A letter I wrote for the February newsletter about the time I spent serving in Relief Society ...
With my impending release, I have been pondering lately what Relief Society means to me, and what I have learned in the last year and a half that I have been serving in this wonderful organization.
First, I will take away a deeper understanding that all sisters are part of Relief Society; that no matter where I serve, I am still part of that sisterhood and have a responsibility and kinship as a Relief Society sister. It is not just for old women, each of us has a part in this organization!
Second, I love visiting teaching. It can still be difficult to go some months, and I’m nowhere near 100%, but I know what an important and inspired program it is. As the Relief Society president, I rely on visiting teachers to report the needs of their sisters and to help them when they can. I will be an active part of that for the rest of my life.
Third, Relief Society is the Lord’s organization for women. He designed it. The purposes of Relief Society – to help us increase in personal righteousness, to strengthen home and family, and to serve the Lord and His children – assist us as we strive to keep the covenants that we have made at baptism and in the temple.
I love Relief Society, and I have treasured the time that I’ve spent learning from the sisters in our ward. Thank you for your love, support, and service.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Our move!
We are here! Finally living in the same town Nick works in! It feels great to be here and Nick is enjoying being able to sleep in a bit in the morning. He's ridden his bike to work a few times and stayed up until 10:00 tonight without TOO much griping!
The house is in a fantastic neighborhood and has a good sized back yard. There are only 3 bedrooms but a living room and family room -- we turned one of them into a toy room/computer room. The kitchen is upgraded with granite countertops and newer appliances. The bathrooms are kinda nasty. I feel like my nose is only an inch away from the wall in our shower it's so small.
The ward is good so far. A few young couples just starting their families like we are.
The house is in a fantastic neighborhood and has a good sized back yard. There are only 3 bedrooms but a living room and family room -- we turned one of them into a toy room/computer room. The kitchen is upgraded with granite countertops and newer appliances. The bathrooms are kinda nasty. I feel like my nose is only an inch away from the wall in our shower it's so small.
The ward is good so far. A few young couples just starting their families like we are.
Reading!
I feel like I've read a bunch of books lately. I tend to get on a kick and just can't stop.
My thoughts/brief reviews of some of the books:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society: Really fun read. Great characters. Fun writing style (written in the form of letters). Kind of predictable.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Eh. I listened to it -- it took a really long time to get through and wasn't anything spectacular. Kinda cliche.
My Sister's Keeper. I thought I'd love this but I was actually really disappointed. A few too many bad words, and I thought too many under developed side plots.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. After reading the end, I want to reread this book now. It was a little slow in the middle, I was getting anxious for something else to happen, but the end gives this great conclusion and symbolism that I want to re-read for. I think it would be a great book club book.
The Art of Racing in the Rain. Decent. Funny voice (from the perspective of a dog) but I didn't love the story.
The Glass Castle. Fantastic! I loved it. A woman tells her story about growing up in poverty, but she just tells the story without emotional commentary. I'd put it off for a long time because I'd heard it was depressing, but I actually didn't think it was even depressing -- a little maybe to know that people live in poverty, but the author doesn't feel bad for herself. Really good.
The Long Walk: The true story of a trek to freedom. About a man's escape from a prison camp in Siberia. Took a bit to get into but an amazing story of endurance and the will to live.
I just checked out Wicked and Life According to Garp. Wickeds taking a bit to get into...
My thoughts/brief reviews of some of the books:
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society: Really fun read. Great characters. Fun writing style (written in the form of letters). Kind of predictable.
Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella. Eh. I listened to it -- it took a really long time to get through and wasn't anything spectacular. Kinda cliche.
My Sister's Keeper. I thought I'd love this but I was actually really disappointed. A few too many bad words, and I thought too many under developed side plots.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel. After reading the end, I want to reread this book now. It was a little slow in the middle, I was getting anxious for something else to happen, but the end gives this great conclusion and symbolism that I want to re-read for. I think it would be a great book club book.
The Art of Racing in the Rain. Decent. Funny voice (from the perspective of a dog) but I didn't love the story.
The Glass Castle. Fantastic! I loved it. A woman tells her story about growing up in poverty, but she just tells the story without emotional commentary. I'd put it off for a long time because I'd heard it was depressing, but I actually didn't think it was even depressing -- a little maybe to know that people live in poverty, but the author doesn't feel bad for herself. Really good.
The Long Walk: The true story of a trek to freedom. About a man's escape from a prison camp in Siberia. Took a bit to get into but an amazing story of endurance and the will to live.
I just checked out Wicked and Life According to Garp. Wickeds taking a bit to get into...
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
oh yeah this too
Grant loves to look out the window. He carries his little step stool over to the window and looks out and says "bird." He gets frustrated when there aren't any birds to see, and wants us to find them for him (or make them come). Everytime we open the blinds, Lily comes running too. It's a common sight lately to see both of them staring out the window looking for birds.
Daddy's boy
No, we are not technically potty-training Grant. However, a few weeks ago we set up his potty seat by our bathroom. When Daddy gets home, Grant follows him around like a puppy and does what he does. Poor Nick, no more going to the bathroom in private. Grant gets pretty upset when Nick closes the door. So cute...
Sorry its been so long... and so short this time! The only reason this is even happening now is because I needed to upload pictures of things I'm trying to sell on Craigslist and I'd already taken this picture.
Life's busy with the upcoming move.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Poor Merced
From yahoo real estate...
"Merced, Calif., is a quiet, residential city an easy drive from Yosemite National and Pacific Coast beaches. It's also a perfect case study for the aftermath of the housing crisis. Homes at the median level in Merced have lost 62% of their value from the second quarter of 2006, when they peaked at $336,743, the biggest drop anywhere in the country, according to data provided to Forbes by Local Market Monitor, a Cary, North Carolina-based real estate research firm. Earlier, home building and buying grew exponentially in Merced, but the metro now suffers from a whopping 16.4% unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflecting a drop-off in building industry jobs and a grim housing market."
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/cities-where-homes-are-losing-most-value
Poor Merced. Poor us. Will it ever recover???
"Merced, Calif., is a quiet, residential city an easy drive from Yosemite National and Pacific Coast beaches. It's also a perfect case study for the aftermath of the housing crisis. Homes at the median level in Merced have lost 62% of their value from the second quarter of 2006, when they peaked at $336,743, the biggest drop anywhere in the country, according to data provided to Forbes by Local Market Monitor, a Cary, North Carolina-based real estate research firm. Earlier, home building and buying grew exponentially in Merced, but the metro now suffers from a whopping 16.4% unemployment rate, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, reflecting a drop-off in building industry jobs and a grim housing market."
http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/cities-where-homes-are-losing-most-value
Poor Merced. Poor us. Will it ever recover???
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