From the Land of Spring, Awards and Easterness

SOMETHING SPRING:

Spring weather has crept it's way into the bay area and all the rain, wind and sun is making it more lovely than ever. A pleasant Monday afternoon found me on my knees and digging in the dirt of our backyard that I have claimed as a plot of garden. Of course, it took much longer than expected, but I was able to transform the hard, clay soil into something somewhat fertile for my plants. I have big plans for all those herbs and veggies, so let's hope I can keep them all alive. The tricky part is maintenance. You'd think that after all that work, I could just be done, but this is definitely not the case. New weeds are popping up, snails are leaving their slimy trails and my poor squash plant already looks pretty sad. I'm trying not to be a careless gardener, watering frequently and taking time to fertilize and pull weeds as they come. Let's be honest, it's just going to be a lot of consistent, hard work the whole summer. Here we go!

SOMETHING TO ANNOUNCE:

After all the planning, filming, post-production, submitting, voting and then waiting, we finally received the results for the video competition! Our video won 2 awards: Visitor's Choice Award AND Winner in our category (US/Canada - Amateur). We are thrilled and it's been rewarding to see all the blessings and the impact of the video on a larger scale. We only hope that more and more people will get to see it and that they will feel of it's beautiful message and act on it. The film is now posted on our church website along with the other winners. See the link below if you would like to watch more videos from the competition:

http://lds.org/pages/international-video-contest-winners?lang=eng

SOMETHING EASTER:

I don't think I've ever had a more memorable Easter. It started with Alex and I venturing up into the city (SF) Sunday morning to see an Easter play at one of his coworker's church. It was fabulous and really an impressive and moving production. I loved it and loved getting out and seeing how other people celebrate and worship on Easter. So uplifting and encouraging. We attended our own church meetings in the afternoon, which were spiritual and powerful as well. The evening was spent with friends and "family" (I consider the Hancocks my California family) with delicious food, inspiring music and an enchanting evening activity. We all helped to light and raise six glowing lanterns into the sky. We all stood entranced, watching them rise into the dusk of the evening sky and I couldn't help but think of the scripture in Mark:

And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.

It was such a happy moment and I felt so at peace. It reminded me that although Christ is not here with us in person, I know that he is risen and still alive in all of us. Standing there surrounded by dear friends and loved ones, it didn't feel like he was very far away at all.