The Haggard Herald

Matt and I made several goals of things we wanted to change around the house.  Among them were getting the fireplace in usable condition (having it cleaned and inspected, getting a chimney cap that we didn't know we needed, and having the gas line sealed off) and replacing the carpet in the second spare bedroom/study.  We had the carpet cleaned twice and that room still smells like Rio, the little doggy that previously lived here. So, the chimney has been cleaned and inspected but we still  need to get the gas line checked out.  But yesterday Matt and I went to a local carpet retailer and finally picked out new carpet for the "stincky" room, as we've begun calling it.  It will be installed Thursday morning, just in time for visitors!  Actually, Mom will already be here, but Dad doesn't arrive until Friday afternoon. So last night Matt and I started ripping out the existing carpet and pad so that we can clean and/or seal the floor before the new carpet i...

General Conference is a two-day conference that is broadcast from the conference center at Temple Square, Salt Lake City, Utah.  It takes place twice a year and the purpose is to listen to the messages of the prophet and apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.   The most recent conference was a few weeks ago.   A video of highlights is available here (16 minutes long).    These messages were meaningful and instructive for me.  One talk was about studying the scriptures; here is an excerpt from the full talk .  It was given by one of the apostles (Richard G. Scott):   " The scriptures provide the strength of authority to our declarations when they are cited correctly. They can become stalwart friends that are not limited by geography or calendar. They are always available when needed. Their use provides a foundation of truth that can be awakened by the Holy Ghost. Learning, pondering, searching, and memorizi...

I was reading the Book of Mormon today and felt a renewed assurance that this book was written by prophets of God and that its focus is to bring people closer to Jesus Christ.  I was reading in 2 Nephi 26 , specifically I was thinking more about the last 15 verses or so and how the gospel of Christ teaches people to be humble and not put themselves above or below other people and also to trust first in God more than anyone else.   I thought back to high school because I remember one of my peers saying that his minister had passed out pamphlets about Mormons (which I assume was mostly negative).  Between the brief exchange of words and the look on my peer's face I could tell he thought something to the effect of: I know all about what you believe and its crazy and bad and how can you go to that church?   I think if I were to have a second chance at that conversation, I would have asked that boy a few questions.  (1) Does your minister teach you to seek f...

I haven't thought of much to blog about recently because I can't think of very much that is out of the ordinary lately. So here are a few thoughts or insights I've had that, although are sort of run-of-the-mill, will perhaps be enjoyable to read. 1. I was walking to a young women's planning meeting Sunday morning a few weeks ago. I was wearing my favorite swishy Adidas pants and a BYU sweatshirt along with little white ankle socks and my favorite brown mary-jane shoes. Needless to say I didn't match very well but I was comfortable and happy. It was about 60 degrees outside and sunny. Well, the meeting was canceled and so I walked back home, but I had this strange sensation that it was Christmas time. And I realized that for the majority of my life, Christmas to me means 60 degrees and sunny, wearing your comfy cloths. What added to the "Christmas time" delight was that I stopped by a house on my way home and the aroma of bacon and french toast, o...