Beautiful

I see things all the time - Pinterest quotes, Facebook posts - shared by girls who think they need to be told that they are beautiful if they want to feel special.

They post things like adorable phrases that they hope their future husband/boyfriend will say to them or videos on Facebook that show a guy(s) telling any girls that might be watching how beautiful they are.  Any girl watching or reading these might revel in them and make them all their own.  And more times than not, that girl will degrade herself or take pity on herself when she posts it, saying things like, "This video is so cute!  Now I just wish someone I know would come tell me."  They add smiley faces and act as if they're joking but really, down in the truth of their intentions, they feel nothing like a beautiful flower (as they should) and more like the dirt they are planted in - they want someone to come and convince them otherwise.

I have acted like this.  I would got excited whenever there was a post like that because I would feel extra beautiful now that I had heard someone else tell me, like that group of boys that sang "What Makes You Beautiful."  And after I watched/read it I went right back to feeling down on myself.  After a while, I thought, "Why do I do this?  I should be able to rely on myself to believe I'm beautiful, not on others to make me think I am.  Besides, I don't need people to tell me that.  I already know it.  For one thing, I know that all girls are beautiful in their own unique way.  And for another, I know who I am - a daughter of God!  If I truly know that, I shouldn't desire confirmation from other people."

After I thought of that, I realized that I have my own confidence.  And while it's reassuring and encouraging to know that other people agree that you are beautiful, it's much more satisfying to just know it for yourself.  You can't pretend to be the flower when you actually believe that you're the dirt.  You've got to really believe that you're that beautiful plant, that princess, before you can truly believe it when others tell you that you are.  And anyway, if you know you are a princess, you know you are beautiful and you don't need people to try and make you believe it.  And if you believe you are beautiful, you'll have that confident smile that makes you shine.

Princess Amory

Just Thoughts

I haven't gotten around to buying a new journal yet for general life stuff so I figured I would post on here, seeing as there is a ton of stuff that I really need to catch up on.  You don't have to read through the whole thing and even if you do, a lot of it probably won't make much sense.  So yeah!  This is just me talking and saying what I think about (including every detail there is, because that's how I think.  Don't say I didn't warn you).  Here goes!

First, I want to talk about Friday.  On Friday night, I got to go see The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug with some friends.  It was so awesome!!!  I thought that the end was the best ever and the worst ever.  I can't tell any of the details or somebody might kill me but I have to say that it was really, really good!  Kili was my favorite.  That's all.

On Saturday, I had planned a surprise party for Corr.  A bunch of people were coming and I had a mini quest planned for him (which didn't work out quite how I thought it would... but he didn't notice at all so I'm counting it as a success).  He loves quests.  It was Doctor Who themed with Battleguard and Minecraft thrown in, all of which he loves, so it was perfect.  He thought it was great.  Afterwards we sang happy birthday to him and played a bunch of games.  A while later I told my mom that I thought it was time for cake so I stayed in the gym with everyone while I waited.  A few people from Caden's party and I were just chatting about something or other and then I looked across the gym and a whole bunch of girls came through the door singing happy birthday.  My cousin, who was already there, was carrying a display of a bunch of pictures of me.  My friend who I hadn't seen in a year and a half was carrying a framed picture of me.  I gasped a little when I saw her and she laughed.  (Later she told me that when my mom introduced her to everyone else there, she said, "This is Amory's friend that she's known since third grade!" and everybody gasped.  ("Oh, a publicschooler!")  She said she felt a little out of place.  Haha!  Love ya.  ;))  I gave all my friends hugs.  Then suddenly I heard somebody shouting, I was grabbed from behind, and a (foam) sword was held to my throat!  Caden ran up with his own sword and then I knew that Koldar had kidnapped me.  "Caden!  I challenge you to a duel for the princess!" he said.

"I accept!" Caden shouted back.  A chair was brought up for me to sit and watch.  Koldar, getting ready to charge, said to me, "You're mine until I defeat him.  Then you're still mine."  I laughed.  That just made my day; it was probably my favorite part of that.  Caden won of course and I was freed!  That was a lot of fun.

