"To you women of today, who are old or young, may I suggest to you that you write, that you keep journals, that you express your thoughts on paper. Writing is a great discipline. It is a tremendous education effort. It will assist you in various ways, and you will bless the lives of many--now and in the years to come, as you put on paper some of your experiences and some of your musings."
--President Gordon B. Hinckley
So with that said...
This weekend the Sclater family ventured to knoxville, not a long drive, but a special treat to be certain. We don't make it to the city often, so when we do its a BIG deal. We had a church conference on Sunday morning and opted to drive down Saturday night & get a hotel room. We did this last year with friends & we really enjoyed ourselves, so we thought we would go it again. Tre asked all Saturday morning if we could go to Knoxville now. The car ride was great. The boys slept which bought Rod & I some much needed chit chat time. He is in the middle of major cardiology study so we don't see too much of him. But since he cant study & drive at the same time...I grabbed the moment. He is such a funny guy. I love that he can still make me laugh. When we arrived to the hotel the boys explored & wiggled. Rod & Tre watched what they could of the BYU game. "Goooo COUGARS!" could be heard down the hall. We were in the same hotel as the Finkleas so the guys decided to steal some study time while Laura & I attempted to tame to beasts. The kids were so wound up. They were having a great time. Tre was so excited about his room in the suite. Dinner time came & we met up with the Whitings. We went to the olive garden where I proceeded to loose my mind. Tre was everywhere but in his seat & Britt was done for the day. But eating out was great. We have fun friends. After dinner & a quick pit stop at target to look for a floaty of some sort for Tre (which was a failure.)we headed back to the hotel...where once again the poor guys went to study & laura and I took all 5 kids to the pool. The kids loved it. My boys are fish, and Payton & Jaxon have no fear. There was a great little baby pool where my boys & ashton spent there time. Poor tre sported payton's flower water wings. ha. I don't think he even noticed. We really wore the kids out, so when we got back to the room I got them changed into jammies and into the pack & play & bed. They were out in moments. They slept super that night. Rod & I slept on the pull out couch so the boys could have the room. We made it bed really early, but had some fun visitors. My husband being the super hero he is sprung into action. Turns out the hotel had double booked our room. Sunday morning went well. Got the kids dressed in their Sunday best & grabbed some continental breakfast then out the door to the Stake center an hour early to get a parking spot & a seat. Conference is always a special time, we are blessed to hear from our local leaders & hear council, but this particular conference was especially important. Elder Bednar, an apostle, Visited our area. For the Knoxville stake that is HUGE. It has grown & really strengthened in the recent years, and they, & we are so blessed to have the presence of an apostle at a stake conference. Now, Id like to say that I listened diligently & took notes, but lets get real, I have 2 small children. I gave my self a reality check before even entering the building. I didn't want to be disappointed. I just told myself that I would listen when i could & take what I could from the spirit felt there. It wasn't even 5 minuets after the opening prayer that Britt started to wonder & whine. So equipped with a diaper bag I decided to go sit in the lobby. The intercom system was on so I was able to hear. I was thrilled to pieces, but even better then that Laura came & told me that there was a nursery room for little kids open. So I ventured that way. I again heard the speakers over the intercom system. What a HUGE blessing! So while Britt played with the toys quietly, I listened to our stake president. He is such an inspired man. He asked the question why Elder Bednar was here. I thought, To speak to us. But after listening for a few moments I realized he was here to speak to ME. He was here to speak to each individual, not just the young men, or the widows, or the single adults. He was here to speak to me. That put me in the mind set that what he was going to share with us was meant for my salvation, and that i need to soak it in. President cruise concluded his remarks, & Elder Bednar began to share what he felt we needed to hear. He said many things that touched me, but of them a few stood out. 1st being that Christ taught, and blessed the people 1 by 1. That each was of great eternal consequence & value. 2nd being that often we will be asked if it is hard living the gospel in its fullness, with some limitations & rules. But we are to see clearly that it is harder NOT to live the gospel. For me this has always been a truth. I see what disobedience to covenants, commandments, vows, & word of wisdom can do to a person. I see what living those things does for my family & my children, & for myself. I see how the Lord blesses my family each day spiritually, financialy, & emotionally. I see that we would have nothing if not for the gospel restored to its fullness. It is easier to live this gospel then to not. Elder Bednar was a very direct speaker, & a very honest speaker. I have a testimony that he is a truly inspired man & that his words are those from our father in heaven. It was a fabulous experience. Now, while I was able to listen to about 65% of conference while in the nursery, poor Rod was playing circus clown for Tre who was apparently very demanding. I had packed his little back pack full of activities & treats, but still wanted daddy to play along. I had gone in to check on my guys & asked if tre was okay, Rod said yes, but now I wish I had spared poor Rod & taken Tre to play. But all in all, It was a wonderful conference & a blessing to my family. We drove back home from conference. The boys again slept the whole way. Tre was disappointed not to be staying at the hotel in Knoxville with Payton again. Apparently Payton had the same response. I guess the kids really liked the change in pace. We did too. It was a great weekend. Now it is test time for the guys, and a mountain of laundry for me. But the conference weekend was a break from the normal, just what we needed.
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