General Women's Meeting - The First One!

On Saturday, March 29, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its first General Women’s Meeting that included girls and women ages 8 years old and older!  A few months ago, when they announced that this would be happening, I got super excited and had this awesome feeling inside my heart.  I had the same excitement walking into the meeting; and because it is the very first one, I want to share my thoughts on it.

Unfortunately I was a little late, so I missed the beginning of the introduction.  But the first thing that I heard was that the opening prayer was going to be given by a Young Woman who was a brand new Beehive!  Oh my goodness, that made my smile so big.  Then while introducing the choir, Sister Bonnie L. Oscarson (the Young Women General President, who was conducting the meeting) said that the choir consisted of girls and women ages 8-80 years old!  It was at this point that I realized the meeting was not simply adult participants with child attendees; both adults and children were attending and participating.

Sister Rosemary M. Wixom (Primary General President).  Sister Wixom spoke first, and the first thing she did was have all girls ages 8-11 in the Conference Center and watching in their Stake Centers (my mom and I were watching at her Stake Center) via broadcast to stand up.  She personally welcomed all of them to the meeting, and then invited them to sing the first verse of “Teach Me to Walk in the Light” with her.  Then she invited the rest of the women to sing the second verse.  I thought that this was a really great way to start off the meeting.  It welcomed the younger girls, and helped connect all of the women of all ages.

To me, Sister Wixom’s talk focused on keeping covenants, and here are some quotes that were important to me:

·      “We are covenant making women of all ages… keeping covenants empowers us.”

·      She talked about how our journey is personal, that understanding our covenants will change our lives, and that we should use our baptismal covenants and the sacrament to look to the temple.

·      “Once you get on the straight and narrow…press forward.”

We then watched a video of women and children from 8 different countries singing “I Am A Child Of God” in 9 different languages. Then the congregation sang the first verse together.  It was so beautiful!

Bonnie L. Oscarson (Young Women General President).  Sister Oscarson began by talking about how this meeting is going to be important in the history of the Church.  She said that this meeting is the “most faith filled…assemblies of women in the history of the church,” and then added that probably in the history of the world as well.  She said that we are sisters to each other, and that as sisters we have an “unbreakable bond” that allows us to “take care of “ and “comfort each other.”

To me, Sister Oscarson’s talk focused on the unity and bond that LDS women need to have with each other; and here are some quotes that were important to me:

·      “We just need to relax and rejoice in our differences.”

·      “We really and truly need each other.” – With this she talked about influencing the younger generations, and how the younger generations can also teach the older generations.

·      She gave examples of how Relief Society sisters can welcome the new 18 year old in: “a friend to sit next to, an arm around their shoulders, an opportunity to teach and serve.”

·      She quoted Sister Hinckley, “women need women.”

·      And that we should “work hand in hand with righteous brothers.”

We then watched a video that to me highlighted women and the temple.  What stuck out to me were women of all ages doing their daily things, signing their temple recommends in the Bishop’s office, and then going to the temple.  It was that emphasis on the temple that stuck with me.

Linda K. Burton (Relief Society General President).  Sister Burton reminded us that we are daughters of God.  She asked, “What can we do to live with Heavenly Father?”  And using the answers that Jesus gave to those who asked him, she told us: to keep the commandments – all of the them, to lay aside the things of the world, and to follow Christ.  Essentially we are to become perfect, which can be stressful.  She said that the Greek word found in the scriptures that has been translated as perfect, also means complete.  So doing these things makes us complete; but we also need help, and help comes from the atonement, the Holy Ghost and other brothers and sisters.

To me, Sister Burton’s talk focused on becoming a disciple of Christ, and here are some quotes that were important to me:

·      Quoting Mormon, “I am a disciple of Christ, and a [son/daughter] of God.”

·      “Help Wanted! Disciples of Christ.”

·      Our thoughts, words and actions should say, “Here am I, send me.”

·      “It does not matter if we are not perfect or complete.”

President Henry B. Eyring (First Counselor of the First Presidency).  Two or three sentences in President Eyring said, “This is a historic meeting.”  Yes it is!  It felt like such a blessing to be able to attend this.  I wrote down notes and my thoughts in my journal while listening to the speakers.  Years down the road, when this meeting is a normal part of Conference, I can look back and read what I wrote about the first one!  President Eyring talked about how his mother helped him prepare for his baptism.  And it made me think back to how my mom helped me to prepare for my baptism (for the full story you can read my first post titled “ChelseyOrtega: LDS, Woman, Dancer, Book Worm, Student Wife Mother”)

To me, President Eyring wrapped up what the first three speakers talked about, and he ended with discussing Eve and her important role in the Plan of Salvation.  Here are some quotes that were important to me:

·      “Each of you is a daughter in the covenant.”

·      “You have been blessed…to find the way… and to be surrounded by others who can help.”

·      “You are more alike as daughters of God, than you are different.”

·      “Sister missionaries have become ever more powerful proselytizers and nurturing leaders.”

