Uhhh...

Is it bad if I don't even remember today?

I'm going to bed. :)

Caitlin "passed out" on my kitchen floor. A random picture for an unremarkable day. :)

Stake Conference Part Deux

Yeah for Stake Conference (again)! And super yeah for getting done with Church before noon!

So they split our stake today. Its a tad bittersweet. Its exciting because it only took 18 years for the stake to need to split and that the Church is strong here. Its a tad sad because now Loomis and Lincoln (including Cait & Nick) are in the new Lincoln, CA Stake. But Rocklin did get both Granite Bay wards. So now there are 8 wards in each. Roseville (who lost the Granite Bay wards) now have 9 wards.

It was funny because they were broadcasting from the Lincoln building and just when it was being announced who the Lincoln Stake President was, the sound cut out so we missed all of the presidency. Everyone gasped and laughed. Fortunately, President Deaver was in our building and so was able to announce and have President Perez sustained. I'm kinda jealous I'm not in that stake.

I'm sure this is a much more managable amount--as opposed to the 14 we had before. We were the largest stake in CA and the 2nd largest on the west coast! I imagine that it was difficult for the leaders. I think this will be good. And it will give more people a chance to serve and lead. It will be interesting to see what happens next. Lincoln doesn't have a stake center. I'm sure they will build one. The best news is, though, is that our ward is going to still cover both stakes and Granite Bay. Yeah!!

The rest of the meeting was a broadcast from Salt Lake to 67 stakes in Northern CA. I didn't even know there were that many!! It was awesome. President Eyring presided and Elder Packer was also there. The first speaker was Elder Rasband of the 70. The way he was talking about building temples, it sure sounded like they were going to announce a new temple in Northern CA. Bekah and I were postulating where it would be. My guess: Chico. But they didn't.

I think President Eyring's talk was my favorite. It was all about sustaining and following the Prophet. If we look to them with an eye of Faith, we will have the Spirit and gain testimony that they are the mouthpiece of the Lord. When we follow the Prophet's counsel and commandments, we will be safe and have peace. I know it is true and am so very grateful for it my life.

Stake Conference Part 1

I love Stake Conference. I wish I could have had a picture of all the adults that were at the adult session. It was amazing! Maybe it was because tomorrow we're having a "historical meeting" and maybe some where hoping for a juicy tidbit tonight, but still they were there. It was so wonderful. I love going and feeling the unity and camaraderie of all those that are there. Since this was the stake I grew up in, it feels so comfortable and wonderful. I love seeing people that I grew up with or from the family ward that I don't get to see very often. It feels very safe to me and that is hard to acheive in my book.

I think the take-away message, for me at least, was that no matter what may happen tomorrow--Even though administration things may change, the relationships we have with those in our stake do not--and that is what we need to focus on and remember.

President Murphy (the Stake President) was probably my favorite talk--he is so fun and hilarious! He said that he has caught a lot of flak for using the wording "historical meeting" for tomorrow's session. He said that he has heard many different opinions on what the "historial meeting"is about. A couple of the suggestions were that the Church is testing out a new "Super Stake" and that we're going to be the test stake. Another is that there is going to be a Zion's Camp 2 and we're starting it. My favorite is that our stake is the first to be called to march to Missouri. I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to march there, I'll just fly, thank you very much! Then he simply stated that what will happen tomorrow is the Lord's will and he is very comforted and very grateful for modern-day revelation.

All I have to say to that is AMEN! :)

Foggy View

The view behind my office at about 10:30am this morning.

Sometimes I have no idea what I am going to do for the rest of my life (ok, lots more than sometimes). My view gets really foggy and I can't see past a few steps. I feel like that right now. I know that at some point I'll figure it out, but right now I'm not. Maybe that is the point. I don't know. It makes me think of the hymn, "Lead, Kindly Light"--one of my favorites for this very reason. Guess I'll see what happens tomorrow...

