Lost in the Zone

So there I was, at work, helping customers with deciding which purchase for their pet would be the best. I stayed with them, helping them out at the register as well.
When one of them asked a question about another of our products. If we had them.
I told them that we did. And asked if they wanted me to show them.
They said yes.
So I left the cashier standing with the other customer at the register to show them the product.
They decided that they didn't want it,
and so we headed back to the register.

Oh. And, this whole conversation between us, took place in Sign.
No big deal really, I kinda went to school for that sort of thing.
lol, but oh. How easy it is to get lost in that world.
I saw the cashier looking at me and so I took advantage of the distance and signed to them "They're not buying anything, you can continue with check out."

Only...to get a blank stare in return.

Oops.
lol. I'd just spent the last 15 or so minutes signing to people, had gotten into the 'zone'....
and had just signed to a coworker who didn't know sign language.

So much for 'easy communication' I suppose. I had to wait until I was closer to them before they would be able to hear my rather quiet voice repeating what I'd just signed to them from across the room. lol. ^^;;

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Baby Guinea

So we had a baby guinea pig come into work.
The customer told me that they had bought two 'female guinea pigs'
Or so they thought.
But then, when they woke up that morning....they found a baby guinea pig in the cage.
Which meant...that one of those girls was actually a guy.
So they brought everyone in to see which one was the male and which was the female.
I wasn't on the floor at that time, so they already had it figured out when I got back.
But seriously.
The thing was the cutest creature ever! And bigger than expected.

Adorable right?!
And it was born that morning! O.o
Totally crazy. I've been told that they already have their teeth, and that they can eat real food the same day they're born. O.o
It almost made me want a baby guinea pig. ^^;;
Lol, but I don't. :)
Still, that was something I def didn't see everyday. ^^

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

I was at work, desperately trying to set up fish tank/ reptile cages in a creative manner, but I was having trouble because the hay balls were being difficult. I had so much to do, and time was passing by too quickly, the store was going to open soon and I wasn't even halfway done!
Somehow, I ended up encountering a being that seemed to be made of metal, and I managed to disturb/wake up a wood being. A soldier who had wood armor and a wooden sword. He fought the metal being, and actually held his own. His wooden sword was strong enough to withstand the metal sword. And this soldier existed primarily to defeat the metal soldier. But then, I ended up stumbling across a family. With two parents, and a bunch of kids. At least six of different ages. They were just celebrating the fact they have once again gotten married. Apparently, they are under some sort of curse, where when the year ends...they go back to the beginning of the year. Any events, aging, memories....are erased. Everything begins again. With the weddings. They were celebrating being rich again. (the money might actually not vanish but accumulate over time.) But any friends, girlfriends, other things that happen in that year. End up 'unhappening.' But it's only this family stuck in this loop. Everyone else continues to move forward in time. It's just the family that's stuck...somewhat out of time. They know that time passes as when they talk about events they know of, people refer to other events of the future. They may refer to records while the 'future' people may talk about their ipods or smart phones. The family...doesn't quite understand these references. There's a slight haze to it. And when the year starts over...so does their knowledge. And this has happened for the past 26 years. Somehow their plight is connected to the wooden soldier, but I'm not sure how. Still, when Prince Charming and Snow white found them, with their swords in hand, the family was ready for their curse to end. They were looking forward to finally moving forward. Even if it meant a lot of new things they wouldn't understand, they just wanted to continue on with their lives.

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D

October 1999 General Conference Saturday Morning

Gordon B. Hinckley -Welcome to Conference

• The Church grows ever larger. It touches more and more lives for good. It is spreading over the earth in a wonderful way.

Neal A. Maxwell -Lessons from Laman and Lemuel

• Failing to understand the "dealings" of the Lord with His children-meaning His relations with and treatment of His children-is very fundamental. Murmuring is but one of the symptoms, and not the only consequence either; in fact, brothers and sisters, this failure affects everything else.
• To misread something so crucial constitutes a failure to know God, who then ends up being wrongly seen as unreachable, uninvolved, uncaring, and unable-a disabled and diminished Deity, really-about whose seeming limitations, ironically, some then quickly complain.
• We have enablers in our society too. They allow themselves to be stirred up against that which is good. They are not entitled to a free pass...their comparative visibility is low, but their hypocrisy is high!
• Laman and Lemuel's own lack of character kept them from understanding the perfect character of God! No wonder the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves."
• Laman and Lemuel were intimidated by Laban's power, but their fear of power merely showed the power of fear. Since "perfect love casteth out all fear," their limited capacity to love was thereby very evident.
• Easily riled and quick to complain, they could scarcely remember their last rescue long enough to meet their next difficulty. Instead, lacking gospel perspective, the situational cares of the day, like worry over a broken bow, of all things, dominated the things of eternity. Ours, too, is a day of every-man-for-himself situational ethics, as if the Ten Commandments came from a focus group!
• Ironically, many like Laman and Lemuel who are the first to demand signs are then the first to discount them. Some demand more miracles even while consuming a daily menu of manna and forgetting its remarkable Source.
• Laman and Lemuel became rebels instead of leaders, resentful instead of righteous-all because of their failure to understand either the character or the purposes of God and His dealings with His children.

Ben. B. Banks -"Feed My Sheep"

• Most active members believe that less-active members behave differently because they don't believe the Church's doctrine.
• A study by the Church's Research Information Division does not support this assumption.
• It shows that almost all less-active members interviewed believe that God exists, that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet, and that the Church is true.
• As part of another study, a group of active members who previously had been less active were asked why they did not attend church. The most common reasons given were:
• Feelings of unworthiness.
• Personal or family problems.
• Parents or spouse were less active.
• Teenage rebelliousness or laziness.
• Conflicts with work schedules.
• Church too far away, lacked transportation.
• They were then asked what had influenced them to return to activity in the Church. The most common answers were:
• Faced with a crisis in life.
• Overcame personal problems
• The example of a spouse or girlfriend/boyfriend.
• Influence of family members.
• Wanted the gospel influence for family.
• Fellowshipping from ward members, moved to a new ward where people cared about them.
• No one can effectively take your place as a father and mother.

