here we have idaho

Being back in Idaho for a few days has reminded me of all the things I love about this great state ...

*The big sky
*The sunshine
*The open-ness of the Snake River Plain
*The sound (and sight) of sprinklers in the fields
*All of the wonderful people

... and one thing I do not love.

*the wind

big test part 2

Tonight I (Dave - I know, I don't ever post here anymore) was lying down by Jack at bed time. He gave me a good little pep talk. You see, tomorrow I take step 2 of the USMLE for med school. There was one previous post last year when I took step 1.

 So, I told Jack I was feeling a little nervous and worried about my test tomorrow. Here is some of what he said:

"Dad, tests are nothing to be worried about. Tests don't hurt you or anything. Tests don't bite you. Tests, you just have to work hard. And big tests you have to work hard for all day or something."

"Remember, I was worried about preschool but it was fun!"

 "Now do you not feel worried?"

 What a good boy! I'm not quite as worried as I had been.

5 things I learned by going without sugar for 5 days

A few days before Easter, after days of binging on Starburst Jellybeans, I started to feel very ... blah... I was dissatisfied with my body and uncomfortable in my skin. So I did something I swore I would never do. I decided to go off of sugar and refined carbs. My sister Karianne does it every so often and usually sheds a few pounds in the process, so I called her for emotional support almost daily. Mostly I just cut out refined flour and sugar, but I wasn't entirely strict about it. I ate potatoes at dinner and sprinkled craisins on my salad, and I even allowed myself a small piece of banana cream pie. I did it for 5 days. Even though it wasn't very long, I was surprised at what I learned during the process. 

1.) First of all, I learned that I can do it! I can actually stop eating so much junk food if I want to. Yay for me! It is amazing what we can accomplish when we set our minds to it.

2.) Second, I learned how often I eat out of boredom, or just as a distraction from other duties. I walk into the kitchen and end up eating crackers or chips or jellybeans or whatever else handy. When I made up my mind not to do it, I realized just how much I mindlessly eat. This reminds me of my goal for the year to live purposefully. What else do I do mindlessly and without purpose?

3.) Self-control begets self-control.  Becoming more aware of myself and my actions not only stopped me from eating junk food, it stopped me from doing lots of mindless things - like randomly checking facebook in the middle of the day, or yelling at my kids without thinking, or putting off the dishes for other meaningless tasks. By consciously controlling one aspect of my life, I was able to subconsciously control many other aspects more effectively. I feel like this concept could be studied more deeply and applied to many aspects of my life. It will be an interesting experiment.

4.) Cutting stuff out is hard! You have to replace it. Eating nuts, cheese and fresh fruit often curbed hunger when I found the munchies hitting.  Once again, this has such an interesting parallel in other areas of my life. Those negative thought patterns I've been trying to change? I can't just magically cut it out; I have to replace it with uplifting music, good conversation with friends, poetry and scriptures.

5.) The most important thing I learned is that I feel so much better when I am taking care of my body. I had more energy and felt happier as a person.

Saturday I spent the day eating junk food with the kids while watching General Conference. Even though I had a Spiritual Feast, I felt like my body was teaching me an important lesson. Our physical selves are so connected with our mental, emotional, and spiritual selves and there is great value in taking good care of these bodies that God has given to us.

inspired

General Conference always leaves me feeling inspired and motivated to "try a little harder to be a little better."  I am already planning on studying in depth some of the talks on parenting and marriage. My favorites were Sister Dalton and Sister Wixom and Elder Holland. (View them all here.)

Saturday morning as we were sitting down to watch, I saw my little kids sitting on the couch ready to listen to the prophet with excitement. It was a touching moment. I love the Prophet and am so grateful that I can listen to his words and other servants of God every six months. Granted, the excitement waned and by halfway through the second session on Saturday they were running amok. But for a moment it was perfect. I hope as they grow they know that I have a deep and abiding testimony of God's holy work, and that I feel I am a part of it. I hope they know that God loves his children and does not leave them alone, but has sent a Prophet to teach them. I hope they turn to his words and the words in the scriptures for peace and comfort in times of need.

The rest of the day was mostly peaceful, and included a daddy-daughter dance, catching some fireworks that were going on down the street, and then tucking the kids into bed.

Sweet is the peace the Gospel brings.

 What was your favorite talk?

easter 2013

This Easter weekend, we:

*attended the med-students-with-children Easter party.
*flew the kites that the kids got at the Easter party.
*dyed eggs.
*were visited by the Easter bunny who left candy and classic 90s cartoons and bubble bath.
*dressed in matching clothes and went to church, where I spoke in Sacrament meeting and taught Sunday School. I don't think I embarrassed the family.
*relaxed and watched classic 90s cartoons.
*spent a fabulous evening with good friends eating good food.

Since I spoke in church, I spent a lot of time last week reflecting on the life of my Savior. 

 I stand all amazed at the love Jesus has for me.