Saturday, April 6, 2024: Three sessions of the 194th Annual General Conference, James takes care of me, Steven D. Shumway a General Authority Seventy - why we love him!

Reno, Nevada

81st operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: Thomas S. Monson

Book of Mormon

Jacob 4:8-18

Come Follow Me

Jacob 4:8-18 "I can avoid spiritual blindness by focusing on the Savior.

April General Conference

"All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants" by President Henry B. Eyring

Not feeling well again today. James took care of me, bringing me food, etc. I never strayed far from the couch where I watched conference, which I loved!

I am anxious to read "The Savior in Kirtland". I finished "Visions of Glory". I worked on the pantry a little between sessions although my upper arms are hurting.

The morning sessions was exciting because our former stake president, Steven D. Shumway was called as a General Authority Seventy. I can honestly say he is my favorite stake president of all time including Martin Kempton, D. Lynn Jones, and Ray Heyman.

Here is why I like him so well:

When he came to our ward conferences he would talk about how much he loved Vernon and the people here.

He called all of the adults in our stake on their birthdays to wish them a happy birthday.

When the Curtis's son was dying of cancer he and President Beeler visited him in his home. They made sure he was ordained an elder so his dad could do his temple work when he passed.

He loved everyone and treated them kindly.

He called me towards the end of his service and told me that the Lord was well pleased with me and Brother Lambson.

For one of our ward conferences he visited Pam & Ricky Giles. He and Pam became fast friends and she loves him to this day. She and Ricky are less active but she adores President Shumway. 

He was someone who radiated love and the Spirit and you just wanted to be around. Oh how we love President Shumway and our current stake president, President Beeler, who was President Shumway's counselor.

President Shumway is the CEO of Whiting Brothers Investment company. He will be giving full-time service to the Church for at least the next 17 years. He is 53 and General Authority Seventies serve until they are 70. If he has to move to Salt Lake, he will be greatly missed here in our area. He also served as a mission president for the Chicago, Illinois mission.

11 New General Authority Seventies

It was cold and snowy today. We were glad to stay inside and be warmed by the Spirit.

194th Annual General Conference

April 6, 2024

Saturday Morning Session

1. Jeffrey R. Holland

'Motions of a Hidden Fire'

"I testify that God hears every prayer we offer and responds to each of them according to the path He has outlined for our perfection."

2. Sister J. Anette Dennis

'Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ'

"Each person on earth is a beloved son or daughter of God. When we choose to be part of a covenant, it enhances and deepens our relationship with Him."

3. Elder Alexander Dushku

'Pillars and Rays'

"Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another. Those rays of light are continuously being poured down upon us."

4. Ulisses Soares

'Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ'

"If there is one thing we could possess - and one thing we could pass on to our children and grandchildren that would help each in the tests and trials ahead - it would be confidence in the covenants made through Jesus Christ."

5. Jack N. Gerard

'Integrity: A Christlike Attribute'

"Exercising integrity in our choices is an outward expression of an inner commitment to follow the Savior Jesus Christ."

6. Henry B. Eyring

'All Will Be Well Because of Temple Covenants'

"Brothers and sisters, I humbly testify that as we attend the temple, we can be reminded of the eternal nature of our spirits, our relationship with the Father and His divine Son, and our ultimate desire to return to our heavenly home."

Saturday Afternoon Session

7. Elder David A. Bednar

'Be Still and Know that I am God'

"As individuals build their foundation upon the Savior, they are blessed to 'be still.'"

8. Elder Massimo de Feo

'Rise! He Calleth Thee'

"For me, keeping a clear spiritual vision is all about focusing on Jesus Christ."

9. Elder Brent H. Nielson

'A Record of What I Have Both Seen and Heard'

"You and I are witnesses who testify."

10. Elder Jose L. Alonso

'Jesus Christ at the Center of Our Lives'

"Jesus Christ is our hope and the answer to life's greatest pains."

11. Gerrit W. Gong

'All Things for Your Good'

"With faith, trials and sacrifices we would never choose can bless us and others in ways never imagined."

12. Brother Michael T. Nelson

'Relationships Influence Choices'

"We can be powerful examples to the youth of how disciples of Christ live today."

13. Elder Quentin L. Cook

'Be One with Christ'

"Oneness with Christ and our Heavenly Father can be obtained through the Savior's Atonement"

Saturday Evening Session

14. Elder Shayne M. Bowen

'Miracles, Angels and Priesthood Power'

"I testify that miracles have not ceased, angels are among us and the heavens are truly open."

