Insomnia Rambles

October Sunlight - Rick Reinert
I love this painting. I just saw it online and it made me happy.

*ALERT* *This post contains girly girl talk!* *Men . . . Beware*

Can't sleep, so here it goes:

~I was having one of those days today. I just needed a little TLC to keep my head up and my eyes dry. I prayed for comfort, and I received it time after time today. I can't believe how quickly the Lord answers our requests for help sometimes.

#1 - I woke up in tears and my husband immediately took me in his arms and held me as I sobbed into his chest. He didn't even know what was the matter and he just let me cry. Then he patiently waited for me to tell him my woes. How did I get such a perfect husband. I am so in love with that man.

#2 - Sacrament meeting was especially dense with the spirit today. I sobbed during the sacrament hymn and I turned to the sacrament prayers in D&C 20 and read them over and over. A covenant those words truly are, and we have such responsibility and promised blessings for obedience in those prayers. Then, Sister Rose presented a message about joy. She admonished the congregation to "take note" of the happy moments in our lives so we can refer to them often as our lives turn dark. There was much more wisdom in her talk, but that is what spoke to me completely.

#3 - I got to take a long, uninterrupted nap this afternoon that invigorated my tired PMSing body. Good grief do I love a good nap. I don't understand how toddlers can not want to indulge in such a lavish luxury.

#4 - I attended our Stake Youth Standards Night this evening and our guest speaker was former YW general president Ardeth G Kapp. She gave such a powerful message, I will never forget her words. I took extensive notes and felt like every word from her mouth was worth recording. The youth, and all those present, were truly taught by a woman of revelation.

#5 - We have some neighbors just down the hall who have been particularly comforting to me as of late. They recently went through a struggle nearly exact to one Bryce and I are experiencing right now. To talk to them and sit with them tonight was wonderful. I was feeling so lonely and desperate in my depressions that I haven't allowed others to give me much solace. The Ellis's were my peace and comfort tonight and they allowed me to smile and laugh about something that has often brought tears.

#6 - Once again, my husband is nothing but good. He takes me the way I am and I am not perfect. He helps me see a perspective that I never allow myself to see. A logical and solvable conclusion is always at the end of the horizon. His male thinking balances my female emotions so well, I can't imagine how I survived without his influence.

#8 - My family gets the "Best Family on Earth Award" for this year and all years previous and all years yet to come. I got to talk on the phone with my Dad, Mom, and sisters today and they always make me feel loved and looked after. Their prayers are the reason that I succeed in life and go forward instead of always taking steps back.

#9 - Cookies and Brownies . . . need I say any more.

#10 - My house is clean and that just feels good.

# 11 - I took some Pamprin earlier today to help with the massive cramps I've been having. Oh me, oh my, thank goodness for that drug. It not only helped with the cramps, but man do I feel alive. I don't drink a lot of caffeine and this medicine contains more caffeine than a large coffee. But holy moly does that stuff do wonders for me. This isn't a new for me. I get very bad headaches that verge on migraines every once in a while. The only thing that even touches my headaches is a good dose of Exedrin that is revved with caffeine.

~Final Note: I am the cheesiest of the cheese heads tonight. So sorry if you had to roll your eyes a few times and my sentiments, I would n0t blame you at all.

OVER AND OUT

Hiking @ Ledges State Park

Shake it like you you love it. A really great hike and a dance to celebrate, what else could you ask for.

This is what most of the trails looked like up and down the ledges of the sandstone and forests. Bryce kept on making comments that "it must have taken so long to do this." Some of the stairs seemed to go up and up forever.

Random I know. What is this do you ask? We wondered the same thing as we say this building on the side of the road on our way home from our hike. It seemed pretty out of place amidst the ever stretching Iowa farmland. So we turned in and checked it out. This is a Hindu Temple. We think that it is still under construction of being refurbished, but WOW huh. Look at that workmanship. We were too chicken to get out and talk to some of the people to ask questions, and now I really wish we would have. This place is really neat isn't it.

My favorite embellishment were these ivory elephants. Aren't they beautiful!

Here is a close up of the tower. Extraordinary workmanship.