Sharon G. Larsen -Agency--A Blessing and a Burden

• Agency is the power to think, choose, and act for ourselves. It comes with endless opportunities, accompanied by responsibility and consequences. It is a blessing and a burden. Using this gift of agency wisely is critical today because never in the world's history have God's children been so blessed or so blatantly confronted with so many choices.
• Choice becomes inescapable. The world's two opposing forces seek our commitment. On the one hand, there is the reality of Satan, and on the other, the more powerful love of the Savior.
• If there was no opposition, there would be no righteousness nor wickedness, neither good nor bad. WE can't act for ourselves if there is no choice.
• If we are not consciously and deliberately choosing the kingdom of God, we will in fact be moving backwards as the kingdom of God moves forward.
• "The devil will not support his children."
• Making right choices frees us and blesses us, even in choosing what may appear trivial in our lives.
• Isn't it incredible? There are six billion people on this planet, and Heavenly Father cares what I watch for entertainment, and He cares what I eat and drink. He cares how I dress and how I earn and spend my money. He cares what I do and don't do. Heavenly Father cares about my happiness.
• "If [we] have not chosen the Kingdom of God [first], it will make in the end no difference what [we] have chosen instead."

Vaughn J. Featherstone -One Link Still Holds

• Alexander Solzhenitsyn referred to shortsighted concessions: "A process of giving up and giving up and giving up and hoping and hoping and hoping that perhaps at some point the wolf will have had enough."
• My wonderful young friends, let me promise you, the wolf will never have enough.
• "Where the spirit invades the heart, there can be no rest. For even in the dark of night, one link of the chain still holds, one light that will not go out."
• Doesn't it make you deeply grateful to belong to a church with apostles and prophets at the head-knowing that one link will always hold, one light will never go out? As the world moves deeper and deeper into sin, this wonderful Church stands like a giant granite boulder.
• No matter how strong the winds of public opinion may blow, the Church is immovable.
• Your friends are a safeguard.
• A word to adults and parents. Elder Bruce R. McConkie's father counseled that when we violate any commandment, however small, our youth may choose to violate a commandment later on in life perhaps 10 times or 100 times worse and justify it on the basis of the small commandment we broke.
• "Rightly done, teaching is a precious work. It is, however, the one human endeavor most damaging in consequence when done without care or competence. To carry a student in harm's way because of either ignorance or arrogance--because we do not know or do not care- is an act far worse than a bungled surgery. Our mistakes will not bleed. Instead, they carry hidden scars whose mean and tragic consequence may not be seen until years have passed and remedy is painful and impossible."
• It is a wonderful feeling to turn on the lights in our parent's eyes.
• I thank God for the one link that still holds, the one light that will not go out.

Neil L. Andersen -Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets

• Those who choose to serve the Lord will always listen attentively and specifically to the Prophet.
• In these days of much beauty, our challenges in choosing to serve the Lord are more subtle than those of former days, but without question they are as spiritually pervasive.
• Never ignore the warnings.
• Never be smug in our independence.

Thomas S. Monson -Becoming Our Best Selves

• "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."
• "God gave us memories, that we may have June roses in the December of our lives."
• I came to your room to ask something and found you on your knees praying to Heavenly Father. If He's important to you, He'll be important to me.
• You never know what kind of influence you'll be until a child observes you doing yourself what you have tried to teach him to do.
• "When someone gives another person a flower, the fragrance of the flower lingers on the hands of the giver."
• Real faith is not restricted to childhood, but rather applies to all.

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Lip Problems

And the random events to me continue to happen.
O.o
I have no idea, but it's apparently one of those phases.

What's up?

Well, you see, there I was, minding my own business. Just trying to watch a movie with the sister and friends in order to relax after work.

And I felt something odd.

It kinda felt like my lip was going numb.
Which would be weird, I mean, why would that area of all places go numb?
But it wasn't a numb numb. Or a tingly numb. It's just that "I gots a fat lip." sort of feeling. Perhaps with a dash of "The phase before your lip fully comes out of being numbed by the doctor."

In any case. My upper lip, the right side, swelled up.
O.o
It's still a bit swollen actually. Perhaps the same swollen. Who knows.
All I know...is that it's bugging me.
And I have no idea why this happened in the first place.

Am I having an allergic reaction to something? I did try a new type of cookie today...
Is it stress? Am I too tense? I feel relaxed though....
Lack of sleep? Maybe, but why would that effect the mouth? No idea.
Did something at work irritate it? ....maybe? idk.

Basically, it's just weird. And hopefully, getting some sleep will allow the swelling to calm down.
We'll see.....

Personally...I think I must have been punched by a ghost....why else would something randomly swell?? :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi.

The Dream.

Involved me dropping my laptop a short distance and the screen broke. It was depressing...to have this big crack going through it, but I was trying to look past it, as I was going through a river/canyon stepping stone type of area to get away from something....

-S.N.D

Real Food

Tonight was one of those rare nights where I went to the store, decided on a whim that I wanted to actually make real food for dinner tonight, grabbed all the ingredients needed....and then actually made the meal that night.

So often my intentions are waaay bigger then my actions.
I've lost count of how many times I buy some food item with the intention to make a meal out of it that day, or even that week....

Only to have it go bad before I actually get around to really wanting to eat it.
The curse of going to snack foods when I get home.
*shrugs*
Which makes me not hungry, which makes me not willing to make food I won't eat.

