Mormons and Christianity

"Any criticism that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints does not hold the contemporary Christian view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is not a comment about our commitment to Christ but rather a recognition (accurate, I might add) that our view of the Godhead breaks with post-New Testament Christian history and returns to the doctrine taught by Jesus Himself."

-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

They're Creepy and They're Kooky

Cutest thing I've seen today:

Little Boy and Isaac, snuggled up together on the couch, watching The Addams Family. [The TV show, not the movie.]

Little Boy thinks it's hilarious.

And I'm pretty proud of myself for checking The Addams Family out from the library before the Halloween rush.

We only come out at night.

We have a little family secret....

We're undead.

[Photos edited using Picnik's zombie and vampire effects.]

Ya Gotta Do What Ya Gotta Do

It's getting chilly here.

Yes, he has plenty of long-sleeved shirts. But a couple weeks ago, when this was taken, he was still insisting that he'd be fine in short sleeves.

And apparently draping a blanket over himself is way better than changing his clothes.

The Remarkable Women of God

"It is precisely because the daughters of Zion are so uncommon that the adversary will not leave them alone." -Elder Neal A. Maxwell

It's better to look up.

I haven't been very grateful lately.

I've always been basically happy with my life. Even when we've been unemployed, when we've been seriously ill, and when we've had to go without. Even then, deep down, I've been able to say that I'm happy. Because I've always tried to appreciate what we have.

I've struggled a lot since Isaac quit his job last summer. When he decided to go back to school, I knew (and still know) that it was the right thing to do. I hoped I'd feel better. We'd been students before, and we'd been fine then, right?

I don't know if I was living in a bubble when we were students before, or whether this time is truly different. Maybe a little of both.

And don't get me wrong--we've had some beautiful, wonderful days since then. But lately...beautiful and wonderful have eluded me. All I've been thinking about is how much I would change my life if I could. About how much we don't have. And about how much I can't do.

But then, last night, I looked around myself and realized that I have more now than I've ever had before. My life isn't what I expected it to be right now, and it's different from everyone else's my age that I can think of. But everyone else's lives don't matter. I have what I need for now.

Like President Monson was quoted as saying in this last General Conference, it's better to look up.