Ledges State Park

I have been craving a good long hike and some solitude. Bryce and I are both used to hikes up and down mountians in Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. But, the landscape of Iowa is pretty flat with zero mountains. We expected to find some flat trails through the dense Iowa foliage, but we did manage to find a state park that has some fun small trails up some sandstone ledges. Thus the name Ledges State Park. It was about a 45 minute drive and I really enjoyed the trails. It is a pretty popular state park though and there were a lot of people around. That was the only part I was dissapointed. I was looking for solitude, and we found a lot of other Iowans who must have wanted the same thing.

Bryce wanted to take a picture behind the hanging vines. There was a cool little pool behind him full of little minnows.

We stopped half way and had a few snacks. Here is a beautiful tree and two beautiful people.

I wanted to show our fathers that we support them 100%. As you can see Bryce is sporting a beautiful Southeast Electric hat in a stunning Khaki. Natali is wearing a Jolley Electric hat with black writing and the same dashing Khaki. We love our Electric Dads!!!

Beautiful rock bridge. I am the one on the top of the bridge, even though those beautiful pink shorts are H-O-T-T hot. Why oh why did I wear denim when I could have gone out in polyester pink?!

My Favorite Part of Church

I know I just posted about music, but here I go again.

I am always hustling my husband out the door on Sunday Morning. I would say 99% of the time, Bryce is done getting ready long before I am even close. Most of the time I sacrifice a little bit of my getting ready ritual just to speed up and keep a happy husband from waiting so long. However, sunday rolls around and for some reason, Bryce usually waits until we have 10 minutes left before we have to be in the car and on the road to get ready. He will argue that this does not happen as frequent as I profess, but I guess it is my word against his on this one. Choose a side.

Now, the reason I like to be on time for church is because of one reason. Well, of course you should be on time for church because . . . you should, but that unfortunately isn't my reason. I can not stand to miss the opening song. The hymn at the beginning of sacrament meeting sets the whole mood for my three hour Sunday worship. If I miss the opening song, I feel so cheated. I feel like I have missed out on asking the spirit to be a part of my experience. And, If I don't make it for the hymn, I usually pay a lot less attention during the meeting.

Bryce is such a great husband to put up with me though. I sing about 10 decimals louder than anyone around me and I sure sing those hymns with my whole heart. You can definitely hear me if you are sitting near me at all. I always think that if I sing loudly and with more vigor that the rest of the congregation will follow suit. This happens very seldom. I understand that not everyone holds such a passion for singing and the hymns as I, but I can think of nothing that invites the spirit to dwell with me more than singing the hymns. I also understand that some invite the spirit by meditation, prayer, reverence, and a number of other very wonderful ways.

My Aunt MaryAnn may be one the the most tone def human beings ever. She really doesn't know if she is singing on key or if she is even in close. But, by golly, she sings those hymns from her heart! She doesn't hold back and she is proud to sing. She sings to her children at night and they love it. They can't sleep without a song from Mom. I wish we all had her confidence and love when using our voices as praise.

I knew another individual in college who couldn't sing to save his life. He was my good friend, and coincidentally my husbands as well, and he sang very poorly. My roomates and I often sat next to him and his roomates during sacrament and other meetings. When the organ rang out and the introduction was over Jack's voice would ring above us all as he sang the hymns. I always loved sitting next to Jack.

So, if you are a little nervous to let your less than perfect voice ring through the chapel in Sunday mornings . . . Remember my Aunt MaryAnn and my good friend Jack.

Singing time was my favorite part of church as a child. I could have had singing time the whole last two blocks of church and been as happy as I ever could be. I always had fantastic music leaders and I can still recall nearly every single song from the childrens songbook from heart.
Now I try my hardest to learn the hymns by heart as well. Singing the hymns is my way of inviting the Spirit to teach me what it will for those three hours. I am thankful to Emma Smith for compiling the first book of hymns to use during our worship.

Here is what the First Presidency has to say:

Music in Our Church Meetings

Inspirational music is an essential part of our church meetings. The hymns invite the Spirit of the Lord, create a feeling of reverence, unify us as members, and provide a way for us to offer praises to the Lord.

Some of the greatest sermons are preached by the singing of hymns. Hymns move us to repentance and good works, build testimony and faith, comfort the weary, console the mourning, and inspire us to endure to the end.

We hope to see an increase of hymn singing in our congregations. We encourage all members, whether musically inclined or not, to join with us in singing the hymns. We hope leaders, teachers, and members who are called on to speak will turn often to the hymnbook to find sermons presented powerfully and beautifully in verse.

And I say . . . Amen to all of that.