·      He also talked a lot about Eve as someone who helped her family press forward and live faithfully.  He said that we can and should be like her and use her as an example.  I loved it.

This was such a special meeting to me.  I could feel the spirit when I walked into the chapel, and I can feel it again now as I am typing this.  This truly was a historic meeting.  I felt like the theme of the entire meeting was to bring us women together in unity; which is why all of us were brought into one meeting instead of our separate ones like in the past.  We were told that we are sisters; that we can teach one another and we can learn from one another.  I feel like the women of the Church are so strong and so loved.  I am looking forward to attending this meeting every six months, and I can’t wait to hear the other talks in General Conference next week.

Obviously there was a lot more said than what I put into this post.  What I highlighted was simply what stuck out to me upon hearing it and reflecting on it.  I can’t wait to read these talks in next month’s issue of the Ensign, and I am looking forward to learning more and gaining a new or different understanding when I read them.  

If you want to point out something from this meeting that was important to you, feel free to put your thoughts in the comments.  If you don’t want to share them, then at least write them in your journal so that you can always remember your feelings about this day.  If you didn’t attend, then I invite you to listen to or read the talks on lds.org or when the Ensign comes out next month.  I believe that those who spoke in this meeting were inspired by God to say the things that they said.  The spirit was with them and I could feel it with me.  Whether you listened to the talks, or read them, I hope you can feel the spirit too; and know that God loves you.

Mayonnaise on Tacos

During the third trimester of my pregnancy I had a hard time finding the energy to cook every night.  On nights like those I had family dinners in the freezer that I could throw in the oven.  But, like all pregnant women, I had my cravings every once in a while.  One night, I was too tired to cook and none of the easy prep meals sounded good.  I had been craving pork tacos from Café Rio for a while (during my pregnancy my cravings would stay until I ate whatever I was craving, so sometimes my craving for a particular food item would last for days if I couldn’t eat it right away).  So I called Gerson and asked him to bring me some pork tacos for dinner – he heartily agreed because he loves Café Rio!

When Gerson got home we sat down and dug into our dinner.  I grabbed what I thought was sour cream and spread it on my first taco.  I quickly finished it (sometimes when you are pregnant and hungry you aren’t exactly proper at the dinner table), and began spreading “sour cream” on my second taco.  Right as I was about to take a bite Gerson said, “I didn’t know you liked mayo on your tacos.”  I looked at the container in front of me and realized that it was not the Sour Cream container, but the Mayonnaise container.

Water works.

“ I don’t!  I thought it was sour cream!” I said sobbing.  I threw my uneaten taco down and just cried and cried.  Poor Gerson tried to make it better.  He asked me if I had put mayonnaise on the first taco and I said yes; then he asked me if I had liked it and I said yes.  “Well if it tastes good to you then you can eat this one.”  “No I can’t!  Because now I know that it’s mayo that’s on here!”  (Still sobbing.)  Gerson then offered to go get me something else; no that made me embarrassed.  Then he offered to give me the rest of his pork salad; no that also made me embarrassed.

An hour or two later I ate a bowl of cereal.

Sometime after Benjamin was born, Gerson and I were telling this story to my parents.  This time it was not upsetting; it was hilarious.  I was laughing so hard I couldn’t even finish telling the story.  It was one of those moments where it was a catastrophe when it happened, and extremely funny later on.

There isn’t a revelatory message to this story; just that sometimes we need to look back and laugh at ourselves.  Which is why I typed this up.  I was having a rough day and needed to feel better, and this story always makes me laugh.  So, when you are having a rough day, revisit something that makes you laugh, something that can take your mind off of what is troubling you.  Write it down or type it up, share it or keep it to your self, and reread it when you need to.

On a side note: I want to give a shout out to Gerson for being so sweet during my pregnancy tantrums!

Pay It Forward: To Your Kids

I am guessing that most of you are familiar with the term, “Pay it forward.”  When someone does something nice for you, instead of repaying them, they tell you to “pay it forward.”  Then you do something nice for someone else and tell them the same thing.  I want to take this concept and apply it in a different direction.

A couple years ago my dad taught me to apply this concept to my future kids.  My husband and I fell into the “poor-starving-college-students” category and didn’t have the money to fix the alignment on our car.  My dad paid for it and when I asked him what kind of payment plan he wanted to make he said, “I’m not going to put you in the poor house just so you can fix your car.  Pay it forward to your kids.”  I soon realized that he didn’t just mean that for situations like this.  He meant that every way that he and my mom had taken care of me, he wanted me to give to my children.

Let me give you some examples:

Extra Curricular Activities – As a kid I did dance, gymnastics, played soccer and took piano lessons.  My parents paid for all of them.  Not only did they pay, but they let me chose what I wanted to do (which is why I did so much, I wanted to try it all).   As I got older and focused on dance, it got more expensive.  My parents still paid for it, but only certain amounts: required team fees, competition fees, one costume a year, and one private lesson a week.  Anything extra – which was usually extra lessons – I paid for.  The older I got, the more I paid for.  But my parents still helped me when I needed it.  My mom also attended every single competition and performance and filmed them, and my dad came when his work schedule allowed.  My senior year in High School the job I worked at went out of business, and I was jobless for four months.  My parents paid for more than usual during those four months.

