I feel so old!

My oldest younger brother got his mission call last week! He's due at the MTC on May 28th, then off to Phoenix, Arizona for the next two years.

My siblings and I don't really spend a whole lot of time together as just the four of us, and we had a blast hanging out together when we saw Celtic Woman the day he got his call, so we decided that we need to get together a few times to hang out before he leaves.

End of an Era

I just heard that our beloved prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, passed away today at the age of 97. He will be sorely missed, and thought of fondly by many. Surely he was welcomed home by the ones he served so well while he fulfilled his mortal mission, namely our Heavenly Father and His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, as well as his wife and other family members, friends, and others who were influenced by him during his lifetime.

He came to St. Louis when I was twelve years old for a big conference of the stakes in the area. I don't remember much about it, but I do remember how funny he was, and how happy I was to have him as a prophet. Under his leadership, the St. Louis temple was constructed, and I remember feeling the Spirit so strongly when it was dedicated. I was later sealed for eternity to my husband there, and felt the Spirit then as well.

He has done so much for the church and influenced many people to better themselves. I know he was a prophet of God, and feel blessed to have lived during his presidency. I send my condolences to his family during this difficult time, and share in their happiness and knowledge of eternal families, knowing that they, and we, will see him again after our missions here on earth are complete.

"This isn't a goodbye, just sort of a 'see you later.'"

Being Thankful

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

1. My family. I love them all and am grateful for their love, guidance, and support.
2. My husband. He's my rock, and loves me for who I am, flaws and all, just the way I love him.
3. His family. They have welcomed me with open arms and loving hearts.
4. My friends. I'm happy that they choose to continue their friendship with me, despite my eccentricities. ^_^
5. My life in the Gospel. I love knowing who I am (a daughter of God) and what I can become.
6. My Heavenly Parents. They love me more than I will ever know, and I hope to become the person they desire me to be.
7. My Savior Jesus Christ. His death and resurrection to bring us closer to God is the most loving thing a person has ever done for me.
8. The presence of the Holy Ghost in my life. He has guided me in making good decisions, helped me to know what is true, and comforted me in my times of need.
9. The temple. I'm privileged to be sealed to my family for eternity, and thankful that my husband and I can truly be together forever.
10. The scriptures. They contain great knowledge and have helped me as I try to become a better person.
11. A place to live, clothes to wear, and food to eat. I am guarded against the elements, and hope that I can help others to achieve their needs.
12. My job. I have come to know some of the choicest children, and love watching them grow and learn.

The list goes on and on, but those are the blessings foremost in my mind. If I missed anything, I'll be sure to post more later.

Sad news...

President James E. Faust, 2nd counselor in the General Presidency, passed away this morning. He will be greatly missed.

We're in the news!

Well, LDS news, at any rate. Meridian Magazine recently wrote two articles about our stake's celebration of the tenth anniversary of the St. Louis temple dedication. One is about the celebration itself, the other about the "Turning the Hearts" program we did in March. Both articles have pictures; the second article didn't have pictures of the part of the program I was in, but did of some of the other parts.

Friday and Saturday are the official celebration days. Here's to the next ten years!

Just in time for General Conference

Some anti group has recently released a DVD once again trying to spread untruths about our religion. It doesn't surprise me that it's come out the week before we hear from our beloved prophet and others called of God to give us counsel. (I guess it's not enough to stand outside the conference center in Utah and mock what we call sacred.)

FAIR has released a response to the DVD, refuting all the inconsistencies and sometimes outright lies that the "Concerned Christians" try to pass off as what we really believe.

I would hope that my friends would ask me any questions they have about the church. What better way to learn about something than to ask somebody who adheres to it?

A success!

Our program was a success last night! All the performers did a great job, especially in the group I was in (not that I'm partial or anything ^_^). It was a wonderful night that I hope will always stick with those who visited and participated.

Any relation?

The new missionary in our ward is going to hear that phrase a lot. He's probably heard it a lot in the almost year he's been out and will probably be bombarded with it the rest of his mission.

We had the missionaries over for dinner the other night. When my husband caught sight of the new elder's nametag, he asked why it sounded familiar, so I told him. And the inevitable ensued.

"Any relation?"

"Yeah, he's my brother."

"Seriously?"

"Yep."

Our new missionary is the brother of a pretty famous movie director. I'm not sure whether mentioning the name is a good idea, just in case. But if you can guess who, then I might let you in on it. ^_^

St. Louis Missouri Temple Ten Year Anniversary

This year, we're celebrating the ten year anniversary of the dedication of the St. Louis Missouri temple. As a part of the celebration, our stake is doing a family history program this Saturday evening, which includes a "trip around the world", to places such as the UK, South America, and more, and a program afterwards. It's sure to be fun!

The Visiting Teaching Movie

No, it's not a film by one of the prominent LDS directors out there, nor is it a sequel to "The Home Teachers". It can actually be found on You Tube. From the website: "Tucker Dansie's short film created for the Murray 33rd Ward Visiting Teaching Conference." Any of these scenarios look familiar?

Oh dear...

I read today that Mitt Romney has announced that he's going to run for president.

I'm not sure how I feel about this, but I do know two things: If it comes down to him as Republican candidate, I'm not going to vote for him just because he shares my religion. I also know that I really know nothing about him, so I'll have to read more about him, just as I will with the other candidates, then make my decision from there.

This subject has come up in various LDS blogs and message boards, and the general concensus seems to be that it might bring up negative press about the church. A recent opinion poll (recent being within the past couple months) states that a majority of people would not vote for an LDS president. Because of all this, I seriously doubt he'll get very far in the race for US President, but I do wish him luck, just as I do with all the candidates.

New look!

The church website has been redesigned and looks really good. Check it out!