But still, I try it on occasion.
Most of the time, it doesn't work.
Most of the time, it ends up happening later then planned.

Tonight. Wasn't the case.
I actually made a 'real food' dinner.

Tacos.

Not with Chili, but with actual ground beef that I bought from the store, seasoned with taco seasoning. I had cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and of course the shell.

Soo delicious!

But waaaay too much for little old me to eat.
I now have leftovers. :( Booo.

Now I have a new task ahead of me....actually using the leftovers before they go bad.....

We'll see how that goes. :)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Laptop Saga

So there I was, last night, mourning the fact that my new laptop was out on its lonesome, on a quest to replace a faulty hard drive. I'd been told that this quest would take two weeks to complete. And this...was the end of week one.
So, on a whim, I decided to check in on my laptop and see where in the country it was.
As last time I checked...it was somewhere in Kentucky.

Imagine my surprise when I saw that it had been checked in, fixed, and shipped out.
()_() Huh? Already!
When would it arrive then?!
Luckily there was this tracking number that I could click on.
And it told me.

That my laptop was sitting like twelve yards away from me in the office!
My laptop was already back and waiting for me!
Only...when I found out this information...it was late at night.
Meaning, the office was closed.
*sniff* SOOO CLOOOSE yet soooo FAAAR!
I would have to wait until the morning to go claim my laptop back into my possession.

Ah, sooo hard to fall asleep. But somehow I managed.
I even managed to wait until a little after the office opened to go down and claim my prize.

Only....I didn't claim it. :(
I went into the office, and there was a girl there at the desk.
Two other people came in about the same time as me, and to be kind, and show I wasn't in a hurry....I let them go first.
And then my turn.

"Hi, I'm here to see if I got a package in."
"Okay, do you have your slip of paper?" (They leave slips of paper in our mailbox to say "Hey, you have a package! Come get it.)
"No, There wasn't anything in the mailbox." (I'd checked before I went over.)
"Then, it's probably not here."
"No, it is. The shipping order said it arrived yesterday. Signed for and everything."
I could tell she was in one of those frazzled 'I really don't want to go look as I'm busy with twelve other things!' moods. But she went in back to look anyway.
And.
Came back empty handed. "What was the name again?"
"Sarnic."
"I'm sorry, there are no packages in our back room."
LIES! I mean. "You sure? It had to be signed for."
"I don't know, I don't usually deal with the mail, I'll have to look into it later." (ha yah right.) "and see what our mail guy did with it if it came in. If you could leave your name and info here, I'll get back to you."
Hmm. Somehow I doubted that she would get back to me today. And knowing that my laptop was there. I WASN'T GOING TO WAIT THREE DAYS FOR THEM TO FINALLY DECIDE THAT I ACTUALLY HAD MAIL!
After all, today is Friday. Who knows if mail is delivered on Saturday (I can never tell.) and Sunday, no go. Which meant Monday at the earliest. And if it was actually at the office sitting in back there was no way I was going to wait that long if it was sooo close to me.

But I did have to wait.
I had a game plan.
I mean, I didn't believe that the package wasn't there. It had been signed for. It was there. And I highly doubted that as the girl said "it may have been placed in a different mail slot."
O.o I think she was talking about the slip of paper. Which I'm like. "Why do you need that if the BOX with a LAPTOP in it, couldn't fit in the little mail box and it's here in the office!"

Yet, decided to just double check. I called the UPS store, and they gave me a number that allowed me to actually figure out that the package had in fact been delivered and signed for at my office (and not a UPS office).
That phone call turned into a bit of a hassle in of itself as the woman on the phone wanted to launch an inquiry and I was like "No, you don't need to now, I'm guessing the girl didn't know where to look, I'll check again a little later and see if its there, if its not I'll call back."
She insisted she send the inquiry anyways, telling me that I could always call back and cancel it at anytime.
Whatever floats your boat I suppose. Just let me stop talking to you so I don't feel like we're constantly misunderstanding each other. >.>

So game plan.
I would need to return to the office today.
But I didn't want to deal with the same girl again. As I highly doubted I would get my package without my little slip of paper if she was there.
Which meant, I would need to return later in the day. Like six hours later.
As I figured that the woman's shift couldn't last aaaallll day long so there would be a replacement there.
Plus I had other things that needed to get done today. And if I played my cards right, I would be able to elongate it to the time I planned to try again.

So, off I went.
And then I came back...a bit early -I checked the mail box to find no slip of paper-
And went back up to my apt to wait a little longer.
In the waiting time, I decided to change my look. Maybe a different impression would help me get my package. I mean, T-shirt and Jeans hadn't helped me the first time around.
So, with freshly washed hair, and a nicer shirt, a little while later I finally returned to the mailbox. Still no slip, and went on to the office.
There, I found two new people.
And a pile of fresh mail sitting on the desk.
So politely I asked if I could pick up a package that was delivered yesterday for me.
The new girl did a quick search through the pile, and didn't see it. I repeated that it had come in yesterday morning. So the guy went into the back to check for me.

And guess what.
Back he came with the package in hand!
HALLELUJAH! *angelic chorus*
And guess what? Definitely was too big to fit in a mail box. It was a huge package, awkward to carry.
I left, triumphant. Just as the girl from this morning returned to the desk.
Ha! I avoided her! Yay.
But seriously? She couldn't find this huge thing?!!?
Admittedly the sticker with my name on it was rather small, so if she just glanced really quick, she wouldn't have realized it was for me.
But There it was. Waiting.

I managed, somehow to walk calmly back to my apartment, but once inside.
I couldn't hold it in.
Anxious fingers tore at the box.
And there, wrapped up all shiny and safe.

WAS MY LAPTOP!!

