Lisa Heuer
Who is that masked man?
I’m not even sure what to say about what I found here… What I can say is that the purchase on the airplane (the flight comfort pack or something to that tune, consisting of an eye mask, a blanket, and a neck pillow) was a good one!
More parks
I have mentioned my quest to discover parks… my neighbor planned this one. It has a long rich history-with the name Zoe involved- and a great place to pass the day! It is a farm and a park all in one. The boys had fun feeding the horse some leaves (I hope leaves are part of a healthy diet?), watching the bunnies, and swinging on the tire swing. We packed a lunch and spent the afternoon at the park. It was another glorious October day. I am starting to wonder if all the talk about grey and rain really exist. : } I wish Zoe could be out and about with us but instead she is having fabulous days at her new school.
Our neighbors are awesome-we are blessed to have such wonderful neighbors. Their son is Zane’s age and they get along wonderfully (most of the time : 0 ). They both are so slow-no sense of urgency whatsoever, they are both low key, they both like their sleep, they both avoid most fruits and vegetables and they both love trains. What more could you want in a friendship?
Labor of love
I remember being young with curly hair… my mom lined us girls (3 of us) up on Saturday nights after our showers (because Saturday is a special day, it’s the day you get ready for Sunday…) and proceeded to roll us up with pink sponge curlers. My hair was not exactly the thinnest in town so you can imagine my hair in the mornings! We all had matching Annie hair as we now notice in our pictures still hanging in the hallway at mom’s house.
Zoe wanted to be Fancy Nancy for Halloween. As you know if you have read the book, Fancy Nancy has very curly hair. I had the best idea… make a stop at Walgreen’s, visit the hair styling isle, purchase some of those sponge curlers, let them do their magic overnight, and VOILA… she would have Fancy Nancy hair. Little did I remember the time and effort behind that labor of love… sectioning off each segment of hair and rolling and rolling and rolling (and rerolling) until all the hairs were transformed into chunks of hairy sponge. Zoe finally made it to bed at about 11:00pm (Zoe also is not the thinnest head of hair in town) and woke up at 6:00am, extremely excited to see the results. I had a talk with her at 11:00pm, the night before-anticipating her early internal alarm clock, reminding her that her bag was ready for school, her homework was done, etc. There was no reason to wake early, and certainly no reason to wake anyone in the family early. As a matter of fact, I pleaded that she rest until it was after 7:00am. Obviously my words were once again just practice for me…
She looked lovely with her locks and curls. She loved bouncing around. She wanted pictures. It was a great morning, minus the early riser. Her costume parade is after the lunch time today. They aren’t wearing costumes to school, they are to change at school. I am the official class photographer and yearbook page volunteer (how did that happen?) so I will be there for the grand moment. I can’t wait to see it all together. The curls were just the icing on the cake
Squirrels and church talks
I posted some of these on my photography blog but I wanted to post them here too. The weekend of Zoe’s baptism, my dad reminded us of a game we played with the squirrels. We tied peanuts to some string and took the other end of the string to my patio. We waited for the squirrels to come and find the nuts. We realized that we needed some bait so we placed other peanuts leading to the one with string. The squirrel came back again and again and finally reached the tied peanut. It was amazing to seem them be lured into our trap. How sad! But we got a good game of tug-o-war going and those animals are very determined. We slowly dragged him-attached to the peanut that he didn’t want to let go, closer and closer to our home. We weren’t going to catch him-we just thought we were so funny and tricky.
I was asked to speak at church and my assigned day was about a week after this event. I used this little story about the squirrels as an opener. I mentioned the bait and the one tied to string. I spoke about the traps in life that are set to drag us down paths that we may not want to go. I talked about lack of guidance that this little squirrel had-instead we were on the sidelines laughing at him thinking it was fun. (which it was) Our topic was The Blessings of a Living Prophet so I was able to share my experiences of being in the presence of our modern day prophet (even though it was in the Tabernacle and then in the Marriott Center at BYU) and share how I feel about the guidance we receive from our prophet. I am grateful for a modern day prophet and I know he is a prophet of God-he is here to lead us, guide us, love us and reveal to us, when we follow him we will be lead to happiness.