Cars – My junior year in High School I signed up for early morning seminary so that I could take more academic and dance classes.  After a week of driving me to seminary at 6:00 in the morning, my dad decided I needed my own car.  So we went shopping and got me a 2001 Volks Wagon Passat.  At first my dad was planning on having me slowly pay him back, but he later changed his mind and said that he hoped that I would do the same for my kids (if I am in a financial situation to do so).  However I still had to pay for gas and any repairs and new tires.  So I still learned responsibility by making sure that I always had enough money for gas and emergencies.

College – Although I applied, I did not receive any scholarships or federal financial aid for college.  So my parents paid for tuition and I paid for my books.  When I got married they stopped paying for tuition, which was fine.  At that point I did qualify for financial aid.  My parents also let me choose which college I went to.  They didn’t try to convince me to move out or stay at home.  And when I chose to stay at home they didn’t charge me rent.

Travel – When I was 11, I got invited to join a two-week study abroad trip to Europe.  It was very expensive, and we couldn’t afford to send me that year.  Upon learning that the invitation was for more than that year, my parents made a deal with me that when I had saved up half of the cost they would pay the other half and send me the year that I had enough money.  Three years later I had saved enough babysitting money to pay half, and at 14 years old I went to New Zealand and Australia (that was where the group was going that year).

Choices - Besides monetary support, my parents usually supported my choices.  They supported my choice to quit the French Horn so that I could focus on dance.  They supported my choice to become a competitive dancer, not just a performer.  They supported my choice to take AP and IB classes, and when homework for those classes caused late nights, my mom stayed up with me and wouldn’t go to bed until I did.  And they supported me when I chose to get married at 19 years old.  Some of my choices they didn’t agree with, but they still allowed me to make and helped me learn from the consequences.  For example, one time I was dating a guy that they really didn’t approve of; so the rules about when, where and how I could see him were stricter than with my other friends.  Another time, I had several articles of clothing that were not modest, but I chose to wear them anyway.  My mom couldn’t make me change into something else, but she did voice her wish that I would find a way to make them modest or not wear them at all.  So her words would stay in my mind the rest of the day.

My husband and I want to do something similar for our son and other kids that we may have.  We want to find a balance between supporting them and teaching them responsibility and independence.  We haven’t decided on anything final (granted our son is only 10 months old), but we are already thinking about it.  Whatever we end up doing for our kids, we want to teach them to do at least the same, if not better for their kids.

I would like to emphasize that this is not the only way to parent.  This is simply what worked for my family.  What did your parents do that you want to pay forward to your own kids?  If your kids are already grown up it’s not too late, just what you pay forward will apply to where they are in life.  You can also give to your grandchildren as well.  And if you don’t have kids, but have nieces and nephews you can pay forward things that are appropriate as their aunt or uncle.  Either way, write down what you want to pay forward and apply it when it is time.  Of course you can still "Pay it forward" when it comes to helping out neighbors, friends and strangers.  This is just one way that we can help out future generations.

"Who am I to Judge Another When I Walk Imperfectly?"

A short while ago I was at the grocery store with my son.  It had been a big shopping trip, the cart was pretty full, and I had two items left on my list.  About halfway through the trip Benjamin started getting fussy, but I was able to calm him with his pacifier and toys.  Two items left to go, and his pacifier and toys were no longer keeping him happy.  I picked him up out of the cart and as I did so I said, “Good gracious, child.”  It turns out Benjamin and I were not alone in the aisle.  A complete stranger gave me a look and said, “He just wants to be held.”  I was really tempted to respond with, “Do you want to push my cart and I’ll hold my baby while I tell you what to put in the cart?”  Instead I said, “Apparently,” and hurried out of the aisle.

I was super embarrassed.  Of course I could have handled Benjamin’s crying better.  Parenting in public is hard because it feels like you are constantly being scrutinized by everyone else. As I drove away from the store, a lot of angry thoughts entered my mind.  Some included: “She is obviously not a mother or she would not have said those things to me!” and “When she has kids she is going to have a rude awakening, pushing a FULL cart with one hand while holding a baby in another is not easy!”

Later when I had calmed down, I realized that I had been doing exactly what I was upset with her for doing: judging.  Not only that, but I was her not long ago.  When I would see a mom struggling with her child(ren) in public I would say to whoever was with me: “When I’m a mom I’m going to do that differently,” or “I will never ignore my kids like that in public,” or “I will never yell at my kids like that in public.”  Well, now I’m that mom.  Granted Benjamin is only nine months old, so I’m not doing any hard core disciplining.  But I am doing things I never imagined I would do.  Like letting him cry himself to sleep.  I’m starting to learn not to judge other moms, because their kids are different from Benjamin, and what works for him might not work for them.  And in learning this, I have also learned about judging in general.

