Just Because

i am disappointed that disney raised the prices of their caramel apples. i feel it was sort of a stab against humanity. as if disney isn't expensive enough already. ten dollars for a big of goodness is overpriced. i enjoy cooking. i havn't been doing a lot of it lately, but i do like to do it and feel a sence of accomplishment when i put a well rounded meal on the table; slightly sad that there are not more people to show off my balanced meal to. flash mobs make me cry. don't ask me why, but when i watch them on youtube, i get a little misty. somthing about humanity coming together. tender. i've used the word humanity twice now. odd. i am on a serious sour patch kid crave. it is so bizzare. it has been extremely cold here recently. i realize it's not as cold as many parts of the world but 28 F this morning is too cold for me. i sometimes think about opening my own preschool. you know, be a teacher at home. ideal. then i think of the kids and realize it is probably not for me. i desperatly miss teaching. last night i dreamed about how much i missed it. i can't imagine this economy ever turning and there ever being a demand for my profession again. we're going christmas decor shopping tonite. with a new house and only apartment size decorations, no better time then now eh?

.the end.

A weekend Trip

Oh Disney how we have missed you. After a very spontaneous phone call from some delightful people, Mark and I were on our way to enjoy a little magic by the company who does magic best. And truly delightful it was. Stephanie and Brandon met us at a glamorous hotel establishment just a stone throw from the park where we enjoyed a very eco-friendly restroom policy. Let it be known that none of us followed the request posted near the toilet to dispose of our paper in the trash. Yes, we only stay in high quality.

Off to the parks we went along with 65,000 other magic seeking guests. Whew! I think working with the crowds was more exhausting then trying to make it the whole day. Our first day felt like the longest day of our lives. All starting with Mark jumping on the bed at an early hour questioning "why are we all still in bed, let's go!".


Needless to say, we were quite content riding the "easy" rides despite having a pregnant lady with us. *side note: not me*. The Mark Twain ferry boat has no line. That is right up our ally. I was lucky enough to hang out with Stephanie most of the day - which made the day turn more into a man-date, girls-day-out so it worked out well.

We made a point to wait in the 45 minute line to visit with Rapunzel; the newest addition to the Disney peeps. The entire line Stephanie indulged me in the true life behind the princesses which of course I was fascinated with. Sadly, the moment we left, the gentleman of the movie whose name I couldn't tell you if my life depended on it showed up and of course I was mad because I HAD to have my picture with "what's his name". Vital. Did we wait in line? No-we headed over to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride instead. Again, short line and Stephanie can ride. Double Bonus.

A few things we laughed at this time around were:

-"I don't like cotton candy. whew - glad that is out there"

-Brandon's amazing food consumption at Ruby's. Sidenote, that place was Delish!

-Indrillgestion

-Toy Story Mania and the new level. (what?)

-Pregnant wife = he-date, she-date

For a bunch of people who love the Disney, I think it was a very successful trip. Sadly, our trips to the parks are numbered as our connections dwindle. We still hold our hopes out that Cam will never leave and we'll get in on his dime next time around. A BIG shout out to our dear friends who thought of us to invite. We sure loved spending time with you. And Disney of course, we loved you too.

Sadly my picture taking efforts were less then par. I have so many pictures from Disneyland; how many times can you get a picture in front of the castle, or with the mouse, or standing in line before it is just all the same photo? Exactly.

Hoping to return in February.

Day ?: Fave photos of my best friends

I realize I've been more then behind in this challenge of posts. So here is another one - way behind. My favorite photos of my favorite ladies.





This little gem of a lady I met while at BYU. She was my first neighbor and ended up being my dearest friend. She and I share a love of travelling, celeb gossip, theater, Walmart, and eating out. Since we've left BYU, our girls weekends have been sparce but she never fails to make me laugh or give me good boost when I'm in need of one. A true friend.




This woman is like no other. She and I met while working in Florida in the Disney College Program. She from Oklahoma, I from California. She lived in the building next to mine and we worked totally opposite schedules. Proof that our friendship was meant to be. She is my favorite cruising buddy, has taugh me endless lessons on faith and trust in the Lord, is full of spirit and spunk, and my perfect example of living life with vigor. I love this woman and am forever greatful for our friendship.

