Erin's Thoughts

Fall Break Fun

2011-10-27T10:48:00.002-06:00

The big kids have been home all week. It's been fun for all of us. Each of them runs 3 different directions every day so it's nice to have them together enjoying some down time. Here are some of our fall break traditions:

make sugar cookies and try to bake and decorate them before they disappear
sleep in as much as possible
Mommy time with each one individually
hang out with friends as much as Mom can manage
watch good scary movies during the daytime (no little boys to freak out)
go for one walk in the fall colors

I'll miss them when they go back to school next week. For the first hour. Then I'll be fine with a quiet house again.

2011-02-15T06:28:00.002-07:00

We like musical humor in our family. The latest is a medley of Primary songs, sung to the tune of "On A Golden Springtime", Children's Songbook p. 88.

On a golden springtime, Jesus Christ awoke.
He wakened and he left the tomb. He called Mary's name.
America! America! God shed his grace on thee.
And crown thy good with brotherhood
From sea to shining sea.

2011-02-08T12:58:00.002-07:00

Lots of cold, snowy days make me feel like laying on the couch with an electric blanket (Go, Nancy!). Having the kids home on cold, snowy days makes me feel like stuffing my ears with cotton, locking my bedroom door and reading on my bed with an electric blanket and a box of See's chocolates. I wish I felt like organizing something, though.

The family cookbook is growing! It'll be done, soon, after only a whole year!

J came home with face paint yesterday. Purple war paint.

M imitated a youtube critic and brought the house down, yesterday. 'Kitty not want!'

A texted two friends and waged a Wizard101 battle all at the same time.

S turned the kitchen sink sprayer on the surrounding cupboards, counter, and floor. 1/4 " of water in the drawers. Bleah.

N made handmade valentines yesterday. Some even got pictures. His hands got big red stripes.

Never a dull moment. :)

Wouldn't it be fun to go to the LTUE con at BYU over President's Day? Place I do not want to go right now: Egypt. I'm saving my bucks for my stepmom's birthday party in April, though. And for the powder room remodel. It's bigger on the inside. (Doctor Who) Don't I wish. ;)
I'm trying to decide on the paint color. I like celery, opal blue, periwinkle (of course), and rose red. Dark marble counter, oak vanity, oak floor, big mirror with an antique bronze (maybe) frame, antique bronze (maybe) fixtures, lights. Have any thoughts?

Happy day!

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T20:50:00.002-07:00

Merry Christmas, 2010!

Life gets better and better, the older we all get. We pray God will bless all of you and yours this year.

Allen: He continues to Master the Scouts (as Scoutmaster of our troop at church) and loves every minute of it. At work, Qwest was acquired by CenturyLink this summer. He has added a lot of value and looks forward to staying on in the new company after the acquisition takes effect April 1 of 2011. He accompanied the church Christmas party with flair on the piano and provided music for an Eagle project at a homeless family shelter. He coached Marion through her audition and practicing for Beauty and the Beast, providing practice CDs, great suggestions, and impromptu backup tirelessly. The rental houses have been rented all year, for which we are grateful.

Erin: I play the piano for Primary (the children’s group at church) and help plan the women’s meetings for Relief Society. A couple of mornings a week, I volunteer at Samuel and Nathan’s school. Two afternoons a week I teach piano lessons. The past three weeks I accompanied the middle school choirs. It was really fun to work with the students and learn new Christmas music. Their director is an amazing musician who was also really fun to work with.

Jacob: He’s 15 now and just completed his first season of high school football. He played offensive and defensive line and worked really hard. Seminary and school are going well for Jacob this year. He played percussion in his first band concert (much to his mother’s joy) Wednesday, December 8^th. He has his learner’s permit and is making steady progress.

Marion: She’s 13 and keeps up a whirlwind of activities. She starred in Beauty and the Beast at the middle school this spring. This fall, she’s been teaching piano lessons one afternoon a week, taking piano lessons, singing in the choir at church (much to her mother’s joy), babysitting, acting in “Comic Book Artist” at the middle school, and staying on the Principal’s Honor Roll.

Adam: He’s 11. He just achieved Second Class in Boy Scouts. His ceramic shoe had realistic-looking shoelaces. He enjoyed playing soccer again this year, as a fullback. He kicked well and blocked many potential goals. He has started singing in the choir at church, much to his mother’s joy. He keeps careful track of his grades and is on the Honor Roll.

