Back to the basics

Church starts at 9am this year and I'm so happy about that. It's hard to get up and get going, but I like having the afternoon free to spend as a family and do other things. I looked at the clock in the kitchen this afternoon. It said 1:10 and I got a little giddy. Church had been out for an hour and I felt like it should be 5pm!

I enjoyed church a lot today. I forgot it was fast Sunday and promptly got up and made puff pancakes for the boys (and us!) I didn't even think about it being fast Sunday. The kids have missed puff pancakes so much since the oven died and yesterday I told them I'd make it for breakfast. I was in autopilot I guess. But hey, they were really good!

Church was pretty full today. It felt good to be there. Relief society was pretty "heavy". People got up and bore testimonies and I needed to hear each and every one that was borne. It seems that so many people are going through challenges in life right now. So many people are being tried in ways untold. It makes my heart heavy and sad, but at the same time, I realize that these challenges have their place in life too.

One person in particular shared a little story as she bore her testimony. She said that when you do cross stitch patterns, you outline the finished piece in black thread because that's what makes the colors really pop out. She said the piece isn't really done until you add the black thread. She likened this to our lives. The challenges (the black threads) WILL come. Our lives are not complete without them but they make us better and stronger. It was eye-opening for me to think about things from that perspective. But it's true. The hard times really do define us and cause us to grow and change.

This year (and next) in RS and priesthood we will be taking a break from learning from the prophets and we will be getting back to basics and studying from Gospel Principles twice a month. I really like this idea as I think that we can all benefit from simplifying and going back to our roots and the basics of gospel teachings. I am looking forward to these lessons although with my work schedule I'll only be able to attend one of the two Sundays a month. But I do like that church is at 9am. My goal is to attend Sacrament on the weekends I work. I should be able to do this without any problem so long as I lay out clothes the night before. Then I can come home and sleep and before getting up for work again.

Today's random thoughts:

• I've discovered the band "Bon Iver". Okay, well truthfully they have a song on the New Moon soundtrack so I heard about them first there. They have such a haunting sound that I went searching for them and fell in love with the song clips I found. So I bought the album. Right now Amazon has a TON of MP3 albums available for download for just $5. This was one such album. I'm so glad I got it!
• Screen shots: Ethan discovered that you can take screen shots in the iPod Touch! I think he discovered it by accident. Well, it works on the iPhone as well! It's HIGHLY useful! I am discovering new uses for it daily!
• Sherlock Holmes: Went and saw this with Mike last night and it was AWESOME!! I am SO happy we went! As Mike said, this role was made for Robert Downey, Jr. and I can't imagine anyone else pulling it off as well as he did. It was a fun film that never stopped moving. I LOVED it! I hope Robert Downey, Jr. gets an Oscar for this role! And Guy Ritchie did an amazing job as director!

So concludes my daily ramble. This promises to be a VERY busy week for us. Tomorrow the kids go back to school. I am working Monday and Tuesday nights. Mike leaves Wednesday for a business trip to Vegas (poor baby!) and my mom leaves Thursday night. Mike comes home Saturday night just in time for me to head off to work. Between St. Francis and Good Samaritan, I'm working Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Busy, busy, busy!