Thomas S. Monson -The Sustaining of Church Officers
Dallin H. Oaks -Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church
- Church programs and activities should not be so all-encompassing that families cannot have everyone present for family time. And family activities should not be scheduled in conflict with sacrament meeting or other vital Church meetings.
- Church callings are always temporary, but family relationships are permanent.
- "When we speak of marriage as a partnership, let us speak of marriage as a full partnership. We do not want our LDS women to be silent partners or limited partners in that eternal assignment! Please be a contributing and full partner."
- If men desire the Lord's blessings in their family leadership, they must exercise their priesthood authority according to the Lord's principles for its use.
Jeffrey R. Holland -To Young Women
- Be a woman of Christ. Cherish your esteemed place in the sight of God. He needs you. This Church needs you. The world needs you. A woman's abiding trust in God and unfailing devotion to things of the Spirit have always been an anchor when the wind and the waves of life were fiercest. I say to you what the Prophet Joseph said more than 150 years ago: "If you live up to your privileges, the angels cannot be restrained from being your associates."
- The Church will never deny your moral agency regarding what you should wear and exactly how you should look. But the Church will always declare standards and will always teach principles.
- In the gospel of Jesus Christ, modesty in appearance is always in fashion. Our standards are not socially negotiable.
- Young women, choose your clothing the way you would choose your friends--in both cases choose that which improves you and would give you confidence standing in the presence of God. Good friends would never embarrass you, demean you, or exploit you. Neither should your clothing.
- I plead with you young women to please be more accepting of yourselves, including your body shape and style, with a little less longing to look like someone else. We are all different. Some are tall, and some are short. Some are round, and some are thin. And almost everyone at some time or other wants to be something they are not! But as one adviser to teenage girls said: "You can't live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people's opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power. ... The Key to feeling [confident] is to always listen to your inner self--[the real you.]
- There is no universal optimum size.
Benjamin De Hoyos -True Happiness: A Conscious Decision
- Happiness is a condition of the soul. This joyous state comes as a result of righteous living.
C. Scott Grow -The Book of Mormon, the Instrument to Gather Scattered Israel
- The Book of Mormon is its own witness to the people of Latin America and of all nations. Its very coming forth in these latter days bears witness that God has once again begun to gather scattered Israel.
Paul K. Sybrowsky -"If Christ Had My Opportunities..."
- {Take} time for the one.
- Sometimes it's the one in the corner whom we hadn't considered.
- Seek out and find the one.
Henry B. Eyring -Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady
- However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies.
- Great faith has a short shelf life.
- Some of the protection we need will be direct intervention of God. But more of it will come from building our faith to obey.
- The best time to resist temptation is early.
M. Russell Ballard -What Matters Most Is What Lasts Longest
- Parents from all different cultures and faiths are saying and feeling the same things we are as parents in the Church.
- If we live and act upon this knowledge, we will attract the world to us. Parents who place a high priority on their families will gravitate to the Church because it offers the family structure, values, doctrine, and eternal perspective that they seek and cannot find elsewhere.
- The Church itself will continue to be the first and foremost institution--the "scaffolding," as it were--to help build strong families. I can assure you that those who lead the Church have great concern about the well-being of your families, and thus you will see increasing efforts to prioritize and to focus on family needs. But as your leaders, we call upon members of the Church everywhere to put family first and to identify specific ways to strengthen their individual families.
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
There we were, in a Wendy's.
Ordering food, my roomie, her boyfriend, and I.
Because we were starving and not in the mood to cook our own food.
It was later in the evening, past the official dinner rush.
So there was basically no one there.
Just an older gentleman eating at a table, and all the workers.
We went in to order (because its faster and I hate the drive thru.)
And while I'm ordering my food,
I hear a guy's voice ask "Do you own the Chevy out there?"
My companions were like. "Uh...no."
So I turned to him, and said. "yah, that's my car."
Really, expecting him to tell me something had gone wrong with it.
Like it had caught fire, or had gotten a flat tire, or was leaking oil or you know...something wrong.
Because no one ever talks to me about my car.