15. Elder Steven R. Bangerter

'Foreordained to Serve'

"Our Heavenly Father desires to reveal to you your personal foreordination, and He will do so as you seek to learn and follow His will."

16. Sister Andrea Munoz Spannaus

'Faithful to the End'

"There is joy in being a disciple of Jesus Christ"

17. Elder Matthew L. Carpenter

'Fruit that Remains'

"To have the blessings of exaltation sealed upon us and remain after this life, we must be true to both the lateral and the vertical bonds of the covenant."

18. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf

'A Higher Joy'

"The peace He gives us is not like what the world gives. It is better. It is higher and holier."

 The end of a long and wonderful day.

 

Friday, April 5, 2024: Tom gave my hand a kiss, 3 big messes, Hopefully we will create order from chaos, "The Way Home", Can't wait for General Conference,

 

Memphis, Tennessee

80th operating temple

Dedicated: 23 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Book of Mormon

Jacob 4:1-7

Come Follow Me

Jacob 4 - I can be reconciled to God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

April General Conference

"Integrity: A Christlike Attribute" by Elder Jack N. Gerard

Book

"Visions of Glory" by John Pontius

My sweet kitty gave me kisses for the first time. I love him so much!

We have three big messes in our home right now. James is working on Applegate's plans on the high table near the entryway. I'm cleaning out the pantry and half of the contents are sitting in three large containers in the dining room, spilling over on to the floor. Last, but not least, James bought a dolly this week to move the furniture out of the downstairs bedroom, which he did. Now he is ripping out the carpet and throwing it on to the front porch. He says he's going to haul it off on Monday. In the meantime our place looks a little chaotic. I guess you could call it our spring cleaning. Eventually, hopefully anyway, order will be created from chaos. 

I am re-watching seasons 1 & 2 of "The Way Home" to see what I have forgotten or missed. With a show like this every piece of information is important! The online chats are always speculating and it gets quite confusing.

I am so looking forward to General Conference this weekend. I don't have any specific questions I am pondering or seeking answers to. I just need a big dose of spiritual enlightenment!

Beautiful puzzles

Desert flowers

DIY

Cotswold cottage

Thursday, April 4, 2024: Beautiful day spent w/ James, sleeping Tom, Circle K, Mr. Zeke's fish tacos, Home Depot tile & carpet, DQ, nap, pantry, tripped over Tom, Inklings, The Way Home, finished "A

Medford, Oregon

79th operating temple

Dedicated: 16 Apr 2000

By: James E. Faust

Book of Mormon

Jacob 3

Come Follow Me

Jacob 2:22-35; 3:10-12

April General Conference

"Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ" by Ulisses Soares

Book

"Visions of Glory"

I listened to Inklings this morning where Emily reviewed "Think Celestial." Some sketchy notes:

The plan is fabulous

What we do matters

The Atonement makes the plan work

Choose things of greatest eternal import

Increase you capacity to receive personal revelation

Holy habits

Alma 4:15

Today was a beautiful day and James and I spent much of it together.

 He asked me this morning if I would go to town with him to pick out tile for the downstairs bedroom. I really wanted to stay home to work on my blog and the pantry. I thought about how many times he asks me to go and I decline, so I told him I would go. He seemed very happy and said we would go to lunch. Why of course we will.

We left Tom sleeping in the rocking chair in our bedroom. On the way to town we listened to "A Stroke of Good Fortune." 

We wanted to have lunch at LaCasita but the parking lot was full, so we left. We stopped at Circle K for gas and to wash the car. 

My friend Janna Grombach told me about Mr. Zeke's fish tacos in Lakeside/Pinetop. She said they are delicious! I Map Quested Mr. Zeke's. It said it was 5.5 miles ahead. Mr. Zeke's is a casual restaurant with good food. We each ordered the fish taco plate which has three tacos. I made one of mine a grilled shrimp taco. These tacos were delicious!

Yummy!

James ate all three of his. I ate one and a half of mine and asked for a to go box. James ate my last taco for dinner. I had the other half of the shrimp taco.

Before heading for home we stopped at Home Depot to look at tile for downstairs and carpet for our bedroom. Here is what we picked out:

Looks better in real life

Before going home this afternoon we went to Dairy Queen and got blizzards. James got a Brownie Extreme and I got an Oreo. We enjoyed them but decided we could only do this about once or twice a month.

