Food, Feuds, and Family

For the LDS General Conference broadcast last weekend, I was able to go home and watch it with my parents, brother, and his soon-to-be fiancé at the time (congratulations Sam and Jordan!). After living away from home for about a month (yes, I'm such a big girl now), I was starting to feel the first symptoms of homesickness. I was so excited to relax with my parents, have a girls night with my mom, and especially excited to eat an incredible breakfast Sunday morning--Dad's incredibly fluffy waffles with Mom's homemade syrup and cream and berries on top, accompanied by orange julius. Can life get better?

So Conference rolls along, and Saturday was great!...but by Sunday, let's just say the excitement of spending time with each other had worn off, and we were back to our normal selves (driving each other crazy).

However, the arguments were fleeting, and I still had an amazing time with my family! One of the speakers, Elder L. Tom Perry, gave an especially sweet talk on family. You can read it or watch it here.

After hearing what Elder Perry had to say about family, I am even more grateful than I was before for my beautiful family and childhood. 

I am grateful for my brother, Sam, because he has always been and always will be my best friend. Nobody could ask for a kinder brother, or a better person to talk to.

I am grateful for Jordan for treating me like her sister, and serving me when I need help, and I am so excited for her to be a part of our family.

I am grateful for Carly, my only sister, and how strong she is. I especially love her desserts! I love seeing her with her precious daughter and sweet husband, who is so loving and protective.

I love and admire my oldest brother, Rick. I am grateful for the stack of Chicago postcards he sent me, one-by-one, while he was on his mission, something I always looked forward to during that time. His wife, Kori, has become one of my dearest friends. Their three children are a joy, and I miss them SO MUCH!

I love my dad. I love that he wrestled with me when I was little. I love the panic I felt being held in his treacherous scissor lock. I love how hard he works, and how I have never heard him complain. I love how easily he makes friends, and how many people look up to him (no pun intended ;).

And finally, I love my mom. There is so much I can say about her, but I'll leave it at this: Her strength, nurturing, love, patience, and faith have reared me and taught me to be a better person. She has been my teacher and my friend, and I hope to be able to raise my children as well as she raised hers.