This is my favorite picture of this lady. She is probably going to hate me for posting it. But she is by far my favorite friend. She has been with me through it all. Through messy bedrooms, akward friends, horrible fashion sence, terrible boyfriends, drastic haircuts, and everything in between. I couldn't imagine life with another sister and, quite frankly, am perfectly content with just this one. She is my makup artist, style guru, story teller, motivational speaker, laugh a minute, perfect friend.

I am truely blessed.

Slightly Funny

Today I took a walk during my lunch break. Jillian Michaels would be proud. At a particular intersection a small congregation of people waited for the light to change. I joined the crowd and positioned myself slightly to the side so I could get a clean break (being that I naturally walk faster then most). As the light changed and the crowd moved as expected, I quickly found myself in front of the pack; just moving right along. Now none of this is too unusual so I wasn't really thinking about anything around me until a man not much older then myself approached my side. Our conversation went like this:

Man: "Excuse me Miss, can I pay you a compliment?"
Me: Sure?
Man: For an older woman, you are really quite attractive.
Me: Oh, thank you. *must walk faster!*
Man: Your welcome, do you not hear that very often.
Me: Um..well, I'm not sure. But thank you anyway.

*by now we have gone down the street just enough to realize he wasn't turning off my course and the next block was...too far away. *

Man: So you can't be that old. what are you...36?
Me: Um...something like that yes.
Man: (quite proud of himself) I'm close right. You're surprised how close I am huh?
Me: Well, not really close, but I guess sort of? *by now I'm just trying to walk faster, but he is keeping pace well*
Man: You're not younger are you?
Me: Yes
Man: Oh S***, it must be the clothes you're wearing.
Me: maybe. *so I dress old? I like this skirt*
Man: So are you off to lunch.
Me: yes, I'm meeting a friend.
Man: a FRIEND? Is it a Man friend?
Me: Um..no. I am married.
Man: Would you ever consider cheating on him?
Me: Never.
*Thankfully we hit an intersection right then so I split off course*

Weird right! Love it.

Day 4: List of faves

So-obviously I've failed at the consecutive thing - but what can I say. Its not like the public is dying for posts anyway. So here it is - current faves.

--Fall: gosh I love this season. Never gets old.
--That pair of black pants: They're not to small, but not to big. Work for "business casual" and comfortable to boot.
--Those big hoop earrings: belong to Tessa. I'm holding them ransom and will only return when I see her again.
--Weekend Trips: for obvious reasons
--Spaghetti: with Ragu original or mushroom sauce. in college I ate this everyday. Thus resulting in the added pounds. Still love it to this day.
--New Recipes: I love trying out new things. Kraftfoods.com has a plethora of new things to try and I love that.
--Birthdays: Specifically mine. I love getting messages and phone calls from distant friends. A perfect excuse for a hello.
--WinCo: reason #2 for moving here. WinCo is just a drive away.
--Safeway's "Just 4 U" program: Seriously genius. I suspect Vons is doing it too. Now I can get the benefit of clipping coupons without having to actually clip them. Bonus.
--Mom's piano. While we wait for the new house to close, we get to keep mom's piano. I've always loved it so now that it is in my home; life is good.
--Disneyland: no list is true or complete without it.
--Ruby's diner: Two words-fish tacos. Wow!
--The Oakland Temple: (see: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) I love how I feel when I attend, and the joy that comes the whole week after. Such a blessing to have one so close to our home.
--Our home: a definite work in progress, but it is ours.
--Digi Scrapbooking: my sister-in-law Julie got me started on this and I haven't turned back. I wish I took fancy pictures like so many bloggers out there, and I wish I was more creative like those artists who make the kits; but I'm not. But I do love what my point-and-shoot gets and the pages I create.
--And on that note: i love Free Scrapbooking Kits. A blessing in my life.
--Flavored Tootsie rolls: I like tootsie rolls in general, but the flavored ones are just so good. I can have 20 of them in one sitting and not even blink. (for mark: "Twenty. 20?...Fifty! 50?!!!)
--My sister: Obviously. she is just an amazing support in all my life. She has the perfect advise, the best laugh, the funniest stories, the deepest concern, and the truest sympathy - exactly when I need it. Love her.
--Spell check button: Saves. My. Life.

