general conference october 2014

Another General Conference weekend has come and gone and I am always a little bit sad when it's over. If you have never read my blog before, welcome. After every General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I do a little recap of my favorite talks and quotes.

This year for the Sunday afternoon session, we biked to White Rock Lake an listened to the last session in the shade of a tree. I really miss cool fall weather and the changing of the leaves, but sometimes 75 and sunny isn't so bad. All of the pictures in this post are from Sunday afternoon.

One of my favorite talks was by Elder D. Todd Christofferson about the Atonement and how we don't automatically earn exaltation; it's a physical, conscious choice on our part. He also rebutted people who argue that they should not be forced to obey commandments and a loving God wouldn't make such high demands with this great statement: "A god who makes no demands is the functional equivalent of a God who does not exist."

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf is always a conference MVP and spoke at the General Women's Meeting, Saturday morning session and priesthood session! My favorite quote was about the church being a place for all kinds of individuals in all aspects of life with all kinds of testimonies- "I know of no signs on doors of our meetinghouses that say your testimony must be this tall to enter."

Elder Dallin H. Oaks gave a fantastic talk about standing up for our beliefs, but remaining civil and loving everyone. I thought this topic was so relevant because of the constant ridicule and controversy the Church and its members face. It's important that we stand up for what we know is right, but also remain disciples of Christ.

Probably my favorite talk from the entire conference was by Elder Jorg Klebingat. He began his talk by asking the question, what would you do if you had an interview with the Savior in a minute? What would go through your mind? Would you feel ready? He then gave us 6 steps to improve our spiritual confidence:

1) Take responsibility for spiritual domain and well-being

2) Take responsibility for physical well-being 

3) Embrace whole-hearted obedience as part of your life

4) Become good at repenting thoroughly and quickly

5) Become really good at forgiving

6) Accept trials and setbacks as part of your mortal existence: "Millions of your brothers and sisters are being tested, why do you think you would be exempt?"

Elder Klebingat's message was very straight forward and kind of called me out, which is always a little startling, but always great in a talk. I highly suggest you re-visit this one.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a passionate talk about caring for the poor. My favorite part of this talk was towards the end when he admitted that he did not know how each of us can help the poor, but God knows. I think it's inspiring and humbling when such amazing and righteous leaders of the church can admit that even they are not sure about all things, but they are certain the Lord knows.

"Who can put a price tag on the influence of a mother?" -L. Tom Perry

And to close, Elder David A. Bednar addressed his talk to non-members and explained why Mormons are so eager to share the gospel with others. "Our simple desire is to share with you the truths most sacred to us."

I hope you enjoyed this October conference as much as I did. If you missed any of the talks or want to re-visit your faves, you can listen/watch/read the messages here.

I'm thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and especially thankful for the guidance of a living prophet, President Thomas S. Monson. I know he and his counselors are messengers of God and the words and messages they chose to share with us last weekend are pertinent and relevant in our lives today.

184th annual general conference: sunday sessions

As promised, I have split up my favorite parts of this year's General Conference into 2 posts. These are my favorite quotes and things I learned from the Sunday morning and afternoon session. You can watch both sessions and the entire conference here.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have noticed my increase in usage last weekend and the hashtag #ldsconf. This has become one of my favorite parts about conference because I'm able to share my thoughts immediately to the thousands of other Conference viewers in the Twittersphere. I've also noticed that some of my non-Mormon followers favorite my #ldsconf tweets and who knows, maybe they looked up the talk to read the whole thing. As much as people complain about our phone obsessed generation, I think that there are some benefits to having and sharing information instantly via social media. Thanks for not unfollowing me during Conference and thanks for everyone else who posted their #ldsconf tweets :)

