The Proclamation to the World

I thought since this is my last post for my family class I would post the Proclamation to the World and share with everyone my testimony on the truths that lie within this wonderful document. Here is the proclamation below:

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THE FAMILY

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A PROCLAMATION TO THE WORLD

The First Presidency and Council of the Twelve Apostles of theChurch of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

WE, THE FIRST PRESIDENCY and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children.

ALL HUMAN BEINGS—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

IN THE PREMORTAL REALM, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

THE FIRST COMMANDMENT that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force. We further declare that God has commanded that the sacred powers of procreation are to be employed only between man and woman, lawfully wedded as husband and wife.

WE DECLARE the means by which mortal life is created to be divinely appointed. We affirm the sanctity of life and of its importance in God’s eternal plan.

HUSBAND AND WIFE have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalm 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, and to teach them to love and serve one another, observe the commandments of God, and be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

THE FAMILY is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

WE WARN that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

WE CALL UPON responsible citizens and officers of government everywhere to promote those measures designed to maintain and strengthen the family as the fundamental unit of society.

It got a little messed up at the top so sorry about that:) You can also go and access the Proclamation here.

I know that the men who wrote this document were called of God and that the things that they wrote up above are true and I have seen these principles work miracles in my life. 

From the time I was born until I was 8 years old, I did not have the fortune of having the gospel in my life. I wouldn't say that my family wasn't untied as one, but the gospel definitely helped us come together more. All of our beliefs and moral views were tied together as one and as we began to strive towards being better disciples of Christ, we were able to grow much closer as a family. The first part of the Proclamation where it describes what our purpose here is on earth and why we are here brought much clarity to my family's life. I was young at the time so I didn't understand fully what the gospel had done for me but, looking back I can see that the gospel gave me purpose. I know why I am here and where I am going afterwards.

When I came to BYU-I I took several classes where we began to dive deeper into the Proclamation. I had read it before, but I don't think I had ever paid too much attention to what it was saying. One day, I was sitting in class as we were going over the proclamation and it just sunk in how important it was for me to become a mother. Don't get me wrong, I had always wanted to be a mother but the importance of it really sunk in and from that time on that is all I have wanted to do. I know that I was given a gift from Heavenly Father to be able to bear children and to bring life into this world. I know how sacred and important that gift is. I am so grateful that Kelsey and I were both able to be strong enough and wait until we got married to each other to use those sacred powers of pro-creation. I know for a certainty that those special powers of procreation are only to be used within the bounds of marriage.

I am also so grateful that we were worthy to go into the Lord's house and to be sealed together for time and all eternity. The baby that we lost, will be ours forever and I will get to see my precious baby one day because of this very sacred power. I know that families can be together forever and I know that Kelsey and I will be a family with our sweet spirit one day. I also have a testimony of the work that goes on in the temple for the dead. We are able to bring the gospel and joy into their lives because of the temple. It is a very holy and sacred place and I am grateful that the Lord has provided us with so many temples to do the work he has asked.

I am also very grateful that the Proclamation spells out what the duties of husband and wife are. As I began looking for someone that I could marry and spend eternity with, I used the guidelines of the proclamation to help lead me to Kelsey. I feel as if I don't brag about Kelsey enough so I am going to take the time to do so.:) I am so grateful that the Lord has blessed me with such an amazing husband. He is so close to the spirit and he is always listening for what Heavenly Father would have him do. He is a very hard worker and he has worked very hard for the past 4 years in school so that he could get a good job for our family and be able to provide. He takes his duties very seriously. I am also grateful that the Proclamation gives us guidance on how we should raise our children. This is such a huge task. I don't even have children yet and at times just thinking about it makes me feel overwhelmed. I know that if we stick to the things the Lord and the leaders of the church have laid out in the Proclamation that we are going to raise children that are strong in the gospel and who know who their Savior and Heavenly Father is.

I encourage each and every one of you to study out the proclamation and to decide how you can apply it in your life. Whether you are a member or not, the Proclamation is for everyone. If you have read it before, I encourage you to read it again. Every time I read it something new pops out at me. I know that if Kelsey and I use this as our guide in life we will always stay close to the Lord.

Cold Hard Facts About Marriage

I have had many of my unmarried friends ask me if getting married is worth it. Do I think I made the right decision to get married so young? Was I happier single? These friends have said they heard that marriage is hard and scary and they just don't know if it was for them. They didn't want to get married if they weren't going to happy and get divorced. Plus, there are so many marriages that fail today they didn't want to be one of those people. Well I am here to tell you that being married is the best choice I have ever made. If you don't believe me, go watch this Mormon message on marriage. You will see many other couples speak on how much they love their spouse.