*tears* It was here! It was here! AND A WEEK EARLIER THAN EXPECTED!!
I literally danced around my living room in my excitement.
No more old laptop and being tethered to the wall.
Here it was, my new laptop!

And really, it was new.
As, with a new hard drive, anything that had been set up before I sent it in...was gone.
So I had to reinstall a bunch of things.
Reconnect with the internet, redownload Microsoft Office (Shout out to the guy who helped me figure out how to do that!) (Shout out to me hoarding stuff so I was able to redownload it!)
Get my games back,
and finally get my Itunes redownloaded.

TADA! Everything is back to basically normal. ^^
(and yes, I called back the UPS people to cancel that inquiry, totally again more work than I thought necessary but whatever.)

I'm sooo HAPPY! Definitely a bright spot to my week!! :D

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Love Thy Neighbor

One Sunday, right in the middle of the branch sacrament meeting, a woman walked in the door off the street.
She was a homeless woman who was wearing dirty, ragged clothes, coughing, choking, and blowing her nose into a filthy handkerchief.
In a loud, hoarse voice she said, "I want to sing! I want to pray!" and walked right to the front row and sat down next to a member who was wearing a white blouse, leaned against her, and laid her head on her shoulder.
The member immediately put her arms around this guest and held her in her arms throughout the remainder of the meeting.
It happened that the speaker had been talking about the parable of the good Samaritan as the woman had come in.
As this woman coughed and choked, the speaker continued telling of the parable.
As he came to the end of his talk and was quoting a relevant scripture, suddenly, in a loud voice, this homeless woman finished giving the verse that the speaker had begun.
In talking of this after sacrament meeting with the speaker, we thought it had probably been a long time since someone had affectionately put an arm around our visitor.
We wondered what better illustration you could have of the parable of the good Samaritan than what we had just seen, and we were reminded of the Savior's words that preceded His telling of that parable, "Thou shalt love ... thy neighbor as thyself."

Stephen A. West -"Out of Small Things" April 1999 General Conference

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Soreness...Why?

You wouldn't think that hitting a ball over a net for like twenty minutes could cause much grief.

But it can.
Not literal grief, but definitely more pain than I'd been expecting.

Seriously. My arms are so sore. Have been sore.
And I'm sooo confused as to why.

I mean, it was just a Monday Night FHE activity. Go hang out. Play some volleyball and think nothing of it afterwards.
Only I have.
My arms, particularly the forearms have been aching since that point.

Of course, it may not just be the volleyball....
This week has been full of hard working stuff.

Like working a split shift Sunday doing basically two days of work in one.
Then another shift Monday, with volleyball that night....
So maybe it was more then my arms was used to....too much work in too short of time with not much time to rest?

Who knows. Stress might be part of it. Tense muscles and all that.....

In any case, hopefully the soreness will continue to fade.
It's nearly gone now....maybe it will be gone tomorrow. :)

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

There was a young man who encountered a parade of peasant/slave women following the richer folk on horses through the city carrying heavy burdens. He saw a woman that was pregnant, who wasn't doing as well, and scooped her up into his arms to help her out. He turned seeking help and disturbed one of the women on the horse. She looked like a princess with a crown and everything though he apparently didn't see the crown. Just another girl who could possibly help him. She took this disturbance to her day with ill grace. Scowling the whole time, like he was the scum of the earth as she pulled a piece of jewelry off and tied it to a piece of string/straw to give to him. She said words along the lines of "I'll help you, but you have to pay the price" As she was a sort of witch. And the jewel would help him help the girl, but he would be cursed because of it.....

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D 

My Dearest Pepper

I'm not sure how to write this.....
So I might as well jump on in.
 
I got the news today that my dog, Pepper, had died this morning.

 

Talk about a shock.

I hadn't realized that there wasn't anything wrong with her.

I mean, she was old. She'd just turned 13 years old in January. :(

But since our last dog, Sadie, was 15 when she died....I had figured that we could get like two more years from Pepper as well.



 
 

 





Not so, apparently.

Like I said, it was sudden. She hadn't been acting well the night before or that morning, and then....she was gone.

 

And it's rather depressing.

Super depressing actually.

Because I had actually been planning to come home today.

 

 

 

 

 

 



I'd actually been planning to grab a bunch of stuff for her (and the cats) as soon as I got off my shift today. More dog food, more doggie treats...

And suddenly, I didn't need to anymore.

In reality, that whole side of Starsmet just become....obsolete to me. I don't have to get any more doggie things for my own dog anymore....

 

 

And it's rather heart-breaking, to know that I had only been a handful of hours away from coming up to see her.

I mean, I wasn't looking forward to that night, lol as she tends to wake me up every few hours to go outside..... but I was looking forward to spending some time with my Pepper Puppy.

 

 

 



Now though....the house is emptier.

It's quieter.

And I look around, thinking to myself.

No more dog bowls.

No more dog food.

No more barking,

No more whining,

No more personal cleaner for when I drop food on the floor.

No more 'Dead Doggie' acts...

--She was super calm on her back. I could hold her on her back in my hands and bounce her up and down and she wouldn't move. It was adorable.

No more fetch.

No more growl playing

No more rubbing her belly.

 

Everywhere I look, there's a bunch of 'no mores' to be seen, felt, heard, smelt.....

 

 

 

 

As she's been part of our life for so long. Basically her whole life.

We got her when she was months old,

From our local petstore, as mom and I both fell in love with her, and we convinced Dad to shell out the cash and bring her home to be a companion to Sadie.

It's been crazy since that point. :) She was such an energetic, happy, playful, attention needing puppy.

 



 
 
You will be missed Dr. Pepperoni.
 
 



 

 

But at least you're with Sadie now, as truly, I believe you weren't truly happy without your best buddy by your side.

