eats leftovers.

Three words: Turkey pot pie.


Almost as good as Thanksgiving dinner itself, but not quite! That would be blasphemy.

is thankful for the source of all blessings.

"And I would exhort you, my beloved brethren, that ye remember that every good gift cometh of Christ" (Moroni 10:18)

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (James 1:17).

Above all, this Thanksgiving, I am grateful for Jesus Christ who made the greatest sacrifice for me so that my life could be joyful. I know that He is the source of all blessings. I feel peace when I am obedient to His teachings. I know that these blessings are available to all who believe in Him.

finished her first square.

This is my first attempt at piecing a square for my quilt. I've mentioned it before, but I wanted to show you all. I kind of botched it (maybe you can tell around the roof area) so I decided that this pattern is too complex for the whole quilt. Instead of using this square for my quilt, I decided to sew it onto a pillowcase and send it to my missionary for Christmas.

See the little initials at the bottom? I added those just for him. I hope he likes it. :)

is thankful for piroshki.

Last night I went to the home of one of my mentees to introduce her to her new mentor. While I was there I remembered how much I love meeting with Ukrainian families in their homes. It has been a long time (four years!) since my mission in Ukraine, but I still remember that feeling. I was warmly greeted by her mother. She made us fresh piroshki (rolls) with apricot jam and poppy seeds in the middle and she even remembered that I don't drink tea and had boiled raspberries in sweetened water for me (they call it "compote"). On the way out she handed me a bag filled with even more. Oooh, I love piroshki. I love Ukrainian hospitality too and I miss living among them.

still believes in miracles.

During the protest that took place outside the LA temple, this is what took place inside, according to one temple worker:

LA Temple: The “inside” story

“My dear family, brothers and sisters, friends and leaders: My heart is overflowing with joy and gratitude to our Heavenly Father for His tender mercies and mighty miracles in our behalf. I just have to share this with you. As most of you know, I am a temple ordinance worker and work the morning shift in the LA temple every Saturday. Today, I had the privilege of translating the new assistant matron's message during our devotional.

She started like this ‘The prophet Joseph Smith said that no unhallowed hand would be able to stop this work from progressing. These past few weeks when mobs have combined and armies have gathered against the saints, the Lord has protected His house.’ She went on to say that those, like her, who were inside the temple when mobs were surrounding it, did not realize how scary and terrifying this looked on TV to the rest of us, because inside the House of the Lord all was calm and there was peace abundant.

After Proposition 8 passed, the temple began receiving threatening calls and mail from those opposing it. They were warned that more than 5,000 people would come to the temple, burn it to the ground, and stop its work. The first Thursday when the mob came, the new LA temple president called the Salt Lake City temple offices for instructions. He was instructed to call the local police and to insure the safety of those attending the temple by closing the gates. The assistant matron said today that it was a tender mercy from the Lord that the mob chose that Thursday to come since they had only one person coming to receive his own endowment that day, which he received in time to leave before trouble started. The LAPD and the FBI responded quickly to the temple presidency’s summons and patrolled the grounds and kept the mob from entering the same. Most of them had never been there before and expressed their surprise at how beautiful and peaceful it was. They were invited to come back during the Christmas season to see the lights and they promised they would.

On Thursday, November 13th a secretary in the temple was opening the mail and upon opening a large manila envelope found a smaller one inside. When she opened this one, white powder flew all around her desk. She thought this could be related to the demonstrators and feared the worst—anthrax. She contacted the president, who in turn called the Salt Lake City temple office again for instructions. The FBI, the LAPD, and even the SWAT teams were once again on the grounds to investigate, and the temple once again had to close from around 11:30am to 5pm. They closed the gates and were instructed to keep all the people there wherever they were found at the time. Those in the parking lot had to remain in the parking lot. Those entering the temple had to remain in the first floor and those already upstairs were taken to the celestial room. Then, the miracles began to happen: A brother serving as a recorder that day was a microbiologist by profession and used to deal with hazardous substances every day. He was the first to confirm that the white powder in the envelope was only talc, and put every one at ease. Then the sister coordinator upstairs was impressed to call upstairs to the sealing area, and said ‘They said we can't go down but no one said we can’t go up and I have many people in the celestial room with their ceremonial clothes on ready to work. Could they do some sealings?’ As it happened, there were four sealers present that day and they ran four sealing sessions nonstop while the temple was closed. Downstairs, someone else thought to invite those in the lobby to do some initiatories, which they promptly did for all those hours too, brothers and sisters alike. Among those waiting in the parking lot there was a large group of young men and women with their leaders who had come to do baptisms for the dead, and who waited patiently all those hours and decided when the temple was reopened to go ahead and fulfill their assignment instead of driving back home. The temple reopened in time for the 5:30pm session.