Photo credit Meg Ricks

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

• Someone on my Twitter feed made the comment that one of the most inspired things President Monson has done as a prophet was calling Elder Uchtdorf as one of his counselors and I couldn’t agree more. This man is called of God, not to mention he is the king of producing the most perfectly, pinteresting quotes.
• Be thankful in our circumstances instead of for things
• How much of life do we miss by waiting to see the rainbow before thanking God there is rain? – I can already see this wall decal in the homes of Mormons everywhere. But truly, we need to stop waiting for trials to be over to thank God. We should always have an attitude of gratitude in our hearts regardless of our circumstances.
• Why do we resist endings? Because we’re made of the stuff of eternities
• Endings in mortal life are merely interruptions

Jean A. Stevens

• The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not a checklist of things to do, it lives in our hearts
• The gospel is not a weight, it’s wings

David A. Bednar

•  Happiness is not the absence of a load—I make this mistake all the time. When my life is great and easy, I think, “Man, this is happiness. Nothing to worry about,” but it’s not true.
• There is no anguish of the soul we face that the Savior hasn’t felt first. HE GETS ME. But seriously. The Savior gets you and loves you. 

President Thomas S. Monson

• Everyday of our lives we are given the opportunities to love others
•  The people we meet everyday in parking lots and elevators are the portion of God’s children He has given us to love—awww! That is so hard to think though because I feel like I encounter so many people I don’t everyday I have no interest in loving, but they’re put in my life to love. 

Lawrence E. Corbridge

• Elder Corbridge bore testimony of Joseph Smith and his fundamental role in restoring the gospel back to the earth. This was a timely message for me because I recently finished reading Under the Banner of Heaven and learned of some not so shining moments in church history.
• The truth will always be opposed—Much like the Savior was ridiculed and eventually crucified, Joseph Smith faced persecution until his dying day. People can’t leave the truth alone and it will always face opposition.
• The family is the pattern of heaven

D. Todd Christofferson

• Our lives are His—Because the Savior gave His life that we might live again, our lives and everything we do are really His
• If Christ was resurrected He is a divine being and had to have been a God and what He taught was true because God cannot lie. Basically Elder Christofferson made the connection starting from Christ’s resurrection to His life to His teachings to His gospel and how if one happened, then everything that followed had to have happened. It was very cool and reminded me of my Philosophy 215 class at BYU.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to listen to the prophet and his counselors during General Conference. I know the talks are inspired and the men and women giving them are called of God. Thank you for reading! Feel free to shoot me any questions or share you favorite from this April General Conference.

184th annual general conference: saturday sessions

On April 5 and 6 I had the opportunity to listen to General Conference. I love Conference because it always seems to fall at the perfect time of the year. When I was at BYU, it was always right before finals and right after the school year started. I miss living in Provo because it was so easy to get tickets to Conference and attend one or multiple sessions. However, we are so blessed today to watch Conference from the comfort of our own homes, which is exactly what I did this year. I want to highlight my favorite talks and quotes from the weekend and I would love to hear your feedback and answer questions! (I am writing this post based on the notes I personally took while listening, so some of the quotes may not be exact and are most likely paraphrased).

Photo Credit to Meg Ricks

I’ve split up this post into Saturday and Sunday sessions to save you from reading a super long post. Here are my thoughts from Saturday morning and afternoon sessions:

Jeffrey R. Holland

• Talk about starting strong. Elder Holland is known for delivering powerful and emotional messages and this talk was no exception. My favorite part from this one was this line: It is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat boat but don’t even row it
• Christ-like love is the greatest need we have on this planet.
• Living the gospel is hard but it’s the most worthwhile thing we’ll ever do in this life.

Ronald Rasband

• To sustain our leaders is a privilege and is coupled with the responsibility to share their burdens
• What He asks of us is to take up the joyful burden of discipleship- discipleship is JOYFUL burden. Whoever thought the words joyful and burden would be used to describe one another. But this goes back to Elder Holland’s talk and the difficulty of living the gospel but the infinite blessings we receive from doing so.

