Combining

Hola to everyone who follows this blog!

I've decided that keeping up with two blogs is too difficult...mostly because half the time I can't decide which blog to post on.  So, I'm letting this one go, and I'm going to start posting everything on my other blog.  If you'd like to keep following our lives, follow this blog: http://amandasabec.blogspot.com/

Thanks!!

Thoughts on Service

I've had a couple experiences lately that have caused me to reflect on service: the role it plays in our lives, the blessings that come from it, and the ways Satan tries to get us to stop serving.

The first experience I had was as I was driving to my cousin's house to babysit her kiddos.  I was originally supposed to babysit the kids so that she and her husband could go to a ward activity.  I texted her that morning to confirm our plans, but they had found out that the activity was cancelled.  I told her if she and her husband still wanted to go on a date, I would be glad to still watch her kids.  She agreed that this would be appreciated.  So, I went to work, and then made my way to her house after I got done.  I don't remember why, but I had had a annoying/difficult day at work, and I was not in the best of moods.  As I was driving I thought of all the things that I had to get done at home (meaning dishes, laundry, etc.)  Now, if any of you know me very well, most days I would GLADLY take babysitting over household chores :)  But I continued on to her house, telling myself I knew how much it meant to my cousin.  As soon as I got there my entire attitude changed.  I suddenly forgot all the chores I had waiting for me at home, and felt uplifted and happy.  I even watched General Conference after the kiddos went to bed (not something unusual when I'm by myself, but difficult for anyone to do when you're annoyed/frustrated.)

The second experience happened just today.  There is a lady in our ward who is quite a bit older, and had very intrusive surgery about a month and a half ago.  She's finally out of the hospital, and the relief society in our ward has set up people to meet with her at 10am, 12pm, and 5pm every day.  I signed up for 10am this morning.  I woke up wishing I could go back to sleep..."Realistically," I thought to myself, "no one will know that I didn't go...she wouldn't know it was supposed to be me.  I really don't even know her, let alone know her well."  Bad me, right?  But I got up, put my uniform on (I went to work right after), and drove over to her house.  I was really nervous...I didn't know her, she's quite a bit older than me (I believe she's Neal's grandma's age...so...80's), and what I was honestly most worried about: I was the very first one to see her this morning, and I was very nervous that something had happened to her during the night.  So, I swallowed, walked up to her front door, knocked, and went in.  She was fine.  It was a wonderful experience to sit and talk with her.  I was only supposed to stay for 15 minutes, but I ended up being there for about 45 minutes.  It was inspiring to see and feel of her "vigor and vim."  I truly enjoyed my time with her, and our visit set a very positive experience for my day.

Why am I bringing this up?  Well, because as I've reflected on these two experiences, I've realized a few things.  The first and foremost is that service needs to be an essential part of our lives.  Focusing on someone else for even just a little while somehow lifts you and strengthens you, just as the prophets and Savior promised it would.  Second, service gives us an opportunity to practice charity - loving someone no matter who they are or what their struggles in life are or what decisions they have made.  It allows us to become more like our Savior, which should truly be the desire of our hearts, and the goal of our lives.  Third, Satan uses feelings, "things," fears, and experiences (aka distractions) to prevent us from doing acts of service.  Being nervous, unsure, worried, busy, and frustrated, among other "things" prevent us from doing the acts of service that bring blessings of happiness into our lives, as well as opportunities to uphold our baptismal covenants, and most importantly, become more like our Savior.

Just some thoughts :)

Frustrating

What do you do, when you see someone that you love and care about, who is making not just bad decisions, but horrible decisions?  What do you do when you try to be loving, caring, supporting, and honest, but in return you get lies, deceit, and negative comments about your sincere efforts?  What do you do when you get to the point where you're tired of the drama, being lied to, and you just want to give up?  Quit pushing, quit making the effort, not because you don't love that person, but because you're just flat out tired of all the crap.  Because this is the point that I am at.  I feel like looking at this person and saying, "you want to screw your life up?  Fine go ahead.  The decisions you're making are going to take you to a place you don't want to go.  All of those goals you used to have?  Well, the way you're headed, there's no way you're gonna meet those goals."

Is feeling like this wrong?  

New year, new adventures.

I have a few goals this year.  I read that in order to actually accomplish them, I need to write them down.  So, here it goes.