The next day when recording the ordinances, they discovered that they had performed 2,000 sacred ordinances on Thursday, only one less than the day before when three stakes had been visiting the temple. Once again, the assistant matron reminded us of the words of the prophet Joseph Smith, ‘No unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing...’ But, this is not all, a prophecy was fulfilled also. When the new LA Temple President was set apart by President Uchtdorf of the First Presidency, he received a blessing and these words were pronounced: ‘The time has come for the LA temple to come out of obscurity and become an ensign for righteousness to the world under your presidency.’ Pictures of the temple have been shown on TV, in newspapers, and on the internet, not only in this country but worldwide. People of other faiths have called and sent letters to the temple thanking the Church for defending marriage and protecting the family, and commenting on how impressed they are by how beautiful and majestic the temple looks.

I can only add my own testimony that I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has the power and authority of God on earth. God lives and Jesus, His only Begotten Son and our Savior is coming soon to redeem His people. I am grateful to know this and I pray we will stand firm, steadfast, and immovable while the prophecies of the signs before His coming are fulfilled. ‘Be not afraid, only believe’ He has said, and also ‘What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.’ I testify that this is true and testify it in the Holy name of whom I strive to serve, even Jesus Christ. Be faithful and safe is my humble prayer. Your sister in Christ, P.A.”

I add my own testimony to this sister's testimony of temple work as well. I know that the Lord's work is the most important work in this world and it cannot be stopped. I am grateful that the temple was unharmed. I know that the Lord will continue to protect the faithful and He has not forgotten about us. Miracles do happen in our day.

needs to say her piece.

In the aftermath of Proposition 8, I feel like I need to make my stance known. This issue isn't going to go away, and I don't think things are getting easier in this world. I see divisions forming and I wish this weren't the case. I know that I have blog readers with different backgrounds, beliefs, sexual preferences, and so on. My intent is not to alienate anyone, but to let them know what I believe and to assure them that I care about them and love them.

As most of my readers know, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I believe in Jesus Christ and His teachings. I support the leaders of my church when they say we "solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

This issue concerns more than just the question of who should marry whom. It is a deeply personal question that is formed by each person's belief of what is moral and what is immoral. As I stated before, I believe that same-sex relationships fall into the realm of immorality, along with other sins such as premarital sex, adultery, and other acts that violate the law of chastity. God does not make exceptions. However, He loves His children despite the sins we commit or the mistakes we make. Christ suffered for them all. That being said, I would like to talk about more than just the law. It is not my place to condemn anyone and so I focus on what I can do. I can love.

I love my dear friends who deal with same-sex attraction. They have opened my heart in ways I've never dreamed of. Understanding more about this challenge has caused me to feel greater love and compassion for all people. Regardless of the choices my friends make, I will love them. I will not say that their actions are acceptable, but that is not my place anyway. For some people it is hard to believe that there is a way to separate someone from what they do. I believe that "Charity is the ability to separate a man from what he does" (Hyrum Smith). Charity is the pure love of God. This means that I am trying to love others despite their weaknesses and sins because I hope that they would do the same for me. I am not perfect and I know that my loved ones are very patient with me.

So, this is my stance on same-sex marriage. Yes, it is a sin, but I will not compromise my love for others because of it. I will not draw lines where no lines need to be drawn. I stand by my belief in love as strongly as I stand by my belief in right and wrong.

