Women's Conference

On April 28th I left for Utah to go to BYU's Women's Conference. I felt lucky enough to be able to go the 2 day conference but to be away from children for 4 days was an added bonus. Wait! Before you bash me, I've said it before and I'll said it again...
I love my children and I love being a mom BUT, I am a better mother to my children when we can miss each other once in a while. If you are the type of mom who feels guilty being away from your children well I say

GET OVER IT!

Have you ever thought that you're doing everybody in your family a favor if you get gone to rejuvenate yourself, fill your bucket and let your kids live without you for a few days? How else can they really appreciate you? I'm all for being healthy and filling buckets. This year I felt a deep, spiritual pull beckoning me to Women's Conference. I didn't think I would be able to go because Jeff would be gone during the same time, but he insisted we try to work it out.

Bless his heart.

And thanks to my hero brother, Marc who flew in and saved me.

Bless his heart triple double dipper.

It was a win-win situation. I was happy and so were the children. I think Marc was the only one who got the raw end of the deal. Just my opinion.

But he survived and that says a lot.

Let me just take a minute now to ramble about Marc and his amazing manny/uncle abilities. He got the kids to practice the piano. He took Ady and a friend shopping to Target and Justice. (Whoa! I don't think I would even do that.)

He did movies and pizza and parks and get this... he took 4 kids to stake conference.

Wowzer!!!

Two hours at stake conference can do any sane parent in.

He was amazing. My only instructions were that the children were alive and breathing by the time I got home. He surpassed those expectations by a long shot. He's ready for 4 kids... is there any cute, available girl out there who wants Marc's phone number?

He's a pretty amazing package.

Let me just high light a few of my favorite gems of insight that I gathered at BYU's Women's Conference:

*The most important skill we can develop in this life is to seek and know how to receive personal revelation. The adversary will pick us off if we don't develop this. We need to be solid and strong and know what our mission is. (Julie Beck)

*Julie Beck taught, if your life doesn't have TRUE priorities then nothing else will work:

Essentials are: prayer, scripture study, church, service, temple.

Necessaries are: homemaking, cooking, teaching, FHE, organizing, self-reliance.

Nice to Do's- crafts, reading, movies. These things don't save us.

*Faith is a muscle. It is a verb.

*Our trials are wrapped up for gift packages for each of us. Look for the blessings those trials bring. God needs brave children.

*Satan wants us to feel discouraged daily as we concern excessively over our self. Without service to others our spiritual growth will be stunted. The media tells us that we are never enough... our teeth are never white enough, our floors are never clean enough, our hair is never shiny enough, our children aren't happy enough. The Lord wants us to know that we are enough. He knows our hearts and we need to lock arms as women... together we are a perfect 10. Service is the answer.

There was so much. So many stories. So many thoughts that came to me.

Elder Oaks was the concluding speaker and was fabulous! I felt blessed to be there.

My mom came with me on Friday and it was delicious to be with her. We also found our great friends, Jana and Angelle...

Same time same place next year. See you there!