1 - Work out and get back into shape.  No, skinny does not equal in shape.  I used to exercise ALL THE TIME, but ever since quitting the explorer's program, I've kind of just let it slip to the way-side.  However, this year will be a success. Why, you ask?  Because #1, I have a husband to whom I have told this goal, and he WILL NOT let me forget it (sometimes I am grateful, other times, not so much).  #2, I found out that you have easier labors if you're in shape.  NO, this is not an announcement saying Neal and I are preggers (because, quite frankly, we're not), but I figured it would be easier to start getting in shape now, so that when the event does occur, I don't have to change bad habits while being hormonal and growing in size.  #3, I bought an exercise ball and some ankle/wrist weights so that I can do workouts from home.

2 - Increase my knowledge, both secularly and spiritually.  I plan on doing this by taking free online courses at byu.edu.  I'm currently taking a "Temples: Past and Present" class that I'm learning a lot from.  I already have my eyes on another class I'd like to take that delves into "The Family: A Proclamation to the World."  I like these classes because I can study them at my own pace, so if I'm busy, I'm busy, and if I'm not, I can work on them.  I also like the fact that they're not graded.  The classes really truly are for personal enrichment.  Sort of a "if you actually want to know this, study it...if you don't, you're only hurting yourself" kind of thing.

3 - Become a better cook.  I can bake all you want, and I can make sweets all you want, but when it comes to things like dinner, I have a long way to go.  In fact, Neal's a better cook than I am!  I am slowly getting better though.  Pinterest has been helpful because I've been able to find recepies for things that look delicious!  I've made a couple of them so far, and they've turned out pretty alright!  Although, I'm convinced there are times Neal just smiles and says it's good because he know it boosts my confidence in cooking :) what a wonderful husband I have!

I haven't developed a way to keep track of these goals yet, but hey.  I made it through step 1 of writing them down, right?!

About Mormons

I found this very interesting, and true:

MICROSOFT FOUNDER, NFL OWNER, PAUL ALLEN, SPEAKS OUT ON MORMONS

Paul Allen is the owner of the Seattle Seahawks, the ones who played the Pittsburgh Steelers for the Super Bowl a few years ago. He is also the owner of the Portland Trail Blazers NBA basketball team and is co-partner with Bill Gates in Microsoft. He wrote this editorial in the Santa Clarita, California newspaper:

I have heard and seen enough! I have lived in the West all my life. I have worked around them. They have worked for me and I for them. When I was young, I dated their daughters. When I got married they came to my wedding. Now that I have daughters of my own, some of their boys have dated my daughters. I would be
privileged if one of them were to be my son-in-law. 

I'm talking about the Mormons.

They are some of the most honest, hardworking people I have ever known. They are spiritual, probably more than most other so-called religious people I have encountered. They study the Bible and teach from it as much as any Christian church ever has. They serve their religion without pay in every conceivable capacity. Not one of their leaders, teachers, counselors, Bishops or music directors receive one dime for the hours of labour they put in. 

The Mormons have a non-paid ministry - a fact that is not generally known. I have heard many times from the pulpits of others how evil and non-Christian they are and that they will not go to heaven. I decided recently to attend one of their services near my home to see for myself. 

What a surprise!

What I heard and saw was just the opposite from what the religious ministers of the day were telling me. I found a very simple service with no fanfare. I found a people with a great sense of humour and a well-balanced spiritual side. There was no loud music. Just a simple service, with the members themselves giving the several short sermons.

They urge their youth to be morally clean and live a good life. They teach the gospel of Christ, as they understand it. The name of their church is "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. Does that sound like a non-Christian church to you? I asked them many questions about what they teach and why. I got answers that in most cases were from the New Testament. Their ideas and doctrines did not seem too far fetched for my understanding. When I read their "Book of Mormon" I was also very surprised to find just the opposite from what I had been told I would find. 

Then I went to another church's pastor to ask him some of the same questions about doctrine. To my surprise, when he found out that I was in some way investigating the Mormons, he became hostile. He referred to them as a non-Christian cult. I received what sounded to me like evil propaganda against those people. He stated bluntly that they were not Christian and that they did not fit into the Christian mold. He also told me that they don't really believe the Bible. He gave me a pile of anti-Mormon literature. He began to rant that the Mormons were not telling me the truth about what they stand for. He didn't want to hear anything good about them. At first I was surprised and then again, I wasn't. I began to wonder. 

