My tradition during these 2 glorious weekends each year is to house-hop and watch each session with different friends. However, I woke up Saturday with a bad cold and had to stay in bed all weekend :( Of course, that didn't diminish the power of the talks. I actually think this was the most powerful General Conference I've ever experienced. Even President Monson said that and he's 60 years older than me!
* "Come, Join with Us" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf - he is a gifted speaker and always seems to talk about personal poignant issues that everyone struggles with.
* "The Moral Force of Women" by D. Todd Christofferson - I really hate man-bashing and extreme feminism; I love how this talk emphasizes the important roles, duties, and potential of both men and women.
* "No Other Gods" by Dallin H. Oaks - Bam! I just love how straightforward he is. Direct and simple doctrine. God is eternal and His commandments don't change with the trends.
1st Country concert
Friday night. I stayed on campus after work and did some school work at the library, planning to go home and study some more. Around 6:30pm, I got a mass text from my friend Trent asking if anyone wanted to go to a Lee Brice concert with him that night at 8pm in Silver Spring, Maryland (about 30 min drive from GW). Instead of saying I had to study, I told him I can't afford it right now. But then he offered to pay because he really wanted to go and no one else could. I had a bad week and had to miss a Rascal Flatts concert earlier in the month due to school work, so I said sure. Trent picked me up on campus in my work clothes and backpack and we got to the Fillmore about 10 minutes late. Some other guy was opening for Lee Brice so it was fine. I had no idea who Lee Brice was but I trusted Trent's taste and I was excited to be going to my first Country concert w/ a huge country fan!
Lee Brice turned out to be a great performer and was really talented. Kinda funny that about 10 of his songs mentioned beer or whiskey. We got to hear a new unreleased song that was really sweet. Sometimes spontaneity pays off.
1st time to George Washington's Mount Vernon estate
I'd been in DC 1.5 years and still hadn't visited the home of my university's namesake (along with many other places). Britt helped me finally pin down a Saturday and off we went. She had been there many times and was so sweet to let me take my time reading everything. She knows I have a thing for African American history so we went on the day of the annual slave memorial.
It was a poignant program of dances, poems, musical performances, speeches, and awards...but it was waaay too long. We stayed for the first 2 hours and finally had to leave to see the rest of the estate. First, we took a tour of the main house but couldn't take pictures inside :(
I most wanted to see the slave quarters. I studied slavery alot and it definitely put a knot in my chest trying to imagine the terribly dire and difficult life of a slave. These quarters were much "nicer" than the ones I'd read about and seen pictures of, but it's an understatement to say life was hard for them. It makes me even more grateful for Christ's Atonement, which not only satisfies our debt to justice but "also satisfies the debt justice owes to us by healing and compensating us for any suffering we innocently endure." (see "Redemption" by D. Todd Christofferson)
Every time I see some historic place like this, I think "I am SO grateful I live in this time and place!"
1st Motown dance class
My local dance studio, Joy of Motion, was offering a week of free exercise (vs. dance technique) classes so I jumped on it. I was sad I only had time for one of them but I was super pumped to try the Motown class. I grew up on "oldies" music; that's the only radio station Dad allowed in the car. I got so tired of it but then in college I learned what great DANCE music it was! I had an awesome time learning a routine and new dance moves to James Brown's "Soul Man", which I kept practicing weeks later. The instructor Jamile McGee was so fun and enthusiastic.
Later, I learned he was a finalist on the 1st season of So You Think You Can Dance! Luckily, they had a 4 classes for $40 deal (normally $17/class) that week and I bought it to keep going to his class :)
1st time apple picking
My friend Stephanie organized this wonderfully autumn activity one Saturday and I knew I could not miss another opportunity to cross this off my bucket list. It was a perfect fall day and we drove an hour to Larriland Farm in Maryland. I realized it was where we went berry picking for the Ward Retreat last month! (see "September: A Berry Good Month") It's an awesome place for families with all sorts of seasonal fruits and vegetables. The best part was getting to sample as many things as you want along the way. I tasted and bought 3 kinds of apples: Stayman (1st time!), Fuji, and Braeburn. I also loved getting to know a new group of acquaintances :)
1st time eating risotto
As a huge foodie, you'd be surprised by how many foods I haven't tried yet. But that's ok, it makes it fun to still have things to cross off my food bucket list :) I grew up on rice but never cooked this way. They always make a big deal on Food Network about how hard it is to make a risotto correctly. So I was really excited to finally try my first risotto with great company at Landini Brothers, a rustic Italian restaurant in Old Town Alexandria.
It was fantastically cheesy and delicioso, tho a bit salty. Looking forward to trying other kinds of risotto!
1st time dressing up as a librarian
I tried to proactively plan my Halloween costume this year but still ended up with a lame one :/ the problem is I'm cheap and don't want to put any time into making one either haha. So I ended up using clothes I already have (but never wear because they're so uncomfortable) and changed my silhouette by putting my hair in a high bun. I also wore pearls, carried a real library book, and kept telling people to "Sssshh" but the music at the party was so loud that most people were confused why I was telling them to be quiet haha. So I added to my costume by saying "Stop talking in the library!"
About half the people guessed secretary, principal, or Sarah Palin (I don't see it). The other half guessed "sexy librarian", to which I responded, "No, I'm a modest librarian!" And then they would say, "Modest can be sexy!" Haha I love Mormons, and I love being one! A few people didn't recognize me at first, so I don't consider this costume a total failure :)