Day Three: Picture of me and description of my day

A day late, but this is for Saturday and I wanted to make sure I got my whole day.

Today was a good day. One of the best. I love Saturday's with no real plans. Days I can spend with my sweets and nobody else prying for our time. I was secretly hoping it would rain today so I could snuggle in my sweats and watch movies and read all day, but in hindsight, I am glad it didn't.

We woke up late and enjoyed a perfect breakfast of crapes with strawberries and cream and nutella! Yes, we splurged on our diets (not like thats unusual or anything) and dived into the jar head first. Like the commercial says, its part of a balanced breakfast.

With a start like that, we were bound for nothing but goodness. We ran several errands, some which included a Home Depot run to pick up (drum roll please) TILE! Yes ladies and gentlemen, we just purchased the tile for our evolving bathroom. And let me tell you, it is a hard thing to buy tile knowing that you can't go back! Bonus purchases were the new lights that Mark later installed in our kitchen and hallway. Goodbye 1923, hello 2010. Love it.

We then stopped by the Safeway to get some goods for the missionaries who were coming for dinner. Mark made up a mean short rib which was delightfully received. And it must be said that we had purchased 2 boxes of ice cream to share for dessert and those missionaries ate it all! I was a little disappointed when the last scoop was dolloped into his bowl thinking - what a shame, now I have to find another excuse to have ice cream in my house.

Our evening ended when I decided to practice the hymns for the following day's meetings...which then turned into a singing fest as Mark and I sang all the songs I could pretend to play. We don't have a lot of music but we sure had fun belting out what we had. And I'm sure the neighbors will be willing to pay for some additional lessons for both the pianist and vocalist in me. Not good.

A most fabulous Saturday filled with the perfect blend of relaxation, productivity, shopping, service, and play. Self, great day!

Day Two: 15 Things about me

It may seem like I skipped on day 1 of the 30 day challenge but alas my friends, I did not. I used my mother's move and the bathroom story as my first post. However, i created it on Wednesday night and finished it Thursday - thus the skipped day. Anyway, I have done this type of blog post several times so to come up with new things might be a bit of a challenge. But I like the lists and reading back on them later in life usually is nice too.

1-All of the grandchildren on both sides are boys (except the first who is now 16). A total of 11 of 12 grand kids are boys. So-there is definitely an unspoken race to get the first girl in the family. I am pretty sure we won't win but I am a part of the "race" none the less. Sort of like when I register for a marathon. I know I'm not going to win per say, but I eventually do finish. Maybe way behind the rest, but I do finish.

2-I first heard my dad had died from my uncle. Who I hadn't spoken to in years. Who called to confirm we could still get he and his daughter into Disneyland the next day despite the event. It was weird.

3-Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day. Except when it's oatmeal for days on end. But I certainly love me a good french toast, or crepes, or bagels and schmere, or waffles with strawberries and whipped cream with a smoothie on the side. Delish.

4-I never planned on being a teacher. Teaching just sort of happened to me. In college I majored in history; planning on marrying rich and inheriting a vacation home in Bora Bora. When I hit the end of my Junior year, I figured I needed a back up plan. Hence teaching; cuz what else do you do with History right? So I enrolled in the program and finished with the internship and vowed I'd never teach again. 4 years later, I cried when I left and I miss it terribly. Not to mention my blog was so much more interesting when I was teaching.

5-I have had 37 different roommates before my husband. That's a lot of girls! Most of them I've lost touch with but a few have blogs I enjoy following, others I talk to still on a regular basis, and some are life long friends despite how brief our living together was.