Carlos H. Amado

• Props to the speakers who deliver messages in languages other than their native tongue. I can’t imagine how difficult that must be, and yet they still manage to convey their thoughts and the Spirit so well
•  Even during His immense suffering, Christ continued to pray for and think of others

Neil L. Andersen

• You are infinitely more precious to God than a tree- Ok ok, I know this is taken out of context but I giggled so much when he said this line. Like sweet, I’m more special than that sequoia!
• While many well-intentioned governments and politicians redefine marriage, God does not—simple statement about the sanctity of marriage.
• God has saved you for His final preparations before His return—I always get emotional thinking about being part of a chosen generation. It sounds a little conceited, but we truly have been saved for the last days. It’s frightening that of all the human lives who could have been brought to earth at this time, I am one of the ones chosen to live in this day and age- yikes. This concept makes me think of EFY and singing “As Zion’s Youth in Latter Days” and feeling a flood of emotion and humility.
• Elder Andersen talked mostly about the ever-increasing gap between the standards of the world vs. the Church. As Latter-day Saints we stick out more and more and have become more and more recognized throughout the world. Now more than ever we need to live like disciples of Christ and be the best examples of His Church we can be. 

Russell M. Nelson

• Even if everyone else is doing it, wrong can never be right—simple statement but hard to live but so, so true.
• Courage, not compromise brings the smile of the Lord’s approval
• Stand up for what you believe in. Let your faith show. Don’t be ashamed of the gospel.

Richard G. Scott

• Shoutout to Elder Scott for consistently mentioning his Sweet Jeanene every time he speaks. I actually yelled, “I LOVE JEANENE” during this talk to which Preston responded, “I know.”
• Teach with the vision of the importance of being sealed in the temple—It’s gonna be awhile before I’m teaching my own little ones about the importance of the temple, but it makes me remember how important the temple was in my family growing up. We always had a picture of the Washington, D.C. temple in our home and it was emblazoned in my mind that my goal should be to get married there someday. I dreamed about my wedding since I was little and imagined all the frivolous things like my dress and flowers, but my mom always reminded me that none of that mattered unless I was sealed to my husband that day. Yay for that dream coming true :)

W. Craig Zwick

• Kept shooting glances at Preston this whole talk cuz it was all about COMMUNICATION y’all. This talk is called “What Are You Thinking?” and I thought it was one of the most useful and practical addresses of Conference. Elder Zwick shared his own personal experience of miscommunication with his wife as well as an example from the Book of Mormon of different viewpoints resulting in abrasive words and hurt feelings.
• The willingness to see things through each other’s eyes transforms corrupt communication to ministering grace—Think before you speak! Think about what the other person might be thinking. This talk was for me because my feelings are easily hurt and I am a champion at holding a grudge and refusing to speak. 

Thanks for reading both my Saturday sessions thoughts. You can watch both Saturday morning and afternoon sessions here

T

start where you are

Last weekend was the 183rd General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I had the opportunity to listen to the prophets and leaders of the LDS church, hear their counsel and use their teachings to improve my life. It's one of the best weekends of the year! If you missed any part of it, the entire conference can be watched here.

Before I left for college, my Young Women's leader gave me the journal that is pictured above. I decided to use it as my "church" journal, because although she encouraged us to use it to record our college experiences, I felt silly writing about boys and grades in a notebook with JESUS on the cover. Appropriately, I finished the journal during the last session of conference. It really warms my heart to flip through all the pages and see the notes that I took during General Conference, Relief Society sessions, Christmas devotionals and firesides. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have had to attend BYU and be so close to all of the leaders of the church. It is truly a unique and special experience and has only added to my love for the university.

As usual, I want to share my favorite talks, quotes and insights I gleaned from this April conference. Check it out:

(Alex Steele Photography)