"And Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, endureth all things.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail-

But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is found posessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him." (Moroni 7:45-47).

is thankful again today.

These two small things make my life so much easier.

*note: this photo is not to scale ;)

This big thing does not make my life easier, however. But I love her anyway. Even when she plays in her favorite mud puddle in the backyard.

is thankful for walks.

I have become very attached to going on walks. I adored walking through the older part of south Provo and I missed it when I came back to Oregon. My own neighborhood has plenty of space for walking, but not the same charm as where I once was. When I started working at my new job I found that it is in the middle of the very walkable Eastmoreland neighborhoods surrounding Reed College. Now I faithfully take walks on my lunch breaks, whenever it isn't raining too hard.

is thankful for a job.

The rain has come back again and in torrents. My throat hurts and my head is swimming. I'm sitting at work at my desk, planning a presentation for today and an appearance at a community resource fair--it's going to be a long day. BUT... I have a job. In the middle of this record high unemployment rate, I am working. Even though it's a "poopy" day (my coworker's words, not mine... hehe) and I'm not feeling well, I am very grateful that I have a way to earn money and I actually enjoy it. I love working with the seven Russian-speaking women at my work and I love helping out children and families in the Russian community here in Portland. It's such a blessing. It's the kind of job that I wasn't sure if I liked at the beginning, but now I realize that I couldn't have picked a better job for myself. It is exactly what I wanted to be doing. I'm glad it's not the kind of job that starts out as more fun that it seems and then declines into a mind-numbing routine. This job challenges me all the time and each day is different in some day.



One more (I forgot again yesterday), I am thankful for help with my quilting project. I finished my first square. I'll post a picture of it soon. It was a little complicated. It probably had 30+ pieces to it! Aaah! I worked on it for two hours and it wasn't coming together right, but I finished it the best way I could. Last night I went to Sister Harris's house and she is a quilting angel. She helped me figure out what was going wrong and I actually re-thought my pattern a little and redesigned the square so it would only have 20 pieces. Yay! I am excited now to sew this new pattern and I am so grateful for more experienced quilters who take me under their wing. ;)



This is kind of like my new quilt block. It looks more 3D with contrasting colors on the window part and the door part. I'll be working on this new pattern soon.

is grateful for seminary.

I was kind of waiting for a perfect day for this post, but I realized that there are no perfect days in seminary. Each day has a bit of rowdiness, sleeping in class, being chatty, and so on, but that's okay. They're learning, that's the point.

Today I talked with my class about sacrifice along with Luke 9:57-62. Those six verses opened up to me as I studied them last night (a blessing in and of itself) and then as I spoke with my students about the sacrifices they are asked to make. Christ asks us to make sacrifices to follow Him because He first made the greatest sacrifice for us. I am grateful to be reminded of such important, simple concepts. I am grateful for each student in the class and how unique they are. I know their lives are not easy and I recognize that coming to seminary is a sacrifice for them, just like teaching it is for me, but we are blessed because of it.

is thankful for a break.

It's amazing how much of a difference three hours away can make. I feel so much more rested and ready for the coming week. Being in Sisters was a breath of fresh air. I always love going to visit.

I'm also thankful for my cousin's daughter Olivia that we brought along with us. She is a lot of fun to play with. Here is a video of Olivia playing a game where we throw a ping pong ball down the stairs and she goes down and gets it. I've never seen a two-year-old get down the stairs so fast!

is halfway!

One more thing...

TODAY IS MY MISSIONARY'S HALFWAY MARK!

Just 11 months, 52 weeks, and 364 days to go...

is thankful for Sisters.

Sisters the town, that is. I am going away for the weekend to my aunt's cabin in Sisters, Oregon! Whenever I am there I buy ridiculously expensive quilt fabric, browse in cowboy-themed shops, and eat glorious baked goods from the Sisters Bakery. Right now, after a week of rainy muck and working late, it's exactly what I need. More on Sisters when I return...

is thankful for spaghetti and downpours.