Hmmm… I don’t want to say learned.  Because it’s not like being non-judgmental is new to me at 23 years old.  Let me change that to re-learned or was reminded about being judgmental.

Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have said some pretty great things about what can cause judgment to occur:

"We may often find ourselves making quick judgments about people, which can change or redefine our relationships with them. Often incorrect judgments are made because of limited information or because we do not see beyond that which is immediately in front of us." – Gregory A. Schwitzer in Developing Good Judgment and Not Judging Others.

"When a starter in a race says “get set,” the runners are in a state of readiness for the “go.” They expect to start running. Similarly, we sometimes have a set or expectancy about what a person is going to be like. Our set influences how we perceive him." – Kenneth L. Higbee in Judge Not.

Then there are also some great statements on why it is important to not judge:

“This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: Stop it!

We must recognize that we are all imperfect—that we are beggars before God. Haven’t we all, at one time or another, meekly approached the mercy seat and pleaded for grace? Haven’t we wished with all the energy of our souls for mercy—to be forgiven for the mistakes we have made and the sins we have committed? Because we all depend on the mercy of God, how can we deny to others any measure of the grace we so desperately desire for ourselves? My beloved brothers and sisters, should we not forgive as we wish to be forgiven?” – President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in The Merciful Obtain Mercy.

"Even if our perceptions were accurate and we could perceive intent as well as behavior, we would still not be qualified to judge. The Lord indicated the reason for this in his Sermon on the Mount when he told us to not be too concerned about the mote in our brother’s eye until we get the beam out of our own eye. (Matt. 7:3–5.)… The judgment of the Lord is fair and just, because he can accurately perceive intents ( 1 Kgs. 8:39; 1 Sam. 16:7 ), and he takes these into account in judging us.” – Kenneth L. Higbee in Judge Not.

Even though we are discouraged from negative judgment, we are encouraged to exercise righteous judgment to help us make good decisions.  John 7:24 says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”  So how do we exercise righteous judgement?  Gregory A. Schwitzer, in the April 2010 General Conference, gave four pointers on how to do so:

1. "First, put your own personal standards in alignment with the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

2.  "Second, listen to the messages of the living prophet."

3.  "Third, cultivate with the Holy Spirit a relationship of listening."

4.  "Fourth, keep the commandments."

So we have been given some causes of judgment, why we shouldn’t judge, and how to exercise righteous judgment.  But what happens when a judgmental thought enters our minds?  Does that make us bad people?  I do not think so.  I believe that it is what we do with that thought that matters.  If we dwell on that though and tell others about it, then I believe that is judgmental.  But if we find ways to get rid of that thought, then we are heading in the right direction.  For me one way of doing this is to remind myself that I don’t know all of the details about why someone does a certain thing, says a certain thing or looks a certain way.  Therefore judging them is inappropriate.

I want you to know that I am in no way perfect at this.  I still have moments where I get a little far down the judgment road before I stop myself.  But acknowledging that I need to change is already a step in the right direction.  It is one way to follow Christ.  I believe that when we do not judge others we are happier people and allow the Holy Spirit to be with us.

Do you have an experience where you learned about judging others?  Write about it in your journal, and write down what you learned.  I invite you to write down ways to help you to not judge negatively, but to only judge righteously.  Righteous judgment is one of my New Year’s Resolutions.  I invite you to make it one of yours as well.

Christmas Traditions

Family Search's question for December 2nd was: What were some of your favorite holiday traditions in childhood?

I wrote this post back in 2013, but it answers the above question so perfectly, that I decided to add this introduction rather than write a new post. In the four years since I wrote this some of my wants for my own family have changed, but I'm keeping the original post the way it is as those were my thoughts in 2013.

In light of the upcoming holidays, I thought I would share my favorite family Christmas traditions. 

First Christmas Teddy Bear – I was only 2 months old at my first Christmas, but that didn’t stop my parents from giving me a gift.  They gave me a teddy bear that had a scarf and winter hat on.  The hat had “1990” sewn on it: the year I was born and my first Christmas.  My brother got one his first Christmas in 1993.  We obviously don’t remember opening our teddy bears, but we still have them!  This year will be Benjamin’s first Christmas; and I bought him a Teddy Bear wearing a red puffy vest with “2013” sewn on one of the paws. 

Christmas Pajamas – When my brother and I were younger we got to open one present on Christmas Eve; and that present was always pajamas.  We then would wear those pajamas to bed, and all day Christmas day.  This tradition only lasted a few years, but I really enjoyed it while it lasted.  It’s something I want to do with my kids. 