Priorities

Today I did my taxes--both state and federal. It took me less than 45 minutes. And that is after I did it through several different programs to make sure I did it right. I made it a priority this year (instead of waiting, like last year...)
 

from despair.com

In college my roommates and I stumbled upon this website http://www.despair.com/. It is hilarious!! Instead of having motivational posters--it has demotivational posters.

So this is a priority in my life--to make something crazy that I did a tourist attraction--like that guy in Amarillo Texas that put cars in the ground so that they were sticking straight up. Its called Cadillac Ranch. We used to drive past it when we were driving to Dallas each summer. Pretty inspiring.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillac_Ranch

 I don't know what I am going to do yet, but I'm sure I'll come up with something--whether intentionally or not...

An Educational Post

Alright, I think people get really annoyed at all the things I find fascinating, interesting, intriguing, (etc.) and get excited about and then ABSOLUTELY have to tell them about. For prime example, see my prior post about the size of Australia. Apparently people don't care about things like that as much as I do.

So I'm going to put it here, where people can choose to learn something cool that they may or may not have known. So if you're annoyed, its not my fault. Chances are, I'll still tell everyone anyway, but maybe it will help. What can I say, I love learning things!? :)

So back to my fascinating fact of the day.

I learned that there are a lot of countries that have weird/interesting national animals/icons. Here are a few of my favorites.

United States (You should already know this): Bald Eagle. And the American Bison.

Mexico: National Arthropod: Grasshopper. BEST EVER! (also: National Dog: Chihuahua, naturally)

Albania: Dragon (Along with the Lion & Eagle)

Antigua & Barbuda: Blue Whale

Botswana: Zebra!

[O] Canada: Beaver (A Canadian friend once tried to explain why. He made it sound so very regal. Maybe there is something else to this little wood chewer...)

Croatia: Dalmation (I wonder how they feel about 101 Dalmations?)

Cuba: Cuban Crocodile

Denmark: Mute Swan

France: Gallic Rooser (seriously.)

Gambia: Hyena (really? I'm not sure I would want something that laughs when it is ruthlessly killing another animal...)

Guatamala: Quetzal (I think this bird is really beautiful.)

Kiribati: Magnificent Frigitbird

Kuwait: Camel (YES!)

Macedonia: Ohrid Trout (Lion, Lynx, and a dog that I can't even spell or pronounce)

Mauritius: Dodo

Nepal: Cow

Scotland (as part of the UK): Unicorn! So magical!

 

I was amazed at how many countries listed dragon as a national animal. And there were quite a few fishes as well.

I think if I had a country, I would pick the Blue Footed Booby. Why? Because I like it and people give funny looks when you say the name. ha ha ha ha. Try it.



The Blue Footed Booby is found around the Galapagos Islands--my #1 spot to visit someday.

I got this from the most trusted website in the world--Wikipedia. Feel free to look up their complete list. There are a lot I didn't include. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_national_animals) 

Facinating isn't it?

Why I Love my Ward

Top 10 reasons I love my ward:

10. We play three legged whiffle ball for FHE!

9. Siblings stick together--sometimes literally.



8. There is always someone to pick us up when we fall.

7. We work together REALLY well!

6. When we fail, we fail with glory.

5. Marie!!

4. We make lots of new friends.

3. We're really friendly...maybe too friendly? :)

2.We carry each other's burdens. (& yes, I did have permission to say that!)

1. And we always make it home safe, just not always First Base.

I'm So Funny!

Last week my co-worker, Melissa, and I thought it would be fun to get our supervising attorney, Mike, an "Office" mug a-la-Michael's "World's Best Boss" mug. Mike has said several times before that he loves the show and "feels a special kinship to Michael". His words, not mine. :) Since they are both Michael, I suppose it makes sense.

Well we were on the NBC website looking for the mug and we found the "Dundie Award". We thought Mike would love it. So we got both for him. We wanted to get him his own bobblehead, but those things are expensive! Like $90 expensive!!

When he gets back from his vacation next week--he's going to have a little surprise on his desk!