Dear Lisa, you did it! You spoke at church-something you never thought you could do. : ) Phew, thank goodness that day is over. My knees held me up (I often wondered if I would be so nervous that my legs would give out) and I felt very prepared since I wrote most of what I wanted to say about 2 weeks early. Ha! No, seriously. There were many times that I would be driving down the road and remember my assignment and my stomach would turn with anxiety. BUT, I overcame the fear so one fear down and a million more to go.
The Blessings of a Living Prophet
This past weekend, we played a little game with some squirrels. We tied peanuts to some string and then placed the peanuts in my backyard and held the end of the string at my door. We watched those little squirrels come out to find the peanut. We realized that the squirrel may need some assistance being lured to our bait so we placed several other peanuts leading to the one that was attached to the string. One by one, the little squirrels ate the peanuts and came back for more. Eventually, the one attached to string was all that was left. The squirrel grabbed at it, just as it had the others and we began a hilarious game of tug-o-war. BUT, the little squirrel didn’t know that he was being dragged closer and closer to my home and away from his safe distance. When he got nervous, he let go and ran off but always came back. We played this game over and over, continuing to put the free peanuts out so the squirrels would come back for more. The little squirrels were very determined and did not want to let go of their peanuts-regardless of the consequences. We were laughing and joking about the squirrels and waiting with anticipation for them to grab our bait… then I started to realize exactly what was happening- this is exactly what Satan does to us. He disguises things and tempts us to steer off the path of what is safe and what is right. But what do we have to help us stay far from those little things that seem ok but will eventually lead us off the path? Besides the tools such as scriptures and prayer, we have our Living Prophet. Our prophet will never lead us astray, we can follow him, we can support him and know that we will be lead and guided back to our Heavenly Father.
As I watched conference a few weekends ago, I was remembering my own experiences growing up. I was remembering the patience and creative tendencies my mother had. She wanted so badly for us to watch, enjoy and learn something from our Prophet and other leaders, she wanted to share in the excitement of listening to our living Prophet. She created games, drawings, and all sorts of activities to keep our attention directed at the talks and the Spirit. I specifically remember her instruction, “During the talks today, try to draw the faces of those that are speaking.” It seemed like such an easy task but after one speaker and my complete inability to draw anything, I gave up and resorted to complaining, I’m sure. My poor mom. Unfortunately, I cannot recall any profound moment or particular words that were spoken but I do remember the example my mom was trying so desperately to set (with more patience than I have when I try to set an example). She was simply trying to share with us her testimony of the blessings of a living prophet.
Now that I am a mother, I recognize those sacrifices and desires more readily. It could have been so easy for her to let us wander, play games or other activities and certainly there would have been less interruptions and a more peace (since we weren’t always willing to be reverent). During my attempt to watch conference a couple weeks ago, my kids ended up in some type of time out or quiet time until they were ready to once again try to be reverent and quiet so we could all hear the words of our prophet and apostles and other leaders. I’m not a lovely example and I have a long way to go and much repentance to do. I eventually found the Conference Notebook and Conference Squares for kids on the LDS.org website and printed those and felt better about that route!
I am honored to be here and have the opportunity to speak. With that being said, I am also grateful that I will no longer be considered “new” as the newbees tend to be great for Sunday speakers. BUT I have had great spiritual moments as I have reflected and gathered my thoughts on the blessings of a living prophet. I also loved hearing those that spoke in conference about living prophets and bore their testimony and sustained our Prophet, President Monson. We have this amazing advantage in the world; we have a living Prophet to speak to us, to guide us, to reveal to us and to love us. AND he is funny.
The missionaries recently spoke with our family and encouraged us to review the resource Preach My Gospel. In this book, there is a section regarding following the prophet. It states so simply, “A prophet is called and chosen by God and is a righteous man with great faith. The Lord reveals truth to him through the Holy Ghost. He commands His Prophet to teach truth to all people. Those who believe God’s words as revealed through His Prophet are blessed. Christ’s church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, who direct the church by revelation. The Lord called Joseph Smith as the first prophet and head of this last dispensation. His successors who lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today are also prophets and apostles. The president of the church today is a living prophet. We are to have faith in God’s chosen prophet, gain conviction of his divine calling, and follow his teachings.” Easy right? It goes on to speak about the frequent opportunities that we have to sustain and support our leaders. Also, that we should be preparing ourselves to listen to the prophets and apostles so the Holy Ghost can confirm the truths they teach. When I was watching conference, I kept thinking how nice it was that all the messages were for me. How nice of them to prepare all those messages for me. But the best part is, “Those who listen to and follow the counsel of living prophets and apostles will not go astray. The teachings of living prophets provide an anchor of eternal truth in a world of shifting values and help us avoid misery and sorrow.”