(This is random:  Cheese wasn't there, Carrots was there, and Cucumbers was there.  The end.)

After being kidnapped, we had cake.  Lara and Mom brought them out and everybody sang happy birthday (there was a lot of that going on...).  We couldn't have candles so I just blew on the air above the cake (not directly on the cake... don't worry).  One of the cakes was chocolate with pink and purple frosting that was decorated with a crown and a wand.  The crown said "Princess" inside and the main part of the cake said "Happy Birthday Lady Amory!"  I loved it!  Corr's cake was vanilla with blue and yellow frosting.  The crown didn't say anything and he didn't have a wand (pretty sure he didn't care) but the cake said the same as mine except with "sir" and his name instead of "lady."  Probably a good thing.  I thought the cake decorations were very cool.  Except, every time I think something is a really cool idea, everyone else just says, "Yeah, duh!" and they smile and tease me as if that's just normal and I missed it.  So I just smiled inside and thought how cool it was without saying it out loud.

Throughout the dance, all of the boys, even the Frog (4-year-old), came up to me at different times and handed me a rose.  I felt so special!  The last rose I got was from my dad.  He came up to me and knelt and said, "Happy birthday, Amory," with a huge smile on his face.  I think he got a tiny bit choked up.  Maybe not, though.  I'm not sure.  ;)  "Thank you, Dad!" I said.  I gave him a hug.

Then he said, "Now, if I'm correct, you should have sixteen roses."

I giggled because a couple of my friends and I had just counted them.  We counted sixteen.  And then my dad had come and given me one.  "Well," I told him, "we just counted and there are seventeen now."  I counted them all again and, sure enough, it was seventeen roses.

"Oh!" he laughed.  "Well," he said, quickly finding a way to make it work, "this is your seventeenth year.  So there are seventeen roses for your seventeen years!"

I laughed again.  "True!" I said.  I liked that.

I hung the roses up the next day.

Later I asked my mom about the presents.  I knew that most of the friends there would like to see Caden and me open them.  I told my mom that she would have to announce it because I was definitely not going to say, "Okay, we're going to open my presents now!"  So she told me that after the current song, we would turn off the music and do presents.  I was in charge of music and the song was almost over so I ran up behind the stage to get to it to turn it off before the next one started.  Then I hopped down from the stage (rather ungracefully...  0_o) and stood next to my mom, who was just starting to talk.  She spoke quickly and gathered everyone and then Caden and I started opening gifts.  My mom gave me a Princess t-shirt (the "daughter of a King" one that says Galen Crew on it) and a little necklace made out of a scrabble piece that had little books on it.  She also gave me a bibliophile, basically a book journal.  Those were really cool.  I got a journal from my friend Sarah.  She wrote a special note inside that I loved.  I got sweet cards from everyone, and another friend (who knows me well) gave me a perfect scarf with DOGS on it!!  And the dogs were beagles, which is perfectly awesome because Bounder looked like a beagle so I can just imagine him every time I look at it.  I wear that scarf every day now.  It's super comfy, too.  Alex also gave me this thing that looked like one of those toys that you blow through and it makes a loud buzzing noise.  She told me, "You suck on it," so I said, "Oh, cool!  Let's try it."  I got it out and starting sucking on it but it wasn't making any noise and it just tasted like candy.  I think I said, "Wait, what is this supposed to do?"  She told me, "It's just candy, you eat it."  And I said, "Ohhh!"  She laughed.  (Are you sure you're 16, Amory?)

Then a stool was brought out and I was told to sit on it.  All of the guys knelt on one knee in front of me (one guy did it on the opposite knee from everyone else and another of the guys corrected him jokingly, which I thought was pretty funny).  Then everyone gathered around them on the outside and they all sang Happy Birthday.  That made me feel so awesome!  Then each of the guys came up and hugged me and told me happy birthday.  It was so sweet!

