A did well in her track meet this week, placing 3rd in the 800m and 4th in the mile. She was happy with her results. She also turned in two major projects at school and is very happy to be finished with both of those. She's ready for a break from school and is hoping to catch up on her sleep this week and Mark and the girls have spring break this week. Yea! (Personally, I don't think it's fair that they all get to sleep in but I still have to get up early and go to work....*pout*).
We got our new dining table on Monday and it's lovely -- we're thrilled with it! When we built our home, the dining room was the playroom -- literally -- filled with toys and books and games and art supplies. A couple of years ago we decided we really didn't need a toy room anymore and we moved our dining table and chairs into the room...but it wasn't until this week that I feel like we fully graduated from the playroom to a "real" dining room. We bought a new light fixture for the room yesterday and Mark hung it last night. All that's left is to touch up some of the paint, pick out a few favorite family pictures to frame and hang, and find something to hang on one other wall. I saw a framed "Proclamation to the World" in an ad this week and I'm thinking I might order that. I'm excited about the room -- it's the most peaceful spot in our house now and it has inspired me to really work on decluttering and fixing up the rest of the house. I'd better work fast before I ose the desire to work on it!
The new dining table/chairs and light:
The highlight of my week, though, was the General YW Broadcast last night. It was really wonderful. Sis. Dalton made a really cute comment -- looking out on the assembled congregation, she said that "this is what the stripling warriors' girlfriends must have looked like!" That was so cute. I also loved her emphasis on "deep beauty" -- that it comes from within, from righteousness and purity and courage and doing the right thing and knowing who you are, and that no makeup, plastic surgery, or worldy beauty regime could achieve that. She is so right. And I loved Pres. Uchtdorf's talk. It was just what I needed to hear. He talked about fairy tales and how we all want our "happily ever after"...but after "once upon a time" begins the story, the hero or heroine of the fairy tales always has to go through trials and struggles and overcome something in order to get to that "happily ever after" -- Cinderella had a wicked stepmother and mean stepsisters, Sleeping Beauty was poisoned, Belle was imprisoned and separated from her beloved father for several months, etc. But they persevered and overcame and achieved their "happily ever after"...and we need to persevere and overcome and then Heavenly Father will bless us with the most wonderful "happily ever after" that can be imagined. I loved his talk and will definitely be printing a copy of it to read and reread, as soon as it's available online.
I also celebrated my birthday today and I have been touched by the birthday wishes from my dear family and friends. While I don't enjoy getting older, it makes me feel special to be remembered. So thank you all!!
