My, What a Profile!

Last weekend Ross and I attended the year Kick-off Banquet for AFLAC. It was fun with some good food and a lot of clapping for his district (the #1 district in the region!!). The only problem was that the chairs were terribly uncomfortable for me and my bulk. After the dinner and before the award presentation, they gave us a quick bathroom break. While waiting in the line, a couple of the ladies from Ross's team were asking me how I was holding up and were commenting on how uncomfortable I looked. When I got to the front of the line, I turned sideways to lean against the wall. When I did this, the lady behind me said, "My goodness- what a profile!! I was wondering why Marcia thought you were so uncomfortable! You can't even tell from behind- but your profile is just huge, I mean, cute!" For some weird reason, I took this as a compliment.

When I told Ross, he suggested that we take some pictures from behind, and then from the side. These were taken right before we headed out to my last appointment before my C-Section on Tuesday morning (so close. . . but so far away!)

I left out the one he took of just my bum- it was surprising to see a close-up of that particular. . . assett when I was looking through the pictures he took. I can't blame him though- it is quite cute!! :)

The Love of a Kitty

My kitty proved his love to me once again on Sunday. I found out about President Hinckley's death around 8:30 when my mom called me. She knew that we rarely watch much TV on Sunday, so decided to make sure I got the news. I was really sad. Yes, I am happy that he is with his wife once more, and I know that the Church and its work will move forward- that didn't keep me from feeling an immense sense of loss for this amazing man. Ross was hugging me as I cried when we heard a familiar jingle at the door (mischief has a bell on his collar). I laughed when I heard it, and then he started meowing and scratching at the door. Ross went and cracked opened the door, and my kitty ran in and jumped up on me while I was sitting on the couch. He sensed that I needed some extra snuggles from a warm and furry feline- he was right! Just a reminder to those of you who may be wondering why this event was so amazing to me- mischief is not really our cat. He belongs to some of our neighbors who mistakenly call him Jerry. For some reason, he LOVES us. Ever since they brought him home as a kitten, he has preferred to play with us and likes to sit at our doorstep or sleep on our cars so that he wont miss any chance of getting some pets and loves from us. This has really been nice for me since Ross and I already decided to not acquire any pets until we had a backyard to keep them in. Since that looks like it could be farther in the future than we would like- it is nice to have been adopted by such a sweet kitty like Mischief.

Bittersweet Feelings

Most everyone now knows that our beloved prophet passed away on Sunday. Since then, I have been tossed back and forth between feelings of sorrow and feelings of relief. I love this man, and will miss him greatly. So much of my testimony has been crafted and strengthened through his guidance and love. President Hinckley is the prophet of my youth, and almost all of my memories of prophets are centered around him. On the other hand- it has been very apparent that the distance between he and his wife has been a hard burden for him to bear. A lot of his recent addresses in conferences have had a farewell-esque feeling to them. He is finally where he has longed to be, and I am grateful for that.

For family home evening last night, Ross and I were talking about our favorite President Hinckley moments. The one moment that sticks out greater than all the others was the same for both of us. In the fall of 2002, President Hinckley came to BYU-Idaho in company with Thomas S. Monson and Henry B. Eyering to dedicate the newly built Hinckley Building (which is gorgeous, by the way!). He got up to give his address, which was an ineresting account of the history surrounding the settlement of Rexburg and the establishment of the University. To be honest- I hate admitting this- but it was kind of boring, and I found myself being a little dissappointed. I was sitting in the Kirkham auditorium, and I had waited all week for this moment. I had been praying for some guidance in a certain area of my life, and that morning I had a deep impression that my answer would be found in President Hinckley's talk. Anyway, after a few minutes of this talk, he started to stumble over his words. It seemed that he was struggling to read his prepared talk. After a few more minutes of this stumbling he paused, closed his book, and said that he was ready to listen to the Spirit and give us the message we needed. There was another pause as he looked down and collected his thoughts. Then he looked up into the camera and said, "I love you kids." He laughed, and so did everyone in the congregation, and then he chocked up, began to openly weep and said once more, "I love you kids!" We were all overcome with his love. I could feel it in my heart. There was not a dry eye in the room. How could there be? The prophet of the Lord had just expressed to every student on that campus that he loved us kids! He took a few more moments to overcome that emotion, and then went into one of the most beautiful talks I have ever heard. He pled with us to not enter into tawdry and demeaning acts. He begged us to avoid temptation and to stay strong amidst the currents of evil that were all around us. He expressed how amazed he was at our strength and courage and admonished us to continue forward. I could hear in his voice the pain he felt at the thought of us committing sin. I could see in his eyes how proud he was of our accomplishments. It made me want to never go astray EVER so as to avoid hurting a man who cared sooo much for ME!

