Twenty-Seven

{picture taken by my beautiful sister; edited by yours truly}

I turned 27 earlier this month. Two things about the photo: one, yes, those are bunny Peeps. Two, no, I'm not crying. I'm laughing at my family's terrible rendition of Happy Birthday to You. We kind of have a tradition of singing it more loudly and out-of-tune at every birthday.

Turning 27 has had a weird effect on me. It's kind of like, "Hey, we're not kidding here. Time to be a grown-up." Time to focus on the choices I'm making. Time to stand up for those choices after I've made them. Time to recognize that I'm not always like other people, and that that's not a bad thing. So...here's to 27, and focus, and courage, and...and I don't know what else. I'll get back to you on that when I turn 28.

It Makes Sense to Me

Isaac: "Little Boy, you have Spongebob on your underwear."

Little Boy: "Yeah!"

Isaac: "Do you think Spongebob has you on his underwear?"

Little Boy: "Well...maybe!"

An Easter Message

I know that most of my readers are Mormon. But I'm pretty sure that there are a few of you out there who aren't (and who are lurking ;).

Anyway, whether you're Mormon or not, this is a simple--but powerful--Easter message about Jesus Christ. I don't want to get too preachy, but I do want to put something out there about Easter and about why I love Easter so much.

(It's a couple days early, but I know my weekend is going to be busy. The chances of me remembering to blog on Easter Sunday are about...0%.)

More on Sugar

{image source}

So...remember about a month and a half ago, when I posted about sugar and corn syrup?

Well, an article came out in the New York Times Magazine yesterday (I don't usually read the NY Times--I came across a link to the article somewhere else) that has a whole lot to say about sugar.

Like, nine pages' worth.

That's a long article, I know. I usually have a hard time reading anything longer than a page or so (be quiet, I know you do too), but this was so fascinating to me that I read the whole thing. Not in one sitting, but whatever.

Here's the article: Is Sugar Toxic?

I highly recommend it. Let me know what you think.

A Brief Announcement

No, I'm not pregnant.

I changed my header. Y'know, the one up there ^^^ . I wanted a spring-ier look.

That's all.

School Daze

{image source}

Don't I ever blog about anything but school anymore?

No? Okay, just checking.

Little Boy and I both "go" to school here at home--sort of, in our own ways. And now, Isaac's decided to join us--but he's going to an actual brick-and-mortar school. A local technical college, actually.

After Isaac left his job, it became pretty clear to us that he should go back to school--even though he has a Bachelor's degree already--to be trained in something that he loves to do. So we prayed some (more--we'd been praying a lot already), and found a program that's a good fit for him.

Don't ask me what that program is, because I really couldn't tell you. It has something to do with electronics, and tools, and stuff...but every time Isaac tries to explain it to me, he gets all giddy and I can't really follow him.

See? That's his "mad scientist" face. This photo was taken a few years ago--he's been teaching himself how to do whatever-it-is for awhile now.

So...off he goes to school. I'm excited for him, but it's been an adjustment for all three of us. Just keep swimming, right?

Right.

Tom Hanks Is a Funny, Funny Man

A side of Tom Hanks you've never seen. Oh, with a little Ron Howard thrown in at the end.

181st LDS General Conference

{Note: If you have questions about LDS General Conference, go here to learn more about it, here for a link to watch or listen to it, or here to read about the history and whatnot. Or, y'know, you could ask me.}

So...General Conference. Y'know how, every time, everyone says it was the best! conference! ever!? Of course it was. Every session of conference is tailored for right now. I like that.

I could go on and on about it, but I know you don't have time for that kind of thing. (You're welcome.) So here's just two things that inspired me:

1. Orson F. Whitney was quoted by both Elder Richards (of the Seventy) and Elder Johnson (also a Seventy):

"No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God . . . and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire and which will make us more like our Father and Mother in heaven."

I like the reminder that everything we go through is for our education--to learn to be better. And who doesn't want to be better?

2. I was really moved by what Sister Stevens (from the Primary presidency) said about beholding your little ones. She was talking about 3 Nephi 17:21-23:

"And when he had said these words, he wept, and the multitude bare record of it, and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them. And when he had done this he wept again; And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones."

Between having a four-year-old at home and being the Primary secretary in my ward, I spend a lot of time with little ones. It's hard to remember to really look at them and listen to them sometimes--to behold them. They can teach us just as much as we teach them, if we don't tune them out.

So what do you think? Was it the best conference ever?

Look, I went to Conference once! In October '08. Little Boy stayed home with his grandma.