Various

There are two centipedes running around our bathroom. That and one very large spider. Ah, the joys of living in a basement in Autumn.

Tonight was the 10th annual family pumpkin carving contest. Mom's whole side of the family gets together, and everyone brings the pumpkins they've done, and then fancy but very silly awards are given out along with candybar prizes, and we all eat icecream and have a good time. This year Conrad got pretty excited about it and went looking for ideas quite early. In the end we decided on an Easter theme for my pumpkin, and he was going to put gerbils on his. On my pumpkin one side had a bunny, another side had a row of Marshmellow Peeps, and then the third side said "Hoppy Easter." Conrad's pumpkin didn't work out, so he ended up throwing it away and doing a new pumpkin with a graveyard theme--ghost, tombstone, and angry tree, each on their own side. Conrad won the "Most Creative all Around" award, and I won the "All Around Hoppiest" award. ^^

I've got the RS lesson tomorrow, and I was just reading over the material. I really liked this quote:

"All mankind desire happiness. Many also stive sincerely to make the most and best of themselves. Surprsingly few, however, realize that a sure guide to such achievement may be found in the following declaration by Jesus of Nazareth: "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: And whoseoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." [Matthew 16:25.] This significant passage contains a secret more worthy of pessession than fame or dominion, something more valuable than all the wealth of the world.

"It is a principle the applicaiton of which promises to supplant discouragement and gloom with hope and gladdness; to fill life with contentment and peace everlasting. This being true its acceptance would indeed be a boon today to this distracted, depression-ridden world...

"...Specifically stated, this law is, "We live our lives most completely when we strive to make the world better and happier." The law of pure nature, survival of the fittest, is self-preservation at the sacrifice of all else; but in contrast to this the law of true spiriual life is, deny self for the good of others...

"...There is more spirituality expressed in giving than in receiving. The greates spiritual blessing comes from helping another. If you want to be miserable, just harbor hate for a brother, and if you want to hate, just do your brother some injury. But if you would be happy, render a kind service, make somebody else happy."

- David O. McKay