So when you read the post entitled the cold hard facts, you were probably thinking I was going to talk about all the hard things that come with marriage. But I am not going to do that today. I am going to give you reasons to want to get married.

1. Married couples are more likely to have better health than those who are unmarried. They have a longer life expectancy. Why? One of the reasons I think this is the case is because you don't want to do anything that would risk dying and leaving your spouse alone. Before Kelsey and I got married I was kind of a dare devil. I even wanted to go skydiving. Now, I don't do anything that would risk my health because I don't want him to be left alone.

2. people who are married have a greater life satisfaction, lower risk of depression, and greater economic stability, all leading to a better mental health. My life has improved greatly since being married to Kelsey. I am much happier now that we are married because I know that life can never be that bad as long as I have Kelsey by my side.

3. Wiser choices are made with couples who are married. I know that when I have a bad idea Kelsey is there to balance me out and ground me and the same goes for me grounding him. We are each others sounding boards and often times are the voice of reason to each other.

When making the choice to get married researchers have found that in happier marriages the couple has two things in common, values and life goals. This makes complete sense to me. When a couple shares the same values and life goals they are going to agree on the big stuff that comes up in life. Also, they are both going to be headed and wanting the same things in life. Now I am not saying that if you agree on these things there are never going to be fights but it will definitely make married life much easier.


We have the same goal that we should eat ice cream as much as possible in life:)

So now that you have heard the "cold facts" on marriage do you still not want to get married?

Equal Partnership in Marriage

I have been able to be able to spend the weekend with Kelsey and our second year anniversary is coming up so I have been thinking about our marriage a lot and how blessed I am to have such a great husband.

Although in the proclamation we read that man and women have different roles and duties in the marriage, couples need to work together in order to have a healthy and successful marriage. In the fall, I took a class on marriage and one day my teacher drew a diagram on the board that I will never forget as long as I live. I had seen it before but for some reason this time it really sunk it.

Here is the diagram, I am sure that many of you have seen it before. I just want you to pay extra attention to it and see that in a marriage there is one person who is higher. It is not the husband, nor is it the wife, it is Heavenly Father. Husband and wife are on equal playing field.

So what can husband's and wife's do to keep this from happening?

One thing that I read when I was doing research on this topic was that in the marriage there must be room for both the husband and wife to have dreams. Along with having those dreams, they must each support the other in their dreams or hobbies and do everything they can to encourage it.

I have two hobbies that I absolutely love to do. I love cooking and I love crafting. These are no cheap hobbies in the slightest and I have often felt guilty that my hobbies cost so much money. However, Kelsey has never told me that he thinks my hobbies cost too much money and that I need to find new ones. He has actually tried to get involved in them as much as he can. Cooking is always easier for him to support than crafting but he always talks about how awesome he thinks my crafts are. When it comes to cooking, he is always more than happy to try my food and desserts:) He has even learned how to make some things like bread and it is something we do together every Sunday. 






One of Kelsey's main hobbies or dreams is actually his major which is engineering. He loves it and he loves to talk to me about it. When we first got married and he would talk about I would normally just nod my head and tell him I had no idea what he was talking about. Now, I still don't have a huge idea of what he is talking about but I try to get involved and learn. I ask him about projects and encourage him when he does well on his tests. 

One thing that I also thing is important is finding a hobby that you both like and do it together. When a couple can do this, it allows for couples to feel they are on equal playing fields and they can bond together over it. One does not feel their hobby is more important because it is something they came up with together.

Kelsey and I both love to exercise. It is something that we have always done together. Our schedules don't always match up and it would probably be easier to just go to the gym at different times. But we make sure we find a time where we can both go to the gym together. It makes me feel closer to Kelsey knowing that it is something that we do together.


One other thing I wanted to touch base on when it comes to this topic was sharing duties. Although like I mentioned before that the proclamation spells out specific duties for husband and wife, they can both take part in sharing all the duties in some way. For example, wife's are mainly responsible for the nurturing of children but husbands can help in taking care of the children as well.

One way Kelsey and I share duties is through chores. It is always said that the wife is supposed to take care of all the chores in the house but Kelsey and I share this responsibility. Kelsey cleans the bathroom and all the floors every week and I clean the kitchen, living room, and bedroom. It is different for everyone but it's what works for us.

I have a true testimony of equal partnership in marriage. Like I mentioned it is different for every couple but, I know that if husband and wife can find a way where they can both have equal partnership, they are going to much happier.      