It was incredible! I can't explain in any better words just how much that moment meant to me. I KNEW with every fiber of my being that this man was a prophet, and I KNEW that he loved me. Don't get me wrong- I already had a testimony of his divinity as a prophet. There was no lingering doubt or anything of that nature before this experience. That knowledge had already been received. This moment just cemented that testimony for me. From that time on, any time I heard President Hinckley speak, I felt that love in my heart.

Part of me was sad when I heard of his death because I was sad that Emma and Sara would not have that beautiful man to lead and guide them in their youth. After I realized how silly that was- he was 97!!- I found great joy in the thought that her prophet will be Thomas S. Monson. That is wonderful! I am grateful for all of those amazing men on the council. I have faith in their abilities as conduits with God. I am also grateful for the organization of this church. We don't have to worry or concern ourselves with who should take on the office next. There will be no voting or debating- it is just known. President Monson has been well groomed for his new responsibilities. I love President Hinckley, and I am grateful for what he has done for me, my testimony, and the Church in general. His example will live on as I, and all the other stalwart members out there, continue to try to stand a little taller, be a little kinder, etc.

Ross's Turn!!!

Okay, after much time to ponder and consider my responses I will let you all know the answers to these VERY important ???s.

Do you have any pets? Emma makes so many animal sounds I think I have a lot.

What color shirt are you wearing? Black, most of my t-shirts are that color.

Name three things that are close to you: Amanda, Emma, the Lord

What is the last book you read? The Greatest Salesman in the World, by Og Mandino, I highly recommend it!!!

What's your favorite sport? Football -College is about the only thing worth watching anymore

Do you enjoy sleeping late? Yes and No, I love sleep, but once I wake up I can't stay in bed I always feel like I am being lazy and there is something I could be doing, even though I know Amanda would like me to stay and cuddle with her more often.

What's the weather like right now? Freezing cold and icy, about the only thing I can't stand about Utah besides the drivers

Who tells the best jokes? Larry the Cable Guy

What was the last thing you dreamed about? Emma and Sara running and playing in the front yard of our house in their new Easter dresses. Sara is gonna be amazingly cute. Just you wait

Do you drive? If so, have you ever crashed? As often as I can. It really is my passion. Yes I had a really bad accident on January 28, 2003. My car hit a patch of black of black ice and I spun out of control until a telephone poll stopped me. The fireman that responded to the crash said I was lucky to be alive, and that if I had hit the poll just one foot closer it would have crushed me.

Do you believe in karma? Yes, that is why I try to do good things most of the time.

Do you believe in luck? Yes and NO, I really believe that everything happens because it is a result of your own doing, however people win the lottery all the time and that has to be just sheer dumb luck.

Do you like your eggs scrambled or sunny side up? Scrambled

Are you reliable? In the situations I absolutely need to be- yes

Have you ever given money to a bum? Yes and then I saw him walk into the liquor store and buy a box of wine with it, that pretty much ended my alms for the poor giving, now I just trust that my donations to the church will reach those truly in need.

What's your favorite food? Ice Cream and brownies - a heavenly combination

Have you ever had a secret admirer? Yes, I mean come on who wouldn't admire me;)

Do you like the smell of gasoline? Some days yes other days no

Do like to draw? No, I come to terms that I was not blessed with artistic skills with a drawing utensil

What's your favorite invention? The wheel, I have been told I have tried to reinvent it so many times that I have come to have a great admiration for this invention.