6-I. love. sweets. To a fault. This isn't new information but a stark reality that I must get control of. The only reason I work out is so I can enjoy all kinds of sugary goodness. I wish I was one of those people that didn't care for the taste of it. Like red vines or black licorice. I wish all desserts tasted like red vines or black licorice. Then I would never feel the need to eat it. But clearly it doesn't and so my situation stands. I. love. sweets.

7-I think about taking trips constantly. Literally all. the. time. Some people are perfectly content homebodies and find little need for seeing anything outside their 15 mile radius. My dad was one of these people. Very strange. This tendency of mine can be very expensive considering all the places I want to go. If I could take a trip once a month; that would be splendid.

8-I am reading again. Thanks to my Laurel. I AM NOT a reader. It took me 2 years to finish Harry Potter 7. I don't remember ever reading an assigned book in ALL my schooling. (except Night which is about the Holocaust so it doesn't count cuz it was history goodness and I was sucked into it by default) I can probably count on one hand the books I have read all the way through. Ok-you get the point. So you can imagine my reaction when Miss M hands me this hunk of a book and tells me to read it. So, I started, and I liked it. So I'm now reading an 11 book series called Wizard's First Rule. Not to say I'll get through all 11 books; being they are over 800 pages each; but I'm half way through #1 and it seems to be going good.

9-I am not a speller. If I joined the spelling bee I'd be out on round 1. I inherit this trait from my dad. If spelling is a trait you can inherit. Which it probably isn't but I use it as an excuse. I can hear in my head my dad yelling out "Di-how do you spell..." That is me. I am pretty amazed that I spelled licorice right the first try.

10-I play the organ for my ward. More as a sub then a calling. But my sub job has been going on for several months now. I never thought in my wildest dreams I would be a ward organist. And I AM NOT good at it. Some are born musicians and their music is beautiful all the time. I have to practice all week and then fake it on Sunday. I do pretty well some days and really terribly on others. But they haven't asked me to stop yet, so I keep showing up.

11-I like to think of myself as a good decision maker. Not that I make good decisions, but that I can make a decision in a fairly quick amount of time. As my cruise buddy once said, if you see it and you like it; buy it. No-I'm kidding. I threw that in for my cruising ladies. Not that they read my blog but...anyway. I digress.

12-I use YNAB-Personal Budget Software. And I seriously love it. If they needed a spokeswoman I would volunteer. And I feel sort of special because I knew the guy who invented it (his sister was a roommate) and got it when it was a mere excel file for 10 bucks (its now a windows program for $60). I could spend hours every day starring at it and re figuring it all and watching it all fit. Is that weird? It totally is. But at least I can say I know where all my money is being spent. #1 category-housing. #2-restaurants. ok-so I exaggerate, but it is interesting to see how much money we spend eating out.

13-My office is in a very business savvy part of town. This means there is no street parking and most everybody parks in the parking garage down the street and then walks in. Which is a bummer when it is windy/rainy. Except-there are about 8 street spots right outside the building that are not metered or timed or anything. On a very rare occasion, I get here early enough to snag one of these coveted spots. Not to mention it makes going home 5 minutes faster too because I don't have to wind around all the one way streets and traffic lights to get headed in the right direction. Today was one of those days. Happy Friday.

14-I have only recently acquired a taste for avocados. All my life I didn't want anything to do with avocados. Which in hindsight is really quite a shame because they are really quite good. And pomegranates; and mangoes. Didn't like them before. Now I do.

15-I type way faster then average. Pat on the back to me. (according to one typing website). The average is about 34 or so. I tested above 70WPM each time I tested. One time even as fast as 94WPM (but that was on my 3rd test of the same text so I sort of knew what words to expect) So I guess 4 years in computer class with Mrs. McClure wasn't such a bad idea eh? I may not be the fastest texter, or very iPhone savvy, but I've got the typing thing down!

Step 2: Install Drywall

I have walls! To a regular person this may not seem like a reason for celebration. However, regular people get professional installers to redo their bathrooms so there really is no comparision. For us Do-it-yourself-ers, drywall is a huge step from the looking-at-insullation-and-frame step into a world of home-dom. I am so excited!