Samuel: He’s 7 and is making great progress. The assistant principal from a couple of years ago is married to Sam’s current 2^nd grade teacher. He remarked that Sam has made tremendous progress in just the last 2 years. The teachers, aides, and therapists have supported him so well, kept him moving forward, and been responsive to his needs. They are a great team and we’re grateful for them. Sam loves singing, except when I want him to, acting, public speaking, dancing, cracking jokes, laughing, telling stories, running and jumping, dogs, cars, and smiling. He brings us light and joy every day. What a blessing he is to our family. He learned to sing “Angels We Have Heard on High” and ends it with ‘in excelsis Daddy-o’!

Nathan: He’s 5. He signs his wall art “Sam did it.” Doesn’t fool anyone but I can’t clean it off the wall yet. ;) He could read before he started kindergarten and loves to go to school. He is such a curious boy and loves to memorize new facts and tell them to us. He and Samuel learned Marion’s songs from Beauty and the Beast and sang them randomly around the house, much to their mother’s joy. I’m teaching him piano lessons and he catches on quickly. He is a conscientious boy who likes to be prepared and on time. I don’t know where he gets that from, but we sure love him and are so grateful he came to our family.

We hope you find joy in your families and loved ones this Christmas season. We love you and hope to see you soon.

Love,

Allen and Erin

Jacob, Marion, Adam, Samuel, and Nathan

2010-05-04T20:25:00.002-06:00

Miss M puts the Beauty in Beauty and the Beast

After 4 shows in just 2 days, Beauty and the Beast is over. We're going through pretty severe withdrawal and laryngitis over here.

All the practices made the crew feel like a team. Every player contributed to the show's success. Miss M figured she spent about 36 hours working on the play!

Scouts from the high school enjoyed the play, too!

I loved seeing friends at the performances! Thanks for coming out to support our Miss M.

One of the funnest parts was seeing the little girls in the audience gather around "Belle". They were so sweet! Disney princesses have a certain responsibility, don't they! Don't worry, it's not going to her head. :)

2010-01-01T10:33:00.005-07:00

Happy New Year 2010! What a gorgeous day. Sunshine makes everything look better. Here are some books I want to read this year: Hunger Games, The Purpose of Boys, Percy Jackson 3, 4, and 5, Miss M thinks I should read Leven Thumps, Fablehaven 5, just for starters. But first the Old Testament and the Book of Mormon. I mean, when I sit down to read, I'm going to start with a few verses in the Book of Mormon, then part of the Sunday School assignment in the Old Testament. Then I'll read something else.

Here's what we're having for lunch:

Three-Bean Chili from the Cupboard

1 14 oz can roast beef
1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles
2 c beef broth
1T chili powder
1t onion powder
1/2 t garlic powder
2 t salt
3 dashes cayenne pepper
1 15 oz can each pinto, black, and kidney beans, drained
1 15 oz can peeled tomatoes of your choice
2 c water

In a good-sized soup pot, saute roast beef until pink is gone. Add 1 can diced tomatoes and green chiles and saute for 5 minutes. Pour in beef broth, seasonings, beans, tomatoes, and water. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and cook for an hour, stirring occasionally. Serve with crushed tortilla chips, sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced green onions, sliced black olives,etc.

Creamed Corn Bread

1 c corn meal
3/4 c unbleached flour
1/4 c sugar
1 t salt
3 t baking powder
2 eggs
1/3 c butter, softened
1 15 oz can cream-style corn

Preheat oven to 375 F. Melt butter in 9 x 9 x 2 pan in the oven. Swirl butter around pan to grease bottom and sides. Sift together corn meal, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Beat eggs in medium-sized bowl. Mix in creamed corn. Add dry ingredients and melted butter. Stir to combine well. Bake at 375 F for 20 - 25 minutes.

First Day of Track-off after Christmas

2009-12-28T11:41:00.002-07:00

So, Christmas is over and we still have 8 days before the big kids head back to school and 30 more days before the middle children head back. Will this track-off descend into chaos? No, no! Allen got everyone to write down three lists and fill in a schedule at the beginning of the vacation. List 1: What fun things to you want to do? List 2: What friends do you want to play with? List 3: What are your top requests for presents? He included a calendar on everybody's planning sheet so we could all sit down and see where playdates made sense, in the context of activities already scheduled.