Count Down Calendar – This is also known as an Advent Calendar (I think).  Before I was born my mom sewed a giant candle onto a long piece of fabric, on the candle there are 24 plastic rings next to the numbers 1-24.  Before December 1^st my mom wraps candy in wrapping paper.  She wraps 24 sets of enough candy for each family member and ties them to the plastic rings.  We follow the days of December and unwrap one present a day, counting down until Christmas.  Because there is only one present a day, my brother and I took turns.  Every year we switched who unwrapped the odd days and who unwrapped the even days (because who ever got the even days got to unwrap on Christmas Eve).  Now my mom has added a piece of candy for Gerson (this year Benjamin is too young to eat candy), and my mom and I plan on making one for my home; until then Gerson and I get our candy in a bag.

Christmas Tree – Every year my family decorates our Christmas tree together.  The decorations on our tree are a mix of homemade ornaments and gifts from other people.  I used to think our tree looked cluttered because it had so many ornaments and they didn’t even match (I had always wanted to have a tree that had the same color ornaments or a theme like Disney).  But this year, while decorating the tree with my mom, I found myself enjoying the memories that the mismatching ornaments gave me.  I started calling it a “Memory Tree.”  I’m looking forward to when Benjamin and his future siblings are old enough to make Christmas ornaments and decorate the tree with me. 

Santa – My brother and I grew up believing in Santa.  Well, my brother grew up believing in Santa; I grew up creating stories about Santa.  When I was 5 years old I asked my mom if Santa was real and she told me something to the effect of: “Yes, but he is no longer alive.  His name was St. Nicholas.  He was very kind and gave people gifts at Christmas time.  Parents continue his tradition to honor his kindness.”  I know that there are more details, but I was 5 so my mom had to explain it in a way I could understand.  I’m sure that she also included that giving gifts also represent the Wise Men giving the baby Jesus gifts.  I’m glad that she told me the truth, because Christmas became fun for me in a different way.  My brother still believed, and I got to help him believe.  So every year I told him these elaborate stories about catching a glimpse of Santa, hearing his sled and reindeer on the roof, and showing him that the cookies were all gone.  It was really fun for both of us.  My brother was about 8 or 9 when he wrote Santa a letter asking if he was real and to circle “yes” or “no.”  Santa wrote, “talk to your dad.”  My dad told him the truth, and he took it really well.  We still do Santa gifts even though everyone in our family knows the truth.  It’s fun for us to say, “Thanks Santa!” and hug our parents.  And now that Benjamin is born we will all be “believing” in Santa again.  However, when any of my kids ask, my husband and I will tell them the truth just like my mom told me.  But we will still make it fun! 

Another thing my family does for Santa gifts is that the gifts from Santa are never the big expensive what-we-really-wanted gift.  Those were always from my parents.  Every year Santa gives us: a stocking full of peanuts, pistachio nuts, candy, fruit, and a toothbrush.  We also unwrap a Calendar for the next year, and something small (a toy when we were young, and a book when we got older).  Every once in a wile Santa would give us something expensive, but that was always a family gift.  Like one year Santa gave our family a DVD player (that was the year my brother found out about who Santa really was).  It was actually really fun to know what Santa was going to get us each year because then we would imagine what kind of Calendar we would be getting, what color of toothbrush, and what would be that small gift.

Sleeping by the Christmas tree – Once school got out for the Christmas holiday, my brother and I were allowed to sleep out by the Christmas tree.  The only night that we weren’t allowed to was on Christmas Eve.  We would spend the nights not sleeping.  Instead, we would play pretend with the ornaments, and make up stories about the ornaments, sing songs and tell Christmas stories!  We would laugh and be loud, and our parents would have to constantly remind us to fall asleep.  Eventually we would fall asleep.  It was so much fun!  If my kids ask me to do the same, I am totally letting them. 

Presents – Presents are obviously not unique to my family; but I included them because my view on presents has changed.  As a child I naturally was excited to open my own presents.  As I grew older I was excited to watch my family members open the presents that I had given them.  I have found that I have so much fun planning, shopping for and wrapping presents for my family members.  And I love watching their faces when they open it up.  This year will be Benjamin’s first Christmas and Gerson and I had so much fun picking out his gifts.  We can’t wait to help him open them! 

The Nativity – I saved the best for last.  My mom has three Nativity sets that are set up around the house at Christmas time.  When I was living at home I always called dibs on being the one to set up all three Nativity sets.  They have always been my favorite Christmas decorations.  This is what Christmas is all about: celebrating the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ, and not only celebrating his birth but following his example of charity.  Every year at my extended family’s Christmas party the cousins perform the Nativity.  The roles of Mary, Joseph, the three Wise Men, 2-3 shepherds are filled and then the rest are sheep and angels.  (And yes, my family is big enough to fill all of the those roles and then some.)  I have played Mary once, a sheep once, and an angel the rest of time.  In our little apartment I have two Nativity decorations.  I plan on getting more over the years because I want my Christmas decorations to be Nativity themed. 

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Holidays!