I tripped over Tom this evening. He ran right in front of me. I landed hard on the floor and got a rug burn on my left elbow which started bleeding. Somehow I managed to get myself up. I had gone into the kitchen to get a drink. He had followed me and ran to catch up and ran right in front of me. It's a good thing I love you so much Tom!

We finished our book, "A Stroke of Good Fortune" and started "A Whimsical Notion." Both books were written by the same author. The second book, "A Whimsical Notion" should have been read before the other one. 

He's so long

 

Wednesday, April 3, 2024: Where is my kitty, He's asleep on the rocker, Venmo problems, "The Way Home Again", Dewitt's pay James, Pantry clutter, "Grounded",

 

Fresno, California

78th operating temple

Dedicated: 9 Apr 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Book of Mormon

Jacob 2:17-35

Come Follow Me

 Jacob 2:12-21 "Let not this pride of you hearts destroy your souls!"

April General Conference

"Pillars and Rays" by Elder Alexander Dushku

Book

"Visions of Glory" by John Pontius

Where is my kitty? It's 10 a.m. and no sign of him. He finally gets back and immediately goes to sleep on the rocking chair in our bedroom. 

I helped James reset a new password for Venmo. His account has been locked. I fixed that yesterday. Now I can't get in to my Venmo account because I opened James's account on my phone. His old checking account is on his account and I need to get rid of it. Venmo is a big mess as far as I am concerned. I had to put James's new checking account number on his account because Wendy Dewitt sent him $250 for helping Collin on his building project and there needs to be a place for it to go. My personal checking account is also on James's account. Our two accounts are now blended into one and I see some problems coming our way. 

I watched "Grounded" today with Barbara Morgan Gardner and her guest Reyna Aburto. They discussed Jacob 1-4. I really like Sister Aburto. One of the things she said was, "Repentance is an expression of love."

I want to go!

Looks like my pantry

He's awake!

Tuesday April 2, 2024: Judy Hunter service project, Tom locked in years supply room, temple cleaning, Tom watches a video of himself, Earthquake in Taiwan

 

Palmyra, New York

77th operating temple

Dedicated: 6 April 2000

By: Gordon B. Hinckley

Book of Mormon

Jacob 2:1-16

Come Follow Me

Jacob 1:6-8, 15-19; 2:1-11 "I have an 'errand from the Lord.'"

April General Conference

"Put Ye On the Lord Jesus Christ" Sister J. Anette Dennis

Book

Visions of Glory

 There was a service project at Judy Hunter's this morning that James participated in. She is moving all of her belongings out of her house into a connex container. It will be a couple of months before she will be able to move back into her house because of her broken waterline and flood.

Before James left he went downstairs to check on the basement leak. He didn't realize that Tom had followed him down when he shut the years supply room door. I didn't realize Tom had gone downstairs either. Yesterday he went upstairs and went to sleep under the bed in James's office. That's where I thought he was this morning.

James was gone for a couple of hours.  When he returned I asked him if he would go upstairs and check on Tom. He came back down and said, "He's not there." Where is he? Maybe he went downstairs with me this morning. He came back with Tom and a disgusted look on his face. "I locked him in the years supply room and he tore up the carpet trying to get out." Poor Tom! He deserves a treat.

We had another service project this evening that James participated in. He helped to clean the Snowflake temple. He picked up Collin and Wendy Dewitt to ride with him. Wendy asked him where I was. He said I wasn't feeling well. Wendy said, "Oh, I'm disappointed."

Others who helped clean the temple from our ward:

Cress & Richard Miller, Stefani & Sean Hunsaker, Alicia Hunsaker, Willy & Janna Grombach, Ralph & Cheryl Sedig, Chris & Becky Skousen, Sam & Amy Gordon, Lindsay Shaw, and Bob Hipps. 

At home I bonded with Tom. He jumped up on my desk while I was looking at photos and videos on my computer. Tom was interested in watching a video of himself playing with his bird. He followed me around most of the evening and we ended up sleeping on the recliner.

There was an earthquake in Taiwan today. It reminded Collin of them serving in Taipei on their temple mission and living in a ten story apartment.

Love Sister Kapp!!

Alice, the granddaughter is my favorite.

Celestial dream kitchen

Alex caught this fish in one of the

neighborhood lakes in the east valley

I know! Too many of my sleeping cat.

I just can't help it, I'm in love!

Scarlett's ballet class