"I was thinking about buying one possibily. Is it a good car? What's the condition, have you had anything gone wrong with it has this thing gone wrong with it. (He said something belt...which I know is an important thing for a car, but I don't know the name.) "How much mileage does it have, how long have you had it." Etc. Etc. Etc.
Really, I was just kinda surprised that someone was talking about buying a car like mine.
Because one....they don't make it anymore. So he'd have to get it used.
And two...no one talks to me about my car. lol.
In any case, I answered his questions as best as I could.
And really....its surprised me how good of a car it really is.
I mean, we got my car like 15 years ago.
I was still in elementary school.
I was still in gymnastics.
I know, because I remembered we went to the dealership after one of my gymnastic classes and I was barefoot the whole time we were looking at cars. (hot pavement hot pavement) (I loved being barefoot at any possible moment, regardless of the consequences.) And that I plopped into the back seat and put my feet on the little bump there.
(Twas a used car...but I think only a yearish after it came off the line.)
And as of yet....
We haven't had any major problems with it.
(knock on wood. -cus once I say that, something is probably going to go wrong lol.)
I mean, we've had to replace some of the inside handles a few times. The AC a couple of times, had to fix a major oil leak...
Seriously.
That's hardly any problems at all for a car.
For a car that is a decade and a half old.
Really....the only major issue is that the paint has worn away lol. So my car is showing its grey body like a Mohawk.
...At some point I really should repaint that....
Its even more of an amazing car.
Considering that I'm just barely breaking 96,000 miles.
Yah. you read that right.
15 year old car. Still under 100,000 miles.
That's basically unheard of.
Why is my mileage so low?
Because my car has been used as a city car.
We used it as a 'get around' car while I was growing up.
Barely taking it out of state.
It has no experience with distant road trips lol.
Overall though.
^^ I really like my car.
Its been good to me. ^^
And I hadn't fully appreciated it until the gentleman came up to me and started talking to me about it. ;)
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Food.
You don't know how glorious it is.
To go shopping for food.
Especially after you haven't been shopping in a few weeks.
And you're scrapping by.
Trying to think of something to eat.
That will actually taste good at home.
Oh the gloriousness of going food shopping.
To be able to buy all your snack foods.
All your munchies.
all those possible meals you want to make.
It can get a bit heady at times.
Especially when you go for a long time without shopping.
Because then Everything looks great.
And you want to eat it all.
So it comes as no surprise that I ended up spending quite a bit this go around.
Because I was down to basically nothing.
I had to replenish my stock of usuals.
As well as replenish my stock of emergency usuals.
So while my bank account is once again lower...
I now have food to eat! :D
Yay! :D
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
It seems like recently...
The more I protest against something. Saying I want this. I will never that. I won't do this...
I end up having to cave.
And end up not getting what I want, doing what I said I would never do.
Basically I'm pulled nearly kicking and screaming into doing something I didn't want to do in the first place.
Of course.
I'm talking about the Apartment Search, that me and my friends had been doing.
I think last I mentioned it.
The situation was.
I thought we were going to be moving into a house, was blindsided by them wanting to move into a condo apartment with just the three of us, and not a fourth roommate. That just felt...Tiny.
And they loved it.
They wanted to accept it ASAP
And I wanted to have a chance to check out other apartment places first, Before we considered anything. Because one thing for sure, I WAS NOT going to LIVE in that small apartment.
And then my friends dropped the bombshell. They were going to accept the apartment. The FIRST one we looked at together.
I told them. Okay. Have fun. I'm not living there. Go find a different roommate.
And we went our separate ways.
For a week or so.
After a conversation or two.
We decided to try again.
To try and find a place to move into together.
So the search began a new.
Once we hammered out our expectations, our price points.
We commenced a searching.
Now on the same page.
We checked out a few places a little further away from the main area.
But decided that we didn't want to drive that far.
Checked out a few places locally.
Or tried to.
But many ended up getting sold out from under us, often before we could view the apartment we had an appointment for.
At one point, I caved. And said I'd be willing to move into the first first apartment we all looked at.
Only to have that sold out from under us as well. *sighs* (See, that NEVER betrayed me once more.)
And all the while.
Time was passing.
We were drawing closer, and closer, and closer to my move out deadline of my current place.
But nothing was working.
