Come what may and love it.

I was a little disappointed to be greeted by 50 degree weather in December after my adventures in London. I was anticipating the snow and the harsh driving and couldn't wait to love it all.  While I was in London I was mocked for loving the cold crisp air and saying, "yeah it's cold, but it kind of feels good though," because it did kind of feel good.  The cold weather seems to be cleansing and offers something refreshing or if for nothing else, it has always guaranteed snow, which means skiing = one happy girl.  So the lack of a wintery Christmas break is sad.  But then I vividly remember receiving multiple texts and emails filled with pictures of my dad and little Kodiak (my dog that isn't so little) up on a fall bike ride when I was in London, which killed me, so I can't complain about this fall-like weather, because earlier this week I got to go on a night hike.  And today the October weather called for a mountain bike ride with my favorite people, and December 30th has never been so pretty, perhaps because I'm home or maybe just because I could taste renewal, but either way I've missed the racetrack with its Utah sunsets.  I can't ski without snow, but I will always be outside.  And… this weather almost makes me feel like I wasn't gone at all.

Temples are for me.

General conference was a little different for me than usual at the center.  London is seven hours ahead of Utah, so we were watching conference until 11:00 PM on a live stream off the internet.  I was so excited for this conference and in some weird way felt more connected to my family and Utah while watching it, knowing that we were both watching the same messages.  I am so grateful for such a universal church and look forward to sustaining the church leaders each conference as the prophets and apostles of our day.

I can't even begin to explain my emotions when President Thomas S. Monson announced the new temples.  I seriously listened to when he announced the new second Provo temple four times, and I got the chills each time.  This will be the third temple built from a preexisting building following the temples built in Stockholm and Copenhagen (that I recently visited).  I can't believe that the tabernacle will be a temple!  I have attended stake conference there for so many years, and have even sung in the choir, so I feel a personal connection to this temple that hasn't even been built yet. I have such a strong love for the temple and feel such a peace and strength when I attend the temple, "in this noisy, bustling, competitive world, what a privilege it is to have a sacred house where we may experience the sanctifying influence of the Spirit of the Lord".

"Let's become a temple-attending and temple-loving people.  I bear testimony that the temple is about families.  I also testify that everything in the temple testifies of Jesus Christ.  His example of love and service is felt there.  The temple is His holy house.  I know that He is the Son of God, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Mediator, and our Advocate with the Father.  He loves us and wants our families to be happy and to be together forever.  He wants all of us to be active in His temple."



President Gordon B. Hinckley "The Privilege of Going to the House of the Lord" 
Richard H. Winkel "The Temple Testifies of Jesus Christ" 

We Are College Girls.

We visited Cambridge and bought a sweatshirt, so now we're true college girls. And on the way home we listened to country music, because I was missing America just a little bit…