Chaos doesn't stand a chance. My Flylady routines are finally sticking, helping me dig out from under the holidays. Everybody's expectations are a little broader and more sensible - Wii is not the only activity out there, and we can have fun in the space between our house walls and the big street up the hill.

So today, we have some friends over who've been abroad for the last 6 months. Just the kids, so I can clean around them and not feel guilty. Or post on my blog and not feel antisocial. I may even post some fun holiday pictures. :) Happy Track-Off!

Wyoming's big enough for all of us

2009-07-08T09:36:00.005-06:00

Our Whitaker Reunion was more informal this year - Grandpa and Grandma, Monica and her family, Melody and her family, the Hart families and Noel and her family couldn't come. The rest of us planned to rendezvous in Yellowstone at the southeast entrance for camping, hiking, and driving fun. We live in Denver, so we drove north on I25 to I80, then west to Rawlins to catch US287 NW. At Muddy Gap we left civilization behind for several hours.

Then came the best surprise of the trip - a visitor's center around the 6th crossing of the Sweetwater River on the Mormon Trail! The site honors the members of both the Willie and Martin Handcart companies (1856), but particularly the Willie company which was rescued there by those dedicated mortal angels who left Salt Lake City to brave the winter weather in the mountains and on the plains to answer Brigham Young's call.

Our favorite part was riding in the handcarts. It's a beautiful site with a section of the Mormon trail preserved for youth conference treks.

Yellowstone looked nothing like I remembered. I was about 9 when my grandparents (Chidester) took us there. We stayed in 1920s-era cabins and drove and drove. There were bison and elk everywhere and we saw moose (a little too close up - Grandpa tried to feed one a handful of weeds) and a bear or two. Old Faithful seemed way bigger, closer, and more intimate. A trail between the mudpots seemed unbearably fragile (how did they know the boardwalk was secure?). It was a memorable trip.

This time, we watched Old Faithful from benches 100 yds away with 1500 other people. The wide, caldera floor was built up with several huge lodges and more under construction. Does it sound like I'm complaining? Really, the geyser walk was phenomenal. Another hike took us 3 miles to a lake (Nathan and Samuel made it about 3/4 mile in, melted down asking for water - Marion had the water backpack and we had the food backpack ( poor planning ) - and had to turn around for the car). The pine forests were thick and beautiful. We saw two chipmunks and lots of streams and wildflowers.

Another hike took us along the north rim of the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. Green and churning at the bottom of the canyon, the Yellowstone River has cut a stunning and multi-colored path through the stone mountains. The trail ran unnervingly along the drop-off in several places. Thirty years ago, an earthquake shook off part of a road that had followed the edge for decades. It's still visible in spots and heads eerily off the edge in one place in particular. Hiking that trail was another of the highlights of the trip for me. Nathan and Samuel made this hike very well, with no meltdowns. It was a little longer than the distance they'd gone the day before and they started out with a lot of enthusiasm so I was encouraged that they were becoming good little hikers. It's a good thing because I can't carry them for any length of time anymore. They're both 50 pounds.

My two brothers' families and my sister's family camped right next to us, so we got in lots of visiting time. One of my favorite times was the family untalent show. We commandeered the restroom steps for a stage and circled our camp chairs. 7 boy cousins had put together a crime drama, practicing every spare moment, and were delightful! Samuel wanted to steal the show, singing every song everybody else was singing, with his own twist (Book of Mormon stories ... are about the selfish boy from far across the sea). You can imagine. We let him have the spotlight for '1st Grade, 1st Grade' to the tune of 'New York, New York' - watch out Frankie!

We brought our creative cooking implements - reflector oven Allen made when he was 13, dutch oven, and toaster sticks. The cinnamon rolls were fluffy and golden brown, fresh from the reflector oven. Sirloin tips and rice were well-cooked and flavorful from the dutch oven. Marshmallows puffy, chewy and melty from the toaster sticks. Yummy! My brother had a toaster platform for his one-burner top-of-the-propane-bottle stove which turned out beautiful toast - crispy on the outside, soft on the inside. Amazing!

Enough for today!

Easter Season

2009-04-16T09:14:00.002-06:00

I think about celebrating Lent every year. You know, giving something up. This year, I decided to temper my self-indulgence. It was a good experiment. Sometimes I called a friend instead of playing a game on the computer. Other times I read the scriptures instead of the newspaper. Little things that kept Jesus on my mind.