I'll Be Happy When... I'll Be Happy NOW

I love to dream and have goals.  I like to follow my dreams and find ways to accomplish my goals.  But I have recently learned that I should not wait until I accomplish my goals to be happy.  Of course there is nothing wrong with being happy when I do accomplish my goals, but I do need to allow other things to make me happy in between my goals.  Because if I don’t I will never be happy.  Because what happens when I meet a goal?  I set another goal, and another, and another.  And I’m focusing so much on what that future goal will bring to my life that I forget to look at what my life has right now.

At the moment I am currently working on two big goals: losing weight and graduating from college (of course I have other goals as well, but these two are the ones that work for my message).

The first week after I had Benjamin I lost 20 pounds, and the second week another 10.  After that, I was lucky if I lost one pound a week.  Once I had healed and gotten used to this new mommy-son schedule I started fitting exercising in as often as possible.  Like most exercise experiences I started losing weight right away, and then I hit a major plateau.  I went almost six weeks without losing a single pound.  I didn’t give up on exercising, but it was extremely frustrating. 

I eventually started losing weight again, but not as fast as I wanted.  Then I read an article online about how celebrities who lose baby-weight fast put pressure on the rest of us.  A weight loss specialist interviewed for the article made a statement that helped change my outlook: they said that “it takes nine months to change your body” (meaning pregnancy) “and it should take at least nine months to change it back.”  The article also reminded readers that celebrities have more money (and in some instances) more time to put into a fast weight loss program.  (I tried to find the article again so that I could post a link, but I couldn’t.)  It was August or September when I read this article, and Benjamin will not be 9 months old until December.  I started feeling a little bit better.  Then, in October I tried on my pants from before I got pregnant, and I was able to comfortably wear one of them!  A week later I was able to put away all of my maternity tops and bring back many of my tops from before my pregnancy.  I was making progress!  But I still have ten pounds before I’m at my pre-pregnancy weight.  And I really want to lose it before Christmas.

Another goal I am working on is graduating from college.  I took a break the semester that my due date fell into.  A lot of friends from high school graduated that semester and many more are about to graduate.  Me, I will not be graduating until April 2015.  I could graduate earlier if I was attending school full time, but I’m not.  It has been a little disheartening watching people graduate who are my age or younger while I still have a year and a half left of school.  But I have a graduation plan set in motion with my academic advisor, so I should be happy.

About a week ago I was cleaning up from dinner and listening to my husband play with my son, and I started thinking about my current situation.  I realized that I am generally in a happy place in my life.  I started smiling and couldn’t stop.  I decided that I am going to be happy.  Why shouldn’t I be?  I’m happily married, I have a beautiful son, I’m going to school – and doing well in school – I feel fit and healthy, and I love my family.  While I still want to accomplish my goals, I am not going to wait until I reach those goals to be happy.  I will be happy along the way as well.

As I went through this experience I remembered President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s October 2012 General Conference talk titled Of Regrets and Resolutions.  One section of his talk is titled “I Wish I had Let Myself be Happier.”  There are of course several great quotes that you can take out of this talk, but here are two of my favorite (I also invite you to read the entire talk):

“So often we get caught up in the illusion that there is something just beyond our reach that would bring us happiness: a better family situation, a better financial situation, or the end of a challenging trial.  The older we get, the more we look back and realize that external circumstances don’t really matter or determine our happiness.  We do matter. We determine our happiness.  You and I are ultimately in charge of our own happiness.”

And:

“Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey. I don’t go cycling with my wife because I’m excited about finishing. I go because the experience of being with her is sweet and enjoyable.  Doesn’t it seem foolish to spoil sweet and joyful experiences because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end?”

I now invite you to think about what in your current stage in life makes you happy.  Write it down and save it somewhere.  I previously listed some things in my life that make me happy, but those don’t have to be the same things that make you happy in your life.  Write down everything that makes you happy, and when you need to, read it over, and find new tings to add to it.  And remember the words of President Uchtdorf: “We do matter.”

It's a Love Story... and I Said Yes!

This is the story of how I met my husband, Gerson and goes up to our engagement.  Now this blog is supposed to be dedicated to creating happy and positive messages, so why am I telling my love story on this blog?  I mean, this sounds like it’s going to be more of a journal entry.  Well, I think it’s important for people to remember how they met and developed relationships with their friends and family members.  It reminds us of who we are and who they are, and helps us love and appreciate them all over again. (Plus writing down this entire story would have given me a hand cramp, so I’m typing it. ;p)  Some of this story will be from Gerson’s perspective because I am going to tell the story in order of what happened, not in order of when I found out what happened.

In April of 2009 I applied for and got hired at JC Penney (JCP) in the Provo Towne Centre.  I was put in the Fragrances department (before Sephora came to the Provo JCP), which was downstairs, and the break room was upstairs next to the Young Men’s department.  So anyone who clocked in, went on break, or clocked out had to walk through the Young Men’s department.  In May Gerson started noticing me walking through the Young Men’s department (where he worked) and either heading into the break room or heading downstairs.

