i'm not afraid anymore!

you know that part in home alone when kevin realizes that he's not afraid of harry and marv anymore?

that's kind of what watching general conference does to me. i feel empowered and then i start collecting supplies to booby trap my house so that the bad guys can't get in, or if they do, they'll be mega hurt in a delightfully comical way. 

i realize now that i've accidentally thrown out my conference notes from the first weekend in october. i can't be trusted with anything anymore. conference was such an uplifting experience. the answers are there if you're ready to listen. i've found that several of my friends from different portions of my life have fallen away from the church. i find that each time i hear about someone deciding to not be a member of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it affects me. it jars me. it makes me question things i already know to be true all over again. i struggle to accept the news and move on. but this conference was full of so many wonderful reassurances of the promises of the gospel of Jesus Christ if we remain faithful, that it keeps me going. which i need in this absolute debacle of an election season. if i was forced to pick my favorites, i'd have to say, uchtdorf, ballard, natress, and bednar. i'll need to plan a reread of their messages soon. but i'm recalling a lot of encouragement about faith? and scripture reading? and going to church? 

here's a recap of this last week:

eating news-now that it's october, we are finally being able to eat outside. still in the 80s most days but delightful. everyone north of the mason dixon line has been enjoying eating outside for the last 4 months. we just got that opportunity, which will last until december and then march and april. so there's georgia's 4 months of al fresco dining. 

this is the remnant of our conference sunday dessert. brownies, ice cream, and fruits in fondue. i just discovered a new apple type that i'd never had before, sweetango! i've only found them at kroger but they are fantastic. sweet and tangy tango in your mouth. appropriately named.

fitness news- our family weight lifting program is plodding along. i'm actually rather impressed at how well reagan and scarlett are picking up correct form. i'm a mirror hog at the gym so that i can always check form because it's not inherent for me. it's not their favorite activity but i hated pulling weeds with the family growing up and now i'm not afraid of yard work. the kids complaining is annoying, but i'm hoping that being strong will help them have a better perspective of the value of their own body. 

embarrassing news-i tried to save money by touching up reagan's haircut myself. it's okay to laugh. i have laughed about this many times. i figure there are much worse things in this world to experience than a really terrible haircut at the hands of your mother. 

baby talk-herschel the adorable has maintained his love for dogs and poses appropriately as to get out of trouble after i've found more grapes and broccoli spit out on the floor. that's his thing. eat all his food and then hide it to spit out in high traffic areas of the house when he's done sucking out the flavor. 

 tomfoolery is at an all time high. 

the end.