Getting Older

 Yesterday was my birthday. It was also Fast Sunday. I thought that I wouldn't like celebrating my birthday on a Sunday, but I found it even better than a week day. I was able to bear my testimony of Jesus Christ and the importance of the temple in Sacrament Meeting as well as partake of the sacred emblems of the sacrament. Being among my friends in Relief Society also made me feel loved and included, which is always good. The Relief Society Presidency even wished me a happy birthday and gave me a little gift..

Arrangements had been made a week in advance to get together for a steak dinner at our house with all of our local family members even though we had just gotten together on Wednesday to celebrate Cheryl's birthday. Getting together twice in one week isn't normal, but it was nice.

After fasting all day, I was ready to tear into that Ribeye steak. It really was delicious. I cooked them using the Sous Vide first, then Parker seared them for us. They really turned out great, I thought. Eric & Cheryl added items to the menu - mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables, rolls, and ice cream cake for dessert. So delicious.

Here are some photos from last night. Alan and Ryan are not in the group photo. Ryan had to leave a little bit early. Ella was in Logan for school and couldn't attend.

Me eating the delicious ice cream cake that Cheryl made.

Eric's family got me this beautiful bouquet of roses. So pretty!

It's no fun getting older, but it was fun being able to gather as a family. Family is important to me and it's an important part of God's plan in sending his sons and daughters to the earth. Where would we be without families? I'm so grateful for my family. God has blessed me immensely with the perfect family for me. Sadly, Kyle's family and Jared's family couldn't join us. Living so far away makes it nearly impossible to get everyone together for any event.

He Is Risen!

 Easter is later this month on April 20th. Trivia question for you - how many times has Easter Sunday fallen on my birthday (April 13th)? I'm pretty old, so you would think that Easter would have been on my birthday at least a few times over my 72 years of living, but no! Easter has never fallen on my birthday since my birth in 1953! The first time Easter will be on my birthday will be in 2031, which is 6 years from now. Hopefully, I will still be among the living to witness that event. Haha!

Speaking of Easter, we had a 5th Sunday class taught by the Monson's in our ward regarding Easter and the celebration of Christ's resurrection. At one point in the lesson, it was stressed that instead of Easter bunnies, Easter eggs, Easter candy, etc. more emphasis should be put on the fact that Christ died and then rose again on the 3rd day and that He lives again. A resurrection had never taken place in the history of the earth prior to this magnificent event.

I was very touched by the "He is risen" aspect of the lesson, so I went to Hobby Lobby the next day and purchased a wooden sign with that wording on it and hung it on the Easter wreath I have displayed on our front door.

For me, this is a message to let anyone who comes to our front door know that our Easter focus is on the fact that Christ was resurrected more than anything else. I do have other decorations in our family room, but this particular decoration will be the first one any person will see before entering our home.

I also bought this "Happy Easter" sign to put on our front porch.

I have always loved the story of Christ's resurrection, particularly that a woman, Mary Magdalene, was the first person to find the empty tomb. She reported to the Apostles Peter and John that Christ's body was missing and they ran to see for themselves if it was true. Apparently, John was the first to grasp that Christ had risen from the dead. He writes that "he saw, and believed."

I didn't see it for myself, but I completely believe that Christ, who died on the cross to atone for our sins, rose from the grave 3 days later. His resurrection paves the way for each of us to be resurrected at some point after we leave our earthly existence. That will definitely be a glorious day. I understand that we will long to be reunited with our bodies once again. 

I'm so grateful for the Easter holiday so I can be reminded of the great gift Christ gave each of us by his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and his miraculous resurrection. Christ really lived a matchless life - a life like no other has ever lived before. Easter is definitely worth celebrating!

General Conference

 Alan and I were privileged to attend the morning session of General Conference today. This is the first time we have attended in the Conference Center. The last time we attended, about 50 years ago, it was held in the old Tabernacle. So long ago!

Being there in person is a thrill. The Conference Center holds about 20,000 people. The design and acoustics is amazing. There was no problem hearing the speakers - even for Alan who has a hard time hearing speakers at Church even with his hearing aids.

When we arrived and took our seats about 1 hr. 15 minutes early, the Tabernacle Choir was practicing. Even that was nice to see. We were in the balcony, but our tickets seated us in the very center section, straight up from the speakers. Perfect!

It was fun watching the center fill up as the time neared 10:00 a.m. They told us to be in our seats by 9:30, but not everyone followed that instruction. I was surprised by that. It takes a while to park your car and walk to the Conference Center. Fortunately, we were able to park in a small lot adjacent to the Conference Center that was reserved for those with handicap plates/placards, so we didn't have a very long walk. So close!

Here is a view of the Conference Center partially full, about 30 minutes prior to the start time.

Finally, 10:00 arrived and the meeting began. Since the speakers are far away, they had huge monitors so we could get a close-up of the speakers. I don't have a photo of that, but I do have a photo of the authorities on the stand.