The last song on the playlist for the dance was Princess, which is a song that a lot of people I know have fond memories of.  (Galen Crew - Princess)  The song started and I said, "Ooh, it's Princess!  Yay!!"  I kind of just smiled and skipped around a tiny bit.  Then Corr came up.  He asked me to dance and of course I told him yes.  We only danced for a few seconds (maybe 15-20) because then another of the guys there came up and cut in.  I think all of the guys came and danced with me, cutting in one after the other.  Koldar did, too, and it was funny because he came up and said, "Ahem.  Excuuuse me," and the guy I was dancing with made a mock-terrified face and backed off.  Most of them said happy birthday to me.  Then at the end, my dad cut in.  And he's so awesome - he doesn't know how to waltz so I have to teach him.  He's very humble about it.  He's good at following, so I just start us off and then we step on each other's toes.  It keeps me smiling.  At the end, he gave me a hug.  I guess I had always dreamed about something like that.  It was kind of a "this is so weird, so cool, and surreal at the same time" moment for me.

All in all, I loved it.  Everything worked out and I got surprises, too!  In previous years, I've felt guilty because I have expected things or guessed at things or hinted at things I would like to have.  That's not very humble or selfless or kind.  So I really tried to work on not acting like that this year.  And I was rewarded with feeling happy and grateful and humbled that so many people, especially my mom, cared to work and make so many good things happen just for me.  I'm so glad I did that this year.  It made a huge difference.

Princess Amory

Various Importances

Okay, I want to first say something about introverts and extroverts.  A lot of people (including myself) have been grabbing onto this new idea that extroverts are really outgoing and like lots of friends and introverts aren't as outgoing, tending to like staying in their favorite places and only having a few certain friends; also, everyone is either an introvert or an extrovert by nature.  Well, perhaps this is true.  I don't know.  But the thing that's getting to me is that once people figure out "which one" they are, they tend to let it define them.  "Well, I just don't really like going out and meeting new people all the time because I'm an introvert and that's not what introverts do.  And I don't like talking on the phone or answering the door because I'm an introvert and that's not what we do.  And I don't have more than five friends because that's not acceptable if you're an introvert."  And the opposite:  "I'm an extrovert, so I don't like being home without friends to be around.  I'm an extrovert, so I'm fun and kinda crazy.  I'm an extrovert, so I like going out and meeting new people.  Oh yeah, and I'm supposed to have a million gajillion friends because I'm an extrovert."

I think a lot of us don't realize that we're doing this to ourselves.  We don't have to fit into one category.  Maybe people really can fit into "introvert/extrovert" categories but just because they have the qualities of an extrovert doesn't mean that they only do extrovert things or that everything an extrovert is good at is what they are good at.  Same with introverts.  And it's okay to have extrovert qualities if you're an introvert, or introvert qualities if you're an extrovert.  I'm an introvert, so I like peace and quiet and time to myself to recharge and I like having some really close friends.  But just because I'm an introvert doesn't mean that I can't talk on the phone because I'm too scared, that I can't have a bunch of friends, that I would rather be home by myself all the time rather than ask friends over or go to parties, or that I'm bad at being conversational or socializing.  I can do whatever I want with my personality.  And being able to be sociable and a good friend to everybody is a great talent to have.  So why should I let "being an introvert" stop me from learning that skill, or any skill for that matter?

In YW's, we talked a lot about friends and getting to know people and being brave and outgoing and saying hi to our neighbors.  We talked about how even just smiling at someone can help them.  I thought of how I'm an introvert so it's hard for me to reach out.  I mentioned to everyone how it's kind of hard for me to get to know people in my ward because I'm homeschooled so I don't see anyone in school but that I would love to get to know everyone better.  I also mentioned that we have lived in our ward for three years and we still don't know our neighbors.  Then I kind of realized that this was kind of like saying, "Hey guys, I've lived here for a while and I'm still only friends with like two of you.  Can you please reach out to me?"  I felt like that just wasn't quite right.  It was weird saying that, because it felt like I was asking everyone else to change to make me happy.  It felt wrong.

