Inspired

I am learning a lot from teaching seminary and often, a quote or a scripture from my studies will really resonate with me and my testimony will be strengthened. Tonight, I came across a quote that I really like and I thought I would share. I think it's quite appropriate in the times that we live in and a nice reminder of where our focus and influence should be, especially for the youth of the church. This is from President Ezra Taft Benson:

The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environments. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature.

Aloha!

In December, Brent and I had our 10 year anniversary. To celebrate, my parents invited us along on a Hawaiian vacation where my dad had a business conference. Our airfare and hotel were paid for by the company sponsering the conference so how could we pass that up? My parents were also celebrating their 35th wedding anniversary so we joined forces for a great anniversary vacation. I surprisingly did not take a ton of pictures but here are a few.

(The view from our hotel room)

We started our vacation on the island of Oahu where we went to the Polynesian Culture Center and to Pearl Harbor. If you ever go to Hawaii, both of those places are a must see. The Polynesian Culture Center had the most incredible show and a really nice luau. Pearl Harbor was cool to hear all the history and see the warships.

After Oahu, we flew over to the big island in to Kona. While there, we flew in a helicopter (with the doors off!) over a volcano and along the coast of Hilo.

We also went on a zipline, which I must say, aside from the PCC was the highlight of my trip. It was so fun.

It was a great way to spend an anniversary and I'm so glad we got the opportunity to go. Here's to ten more years!

A Cold Welcome

This is what was waiting when we got home from Hawaii. A snowstorm that closed the schools for 2 days and even cancelled church on Sunday.