Time Out for Mommy

On Friday night, I put my darling baby girl in her bed and kissed her goodbye. Then, my mom and I drove (talked non stop) to the Fresno airport to pick up my dad, flying in from Salt Lake City. Then we drove to our hotel (yes, I stayed in a hotel only 45 minutes away from my house, but 6am on a Saturday was way too early to get up when you aren't nursing anymore). We had a suite that had two rooms and a common area, but it felt weird staying in a hotel with my parents again...without my family (Brandon and Elly). My mom and I woke up early (the same time I usually get up at home because of Elly, but it felt early because I could have slept in since she was no where in the vicinity). We got all prettied up and my dad drove us to the William Saroyan Theater for Time Out for Women!

This is an all day event with speakers and musical guests to delight the mind and the soul, a spiritual feast to last...a few days at least. Actually, I'm hoping that this blog post will help me remember it more than if I just counted on my brain to remember everything by itself. Because, I loved it. I really truly did. I laughed. I laughed really hard. I didn't cry. Okay, I almost cried a few times. I mean, honestly they can't expect to read letters from someone's daughter nominating her to be recognized in front of a thousand women for the joyful life she's lived in spite of deaths and divorces and diseases and then ask her to stand up and hear a thousand women clapping for her and not see tears! I didn't cry until she put her hands up to her mouth in disbelief. Amazing.

I will now post what I thought the highlights were and quotes that I want to remember from the day. ATTENTION: THIS IS A VERY LONG POST, if you are bored because you didn't attend this event, then just move along, I'm sure there will be another post in a few days hopefully all about Elly.

The first highlight of the day was the adorable jacket my mom debuted that morning: ("Forever 21, you've done it again!")


Quotes from the Presenters:

Mary Ellen Edmunds:

...What's his No Face...

...Peace is for the peacemakers...
...Mercy is for the merciful...
...Faith is for the faithful...
...Love is for the loving...

...There will be no contention in heaven; we should get used to living without it here...


Kenneth Cope:

I have never thought of myself as someone who liked "Mormon Pop", but it was the lyrics that got to me. I loved "Broken", the one about God Loves Broken Things. And I loved "His Name is Love" i.e. My name is Ego, Pride, Condemnation, Rumor, etc. It made me wonder what my name is? My favorite lyrics were: "Reclaim, reform, refine me till my face is hope and my name is Love".

Here's the list of songs he sang at the event and which albums they are on:




S. Michael Wilcox:

I had Brother Wilcox for a few institute classes at the U of U and loved every single one. (I'm not saying that half of them didn't go over my head, but I loved them. I just loved being taught by someone who is clearly so amazingly in tune with the Spirit.) Here are some favorites:

...There are no pink people...

...Let's remember Thomas at his best, devoted, sacrificing, courageous...

...Mr. Burns his fifth grade teacher just loved him, and that changed his behavior...

...Celestial Joy finds total enjoyment in the enjoyment of others...

...Chess: Lead with the Queen...


Then there were questions for the presenters from the audience:

Q: How do you keep balance in your life?
A: "Seek God first and He'll show you how to fit everything else in." -Emily Watts

Q: How do you deal with a rebellious child?
A: "When you go through things (trials) you are more valuable to the Lord." -Sharon Larsen

Q: How do you cope with being single in a family oriented church?
A: "I think: Heavenly Father likes me. And I trust Him completely." -Mary Ellen Edmunds

Q: How do you cope with pain and sorrow in life?
A: "The Lord is Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. He is the End of crying and sorrow and pain. He is the Beginning of Peace, Love, and Rest. Any trial you suffer will end sometime. It will end." -S. Michael Wilcox


Then came, my favorite of the day, Emily Watts:
(Disclaimer: Emily is my mom's first cousin and she invited us to be guests of hers at the event. We sat on the second row, right behind the presenters. But the best part of the day was eating lunch with all the presenters backstage. What was great about it was seeing that these amazing speakers and spiritual giants were totally normal, down to earth people. They laughed and joked. They got nervous for their talks. They wondered if people would like them. They were real. Thank you, Emily- beautiful hand-written note to follow shortly.)



Here are some favorites:

...We think that if we can find reasons why someone else has trouble in their life, maybe we can prevent that trouble in ours...

..."The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not insurance against pain- it is resource in the event of pain" -Carlfred Broderick...

...When someone has a problem: Stop saying "Why did this happen?" and start saying "How can I help?"...

...Take care of your straws one at a time so there never is a last straw!...

...On being a mom: You're probably doing it better than you think...

...(paraphrased from Matthew 25:34)"Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred and you woke up in the middle of the night to nurse me,I was thirsty and you dropped everything to get me a sippy cup of water. I was naked and you did load after load of laundry to put clean clothes on my back. I was sick and you held me and rocked me and stayed home to care for me all day and night (and verse 40:) Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."...

Dean Hughes:

...When you find yourself frustrated with a stranger, humanize that person. Think of their situation...

(sorry, Dean Hughes, that's all from you)


Sharon Larsen:

...Open your hearts and clear your mind to make room for The Lord to fill it with joy...

...I was a better mother before I had children...

...The healing power of the Atonement can rectify that which is unjust (Elder Richard G. Scott)...

...Sometimes when you make plans, the Lord laughs (stick to His plan)...

...The covenants you make with the Lord focus your choices...


Well, I know that was super long and possibly boring, but I know I will appreciate having those reminders of the day in the future- so I did this for me, not you. Sorry. I had a fantastic day and I know Brooke did, just look at her face!