Family Stuff

I have been on a conference committee at UVU since 2009.  It started out as an adoption conference for the first couple years and has evolved into a family conference.  I'm really proud and honored to be a part of it.  This year we've been privileged to partner with the UCCU Family Festival, and it's going to be great!  Our Family Conference is coming up on November 22nd.  Ed Smart is going to be our keynote speaker and we have a bunch of really great sessions planned.  Several of my most favorite professors at UVU will be speaking (Dr. Ron Hammond, Dr. Jeremy Boden, Dr. Kris Doty--in case any of you know them), as well as a really good friend of mine who is a professor at BYU, Dr. Erin Holmes.  She's amazing.  They all are, really.  Anyway, I'm really excited about this conference and I'm extending an invitation for you to come.  I strongly believe in the institution of the family and that families need all the help they can get in this day and age.  Come!  It's going to be a great day!  Visit this link for more information.  Or feel free to ask me :)

Because I'm on the committee at UVU, the opportunity was extended for Darwin and I to attend another family conference for free just over a week ago.  It was called Uplift Families Parenting Conference.  It's an initiative by Utah's first lady, Jeanette Herbert--to uplift Utah families.  I think it's great, and so needed!  Before the conference, we ate a really yummy dinner (and we saw Sister Elaine S. Dalton and her husband there!) and just enjoyed our date night out (Thanks again, Ron and Martha for taking good care of our girls!  We needed the break!).

Richard and Linda Eyre were the keynote speakers, and they were great!  I guess it didn't connect before, but he was my Dad's mission president way back when, in London, England.  Pretty cool.  They're a really neat couple.  Their presentation was pretty entertaining :)
They gave 5 principles for parenting:
1) Don't sweat the small stuff.
2) You ain't never getting two alike!
3) Give oxygen to yourself first.
4) Give your kids more by giving them less!
5) Prioritize them while you've got them!

One of my favorite speakers, and by far the one that hit home most to me was Stephanie Nielson.  I cried while I listened to her.  Her main theme was to fight for your family.  So good!  After the conference was over I noticed she was one of the only presenters who stuck around for the meet-and-greet so I totally took advantage of it and got to shake her hand and thank her for being such an amazing example of womanhood and motherhood and an inspiration to me.  I felt so honored to meet her.

Carmen Rassmusen Herbert performed (she was on American Idol a while back) and I cried while she sang too--no, I'm not pregnant--I'm just an emotional person, especially when it comes to my husband, kids, and family.

There were other really great speakers too.  I appreciated that they talked about the dangers of pornography, and the importance of teaching kids values, among other great topics of discussion too.  Overall it was a really great conference and I would totally go again.

Thanks, Dar, for going with me and for being such a great spouse and my biggest support system.  I love our family.  I want to be my best for you guys.  Thanks for your continued assurance that I'm doing a good job.  I need that assurance, but I know I can do better.  I want to be better.  You deserve it, and so do our girls.  I love you!  Thank you for loving me!  I'm so glad we're in this together.  You complete me!