Marriage Later in Years

This is always something that makes me smile and it is something I look forward to. I love seeing elderly people holding hands and looking at each other with just as much love, if not more, than the day they got married. I think it is so sweet and it is something that I have always admired. However, their lives are not perfect. They still face challenges and I think if people like me, who think they are just living in bliss, were aware we could help them more.

The first thing a couple could experience is becoming empty nesters. Once all their children leave home, it can be quite a change and leave a couple unsure of what to do with their time. For a long time their lives have been directed and focused on their children. When they leave all of that stops. A wife who had been married for 33 years said, "It's important to build a good relationship with your spouse so that when the children leave, you have the underlying joy of focusing on each other and not your adult children."

Meet my mom and dad. Aren't they cute?? They have been empty nesters for almost 4 years now. My brother and I decided to leave home for the first time at the exact same time. So they went from having both their children home to none of their children home all at once. It took some adjusting but they have a good, strong marriage and have adjusted quite well to the empty-nester life. They enjoy their time with just the two of them and love being able to focus on each other more. 

Another problem that couples could face is physical decline. Let's face it, the older we get, the weaker our bodies get. With our bodies getting weaker, it can bring decrease in mobility, memory, stamina, strength, hearing, and even cognitive abilities. Aging can be hard for people to accept when they realize they can't do as much as they want to anymore. For some it can make them become very negative which can eventually lead to a "mid-life crisis". 

Meet my grandma. Isn't she cute too?? She has lupus. ( Learn more about Lupus here) This is very painful at times. As you can see from this picture my grandma doesn't let it get her down. She has chosen to live her life, and not let her pains hold her back. When I even get a headache it is like I'm down for the count. I admire her. 

So what are some things to look forward to in older age? There are many but I will just share a few. 

Perspective and the ability to share and teach- The older we get, the wiser and smarter we become. As we experience life we learn many lessons and we can share them with others. As we retire and become empty nesters, we will have more time on our hands and can share our knowledge with others. At this time, some couples choose to go on mission to share the gospel which I think is a wonderful thing. 

That brings me to my next point, service. With more free time and wisdom, many take the time to go out and serve others. I think this is amazing because they are really the ones who we should be serving. This is why I think they have so much joy in their life because they are so busy being self-less and putting others first. 

Work in the Family

As I sit outside in the park on a beautiful day wishing I was having fun instead of doing homework, I decided to write about work in the family to try and help motivate me. I know that in the not so near future this hard work is all going to pay off, but for now it stinks!

I know that coming up with ways to get children to want to do chores and work in the home can sometimes be difficult. It is important to remember that we are responsible to teach them principles that will help them be successful in the real world one day. Working is an essential part of family life. 

All members, including the mother and father, need to take part in family work. Studies have shown that children respond best to work when their mother or father is working along side of them. No matter the age, children like to see their parents working as well. I think they like it for several reasons. The first being that it makes them feel as though their mom or dad don't feel they are above their children. The other reason is because it gives them another thing to do with their mom and dad and helps them connect better. 

Another thing we must be careful of when teaching our children about work is our attitude. When talk about work and chores like it is a burden and we hate it, that is going to be the attitude they have as well. This will often lead to protesting chores when they are asked to do some. As hard as it may be, parents need to talk about work as a joyful thing and make it seem like it is not a big deal. Our children will more likely enjoy it if we do. 

A "controversial" thing that comes along with this topic is whether or not children should be given allowance. Some people say it is okay and some people think it is a bad idea. I couldn't really find any church doctrine on it so I will just give my opinion. Personally for me, I think that allowance is a good thing and can really beneficial. When you give your child allowance, you can start teaching tithing at a younger age. (learn more about tithing) You can also teach them that if they want something, they have to save for it. This will help them understand that we can't always get what we want.

Growing up, my parents did everything they could to teach me good work ethic and I feel that I have a pretty good sense of the importance of work today. I will admit that there were times when I didn't feel like working and would give my parents a hard time, but they tried to make it fun. 

We had a chore chart at one time or another and we got a sticker when we would get something done. I liked this method and it was a rewarding feeling when I would get stickers. (Sample chore chart )

When we were older and started getting allowance, if we didn't complete all our chores for the week some of our money would get deducted. This was a really great motivation for me and it taught me that if I didn't do the work, I wouldn't get the reward. 

I don't really have too many pictures of myself working so I will just leave you with an example of work! 

The Plan of Salvation and Families

This is something that has really been on my mind lately and it has been something that I am so grateful to have the knowledge of so I thought I would share:)

I will briefly explain the plan of salvation but the part I want to focus on today is how families can become eternal and be together forever.