May the adventures begin with the two of you up in Heaven!

 

 



 

Until you next see these words;

I'll be watching the leaves.

Enjoy the day!

 

-Sarnic Dirchi

 

The Dream

 

There was this guy, who was able to talk to his past and future selves. It was like, there were multiples of this guy, but not really as they were all connected. And at any time, one self could reach out and connect with a past/future self and interact with people in that time period through that one self. It was rather crazy. Like I could see a video relay of the professor, when he was old, but also see his younger self sitting there in front of me. Note to self, old guy doesn't like being told that he's old. And there was this scientist, the Swiss one from the Captain America movie, who had been working on a project with the Winter Soldier, but it wasn't going how the professor wanted it to go, and so he decided to switch gears. And behind this Swiss Scientist, rose a sheet of silver metal, that looked molten. And within it, was the imprint of The Winter Solider. The intention was to make the Swiss Scientist into a copy, who knows why, but the scientist didn't like that, he screamed as the molten metal overtook him.

There was a jump and suddenly, I was following around a woman, short, with short reddish brown hair, and a style of blue and green clothes, we were doing something together, and it came out that she was the scientist and it had taken her a while to figure out what 'style' meant, but she was really pleased with the results.....

 

Then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....

and I became myself again. :)

 

-S.N.D

April 1999 General Conference Sunday Afternoon

Henry B. Eyring -The Power of Teaching Doctrine

• Alma knew that words of doctrine had great power. They can open the minds of people to see spiritual things not visible to the natural eye. And they can open the heart to feelings of the love of God and a love for truth.
• Doctrine gains its power as the Holy Ghost confirms that it is true.
• It takes at least some humility, some willingness to surrender to the Savior's will for us. The person you would help may have little of either, but you can urge that they desire to believe. More than that, you can take confidence from another of the powers of doctrine. Truth can prepare its own way. Simply hearing the words of doctrine can plant the seed of faith in the heart. And even a tiny seed of faith in Jesus Christ invites the Spirit.
• The best time to teach is early, while children are still immune to the temptations of their mortal enemy, and long before the words of truth may be harder for them to hear in the noise of their personal struggles.
• A wise parent would never miss a chance to gather children together to learn of the doctrine of Jesus Christ. Such moments are so rare in comparison with the efforts of the enemy. For every hour the power of the doctrine is introduced into a child's life, there may be hundreds of hours of messages and images denying or ignoring the saving truths.
• "With so little time and so few opportunities, what words of doctrine from me will fortify them against the attacks on their faith which are sure to come?" The words you speak today may be the ones they remember. And today will soon be gone.
• Your descendants will teach doctrine to each other because  you taught it. Doctrine can more than open minds to spiritual things and hearts to the love of God. When that doctrine brings joy and peace, it also has the power to open mouths.

Joseph B. Wirthlin -Inspired Church Welfare

• A religion which has not the power to save people temporally and make them prosperous an happy here, cannot be depended upon to save them spiritually, to exalt them in the life to come.
• We teach members to be self-reliant, to do everything possible to sustain themselves, and to seek help from their families for needed assistance. When members and their families are doing all they can to provide necessities but still cannot meet basic needs, the Church stand ready to help.
• We do not ask, "Are you members of our church?" We ask only, "Do you suffer?"
• "As long as [the Church] has any resources, ... we will stand by you in times of trouble."
• "As a people, we should avoid unreasonable debt. ... 'Pay thy debt, and live.'"
• [Welfare] is not a program, but the essence of the gospel. It is the gospel in action. It is the crowning principle of Christian life."

Keith B. McMullin -Welcome Home

• "To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin."
• When temptation besets us, we experience pain of conscience. A sensitive conscience is the evidence of a healthy spirit. The pain or guilt we feel is the spirit's reaction to temptation, imperfection, or sin. Conscience is the companion of every traveler.
• Have faith in Christ, trust Him, come unto Him, follow Him.

Elder Cree-L Kofford -Your Name Is Safe in Our Home

• Have you noticed how easy it is to cross over the line and find fault with other people? All too often we seek to be excused from the very behavior we condemn in others. Mercy for me, justice for everyone else is a much too common addiction. When we deal with the name and reputation of another, we deal with something sacred in the sigh of the Lord.
• There are those among us who would recoil in horror at the thought of stealing another person's money or property but who don't give a second thought to the stealing another person's good name or reputation.
• Someone once said, There is so much good in the worst of us, And so much bad in the best of us, That it ill behooves any of us To find fault with the rest of us.
• "Cease to speak evil one of another."
• I pray that the Lord will bless each of us that we may never cross over the line on the ground and that we may live so it can be said, "Your name is safe in our home."

Dennis B. Neuenschwander -Bridges and Eternal Keepsakes

• Bridges between generations are not built by accident.
• A life that is not documented is a life that within a generation or two will largely be lost to memory.
• "If one knows he comes from honest ancestors, he is duty and honor bound to be honest. One cannot be dishonest without letting each member of his family down."
• "A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do. We are trying to do a futile thing if we do not know where we came from or what we have been about.