• One of the biggest themes of the entire conference was missionary work. When I asked Preston about priesthood session, he said it was heavily emphasized as well. Ever since the historical announcement made last October regarding the lowering of the missionary age, there has been an explosion of missionaries. I know I have probably shared this on this blog or to you in person, but I have a tremendous testimony of missionary work. My own parents joined the Church when two sister missionaries knocked on their door in Tennessee. It's real and it works. There are few things more admirable to me than young men and women in the prime of their life taking aside 18-24 months to serve the Lord and teach His children. One of the most important lessons I learned from conference was how important it is to be a missionary, even if you don't have an actual call or name badge. Elder Andersen said it so sweetly- "Paint a missionary badge on your heart."
• "Who could've imagined that the full standard works and years of General Conference would be able to fit in your pocket?" -Elder Richard G. Scott. I love using social media to promote my faith. Obviously. It made me so happy to see my Twitter feed so active with #ldsconf tweets. We are a technology driven generation and the Lord knows that, which is why it's so easy to share the gospel through all forms of social media. And who doesn't love the Gospel Library app? It really is amazing the years of knowledge and counsel we have at our fingertips.
• David A. Bednar's talk on chastity and the sanctity of marriage. I knew this would be addressed at conference and it was mentioned several times and emphasized by quite a few General Authorities. Elder Bednar emphasized Satan's desire to make us miserable using our bodies because it is the one thing he will never have. 
• Dieter F. Uchtdorf's entire talk. This was my favorite talk of the weekend and the title of my post. President Uchtdorf gave us 3 things to do:
  1) Start where you are.
  2) Turn your heart towards the Lord.
  3) Walk in the light. 
  I loved the first step of starting where you are. He explained that we don't have to wait until we are in our final days of judgment to receive the Lord's blessings. The Lord's blessings aren't reserved for perfect people. The Lord is ready to bless us and help us  if we just start now, right where we are, regardless of how far behind we feel. It's the small, righteous little things we try to do each day that make a difference and ultimately exalt us. This talk was so encouraging and reminded me of the beauty and perfection of the Savior's love.
• L. Whitney Clayton's talk about marriage. Because I'm getting married. But seriously, this was great. He gave us 5 things he has observed and learned are necessary to maintain a successful marriage. My favorite line was, "Marriage is a gift from God to us. The quality of our marriage is our gift to Him."
• Jeffrey R. Holland's talk. I feel like the entire church holds their breath in anticipation for Elder Holland's talks. This one was another encouraging talk about turning to the Lord and having faith that He will help us. My favorite line from probably the entire conference was from this talk: "Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with and that must be terribly frustrating for Him, but He deals with it and so should we." Be patient with each other guys. If the Lord can deal with our 239587094375938745 faults, we can learn to deal with each other's.
  
  If you managed to read this whole post, thank you. I consider my General Conference posts to be the most important ones on this blog. I appreciate your comments and feel free to direct any questions to me and I'll try my best to answer them. I love my church and I love President Monson. I know he has been appointed by the Lord as a living prophet to lead us through this crazy world. This gospel brings me the most joy I've ever known. I know it's true and I love it.

i love it

Last weekend was the 182nd General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. General Conference is one of my favorite weekends of the year, and I've said it before, but it always seems to fall during the perfect time of year when my life seems so busy/hectic/chaotic. It's like a giant sigh of relief and the reassurance that everything will be ok.

I was able to attend the Saturday morning session of conference and watched the afternoon session in the tabernacle and Sunday morning and afternoon at home. I think I attended the most historical session, because it was Saturday morning that President Monson announced the lowering of missionary age from 19 to 18 for young men and 21 to 19 for young women. 19 FOR YOUNG WOMEN! That's monumental. It gave me chills when he made the announcement and you could hear the gasps and excited whispers throughout the conference center. I have a firm testimony of the power of missionary work and its ability to bring eternal happiness. My own parents are converts to the church and heard about the gospel when sister missionaries knocked on our door. I know that the lowering of missionary age for men and women will only increase the number who choose to serve and further the work that needs to be done.

These were my favorite quotes/talks from the weekend:

-"The spiritual immune system of an entire civilization has been wounded-" Quentin L. Cook quoting a Baptist minister. Elder Cook focused on the moral decay of society and the ever-increasing importance of standing up for what we know to be true. 

-The title of my post comes from Sister Ann M. Dibbs' talk about the girl who wore the shirt that read: I'm a Mormon. I know it. I live it. I love it. 

