Tagged!

I (Laura) have been tagged by my sister Shelly...a few weeks ago. I actually started writing this on October 8th (when Marci bugged me about it) and forgot to post it. So here it is. Not all items are in any particular order.

8 Favorite T.V. Shows:
1. Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
2. NCIS
3. Numbers
4. So You Think You Can Dance
5. American Idol
6. Football (BYU mostly)
7. Fox News Channel
8. General Conference

8 Favorite Restaurants:
1. Romano's Macaroni Grill
2. Joe Bandito's
3. Carrabba's
4. Sizzler
5. Red Lobster
6. Red Robin
7. PF Chang's
8. Chevy's Fresh Mex

8 Things that happened yesterday:
1. Went to the gym.
2. Ate Wendy's at the park.
3. Went to parent teacher conference.
4. Had tacos with all of the grandkids.
5. Got some Relief Society training.
6. Cried about Samuel.
7. Ate a candy bar.
8. Read scriptures.

8 Things to look forward to:
1. Being with Samuel again
2. Halloween
3. Thanksgiving
4. Christmas
5. Pirate Island
6. Elisabeth's birthday
7. Rebekah's birthday
8. Getting my own house (someday)

8 Things I love about fall:
1. Football
2. Cooler weather
3. Sweaters
4. Holidays
5. Changing leaves
6. Birthdays
7. My wedding anniversary
8. Girls' Getaway with Mom and sisters

8 Things on my wishlist:
1. Holding Samuel again
2. Lose weight
3. Relax...Enjoy each day
4. Attitude of gratitude
5. See people as God does
6. Trip to Hawaii, just Roy and me
7. My own house
8. Out of debt

8 People I'm Tagging:
1. Marci
2. Carly
3. Shannon
4. Mandy
5. Michelle
6. Heather
7. Joanne
8. Airi

St. George

Roy and I took a mini trip Monday thru Wednesday this week to St. George...with no kids! Elisabeth and Rebekah didn't quite appreciate that part of it, but we did! The two of us haven't been away alone since...well, I'm not really sure...but at least since sometime before I got pregnant with Samuel, and maybe even before Rebekah was born. (We don't count the weeks at the hospital with Samuel, even though technically we were alone then...sharing the twin bed in the parent sleeping room or the couch in the foyer wasn't that romantic...really.) Anyway, Roy wanted to show me the Pirate Island restaurant that is getting close to completion down there, and it is really awesome! We are excited for work to begin on the Pirate Island here next week. Finally!!! Roy will be helping with the physical labor as soon as that gets going, as well as helping to plan how to run the restaurant. He is going to be the general manager. We are really excited about this new career opportunity. (More to come about Pirate Island at a later date.) Anyway, Monday night we went to see the movie Forever Strong. It was really good, and we definitely recommend it. On Tuesday we slept in, shopped at the outlet stores, and took an afternoon nap. Then we went to see Les Miserables at the Tuacahn Amphitheatre. Other than just being alone with Roy, Les Mis was the highlight of the trip. It was GREAT!!! We had never seen the stage production (just the movie), so it was really spectacular. What a great story! And it was a beautiful evening. Tuacahn is really an amazing venue. We had a great time! I love you, Roy!!!

General Relief Society Meeting

Saturday, September 27th, was the 2008 General Relief Society Meeting. It was awesome! I always look forward to it every year. My mom and sisters and I attend it together, and it is always so inspirational. This year it seemed even better than usual. Here are some of the points I got out of the meeting:

Sister Julie B. Beck, General R.S. President, talked about the 3-fold mission of Relief Society, which is to, 1) Increase in personal faith and righteousness, 2) Strengthen families and homes, and 3) Serve the Lord and His children. She spoke of the need to "be still" and listen to the Spirit, and that if we heed the Spirit, we cannot fail. The power of Relief Society has not been fully tapped, and the Lord expects us to increase our offerings. I think Sister Beck is a very powerful speaker, and I really admire her.