I have never known of a cult that supports the Boy Scouts of America. According to the Boy Scouts, over a third of all the Boy Scout troops in the United States are Mormon.

What cult do you know of that has a welfare system second to none in this country? They have farms, canneries and cattle ranches to help take care of the unfortunate ones who might be down and out and in need of a little help. The Mormon Church has donated millions to welfare causes around the world without a word of credit. They have donated thousands to help rebuild Baptist churches that were burned a few years ago. They have donated tons of medical supplies to countries ravaged by earthquakes.

You never see them on TV begging for money.. What cult do you know that instills in its members to obey the law, pay their taxes, serve in the military if asked and be a good Christian by living high moral standards? Did you know that hundreds of thousands of Mormon youth get up before high school starts in the morning to attend a religious training class? They have basketball and softball leagues and supervised youth dances every month. 

They are recruited by the FBI, the State Department and every police department in the country, because they are Trustworthy. They are taught not to drink nor take
drugs. They are in the Secret Service - those who protect the President. They serve in high leadership positions from both parties in Congress and in the US Senate, and have been governors of several states other than Utah. They serve with distinction and honour. 

If you have Mormons living near, you will probably find them to be your best friends and neighbours. They are Christians who try to live what they preach. They are not perfect and they are the first to admit this. I have known some of them who could not live their religion, just like many of us. The rhetoric which is spread around against them is nothing more than evil propaganda founded in untruths. (Others) had successfully demonized them to the point that the general public has no idea what they actually believe and teach. If you really want to know the truth, go see for yourself. You also will be surprised.

When I first moved here some 25 years ago there were five Mormon wards in Santa Clarita, Calif. Now there are 15. They must be doing something right. 

"The happiest people don't necessarily have the best of everything. .... They just make the best of everything."

I don't even know what to title this one....

I have to get this out somewhere....

I have been contemplating temple marriage lately.  I have been doing so for many reasons: seeing the blessings that Neal and I have received because of our choice to be married in the temple, the Denver Temple matron's death and how comforting it must be for her family to have those blessings, people that I care about making decisions that are not leading them to a temple marriage, etc.

What I have decided: people choosing to not receive temple blessings makes me really sad.  These decisions make me sad especially after feeling the blessings in my life.  How can someone who's done amazing things in the Gospel, and say they know it is true, just act like it doesn't matter anymore?  Especially when they love a person so much, they truly WANT to be with them forever.  I just don't understand.  I also don't understand how something can literally be a part of you, but you don't care if the person you marry feels it is as big of a part of them?  I guess the answer is: you don't.  I have found that the saying "A woman should be so lost in God that a man needs to seek God to find her" (and vice versa) to be true.  At least it should be, right?

I don't know.  I'm just sad about it I guess...

The things I've learned in (almost) 4 months of being married

These are in no partiular order.  They're for those of you who've been married for longer to laugh at, and for those of you who haven't to learn now.

1. I'm not quite as humble as I thought I was.
2. Prayer is the key - if you pray together before bed, there's no way you can go to bed angry.
3. Taking ten minutes to wash all the dishes before you go to bed saves you 45 minutes in the long run.
4a. Don't wash king-size comforters unless you have to, b. If you do have to, don't start at 7:00 pm when you have to get up at 6:30 am, c. When you wash it, don't use powder detergent; use liquid.  Powder detergent doesn't wash out all the way and becomes gummy and clumpy when you pull it out of the washer to put it in the dryer.
5. The husband is the priesthood leader of the home.  Its really hard to stay mad at him when he uses that authority in a "discussion" and you know he's using it righteously.
6. Keeping the house spotless isn't as easy as you thought it was when you lived at your parents house.
7. Getting up at 4 am to make bread, make a full breakfast, exercise, get ready, and clean the house (all before you start a big lunch at noon), just isn't reasonable.
8. There are more important things in life than things.
9. Life changes.  Your spouse becomes your best friend instead of a group of girls.
10. "Keeping up with the Jones' " just isn't worth it.  Work at your own pace, and do things when they're right for you.

I'm sure there are more, but these are the ones that've been on my mind (the comforter one especially...I experienced that one last night).  Enjoy!