Joe and Mark went all manly on the drywall cutting and did a rather good job if you ask me. Thankfully we have a spa that has doubled as a cutting board for many projects. (You too can have this very spa for the low low price of haul-it-yourself...hence why we still have it. I'm sorry, I digress.) Once the walls were up and secured, I mudded in all the seams for a very nice finished look. I am thrilled as we move onto the backerboard step and then the tile. Maybe someday my dream of having a bathroom will become a reality.

One Three Four

My mom sold her house today. It is officially been passed over to new owners. This is the house I grew up in so to be passing it on just seems...unreal. Packing up the 24 years of belongings was no easy task that is for sure. Mom did most the work herself; finishing up with a remarkable showing from the CV2 ward (many thanks). We've successfully packed 2 storage rooms full to the brim and Mom is now residing at our house until the new house is found and purchased.

I sure love this house. I will definatly miss the backyard; where my childhood years are filled with hiking and exploring and building tree forts and grass forts and running from the cows. I will miss the old burned down house back in the park; and the bathtub in the creek from years long past. I will miss the frogs at night in the summertime. I will surely miss the smell of home. Although I haven't lived there in so long, the memories are still strong and to be leaving it behind is like the ending of an era.

So goodbye house. You've been good to us Wrights.

A Challenge Miss Sara? I accept!

30 Days of Blogging. As presented by this blogger. To help with my bloggers block - I am embarking on the challange with a few other fellow bloggers. Scattered with some other updates I've been meaning to post. A few topics may include; but are not limited to:


- 15 Facts about me.
- A photo of me and a description of how your day was.
- Your favorite photograph of your best friend.
- 20 of my favorite things
- A photo of me two years ago.
- A song to match my mood, and why.
- A recipe
- A photo of the item I last purchased.
- A photo and description of what's in your makeup bag?
- A photograph of the town you live in.
- A TV show you're currently addicted to.
- Something you don't leave the house without.
- A photo of something that makes you happy.
- Something you crave a lot.
- What's in your purse?
- A photo of something that means a lot to you.
- A photo of somewhere you've been to.
- A picture of you last year and now and how have you changed since then?
- Your worst habit
- 5 of your biggest pet peeves
- Your celebrity crush.
- Something you could never get tired of doing.
- Your favourite book
- A photo that makes you happy
- A photo that makes you angry/sad
- Your dream house
- A photograph of youself today + three good things that have happened in the past 30 days

Seriously MIA

It's not that I don't have anything to post, but I ... am having bloggers block. So just be patient. And continue to enjoy the cruise post. Cuz really I just want to pretend I am still there with those delightful people. Seriously.

On the Seas

Oh how I love cruising. Ever since I was first introduced; I've been hooked. So when the chance came for us to take a cruise with some dear friends, we couldn't get there fast enough. This time around we ventured to Port Everglades, FL for a 5 night cruise in the Caribbean waters. And what a delightful trip it was.

I couldn't possibly write about the entire trip here - but I'll mention a few highlights:

Fort Lauderdale: after arriving at 6am - we were certainly hoping our hotel would have an open room for us to at least shower and rest up a bit. Sadly, this was not the case and we found ourselves living our of our rental van. (which should have been a Swagger Wagon - but wasn't; you can imagine my disappointment). And it must be said we make four really attractive people who haven't slept for 2 days.

• Sir, how many bags do you have? Is he trying to get us to change cars? Nope, we really did forget our bag.
• 84 Thai Food vs McDonald's. Is there a competition? If you only knew.
• Swimming in the ocean. Perhaps a bad idea when there is no shower to clean up.
• How many gas stations do we have to visit to get the right snack? Three.
• Sawgrass Recreation Park. Those are real crocodiles. And Real Close! Then we got to hold one...I think my hesitation is justified.
• Third time to the hotel - yet the lady didn't recognize Mark. Weird.

