All (good?) things must come to an end, eventually. August 16, 2009

     I was released from my calling in the Relief Society Presidency this morning.

 

     After nearly four years of (barely-attended) Enrichment activities, welfare meetings, Sunday lessons, planning sessions and a whole (WHOLE!) lot of murmuring– Bad Kemi, I know–, I am done.

 

     Yesterday, before I knew it was coming, I thought I’d be elated.  It turns out I loved it more than I realized, because today I can’t seem to stop crying.  I choked up when I got off the phone with the Executive Secretary this morning.  I sniffled through our RS lesson on (how fitting!) the organization and history of the Relief Society.  I cried when we gathered up the tablecloths and decorations for the last time.  I sobbed when my name was read over the pulpit, and the tears just kept coming during Sacrament Meeting, at least until Anthony wet his pants on the padded bench and I had to take him out to the van for a complete change of clothes.  (It wouldn’t be Sunday without my family providing comic relief for the ward.  Also, do you know how hard it is to quietly blot urine out of upholstery when you’re sitting on the FRONT ROW and your kids keep asking, Did Anthony have an accident?  Eeeew!  No one sit there!  Anthony peed his pants!)  The new presidency is going to be wonderful, but a little (big) part of me wishes I could start the whole calling over again.  (I KNOW!  I am clearly MENTAL.)

 

     In the five years and three months we’ve lived in this ward, I’ve gone a total of two weeks without a calling.  I feel like running a side bet to see 1) Which new calling I’ll get, and 2) How long it will be before it’s issued.  (Feel free to leave your guesses in the comment section, but please understand that if you guess Gospel Doctrine teacher, we will no longer be friends.)  

I Want… To Live in the Draper Temple February 8, 2009

     Last Friday night (January 31), we had the honor of touring the newly-finished Draper LDS Temple. 

 

 (Photograph by David C. Moore)

 

     We left Anthony with my parents, because, frankly, he’s three and reverence isn’t a strength of his,

Good Clean Fun January 12, 2009

This is how Mormons do it.   Well.  

 

Nieces and Toddlers and Peaches! Oh my! September 13, 2008

     I didn’t realize it had been so long since my last post.  This week has been crazy, so I will do a super-speedy recap and catch everyone up.  (Because I know you’re all dying to hear about my days at home.)

 

Monday– I tended Abbie.  Those days start at 4:30 AM, which means I am tired and ready for a nap at 10:00 AM.  Did domestic things like sorting laundry (sorting, not washing.  I missed that step!), cooking dinner, changing diapers.  BORING.

I also made cookies.  (I haven’t made homemade cookies

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you… September 2, 2008

     We just finished up with one of the most fun Family Home Evenings we’ve had in a long, looooong time.  ( I know the traditional FHE night is Monday, but Kenny has Tuesdays off every week, so we have ours on a different night.  *shrug*  It works for us.)

 

     Kendra was in charge of the lesson, and she decided to talk about family, and how important it is to be close and loving with each other.  (The lesson was brief– we’re talking one minute, tops.)  Then she introduced a game I helped her create, and we played it.  And laughed.  And giggled.  And laughed some more.

May’s Enrichment Night May 7, 2008

     Last night was our ward’s monthly Enrichment night.  This is my thing, my responsibility, my church calling, and I have a love-hate relationship with it.  It is a LOT of work getting everything set up, and it’s a never-ending process.  When one activity is over, there’s never any down time; I’ve already got to be thinking about the next month’s activity.  I have a committee to help me, but we’re still coming together and figuring things out, and while I’m trying so hard to delegate the responsibility, when committee members don’t follow through, I’m the one that has to pick up the pieces.  It is TOTALLY worth the stress, though, when people have a good time, there’s a lot of socialization, and we have a feeling of unity and love. 

 

     Some months are good, and others are disastrous.  While most wards can boast about their high attendance of fifty-plus, I feel lucky if ten women show up.  If I’m being completely honest, our lack of ward participation makes me wonder why I go to all the effort.  (I know, I know…  it’s my job.  It just feels futile, some months.)   Last night there were twelve women in total, and we had a blast.  It was definitely a “good” month for the 5th Ward Relief Society, even with such (comparatively) low attendance.