Best part of the Dundie? It came with different plaques you can put over the "Dundie Award" title! Ha ha ha! Mike will love it--and if he doesn't, we'll make him. :)


UPDATE: Mike LOVED them!! He laughed so hard!! He was definitely really excited. And he put them a place of honor--the top of his book case so everyone can see. Ha ha ha!

I'm a Sickie. Blech.

Because I felt bad for myself because I've been sick all week, I bought myself daffodils. And yes, they did make me feel better. :) They are so pretty, oh so pretty.

Flower Garden!

Since I am in a new place this year and have a bigger backyard, I'm planting a flower garden! Yea!! Having worms (and I mean lots of worms) in your garden is good, right? Because our soil is full of them!!

Here is what I'm planting in the backyard:

Here is where I planted them all:

You probably can't really see it, but there is a little green sprout in the dark circle of dirt. That is the shoot for the clematis.

I planted the Gladiolus & Dahlias in the beds.

And my favorites are in the front yard where everyone will see them--Calla Lilies!:

Here is where I planted them:

Hopefully they'll start growing soon! Maybe next month or March, more flower starters will be available and I can do more flowers. Like Morning Glories! I miss them already!

Here is what the morning glories looked like at the house in lincoln. They were so beautiful!

A small section of the back fence where the morning glories were.

I think one of the things I liked best about the Morning Glories is that I thought we had killed them and then suddenly there were vines and flowers everywhere. 1/3 of our fence was covered in them after only 3 months!

 And later in the year I'll probably do a produce garden again. Yippie! But probably without the pumpkins. And I'm going to label the rows better (that way I don't mix up cucumbers for watermelon again!) :)

Worst Part About Being Sick

Worst part about having a cold?

Having a chapped nose. Even when you're using the Puffs plus Lotion.

Sad day.

Interesting Fact for the Day

Today I learned an interesting fact. This map illustrates what I learned.

http://www.anbg.gov.au/maps/aust-usa-map.jpg

This is a prime example of how my brain works.

This morning I read a random article on Google News about two Bull Sharks that were seen in the flooded streets in Australia. I started snickering about it because they were seen near a McDonald's (I laughed because of the thought of two sharks swimming in streets, not because of the flooding).

I was telling my co-worker about the sharks & the flooding because she hadn't heard about it and how much of the country is underwater.

Then I thought to myself, "Self, I wonder how big Australia is compared to the United States."

So I googled it. Obviously they are pretty similar in size, something that I didn't know. I thought it was smaller.

So I showed my co-worker. She was surprised that I even was curious about it and then bothered to find out the answer. She thought, again, that I am weird.

Is that weird? Even if it is, I already knew I was weird. :)

Buried Alive!

Pretty sure I'm being buried alive in tissues. I've never used this many tissues in my life.

Yesterday I was sent home from work and my boss told me not to come in today.

So in my bum-ness today, I am having a Chuck marathon. And the tissues are piling up. :)

At least I can go to work tomorrow. Hopefully. :)

I think I am going to take  a nap now....

Today's Forecast

Puffs plus Lotion-always a must!

Cloudy with a 100% chance of lots of used tissues.

I Heart Relief Society!

Tonight we had a Relief Society activity. It was an ice cream social! Yeah for ice cream! It was fun to chat with everyone and be with women that share the same values as I do. I've gained such a great love and appreciation for Relief Society! Yeah!

Adventures in Lincoln

Today was really fun. Earlier in the week Alyssa told me she was giving a talk in church and she was really stressed about it. It was kinda cute--well to me, not to her. :) I told her it was okay because I gave a talk last Sunday, and they work out and she'll do fabulous. I told her that I would come to cheer her on. And make her a poster. And hold up said poster in Sacrament meeting. She was horrified and told me not to come. And then said it would be okay.

I don't think she believed me because when I showed up, she was so excited. Too bad I can't be greeted like that whenever I arrive somewhere. :) She was sweet.