We make pretty good "Homeless" tourists if you ask me. With naps on the beach and fast food restaurants to wash up in, how could you go wrong?
Key West: First stop on the boat. We walked, and walked, and walked all around this southern most part of the US. Theron challenged the landmark to find something a little more "south". And the ladies found all the free jewelry our friend Ben told us about the day before. The Butterfly garden was incredible and it turns out all our men are "lucky" since the butterflies landed on them. Not real effective as none of us won the emerald and diamond necklace raffle just a few hours later. Boo.

• "Twenty!" , "Twenty?" "Fifty!" , "FIFTY?"
• Ugly shirt contest? I don't want to spend the money!

The vibrant and diversity of the butterflies here was so intense. It was such a sight to see such unique and fragile animals.
If this picture had a sound - it would be a deep sigh straight from the gut. Cuz that is the sound each of us made as our seats found this comfortable break from our day long walk.
Cozumel: Second Stop found us in the depths of tourist country. We didn't waste any time finding a large grocery store where we could stock up on some cheap snacks before our ATV tour began. (because we could NOT stop eating) And I must say - kudos to the HUGE Walmart-like store that tickled my fancy. Very nice. We then met up with our tour guide - and were surprised to be the only ones on the tour! Fancy! An adventure in ATV's around the Mexican jungle, followed by a snorkel trip on the beaches of Cozumel resulted in a very tiring day.

• Fertility Rock anyone?
• Huge Mud Puddles!
• Rrrrroberto - 5 R's
• Pee your pants fun

Day at Sea: Agenda - rest, eat, rest, eat, rest, play games, climb rock wall, eat. Done and done.

• Andi - bless his heart. and Jose, and George Albert. Yes 5 stars to George Albert.
• Strawberry Bisque = Dessert to start. Just how I like it.
• I'll have one of everything.
• Is the ice cream open yet?
• Sexy leg competition
• Karaoke till dawn.

Cococay: We decided last minute to forgo the Aquapark and spent the entire day snorkeling. To our delight, we came across three huge stingray, jellyfish, a sunken airplane, and mighty sunburns. Perfect. All too soon, the captain called for an Evacuation of the island; which sounds a bit too dramatic. As the wall of rain came in, it didn't take but a moment to have us all soaked to the bone. The ride on the top of the ferry back to the boat was a memorable adventure I wouldn't have missed. Nothing beats a hot shower after a rain like that.
An absolutely perfect trip with absolutely perfect company. We are already talking about our next trip together. I was a little nervous having never met Mark's friends before, but we all got along splendidly. Is it too soon to already start counting down until our next one? I. think. not.

The Man with a Stick

Every morning as we drive out to work, we pass the man with a stick on his morning walk. He is an older gentleman, nothing out of the ordinary really. The great thing about this man is his wave. He waves his stick, as a friendly hello, to EVERY CAR passing by. Today we caught him at the stoplight. While waiting for our light to change, we watched as he waved at each and every car. He would raise his stick high in the air, wave it back and forth a few times, and then point the stick at the car to let them know that wave was for them.

I love this man. I love how he cheered my morning as I accepted my hello. I love how he does this every morning. His little act of kindness makes me want to give a little something back as well. I ride the elevator at work with strangers every morning and I am always grateful I get off at the second floor so I don't feel obligated to make conversation. And so, dear man with a stick, thank you for your kind hello which brightened my day enough to wish a good day to the people in the elevator this morning.

Monterey PIE show

This is what I spent my weekend looking at

As a part of the company training program, Wright's Pools Service attends the annual Pool Industries Expo held in Monterey, California. Although not entirely relaxing, it was great to enjoy a bit of the seaside. Mark attended most of the classes from Basic Chemistry to Automated Pool equipment. Whew - more then I could possibly know. While he was in classes, I spent the days walking around downtown Monterey. I spent a little over an hour in the city's cemetery. Weird that I like these places, but I really do. Some had death dates as far back as 1870. Others still had fresh floral arrangements near their stones. This little row reminded me of the cemetery we passed through in Paris. Weird to see so many graves above ground.