At work today I had lunch with the most fascinating woman. She is an Old Believer, one of the Russian-speaking immigrants who came to America almost 100 years ago to escape religious persecution in Russia. As we sat together, I in my business casual slacks and and cardigan and she in her beautiful homemade dress and kerchief, in Old Spaghetti Factory it felt like we were old friends. We found much in common in our beliefs and morals. We laughed and joked together. It was one of the most rewarding conversations I've had in quite some time.

Here's my thankful post for yesterday too. It just got too late last night and I didn't get a chance to post it. I'm thankful for visiting teaching! I went last night during an endless downpour to search out the houses of my teachees with my companion and found out that it is a lot of fun to get lost (repeatedly) and get distracted during the lesson while we talked about our lives instead.

I think there is a theme here. What I'm really grateful for is my sisters, whether sisters in the gospel or otherwise. These good women fill my life with beauty and joy.

is thankful for Veteran's Day.

I was griping that I had to work today, but after a frantic twenty-minute-drive I found out that I don't! Don't you love those days? You run to class and you're not prepared and then there's a note on the door or you don't want to teach Sunday school and it turns out that someone else is teaching. Yay! Today I am going to go get some pants altered and pick up my newly refurbished high heels. And I'm going to relax. That's the point of today. We get to relax in a peaceful country because of what Veterans did (and continue to do) for us. Thank you so much.

is thankful for puppets!

This is the new video for "Can't Go Back Now" from the Weepies. It's so CUTE! It brightened up my workday. :)

is thankful for shoes.

Every year for the past three years I've gotten a pair of sassy heels for my birthday. They are impractical and I wouldn't buy them otherwise, but birthdays are all about those kinds of things, right? Actually, I lied. I buy impractical shoes about weekly. Anyhow, two years in a row I've gotten black heels, but this year I wanted RED! Check out these precious heels from Steve Madden. They were on sale at Nordstrom...

Since I didn't get a chance to post on Saturday, I'll do a double thankful post today. I am also thankful for roller skating. Yes, after a three-year-hiatus I went roller skating at our local rink Oaks Park. I am sore all over, but it was fun to zip around the rink on four wheels. I even remembered how to take the corners fast! I only fell once, but I'm not too injured--just a little knee bump.

is thankful for apples.

At work every day I stare at a blank, sage green wall all day. It was starting to depress me. On Monday I got a new coworker, Irina. Today she brought in two beautiful, still-life paintings to brighten up the wall. The first is of green apples, spilled across a long, white table. The second features mandarins and two glass bottles on a red table. They somehow complement the wall perfectly, which once seemed hideous. Thank you so much Irina. It's amazing what a difference two paintings make.

I am also thankful that I'm leaving work one hour early today (I racked up a little overtime) and I'm actually going out with some friends tonight. Yes, my social life is not completely dead.

Goodbye ugly green wall!

is starting NaBloPoMo!

I missed national blog posting month last year, but this year I'm going to do it. I really am. I have decided to post one thing I'm thankful for each day until Thanksgiving. I think it'll do me some good.

Today I am grateful for lunch with my mom and my brother in the middle of a rainy, busy workday. We ate at Pastini. Yum!

recommends a movie.

The Secret Life of Bees was a beautiful movie. I knew I needed to go see it after I saw the cast, but I didn't really know what to expect out of it. It has renewed my faith in the movie industry once again. The cinematography was gorgeous. I love rural America and this film captured that sun-soaked, country feeling perfectly. It also addresses issues like racism and domestic violence in a touching way that doesn't feel too heavy. It made me cry in a couple of places and I am glad that there are films like this that incite feelings beyond a typical moviegoers expectations. The soundtrack was nice as well. I think I might buy it. I usually don't pay a lot of attention to soundtracks, but this one had a mix of both folksy tunes and soul. Mmmm.

Go see it!

enjoyed Halloween.

My dogs didn't, however. Mollie was a bumblebee and Paisley was a ladybug, but not for long. They quickly pawed their hats off and rolled around, growling, until we finally removed their sweet, little costumes. Oh well.