Lys gave her talk and she did a great job! Really. I'm pretty sure that my talks at 15 were not that good. She had stories and scriptures and quotes by General Authorities. And she wrote it, not Michelle. I was so proud! :) Not that I had anything really to do with it, but still. I've known her since she was 2. Thats gotta count for something, right? And I'm her fake big sister. That definitely counts. ha ha ha. Oh, and I was respectful, I didn't hold up a poster--but I did make faces before and after her talk.

I was going to take off, but then Michelle said something about her RS lesson. So I stuck around for her lesson. As usual, she was fabulous. It was so fun. It was like I was in Young Women's again!

After church Michelle asked me to come over and "hang out" with Kevin (it's not babysitting--he is almost 12) later this week because everyone will be gone. Lys was upset and said something to the effect of, "Why am I too old to have a babysitter?! Not fair!" I felt so loved! Michelle told her that we can still hang out and do fun things--because we can be friends. She then replied with, "Oh, okay."

So its been a long time since I went to a family ward--and even longer since I went to one that wasn't Loomis 1st. It was a little strange to not recognize many people. I kept having to remind myself that the YSA ward is freakishly quiet (there are no children fussing, crying, screaming, etc.) so a family ward is not loud--but it was. There were three of the most adorable little boys were sitting in front of us and I was completely distracted by them. They were sooo cute and did cute things and were super flirty. I'm sure the speakers were great and said wonderful things, but honestly, I don't remember anything after Lys' talk. It doesn't help that Kevin and I played a round of the dot game. I won--but barely. :)

I found Sunday School to be entertaining and enlightening. There are quite a few older people in their ward and they kept asking tangent questions and giving tangent answers--which really had nothing to do with the point of the lesson--which was bearing testimony of Jesus Christ. It was pretty awesome.

I think my favorite moment of the ward came in Relief Society (besides Michelle's lesson & Lys' talk, of course). There was this sweet woman, probably in her 70's sitting a few rows in front of me. She was in a wheelchair and all hunched over. And when she sang, it was wonderful. It was off key, her voice was practically monotone, and her timing was definitely off, but I sincerely thought it was beautiful and I felt the Spirit. I am not making fun of her. Please don't think I am.

I loved that 1) She didn't seem to care, maybe she didn't know, but if she did, she didn't keep it from stopping her. 2) No one else seemed to care or even notice. Chances are they did, because it was obvious, but no one said anything or tried to stop her. It was so beautiful. Maybe I'm making too much of it, but it was a wonderful moment of testimony about how wonderful the Gospel is.

The Gospel is all IN-clusive. You don't have to be good at everything or even anything to be a member. You don't have to be rich or poor. You don't have to beautiful, young, or old. There are no exceptions, or exclusions. All you do is have to want a testimony of Jesus Christ and you are welcome. And I think that is beautiful.

Ok, I'm not sure how this turned into a testimony meeting here, but that was my Sunday and it was a lovely experience. And apparently a long one. So I will close with a picture of Lys, Kevin, and me from about a couple of years ago after a "date." :)

Wendy's Wedding!

So I am dedicating this little post to my friend Wendy. Wendy is a dear friend and the cousin to my best friend Monica. We went to high school together. So much fun! Wendy was a year behind us in school--but even senior year, she came to all the senior activities with us. (Lauren even asked her to our Senior Ball so we could all hang out that night! ha ha ha!!)

Anyway, Wendy got married today! YEAH! Here are some pictures of her reception. I loved it. Simple, but very beautiful!

4 of Monica's nieces: Cate, Ella, Anna, and Kallie saying hi to Monica!

Wendy and Eric

An Educational Day

Today I learned some great facts about my grandparents.

Like the fact that my grandparents hung out with Maureen O'Hara while she was filming a movie. (They were taking a tour of the movie studio and the director thought Grandpa was in the movie. When he realized Grandpa wasn't--he invited them to hang around, have lunch with the cast, and watch!)

