Happy Halloween, y'all!!

Happy Birthday Mom

I'd like to try a new kind of post for birthdays. At least for mom.

I was reading Sister Hinckley's book on "Small & Simple Things". I read through all of her quotes and little excerts on life that go with the quotes. I wanted to pick one that really described my mom and use that to express how I feel about her and her "legacy" rather than throwing random words together to spell her name. (I'm limited in my creativity and I'm sure I've just used the same words year after year...) So, I thought I'd use a source that had that "flare" with words. Sister Hinckley happened to nail my mom right on the proverbial head.

Now, while my mom means a million different things to me ranging all over the spectrum, the one that stuck out most to me was this one. The part in this that sealed the deal for me was "'You can't teach your children to be good. The best you can do for your child is to live a good life yourself.'"

My mom happens to be the greatest example in so many areas of her life, I couldn't simply choose a quote on "testimony" or "faith" or "service" or "dealing with trials" or so on and so forth. My mom has simply been an amazing example to me of living a good life. In every single way.

Mom, I hope you had a fun South Carolina style birthday, but I've missed having you just 30 minutes away and I want you to know that I can't wait for you to get back. I believe with all my heart (tears are coming...) that this page in this small book was the perfect way to tell you how I feel. I love you with all my heart and hope to high heaven that (besides looking just like you) I have some of the same qualities that you possess and can be a similar, even if only slightly, example to my children.

Happy Birthday, Mom.

Love,
Jenn

King Benjamin's tower

I got a really cute idea this year for General Conference from the Friend. We first read in Mosiah chapter 2 how King Benjamin's people "gathered themselves together throughout all the land, that they might go up to the temple to hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them." so that's what we did. we pitched our tent right in front of his tower and waited to hear our prophets words.  It was a great teaching moment for us from the scriptures and we had a lot of fun playing in the tent throughout conference. I think it's going to be a new tradition at our house.