I’m always amazed at the preciseness and smoothness of conference sessions. Have you ever noticed how the podium is raised or lowered BEFORE the speaker approaches-its like they were measured prior to the meeting. How about those little clear stands that scroll the words that they have practiced? They look invisible to us-on the other side of the podium. Or think about the beautiful flowers and greenery that surround the stand and the beautiful choir with exact matching clothing-down to the earrings and necklaces.
In March of 1995, when I was attending Northern Arizona University, some friends and I decided it would be pretty darn wonderful to go to a conference session-the first conference session since President Hinckley had become our 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. We didn’t know the details of tickets or how to get in, but I suppose that is some of the beauty of being young without too many worries. Nowadays, I would probably have each hour planned and accounted for. Anyhow, we drove the 9 or so hours to Provo, Utah where another friend resided. She gave us permission to stay at her house and was excited to join in our adventure to The Tabernacle. We knew where Temple Square was, we figured we could find parking and we had heard rumors of the long lines of people hoping to get in the building. We took heed to the rumors and headed over to Temple Square in the late hours of the night. We found the end of the line which already wrapped around Temple Square. We waited for what seemed like one of the longest nights. We were cold and wrapped up in sleeping bags, we were hungry but most of all we were determined. The longer we waited, the more determined we became. The sun rose and then the line started to move. The process was slow but people were moving into the Tabernacle building, the ushers were organizing and squishing as many possible into the building. We made it to the front-we could see the doors, we were oh so close. BUT, admission had stopped as they were full. We were given some type of vouchers to come back for the afternoon session. Thank goodness for vouchers! Between sessions, we used the time to clean up, take a quick nap to get some of the sleep we passed the night before and returned as we were instructed so we could attend the afternoon session. Again, we waited and proceeded slowly and the building filled. Inside the building, there were benches and benches and benches. There were no fancy padded seats-just benches. I sat down and didn’t mind the benches one bit-I was just thrilled that we were inside of this amazing building BUT I remember barely being able to keep my eyes open, it was painful, and then President Hinckley entered the room. The most amazing, most powerful feeling overcame me. All my other thoughts were cleared as the Holy Ghost testified to me that President Hinckley was a prophet of God. Then again, it was testified to me as we sustained our new prophet during that meeting. How blessed I felt to be in the presence of a Living Prophet. I was touched to hear his words, to feel the Spirit and had the desire to renew my own testimony of the gospel, and of living prophets. He was there to guide us, lead us, and speak to us, to reveal to us and to NOT lead us astray. President Hinckley was also quite funny.
God speaks to us today through his living prophets. In conference, we heard President Monson speak about couple missionaries, about remembering to give thanks and live a life with gratitude. We also heard Elder Boyd K. Packer speak about obedience to the Lord, Elder Dallin H. Oaks speak about the lines of communication, Elder Jeffrey Holland give thanks to all the helpers in the Kingdom, Elder Christofferson share thoughts on a consecrated life being a life of integrity, President Eiring’s counsel to listen for His voice in every song, prayer and talk, Elder L. Tom Perry reminding us of the blessings and power of the priesthood, Elder Bednar speak about the Gift of the Holy Ghost and touch on the courage of parents, and Elder Jairo Mazzagardi speak to us about the many faces of sin. We were also counseled through several voices about choosing to follow the prophet. I wished I could record their talk since it was long rehearsed, approved and perfect on timing and bring it here and play it and after just say Ditto.
Do any remember the words from Elder Claudia Costa, of the presidency of the Seventy? He shared what a great blessing it is to have a prophet and reminded us of the meaning of a prophet from the scripture dictionary and continued by saying that a prophet receives commandments and revelations from the Lord. The Lord will reveal his secrets unto the prophet anything he feels necessary and if we believe in and follow the prophet, we will be blessed. And again, reminding us that a prophet will never lead us astray.