And just prior to that my Grandpa had a meeting with the Pope in the Sistine Chapel when he was in Rome while on leave. Yeah, you heard that right--the Pope. Not that this really means all that much to Mormons, but it is kinda cool considering that these days its practically impossible. Its actually a cool story. Grandpa told the Pope that he was Mormon. When he told Nana about it, she asked him what the ceiling looked like in the Sistine Chapel (apparently meeting the Pope didn't impress her). He said he didn't even look. Really. At least Grandpa had his priorities straight--meet the Pope. Check. Share the Gospel. Check. So awesome.

Read the full stories here: http://www.vernbryson.blogspot.com/

Vern & Sybil, October 15, 1942--the day after their wedding.

Despite All the Rain Today...

...We had a beautiful sunset.

It was raining today. But then briefly, just in time, the clouds parted and we had a beautiful sunset. Then afterward, the clouds closed up.

It was a perfect end to a dreary, rainy day. :)

Seriously?

I don't get it. I really don't. When someone sends you a letter that CLEARLY explains how to fill a form out correctly--why is it so hard to fill it out correctly?!?! And then to do it incorrectly twice? Even after a couple of phone calls explaining it? Really? (I keep thinking of SNL's "Really" segment when they do their news.) You would think that someone would try a little harder when the form is going to give them money--lots of money.

I think reading comprehension doesn't exist anymore. Or people just don't try or care. Most likely its the latter. Which is really sad.

Why is it so hard?

***

In other news, I had a ridiculously delicious lunch today. I'm drooling thinking about it. :) I heart Togo's.

Yes, that is a #30 with Avo, and Pringles.
mmmmm!!!!....I think I would have been a prime subject for Pavlov's experiment.

1/11/11 & My Grandpa's Autobiography

Today is 1/11/11. In case you didn't know. Ha Ha! And my post time is 11:11am. Double Ha Ha (would that be a quadruple ha?) !


***


So I had the best idea today. I've been working on my Grandpa's Autobiography for the last couple of years--yes, you read that right, YEARS. And I feel selfish because no one has been able to read it. It is so wonderful and entertaining. I feel like everyone should have it. But, alas, I am slow.

The thing that makes it hard is that it is really long. Which is a great thing--until you are the one that is typing it up. My Nana started typing it originally (Grandpa wrote it out long hand), but got frustrated (her words were something along the line of--"he wrote it wrong...that's not how it happened...etc.") and stopped. She typed it on a typewriter on small print on large paper, with almost no margins. So while I've typed 50 normal pages, I've made it to page 35 of her pages. It is slow going.

So because people keep asking about it, and I want people to be able to read it, I've come up with a solution. I think its brilliant--maybe even inspired . :)

I created a blog for my Grandpa! So now he is definitely the coolest Grandpa EVER--he has his own blog! 6 years after he died! How cool is that?!?! ha ha ha ha. Ok, here is the address:

www.vernbryson.blogspot.com 

And I just double checked the link and it works! Whoo hoo!

Now I'm still working on it, and I probably will for a long time, but here is what I have so far.

If anyone has suggestions, feel free to share!

Vern Elrick Bryson's ROTC Picture 1941(?)

Well There's a Surprise...

Today was completely & utterly uneventful. And I am kinda glad. :)

At least it was beautiful outside!

A Great Blue Heron right behind my office. They are huge!

Cake Pops!

Today, Bekah was introduced to Cake Pops. We decided to make them tonight.

Here they are.

First we made regular cake recipe--following the box instructions. And we cooked it.

The uncooked batter.

Then once it was cooked and cooled, we crumbled it all up. Once the crumbs were crumbled, Bekah mixed in a can vanilla frosting.

 Once the frosting and crumbs were mixed completely, We made little balls with the dough. It wasn't very solid. But they held the shape fairly well.

 Because they weren't solid enough to dip in chocolate, we put them in the freezer till they were.

 Once they were frozen, we dipped them in melted chocolate. We added white chocolate chips for a bit of flourish.

We froze them again.

Then we added the skewers.

Cheers!

Then we ate them! :) MMMMM good! Soooo good! Definitely sweet! And that is what I did with my Sunday night. :)