2009-03-20T22:28:00.003-06:00

The scouts are camping tonight and I have a migraine. Philosophy and migraines don't mix, but if I close my eyes halfway, I can pretend time is standing still. Embrace the pain. Live in the moment. But don't close your eyes because it'll hurt when you open them again. Just halfway. Pink Floyd moment, sorry.

The boys, they're not babies anymore, Sam and Nathan went to sleep right on time. Dinner, a bath, and bed. Worked like magic, even though Nathan had a nap this afternoon. We walked our neighbor's dogs this afternoon, though it feels like I'm pulling 4 puppies on leashes, not just two. It's kind of funny, unless the medication hasn't kicked in yet. The dogs can unwind themselves when they get all tied up in the leash but Nathan and Samuel always send me to my knees when they get tied up in the leash. True, they're holding me around the knees, so it makes sense that when they lose their balance, I have nowhere to go but down. Samuel painted the swing in mud today, and his clothes, hands, and ears. We've had to water the yard for 3 weeks now, so the mud was inevitable. But the weather has been unbelievable! Blue skies, light breezes, and sun, sun, sun! I got out my tanning moisturizer two months early (to take the edge off my fluorescent legs) so I could wear my capris without injuring anyone with glare-sensitive eyes.

So the scouts went camping tonight. You should know that I feel really loved, not abandoned, because the scouts went camping tonight. Allen's the scoutmaster, so he's in charge of the scout calendar. They were originally scheduled to camp next weekend to make up for a campout that had to be cancelled in April. Next weekend, I was hoping all of us would be in Utah to visit my parents for a couple of days before Allen had to be back in CO for the quarter close starting April 1. A couple of weeks ago, I brought up the conflict in family council (highly recommend) and Allen started right then to talk about rescheduling the campout. He also has a court of honor this weekend, which means shopping for badges and arranging reviews, so this was not an easy weekend to have a campout. But he was willing to do it so we could all drive to Utah in a week. Isn't he great?! Sigh. I feel loved.

Marion's theater career is off to a flying start! She played the China Princess in OZ!, her middle school's musical this semester. She was a principal throughout one whole scene, even though she didn't have a song. Several parents told me what a good job she did, how cute her actions were and beautiful she was. Marion says, "I look like a creeper in my white makeup, dark black eyes, and really itchy and uncomfortable wedding dress." I think she looked very expressive. I'll post pictures soon.

January

2009-01-27T20:13:00.005-07:00

My elementary school kids have 5 weeks off starting the week before Christmas.

What can I say after that?

Actually, it's historically (the last 5 years anyway) been by turns chaotic and wonderful. Just like you'd think, it depends on your perspective. Which is not fair at all. If I'm suffering of course it has to be chaotic and too long and where is that cavalry (the mounted soldiers riding to my rescue)? My house, oh, my house may never recover. And yet, this year (I know, it's the antidepressants) there have been some bright rays of light. One - the variety in the weather really lifted my spirits. Two - a friend loaned me a book about busy activities for busy Toddlers or something like that. Even though I only have one mostly outgrown Toddler left, the book started out so positively and with such practical ideas (a crazy can for the time when dinner isn't quite on the table yet) that I felt the possibilities start to bubble up like carbonation in my favorite root beer. Surprisingly, reading about Willa Cather left me a little mad and anxious - discontent. I walked around with a scowl a lot. Reading about toddlers put that discontent back on the road to productivity because it's all about creativity. Especially the discontent. Believe it or not, mothers have to be creative all the time to keep up with, and occasionally get ahead of, their Junior Anarchists. Whose needs often supersede their mothers' creative efforts. Back to Willa Cather. As part of that book review, I read some about Minerva Teichert, an LDS contemporary and fellow artist, though in painting. Cather was widely published and well-known and Teichert's paintings grace the interior walls of the Manti Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Two women who worked hard for their art and saw a measure of success in their lifetimes. While Cather never married or had children, Teichert raised 4 children on a ranch in Wyoming while painting, cooking for the ranch hands, and keeping house. So, back to me, I am neither a world-class writer or painter or musician, but I have talents - creative things I like to do. We need to continually create in order to stay alive - to keep the cobwebs at bay. I picked 5 projects to work on before the children went back to school and we had a great time finishing two of them. We painted, perler-beaded, sanded, made plate designs,sang, read, danced, and somehow the house is coming back together and I don't feel anxious and discontent anymore. O, pioneers!

