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August 30, 2012

this MORMON in AMERICA

Last week, NBC aired an hour-long program about Mormons called Mormons in America.  As a Mormon myself, I was excited about the program and made sure to DVR it as soon as I heard about it.

Unfortunately, I was a little disappointed with the broadcast.  It wasn't horribly done, but I really felt it could've been much better.

There was one thing in particular that really stood out to me as being blatantly false, and that was when it was stated, not as a matter of opinion, but as a matter of fact, that boys and girls are not considered equal.  And if you believe that, you must believe that men and women are not considered equal either.

I am here to tell you that girls and women are considered equal and every bit important by the leaders of the LDS church.  Period.  And here's a few quotes to illustrate why I feel, and have always felt, this way.  All the quotes come from a talk entitled "The Women in Our Lives" given by President Gordon B. Hinckley, one of the presidents of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"There are some men who, in a spirit of arrogance, think they are superior to women. They do not seem to realize that they would not exist but for the mother who gave them birth. When they assert their superiority they demean her."

"The women in our lives are creatures endowed with particular qualities, divine qualities, which cause them to reach out in kindness and with love to those about them. We can encourage that outreach if we will give them opportunity to give expression to the talents and impulses that lie within them. In our old age my beloved companion said to me quietly one evening, “You have always given me wings to fly, and I have loved you for it.”

"Women are such a necessary part of the plan of happiness which our Heavenly Father has outlined for us. That plan cannot operate without them."

"How thankful I am, how thankful we all must be,  for the women in our lives."

I love this talk by President Hinckley.  I remember hearing it for the first time during the church's general conference.  I distinctly remember feeling so empowered, so uplifted and so grateful that I was apart of the LDS faith.

Of course, I also feel grateful to have come from a wonderful family.  My mom has always been a strong, independent woman.  She was always busy doing one thing or another.  She always encouraged me to do well in school, attend college and not once did she ever ask me when I was going to get married.  And my dad has always been right there beside her.  He has always supported her in whatever new endeavors she has wanted to do.

My grandparents are the same way.  I recall my grandma making the decision to study abroad as part of her education at the University of Utah.  She was probably in her 60s at the time.  My grandpa, who had obligations at work, couldn't go with her, so my grandma went off and traveled the country of Spain by herself for three months.

My other grandma, who has since passed away, always told me that my grandpa, "Never said one mean thing to me."  And, she was right.  My grandpa treated her with the upmost respect, including waiting on her hand and foot during the last few years of her life.

I continue to be blessed in my own life because of my husband Dustin.  He has never once given the impression that he feels superior to me.  There is a sense of unity in our marriage.  We both know we are in this together, that our roles and personalities both matter.  That both of us are responsible for raising our children.

I've often wondered why other faithful, LDS women don't feel the same sense of equality as I do.  Why some feel that they are less than.  The only conclusion that I can come up with is that it has to do with the men in their lives - be it their local church leaders, co-workers, fathers or even husbands.  

In the end, the only thing I know for sure is that women are most definitely considered important and equal in the eyes of the church's general, worldwide leaders.

And for those of you who may not know much about the LDS church, please know this:  women are equal.

August 29, 2012

INSTAGRAM wednesdays: the NEW RULE

Our dogs {Tod and Sammie} love to beg for food.  I guess that's pretty typical, but it drives me absolutely nuts.

The other day I decided to put an end to them hanging out underneath the table while we eat meals.  Their command is CARPET because all of our downstairs area is hardwood with the exception of an area rug in our family room.  By being on the carpet, they are far enough away so that we're not disturbed, but close enough to still feel apart of the family.


Regardless, they're not happy about our new rule; however, I'm loving it!

August 28, 2012

the SECOND time around

Even though I am expecting my second child, there are a lot of things about this pregnancy and the situation in general that are very new.  I feel like I am preparing for this baby sort of like I did with Isabelle in that there are so many things I don't know what to expect.

For example, I was pregnant with Isabelle while we lived in Idaho.  Living in Utah means I now have a new OB/GYN and will be delivering at a different hospital.

We now live in a much smaller house.  Space was literally not an issue when we were preparing for Isabelle's arrival.  Her bedroom was plenty big to easily accommodate her crib, rocking chair, changing table, etc.  Now, I'm in the process of converting our office into the nursery, finding new space for our office, and deciding what baby necessities and furniture I can sell, so I can buy something similar, but smaller.

Sure, I'm only 4 months along, but I'm also 4 months along and it seriously feels like I just barely found out I was pregnant.  In other words, time is going by quickly and the new baby will be here before I know it, so there really is no reason to procrastinate.

And then there's the ultimate dilemma:  what to name the baby.  This will be an easier decision to make once we know the gender of our child {which we should find out in less than 2 weeks!}.  We were dead set on Isabelle from the moment we found out we were pregnant, so, again, this "up in the air-ness" with the name is only slightly annoying me.

Overall, I suppose I didn't expect to feel so unprepared this time around.  But, like all things, it will work out.  I just know it!

Thoughts?

August 27, 2012

MUSIC mondays: HEAR YOU ME

I went to a memorial service for a person that meant so much to so many people.  He was a mutual friend of a friend, and weird as it may seem I never met him.  I only knew him via the Internet.

After the service, we watched a video about our friend and this song was playing in the background.

I immediately recognized the song as one I had had in my iTunes library for quite some time, but had sort of forgotten about.

The song is called HEAR YOU ME by JIMMY EAT WORLD.

I think it's a beautiful song and I wanted to share it with all of you.


I don't think this is the best video (and it sounds a bit different from the version on the album), but it was the best one I could find.

Hope you enjoy!

Thoughts?