What do you like better, oranges or apples? Apples

Do you give in easily? Yes, it just seems like there isn't much point to arguing over stuff if someone feels so strongly one way I can let them have their way when they are around.

Can you read other people's expressions? Yes, I have always been good at it and I try to think that maybe I am being to quick to judge but, the problem is I am hardly ever wrong

What time did you wake up this morning? 8:00, Emma likes to hit me in the face when she wants my pillow

What did you eat for breakfast this morning? Cookies

What do you plan on doing tomorrow? Recuperate from stuffing my face at the AFLAC company year kick-off convention party. I love free buffets!

What's your favorite day of the week and why? I really like Monday, it feels like a new start every week, the day that will decide how the rest of the week usually will go. Also, Monday night football is always a great FHE activity. I just need to get Amanda to like watching it with me.

Have you ever been scuba diving? NO, but I really want to, and if all goes well this year I will get to next year in Mexico.

What's your least favorite color? Pink, but I would have to say it depends on what or who is wearing it. REAL men do not wear pink, but it is my favorite color on Emma.

Would you ever go skydiving? Yes, in fact I was hoping to train to be a Para-rescuer in the Air Force, unfortunately I will just have to do it some other way.

What's the worst injury you have had? I fell from the top of a 6 ft. gate surrounding the church that my comp. and I were jumping on my mission in Chile. I was at the top and my pant leg caught on the spike at the top so my head fell 12 ft straight down to the not so soft concrete sidewalk. I split my eyebrow open and scraped a huge chunk of skin off my hand. I then proceeded to black out 3 times while I hiked to the top of the hill to the medical center where they decided all I needed was butterfly band aids since I didn't have insurance. It was my only experience in a Chilean hospital, but I was glad it was the last. I will let you imagine all the fun things I saw in a third world hospital, and I probably saw it, I know some of you know what I am talking about.

What's the last movie you saw? The last one I saw in the theatre was I AM LEGEND, we watched MR & MRS Smith last night.

What do you want to know about the future? Tomorrow's winning numbers to the Power ball having $386 million never hurts

What does your last text message say? A reminder about my district meeting tomorrow at 9, its a few days old, but I don't get too many texts right now because I don't have free texting on my plan because texting is for people way cooler than me ;) My thumbs are not nearly dexterious enough for such a small keyboard.

What's your least favorite school subject? Math! and to think I am a Financial Advisor, THANK YOU computers!!!

What is your dream vacation? A tropical island with just me and Amanda and a host of servants to do anything we want them to. oh and Amanda and I would be NAKED :-) You can thank me later for that image in your mind right now

What is your favorite animal? I love puppies.

Do you listen to the radio? Sirius Radio

Where were you when 9/11 happened? In a bus station in Chanaral, Chile, I was eating a Chilean Hot Dog, "Completo" look it up online and you will understand the divineness of how Chileans can make a disgusting piece of ground up pig parts into something even more disgusting, but somehow very tasty

What do you do when vending machines steal your money? Kick and scream at the machine then walk away all pissy and complain to Amanda

Have you ever caught a butterfly? Yes, I would catch them while frolicking in the meadows near my home

What color are your bed sheets? off-white

What's your ringtone? Verizon defaults, it is usually on Vibrate though

Do you like things that glow in the dark? No

What's your favorite fruity scent? I don't know what fruit it comes from, but Amanda wears VS Love Spell so whatever fruits make up that heavenly aroma, I like those ones.

Have you ever sat on a roof? Yes, I slept on one for about 1 month of my mission.

Name things in the world you dislike: Ignorant people, who are prideful about all the subjects they know very little about. Gays, and the perpetual downfall of the youth in society due to the acceptance of alternative lifestyles and the demise of traditional sports which leads to the acceptance and promotion of such things as skateboarding and the trashy look and trends that follow it.

Do you believe in magic? I believe there are things that happen in this world that cannot be explained by our limited knowledge, however I do believe most things people think are magic is what they choose to believe and not some supernatural occurrence.

Do you hold grudges? Yes, so you don't want to get on my bad side.