So I resolved to change that.  I have a firm belief that if you want something about your life to change, you have to be the one to change it.  I decided once I figured that out that I was going to be more friendly and outgoing and try to make new friends.  Plus, maybe if I did that in my ward before I left (we're moving 1 1/2 miles away so we won't be in the same ward), then I would have some practice and be able to make new friends in my new ward more easily.

So the first thing I said to someone outside of my family when YW's was over, "Hi, Sister So-and-so!" as we walked down the hall together to leave church.  I was rewarded right away with, "Hi, Gorgeous, how are you!"  I felt so warm and happy inside, and not just from that complement.  We only talked for a minute - I noticed that she had dyed her hair and I complemented it, telling her it was really pretty.  She was an older woman and I think I may have caught her off guard - she stumbled as if she didn't know what to say.  But she seemed to really appreciate me talking to her.  I felt like I had really accomplished something; in just those two minutes, I had done something really great.  Or at least I felt like I did.  And in seminary, when someone that I didn't know very well started talking to me a little bit, I talked back a bunch when I usually would just give short, polite answers and just be kind of quiet; and we had a fun conversation!  That felt good, too.

I've never been very good at being outgoing and friendly with people.  And when I discovered that I was an introvert, I had an even harder time with it because I let it define me.  But now I'm taking control of my own identity and choosing what qualities I want to have and striving to develop them, even if it's not an "introvert thing to do."  It feels so powerful to do that.

I've been feeling a very pressing urgency lately to improve myself.  The signs of the 2nd Coming are speedily being fulfullied.  Today my mom was watching something about blood moons, which are a sign of the 2nd Coming.  There are supposed to be two in 2014 and two in 2015.  (You can look up more about that too.)  And the other day I read the section called "Signs of the Times" in Mormon Doctrine by Bruce R. McConkie (spectacular book), which is about when Christ will come in the latter days, and there is a ton of stuff in there that has either already been fulfilled or is being fulfilled right now.  It's crazy.  Even before I read and heard those things, I was feeling a strong urgency to improve myself as much as possible as quickly as possible.

If the Savior is coming and we don't know when, and we don't have any idea when all of the prophecies will be fulfilled, we have got to prepare.  We can't "procrastinate the day or our repentance" or goof around and do nothing and "waste our oil" like in the story of the ten virgins.  We have to be prepared, store up oil for when the Bridegroom comes, be ready to greet Him.  The Savior is going to come when we least expect it.  So we have got to be prepared for Him to show up at absolutely any time.  It's immensely important.

WE HAVE GOT TO BE READY.

Amory

Filling My Journal

I recently finished a journal, meaning I filled an entire journal with entries, starting on January 21st this year and finishing just on the 8th of this month.  Here's a picture of it.  It's my favorite kind (from the LDS distribution center - awesome place).  My apologies for the awful lighting.

I have a tradition for when I finish my journal.  I leave the very last page blank and reserve it for writing my testimony.  That way I can see how my testimony changes and grows each year.  This time I actually typed it because I wrote it in my NaNoWriMo book (story about how a girl finds faith - it's for my faith value project, too).  So I decided I would put it on my blog.  Here you go.

I want to start with my testimony of prayer.  If there’s one thing that I know is real, it’s prayer.  Prayer has helped me with so many things.  It has helped me to repent; it has helped me to find out who I am; it has helped me find the right friends to be with; it has helped me be an overall better person, finding ways to better myself and praying for help and strength to accomplish those things.

Prayer has helped me gain a testimony of the Book of Mormon, of Joseph Smith’s role in the restoration, of the fact that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do, indeed, exist.  Prayer has helped me to gain a testimony of the Holy Ghost and even of simple things like journaling and being a good person, a good friend, a good sibling, a good daughter.  I know that my parents love me and that they will always love me, no matter what.  I know that my friends care about me, too, even if sometimes it seems like they don’t, or they seem too busy to care.

