The Beauty of Being a Woman

 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies." - Proverbs 31:10

I've been thinking for a few days now how messed up this world is.  Seriously.

I saw a commercial for Women's MMA (mixed martial arts for you non-espn-ers) followed by a segment on Danica Patrick and the Daytona 500 followed by another segment about women in sports.

Now, I'm not trying to judge them, but not one of these women looked like my mother- who I consider the ultimate woman.

Then, later on that day, I was told that women like me set the women's liberation movement back 20 years.

Then, today, I taught a primary class purely on inspiration because I didn't have a manual and it wasn't planned...and the discussion somehow led to why women don't have the priesthood.

Now, first of all, I realize that my views are archaic and old fashioned and not at all trendy.

I believe that women do have rights.

I also believe that women have divine qualities and a divine purpose in this world.

I personally may not be able to fulfill some of these qualities and purposes and I'm quite alright with that.

So, this leads me to ask...

What exactly is wrong with just being a good, virtuous woman?

What is so "uncool" about cooking and cleaning and caring for those you love?

Why is it not okay to wear a dress to church?

What is wrong about wanting to make the world and your home a better, more beautiful place?

NOTHING AT ALL.

Seriously.

We, as women, have a privilege.

We get to affect the world for the better, and we don't even have to try.

It just comes naturally.

I want to be pretty and delicate and sweet and kind and honest and trustworthy and virtuous and lovely.

We get to raise children. (whether they belong to us or not.)

We are automatically equipped with the ability to love and to nurture.

We serve freely.

We are kind.

We are good.

We change the world every day.

I'm not saying we all have to be barefoot, pregnant and locked in the kitchen.

I'm saying be a woman and be proud of what and who you are.

Don't think that you have to be masculine to fit in a man's world.

Be gentle.

Be good.

Be kind.

Be beautiful.

THAT

is how a woman can change the world.

I urge you to celebrate womanhood.

I personally am going to try very hard to be more kind, gentle and lovely this week.

I am going to respect myself and treat myself as such.

I am going to build my family, small as it may be.

Go, be a woman. 

I am woman, hear me speak kindly and softly and gently.

Not roar.

It's not ladylike.

I'm the Chubby Friend.

Chubby girls have feelings too.  They might be a touch harder to find under all this fluff, but they're real...so, please don't assume that just because I'm built like a Mac truck and act tough that my feelings won't get hurt if you stomp all over them.
Also, we don't like being the big butt of all of your jokes. ( I don't care who you are, that's funny right there.)

So, first, I felt bad.

Then, I read THIS FABULOUS BLOG... again.

Then, because I like to laugh,  I found these.

This is true.  I mean really?  Have you met me?

We do.  It's true.

Now, don't go feeling bad for me.  Because I don't.  I love me.  I'm awesome.
I just need other people to realize that I'm a whole lot of awesome.

And finally, this.  Because it's true.  And even though I'm chubby and out of shape and not what you think is great and not even what I think is beautiful...Heavenly Father still loves me.

So there.

I Wish We All Could Be Idaho Girls...Unless you're a boy...and then it's weird.

So, here's the scoop.
Every year, I take a business trip to sunny California for 5 days.
I love meeting with my customers.  I love my industry.  No joke.
I love my job.
So, everytime I go, I seem to learn something about myself and about others.
Here's what I learned.
First and foremost, PERSPECTIVE.

From up here, everyone looks the same.  There is no fat, skinny, black, white, male, female, rich, poor, etc.
We are all the same.
I have been teaching kids that for years.
And I just realized it myself.
Shocking, I know.

Second, not everyone is as passionate about this industry as I am.
On Friday night, I went to the most epic concert of my lifetime.

The performance list included artists such as Toto, Earth, Wind and Fire, Amy Grant, David Foster, Sarah McLachlan and the incomparable Elton John.
Because some of these people are legends, idols, etc to me, there were some performances that moved me to tears.
I'm sure I looked like an idiot, but when music is good, that's what it's supposed to do.  It's supposed to make you feel something.
That's what is missing in most music today.
I feel nothing but annoyed when Bieber sings.  However, when Sarah McLachlan sings "I Will Remember You", you can't help but think of who she wrote that about.  Was it about a lost love?  A lost friend?  A breakup?  A death?  All of those apply to all of us at one time or another.  Music is supposed to make you feel.  That's how you know it's good.

