Women's Conference 2011

Left to right: Lori, me, Natalie, Deb

April 29, 2011

(Sadly this is the only photo from my trip to Utah.  I decided to take my old camera so I wouldn't have to worry about my nice camera.  Turned out to be a bad decision cause it died on me.)

In January Natalie asked me if I would like to come to Women's Conference.  Of course, I wanted to go but wasn't sure if I could work out the details of making it happen.  I talked with Chris and he said he couldn't get the time off from work.  Little did I know that he was secretly planning a surprise trip for me to go!  He was going to tell me on Valentine's Day but he could not hold the secret in that long.  He was so excited tell me!  My husband really knows how to spoil me.  

This was my first time going and it was a wonderful experience! It is held on the BYU campus in Provo, Utah. In a nutshell ( description borrowed from their website) this is what women's conference is all about:

The BYU Women’s Conference is a two-day conference for those 16 and older. We have general sessions where all participants meet together in the Marriott Center. We also have concurrent sessions, when you get to choose from 14 or 15 different sessions per hour. Topics include home, family, marriage, service, gospel topics (scripture/doctrine), and others such as missionary work and education—all discussed from a gospel perspective and directed toward women. 

This year's theme was "By Small and Simple Things Are Great Things Brought to Pass" Alma 37: 6-7.   It was so hard to decide which classes to choose.  Needless to say it was a two day spiritual feast!  I listened to some excellent speakers.  It was a much needed time out from day to day life where it is so easy to get caught up in the here and now and on things that really just aren't that important. A chance to step back and look at things with an eternal perspective. Attendance ranges from 15,000 to 18,000 women!  One of my favorite parts was when we would all gather in the Marriott Center.  When we would all sing songs together the feeling and spirit was incredible. 

We also had time in the evenings to eat out, do a little shopping and enjoy some girl talk. I then got to spend a couple days with the Pierce family in Garland which was also a treat!  Special thanks to Natalie for thinking of me.  Thanks to Deb and Lori for sharing their hotel room and experience with a stranger.  Our common love of Natalie brought us all together.  Hopefully we will be able to do it again someday!

Chris was completely worn out when I got home and much more appreciative of me.  Chris swears he did not sleep the whole time I was gone.  He tried to get Ashlyn to sleep with him but she said he "squeezes too hard"!  Which is very true.  I think Ashlyn missed me the most while I was gone.  She is completely devoted to me...though oddly enough that devotion doesn't usually translate into trying to please me...she is such a unique little person.  She did clean her room for me again and insisted on getting me pink roses.

35

My birthday fell on a Sunday this year. As soon as we got home from church I was in my jammies just like I am every Sunday. Ashlyn picked out this cute Strawberry Shortcake cake for me. Chris said she spent a long time debating between whether or not the cake should say, "Happy Birthday Heather" or "Happy Birthday Mama". She finally decided on Heather. I ate most of this cake myself. I had a big slice everyday for 4 or 5 days. :) Just getting a head start on my holiday weight gain plan. I received beautiful aquamarine earrings and a matching necklace and was spoiled rotten all day long.

34

Yesterday I turned 34. Yippee!!! Another year older and wiser too. At least I hope so. =)

Chris always goes out of his way to make my birthday special. He bought this cake at a local bakery and it was super yummy! Even Chris who is not a big cake fan loved it. Let me tell you the effort Chris went to to light those two candles. We did not have any matches in the house. I told him not to worry but he said, "my wife is going to make a birthday wish"! He took some paper towels twisted them up and then held it to the heating element in the oven. It took a little patience but he was eventually rewarded with fire. I still can't believe he got the candles lighted and didn't suffer any serious burns cause once that paper towel lit it went up in flames fast!
After my breakfast of donuts, I got to open my gifts. Chris had taken the kids the night before to pick things out and said he was really impressed with Wit and Gavin's selections. Gavin said he wanted to get me a book and some black licorice. My boy knows his Mama! There is not much I like better than reading a good book while eating treats. Ashlyn got herself, I mean me some chocolates. As soon as they got home from shopping she had immediately told me she had gotten me flowers and chocolates. We have taken to calling her Loose Lips Ashlyn. =) Last week we had taken the kids to pick out gifts for each other and she immediately gave a detailed description to Whitney and Gavin on what she had gotten them along with what they had got for each other. Whitney got me a pedi-egg! Maybe you have seen the infomercial on TV? I had wondered aloud several times if this invention could possibly be as great as it seemed. It totally is!!! Worth every penny!!! Chris described it as a cheese grater for your feet. Lovely image, is it not?