When I listened to those words, not only was I inspired and uplifted, but I had the immediate and overwhelming desire to go simplify, review, organize, and clean out my life. I wanted to go through my music and reading materials and revamp. I wanted to analyze my schedule and create more space and time for the essentials, namely reading the words of our prophets and teaching my children about the blessings of a living prophet. I wanted to know or remember what the prophets have shared so I could feel the Lord speaking to me. I wanted to have a life full of gratitude, humility and acceptance and joy. But, then conference ends and my life resumes. ; ( BUT I have the answers, I know what I need to do and I love that I can again be reminded of these messages in a month when I can read the Ensign, or daily in the scriptures, or weekly at church or in 6 months when we get the privilege of hearing inspired messages from our leaders again. It is impossible for me to watch conference, sincerely listen and NOT want to improve my life both spiritually and emotionally.
Several years ago, I was at Women’s conference in Provo, Utah. At the final concluding session, there was buzz in the room about our final speaker… some saying President Monson would be with us. Suddenly, the room fell silent; I looked around and saw that President Monson was indeed entering the room. We all began to sing “We Thank Thee Oh God For Our Prophet” and my heart again, was full, knowing the truth-that President Monson was a prophet of God. There was no denying the power and conviction of the Spirit. We had the great joy and pleasure of listening to President Monson. He had just been appointed prophet a few short months prior and he spoke about enjoying the journey. Many of you may remember his similar words during a conference session. As I listened to him I was reminded about the wonderful blessings of Living prophet. It felt so special to have the Prophet, a Prophet of God, and OUR prophet there with us to speak with us and share with us. As he reverently left the room, that same sea of women was waving good bye. You can imagine thousands of women-and the pageant wave… he turned and waved and then “raised the roof”. It went from reverence to giggles-so thrilled that our humble Prophet-the one with a great sense of humor-was simply enjoying his journey.
I love President Monson, and all the prophets that have stood before him. I anxiously await the opportunity to hear from him again. I want to learn and repent then go and do the things which he counsels, even when it is difficult. I know that by following the prophet, his counsel and his words will not lead us astray! I want to stay on that path of righteousness; I want to follow the prophet! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God and he restored the Gospel to this earth. I know that the scriptures are here for us, our manual for learning and growing. I have a testimony of the power of prayer for without it, I would not have been standing here today. I know my Savior lives, he atoned for my sins. I know that God lives and he loves us. I share these things with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen
Zoe’s special day
Her baptism day finally came. Zoe was baptized on October 9, 2010. It was an amazing day and the program was beautiful. She was baptized with 2 others girls from the stake. My mom spoke about baptism and it was perfect for the girls. Then the bishop conducting asked mom and dad to speak about their conversion since we had an extra 15 minutes. I was dying inside for them because I would be so scared to get up-unprepared. But they both did a beautiful job and added a great Spirit to the program. Now, since Zoe is 8, I must start talking about the body. You know what that means? I have been telling her for the last couple of years that I would answer her questions and tell her about her special body when she turned 8. It’s follow through time. EEEKKK. Baby steps. We bought the book The Care and Keeping of You-thanks to my friend’s referral- and we are reading it together and learning. What an amazing time in her life-she is growing up and turning into a little lady. Am I prepared? Am I equipped?
The world of organic groceries
There is tons of fresh produce available here in WA. I have loved the farmers markets and the u-pick farms. Recently I signed up for Mother Nature’s Organics which is a organic produce delivery company. Every Wednesday, I open my front door and see a bucket of organic deliciousness. It’s like Christmas. I am learning to use items that have never been on my shopping list before. All the farmers markets will still be around through October and we love to go and just see the options, pick up some fresh cream, meat, cheese, etc. 
A friendly visit
The day finally arrived, 3 friends came to visit. I was a happy girl! I took them to my favorite cafe, Volunteer Park Cafe, to start our weekend together. That was followed by a chocolate tour in Seattle, some shopping and some discovering. (have you ever seen the gum wall?) It was a glorious weekend (for me) with a little of relaxation, tourism and food. Ladies, thank you for bringing sunshine to my life in WA. I am so grateful for you! (I must say that I’m embarrassed to even post these because… that person in the green-is it a boy or a girl? I can’t tell since it’s hair is so short. I suppose that is part of the growing pains of finding a new hair stylist.)