-President Uchtdorf's entire talk. He closed the Saturday morning session on such an uplifting, encouraging note. President Uchtdorf emphasized the importance of enjoying life and taking account of the things that truly matter. He explained that we have turned into a society that esteems business (are business (biz-ness) and business (biz-ee-ness) spelled the same?) but is business really something to be proud of? In the end, we're going to look most fondly on the times we spent with the people we love, not the amount of time we put in the office. "Life is not meant to only be enjoyed in retrospect." 

-I enjoyed the analogy that Elder Scott D. Whiting made about the temples and our bodies. He told a story about how a temple was being built and there were a few minor changes that had to be made, but without them the temple would not be complete. It was a very precise process and most people would look at the corrections and think they really didn't matter, but because the temple is the Lord's house it needs to be perfect and only the best materials and craftsmanship can be used to build it. In comparison, we are each made of the finest materials and craftsmanship, but sometimes there are parts of us that need improvement. We are not required to be perfect, but it is our ultimate goal and thus we should always constantly work towards perfection.

-President Eyring's talk about our timetable vs. the Lord's timetable. He focused on God's awareness for all of his children and how sometimes things don't happen when we want them to or how we want them to, but we need to remember the Lord works in his own time and knows what's best for us more than anyone else in the world. He talked about how sometimes we create pavilions that hide us from the Lord, but he never creates pavilions hiding Himself from us. 

-Elder Holland. Duh. This man knows how to get every single person in an audience to hang onto his every word. This talk was interesting because he retold the story of Jesus asking Peter to be his one of his disciples but in a way that it would sound in 2012. The Lord is looking for disciples that will devote their lives to him. He can get fish- he needs us to feed his sheep! "The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ was the beginning of Christianity, not the end of it" and "We will not be finished with the work until love of God and neighbor rule the world." Absolutely. My favorite quote of the weekend.

-Elder Bednar. He is probably one of my favorite apostles. His analogies are always so memorable. Remember the pickle talk?? This talk was no exception. He talked about the difference between conversion and testimony and how the two are directly connected. He compared the parable of the ten virgins and the types of oil they had to testimony and conversion. The 5 who fell asleep and didn't have enough oil had filled their lamps with oil of testimony. When they asked to borrow from the 5 who were prepared, they were denied, because they had filled their lamps with oil of conversion. One can have a testimony of the gospel, and this can be shared and even borrowed for a bit, but ultimately, we must be converted and conversion cannot be shared.

Hey, did you know that Preston and I met a year ago after the Sunday morning session? I just love Conference :) (Also please put us in the Ensign. We are young hip Mormons!)

Thanks for reading this. My Conference entry is one of the few that I put up for everyone to see, and I think it is the most important. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ and hearing from the inspired men that have been chosen to lead our Church is one of the greatest blessings we have in this day and age. I want to share the happiness and peace I get from hearing and reading these messages. Here you can enjoy the talks that I wrote about and the entirety of this October's General Conference. I know the Church is true and I love it with all my heart.

all these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good

I am little late with the conference post, but better late than never. This past weekend was General Conference. I love how April conference is always right before finals because I always feel like I get a pep talk before the hellish week commences. Actually, I don't think finals this semester will be that bad. I'm trying this new thing where I've already been studying a little bit every day so that I don't have to swear off sleep during actual finals week.

I had the chance to attend the Saturday afternoon session. It was a perfect, sunny Saturday. Also, isn't Preston just a dream? :]

I titled this post after my favorite scripture in D&C 122:7-9. President Eyring quoted it in his talk, which was also one of my favorites. I've used it in a few talks before and probably for a seminary devotional once or twice, and I get emotional every time I read it. My favorite part: "All these things shall give thee experience and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?" I just think it's so incredibly humbling. 20somethings are probably the most selfish age group, maybe tied with angsty teens. But I think 20somethings are even more so because we're a little bit old enough to be kind of independent and definitely old enough to think that we know absolutely everything. I mean, we're like in COLLEGE and stuff and getting degrees and internships.We're used to getting things instantly and it takes a lot to hold our attention. When we're faced with difficulties and trials, we are DRAMATIC. I am dramatic. Maybe you're not dramatic, but I am sOoO mUcH dRaMa. Every time I read this scripture I am reminded that all of the difficulties I am facing have been planned for me and there's a reason for all of it. I am also reminded that the Savior has suffered my pains and sorrows a billion times over. Am I really greater than the most perfect being to ever walk the planet? I think not.