Third, I learned that I really don't like trumpets.

I listened to trumpets ALL DAY.  For four days.  And it's fine if they're playing a song.....but these wanna be  Miles Davises were just testing mouthpieces and seeing how high their range was.  Sheesh.  Talk about migraines.

Fourth, Winter is simply not Winter without snow.  I don't care what you say.

Now, I'm not complaining.  It was nice to have a little break, but in the end, I just missed the snow.

And fifth.
Not everyone is who you think they are.
This is more in depth than I feel comfortable going into on a blog, but I learned a few things about people.
For instance, I saw so many young women that were dressed inappropriately that were very nice, well mannered girls and yet, saw many women dressed in business suits that had no manners, no eloquence and no class.  Don't judge that book by it's cover.
Also, you might think that you're a bad a#&, but you're not.  You might pretend to be one, but you're still not.  You're just an idiot with a foul mouth, a bad attitude and rude behavior, simply put.
And, if you're good to your customers, they're good to you.  They are eventually just family.  They are a part of your life and you welcome them into your world.
And lastly, it doesn't matter if you put effort into your relationships if they are only one sided.  Being kind and considerate is all well and good, but if you keep getting stepped on, it's simply no longer worth the effort anymore.  Why?  Because you, too, are a child of God and deserve to be offered the same kindness that you offer to others.  You don't deserve to be treated like garbage, left behind and disrespected.  So, that's that.

Sixth.  Being stuck in an airport for a total of 12 hours isn't so bad, as long as you are stuck with awesome people.

And yes, I really did say 12 hours total.  7 in Anaheim.  5 in SLC.  Yes.  12 hours.  2 separate days.
That is all.

And finally, the age old truth...

There's no place like home.
I have never been so happy to see a potato in my whole life.
Also, the minute I saw Tim and our pickup truck and snow, I burst into tears.
Seriously.
There's no place like home and there never will be.

See ya later, alligator.

Dear 31,
I can honestly say that I'm not sorry to see you go.  30 was amazing...most of the time.  But you?  You've been a teacher.  You've taught me about life, about Christlike love, about acceptance and about strength.  You've showed me how resilient that I really am.  You've given me responsibilities that I didn't think I could bear.  You've showed me how to really love others and look at them in a more respectful and Christlike way.  You've taught me through various trials this year how to trust, how to accept, how to live, how to be a better me.  As much as I've disliked you, I must say that I am thankful for the gifts that you've given me. I am thankful for your tough love.  Please tell your friend 32 as you are passing in the hallway of my life that I am ready.  I'm going to give 32 hell.  I mean heck.  I'm going to be a better Katie.  Watch out 32, I'm going to own you.
With kind regards,
Katie

My Way

"My Way"

And now, the end is here

And so I face the final curtain

My friend, I'll say it clear

I'll state my case, of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full

I traveled each and ev'ry highway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Regrets, I've had a few

But then again, too few to mention

I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption

I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway

And more, much more than this, I did it my way

Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew

When I bit off more than I could chew

But through it all, when there was doubt

I ate it up and spit it out

I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way

I've loved, I've laughed and cried

I've had my fill, my share of losing

And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing

To think I did all that

And may I say, not in a shy way,

"Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way"

For what is a man, what has he got?

If not himself, then he has naught

To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels

The record shows I took the blows and did it my way!

Yes, it was my way

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 This seems so appropriate for the end of this year of self discovery.

This year, I didn't accomplish all of my goals.

And it's okay.

What I did do was learn to accept myself as I am.

I have learned to accept my life and my circumstances.

I decided to get off of the path that I was on (that now seems so destructive)

and forge a new trail.

I learned that I am okay.

I am crazy, eccentric, strange, brusque, and loving.

And that's okay.

And this year, I've tried to live my life in a way that I accept, that I feel good about.

So, if you don't like me or the things that I do, it's your loss.

I am married to an amazing man who loves me as much as I love him.

I have 60 kids who are sure that they can't live without me.

I have a family that loves and supports and accepts me.

And, most importantly, I am a child of God.

And He created me.

So....

In the words of the ever daring Coco Chanel-

"I don't care what you think about me.  I don't think about you at all."

(did you see what I did there?  I channeled a fashion icon and a music icon in one post!)

So, come on 2013.

Hit me with your best shot.

For real?