M. Russell Ballard -Like a Flame Unquenchable

• Lucifer is waging a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike, and the casualty count is climbing. The standards of the world have shifted like the sands of a windblown desert. That which was once unheard of or unacceptable is now commonplace. The world's perspective has been so dramatically altered that those who chose to adhere to traditional standards of morality are viewed as strange, almost as though they must justify their desire to keep the commandments of God.
• One thing is certain: the commandments have not changed. Let there be no mistake about that. Right is still right. Wrong is still wrong, no matter how cleverly cloaked in respectability or political correctness.
• "Now is the time for labor," ... "Let the fire of the covenant which you made in the House of the Lord, burn in your hearts, like flame unquenchable."
• It is the parent's duty to intervene when they see wrong choices being made. That doesn't mean parents take from children the precious gift of agency.
• Remember, there is no such thing as unlawful censorship in the home. Movies, magazines, television, videos, the Internet, and other media are there as guests and should only be welcomed when they are appropriate for family enjoyment. Make your home a haven of peace and righteousness. Don't allow evil influences to contaminate your own special spiritual environment. Be kind, thoughtful, gentle, and considerate in what you say and how you treat each other.
• You don't have to stand idly by as those over whom you have stewardship make poor moral choices. When one of our youth stands at a moral crossroad in life, almost always there is someone--a parent, a leader, a teacher--who could make a difference by intervening with love and kindness.
• I wish I could tell you that focusing on information, communication, intervention, and example would always result in a perfect family with perfect children who never stray from gospel standards. That is, unfortunately, not the case. But families that know, teach, and live gospel principles and standards are more likely to spare themselves the pain of serious mistakes.

Gordon B. Hinckley -Thanks to the Lord for His Blessings

• We can all be a little kinder, a littler more generous, a little more thoughtful of one another. We can be a little more tolerant and friendly to those not of our faith, going out of our way to show our respect for them. We cannot afford to be arrogant or self-righteous. It is our obligation to reach out in helpfulness, not only to our own but to all others as well. Their interest in and respect for this Church will increase as we do so.
• Parents, safeguard your families.
• Shower them with love, but do not spoil them.
• Let us be a people of honesty and integrity, doing the right thing at all times and in all circumstances.
• Great are our blessings. Tremendous in our responsibility. Let us get on our knees and lead with the Lord for direction. Then let us stand on our feet, square up our shoulders, an march forward without fear to enlarge among people everywhere the righteousness of the Lord.

General YW Meeting

Sharon G. Larsen -Your Light in the Wilderness

• You know, don't you, that prayer turns on the light? When you make prayer a regular part of your life, you begin walking the light, in the straight and narrow way.
• Always pay attention to where you are going.
• You can't be in the light and the dark at the same time.
• Let the Lord be your light. Let Him prepare the way before you to your promised land. "There [is] ... no life so dark [that] he cannot light."

Carol B. Thomas -Spiritual Power of Our Baptism

• Baptism is our spiritual rebirth. It cleanses us from head to tow and allow us the companionship of the Savior through the gift of the Holy Ghost. He will accompany each of us along the road of life.
• If you pray, it can solve even your littlest problems."
• I've been on both sides, and the light side is definitely the place to be."
• Thank you, thank you, young women, for your desire to follow the light of the Savior. All of you have difficult situations in your lives, but you know the source of your spiritual strength. Every time you pray or bear testimony or stand for the right, you shut down the powers of evil in your life.

Margaret D. Nadauld -Follow the Light

• Set a good example. Stand as a witness of God at all times and in all things and in all places. As you do that, the light will grow brighter and brighter in your life, and it will be reflected in your countenance.

Thomas S. Monson -Your Celestial Journey

• First, gaze upward.
• Our Heavenly Father has placed an upward reach in every one of us. The words of scripture speak loud and clear: "Look to God and live." No problem is too small for His attention nor so large that He cannot answer the prayer of faith. Prayer surely is the passport to spiritual power.
• If you want to please our Heavenly Father, honor your father and your mother, as He has commanded. They love you dearly. Your joy is their joy, and your sorrow is their sorrow. They want for you to heavenly guidance the Lord provides.
• Life was never meant to be all smiles and happiness.
• Second, look inward.
• We know where we want to go. Do we have the resolution--even the faith--to get there?
• Third, reach out to serve.
• Finally, press forward.
• Avoid the tendency to postpone a prompting or an opportunity to grow and to serve. Procrastination is truly a thief of time. meet the daily challenges of your lives.
• Move against temporary trials or stoppages which impede your progress.
• Once you have experienced excellence, you will never again be content with mediocrity.
• Will you gaze upward, look inward, reach outward, and press forward?

February 21, 1999 Satellite broadcast at the Salt Like Tabernacle.
Gordon B. Hinckley -Find the Lambs, Feed the Sheep

• He was not left friendless, to grope through the dark. He had those who were willing to take the time to talk with him.
• The gospel is nothing to be ashamed of. it is something to be proud of.
• Let there be cultivated an awareness in every member's heart of his own potential for bringing others to a knowledge of the truth. let him work at it. Let him pray with great earnestness about it.
• Having found and baptized a new convert, we have the challenge of fellowshipping him and strengthening his testimony of the truth of this work. We cannot have him walking in the front door and out the back.
• Any investigator worthy of baptism becomes a convert worthy of saving.

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Split Shift

I did something new at work today.

A Split shift.
Not quite sure if I like it or not.
I mean it is nice. I only have to work four hours at a time. I was able to go to church and not stress (too much) about getting back to work on time.

But really, I'm not a fan.
Who wants to go to work twice in one day?
Not me for sure.
For one, that's twice as much gas money in one day.
For two, that's twice as much work I have to do.
...sorta. I mean it's basically an eight hour shift, which I work most days.
But to split it up?
And to do all the opening/closing tasks....feels like I just pulled double duty, and to have to go right back the next morning and do the opening all over again....
It's tiring.

So yah, not sure if I like this set up or not.... I guess next Sunday I can figure it out, as I have the same thing again randomly enough. O.O Not sure why yet.
I mean, today, it was understandable. It was Easter, a lot of people left for vaca and such, so this was this best option to make sure we were covered all day.
But next Sunday? It's not a holiday..... dunno. We'll see. :)

In any case, Happy Easter!! ^^

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Not Enough Time

I should never attempt to drive home on my lunch break ever again.

Why?
Because I'm always late getting back to work.
And that bugs me.
I hate being late.

