Being Creative

I was inspired by Elder Uchtdorf's talk in the General Relief Society meeting about creation. He said:

"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.
Everyone can create. You don't need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance and beauty.
Creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. We develop ourselves and others when we take unorganized matter into our hands and mold it into something of beauty..."

I took Elder Uchtdorf's challenge to create something. I pulled out my sewing machine, dusted it off, and began my first sewing project since I was 13 years old. I found the cutest pattern for an advent calendar, and decided to make one for Christmas. It was a lot of work. Sometimes I didn't know what in the heck I was doing. And I'm sure there are more beautiful advent calendars out there, but there is something so satisfying in creating something that didn't exist before. It may not be the most beautiful thing in the world, but that is not important. It was made with my own two hands, and that's all that counts. Elder Uchtdorf was right... Creating is fulfilling!

My Edward Moment

So I've been dying for the Twilight movie to come out, and I'm so excited that it's almost here! Well, as I was working at in Ann Taylor today, I kept hearing these teenage girl screams coming from across the hall upstairs. I looked out the door and saw probably the longest line ever, and wondered what in the world was going on in the Hot Topic store.

I only had to wonder for 5 seconds. The lady I was helping at the register explained that Robert Pattinson, who plays Edward, was signing autographs at Hot Topic tonight. I totally freiked. As soon as my shift ended, I zoomed upstairs to Hot Topic. Sadly, Edward was gone. I turned to leave, and then I heard the store manager say that he had gone over to Saks! Call me obsessed (I'm really not), but I HAD to have this chance to see "Edward." I ran over to Saks, and was able to get a picture and a quick video of Robert Pattinson. Granted, he was far away, and I only had my camera phone, but the point is...

I SAW EDWARD!!!!

I also got some video of him talking about the Twilight series, and how he didn't even know about the series when he auditioned for the part of Edward. Unfortunately all you can really hear are about 1,000 screaming teenage girls...

Some Thoughts on Marriage

Today I read an article that just sickened me inside concerning the protests happening in LA as a result of Proposition 8 passing into law. If we thought that the days when members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were persecuted and targeted simply because of their religion, we were sadly mistaken.

Proposition 8 was a bill that came near and dear to many hearts, as moral issues always do. The Church came out with a statement in "The Family" A Proclamation to the World" several years ago that says, "The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ... By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners."

My belief in this statement runs very deep. Men and women, by divine design, have different roles to play in the rearing of children and in helping each other attain the highest glory in the after life. Men and women need each other to help them grow and progress on the spiritual path to heaven. God designed it that way.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is not alone in this belief. Catholics, evangelicals, Jews, and Protestant religions have all voiced their belief in the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman. Yet, where are protests held? Near the LDS temple in LA. Who do newspaper editorials and anti-Proposition 8 commercials make a target of hate because the proposition passed? The Mormons, of course. However, I would like to take this moment to say "thank you" to the many many people who are not of the LDS faith that stood for the sanctity of marriage and voted for proposition 8. It makes me feel good to know that our church is not alone. There are many, many people who believe in the sanctity of marriage, and they are not all Mormons!

To wrap this up, I also thank the Sherwood Baptist Church for making the movie "Fireproof." I have never seen a movie that was so uplifting. I left feeling that I was so happy to be married and working for something so precious and worth while. If you have the opportunity to see it, be sure you do!

Quilting Frenzy

This weekend Houston hosted the International Quilting Expo. It is apparantly one of the biggest quilting expos in the world. My friend Diane and I took advantage of our close proximity to the expo center and went to take a look at the quilts. We were amazed at the creative designs that we saw. Here are just a few of our favorites. We got caught up in the quilting spirit and bought a few simple patterns to take home and do ourselves. I'll keep you posted on how the project comes out!