Time Out for Women

I remember getting an email from Deseret Book showing the lineup for TOFW in the coming months and the lineup was good. So good. It was pretty spectacular and I knew it'd be worth the money. I joined Val, Heidi, and Nat for a weekend of rejuvenation, inspiration and a spiritual high. We started off the weekend as any good weekend should begin: good food. We hit up Olive Garden with Bev and had a great time catching up. We really need to get together more so our conversations are less like "what have you been doing for the last year" {or more} to "what's been going on the last couple months?" If only it were easier to sneak away...

FRIDAY

After eating, we sadly said goodbye to Bevany and took off for the Maverik Center. The music was beautiful and impressive. Ironically, the first song that was sung was Sandra Turley singing "Glorious" {which everyone with ears KNOWS was done best by David Archuleta} so I was a teensy bit put off by her cover of the song because she sort of ruined the melody {a lot} and then pounded the smoothness of Archie's voice into the ground with a hammer {that vibrato}. However. After feeling a bit like I was watching the Miss America Pageant, she got real with us and shared some difficult and personal experiences with us. Then she was redeemed in my eyes and I was able to enjoy her voice and music more. Also, let the record show that Josh Wright is the reason "tickling the ivories" is a phrase. Because he did. And he was good. Jaw-dropping good.

We saw lots of familiar faces. Including Mary. How had we not talked about both going?

My beautiful, funny, intelligent, insightful, fun friends.

Noelle Pikus-Pace was so cute. She was bubbly and adorable and I wanted to take her home with me. My favorite thought from her: "don't blame your attitude on your circumstances". Booyah.

Sheri Dew: Can she do wrong? No. She was powerful and bold and I love her. "There are divine laws that govern our access to God. Live with the help of heaven. The amount of help we receive is up to us." Booyah again!

* Questions are good because they lead to answers. Are we willing to engaged in the wrestle? Are we actively engaged in learning?

* At no point in history has God given his covenant people all the answers to their questions. There's a reason for that.

It was such a great night and I collapsed into bed knowing I had to be up early the next day.

SATURDAY

Can I just say that I had heard of Mercy River and even when I worked at Deseret Book, I remember seeing an album by them but didn't give it much attention. That was a mistake! I could have been enjoying their music all these years! They were hilarious and so ridiculously talented. They were REAL, clever and entertaining. I kept thinking that I needed to be best friends with them. Or just start a girl band with my best friends. Whatevs. One of their songs was sung to a video of babies at Primary Children's hospital. We were all sobbing. I felt pretty emotional and was just so glad to be there with such special friends to soak up all the "inevitable light". One of my favorite things that was said by them, is that we are the perfect mothers for our children. 

Elaine Dalton: So classy, put together and beautiful. The spirit emanates from her and draws you in. She was engaging and interesting. "We are not ordinary--we are daughters of Deity."

* We were born to be leaders, in whatever situation you find yourselves in.

“To each there comes in their lifetime a special moment when they are figuratively tapped on the shoulder and offered the chance to do a very special thing, unique to them and fitted to their talents. What a tragedy if that moment finds them unprepared or unqualified for that which could have been their finest hour.” - Winston Churchill

* Touch not the evil nor the unclean thing. Virtue and purity are the keys that will unlock our power. Are we a consumer of products that degrade or objectify women? Are we bankrolling companies that do not stand for virtue?"

* It's ironic that the world is becoming obsessed with seeking purity in food, water, and cleaning products and that which is organic so that only pure things are entering the body. Yet, they are spiritually dumping impure things into their Spirits in large quantities. 

* Having the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is the greatest beauty secret there is. There is power in keeping covenants.

Emily Watts {shout to Nat's Mom--woot!}: "I don't love to clean but I love having a clean house."

Sister Watts is the bomb. Even before knowing that she was Nat's mom, I loved her. She has such a healthy perspective on life, motherhood and the gospel. She is witty and down to earth and hilarious. I want to go to lunch with her and pick her brain on how to balance work, family, church and life. "Things won't always be the way they are. Every single day, hand it over to the Lord. Just do what we need to do today and remember why we're doing it."

* Say "yes" in parenting as often as you can.

* Make people happy to be where they are because you are there.

* Give your kids resources to answer their own questions. Encourage them to ask questions.

* In a world gone dark--God's covenant children still have the light.

We enjoyed boxed lunches and just parked it on the floor. After lunch, Nat hooked us up with some serious back stage access. When your mom's a presenter, you can do what you want. It was fun to visit with some of the "mormon celebrities" as we like to call them. I've met Sheri Dew a couple times, but we got a chance to visit a bit more. I told her about how hard I had to try to get her to come speak at a Friday Forum back when I was on Institute Council and that it was the highlight of the year for me. She stood up and gave me a hug :) Sister Dalton was just beaming! She is just a beautiful person. I wish I could have talked more with Emily Watts but lunch break had to end sometime...

We came out from behind the stage and I saw Aunt Christy on like the third row and then Natalie (Zolman) Griffith right behind her. What the! 

I can't remember who said this because it's not in my notes, but one of the afternoon presenters said to "stop despising the bodies we fought so hard to have". It gave me chills.

We ended the day with Kris Belcher who brought the house down. She is something else. I came home and basically repeated her entire talk to Danny because it was so good. She had us laughing one minute and bawling the next. What a lady. Add another one that I need to be best friends with. 

I'm so glad we set aside the money so that I could go to this. I still have moments during the day when I'll think of something I heard at this conference and it will uplift me or make me laugh. What an awesome thing to be a part of.