Whitney also got me this cute apron she is modeling in the above photo. You might notice that is fits her perfectly. Since I am just a smidgen bigger than a size 2 in juniors it is not fitting me so well. it sure looks cute on her though!!! And it came with one in Ashlyn's size too so they can be twinners. Then Chris handed me an envelope, inside was a letter that said Dec. 16th at 1300. Wouldn't it be really (really was repeated for two pages of type) nice to never wear glasses or contacts again? He has set up a consultation appointment for me to see about having Lasik eye surgery. We shall see if these eyes of mine can be fixed to 20/20 eyesight! I have worn glasses since the third grade and cannot see a thing without corrective lenses. To wake up and be able to see the alarm clock? To go swimming and be able to see? I can only imagine the wonder and delight of it!!! I was also treated to an excellent meal at Carrabba's.

Ode to Rain

One of my favorite feelings is waking up in the night to the sound of rain. There is just something so delicious feeling about being nice and cozy in your bed while listening to the soothing sound of rain falling. For some reason rainy days make me feel like not only is it okay to be completely lazy but almost expected of me. It got me to thinking though about why I love rainstorms so much.

Growing up in the desert of Southern Nevada, rain was a rare commodity. We did occasionally have thunderstorms where the power would go out. My favorite was when this happened in the evenings and we would have to get out the kerosene lamp. I remember at the first hint of rain hoping for a power outage. And joy of joy when it actually did!!! Running with such excitement for the lighting of the lamp. These occurrences happened less and less as I got older, finally dying out completely. Modern technology conquering the elements, I suppose. I think that's where my love of rain began. With nothing to do but watch the storm and wait for lightening to illuminate the sky for that brief instant of time. Listening to the thunder roll, as a small child it all seemed almost magical. Beyond human understanding or control. Even the smell was divine. Rain falling on parched desert sand is such a clean smell. The mind can't help but turn to diety and the mysteries of life.

Heather's hair rant!

Life is so unfair! Not only is my natural hair color the most boring color known to man (potato skin brown) but even worse it is naturally curly. Imagine this being said to you in an Eastern European accent dripping with disdain, "this color, I do not like, it is not pretty. It is like the color of potato skins. True story. You would think by my age I would have made peace with this issue but unfortunately I have not. Hence the hair rant, just so people can have a small inkling to my pain. This is not a attempt to fish out some compliments. I want people to know that I am fully aware of how hideous my hair is. This morning I even shocked myself a little. As I was attempting to do something with this frizzy mop, I actually found myself seriously pondering this thought "I wonder if I went through chemotherapy if my hair texture would change?" Or if you find yourself thinking its a good thing there aren't any hair clippers in the house or I would be shaving my head Britney Spears style, you know your pain is real. This humidity makes my hair wild and out of control! If you saw me on the 4th of July you will understand what I am talking about. Suffice it to say that my own husband alternated between pity and laughter every time he looked in my direction. I am stuck between a rock and a hard place literally. Straightening my hair is an hour long process that half the time ends up looking like a Brillo pad after a few hours. I have tried countless products, treatments ect. Wearing it curly makes me feel like I'm stuck in the era of big hair bands and have fallen into a time warp. I would so cut it super short, if only I wouldn't look like a man in drag. Don't even start me on my hair disasters. I could go on for pages but I will stop myself. My poor husband gets to listen to this rant at least every few months. I can't even find a color that looks good on me. My last attempt was supposed to be a dark brunette but ended up looking very red. I am open to any suggestions, ideas or even sympathy.