Grateful...

It's been a tough few weeks here at Happy Acres.  Kev and I both had a sinus infection that wiped us out pretty thoroughly.  Then Kevin got REALLY sick with a cough that turned out to be pneumonia.  Then had a severe allergic reaction to the medication the doctor gave him and almost ended up in the hospital.  

Scared me a little.  (Ok, more than a little.)  Just when Kevin started feeling more like himself, I came down with a cough and Kevin whisked me off to the doctor.  Who knew pneumonia was contagious??? Not me!  According to the doctor, my lungs looked and sounded "junky"...is that a new medical term? lol

In the midst of all this, I have taken time to look at our lives and found great reasons to give thanks to our loving Heavenly Father.  As bad as Kevin got, it could have been so much worse.  As sick as I've felt the last few days, I didn't get as bad as Kevin because my sweet Hubby took me right in to get this treated.  We have had Ward members bring us dinner and friends and family praying for us.  We have felt the benefits of those prayers everyday.

Most of all, I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who trust us with challenging circumstances in our lives.  I see Him guiding me through these challenges and trusting me to learn the lessons from them that I need to learn in order for me to become who I am supposed to be.  

Today I felt a little better (getting a warm shower definitely helped! lol).  I had a long talk with my Heavenly Father and then read my scriptures.  I am so grateful for the time I get each day to learn from the scriptures and talk to my Father-in-Heaven.  I love how it makes me feel.  I love how much closer to Him I feel when I do what He asks of me.  My days go better, I am more patient, kind, and understanding.  I love His influence in my life.  Most of all, I love how grateful to Him I feel each day, for His love, kindness, and tender-mercies!

Just sayin'...

Twice a year!!!

The first weekend of each April and October is General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Those are also my very favorite weekends of the year!!!

Twice on each Saturday and Sunday of those weekends, we get to listen to our Church leaders teach us the doctrines of the Gospel and how to apply them in our lives.  They are inspiring and uplifting.  I always come away feeling full to overflowing with hope and optimism for my continuing journey through life.

Here in Utah, we get to watch these sessions of Conference on TV from the comfort of our own living room! We lovingly refer to this as "jammie-church".  We get to be comfy and cozy (often in our PJ's) to watch, listen and learn.  Usually we accompany this with yummy food, so there is a definite celebratory feeling to the entire weekend.  Other people get to go to the Conference Center in Salt Lake City to watch it live.  

Still others attend at their various meeting-houses and watch via satellite.

However, even if I had to dress in Church-clothes and go to a Chapel to watch and listen to Conference, it would still be my favorite time!  More than anything, I love how I feel after Conference weekend: uplifted, inspired, and loved by my Heavenly Father!

If you're interested in watching or learning more, please feel free to go to www.lds.org or www.mormon.org for more information.  We love to share those things that make us so happy!