Sister Silvia H. Allred, 1st Counselor in the General R.S. Presidency, spoke about the importance of temple worship. 1) Get and stay worthy, 2) Go, and 3) Return often. A good reminder that we are surrounded by temples in many places throughout the world and that we should not take that for granted.

Sister Barbara Thompson, 2nd Counselor in the General R.S. Presidency, spoke about how Relief Society should be a haven for us, our safe place in this crazy world. It is not just a class on Sunday, but a united sisterhood that should be ministering to all. We need to step up and be strong and be anxiously engaged in a good cause. If we live up to our privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from helping us.

The highlight of the meeting was President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Counselor in the First Presidency. What an amazing apostle! He really touched all of our hearts. He talked of how many, probably most, women undervalue their abilities. We feel inadequate, discouraged, and worried. He said that the path to peace, hope, and joy lies in our inherent desire to CREATE and BE COMPASSIONATE. 1) We all have a desire to create things because we are spirit daughters of God. We have beauty and capacity, talents and gifts. He was not talking just about being mothers and having children, but creation in all forms. A key point was to remember that what we create does not have to be perfect. Start small (for example, create smiles or beautify a small space). The more we rely on the Spirit, the greater our capacity to create becomes. 2) "Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." We are blessed when we serve. He spoke of one woman who was sad about the loss of her husband (I can't remember who it was), but someone told her, "Work will cure your grief; Serve others." Of course the Savior taught that we should think more about others than ourselves. One thing President Uchtdorf said that really struck me is that the prayers we answer may be more important than the prayers we say. He promised us that by creating and being compassionate, our feelings of inadequacy, discouragement, and worry will be changed to meaning, grace, and fulfillment. We will be "encircled in the arms of [Our Savior's] love".

It was an incredibly uplifting meeting, and I am so glad that I took the time to attend. There is so much power in the Relief Society, in womanhood and sisterhood. We change the world every day! If you missed it, make a goal right now to be there next year, and every year after that. It is every September on the Saturday before General Conference. You won't regret it!!!

Exercise: It Does a Body Good!

This is Rebekah proving that where there's a will, there is definitely a way!

Our Little Angel

Roy's family surprised us with this beautiful drawing of Samuel (as an angel with wings). The picture was drawn by Julie Lawhead, who works with our sister-in-law DeAnn in North Dakota. Brent (Roy's youngest brother) and DeAnn are the ones who instigated the project and asked her to do the picture. It is absolutely beautiful, and we love it! THANK YOU, McCluskey Family!!! We miss our baby boy so much. I wish I could hold him again, even if only for a minute. But I don't think I would be able to let go again.

Update to "G O A L!!!" Post Below

I think I fixed the video clip on the soccer post I did on September 14th (see "G O A L !!!" below).

Funny...

So I was telling some women at Enrichment Mtg. tonight about how Roy threw his stinky work shoes up over the power line above Cracker Barrel as he was leaving last Friday (see pictures in his earlier post), and one of the ladies told us that that is actually something gangs often do to mark their territory. Yikes! Who knew?!? (...hopefully not Roy...)

EEEEEK!

I (Laura) was just called to be the 2nd counselor in our ward's Relief Society Presidency (which will be the Education Counselor). Yikes!!! I look forward to serving; it's just so much bigger than I am.
I guess it's time to GROW!!!

Time to Dance...

We decided to let Elisabeth and Rebekah try dance. We chose Jump-n-Jive Dance in Lehi. That means two trips to Lehi on Thursdays (...yeah, Laura is crazy). But so far, they really like it. Bekah asks every day if it's time to go to "dance class".

Preschool

Rebekah started preschool right after Labor Day. We are doing it with some of the other families in our ward, and it is really great! Bekah is the youngest of all the kids, and the least potty trained (meaning...she isn't potty trained at all). We take turns teaching, but there are enough of us that it won't be too stressful (I hope....my turn is this week). On September 2nd we went to the Thanksgiving Point Farm for a field trip. September 5th was the official "first day" of teaching. Rebekah loves it!