Ode to a Double Stroller

2009-01-12T19:52:00.003-07:00

I owe my sanity to my double stroller. We had three kids, 3 and under. The oldest had ADHD and followed his nose unless it led to me. My hero had one seat with a strap, one bench and a kickplate in the back. The baby could sit in the seat, the 2-year-old on the bench with her feet in the basket and the 3-year-old standing on the kickplate with the back strap across his back. Aah. We could stand in line at the DMV with nothing but a bag of licorice and wait in line for 45 minutes. We could wait at the podiatrist's office for an hour with nothing but a bag of jelly beans and Veggie Tales recitations to occupy us. Well-child and sick-child visits at the pediatrician's were a piece of cake. By the time the baby was 3 and I was pregnant with number 4, everybody could remember to stay by me, use quiet voices, and not touch anything in the store. The double stroller limped, the handle wobbled, and the sunshade supports had broken. It was time to retire my faithful companion. I had Allen set it out by the garbage one day when I wasn't looking.

Anniversary Angst

2009-01-10T17:35:00.004-07:00

I'm reviewing for our book group this month - Willa Cather's The Song of the Lark. While skimming a biography of Cather, this gem stood out:

"A Midwestern farm couple have ceased to talk to each other with any intimacy because roles and family loyalties have divided them. The husband is concerned with his farm work, the wife with her children; over the years their conversations have been reduced to negotiations 'almost wholly confined to questions of economy and expense.' As Hester haggles in behalf of her sons, Cather delicately and understatedly describes the emergence of buried affection between husband and wife. In trying to persuade her penurious husband to let the boys attend a traveling circus, Hester discovers that--unknown to each other--she and William had attended a circus together back in Virginia, their childhood home. This revelation opens the floodgates of memory, and the two begin to share other stories and recollections:

"They talked on and on; of old neighbors, of old familiar faces in the valley where they had grown up, of long forgotten incidents of their youths--weddings, picnics, sleighing parties and baptisms. For years they had talked of nothing else but butter and eggs and the price of things, and now they had as much to say to each other as people who meet after a long separation."

"Their conversation leads to a reawakened love based in shared experience, understanding, and memory. As a result of this renewed connection, Cather implies, family allegiances will shift. Hester will no longer always place her sons before her husband: she feels a 'throb of allegiance' to William, and her sons sense that they have lost a "powerful ally." (Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice, Sharon O'Brien)

Listening to one dear friend talk about her anniversary, the desolate winds of winter blew through her words, even though her anniversary was in August. I'm probably reading too much into things, but sometimes family responsibilities, church callings, work, and selfishness take precedence over cherishing our spouses. It can happen to anyone and an anniversary is just a day, but it happens on the same day every year and it's for both of you, not just one. It's your spouse's anniversary, too, so you make the plan and carry it out.

Family Christmas Pictures

2008-12-14T22:03:00.002-07:00

An annual ordeal, family pictures. This time, though, we really lucked out. I was telling a friend that we needed a family picture to send to Grandpa and Grandma (they had to ask us explicitly to send one for Christmas because the last one they had was taken when Nathan was born and Marion was baptized). She offered to look up some fun poses and background ideas and take the pictures for free because she's not professional yet. If you can believe it, she got Jacob to smile his gorgeous real smile. She's good. We ended up with more than one good shot. I didn't think it was possible. Between the tantrums about not wearing the styleless outfits Mom picked out and which child gets to sit on which parent's lap, I thought all my hopes for a memorable picture were gone with that freezing cold wind blowing our hair around by the blue spruces. We did end up with good pictures, though, and another great example of nice things friends do for each other.

2008-12-10T09:15:00.000-07:00

How do I know when it's a good time to blog? When I have a million things to do, of course! So many fun avoidance behaviors to choose from and this time it's blogging. We had a great time during our Thanksgiving trip to Texas. My five favorites were: (The Alamo --->)
1. Leaving the Colorado cold behind for the Texas sunshine. We had temperatures in the 70s and 80s the whole time with only one day of rain!
2. The kids were great travelers. No fights in the car (thank you Jumanji DVD and well-placed Dairy Queens!) Nobody threw up!
3. The Alamo was an incredible place. Hundreds of people were there the day we went to visit but it was unbelievably quiet and almost sacred. The IMAX movie at the mall on the River Walk moved me to tears for the sacrifices of the band of ordinary men who stayed to defend their freedom.

