Independance Day! (and other reflections)

Isn't that what moms call the first day of school? :) This year my baby (shh, don't let Mark hear me say that) is in first grade? Everyone keeps asking me what I'm going to do with all my free time? Do mom's have a lot of free time? I'm looking forward to a little more peace during the day and a house that stays clean longer than five minutes. Come visit me during the middle of the day so you can see what my house should look like! I am looking forward to helping out in the schools, going to the temple more often, and staying caught up with laundry (is that possible?) Ok, maybe the laundry is a stretch. The master bedroom desperately needs to be painted, as does Cass's room, so maybe I'll feel industrious and get some much needed projects done around here. I am sure the time will fill up, but it is a strange feeling to have a bit more freedom during the day. I figure I can get used to that! :)

This past Friday and Saturday, our ward had a last minute Youth Conference. We had little budget and time, but I was amazed at the experiences we had just staying local. We went to the American Fork Deseret Industries and did some service for a few hours, then went up to the Humanitarian Center in Salt Lake for a tour and and incredible hour long presentation. I was amazed how organized the church is not just in disaster relief, which we hear about all the time, but in getting communities organized all over the world to work together and save and better lives. We saw video of muslin women in Iraq working side by side women in the church putting hygiene kits and food stuffs together. We saw video of measles immunizations going on all over the world, and families who used to have to walk over 5 hours every day just to get unsanitary water weep when fresh water wells were drilled in their villages. I cried when I realized the full extent of the humanitarian efforts of the church throughout the world. Then we went on to Temple Square and saw the Joseph Smith movie, which amazingly enough I hadn't seen before. Talk about an emotional draining and appreciation I gained as I more fully understood the sacrifices and perseverance of an incredible prophet and his family. We ended up camping out in Heber that night, and ended the Youth Conference Saturday at a lake with some fun on boats and in the water. I am learning more and more that the callings we have in the church aren't so we can benefit others, it is to teach us, to stretch us and to help us be better people.