Above is not from conference, but from a picnic in front of the temple two days ago.

Another favorite was from Elder Holland about patience. One of my favorite quotes from this was, "Surely the the God most enjoys about being God is being merciful- especially to those who don't think they deserve it." He used the parable of the laborers in the vineyard and reminded us that others may be blessed before us and it may be unfair. Why should we be jealous that the Lord chose to be kind? He also taught that our good deeds and righteousness don't go unnoticed. "Don't hyperventilate over something that happened at 9 AM when the Lord is trying to reward you at 6 PM."

Finally, I really loved this quote from Elder Rasband: "'Let me know if I can help!' is really not help at all." Ah! I am so guilty of this. Instead of actually offering a specific service, I am always saying, "Let me know if you need anything!" Which is good. Really, it's great to let people know that you're around to help. But how often do you take them up when the offer is so broad? I know I am very hesitant to ask for help and even more so when I am told, "Let me know if I can help!" If we take the time to really see what our peers need from us and specifically offer to help with these specific things, I think we are doing a lot more good than simply putting it out there that we're around.

I am so thankful for our prophet and his counselors. I'm thankful for their wisdom, advice and guidance. I know that when we take the time to prayerfully ponder the words of our leaders and choose to apply them in our lives, we will be so blessed. I love this gospel and I know it is true. I love my Savior and know he is truly the Son of God. I hope everyone enjoys this Easter holiday. If you missed any of the talks or would just like to listen, they are available HERE to read, watch and listen to :]

man is nothing

Conference weekend could not have come at a more perfect time. This past week was terrible. I've been sick with a cold, had 3 exams and was feeling sorry for myself again, but although I still have the sniffles, I feel re-energized, calm and renewed.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to attend the afternoon session with all of my best friends :) I really love this picture, even though we are all looking different directions. Don't I have the most beautiful friends? I love them with all my heart.

Saturday was also Kaile's 21st birthday. My very first memory of Kaile was at EFY in Buena Vista, VA. I remember seeing her and thinking she was one of the prettiest girls I've ever encountered. I still think this. I adore Kaile Knell. It sounds cheesy, but I feel like I've watched Kaile grow since I met her in high school to now, into this beautiful and kind woman that genuinely cares about everyone around her. Kaile is an amazing listener and does her best to offer advice and a positive perspective. Kaile is also hilarious and I laugh a lot when I'm with her. We are both tiny humans, revel in the fact that moms and the elderly are our biggest fans and share an affinity for Asian babies and babies in general. I can't wait until Kaile and I are both moms and can obsess over each other's children. Happy birthday Kaile! I love you.

Today, Jenny and I tried to watch the morning session, but didn't get tickets so we ended up watching it in the tabernacle. Somehow, we both managed to get tickets for the afternoon session. What a fiasco. But so worth it. I got to sit closer than I ever have and just bask in the wonder that is General Conference. By the way, the picture below was taken yesterday. And I look SUPER azn. I think I was giggling at something.

My favorite talk this General Conference was by Elder Uchtdorf and what I entitled this post. Elder Uchtdorf is an amazing storyteller and has a fantastic sense of humor. I always look forward to his remarks and I've grown to love him even more after his "Forget Me Not" talk at the Relief Society broadcast. I am paraphrasing from my notes, so some of these quotes might be a little off, but these were my favorite parts:

Compared to God man is nothing, yet to God we are everything: Wow. We are nothing. Man is nothing without God and we owe everything to him. And yet, despite our shortcomings, we mean the world to God. And not just a select group of us. Each and every single soul that is living, gone and yet to be born. I think about how much my parents love me and I don't think I even grasp that concept fully. The thought of God having that much love for every human being in the world is incomprehensible. I can't fathom any one being having the capacity to love that much, but He does.