In June Gerson started saying “Hi” to me when I would walk by and I would smile and say “Hi” back.  JCP had a morning meeting before opening each day.  One day after a morning meeting that both of us were at because we had the opening shift Gerson said, “Hey, come here” as I was walking by.  I stopped walking, he looked at my name tag and said, “How do you say your name?”  I giggled and said, “Chelsey.”  Then I looked at his name tag and said, “How do you say YOUR name?”  He said, “Guess.”  I thought for a short while.  I knew that he was Hispanic, and I had taken a Spanish class in High School, but I could not think of how his name could possible be pronounced.  Finally I said, “Gare-sun?”  He smiled and said, “Close, it rhymes with person.”  “Oh!  Gerson!”  I would later learn that “Grr-sun” is how he tells white people to say his name, it is really pronounced “Hare-sone” and make sure you roll your R’s! J

Now at this point I though Gerson was cute and enjoyed talking to him, but that’s as far as I was willing to go.  The reason why was because (get ready for it) I judged him.  I judged his outer appearance and thought that he was not LDS.  I’m definitely not proud of this moment, but I was 18 and immature at the time.  One day Gerson overheard me telling another employee that I was starting BYU in the fall, and he asked me (in a surprised tone), “YOU go to BYU?”  I retorted, “Yeah, do you have a problem with that?”  He laughed and said, “No!  I go there too!”  When we were done talking I went downstairs to my department and asked a coworker if Gerson was LDS, he told me that Gerson was LDS and had already served a mission.  I remember thinking, “He’s a RM?!  Oh no, he’s OLD!”

In July my family went on vacation and when Gerson did not see me at work for a week he thought I had quit and was sad.  But then I came back and he was happy again!  One day when he wanted an excuse to talk to me he came down to the Fragrances and asked for my help picking out some cologne for him.  I would also volunteer to take broken merchandise upstairs because it allowed me to walk by the department Gerson was working in.  Sometimes Gerson would go on break when he would see me walk into the break room.  During one such time we were talking about the up coming semester at BYU and Gerson figured out that I was about to enter my freshman year, so he asked me how old I was.  I told him I was 18 and looked at the ground, when I peeked at him he was looking at the ground too.  When we were done being shy I asked him how long he had been home from his mission, he said two years.  “So you’re like 23ish?”  I asked.  “More like 24,” he said.  He was six years older than me.  I decided I didn’t care about his age, but I was worried he cared how young I was.  It turns out he didn’t care that I was so young, but he was worried that I would care how old he was!

In August I was heading to Las Vegas for a weekend for a ballroom dance competition that I was competing in.  He used this as an excuse to ask for my phone number.  He said, “Hey, give me your number so I can ask you how you are doing at your competition?”  I thought it was cute and of course gave him my number.  He went on break right after that and it turns out that I had forgotten to turn the volume down on my phone.  So he sent me a text and heard my phone go off.  So he sent me about nine more texts because he wanted to hear my phone go off!  We spent the weekend I was in Vegas texting each other.

During this time my friend Tiave new that I was crushing on Gerson.  He decided to come to JCP while both Gerson and I were working and spy on Gerson!  (Tiave claims that he was “observing” Gerson not “spying.”)  When I got off work Tiave helped prep me to ask Gerson out after work.  (Tiave was literally my own personal Hitch)  Tiave wanted me to take Gerson’s phone, go to my phone number, show it to him and say, “Here are 10 numbers that will lead you to the best weekend of your life.”  Well I am not even close to being that smooth, so instead this is how the conversation went:

Me: “What are you doing tonight?”

Gerson: “I don’t know… probably nothing.”

Me: “Playing video games?”

Gerson: “Maybe… is there something wrong with that?”

Me: “No, but if you want to take a break from video games, do you want to have ice cream with me and my friend tonight?”

Gerson: “Yeah.  But I don’t have a car.”

Me: “That’s ok, I do.  I’ll pick you up.”

So I had my friend Lindsey come with me because I am very traditional and I didn’t want our first official date to be me asking him out.  It technically wasn’t a date if my friend came!  Gerson really wanted to ask me out, but he was embarrassed because he didn’t have a car and would have to ask me to drive.  The next week school started, and the first day Gerson found me in the bookstore just to say hi!  He also asked me out to lunch later in the week.  When we were walking back to campus after lunch we went into the same building and Gerson asked me where I was going, “To class,” I responded.  Turns out our classes were right next door to each other and at the same time!

Every Tuesday at 11:00am BYU has a Devotional, there are no classes scheduled at that time.  I asked Gerson if he wanted to come with me to the next one, and he said yes.  On the day of I got a text from him saying that he had too much homework and couldn’t go.  I was really upset.  I do not like it at all when people cancel on me.  While Gerson was in the lab doing HW, he asked another student who was there what he should do.  That guy told Gerson to forget his homework and go after me before he lost me.  Gerson promptly followed his advice and called me.  He held my hand when we were walking back to class from the Devotional!  From then on we started spending a lot of time together.