But really, it shouldn't be this way.
Drive home, grab something real quick, drive back Plenty of time.
I mean, come on, on good days it only takes like 10 minutes to get to work!
And with half an hour to kill, I really should have 20 minutes to drive, and 10 minutes to relax.

Not so.

Because Every. Single. Time.

I get stuck behind the slowest people on earth.
The guys who must be sightseeing their way through Happy Valley, as they insist on doing everything at super slow speeds! Like 10mph BELOW the speed limit.
That of course, causes back ups. Traffic gets slower and slower....red lights happen like every three cars.....short cuts end up being long cuts....
and wouldn't you know it. It takes 20 minutes to get to my destination, two minutes to run up  a ton of stairs to grab what I needed and dash back down to my car, and then 12 minutes to get back to work.

>.<
Totally frustrating.
Which is why I've only attempted this twice.
Really, I should learn by now.
If I ever want to get home by a certain time...it isn't going to happen.

....though maybe if I tried to do this trek when it's not the lunch or dinner hour.....maybe I'll have more success....hmmm......

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves!
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

National Park Support

It was a sort of spur of the moment, but with a little bit of planning sort of thing.
Mostly based on a bunch of 'what ifs' and 'how long it takes.'

The idea came to me after seeing a commercial for Disney Nature's new movie Bears.
I actually had no intention of seeing it.
But then, the voice guy mentioned that if you go see the movie opening week, Disney would make  a donation to help support our National Parks.

Suddenly, I was all ears.
I can help support National Parks?!?!?
SWEET!
I love those places! :D

So then and there I was like "I need to go see this movie!"

But...I had other things I needed to do first today.
Namely, go check out the new building on Campus. (Amazing. Almost made me want to go back to school...til I remembered I don't exercise, and this new building is full of such equipment.)
And go shopping. Because seriously. I need food! (Snack food of course. ;) The staples of life. lol)

I also had work.
So I had a narrow timeline. If I could get my two 'errands' done before the movie start time (a specific start time.) I would go.

Well....I was able to go! Surprise!
Usually things don't go to plan for me. But this time...I was able to complete everything! Crazy.

And so I went to go see Bears!

...by myself. 
yah, rather crazy I know. I knew it was crazy too. Go to a movie by yourself? Who does that?
Me. On occasion. Especially when it's a crazy idea of "I want to support my national parks!"
Plus, I wasn't in the mood to invite anyone......(sorry people who could have come. :( )

But...I still didn't want to be by myself.
So I decided that I would just pick a seat next to a group of other seats. That way, I wasn't by myself yet I was still by myself!

Note to self....Only do this in a really full theatre.
:S
In hindsight. I guess it's rather creepy to have a random person sit next to you when there is like a whole empty theatre to pick seats from. (it wasn't totally empty. but it was less than half full.) I would have been creeped out if I was in the other groups situation. :(
Really, I wasn't thinking of that factor. I was thinking the whole. "Not appear to be by myself by myself." thing.
Yah, didn't work. The group (a father and two kids -the hazards of picking who you're sitting by, blind.) moved a seat down. (who could blame them, random stranger sitting next to your kids?....strike for me on the random seat picking side of things.)
So I was still left sitting by myself. :( Boooo
Ah well, lol my plans can only go so far 'to plan' after all. :)

I had a good time at the movie. :) it was cute, even had your heart pounding at a couple of places. ^^ And definitely contained a treat of being able to see the Alaskan countryside again. I love the scenery up there! Yep. Fun times at the movies ^^ Supporting my parks. :)

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi
 

A Party At Your House

President Ezra Taft Benson said that home teaching is "priesthood compassionate service."
Not long ago I received a touching letter from Sister Mori Farmer.
It tells of two home teachers and the loving service they provided the Farmer family during a time when the family was experiencing some difficult financial circumstances.
At the time the service was provided, the Farmer family was out of town attending a family reunion.

I share with you first a letter written to the Farmer family by their home teachers, which the family found taped to their garage door when they returned home.
It begins: "We hope you had a great family reunion.
While you were gone, we and about fifty of our friends had a great party at your house.
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the years of unselfish service you both have given to us.
You have been Christlike examples of untiring service to others.
We can never repay you for that--but just thought we'd like to say thanks.
Signed, your home teachers."

I quote now from Sister Mori Farmer's letter to me:

"[After reading the note from our home teachers] we entered the house with great anticipation.
What we found shocked us so much we were at a loss for words.
I stayed up all night crying over the generosity of the people in our ward.

"Our home teachers had decided that they would fix our carpet while we were away.
They had moved the furniture out into the front  yard so the carpet could get stretched and finished.
One man in the ward stopped and asked what was going on.
He returned later with several hundred dollars' worth of paint and said, 'We might as well paint the house while everything is out.'
Others saw the cars out front and stopped to see what was going on, and by week's end 50 people were busy repairing, painting, cleaning, and sewing.

"Our friends and fellow ward members had fixed our poorly laid carpet, painted the entire house, repaired holes in the drywall, oiled and varnished our kitchen cabinets, put curtains on three windows in the kitchen and family room, did all the laundry, cleaned every room in the house, had the carpets cleaned, fixed broken door latches, and on and on.
In trying to make a list of all the wonderful things they did for us, we filled three pages.
All of this had been accomplished between Wednesday and our return on Sunday.

"Almost everyone we talked to told us, with tears in their eyes, what a spiritual experience it had been to participate.
We have been truly humbled by this experience.
As we look around our home, we are reminded of their kindness and of the great sacrifice of time, talents, and money they made for our family.
Our home teachers have truly been angels in our lives, and we will never forget them and the wonderful things they have done for us."

