), teach your children, be diligent (remember Him), teach your children to have faith in Jesus Christ, be patient, teach your children about Jesus Christ to prepare them for the challenges they will most surely face. be a great grandmother!

i could be pretty discouraged and feel like i have failed my children as their mother in teaching them the things they need to know and be "firmly rooted in" so that they will be prepared with faith strong enough to endure the challenges that they will surely face. i think back and see that i was caught up in the thick of thin things some times as they were growing up. i could give up. but i know that is not the Lord's plan. i can repent. i can be a better mother today and every day forward, praying that the Lord can make up the difference. i want to be a great mother. it is the desire of my heart. AND, i think i can be a great grandmother. i still have time to be that. :) my heart has been touched and i can change for sure! to choose Jesus Christ is to choose to change!

6- i couldn't help but notice this headline on the front page of the paper friday. santa rosa (sonoma county) is the #2 metropolitan area in the country with the highest percentage of people living in same-sex relationships. #1 being san francisco. it was an interesting article.



i asked jon if he felt like there were a higher percentage of "gay" couples than "normal" here. we both agreed...not really. an interesting fact though, about our mission boundaries. :)

7- next week is going to be intense. we have training meetings tuesday, wednesday and thursday from 8-5. i am in charge of all the food. (snacks, lunch) costco and i are having a love affair. here's to keeping my missionaries awake and energized during the next three days! pray for us :).