The Lord doesn't care if you're working in marble halls or stable stalls: Great rhyming and beautiful concept. Our Lord is no respecter of persons.

The Lord uses a very different scale than the world to measure the worth of a soul: This might be my favorite quote after the first one I shared. It is so hard to be a young adult in the world we live in today. I don't think a day goes by where I don't compare myself to someone else. That's a very sad thing, but it's the truth and I don't think I'm the only one that does it. Can you imagine if the Lord measured our worth the way the world did? But he doesn't, because he is perfect and loves each and every one of us with a perfect love and measures our worth by the things that truly matter in this life.

I felt so good about myself after hearing this talk. I felt loved and important. I feel and know that I matter in this world and despite my inadequacy and all the times I've felt small or insignificant, the master of the universe and mankind knows me and loves me and wants what's best for me. And He feels the exact same way about you, and every living soul.

Sorry this was so long. I still have so many favorite moments/quotes/talks to share so I'm going to try and include one in every post or try and focus on a talk each time I post.

I love this gospel. It is perfect. It is true. I am thankful for the inspired leaders of the church and the wisdom of our prophet and his counselors. Prayers were answered this weekend. I am so happy and so blessed.

Listen/watch this October's conference HERE

more fit for the kingdom

I love that Conference weekend always falls before finals because it's exactly what I need before I endure the weeks of no sleep, stress and near-breakdowns. This year I had the opportunity to attend 3 sessions (Saturday afternoon and both Sunday sessions), and my heart is so full. Here are some of my favorite moments/quotes/talks from this weekend:

-Dallin H. Oaks' address about desires

-Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, choices determine our actions -Elder Oaks

-Dieter F. Uchtdorf's "Waiting on the Road to Damascus" talk

-Uchtdorf talking about texting. I think any time a general authority mentions specific social media, it makes me smile.

-Preach the gospel at all times and if necessary, use words -President Uchtdorf

-David A. Bednar's talk about 2 types of light

-Elder Bednar always uses the most memorable metaphors in his talks, and this was no exception. I still remember the pickle talk.

-MoTab singing before President Eyring could introduce them

-President Monson's talk about temples

-I am always so touched when I hear the accounts of members who sacrifice everything just to attend the temple, and President Monson's talk was full of them.

-Following this talk, the choir concluded the session with "The Spirit of God" and it was honestly one of the most beautiful renditions of they hymn, and probably my favorite moment of Conference.

-Richard G. Scott's talk about his beloved Janine

-I love, love, love when the apostles mention their wives and refer to them as their "sweethearts." I think it is the single most adorable thing. Elder Scott's talk was so incredibly tender and the way he spoke about his wife made my heart melt. I love the way the brethren revere their wives and love how they give them all the credit for their greatness.

-When he saluted in this talk.

-Lynn G. Robbins' talk about being vs. doing

-Jeffrey R. Holland everything

In addition to the opportunity to hear the words of our prophet and leaders, I also got to see Sister Blythe Beecroft at the Beehive House!! Blythe is one of my dear friends from Maryland who I met at EFY. She is easily one of the best people I know. Blythe has the rare quality of making everyone feel good about themselves and is so selfless. She is an excellent listener and always has great advice. I am so thankful I met her and was so thrilled to see her today. I've been to Temple Square a few times this year, and every single time I somehow miss her or catch her on her P-day, but today I was lucky and got to go on a tour of the Beehive House directed by Sister Beecroft and her companion. She was so bubbly and sweet the whole time and it made me realize how much I miss her and how lucky Temple Square is to have such a faithful servant of the Lord. I love her.

If you didn't get a chance to see all the sessions, they will be online at www.lds.org. and all the talks will be in print in the May issue of the Ensign. (YAY).

I love President Monson and his counselors, the apostles and all of the wonderful men and women that lead this church. I have grown to love and look forward to Conference weekend, and at its conclusion, I feel so edified and ready to conquer these next few weeks. I am so thankful for the gospel and my savior Jesus Christ and truly believe the men called to lead this church are men of God.