my cupboards are bare part ii

so i finally went grocery shopping yesterday. after getting a last minute appointment with my doc, and dropping off a prescription for a 4 day supply of antibiotics i went to the nearest fresh and easy for groceries and to kill time for the pharmacy to get me my meds. i have a sinus infection... i think. well, the nose is running constantly. clear and yellow. throat is scratchy and i'm just feeling all around glum. still a little dizzy and rocking. doc thinks i should see how i fare after the meds before being concerned about the rocking. i can live with that.

ok. so i went shopping, got some prepared 'fresh' meals that i can just nuke and eat, 8 gallons of water, some sorbet, irish steel cut oats, butternut squash soup, canned chicken noodle soup, wheat bread, wheat pitas and hummus. i spent about 45 bones.

after picking up the prescription and a few other toiletries, i headed home. i rushed into the house from the crazy wind, and ran to the bathroom. did my biz, took my pills and crashed on the bed. 6 hours later, at a little after midnight, i awoke. i roamed around the house and got on the computer. i made my way to the kitchen and found what? 2 plastic grocery bags on the floor with now not-so-fresh food. warm in fact. i just wasted 20 bones of food; good healthy food that i'm sad i must toss. no bueno. i think that's the first time i've ever done that. hope it's my last.

huntington beach first ward midsingles

huntington beach first ward midsingles (conference) april 23-25 2010

i wish we had a ward like this here in vegas. sacrament meeting was the highlight of the singles conference for me. (regretfully, i missed the saturday morning workshops but i heard they were uplifting as well) it has been a while since i have felt the spirit so strong and so powerfully as i had while sitting in that pew, singing the hymns we sang and hearing the talks given. i felt like a i was in a huge choir of 1100 (approx. the amount of people in attendance) belting out our souls and testimony through song. it was amazing. i am thankful and feel blessed to have experienced that. there is no doubt in my mind that the gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of peace and happiness. i know that we as children of a loving Father in Heaven are to be married and have families. this is my wish, my hope, my dream.

bishop lang, the shepherd of the hb1 midsingles has a ward program focused specifically for people of my age range 27-45. it's a program i hope our geographic region will soon mimic. his talk was one i really enjoyed. other than his humor, i felt his sincerity and love for us. i'm posting his talk below.

Here is the TOP TEN list Bishop Lang said would be put on the website and that so many people have been asking for. No word yet on if there will be a version for the women:

Top 10 Reasons I'm not married yet
For the Men
Number 10 - I haven't met a Spiritual Angelina Jolie lookalike with a trust fund…YET

Advice: when you get home tonight take your shirt off, sit on the bed, and look in the mirror. Show me your bank statement.

Number 9 - Married life will most likely cut into my World of Warcraft time…

Advice: GO outside, GO to the Temple, Do your Home teaching, and GO out on Dates, Serve others.

Number 8 - I can hardly support myself; plus I'm still not sure what I'm going to be when I grow up….

Advice: "A rolling stone gathers no Moss" do what you know and know what you do… WORK

Number 7 - My One True Love is married to a dentist, living in Orem, and has 2.3 children…

Advice: Move on, get a life; realize she's not coming back… forget yourself…

Number 6 - I have already been married, as soon as the reception was over she turned into the Wicked Witch of the West… Now I'm scared … it will take an Act of Congress before I get married again…

Advice: there are 3 parts of the sealing ceremony… If you didn't break yours that's the best you can do… 2nd Article of Faith: We believe that men will be punished for their own sins and not for Adams transgression…

Number 5 - None of the women I'm interested in will date with me…

Advice: when you get home tonight take your shirt off, sit on the bed, and look in the mirror…

Number 4 - I will never be able to have a successful marriage. I have accumulated some baggage... I've made mistakes that leave me feeling unworthy… I have developed a dark habit…

Advice: John 8…

Number 3 - My parents are divorced. It scared me. I'm stuck in between them. I don't ever want my children to go thru what I have…

Advice: So what? If your dad jumps off a bridge does that mean you have to do it also??? 2nd Article of Faith.