Prayer has helped me to be motivated to do what I know is right.  It has helped me to be determined to make right choices no matter what.  It has helped me feel that my Heavenly Father is near and that He will help me with absolutely anything, from remembering my speech to having enough emotional energy to finish the day.

Prayer has helped me to gain a testimony of scripture study and what it can do for me.

Prayer has helped me to know what the Holy Ghost feels like, which has helped me to know so many other things.  The Holy Ghost has helped me to understand who I am: a daughter of God.  The Holy Ghost has confirmed so many things to me: that I can do anything if I try my absolute best; that the Lord is on my side and never leaves it; that God is watching over me; that if I try my best, I will be able to make it to the celestial kingdom.

I have a testimony of the power of the priesthood.  I know that the things in my patriarchal blessing are true, that fathers’ blessings work, that the men in our homes can protect us by the power of God.

I know that whatever happens to us will always make us stronger.

I know that Personal Progress will help my to be the best person I can be.

I have faith in the gospel and in the Lord Jesus Christ and in my God.  I know that my Redeemer lives.

"Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives:  'I know that my Redeemer lives!'"

Princess Amory

Tournament Speech

I'm finally posting my speech!  Sorry it took me forever.  I'm also probably going to post a video of me delivering it (once I film it...), so if you want to wait for that then I'll let you know when I post it.  Also take note - this is written like I'm talking, so that I can memorize it and not sound like a technical paper or something boring; so this is word-for-word how I say it.  :)

Enjoy!

How Reading Affects the Society

A marvelous mother shared an interesting story about her and her son.  For identity purposes, their names will be changed to Erika and Sam.  From a very young age, Erika’s teachers assigned her (quote) “the most horrible books to read (Mice and Men, Grapes of Wrath, etc.)” (unquote) Erika grew up thinking that reading only involved awful books and she had no idea that there were other books out there.  Once she graduated high school she vowed that she would never read a book again and she didn’t until she was in her thirties.

When Erika sent her first child to school, she understood from her own school experience that the school would do all of the teaching and that she, the mother, would not have to do anything at home.  As a result, when Sam reached second grade Erika was shocked to hear that he couldn’t read.  Sam’s teacher called Erika and her husband in for a parent/teacher conference where she informed them that Sam couldn’t read at all and that this was affecting his classwork and homework.  Her solution to this was to send home all of Sam’s school work each day and have Erika teach him the class work and do his homework with him.  This took many hours each night.

Not long after this system began, Erika found out that Sam wasn’t doing anything at school at all, not even recess.  His teacher felt the need to keep him in during recess because of his poor school habits.  All of this broke Erika’s heart.  But, as Erika put it, she was “a young, stupid mother who didn’t know what else to do other than what [she] was told.”  So she tried to make everything work for Sam.  He would do his schoolwork and she would try and try to help him learn to read.  But his reading was not going well and she had no idea how to teach him.

At about this time, the first Harry Potter movie was coming out and Sam very much wanted to see it.  Erika devised a plan that he had to read the book before he saw the movie.  Sam was devastated.  However, after several days of complaining he finally locked himself in his room and was in there for many hours.  When he came out, he said, “Mom, I read the first three chapters!”  This was the beginning for Sam.  Because Erika hated reading, she didn’t make Sam read anything he didn’t want to, so they kept up the reading program for each Harry Potter movie.  Soon he was such an avid reader that he didn’t need any more motivation.  Sam’s desire to see the movies opened a door for him to learn to read.

Another story was shared with me, found on biography.com, about a man named Ben Carson.  The article on the website says the following.  “Ben Carson was born in Detroit, Michigan . . . His mother, though undereducated herself, pushed her sons to read and to believe in themselves.  Carson went from being a poor student to receiving honors and he eventually attended medical school.  As a doctor, he became the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital at age 33 and became famous for his ground-breaking work separating conjoined twins.” (unquote) This is an extreme example of how literacy affected not just Ben Carson’s life but also the lives of so many others.  Can you imagine what Ben Carson was able to do for his family, not to mention his prosperity and the people he has worked to save?  The story is incredible.

