Chocolate Milkshakes and Conference

I have to say that General Conference this weekend was AWESOME!

It's funny, because I remember dreading Conference as a kid. Conference meant having to get dressed up TWICE on Sunday and drive 15 minutes to the church to watch Conference in the chapel with all the lights off (We didn't have cable and Conference wasn't broadcast on the radio or the internet). I remember being really young (6 or 7) and counting the speakers to figure out how many more we had to sit through. It's sad that I didn't realize then how special and important Conference was, but I have to give myself a break and realize that at 11 I was more interested in eyeing up the missionaries in the dim light than watching General Authorities speak. :)

When I got to be a teenager I think I did have a better appreciation for Conference, but I don't remember ever having that "aha" moment when I felt that the words being spoken were for my ears only.

Since moving to Utah, however, something about Conference has changed for me. I'm EXCITED for Conference every 6 months. I truly enjoy hearing the words of the speakers and hearing the messages that were meant specifically for me. I swear Heavenly Father inspired half the speaker's on Saturday's sessions this year with topics just because I needed to hear them!

I think part of my excitement is that I get to stay home with my family and have uninterrupted time with Dustin. (Yes, partially selfish, I know.) But I really do love to sit and listen to the speakers, expecially our prophet. Even when I was a kid counting the seconds to when Conference was over, I remember always perking up and paying attention when President Monson spoke. Something in his manner and joviality warms you up and makes the time fly by. On Sunday's afternoon session after President Monson spoke Dustin mentioned, "Man, it never seems like he's spoken for 30 minutes." President Monson has a gift of speaking, and I always love hearing him. I came away from Conference this year with a heart full of gratitude and feeling spritually replenished. I have goals set for things I needed to improve for myself and for my family, and the excitment and motiviation to accomplish them!

Another thing I love about Conference is that everyone seems to have their own family traditions. I had never really thought about special Conference traditions because growing up in Iowa it wasn't a big deal outside of our small church membership. For everyone else it was a normal weekend. In the Mormon Corridor, though, each family has something they do every Conference, whether it's rotating their 72-hour kits or in Dustin's family's case eating a special meal of sweet and sour chicken wings. I know one family that sets up a tent in their living room for two days solid and that where they watch Conference. It's fun to see everyone's traditions, and it's fun to be starting our own.

I've been slightly obsessed with Food Storage lately, for those of you who have been living under a rock. I'm gathering tons of recipes and being more adventurous in what I cook/ try to cook. Homemade tortillas, Navajo tacos, pumpkin bread with bean puree instead of oil (I know it sounds gross but it's delicious and much healthier for you! You can't even taste the difference!). One recipe I found involved powdered milk, which some people (my husband included) balk at, but which is quickly becoming my favorite food storage item! It's for ice-cream-less chocolate milkshakes. It's basically powdered milk, water, chocolate powder (like Nesquik) and ice all mixed up in a blender. They are DELICIOUS!! (As in, I've had 3 in the last 2 days.) I think our new family tradition will be homemade chocolate milkshakes and scones for General Conference. How can you beat that?