Number 2 - My siblings are married and struggle… Their kids are brats… They have financial trouble... Every time they argue my sister calls me and gives me way too much information…

Advice: you're not your sibling, there is absolutely no reason that you have to repeat anything your sibling does… or doesn't do… watch and learn.

The Number One reason I'm not married yet is: I don't want to make a mistake… I'm scared… I wonder if it's my lot in life to be single…

Advice: Maybe it is your lot in life… WRONG. You can do it… who wants you to be happy? And who wants you to be single?… President James E. Faust - said "… don't take too much counsel from your fears…"

Top Ten Reasons I shouldn't give up and /or what to do about it …
For the Men
Number 10 - I just haven't met Mrs. Right yet... Maybe she's here…. Will the real Mrs. Right please raise your hand...

Advice: Men, these women have non-member men asking them out constantly… but they WANT a righteous Priesthood holder; don't under estimate yourselves… Don't underestimate Mrs. Right here…

Number 9 - The longer I'm single the weirder I'm getting…

Advice: self explanatory... You guys are like beautiful Ferraris' driving around stuck in 2nd gear… when you become a family it's like sliding that puppy into 5th gear and fulfilling your potential… everything becomes a purpose in raising your family…

Number 8 - I don't feel worthy… I'm discouraged…

Advice: Moses 1:39 for behold this is my work and my glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of YOU…

Number 7 - You need to propagate your seed…

Advice: Abrahamic covenant…see Addendum below

Number 6 - You hold the Priesthood of God... (Most of you) You have been ordained and for ordained to be a Husband and father and to become like our Heavenly Father…

Advice: D&C 84:34-41 Oath and Covenant of The Priesthood…

Number 5 - Nothing worthwhile is easy... This life is a test...

Advice: When Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden they were commanded to earn their sustenance by working 6 days a week, by the sweat of their face shalt they eat their bread… Genesis 3:16-19

Number 4 - True Joy comes from giving… When we become a Family… We become like our Heavenly Father and his Son…

Advice: There are 3 phases to Mans life … Phase 1… we believe in Santa Claus… Phase 2 we don't… Phase 3 ….You are Santa Claus… Phase 4 …you look like Santa Claus… (When you get home tonight take your shirt off, sit on the bed, and look in the mirror...)

Number 3 - Nothing you ever do will please your Heavenly Father, Savior, Earthly Parents, Future In laws, future spouse and most importantly yourself… than becoming a Family…

Advice: Genesis 2:24 "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh…"

Number 2 - It's not good for man to be alone… The first conversation God and the Savior had regarding us after they had created Adam was… "Is it good for man to be alone? NOPE."

The Number One reason is… We are exalted as Families… Moses 1:39… D&C 132: 19 The new and everlasting covenant…

Addendum - Abrahamic Covenant
Abraham received the gospel and was ordained a high priest (D&C 84:14; Abraham 1:2). He later entered into celestial marriage, which is the covenant of exaltation (D&C 131:1-4; 132:19, 29). In connection with the covenants he made, he received great promises from the Lord concerning his family. Among these promises were the following:

•His posterity would be numerous
•His seed or descendants would receive the gospel and bear the priesthood.
•Through the ministry of his seed "all the families of the earth would be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal."
Together, all the covenants and promises that Abraham received from the Lord are called the Abrahamic covenant, even if he or she is not a literal descendant of Abraham.

As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you are a child of the covenant. You have received the everlasting gospel and inherited the same promises given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. You have the right to the blessings of the priesthood and to eternal life, according to your faithfulness in receiving the ordinances of salvation and keeping the associated covenants. Nations of the earth will be blessed by your efforts and the labors of your posterity.

my cupboards are bare.

it's time to go grocery shopping but i'm dragging my feet. there is nothing in my fridge except for raspberry preserves, eggs, almond milk, banana bread from my visiting teachers (thanks flora), and various condiments.

banana bread for dinner it is!

this is bad.

april's almost over and i've only blogged 4 times this month. bad rika, bad. well, suffice it to say, i have been a little busy. good busy.

