In December, I received a letter asking me to be a presenter at BYU's Women's Conference this spring. The committee had to hunt me down in Disneyworld to see if I was going to accept the invitation. I was in denial that it was for real and for me. I was asked to present a class on the importance of family dinner, meal planning, and healthy eating. I had no idea what to expect.
I started keeping my ears open and gathering information in January, but especially in February after sitting in and listening to the orientation meeting on line. This gave me the encouragement and ego boost I needed to feel qualified to do it. If a general authority and a panel of women had prayed over and chosen my name from hundreds of submissions, I would be OK.
So, my hunting and gathering took place. My mother-in-law fessed up saying that it was her fault that I was asked. She told me that in her weekly emails and in talking to family on the phone, she had mentioned that she eats dinner at my house almost every night and in the 6 months she has eaten at my house, she had never had a meal twice. This must have spurred a thought in Steve's cousin's brain because my name came to her as she was submitting her quota of names to the women's conference committee. I struggled finding the time and motivation to sit and write my talk. Marilyn took Lizzie for me a few afternoons so that I could devote my time to my prep and it worked. During those few hours, ideas came, books were perused, and quotes lifted off the page for me. I had many prayers answered and felt the Spirit guiding me.
The week of Women's conference was crazy. Leaving my 5 kids in someone else's hands (even if it is their father and grandparents) is extremely difficult for me. But I had my mom and sister and brother and more family waiting for me out West.
My mother was spectacular in taking me out to lunch, shopping, and ice cream. :) We had a great time. When everyone got in, we laughed, discussed, and tended to 2 cute little kiddos. My mom and dad had a full house (condo).
Thursday morning my sister-in-law Becca came along as my companion for the whole day. I had the privilege of attending a prayer meeting with Cecil Samuelson, the General RS Presidency, Chad Lewis & wife, Brad Wilcox (my favorite EFY speaker), and many other spectacular people. I was relieved to see Steve's cousins with open arms waiting for me. I am so lucky to be married into such an outstanding faithful family!!! The rest of the day was filled with speakers, inspirational messages, and seeing people that look familiar. My favorite speaker was Ruth Todd, a news anchor who I grew up watching on Utah TV.
Thursday night, my dad and brother, Matt, had me give my talk to them. I needed to time it one more time and they were good sports to listen to me. They also knew they'd be pushing the babies in strollers around the BYU bookstore while I was speaking, so wanted to know if I had anything worthwhile up my sleeve. Matt received a bolt of inspiration and gave me a quote on the spot from Talmadge's book, Jesus The Christ. In it he says (in a footnote) "We believe in getting as much enjoyment out of our food as we can." Is that not perfectly amazing?! I had to put it in! Between Matt's contribution of wisdom and my dad having the ability to call upon powers from above to keep my calm and feel at peace, I was ready and had a great time giving my talk.
The part of Friday morning that was overwhelming to me was the amount of support and love that I received. Steve had over 15 people there to see me! I had cousins from both sides. Two of my aunts were there! Three sisters! Three friends from my former ward were also there! Unbelievable!
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Just a portion of the fabulous women who came to support me..
(Cousin Sheila, Aunt Kay, me, Mom, relatives of Colton family, cousin Candace, cousin Heather's Mom,
Sis-in-law Becca, Sister Mandi, Sis-in-law Lynette, cousin Heather, Aunt Vicky, Heather's sister) |
I feel so blessed to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ, for the knowledge, power, and perspective it gives me. I love the opportunities it has given me to grow, serve, and be served. My faith has made me who I am. I am so grateful for the blessing of Eternal Families because I am sealed to my best friends forever!
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| My beautiful & creative sister, Mandi...who promised to help me with my goal of making my own cookbook! |
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| My bosom buddy and sister-in-law, Lynette. We were made to be sisters and our hearts are linked across the miles. |
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| I'm not interpreting in ASL. I just can't talk without my hands. Impossible. |
After my presentation, I picked up some BYU fudge (free coupon for presenters) and chocolate covered cinnamon bears (AWESOME!) and went to lunch with even more family! At lunch, I shared a table with my Uncle Neal, Aunt Kay, Uncle Rex, Aunt Vicky, Aunt Debbie, and the rest of the Alleman crew plus my sister's sister-in-law! What a treat! I felt famous!
Another tender mercy for me was having the chance to see my Grandma and Grandpa Alleman in their home. Glenn and Afton were so kind to me while I was a student at BYU. My sweet Grandma had heart surgery just days before this picture was taken. Doesn't she look fabulous?! It was wonderful seeing them again. My aunt KarylLee was there taking care of my Grandma and we figured out that we hadn't seen each other for over 10 years! Again, what a blessing to see so much family and reconnect! I came home exhausted, but so pleased with the whole experience. My kids were so excited for me. Braxton has called me "The Chef of His Life" for over 5 years now and fights to give me the first compliment over dinner. This has made my whole family even more appreciative of my efforts in the kitchen. I guess I have a reputation to uphold now and can't slack off! No pressure.
