Stake Conference Weekend

So much going on this weekend

party dusty
My friend Angela organized a group of us to go to this gaming place called Boondocks. Sounded like fun to i went. They had all sorts of video games, lazer tag, gocarts, miniature golf, water rides, hitting cages. it was a fun place. we had a group deal and a large number of us went. Problem was the weeather, earlier in the day a large low pressure system came through and just lifted dust from the desert and covered the sky with a cloudy mist of dirt and gunk. This made it hard to play minature golf, especially the cross breeze it was creating, still it was fun and i totally kicked but playing ms pacman.

salsa dancing
I left the above activity early to go salsa dancing. I find i am actually improving on my salsa moves, especially leading. I do get a lot of complements on that fact i lead very well. i blame my ballroom background on this. It does make it easy to work with a lady when they know what you are going. It was a fun night. i honestly have more fun watching, because there are so many different styles of salsa alot of dancers have their own take on the moves they do and can get rather creative. I usually just dance with girls from my class, easier to work with them when they are on the same level i am. i need to learn more dance moves. i left after the tango presentation, i sat on the floor and this girl named sasha sat next to me. i let her know i thought she was a great dancer, which she was, she had been dancing salsa for 3 years now, she moved over from the east coast to be near her friends. she is very pretty and nice enough to chat. maybe one day i'll be on her level of dancing. not that night.

morning run
got up about 5:15am to get my run in. again, a beautiful morning. the gunk from friday was completely gone and the air was clean. i ran my 7 mile course near cottonwood high school. i run near this house i never noticed had flowers, and they were in blossum this morning, just beatuiful and i couldn't stopmyself from keeping my pace, i had to observe this site. i love that about running. so many things i hadn't noticed before. well, got to my 8th mile and my knee started hurting, but kept going, just slowed a bit, got to mile 9 and called, so did a run walk on my warm down, still got in my 10 miles, but i feel like a slacker, with my knee hurt, not sure how well i'm going to run next weeks half marathon. I will try to do my best, don't want to back out now.

morning choir practice
I ran early this morning so i might catch our 2 hour stake choir practice, i like sister bennion, she's an amazing woman. I like how she brings us all together and she has a certain style about her in presenting her music. So much passion in her attention and i love her method of instruction. such a great woman. we sang two songs. behold the woulds in jesus hands, and Redeemer of israel. both good songs, in fact we have a male split and we baritones actually get a change to sing out. It was a great practice.

evening session
our visiting authority is elder m. russell ballard of the quorum of the twelve apostles. He spoke about teaching the principles of the gospel and the inpact that will have on those around us if we can just get the basics down. he spoke of how people need to be able to teach these things if we are to be effective in our membership. great evening, i ended this with a peach sundae from Arctic circle. i tradition i learned from the edwards family and still carry on today even though it is by myself, so many things i appreciate them teaching me. they will always be wonderful to me.

movie UP
earlier in the day i went to watch the movie up. such a great movie. i give it 4 thumbs up. my two thumbs and my 2 big toes. great movie, good plot, great tension and a wonderful message. my favorite part is the scenes with him and his wife. i think that is how love is, like the kid in the movie, he said i know it's boring, but i think that is what makes it work it, the boring stuff we have every day that makes like amazing with someone else. paraphrased. they spoke of adventure and how the two had an amazing adventure. i dream of that day. when i'll have my adventure with someone else, to live our lives together and teach our children great things, to fill our lives with the joys the gospel can bring. I love that movie, can't wait to either watch it again, or by the dvd when it comes out.

early morning sunday practice
one last practive and everything i thought went great, it was very rainy this morning as a cold front had come in. there was snow in the upper elevations and that rarely happens, snow in june. but this is utah and the weather is strange. sister bennion finished our practice with her testimony, what an amazing woman, i'm glad to know her.

closing session
all our singing went great. our stake president talked about discipleship, how there are disiples, such as the apostles, and disciples who are followers of christ. that we can be better at the way we live our lives in keeping his commandments and serve the best ways we can. president sorenson spoke on hands. how so many times in the scriptures hands reveal so much, in service, in giving blessings, in work, so important in our happiness. and then elder ballard, pointed his message on how we need to be quiet, how we get so involved in activities and distractions that we miss the important things, the spiritual things, that we need to endure and keep the commandments regardless the adversity. He spoke of a time he gave a blessing to a young girl who had a terminal illness, a family had asked him to come and bless her. he spoke with them and found they had great faith as a family and in the power of the temple. when he gave his blessing, the words to heal her didn't come. i'm sure he wanted to, but it wasn't according to the Lords' will. i've had to give a blessing like that. where the spirit said, it was his time, he was older, not young like this lady, but we blessed him that the pain would leave him and he would leave in a manner that wouldn't hurt him. it was a hard blessing, i know how the apostle felt. at the end we sang the song of jesus and beholding his wounds. the spirit was so strong. but i kept composed and sang with all my heart. what a wonderful experience, my heart soared and the spirit burned so brightly in. i'm glad i was there.

closing door
last week i mentioned jana being at church. she was here again, i didn't notice her until we were on our last verse. but i kept singing. I wondered why she was here, now i know. She's here for her old boyfriend. the one who had broken her heart, twice now. i suppose a part of me had hoped she might feel something toward me. but no. i was wrong. I need to close the door on this. i need to move on. i made that mistake with Rachel and with sarah, and with lenora. she doesn't feel anything for me. It will take time, but i need to keep working on my evasive techniques so that i won't be near her. one word from her and my heart soars, which is why i need to stay away, eventually that feeling with fade, it's been 5 months and i've noticed it changing. if she is going to be going back to our ward with this fellow, i don't find myself staying in the ward much longer. I have rarely ever made a spiritual connection with anyone, then i find her, only to lose her. I can't be near when she falls in love with him further and i have to witness it every sunday. i don't have that strength. I know in time, maybe, just maybe i'll find someone else that touches me in that way, that fills the depth of my soul with the sound of joy and gladness. I suppose time will tell. but fact is i need to close this door and walk away. and remember the important things i life, that joy i feel in the gospel, that cheer i feel with my friends.