Is It Naptime Yet

Note: I started writing this a week ago but didn’t want to start over, so I just added updates.

We’ve been up to a lot of different things here in the Blake house. Mostly we’ve been spending lots of time as a family hiking and enjoying Science Saturday at the Museum. We’ve also had a a park day with Carolyn and her husband, where they invited us to spend time with them on a rare day which both of them had off. I totally felt special that they invited us to come over since their day offs are never the same.

We’ve also been up to our elbows in cookies. Lilah did very well on her pre-orders and since I’m also able sell extras we’ve had 488 boxes of cookies in our house, though 72 are not spoken for just yet, I’m hoping to sell them as we travel to two more offices and if anyone needs more than what they bought. Update: We’ve sold 478 boxes of cookies. I only have ten not spoken for.

We’ve also had auditions for Cinderella. I’m super excited for the play this year. Unlike last year I was not nervous for the singing audition.

Until I stood on stage and the pianist starting playing.

Then the words almost left me and as I sung a sharp note and for the life of me I could not correct it. I just sang and hoped that whatever came out didn’t sound too bad.

The dance portion was the next day, and so was the children’s auditions. I was helping to teach the older kids dance, and as I had 15 or so pre-teens watching me I could not start on the right foot, and I got flustered and then went to teach the young kids, which included my two girls. We were trying to avoid me teaching the young ones since I had children in that group, but also because I worried that Eden actually would act shy. She didn’t act shy, and they both did really well. The song we used was short and fun. Update: I’m “third girl”, though I’m not sure what that means, and the girls are a part of the children’s ensemble, so no specific role, but I’m just happy we’re all in it.

This past week:
I’ve been delivering cookies everyday with Lilah and not working out and eating more than I should, so I’m sure I’ve gained whatever weight I’ve lost. Cookies are bad, very bad, but they taste so good.

Lilah did incredibly well on her sales. She sold about 400 with pre-orders and I ordered around 80 extra boxes to sell as we went to different delivery spots. At the beginning of the week we only sold a small amount of the extra boxes and it looked like I might have 70 extra boxes to return. On Friday we delivered to Jon’s co-workers, just two had ordered, and we brought all the extra boxes. We borrowed a red wagon from my friend Sam with a nice squeaky wheel, which was not squeaky the day before as we went around the block. Just on the way to Jon’s office, which wasn’t that far, four people stopped us, and we sold 10 boxes. Then we made a killing at Jon’s current office, and his old office, and lastly a building I worked at long ago as a student worker. Lilah loved how much people just wanted to buy girl scout cookies, and I loved that we had succeeded in selling nearly all of our extra boxes. I have learned to have tons of Caramel deLites if we ever go on campus again. We have just 10 boxes left, and I think that is a success.

Jon and I also celebrated our eighth anniversary this week. Eighth. We did a one night get-a-way at a local hotel and my sister Carolyn and her husband Derek watched the girls. We stayed at the Silverton, near Carolyn, and it also has a Bass Pro Shop, so we went shopping and saw why my Dad loves this store so much. Jon bought himself a nice hiking hat and compass and I got a cute baseball cap to wear…sometime…I’m not sure when other than hiking. We had enjoyed dinner earlier and had a wonderful time away from the worries of normal life and parenting.

So that’s our past few weeks of life in a nutshell.

This is the second time I’ve been able to listen to an Apostle speak at a Stake Conference. The last time I think we had Lilah, though I don’t remember, and I think it was Elder Neal A. Maxwell, which tells you how good I was at keeping a journal and how bad my memory is.

This time is different. (Only I started it a week ago and am now finishing it.)

On Sunday February 2, they released our current Stake President and called a new one, hence the wonderful visit from Elder Holland, though an apostle is not sent for each time a new Stake President is called, I think we lucked out because a grandson of his was passing the Sacrament for the first time on Sunday, so I think there was a mix of business with pleasure, either way, we had an apostle of the Lord speak to us.

I went by myself to Stake Conference. I was torn between having the girls go with me and then miss three weeks of Primary in a row because of how we do Daddy Sundays, or to have them be with Jon and only miss two weeks of church. I also debated on how much they would get out of it, and now I wish I had brought them, but only because they would have been able to shake an apostles hand, which this was the first time for me.

Elder Holland directed most of his talk to the youth between ages 12 and 22. He’s become a very animated speaker in the past few years and was very fervent in his plea that the youth prepare themselves now and make important decisions now to follow the Lord and decide to go on missions. He said how most of the choices we make in our youth shape us into who we are as adults, and are the most crucial ones of our lives. He made an interesting remark that he is not someone to go to if you’re wondering if you should serve a mission, because he’ll take you by your coattails and drag you to the MTC, then he said how it wasn’t a very apostolic remark, but that he sure wouldn’t sympathize for you if you were on the fence about going on a mission. Every young man should go on a mission and every young woman who feels the desire.

He also bore testimony of The Church and of Joseph Smith as a prophet. He spoke about how he is an intelligent man and if The Church was untrue he sure wouldn’t be wasting his time going around the world on church business. It is true and he is an Apostle of the Lord.

In closing he gave a wonderful Apostles blessing on the congregation.

I was in awe of this wonderful man. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go up and shake his hand, but in the end how could I pass up such a wonderful opportunity.

I believe Elder Holland to be an apostle of the Lord and I am so happy that I was able to hear him speak.