Las Vegas

I had training in Vegas for 2 weeks so I ended up living in a casino for a while. I stayed in the Rush Tower (The Golden Nugget) which was recently built and I really liked it. Each day after coming home from a long day of training, I'd go out and stuff my face with food and relax until another long day of learning! I had a fun group of people who were mostly from Reno, Nevada and we got to know eachother quite well. We usually stayed in the casino and ate at their restaurants which were fabulous. My two favorites were the Chart House which served seafood and steaks and had a huge aquarium with tropical fish and The Grotto which was an excellent Italian restaurant. It was a great experience.

                                       

These beds had pillow-top mattresses, feather down comforters, and feather down pillows! Ahh!

Lillie...she is one crazy lady.

I was able to meet up with my friend Char and meet her awesome husband! We went to a great Italian restaurant and then had gelato and shopped.

          

This pool has a 3 story clear water slide zooming through a 200,000 gallon shark tank.  

Friends N French Toast

This past Saturday Megan and Kenny Stutz came and visited with me and I got to see their new baby boy, Will!! :) Yes, he is absolutely ADORABLE!!! He was quite a stinker trying to wake up since he was sick and didn't get much sleep that night, but we had some success and I whipped out that camera! I was so happy to see them. I have to admit...they are probably my favorite people in the whole world. We ate at Kneaders from breakfast and had the all you can eat french toast for only $5! However, this french toast is not your normal everyday french toast..let me tell ya! This french toast is made from their own homemade cinnamon bread, which is cut about 2 inches thick. This savory hot thick toast is served with some amazing homemade caramelly syrup, along with unique homemade whipped cream and some beautiful sliced red strawberries. Yum! It was was pretty dang good.

Thats my kind of laugh!

                                             Megan and I

    

                                 I love that grin!!!

Pondering

Whistling...yes, he's quite talented.

                                      Father and Son bonding

Gifts for the Savior

While I was home for the holidays I searched for my mission journals because I'm getting so excited for my brother, Brian to get his mission call! I came across a talk I wrote that fits well for the holiday season. The topic was about how we get to the Savior and what we will give Him once we reach Him.

The Wise Men were righteous men. They WANTED to worship Him. They had that desire! They reached the Savior by looking for the star, recognizing it, and following it. Because of this, it made them WISE.
The Lord puts stars in front of us. We have to be LOOKING, RECOGNIZING, and FOLLOWING His stars. The Wise Men were spiritually sensitive, and knowlegable. They were able to see the star when others could not. D&C 1:26. The Lord told Nephi He was making the plates for a WISE purpose! Are we reading them so we can RECOGNIZE the star? Mosiah 2:36 The spirit will help us RECOGNIZE. If we're not LOOKING, we won't be able to RECOGNIZE. 2 Nephi 28:30 Are we FOLLOWING?  3 Nephi 14:24 The Lord says when we do these things we become WISE. We are spiritually led to Jesus Christ. But as we SEEK Him, what are we going to GIVE Him?

Matthew 2:11 The Wise Men gave Him GOLD, FRANKENCENSE, and MYRRH.
GOLD- valuable, the softer it is the more pure and easier it is to mold.

FRANKENCENSE- This was used in the holy temples. Not everyone could go in the temples but as the Frankencense billowed out of the temples, everyone had a chance to smell it and enjoy the scent. It was a highly valued perfume.

MYRRH-John 19:39-40 This was used to help preserve the dead.

Now, as you think of these gifts, they represent the "3 FOLD MISSION" of the church.

GOLD- Perfecting the Saints

FRANKENCENSE- Proclaiming the Gospel

MYRRH- Redeeming the dead.

We are like the Wise Men, preparing to meet the Savior with our gifts. Will we be prepared?
Joseph Smith said, "After all that has been said, our GREATEST and most important duty is to Preach the gospel"
These are the greatest gifts we can give Him. I love Jacob's last words in the Book of Mormon before he dies, "Oh be wise, what can I say more?"