The reason that I tell you these stories is because it brings up an important point, that is whether parents do things at home with their children or not greatly influences their children’s ability to be literate.

It goes without saying that being illiterate in our society greatly affects our ability to do even necessary things and that it’s a huge problem when you’re trying to find your way in the world and do things right.

Since this is true, it’s surprising how many adults there are in our country who cannot read and write.  According to research posted on statisticbrain.com that was gathered in April of this year from the US Department of Education and the National Institute of Literacy, 14% of US adults cannot read and 21% of US adults read below a fifth grade level.  That is 35% of US adults who cannot read proficiently, the word “proficiently” defined as being able to perform complex and challenging literacy activities.  This is disheartening knowledge indeed.  Here is why.

According to begintoread.com, “⅔ of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.”  The reason why this is so is because the 4th grade is the watershed year, the word “watershed” meaning “the defining moment” or “the turning point”; so if a child is not reading proficiently by then, it can be predicted that he or she will have only about a 78% chance of catching up.  More research published on statisticbrain.com says that 63% of prison inmates cannot read, which supports the statement that ⅔ of students who cannot read proficiently by the end of 4th grade will end up in jail or on welfare.  It is astonishing what illiteracy does to our society.

But this is not a time to lose hope.  We know from Erika and Sam’s story and from the story of Ben Carson that there are obviously things that can be done.  Simple encouragement or motivation could help.  Here’s another suggestion.

Published on a website called The Chronicle of Higher Education is an article called Want Smart Kids? Here’s What To Do.  The first sentence in the article says, “Buy a lot of books.”  The article goes on to explain that a study published in the journal Research In Social Stratification and Mobility, conducted over 20 years, in 27 countries, and surveying more than 70,000 people, concluded that (quote) “children who grew up in a home with more than 500 books spent 3 years longer in school than children whose parents had only a few books.  Also, a child whose parents [had] lots of books [was] nearly 20% more likely to finish college.” (unquote) The article also says that (quote) “the children of educated parents (defined as people with at least 15 years of schooling) were 16% more likely than the children of less-educated parents to get their college degrees.  Formal education matters but not as much as books.” (unquote) We need these books in our homes.  We have libraries, of course, but is that enough?  Unless we take our children to libraries all the time or constantly, I’m afraid that they will have little effect on our children.  That’s why the books need to be in our homes.

Added to this is that there are so many benefits to reading that one can’t name them all!  One is entertainment:  It is the cheapest, easiest kind of entertainment to simply read a fun book.  Another is comfort:  Some people read because they know that if they do, they’ll feel happier because they love going on amazing adventures.  It could also be because they know that every time they pick up a book and read it, they are, figuratively, with a friend.  Often we hear the phrase, “Finishing a book is like saying goodbye to your best friend.”  Most of us probably agree with that analogy.  People everywhere love books and love how easy it is to get lost in them.  I fell in love with reading when I was about 10 and because of books that I read and have read since then, I decided to write.  I printed my first novel this past June.  Literature increases imagination.  It opens up adventures!  Another benefit to reading is that it takes you away from technology.  Most of us are probably familiar with the quote from the grandfather in the movie Princess Bride: “When I was your age, television was called books.”

We must fill our lives with literature, literature that inspires and lifts spirits, that increases learning and intelligence.  We must fill ourselves and fill our prosperity with light.  We need books in our homes to keep us awake, keep our minds open, keep us alive.  We need to read.

Orator Amory

Nerves

Nerves officially racked, guys.  Today was my piano recital, which actually was not at all bad and I only messed up like three times and covered it up pretty well.  But I got the full effects of anxiety after I was done.  And then I started thinking about the speech and debate tournament tomorrow and how I haven't really given my speech in front of other people to practice and what if I forget and go overtime and lose any sliver of a chance of winning anything among all of the crazy-talented orators in the tournament?  And what if I embarrass myself in front of all the people listening and the judge marks me down for messing up all my statistics or something because it degraded the quality of my delivery?  And what if I totally break down or something?  Not likely but still a possibility.  Or what if there's some sort of medical emergency or something that I have to take care of that is just awful and horrible and I don't know what to do and I'm not prepared?  One of my worst fears.  I am always prepared.  But what if I don't think of something?