almost 3 weeks ago, i was on a carnival cruise ship with hundreds of hormonal lds singles on our way to cabo and back. and just this past weekend i attended a midsingles conference in huntington beach. it was good times.

i'm still rockin' and reeling from the boat. i think something's wrong with my inner ear. every time i lean over to pick something up, bend over to tie my shoe or even just break it down on the dark dance floor, i still feel like i'm on the ship. it's an odd sensation. i guess i'd be ready for a rolling earthquake at any time of the day. the sounds of things rattling or clanging against each other would be my only indication that i was in an actual quake. maybe i should see a doc... but first, i must try over-the-counter ear drops at the recommendation of a friend experiencing the same sensations.

this was basically my schedule while on the cruise ship elation. eat, nap, eat, work out, hot tub, eat, go to a show, dance till 1am, sleep, repeat. the grub was good. i'm kinda craving lobster right about now. escargot, never again.

as far as meeting dudes, the only love connection i wanted to make was with a crew member. the asst. maitre'd. no boatmance resulted but he did end up with a pass along card with my info. how else was he going to find out about mormons? we've been in touch.

the riddle

(right click on the title to hear song in another window)
by five for fighting is one of my favorite songs. it's brilliant. i get good feelings when i hear it.

it expresses the questions many have about life and the simple answers of what life is about... you and i.

there was a man back in '95
whose heart ran outta summers but before he died,
i asked him 'wait, what's the sense in life?'
come over me, come over me.
he said, 'son, why you gotta sing that tune?
catch a dillan song or some eclipse of the moon.
let and angel swing and make you swoon
then you will see... you will see.'
then he said, 'here's a riddle for ya, find the answer:
there's a reason for the world... you and i.'

picked up my kid from school today.
'did you learn anything, cuz in the world today
you can't live in a castle far away,
now talk to me, come talk to me.'
he said, 'dad i'm big but we're smaller than small,
in the scheme of things well, we're nothing at all.'
still every mother's child sings a lonely song.
'so play with me, come play with me.
and hey dad, here's a riddle for ya.
find the answer.
there's a reason for the world,
you and i...'
i said, 'son, for all i've told ya,
when you get right down to the reason for the world,
who am i?'

there are secrets that we still have left to find.
there have been mysteries from the beginning of time.
there are answers we're not wise enough to see.
he said, 'you're looking for clue. i love you free.'

the batter swings and the summer flies
as i look into my angels eyes.
a song plays on while the moon is high
over me. something comes over me.
i guess we're big and i guess we're small.
if you think about it man you know we got it all.
cuz we're all we got on this bouncin' ball.
and i love you free.
i love you freely.
here's a riddle for ya.
find the answer.
there's a reason for the world.
you and i.

mother clutter!!!

for monica.

'mother, there is much too much clutter!!!' cried sissy from the front room of an old 3 bedroom
cottage in the suburbs of so cal.

'there is simply no room for all these trinkets and nick knacks!

what are they for?

what do they do?

i stumble and trip with every step i take

i meander and weave; a path i try to make

clutter here, clutter there!

there is much too much junk EVERYWHERE!

if it doesn't have a home, it doesn't belong.

we need not be keepers of this, this, this... gong?!

PLEASE, oh please, for sanity's sake,

let us get rid of the clutter, the clatter,

the things that don't matter.'

favorite quote of conference

'we cannot gauge the worth of another soul any more than we can measure the span of the universe. every person is a VIP to our Heavenly Father.' - elder uchtdorf

dream about ants?

ants are like people. (wha?) they had some human qualities according to my dream. there are the workers, the more spiritually-minded, the laggers, and i realize i sound like a lunatic. how did i distinguish between the different types? in my dream i observed at least 3 different groups of ants. they were moving from the inside to the outside of a familiar garage. i thought there were more but i can't recall the others. one group of ants were the very quick to move-those not afraid of hard work. (side note: i've seen those quick moving ants in 3rd world countries) the second were the 'more spiritual'... only because they were moving the remains of something that had gone the way of the earth. and the 3rd group i remember just moving slowly- dragging their feet so to speak. they seemed to be procrastinating their chores of the day.