One day in September Gerson’s bike had a flat tire, so I drove him home from school.  While we were hugging in the parking lot I told him that I had told my grandpa that Gerson had recently kissed me on the cheek to which my grandpa said, “I don’t know if I like that.”  Gerson said, “Well now you can tell him that I have kissed you on the lips.”  AND THEN HE KISSED ME!!!!  After he kissed me he hugged me again and then zoomed away without looking at me.  He said later that he did that because he was scared to see my reaction if it was bad.  He later texted me and apologized if he freaked me out.  I told him that he hadn’t and that I was beaming.  A week later he asked me to be his girlfriend. J

After that we became inseparable.  We had the same break every day at 11:00, so we had lunch together everyday.  I made sandwiches, and packed chips, fruit and juice bottles for each of us.  Gerson also came over every Sunday after Church where he had dinner with my family and we worked on HW together.

In October I got the Swine Flu and missed 3 or 4 days of school.  Every single one of those days Gerson rode his bike after class to my parents’ house to visit me, and he would stay until he either had to go to work or home.  That weekend my mom and brother were out of town and my dad was DJing dances on both Friday and Saturday night; so Gerson kept me company!  (He didn’t stay the night though; we followed the Honor Code.)  We watched a movie and at the end of it I could tell that Gerson had some intense thoughts going on inside his head, I asked him what he was thinking and he said, “I’m just… really falling for you.”  Two days later he told me that he had fallen in love with me!  I told him that I loved him and that I was heading in the direction of falling in love with him.

We eventually started talking about getting married, but I wanted to date another year before he proposed.  He was a little sad about that, but he was willing to wait until I was ready because he knew that he wanted to be with me.  In December Gerson went home for Christmas for nine days.  Those nine days were absolutely AWEFUL for me.  I just moped around, and even got sick.  Gerson came back to Utah for New Years Eve and I told him that I realized I never wanted to be without him again and that I was ready to marry him.  I know that it is common to pray about your spouse before you marry them.  I didn’t feel like I needed to pray about Gerson, I knew that he was right for me.  But I did need to pray about WHEN to marry Gerson.  So the first Fast Sunday of 2010 I fasted and prayed to Heavenly Father to help me know when I should marry Gerson, if now was a good time or if I needed to wait.  All throughout Church that day the thought kept coming to my mind that I needed to talk to my mom.  So when I went home that day I asked my mom (while crying) if she would support Gerson and I if we got married that year.  She hugged me and said yes of course.  Later that day, when Gerson was over, my dad called us into the office and said very seriously, “Mom told me that you two want to get married.”  Gerson and I just looked at each other and didn’t say anything, we were not sure what my dad could possibly be thinking.  He smiled and said, “That’s ok!  I just want to tell you two that Jewelers are going to try to get you to buy right away, do your research before buying.”  My good old dad, always thinking about finances. J  Nevertheless, we breathed a sigh of relief and went ring shopping a few days later.  I picked out my favorite at each place and told Gerson to surprise me (he ended up buying my favorite out of the favorites)!

So next came the scariest part for Gerson: the traditional asking my dad for my hand in marriage.  About a week before Gerson proposed to me,  the opportunity came that my dad and Gerson were in the same room, alone.  This is how the conversation went:

Gerson: “So I don’t know if Debbie told you, but I bought the ring.”

My Dad: “Yeah she told me.”

Gerson: “So I guess I’m supposed to ask your permission…”

My Dad: “Yeah Debbie and I were talking about that, and we decided that we really like you.  I have always told Chelsey that I will never tell her who to marry, but I will always tell her who to NOT marry.  And I haven’t told her to not marry you.”

And with that they went back to watching sports.

On Sunday February 7, 2010 I picked Gerson up for our weekly Sunday dinner with my family.  I was crying because it had been a rough day and I was finally letting it all out.  So Gerson got in the drivers seat and drove me to the lake near my house.  He parked near the spot where he had asked me to be his girlfriend.  The Lake was completely frozen everywhere, so it was a beautiful white winter wonderland.  Gerson had us get out of the car and started hugging me – with only one arm, the other arm was in his jacket pocket.  He started asking a bunch of questions – to which I responded “yeah” or “yes” or “you have said that before” to – they were: You know I love you, right?  You know that you are the most beautiful girl in the world to me?  You know that you are amazing?  You know that I want to spend forever with you?  Then he got down on one knee, and I started crying.  He asked, “Will you marry me?”  Through my tears I said, “Yes!”  Then we hugged and kissed, and hugged and kissed some more.

The reason why I shared this long story is because I think it is important to remember these moments in our lives.  As I typed this up I found myself giggling, blushing and falling in love with Gerson all over again.  In fact, while I was typing about our first kiss I starting laughing out loud, and that made Gerson ask what I was laughing at.  When I told him, he starting laughing too. 

And so I invite you to write about some one special in your life: it can be a spouse, significant other, your best friend or a close family member.  How did you meet them?  What brought you close together?  As you recall those memories you will find yourself smiling and laughing and rejuvenating your love and appreciation for them.  And, if you feel comfortable, share it with the person you wrote about.