And there began to be discussion,
That perhaps we could do a four bedroom apartment (aka student housing) and have a fourth roommate.
They didn't want that at first.
But as more and more time passed.
With no results.
And my friends expectations shifted lower and lower.
Things they were adamant against, they were now realizing could possibly be doable.
Possibly, because they realized, that their price range....was a little low, for all they wanted.
Finally, we found an apartment, were we checked it out, and agreed.
We could live here.
By this point. We just needed to get into a place. And this one looked good.
So we sent in our applications for the apartment.
And.....it got sold out from under us again. >.<
At this point...it was basically agreed we'd be checking out student housing.
At this point.
I had grown so tired of the search.
Worn down.
Annoyed at the fact we couldn't find anything.
To the point.
Where I gave in.
From the beginning, I said that I wanted to move out of my current place.
It just hadn't been a great environment for me. The experience...less than stellar.
And honestly, I'd been looking forward to finally leaving this place.
I wanted an apt with a Washer and Drier in the apartment.
With more light.
With the possibility of getting pets.
*sighs*
Apparently....I'm meant to stay here a while longer though.
Who knows why the Lord wants me here.
But.
I brought up the option to my friends that we could stay in my current place.
(Bonus is that I don't have to pack, move, unpack, and I would have my current roommate, that I love being with, with me. As she'd already re-signed to live here for another year.)
They knew I literally 'hated' this place.
So it surprised them that I would offer.
But at this point, I know the routine at my current place. Its near by. Its someplace we can all afford.
It seemed like a good last option.
Because I honestly didn't want to search anymore.
So the same day I found out our applications had been rejected from the other apartment,
I wandered over to the office.
And asked the girl there.
"Is there still a chance I could resign to live here?"
-Originally I just wanted to stay here for the shortest amount of time, which would have been April.
Again, my wants...didn't come to pass. As the shorter lease meant waaaay more money. I'd be paying like $100 more in rent/utilities. And it would go over my friends budget. So we'd have to sign up for a full year to get the lower prices.
*sighs*
In any case, the girl at the desk, checked it out and said that "yes. You can. I can start the paper work now."
But then I dropped the bombshell.
"Also...I have two friends....who want to move in as well. Would it be possible to get us all in my current apartment? Because I want to live with the girl that's staying there as well."
(Could I get one thing I wanted? To live with my favorite roommate?)
The girl looked up my apartment.
And it turned out, they'd already placed three girls into my apartment for the Fall semester.
Ah.
I didn't want to have to move within the same complex!!!
But.
The girl went and checked things out with a couple other people.
To see if they'd be able to move the girls to different apartments.
One was moving in by herself.
The other two wanted to room together.
But Thankfully.
They would be able to move them out.
Provided that we signed up that night. So that they could move quickly.
After checking in with my friends. (Who I'm pretty sure are just as tired of searching for apartments as I was.) We all agreed that yes. We would move in. That we would stay in my current place.
So I resigned my contract.
And I thought my friends had as well.
Though they sent stress my way, because they were like "So...there's the possibility that we won't be able to move into your apartment."
O.o WHAT?!?!? No. I was promised we could stay in my current place.
Apparently they'd called the office for some questions, and a different girl hadn't known the situation, but after she'd hung up with my friends, she checked with someone who was in the know and had confirmed that indeed we could stay in my apartment.
I confirmed once more, rushing over to the office to make sure everything was clear.
And was told that yes, we could still move into my place, and that my friends would be coming down the next day to do some things.
Great.
Sounded good.
We would be getting into my apartment!
Only, this morning, I got a call from the original girl who'd helped me.
Asking if my friends had put in their applications? Because she didn't see them on the computer.
()_() WHAT?!?!
Gah! I'd told them that they needed to sign the documents last night so we could guarantee that we'd get into my apartment!
So again, pins and needles.
Again, stress...stress leading to a headache.
I broke down and bought a Dr. Pepper at work for the caffeine to help that headache.
Was I going to be forced to switch apartments after everything?!?!
It turns out, my friends hadn't signed the applications because they were having trouble viewing them online. So the office people had told them to come into the actual office to sign the paper work there so they would be on hand to answer any questions.
Plus.
One of my friends, this very day, got accepted for a new job here in College Town.