Here is a picture of the plan of salvation or the great plan of happiness. As I describe the plan, feel free to refer to the picture so you can follow along. 

We all started in the pre-mortal existence where we all dwelt with each other and our Heavenly Father and Mother. Heavenly Father said we would need to come to earth and there were two people who raised their voice to come up with a plan. Lucifer and Jesus Christ. Lucifer's plan was to control us and make us do what he said. Christ's plan was to come to earth sacrifice himself so we could return to Heavenly Father. This plan would allow us to use free agency. There was a war in Heaven and everyone who is on this earth chose The Lord's side. 

We come to earth as a baby and have a veil placed upon us so that we don't remember what went on in Heaven. This is the point where we gain our body. We are on this earth and we have our free agency to make choices that will either lead us closer of farther away from the Lord. We are tested and tried while here. 

After we die we leave our body and become a spirit again. we either go to spirit prison or paradise based on our actions on earth. It is here we will wait until the second coming where the Savior will come again. When He comes we will all be resurrected no matter what. We will then have our final judgement and be placed in one of the three kingdoms. Our goal is to make it to the celestial kingdom where we can be with our Father in Heaven and Jesus Christ and dwell with them again. 

While we are on this earth there are several things we must do in order to make it back to the celestial kingdom. In doctrine and covenants 131 (D&C 131) we read that one of those things is celestial marriage. The way we can have celestial marriage is by entering into one of the Lord's holy temples and be sealed to our spouse for time and all eternity. Once we have done this, we can be with our family forever. Instead of death do us part like in normal marriages, we are with our spouse and family for all eternity. After we die, we will meet them again and be joined together. Who wouldn't want to be with their family forever? 

This is such a powerful and sacred thing and it is very near to my heart. I am very close to my family and I couldn't imagine going through this life knowing that after they pass on I would never see them again. I have had two experiences with becoming an eternal family and I would like to share them.

My family and I joined the church when I was 8 and when I was 10 we were all ready to go to the temple and be sealed together forever. I don't remember a ton from this experience but I remember the amount of joy I felt knowing that my mom, dad, and brother would be with me forever. As we all participated in this covenant, I remember looking into my parents and brothers eyes and knowing we were an eternal family. There was much joy.

On August 6, 2011 my sweet husband kelsey and I knelt together in the same Seattle temple and became an eternal family of our own. This time was much more emotional for me because I understood what was happening and was creating an eternal family of my own. As we made these covenants, I knew that as long as we kept them we would be together forever. What an amazing feeling that was. Now as we have children someday, they will be sealed to us and they will be part of our family forever as well. 

Here is some pictures from our special day:

That day was almost two years ago and we have been happily married ever since. We know nothing can ever be too bad because we have eternal marriage on our side. 

Faith in the Family

Faith in the family is something that is needed to help our family units survive.

There is a three dimensional framework that involves faith in the family. They are: religious community and family, religious beliefs, and religious practices

The area that I wanted to focus on today is religious practices in the family and how it correlates to faith. 

One major thing that relates to faith in the family is prayer. In a study done it said that when husband and wife are not on the same page with prayer it creates a lot of disconnect in the family. This was shocking to me but it makes sense. How can you expect a family to be united in their faith when they don't agree on how or when to pray? If couples are finding themselves disagreeing on this subject, they should talk together so they can get on the same page and allow faith to continue to grow within their family. 

The other major thing that affects faith in the family is the religious rituals in the family. If one person wants to do FHE and the other only does to make that person happy, there isn't going to be much faith residing in the home. When couples are on the same page with whatever religious practices they choose, they are going to be able to feel the spirit and connect with God on a deeper level. When they are able to do this as a family and a couple, they will increase their faith together. 

I just want to share a few things that Kelsey and I do as a couple to increase our faith:

We pray together every morning and night. Before we pray we talk about anything special we want to pray about and get answers to. This way we both know what to listen for. When we get answers to the prayer we said together, it increases our faith together.

We read scriptures together each night. While we are reading, we stop and talk about the things we are getting out of the scriptures. This helps us to talk about the things we are learning and how we are applying it to our lives. Often times Kelsey and I are both getting different things from the scriptures and it allows us to teach each other.

We go to the temple together. After attending the temple, we sit down and talk about the things we learned. Again when we are able to be spiritually uplifted together and learn more about the gospel, it increases our faith together.

These are just some of the things we do to help increase our faith together as a couple. I hope that one day when we have children we will be able to increase our faith together as a family. We recently took a trip to Salt Lake with my family and were able to go to temple square. As we went through this weekend and talked, it increased our faith together. Here are some pictures below.