And I think this one was by far my favorite. Nothing like a good ol' RIP and cross bones to say what is needed. Way to go Filyau.
After meandering the cemetery, I headed down a little further to an Antique Mall. 2 stories of old stuff; my kind of past time. Secretly looking for items similar to those we got from Grandpa's farm in Utah so I could see a price tag, I enjoyed looking at a few great items and a lot of junk.

All in all, it was a fabulous weekend. Most of the day was cloudy and overcast, but usually by about 1pm; the clouds burned off and the temperature warmed up making for a beautiful day. And when I wasn't walking around the city, the view wasn't too bad all on its own. So cheers to a delightful city, delightful weather, and a delightful hotel room.

Self Reflection

Yes, Mark is still alive and able to type.

I have spent a lot of the last couple of days pondering my life and how it has gotten me to the point that I am right now. I feel that I have been a devoted member of my church and that I have done my best to become the best person that I can. Over the last year, however, I have been finding myself losing touch of, well, me. Who I was. What I wanted to be. I find myself looking at other people and judging them for their potential mishaps, things of which I will never know to be of certainty. I find myself complaining about the "struggles" in my life and wondering if I will be able to cope with them. I find myself without the desire to "feast upon the words of Christ" which once consumed my every thought. What was happening to me? I was looking at myself and was sickened by what was transpiring. What happened to the happy-go-lucky Mark that defined who I was?

Recently, I have had a couple of very dear friends and family presented with some very difficult hardships. A dear friend of mine in particular who was such a rock in my life, has left what he has known and always known to be true. Another friend of mine had her heart, not just broken, but absolutely demolished by one I would have never expected. Family members going through unspeakable hardships due to the economic downfall, my wife working through some difficult times....and here I sit, in a comfortable home complaining that the bathroom might never be done, about a job that is difficult and so out of my realm, but so stable and able to provide.

It was my week to teach the lesson in Priesthood to the youth, and being annoyed with that fact found myself online preparing for a lesson. I came across this talk by Elder David A. Bednar (http://www.byui.edu/Presentations/Transcripts/EducationWeek/2010_07_30_Bednar.htm). It had nothing to do with what my lesson was on, but the title hit me like ice water....jolting me into a sense of my nothingness. "Who's on the Lord's side Who? Now is the time to show."

I had intended to read it after I got home from church, but Kaylinn had grabbed it thinking it was part of my lesson. I started to read it in Sacrament Meeting and couldn't take my eyes off of it.....it was a talk given for me, and I knew it. This is a quote from the talk that I hope to never forget:

“Every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. Would you like to know of one of our toughest tests? Hear the warning words of President Brigham Young, ‘The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth.

Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the most deceiving of all tests.

Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people—It can put them to sleep. The Book of Mormon warned us of how [Satan], in the last days, would lead us away carefully down to hell. The Lord has on the earth some potential spiritual giants whom He saved for some six thousand years to help bear off the Kingdom triumphantly, and the devil is trying to put them to sleep. The [adversary] knows that he probably won’t be too successful in getting them to commit many great and malignant sins of commission. So he puts them into a deep sleep, like Gulliver, while he strands them with little sins of omission. And what good is a sleepy, neutralized, lukewarm giant as a leader?

We have too many potential spiritual giants who should be more vigorously lifting their homes, the kingdom, and the country. We have many who feel they are good men [and women], but they need to be good for something—stronger patriarchs, courageous missionaries, valiant [family history and] temple workers, dedicated patriots, devoted quorum members. In short, we must be shaken and awakened from a spiritual snooze”

A message by Brigham Young given over a century ago! At that moment, I realized that I was being lulled away into a spiritual slumber. I looked over at my wife...mesmerized by the beautiful, strong, and worthy woman who sat next to me....and made a commitment right then and there that I would do all in my power to not be a lukewarm husband, friend, and leader. I knew that having potential was not enough. I knew that the Lord has truly blessed me throughout my life, and I didn't want those blessings to be a waste. I encourage all of us to take a good look at who we are and then look at what we need to become. This weekend is the perfect opportunity for all of us to listen carefully to the words of the brethren and begin the journey of fulfilling our true potential.