Which meant she needed to move in sooner than the actual move in date.
Which again, involved having to come into the office to work things out.
Surprisingly though,
This was able to help out one of my Ghost Roommates.
As she only had a month left in her contract.
But literally has been a ghost, because she hasn't lived in the apartment for a couple of months, due to work being closer to her parents place than my place. So she's never been here. And has been basically throwing money away.
Since my one friend needed to move down here sooner.
I brought it up to her that my Ghost Roommate had been hoping to get out of her contract early. And that my friend could take it over, if that was the best solution for my friend.
Which. Apparently it was.
Because as soon as I got off work, and headed to the office where my friends already were.
There was my Ghost Roommate.
Her and my friend were in the middle of exchanging the contracts.
So this weekend, my Ghost Roomie officially disappears!! YES! (finally, been waiting for this for a while.)
And technically my friend will be moving in the day after Ghost Roomie disappears.
Technically.
Due to needing to square away things back in HomeTown, and going on vacation, its going to be a few more weeks before she moves in.
But when its all said and done. BOTH of my friends are going to be moving In with me!
So I get my current roommate and my friends in the apartment that I've disliked for more than a year.
Its amazing how quickly this all worked out.
Everything fell into place so fast.
We were able to keep my apartment, keep my roommate, move in all together.
It's actually kinda scary (in a good way) how well this has worked out.
Which makes me wonder.
How much of our struggles....were due to my own stubborn headedness.
If I hadn't been stubborn, we could have moved into the first first apartment we looked at.
If I hadn't been vocal about this and that.... we could have moved into an apartment faster.
If I had been less hateful of my current place.... perhaps something could have happened sooner.
But.
It worked out.
Though it's interesting.
Because everytime I'd bring up that I was going to move from my current apartment....
People would ask me why.
Why move?
Why?
Because I wanted a Washer/Dryer in my apartment.
Because I wanted to have access to Cable TV again.
Because my experience with the roommates here had been horrible before Iz moved in.
Because the ward is Young, and I haven't felt a part of it.
There were many reasons.
Reasons to stay? Not so much.
I loved my bed as its bigger.
Love my roommate.
Love the closeness to work.
And especially like not having to Pack up all my stuff. Because there is a lot of it. lol.
But every time.
People were like "Why move?"
Why move indeed?
Apparently its the hint I wasn't seeing that I should stay.
So staying I am.
Why I'm still here, I'm not sure. It's for a reason....
And maybe....just maybe it will get better.
I mean, for the first time since I moved down to CollegeTown 7 years ago....
I'm going to be living with people I know.
No strangers.
Its weird. But I like it.
So, perhaps I should be more cautious with my ultimatums of NEVER.
Because it seems like the more I vocalize that its NOT going to happen.
The more likely it will be that it will.
Which makes me wonder....
>.>
As the girl in the office was like "Remember, we do have our Marriage Guarantee."
(basically if you get married while you live here, you can get out of your contract early and not have to pay fees and such.)
And I'm like "Ha. Not going to happen. I have no prospects right now."
Now...though...with all this talk of Nots and Nevers...
Am I going to end up getting married because I said I wasn't?
Who knows.
Guess we'll see what the future holds. :)
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Several years ago we had a young paperboy who didn't always deliver the paper in the manner intended.
Instead of getting the paper on the porch, he sometimes accidentally threw it into the bushes or even close to the street.
Some on his paper route decided to start a petition of complaint.
One day a delegation came to our home and asked my wife, Frances, to sign the petition.
She declined, saying, "Why, he's just a little boy, and the papers are so heavy for him.
I would never be critical of him, for he tries his best."
The petition, however, was signed by many of the others on the paper route and sent to the boy's supervisors.
Not many days afterward, I came home from work and found Frances in tears.
When she was finally able to talk, she told me that she had just learned that the body of the little paperboy had been found in his garage, where he had taken his own life.
Apparently the criticism heaped upon him had been too much for him to bear.
How grateful we were that we had not joined in that criticism.
What a vivid lesson this has always been regarding the importance of being nonjudgemental and treating everyone with kindness.
-Thomas S. Monson -Constant Truths for Changing Times -April 2005 General Conference
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
Laundry....