Ahh!  I know I'll be fine.  And I'll do just fine.  It's not like I've won before anyway.  And after this tournament, it's not like I'll do worse.  Plus, I have a better chance of winning this time because some of the best people are either in other events or are too old to compete.  Yay!  Haha.  Plus, it's movie night.  Mom and the Turtle surprised us with Avatar: The Last Airbender.  Perfect.  That's exactly what I needed.

Thanks Mom.  Thanks Turtle.

Orator Amory

P.S.  I have a new pen name!  I'm pretty sure this is what I'll be using from now on.  It's Amira Caresse - pronounced "Uh-meer-uh Car-ess-uh."  Amira means princess and Caresse means beloved.  :)  I like it.

Conference!

Guys, I LOVE General Conference.  It's so awesome and wonderful and so very special.

As you might know from a previous post on my blog (not sure if it was this blog or the one I accidentally deleted...), I take conference notes.  I take notes on lots of things but General Conference is one thing that I always make sure to take notes on.  I usually write down each song, who was conducting for the session, and then the name of each person that speaks, along with the notes from their talk.  I didn't do a very good job on Saturday but on Sunday I gathered a lot.  And you know, I noticed a significant difference between when I didn't take many notes and when I took a lot of notes.  When I didn't take very many, I felt like Conference was really cool.  But when I took a lot, I felt like Conference was really cool and I felt like it was amazing and wonderful; and I felt the Spirit tremendously.  I felt it far more than I did when I didn't take many notes.  To take lots of notes, you have to pay attention really closely.  That's a big reason I felt the Spirit so much more.

The colors of the names are like that because of either the color of the speaker's tie or the color of the speaker's shirt/outfit.  Yep!  There you go!  Also, these are my personal notes, so please forgive me if they don't make sense.  ;)

General Conference

10-6-13

Morning Session

Song:  Master, the Tempest is Raging

Dieter F. Uchtdorf conducting

Henry B. Eyring

One Plan of Happiness = Obey the commandments

Advice for all relationships, family life, etc.

=

Love the Lord thy God

Love thy neighbor as thyself

Go the the Savior for relief from pain, a relief only He can give.

Temptation to reject calls to serve the Savior

Serve others = Holy Ghost companionship

Felicity = happiness

"You were supposed to remember."

Her choice became his.

"I gave him to you because I knew that you would love and care for him, no matter what he did." ~Heavenly Father, through Holy Ghost

With the help of the Holy Ghost, all truths will be remembered.

Dallin H. Oaks

God possesses sensitive and deep feelings.

What is your ultimate priority?

Keep the commandments.

Undisciplined appetites

Ultimate treasure on earth and in heaven

=

Children and family

Compassionate, charitable, loving to all men

Sexual relations should occur only between a man and a woman who are married.

41% children born outside marriage

60% people in cohabitation before marriage

(SCARY)

The courage to not compromise brings the smile of God's approval.

Bonnie L. Oscarson - General Young Women President

(My mom said that she is the Personal Progress book [her outfit].  Haha!)

Joshua - "Choose you this day whom ye will serve; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."

Every day/hour decisions have eternal consequence.

True conversion = mighty change & action

Obedience = testimony  ?

Exercise faith

Conversion comes as we live pure and virtuous lives  ?

Richard J. Maynes

Enduring to the end

Men lay down their lives.

Victory over death

BE FIT

Physical and spiritual

Let us run with patience the race that has been set before us.

Spiritual strength you develop, coupled with Lord's help

Richard G. Scott

Learn to recognize the power of the atonement of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Fathers are responsible to provide protection.

Previous guilt can be used by Satan to bring us back down to sin.

Satan leads you away carefully.

Virtuousness protects from temptations.

Mercifully, they were taught the gospel.

Lifelong commitment to forsake sins strengthened them.