Thomas S. Monson -Home Teaching-- a Divine Service -October 1997 General Conference

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Hard Drive Failure

Today's post is brought to you by:

My old laptop.

Funny story how that ended up coming about.
Okay, it's not really funny, but it is a story.

You see, I got a laptop for Christmas right?
A Nice, Fast, Shiny New Toy.
And everything was going great!

....except apparently it wasn't.

There were little things....
Like the internet randomly spazing out -i.e. going super really slow.
The audio on my laptop not seeming to be 'loud enough'
Oh, and my keyboard....that would just randomly stop working. Even if it had been working fine like two seconds earlier.

Just tiny itsy bitsy things, that really could be fixed by a quick off and on to my laptop. I hadn't thought anything of it. It was just an odd phase.

Well....it wasn't.

I turned on my laptop yesterday to discover a black screen with a notice that my SMART Hard Drive was in danger of immediate failure.

O.o Say what? It's only like four months old! (okay...it's five, I bought it on black Friday, but I didn't start using it until Christmas)

I hit enter to go to my normal screen.
I actually think I did that before reading what it actually said. Hmmm...
In any case.
I ended up turning my computer off and on a couple of times throughout the day, and I kept getting that same black screen message before it would open into the normal start up stuff.

later that night, it got worse. I got a pop up message from windows basically telling me "Your Hard Drive could crash at ANY TIME! BACK UP YOUR STUFF NOW!"

O.o Uhhhh......
So I did.
And decided to take it into the store tomorrow to see if they could do anything.

Lucky me....I haven't really put much onto my new laptop. Just a handful of word documents, a few pictures.... So it was pretty easy to save those things.

As, the tech people at the store (and a friend from facebook warned me beforehand) told me that they would need to send it in to totally replace the hard drive. As in....when I get it back...It will be wiped totally clean, as in, it will be like getting a whole new laptop again.

*Sighs*
Well...there goes my music for the umpteenth time. Seriously...I should just buy all my songs from ITunes, that way I don't have to redownload them everytime something like this happens. >.<

But like I said, I wasn't too heartbroken. I'd already saved the few files I needed.

Sooo
:( I let them take my laptop away from me. *sobs*
I won't see it for like two weeks, while they fix the problem. :(

But lucky me, I still have my old laptop!! :) So I'm not completely internetless for this difficult time. ;) lol (though it is taking a bit of getting used to using it again. lol.)

Of course...who knows if it will survive that long....
As part of the reason why I upgraded to a new laptop was that the battery thing on my old laptop wasn't doing so great. Holding charges and such. Basically it needs to be replaced.
And turning on this one again, I got a nice message telling me just that.
"YOU NEED TO REPLACE THE BATTERY!!"
Chill chill laptop. I ain't going to do any such thing.
Surely keeping it plugged into the wall will prevent such a catastrophe from happening.

But on the off chance it does....here is a small warning.
If I don't end up posting until the beginning of may....it's because I'm totally laptopless. :(

Doesn't mean I'm internetless though! lol but blogging from a smartphone or an Itouch is definitely not a walk in the park. :S

We shall see.
but until that point when my new laptop returns....

Hello old laptop! Thanks for being willing to help a gal out in need. ^^

Until you next see these words;
I'll be waiting for my laptop to come back to me. Oh, and watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

Achievement

Well....I have no idea how to feel about this.

For you see..... at my Institute class, my teacher was announcing the students who were eligible to receive certificates or diplomas for completing 'so many' institute classes and getting 'so many credits.'

And then she started announcing names.

Mine was on top. -I hadn't expected her too.... so that was surprising.

And then she went on to say something along the lines of "And you're eligible to get your Second Advanced Certificate of Achievement, and apparently your 3rd, 4th, and 5th one as well."

It took me a moment to realize what she said, and to realize that she wanted me to come up and grab the paperwork to get my certificate.
As I tripped over chairs and stumbled my way up to get the papers.
The class burst into applause.

Something I hadn't been expecting.

Lol....I still don't know what to think about that....
I kept my head down, not making eye contact.
cus I'm like...what do people do when this sort of thing comes up?

No idea.
Lol it's the cringing thought of "Yes....I go to a lot of institute classes."
Washed over with the proudness of "Yes. I love Institute! Let them see how much I love it!"
And then overall "I want to disappear and get out of the spotlight." lol.

Soo yah, I'm getting another certificate of advanced achievement. ^^;;
I haven't kept track....but this will probably be my 5th one, if not 6th one....and if I'm really off...maybe 7th?

I just hope that they don't give me 2-5 as well. Just because I already have those. :S
Yet, I'm concerned I might...because they checked those boxes for me before giving me the paper to fill out...
Soo I'll see. ^^

Yay for Institute! :D

Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi

The Dream

There were a pack of 8 dogs, and one girl moving around a desolate land. All the dogs had the ability to shapeshift, and I came across one of the young paladins on the ruins of an abandoned castle structure. He was planning something evil...a bad guy. And he'd gotten half of the pack on his side. And when the girl decided to split them into two teams. He managed to get all his buddies with him on one team. The second team was more...diverse with a small female dog as well that at first seemed useless but proved herself to be the most capable of the misfits. After joining, one of the dogs in the misfit group suggested grabbing buddy...a small squat dog like a cross between a Yorkie and a Sheep Dog and have him join up as they thought it was time. So we had to trek up the hill to a friend of Drew Carrey's house, like a...idk names of rappers but it was a black rapper rich guy who lived on top of the hill on a steep mountainside. He had everything, dogs, a pool, and...we'd actually visited him before...at a different time (maybe dream) but he didn't seem to remember us which was good as that last adventure hadn't been that pleasant. We managed to meet up with the smaller dog....

And then the unholy tones of daylight pulled me away....
and I became myself again. :)

-S.N.D