 

     The plan was to discuss Elder M. Russell Ballard’s General Conference talk on honoring mothers, share our feelings about his (wonderful! encouraging!) words, and offer suggestions about how to squeeze some me-time into a busy schedule, as well as fun ideas for pampering on a budget.  We also offered an easy (but not-so-quick, it turns out…) and inexpensive Mother’s Day gift for anyone who wanted to put it together.  They were these cute little soap bottles that had this message inside them:

Okay, what gives? April 22, 2008

     As of 11:14 AM, here are all the search engine terms that sent traffic to my blog:

 

mormon special stitching	1
what do you like most about being lds	1
mormons special stitches in clothes	1
mormon stitching clothes	1
cross stitch lds prophets	1
special stitches+mormon	1
list of musicals	1
why i love being a mormon	1
mormon clothes stitching	1

 

     To what do I owe this surge of interest in my religion and my clothing?  If you say the FLDS drama in Texas, I’m going to slap you.  (Not really.) (Well, maybe.)

 

     My blog friend Rebecca posted a great article yesterday, called Just For the Record….  If you’re stumbled across my blog looking for ties between Mormons and the FLDS, I suggest you read that first.  I’m just sayin’…    *grin*

Kendra’s Baptism April 12, 2008

 

  

    Today was a special day for our family.  Kendra was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

  

     When we got to the church this morning, she had to pick a jumpsuit to wear into the font, and wouldn’t you know?  My daughter found a dress.  I couldn’t talk her out of it.  (I started having flashbacks to my  baptism day, when all little girls wore dresses and the minute I hit the second step of the font, my dress caught an air bubble and I unknowingly kept walking down the stairs.  When I got to the bottom step (and 3 1/2 feet of water), as I made my way to my dad, with a whoosh,  my dress flipped up to my chest like a jellyfish propelling itself through the ocean.  Sooooo embarrassing.  I know I flashed a good share of the audience!)  She did look lovely in her dress, and since she was sharing her baptism day with two boys, it was only fitting that she looked like a princess.

Kenny and Kendra

(The glaring gold background is actually the pair of accordian doors that close off the baptismal font.)  

  

  

     There were some talks and some singing, and then it was time for the baptisims.  They went by alphabetical order, so the two little boys were first.  (In a strange quirk of fate, both little boys share the same first and last name.  Their older sisters also share the same name and same spelling, and are the same age.)  Then it was Kendra’s turn.  She walked into the font with no dress issues (whew!), was baptized by her dad, and was sent back up the stairs to get ready for her confirmation.

Kendra and the Masons

     

  

     Earlier this week, we went shopping for a fancy dress, complements of Grandpa.  We found a gorgeous dress (after trying several on, in various pastel shades), and the best part?  It was 80% off, marked down to $17.88.  When she put her dress on today, with her curly (damp) hair and headband, she was all poofy and princess-y.  As soon as she saw herself in the mirror, she shyly told me she looked like Giselle (from Enchanted) in her marshmallow dress.  It was a cute comment, and she looked beautiful.  And grown up.  It made me feel nostalgic for the baby girl I used to know, but excited for the young woman I see her turning into.

  

  

     As the men assembled to bless her with the gift of the Holy Ghost, my dad stood at the head of the circle.  It was a little surprising to see him there, because Kendra was planning on having her dad confirm her, too, but at the last minute they decided to ask my dad, which was a sweet gesture.  I guess it’s a tradition now, because he also confirmed Alex last year.  It was a very beautiful blessing, full of love and support (and lots of tears).  

     

     After we left the church, we made a quick stop at home to change our clothes, and then we took the family out for brunch.  We ate at a place called “Britton’s”, where the food was excellent and inexpensive (always a plus).  Eleven of us squeezed into a booth designed for six, and (in spite of that?  because of that?) we had a really fun family time.  Kendra opened a few gifts she had gotten (scriptures, a carrying case, scripture marking pens, journals, an activity book and a bracelet and necklace), and when she saw her name embossed on her scriptures, her jaw dropped and her eyes filled with tears.  It was very touching.  She is such a sweet girl! 

My Family

(front row, left to right:  Kristi, Abbie, Alex, Hannah, Kendra

back row, left to right:  Grandpa, Kelli, Kevin, Anthony, Kenny, Kemi, Grandma)

* notice how Hannah is holding Abbie’s hand, because she can’t go two seconds without touching her *

  

  

     It was such a nice day.  Peaceful.  Important.  Loving.  I’m proud of her for the choice she made to be baptized.  I hope it makes her as happy as it did me, 25 years ago.  Tomorrow, she will be presented (with the Masons) to the congregation as the newest member of our ward.  In her “marshmallow” dress that makes her feel like a princess. 