Wish I'da been there...

After Stake Conference last Sunday, we were supposed to have the entire stake meet up at the temple to have our picture taken. Unfortunately I was sick (still have a cough), so was unable to join in the fun. I'm sure I wasn't the only one unable to attend.
My mother-in-law said it was a neat experience.

We read the Book of Mormon together as a stake a year or so back and gave away over 5,000 copies, so this was a way to celebrate reaching our goal.

New grand-niece!

I got to meet my new grand-niece on Sunday at our big family home evening! She's a little thing, I think my niece-in-law said she was up to eight pounds now, with big eyes and a strong set of vocal cords! ^_^ She's so cute! She's being blessed next Sunday, so we'll attend my nephew's ward and probably go to their house afterwards to mingle.

For those of you who have stumbled on my blog and are wondering about the baby blessing I mentioned, let me explain. Our religion does not practice infant baptisms. Instead, "[b]abies are given a special blessing shortly after they are born, in which their names are recorded and they are given words of blessing for their life on earth. This blessing is given by one who holds the priesthood, which in many cases is the infant’s father, or another priesthood holder close to the family. It is usually performed in sacrament meeting on the first Sunday of the month" (from www.mormon.org).

The priesthood holder is usually accompanied by other men, typically members of the family or friends, that hold the priesthood. I've heard of cases where fathers who don't hold the priesthood have held the baby in the prayer circle, but I haven't had that experience first-hand. I seem to remember reading about some mothers holding the baby in the circle, but I couldn't begin to tell you where. I wouldn't mind holding my future babies in the prayer circle when they're being blessed, but I'd probably also like having someone else hold the baby for a while. ^_^

Congrats Benji Schwimmer!

Benji was chosen as America's #1 Dancer on the Fox show So You Think You Can Dance last night. Great job and keep up the good work!

While on his mission to California, my oldest nephew helped to re-activate him in the church, and they still keep in touch. I learned while writing this post that there will be a tour in the fall, and the top ten finalists will be performing in venues across the country. They'll be here in St. Louis on 21 September. I wonder if my nephew could get him to come back to St. Louis and speak at a fireside before he goes off to Las Vegas... (Riiight... ^_^)

Dance Hall Days Revisited

Remember that post I did recently about youth dances? Then do I have a video for you!

How many of these dance moves do you remember? Do you still know any of them?

Ancestry

The church is known for family history, tracing family lines back to decades, hundreds, even thousands of years before our birth, to discover our heritage and gain a better understanding of where we came from. We know that we are children of Heavenly Parents who love us and want us to return to them again one day. But many don't know who we are as a matter of earthly lineage.

Gma B (dad's mom) and Papa (mom's dad) were the genealogists of the family. Gma B had tons of family history from hers and Gpa B's families, and Papa had done some research into his family line as well. Papa and Nana adopted mom after she was born, and all we have on her biological families are the names of her parents. We do have some work done for her adoptive family, but I would like to know more about her biological family, especially for medical reasons. One of these days I may break down and get a subscription to Ancestry or something like that and trace her family lines.

Gma B had a lot of family history work done before she passed. From her side of the family come some French and Native American lines, among others. The Native Americans in our family are of the Kaskaskia tribe, which from what I understand originated in Wisconsin, traveled to Illinois, then eventually became a part of the Peoria tribe in Oklahoma. My 9th-great-grandmother, Aramepinchone, was daughter of a tribal chief, Mamenthouensa, and an unknown mother. She was a key element in helping members of her tribe convert to Christianity, namely Catholicism. She married a French fur trader, Michel Accault, according to her father's wishes. She initially rejected the idea and was thrown out of her father's home, because she wished that her heart only be given to God and not any mortal man. But when she realized that she could help her tribe learn from the missionaries and convert to Christianity, she consented.

My family line comes from her second marriage to Michel Phillipe, another fur trader. It has been said that she eventually married one or two other men; quite a turn around from a woman who wanted only to belong to God! But her heart was still with Him as she helped others find Christianity. When she passed to the other side, she was given the honor of being buried under her pew in the church she attended, an honor that no other woman in that time had been given.

Of all the heritage in my family, I know more about the Native American lines than any others, mainly because we have such a great tie to that line. You could probably fit all the Native American blood in my body into my pinky finger, but it is there. I love learning about the culture of the Kaskaskia, even though there's little to be found. Along with a Kaskaskia-to-French dictionary, my dad has some text, I think a book, on his computer about the Kaskaskia, but I haven't read it in a long time. I'm grateful to the Catholic church and the records they kept, so my family could know more about our Native American heritage, and so we could have their work done in the temple.

Happy Father's Day

Dance Hall Days

Ok, so they were cultural halls, but we still danced in them.

I have a diverse list of music on my prefered player (Musicmatch Jukebox), and just for fun, I've been listening to some 90's dance music. It struck me how many of these songs I heard as a youth at those dances (spring 1997- summer 2001). Not familiar with 90's dance music? If you've ever seen the SNL skits with the Roxbury Guys, the song heard in the background is Haddaway's "What Is Love?, a song that came out in 1993.

Whenever I think of the kind of music they played at our stake dances, that song is one of the first to pop into my mind. I also think of "Where Do You Go?" by No Mercy, "Another Night" by The Real McCoy, and especially "Cotton Eye Joe" by Rednex. We also listened to dance standards like "Electric Boogie (The Electric Slide)" by Marcia Griffiths and "YMCA" by The Village People. When they became popular, we also danced to the "Macarena Remix" by the Bayside Boys, and the "Cha Cha Slide" by DJ Casper.

I sometimes wonder if any of these songs are still played at the dances, and if any will endure to when my future children attend. I know we'd get a handful of disco songs that my parents listened to when they were youth, so maybe it's possible.