Conference Saturday

Today was such a remarkably good day.  What a huge contrast to the way I felt a few days ago.   

Emma had to be up super early for an all day choir thing, so I grabbed my camera as we walked out the door, because those 25 pictures a week are sort of looming over my head.  (So far I have submitted um...6 this week, I think.)

I walked around the park all by myself with my camera (and a few cute feathered friends) and totally enjoyed the gorgeous quiet of the morning.  

At 8:30 I got back in the car and found a text for a showing scheduled for 10:00.  Dang...

They didn't show up until 10:40, so the kids and I ran to the grocery store to grab some Conference snacks while Craig got his hair cut, and then we tried to hurry home by 11:00 so we could watch the first session of Conference uninterrupted.  Hooray!  At 10:45 I got another text that someone wanted to see the house at 12:00.  Ugh...  We got home right at 11:00 and the other people were still in the house (ugh...again) so we waited in my neighbor's driveway for them to leave and then ran inside with groceries and quickly turned on Conference before we missed anything.  I hate missing even the opening hymn.  

By then, I was a tiny bit flustered about the whole "uninterrupted Conference" thing not working out the way I had hoped, and "flustered" sometimes turns into a tiny bit of crying lately... It doesn't take much these days...or any days, really.  

The opening prayer started, and Craig had turned the sound up super loud, so I was able to hear it from the bedroom and so I just sat by myself in there and tried to really listen to the prayer, and also add my own silent prayer to it, and get myself together.  And then I ran upstairs to grab my notebook and Savannah's Shamu because I can't watch Conference without either of those two things.  And then I decided I wasn't going to worry about anything in the kitchen.  I was just going to sit down and listen to whatever part of Conference I could catch before those dumb people came to interrupt it.  And did you see who the very first speaker was???!  It was Henry B Eyring!  Yep, I totally cried when I saw him stand up.  I'm sure you already knew that.  I love that man.  I love his voice.  I love the way he is humble and kind and always smiles and ALWAYS cries at some point in his talk, but then there is also some point in his talk when he bears a powerful witness of the Savior, or of Heavenly Father's love for all of us, or of something about the gospel, that you can't help but feel because he feels it so strongly.  His demeanor changes.  His delivery changes.  And you are changed because you have heard him.  I just love him.  And after I heard him speak, I was fine again.  He (and the Spirit) had uncluttered my head and calmed all those frustrations, and I was ready to listen to the things that were coming in the talks ahead.  

Apparently someone thought it was cute that I was looking exceedingly pitiful while holding Savannah's whale and listening to President Eyring, so they took a picture of me and emailed it to Savannah.  :(

We left the house during the halftime hymn and watched the second hour of the morning session at the church, because by then we had gotten a second call for another showing at 12:30.  There was only one other older couple from our ward there watching it with us.  So strange... Do you remember when buildings used to be completely filled on Conference weekends??  

Our next showing wasn't until 3:45 this afternoon, so McKay had time between Conference sessions and house showings to relax in the backyard...I have no idea how he got that thing into that tree, but he's decided he's sleeping there tonight.  We left it up, and I kinda don't care if the afternoon showings saw it or not.  :)

I also organized all of my stuff into my new camera bag this afternoon, which is so much bigger and more practical than my old one.  I can fit my camera body plus three lenses in it! My iPad fits in the side and all my extra release forms, and then extra SD cards and lipgloss and keys and my phone can all go in those little side pockets.  Oh, and my name tag!  It's perfect!  

We watched the whole afternoon session of Conference at the church because we had a couple of showings, and it was just easier.  And then we came home and ate dinner, and Craig and McKay went back to the church at 6:30 for a pre-Priesthood session ice cream social.  I snuck in with them for a few minutes to get a few Conference shots.  

And now, I'm comfortably in my jammies, in a very quiet house for an hour or so, happily enjoying the end of a really good day and looking forward to another one tomorrow.  

So many answers today, and so many tiny little things that just made me feel acknowledged and loved and like this whole house thing, and relocation thing, and all the other things I worry about and think about and cry about in a typical week are in Someone Else's very capable hands and all this worrying is so unnecessary.  It will all be just fine.  

Oh, how I love General Conference.