Dear World,
At the risk of sounding like a cranky, old lady, (which I am) I have something to say.
Recently, it seems as if there have been an increased number of tragedies, unjustices, etc.
I am sick and tired of everyone trying to pin the blame for whatever incident on someone or something other than the criminal.
It is not the fault of anyone but the shooter that 27 people are dead in Connecticut.  It is not the fault of the gun, of the school, of the government, etc.  HE made the choice to open fire in a school.  No one else made that choice for him.
It is not the fault of any company, big or small, that they were broken into, even if they do lack a high tech alarm system.
And so on, and so forth.
Yes, these things do help.  Alarm systems, higher security measures, etc. do make a difference.
HOWEVER.
They are not to blame for the decaying moral compass of our nation.
We can't pray in schools.
We can't talk about God or religion in the workplace.
We're so darn worried about offending someone that we all just keep our mouths shut and refuse to change this world for the better.
And then we wonder....why are these things happening?
Why are people shooting each other?
Why are people stealing and lying and cheating?
Why are kids silent, spiteful and hateful?
Well, shucks, America.
It's because you're getting exactly what you asked for.
We have become a nation of instant gratification and laziness.  You want something?  Buy it now, pay later.  You think this baby will inconvenience you and your lifestyle?  Get an abortion.  You're mad at someone?  Shoot them, blast them on the internet or destroy their reputation.
We have become afraid to work, pray, and change.
God hasn't changed.  He's still there.  He's trying to get us back to where we need to be as a people.  Do we really need something more drastic to happen to get us to wake up and return to Him?
I don't.
I've seen what happens when a person strays from religion.  I'm not saying that you have to be a Mormon.  I'm saying commit yourself to God in one way or another.  Make your world better by being more gentle, more kind, more Christlike.  Speak kind words, exercise empathy, offer Christlike love instead of hatred, violence and gossip. And remember.  We're all children of God.  He loves us and we, in return, as brothers and sisters, should love one another.  2013 could be an amazing year if we can just try to make it that way.

Despair and the Solution

I awoke this morning feeling utter despair for our nation. The events in Connecticut yesterday are horrific.  It calls to memory all the awful events that people my age have witnessed.  I have to say that when I was a child, Columbine scared me.  9/11 scared me.  This just saddens me.  I don't even know where to begin on how sad I am today.
So, because I need to express them, here are my thoughts.
First, I thank God that I live in Idaho.  Everyday.
Second, gun control is NOT the answer.  We need less gun control and more PEOPLE control.  I can't even imagine what was running through this individual's mind as he drove to that school.  There must have been so much anger, so much hate, so much frustration and confusion.  We can never know why he did it.  All we know is that he did.
In conjunction with that, sometimes, people make bad choices for bad reasons.  The consequences of these choices affect other people, whether that was the intention or not.  All that we can do to solve this is be more compassionate, more understanding, more patient and more prepared.
Third, I personally feel that God is trying to send us as a nation a message.  Stop hurting each other, stop finding fault with one another, stop trying to destroy one another.  Stop.  Now, don't get me wrong.  I don't believe that God chose this for us.  He did, however, give each of us agency to make our own choices.  Once a choice is made, He cannot stop the consequences.  As His children, we need to not take away from this that we need more gun control, more regulations, more laws.  What we should be learning right now is how to offer love to those in need.  To mourn with those that mourn, to comfort those that stand in need of comfort.  There are so many things that we get busy with that we forget these things.  We forget that the person that just cut us off on the highway, that just bumped into us with their cart, who has a screaming child in WalMart, who is being painfully slow in the checkout line or the stoplight or whatever, is a Child of God.  A precious son or daughter of our Heavenly Father.
We simply need to stop destroying and start building.
For example, after the shooting in Oregon this week, I can't help but wonder if that young man had a mother or a father or a mentor that loved him and was there for him in his time of confusion if he would have found a different solution than murder and suicide.
I, for one, am not putting my efforts into gun laws and the like. I am ignoring the media attention that these poor, wounded souls are getting and putting my time and effort into loving, accepting and building souls.  I truly believe that the more we love and support people, the more people will want to be loving and accepting and supportive to others. I am going to pray more.  I am going to draw nearer to my Heavenly Father.  I will teach my primary kids to be kind and loving and accepting.
Can you imagine what our nation would be like if we were all out doing good instead of being selfish?
I am going to change my world.
What are you going to do with yours?