Weak things become strong

How do we build these eternal fortifications?

Sincere, thorough, complete repentance.

Repentance is not punishment - remember that.

Make covenants.

Provide ordinance work for ancestors.

Share gospel.

Serve faithfully in all your callings, especially visiting/home teaching.

Serve in your own family.

Make spiritual growth of family members a top priority.

Give freely of your time and of yourself.

SERVE OTHERS

Song:  O, Divine Redeemer

President Monson

50 years since David O. McKay called Pres. Monson as an apostle.  Tomorrow (October 7th) would have been Pres. Monson's and Francis Monson's 65th anniversary.

Write in journal - one of the most inspiring conferences since calling

Knowledge that sustains Pres. Monson

=

Will see his wife again in the after life

Shall I falter or shall I finish?

FINISH

Job kept the faith.

Let us also do so.

Bro. Broams (name?)

Good timber does not grow with ease

The harder the wind, the stronger the trees

The higher the skies, the greater the heights

Pray to Him and listen to Him every day.

He will always be with us.

Let us have firm commitments.

God lives.

His penetrating light shines through the darkness of our lives.

Song:  We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet

Afternoon Session

Song:  They, the Builders of the Nation

Henry B. Eyring conducting

Quentin L. Cook

Impairment of moral agency can impede our progress.

Bondage = addictions

Excessive use of anything is an addiction.

Reason for work is for families

Protect time for family.

Gospel truths are often distorted to fit our society.

Voices telling women how to live -- they contradict each other.

Righteous people are forced into activities that make them uncomfortable and test their conscience.

Gather scattered Israel.

Come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.

Neil L. Andersen

The blessings of the priesthood are infinitely greater than the one who is asked to administer the gift.

All of the ordinances invite to have faith in God (wording?)

Why is the priesthood administered by men if it is for all?

All are alike unto God.

He did not create men and women exactly the same.  Sacred responsibilities are given to each gender.

Deny not the gifts of God.

Righteousness is a qualifier for all to invite priesthood power into their lives.

Repent of your secret abominations.

Lust = adultery

Righteous mother and father united in guiding their children

We will see things as they really are.

Underwhelmed (cool word)

Listen to concerns.

Destiny = prepare kingdom of God for return of Savior.

David M. McConkie

God speaks.  He will speak to you.

What would the Savior say if He was teaching my class today and how would He say it?

Keep commandments.

Personal, daily, spiritual preparation

=

prayer, scripture study, keeping commandments

The Holy Ghost will help you know what to do (motherhood, everyday life)

Holy Ghost companion

Follow promptings.

Need word and power

Men of sound understanding

Learn to listen (to the student).

No longer your lesson.  Becomes the Savior's lesson.

"I always know when I have been teaching by the Holy Ghost because I always learn something from what I teach."

Kevin S. Hamilton

Attend all meetings.

Hold fast to the word of God by worshipping and attending all meetings.

Feast upon the words of Christ until the very end of our lives.

Simple decisions are significant because of what they lead to.

Adrián Ochoa

Don't forget to look up.

Signs of the times.

False accusers of Christ and of the prophet Joseph Smith may lead us to doubt.

Wavering?  Look up.

Terence M. Vinson

"That's because I love you."

Walk with the Lord.

"I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father."

Russell M. Nelson

Stellar spirits are often housed in imperfect bodies.

In my words:  Decisions on how you take care of your body can determine your destiny because your spirit is housed in your body and what you do with your body affects your spirit.

In my words:  Look in the mirror each morning and remember that your body is a temple - this will help you take care of it.

Reason over appetite = self-mastery

Control over appetite

Keep commandments eagerly, earnestly, exactly = power

Be master over emotions and passions

Gender - essential characteristic

Sacred

Sin, even when rationalized by men, is still sin in the sight of God.

God's law is unchangeable.

Decisions determine destiny.

Wise decisions for eternity

President Monson

Homes be filled with love, courtesy, spirit of the Lord, kindness, work of the Lord

Song:  Abide With Me, 'Tis Eventide