I really want to move back into a place that has the Washer and Drier in the apartment.
Because having to go anywhere to do laundry...
Is tedious and frustrating, and I really just want ease and close access.
At it seems like Laundry takes forever.
And ever.
And ever.
Especially when you're tired.
I wasn't able to get to do my laundry and nearly 9pm last night....
Due to work, and friends, and apartment hunting...yah...
It was late.
I just wanted it to be done in half an hour so I could go home and sleep.
But no...
It didn't work like that.
Laundry is a long process.
Especially if you wait til you have basically nothing to wear to do it lol.
Thankfully, it got done.
Even if I rushed it a bit on the drying.
Didn't take the time to fold my laundry.
I just needed to get back home.
And get to bed.
As work was to be had in the morning and I needed to get some sleep.
Yah...
Its nice when I'll be able to have a Washer and Dryer in my apartment again...Very nice.
Until you next read these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
The oddest thing happened while Kikay and I were driving home the other day.
Soon after we left the Parental's house, we heard a noise, something scrapping, but didn't really think much on it.
But as we entered the highway to go home.
Kikay noticed that her car was trembling much more than usual.
You know that shaky bumpiness on smooth roads that usually indicates that your tires are not balanced.
Yah. Her car was doing that.
Which wasn't normal.
So we pulled off an exit to a clear spot to get out and take a look.
And what we found, was that on the front right tire of her car...
There was this thick sticky patch of tar, that had a bunch of rocks stuck to it.
O.o
Tar...
On a wheel...
How?
Honestly I have no idea how it got to...I'm guessing we hit a patch of it at some point and that was the random noise we heard.
But its weird to have the sticky tar...well...sticky.
Was it because of the heat of that day?
Was it freshly laid?
Who knows.
But somehow it ended up on her tire.
So we spent a good ten or so minutes clearing it off.
And had a good Samaritan stop by to offer his help, but we waved him off, it wasn't anything two girls couldn't handle. ;) lol.
But, I felt we shouldn't stay in this out of the way place for forever.
So we continued onward.
To a noticeable lessening of the bumpiness of the ride,
but it was still bumpy.
So a few miles later,
We pulled off,
Into a gas station, parking away from the other cars, so we would have a clear space to work.
And got out once again to scrape more tar from the tire.
Working to get as much of it off as we could.
When randomly, another car, black in color. Pulls up.
Right.
Next.
To.
Us.
Seriously.
Where we were parked there like a dozen empty car spaces.
And this car decided to park right next to us.
On the side where we were working to clear the tar off.
Which, wouldn't have been a big deal.
Had, the people in the car turned off the car, gotten out, left....
You know.
Normal things people do at a gas station.
But oh no.
This car driver,
Stayed in the car.
With the engine running.
Which meant the heat/air whatever from the engine was blowing out.
Right onto Kikay and I.
And already the day was Hot. like upper 90s.
Makes it more torturous to have hot, smelly air breathing down your neck like a dragon.
And.
To make matters worse.
This driver.
Started smoking.
Blowing the headache nauseating inducing smells right in our direction!
Seriously?!?!
SERIOUSLY?!!
HOW INCONSIDERATE CAN YOU GET!?!?!
Did she not see us?
Did she not realize that we were working on a problem with our car.
And she was NOT HELPING?!
Why would she decide to park RIGHT NEXT TO US?! It doesn't make any sense. Gah!
Honestly, we should have said something.
But in a strange neighborhood, unfortunately, its safer to not confront, as you have no idea what will be the consequence of that. People can go crazy with very little motivation to do so in today's world.
In any case.
There she was. Inconsiderate. Annoying the heck out of us.
I have to wonder if she thought she was being helpful... parking right by us to make sure nobody came up to us with mal intent.
If so...she really needed to think things through a bit more.
Because heat and smoke....not helpful.
Honestly, Kikay and I were more than glad to finish our work and get away from this black car and continue our journey home, with a much smoother ride. Yay! :D
We got home safely, bumpless (beyond the construction that plagues summer roads)
And still annoyed at that black car. >.>
Oh well...
What's done is done and its highly unlikely it will happen again. *fingers crossed*
Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!
-Sarnic Dirchi