  

     Which is only fitting, as she is the daughter of a King.

Dear Elder Ballard, April 7, 2008

Dear Elder M. Russell Ballard,

  

     I loved, loved, LOVED your General Conference address yesterday.  I can’t even begin to express how uplifted and validated it made me feel as a wife, a woman and a mother. Thank you for recognizing that, while I really love what I do, I do sometimes feel unappreciated, frustrated and stuck in a monotonous routine.

 

     Thank you for sharing your experiences as a “Mr. Mom” on Sundays, during Sacrament Meeting.  It is heartening to know that I’m not alone with the rogue Cheerios and crayons, although I bet one of your kids never stood up on the bench and pelted the head of a prominent Stake representative with an Ernie figurine from three pews away.  (What can I say?  Anthony has a strong arm and incredibly accurate aim.  And if Brother B hadn’t been snoozing, perhaps he might have ducked?)  Anyway…

Children and Testimonies March 28, 2008

     My sister sent me this e-mail yesterday, and after reading it, I had such a bad case of the giggles, I knew I had to pass it along.

  

     If you’ve never sat through a Mormon testimony meeting, let me paint you a picture:  on the first Sunday of every month, during our congregational meeting, the pulpit is opened up to the members of the ward who wish to bear their testimonies of God, of the prophet, and of the gospel.  Ideally this would be a short, succinct declaration, but most are not.  That’s okay.  Sometimes it’s nice to get a little background, and honestly, hearing others’ testimonies helps to strengthen mine.

  

     However, and I mean HOWEVER, there are members who stand up each month and either a) mumble incoherently through their sobs for a full five minutes absolutelyeverysinglemonth about the exact. same. thing. or b) talk about everything under the sun, none of which has anything to do with religion.  And then you have the children.

  

     They come in hoardes to the pulpit;  whole families of children who all want to take their turn at the microphone, who stand thisclose and shriek loudly into it.  (The squeal of feedback does tend to wake up those who’ve dozed off.  I can remember at least one occasion where I was sitting next to my sleeping dad.  Upon hearing the trumpeting blast of – I’ll call it “sound”, for lack of a better descriptor – he was startled awake and yelled out “Good HELL!” in the middle of Sacrament Meeting.  It still makes me laugh, twenty-five years later.  To the extent that I have tears running down my cheeks.)  Well-practiced three-year-olds are “helping” their 18-month-old siblings.  Eight-year-olds stand next to the microphone and direct the parade of brothers and sisters.  Occasionally you get a desperate “MOM!” whispered urgently into the microphone when a sibling is being particularly difficult.  It’s a riot. 

  

     Their testimonies almost always start the same:  “I’d like to bury my testimony, I know the church is true, I love my mom and dad…”  and then this is where they get creative.  One little girl in our ward stood up and told the congregation that, while her dad was a member of the bishopric, he didn’t act very religious at home.  They didn’t even have family home evening!  (The congregation roared with laughter.)  Her poor dad, stuck up there behind the pulpit, was red-faced for the remainder of the meeting.  It became a running joke for him to keep us updated on their family activities, including FHE. 

   

     There’s the “I love my mom and dad, I love Sprite, and I hate my brother” testimony, the inevitable only child who professes love for brothers and sisters, just because the other kids do, and the well-meaning child who exposes family secrets such as, “My parents love each other so much, they even take showers together!”

   

     So that brings me to the e-mail.  For clarification purposes, a bishop (and his two counselors) are the leaders of a ward.  A Stake President (and his two counselors) are in charge of several wards in an area, called a stake.  Being a Stake President is a big deal in the LDS hierarchy. 

  

   Okay, here we go:

   At a recent testimony meeting, a five-year-old little girl stood up and bore her testimony. After mentioning everyone and everything she was thankful for, she ended with this: ‘I am especially grateful that our house has been much happier since our family stopped using the ‘S-word’ and the ‘F-word’.”

 

As the little girl proudly walked back to her seat, nobody could say a word. Needless to say they were a little shocked by what the stake president’s daughter had just said.

  

Quickly, the red-faced stake president stood up, smiled shyly, and went to the podium. ‘I feel I should make a clarification as to what my daughter meant. In our house the ‘S-word’ is ‘stupid’ and the ‘F-word’ is ‘fart’.” 

     

     And this is why my children have yet to bear their testimonies.  We have secrets, and I’d like to keep them!  (kidding…)