4. Allen's cousins and aunts and uncles are some of my very favorite people. (Aunt Cora Beth in

Weatherford--->)

They all have this tradition of thinking of and serving others that makes them very friendly and comfortable to be around.
5. Returning to Allen's uncle's home after a 3-hour walk that should have been only 1 but the little boys were simply incapable of walking in a straight line through a dry river bed or walking on their own on the access road and always wanted to be carried. My relief was palpable when Allen's aunt showed up to guide us back out. Jacob was an absolute warrior staying behind with me and Nathan and Samuel, continually shepherding the younger brothers and distracting them with great whacks of machete-sticks on dead limbs, rocks, you name it. Whew.
It was one of my favorite family vacations ever!

(Uncle Lewis and Aunt Mary Bliss in Oklahoma City--->)

Change is in the Air

2008-11-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Fall reminds me of continuous change in all our lives. Looking back at family pictures does the same thing. This picture was taken last summer and already the children look older. I love the colors of fall. Sadly, I didn't take any pictures of the colors this year. But even with all the changing, I know fall will happen again next year. Who knows what the future will be like? New president, new opportunities. My candidate wasn't elected, but I can make sure he knows my opinions. I can teach my children values and the values of virtue. I love living in a country where individuals can voice their opinions and make something of themselves with hard work and a lot of heart. Allen and I stood on these same steps 16 years ago, all by ourselves. Some really great changes have happened in my life and I'm glad I wasn't so hooked on the way things had been that I wasn't willing to embrace the good changes that have come into my life. 6 really great changes, especially.

My dad is 70

2008-10-21T20:24:00.001-06:00

Yesterday was my dad's 70th birthday. We threw a big party for him and his twin brother on Saturday in South Jordan, Utah. His remaining living brothers and sisters came and brought lots of their children to eat a really yummy potluck dinner and cake and ice cream (lots of maple walnut!). Robyn wrote an amazing poem for him. Noel copied and put up lots of old pictures. Samuel played in every dirt pile around the clubhouse. Nathan climbed everything he wasn't supposed to climb. Marion, Jacob and Adam played with at least 100 cousins. :) Dad looked really happy.

I attended his older brother John's funeral last year. It struck me that so many family members were there, they'd put together a great slide presentation, beautiful old pictures displayed everywhere - and we couldn't enjoy it with him! I really wanted to do a great party for Dad before we had to do his funeral - when we could tell him how grateful we are for him and what a great person he is.

Don't wait for your parents' funerals to put on a great party for them!

Erin

Joy in the Journey

2008-10-06T10:23:00.000-06:00

I've thought a lot about President Monson's last talk in Sunday pm GenConf. It seems that mothers of small children never get enough quiet time, sleep, clean floors, or shiny windows. What we get instead is lots of hugs, lots of attention, lots of conversation, and never a dull moment. Now fast forward 15 years. All we'll have is quiet time, full-nights' sleep, clean floors and shiny windows. We'll never get enough hugs, attention, conversation, and excitement. So, finding the joy in the here and now seems like the easy part. But that's not all President Monson said. He also said we shouldn't put things off for tomorrow. I want to sing in Colorado Mormon Chorale. I want to dig into family history. I want to learn to sew quilts. I want to spend more time with my preteen daughter. I want to exercise every day. I want to play the violin and piano every day. Those are the things I seem to be putting off. Like I put off learning to do a cartwheel until it's everlastingly too late. That's the hard part. Balancing family needs with things I'm putting off. I wonder if that's what he meant.

Sunday am GenConf

2008-10-05T12:24:00.000-06:00

I loved Sister Dalton's talk on Virtue. Is it true that most people don't try the virtue of ideas before they espouse them? The word virtue comes from the Latin word for 'strength'. I like thinking of virtue as strength. Like, a person who chooses the right, ethical, good-feeling way shows strength by not consulting the majority first. We seek after virtuous, lovely, and praiseworthy things. Does virtue exist outside, apart, independent in the universe? Can it be relative and still be virtue? If virtuous things tend to seek out one another, is it a quality, a quality that God possesses? He possesses all virtues.
My husband, who is virtuous, wishes every weekend could be conference weekend. Honestly. Today was so pleasant with the children. Everyone worked on a Lehi Roller Mills puzzle by Eric Dowdle, whose artwork I want in my house, while we listened to the conference talks. We've had good discussions at mealtimes and fun being together.