TOPS its TOPS!

I joined TOPS (Taking off Pounds Sensibly) last in may. So far I have lost about 14 lbs and gained most of that back but I had a record breaking weigh-in last night and lost a whopping 5 pounds. In case you were wondering you are not looking at a before and after photo above although I hope to be that weight again someday soon. Sara and myself are pictured above modeling our homemade TOPS t-shirts. I know you are all jealous. We remembered Sunday night that we did not have t-shirts to wear to the TOPS open house the next day (our chapter gets extra points for each member in a TOPS t-shirt for the open house). So since it was Sunday and we could not go shopping we both ponied up a shirt and Sara got out her puff paints. They turned out pretty well if I do say so myself, Mom would be so proud (not only did we make it ourselves but we are dressed alike again, which has not happened since we were 10 and 7 1/2 respectively ( I won't tell you which of us is older out of respect for my elders)).

We thank thee, O God, for a Prophet...

I love ward conference. There are many reasons to love ward conference but for me one biggest is that I get the opportunity to raise my hand and sustain a man who has been called of God as the Prophet. It means a lot to me to have a Prophet on the earth and to know that his calling was not the result of a popularity contest. He did not have to make speeches or organize a campaign.

I also love that when a prophet dies and a new one is sustained there is a sense of peace that the decision rested in the influence of our Heavenly Father not in a court of the land or an electoral college. In contrast to the current political turmoil that has taken over our airwaves. The passing of the most recent prophet was marked by quick and peaceful passing of the prophetic mantel to his successor.

So today when I raised my hand and sustained Thomas S. Monson as a prophet I felt happy to be able to say that I support the prophet, I will listen to him, I will follow his guidance and I KNOW that he was called of God for the responsibilities he has undertaken. And that is why I love ward conference…

Viewer discretion is advised...

So I went and say Mama Mia for the first time Saturday and I loved it!! (Don't you just love how Christine Baranski is wearing the petticoat like it is a dress? I used to do that all of the time when I was little with the petticoats Mom made for the dance festival) Then I got home and read some of the mixed reviews it got from critics. I guess there are people out there who do not like musicals (Gasp) I know!! And there are other people out there who do not like ABBA's music (Double gasp) Shocking. But when I read through the reviews I came to certain conclusions. One some critics take themselves and movies to seriously and two, some people realize that when you are attending a musical the actors periodically dance about and burst into song (name that quote) and they get over it! Watching a musical is about letting go and just having fun don't question reality. That being said. Watch the following video and enjoy!



And by the way I went and saw it a second time last night and it still wonderful, possibly even better. Well I had better go now so I can start my paper chain count down till it is release on DVD. Oh, and here is one for the road:

Ustacould

So I am busily packing and getting things organized for the big move this Saturday. I am still incredibly nervous to be making this move without a speck of a new home on the horizon. So far I am surviving on vague apparitions of possible roofs for my head. But I am exercising faith that the Lord has a placed picked out for me that is even better than the one I have now. Although this one is hard to beat I know he is up to the task.

The point of my post though. Tuesday evening I packed my closets (If you noted I did use the plural as in two. Count them, two. I am still not sure why I am moving). Anyway Tuesday evening I found myself pulling each article out of my closet one by one and weighing it in the balance of if I will want to wear it again in the near future (i.e. it should go to Sara's house) or not (i.e. to storage). Well I thought this might be a difficult task to determine which pieces should go and which should stay. However it turned out surprisingly easy and I will tell you why.

So I do not know how familiar you are with Jeff Foxworthy's routine but he does this part about the word ustacould and how rednecks think it is a real word. Well anyway guess which word kept playing over and over in my mind each time I pulled a new garment from the closet. That is right: ustacould (as in ustacould fit into that). I have to say it became a rather depressing event as the storage pile grew. But towards the end I did take hope when I remembered the second half of his joke: I ustacould. Give me a minute and I mightcould again.

It's my new motto.

Let see if I can do this....

Well I am giving this a try anyway. We will see if it works. I will try to keep all of you informed about what is going on with me. Life is ever so busy. It was a glorious Sunday though. Started early and ran late. But I feel like I got a mountain of things done today. I guess that is what counts. I got the following from a member of the bishopric. I thought it was really cool:

For many years the Mesa Arizona Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has had exhibits on the temple grounds during the Easter season. This year, there was also a 'Reflections of Christ' photography exhibit in the Visitor's Center. The photographer was given permission to photograph Pageant cast members for the exhibit. They traveled to various locations in Arizona that the photographer felt looked like the places in Israel where the events took place and recreated the scenes. The photographer worked with a few other individuals to put together a 5 minute slide show which includes every image from the exhibit set to the hymn 'Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.'Remember when you're watching the video that the photographs are real, they aren't paintings. Maximize the video so you can see it full screen. You can expand the screen to fit your entire computer screen for a better view by clicking on the lower right hand square icon (next to the volume).

http://mabrystudios.typepad.com/reflections_of_christ/2008/03/reflections-sli.html

It is perfect for a Sunday night or any night. I love the hymn "Come thou fount of every blessing" it reminds me of my mission. The gospel doctrine lesson I taught today also was on missionary work so I kind of lost it when I watched the video because of all of the memories it brought back. It is truly beautiful.