It's not easy being grown up

As a matter of fact, it's tough. One of my favorite videos from when I was a little girl was the The Little People: Grown Up video. I can't find a clip of it ANYWHERE online, but I swear to you that it does exist.

 These two little kids wake up early on a Saturday morning and their parents are still sleeping so they dress up the dog and the cat and make their pets become the children and they become the grown ups. I remember the songs that they sing. They go to the "store" to buy "groceries" and they sing about "People doin' their shopping, doin' their shopping..." One of the songs they sing is about how "It's not easy, being grown up, It's not easy; In fact, it's tough. It's not easy being grown up, as a matter of fact - It's tough!" Wise words INDEED. Do you ever just want to be a kid again?

Summer classes are absolutely LOVELY. However, they are sometimes 2.5 hours long and it takes forever for that bell to ring. I am sitting here in class and all I want to do is play THIS game on my little computer.

Jace and I LOVED this stupid game. I have no idea why.












Also I loved THIS game: Catz. Yes, with a Z. My mother would not let us have actual pets, so I had my virtual kitty. Welcome to generation Y2K. I named my first cat Dudley after the Harry Potter Character.

My personal favorite was the upgrade from Catz...a little game called Babyz.

They were not all mindless games. I LOVED Carmen San Diego where you had to go around the world and catch the criminals. It was the WORST when you knew who the bad guy was, but you did not have enough information to get your "warrant" to capture them. The theme song was also rather peppy.

Does anybody remember the The Logical Journey of the Zoombinis? AWESOME game.

As I grew a little older I was bit by the "Barbie Bug." My favorite computer games were the Barbie Mystery ones. The mystery of the carnival caper was THE BEST. I remember the creepy person dressed in black that you were trying to catch. While looking for clues he would randomly show up. I would tell Melissa Sprague "Princess, Scream when you see the man in black so I know he is here." After we became all too cool for REAL barbies we went to the computer. It was much more edgy and challenging.

The gymnastics game was the most fun! It was also so hard. I spent forever trying to push all the right buttons on the keyboard to the master the hardest gymnastic moves.

OF COURSE I always had to beat Riley at THIS game: good ol' Mario Teaches Typing

I remember the days when we had a Super Nintendo. I LOVED the Disney games, especially Aladin. My favorite was the bonus level where you got to ride the magic carpet. That was the only level with Jasmin and you had the awsome opportunity of getting all the sparkling diamonds in the sky. I also always wanted my brothers to get me to the Genie levels because those ones were SO MUCH fun.

Ninja Turtles was a great game because there are four of them and we could all play together. I still remember the day that Bryan DeLay and I beat that game. Most of the time though the nintendo was occupied so I had to play my own little SuperGameBoy. This was my game of choice.

I was OK with the nintendo being occupied by my brothers most of the time because once we got rid of our Super Nintendo and plugged in the N64 things got a little too complicated for me. I mostly just became a cheerleader at that point for Riley and Jace as they saved princess Zelda and beat Bowzer. I did love Animal Farm and Donkey Kong though. Especially this girl...

 

She was so little and I felt such a kinship with her. She could also fly around all helicopter like with her sweet piggytales. SO cool.















When my brothers were NOT playing the nintendo and the TV was free I would watch THIS...over and over and over and over and over....

Also: Remember THESE precious little gems from my childhood?

Most of my days were spent karate chopping around the house at Kimberly the Pink Ranger with Jace as my trusty Red Ranger buddy.



When the Olsen twins were not blasting from my boom box I was listening to one of these four groups...

Not everything about my childhood was technological. I LOVED my little books. Some of my favorite where THESE ones.

And when I got a little bit older...

If you had several pairs of these you were about as classy as you could possibly get...

The bigger the bow, the brighter the scrunchie, the better...

The most adorable thing you could wear as a little girl was a jump suit that your aunt Kelle made you...

So here's to the 1990's, Friends. This was quite possible the best area in the history of all time. When you could wear as much neon as you wanted...when Mr. Roger was everybody's neighbor...when Reading Rabbit was the most exciting thing at school and Recess was the most exciting TV show at home...when the words Disney Princess actually meant something...when 'Cabbage Patch' was not a place where you went to pick cabbage...when "Good Burger" was a place where Kenon and Kell worked.

I was talking to my big brother last night and he was telling me that he is in charge of Ward Prayer, so he came up with these little get to know you sheets for everyone to fill out. One of the questions he put on the sheet was "If you were a Care Bear, what would your name be and what sign would you have on your stomach?" People responded with answers such as "I am not a bear." "Why would I have a sign on my stomach if I were a bear?" and "What are you talking about?" This is seriously sad.

Yay for awesome childhoods.

"Surely the thing God enjoys most about being God is the thrill of being merciful."

I love conference. The end. It is SO inspiring and uplifting and wonderful. It is the best Holiday of the whole year. I do mean "Holiday" because it is one of the four days a year I actually get off : D My favorite talk was from Elder Jeffery R. Holland.

I like this talk for many reasons. I think it is something most people in the church and outside of the church need to hear. As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we often refer to ourselves as the first in the Vineyard; the first ones hired. This is true! We have so many blessings. We were born in the dispensation of times and we have the fullness of the gospel. I think it can be applied alone to those already inside of the church as well. There are varying degrees inside the church.

At the time of conference I was feeling a little bit like those waiting along the streets of Jerusalem for work until the later hours of the day. There are unanswered prayers and blessings that I feel like I deserve and am qualified for, but can't seem to make happen in my life. At times I feel like saying "HEY! Why was he hired instead of me? I have been standing here longer and I am a better worker and I need work too! What is so special about him that he was chosen for the job?"

This is such a sweet reminder that the Lord will never leave us alone in the end. We may have to wait until the 11th hour...and the 59th minute...but he WILL provide.

As Elder Holland was speaking I pictured the Savior going into the city to hire workers in the morning and the early hours of the day, knowing that he could only hire a certain number. He must have been heartbroken to see all the faces of those looking for work that he could not take with him at that time. Their eyes must have pleaded with him to give them a job. I  know that feeling because I went down to the conference center to try and find a ticket for the Saturday afternoon session because my district of missionaries was singing in the choir. The scriptures don't say this, but I can imagine it because it is a nice thought, but I think that he would have told them with tear filled eyes, "Don't worry. I will come back. Wait here for me. I promise I will be back for you." He may have come and gone several times, but in the end they were all taken care of.  He will come back for you.

I love this quote:  I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines...His concern is for the faith at which you finally arrive, not the hour of the day in which you got there.