We weren't allowed to take pictures or videos once the meeting started.

Sadly, President Nelson wasn't able to attend. He is 100 years old now and it's difficult for him to get around so it was announced that he was watching from home. Maybe he will be able to attend a session tomorrow or maybe they will show a pre-recorded video of his talk. Either way, we should be able to hear from him this weekend. 

I have dedicated my life to the gospel of Jesus Christ and I always look forward to listening to His prophets, apostles, and other general authorities speak to the members of the church every April and October. I don't just listen to the talks the day they are given - I listen to them again over the next 6 months between conferences. They are food for my soul and I love listening to them. I should probably get written copies so I can study them in more detail.

It seems like there is usually a theme when it comes to General Conferences. This time, I felt like the General Authorities were exhorting us to prepare for the Lord's 2nd Coming - a time I have looked forward to and longed for my whole life. There were talks about the The Parable of the Ten Virgins, which teaches us that we need to be prepared always because nobody, except the Father, knows the exact time that Christ will come again. Our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, said: "Do you see what is happening right before our eyes? I pray that we will not miss the majesty of this moment! The Lord is indeed hastening His work...We do not know the day or the hour of His second coming. But I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that 'great and dreadful day' (Malachi 4:5)." That quote certainly tells me that the Savior will be coming soon and that we need to prepare now for that amazing future event. It can't come soon enough for me. I long for that day!

One fun thing about this particular conference is that our former Lancaster California Stake President, Bryan Crawley, was sustained as an Area Authority Seventy in the Leadership Conference held two days ago. I worked very closely with him when I was the Stake Young Women's President and he was the Stake Young Men's President. We planned, along with our counselors, many youth activities together. He is a great leader and became a Bishop before being called as the Stake President. Alan worked with him, also, as the Stake Financial Clerk under President Crawley. It is fun to see someone we know so well move up in the ranks of the church. Prior to this calling, he was serving as a counselor in the Mission Presidency. Great man who loves to serve. He's also a great speaker.

I'm so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Being a member since my baptism at 8 years of age has been such a joy. It is my lifestyle and I wouldn't change a thing. My testimony of the gospel and of Jesus Christ has grown by leaps and bounds over the years as I have lived by its principles and dedicated my life to serving in the church. I'm happy with the path I've chosen. I love the Lord and want to serve him to my dying day. I know I can do it!

DOGE

 There is a new department in our government that was created by President Trump after he was inaugurated on January 20, 2025 - 10 weeks ago. It is called DOGE, an acronym for Depart of Government Efficiency. Creating this department and having Elon Musk (the wealthiest man in the world) run it has come with much push-back from people on the left, especially the elite members of the Democrat Party. The elite, the establishment, the swamp (whatever you want to call it) did EVERYTHING they could to prevent Donald Trump from being elected last November, but the assassination attempts, the lies they told about him, and the many indictments sent to the courts to imprison him, and trying to bankrupt him didn't work. During his first term, they impeached him twice. That didn't work either. The more the establishment tried to get rid of Trump, the  more popular he became with the people of the U.S. That's how he won the presidency last November by a landslide. 

The purpose of DOGE is to go through all of the departments in the government and do an audit of sorts to weed out all the waste, fraud, and abuse that has gone unchecked for so long. There has basically been no accountability among the government departments for decades. Billions of dollars of fraud have been discovered already and it's just beginning. The anti-Trumpers are furious about it. Go figure!

I can't understand why anyone wouldn't want all the waste, fraud, and abuse removed. Eliminating it would leave more money for infrastructure, healthcare, and other essentials for the American people. The only reason I can figure out for anyone being opposed to it is that they are somehow benefiting from it. Money is probably being laundered into the bank accounts of many of our government lawmakers. This boils my blood. While our law makers are getting richer and richer, the regular American citizen is getting poorer and poorer as money is being stolen from them by the government. I knew our government was corrupt, but I had no idea just how corrupt they really were until DOGE started snooping around to see where all the money is going. I'm so grateful for DOGE and what they are doing. The humungous amount of fraud is finally being exposed!!!

I believe this situation can have a religious comparison. What if DOGE stood for Department of Godly Excellence? The forces of evil have tried to prevent God's children from getting rid of the waste, fraud, and abuse in their lives since time began. People have skeletons in their closets that they don't want exposed, just like the anti-Trumpers don't want the government's skeletons exposed. 

Instead of aiming for Godly Excellence, many attempt to worship things (like money, power, influence) instead of God, hoping that they will find happiness. Things don't bring true, long-lasting happiness. Only finding God and righteous living can do that. It's all so very sad how lives are being wasted away on frivolous earthly things instead of Godly things.

Let's create a DOGE within ourselves and our families. We should do a self-audit to weed out our own waste, fraud, and abuse so that our time here on earth isn't wasted on foolish things, but rather focused on Godly things. Wow, what a better world we could be living in if that were to happen.